All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of "Alex Checnkov."

The Avignon University presented here is not meant in any way to represent the Universite D'Avignon and any similarities are coincidental.

New Horizons: Arrival, Part III
Alex Checnkov

While the rest of the student body left the auditorium for the dining hall, Jacob tucked the books and uniforms he had received at registration under his seat and he left in the same direction as the chancellor and the younger gargoyle.

He caught up with the pair just before they stepped out onto a perch at the end of a back corridor to glide home and asked, "Chancellor, can I talk with you for a moment?"

The old gargoyle stopped, turned and replied, "Of course. Did I embarrass you in there?"

"Well - no, this isn't about that. I and the other human students weren't assigned to a weight class tonight, and I want to know why."

Constantine raised his brow, "Do you really need to ask?"

"Yes. I thought the purpose of our being here is to foster co-existence. How are we supposed to do that if we're separated?"

The chancellor nodded in thought and asked after a moment of pause, "How much do you weigh, Jacob?"

"Around two-hundred pounds, so fourteen stones maybe. Class three."

The chancellor looked to his attendant, "And you?"

"Eleven stones," she replied.

"You would be in class two, then?"

"Yes."

The leader pointed a talon at Jacob, and before he could react the female took hold of, lifted and threw the human down the corridor with a hiss like a wildcat. Jacob landed hard on the stone floor and had the wind knocked out of him, and before he could stand up and recover the female pounced and pinned him to the floor.

Her eyes burned red and she growled as she held him to the floor. Casually, the chancellor walked over and placed a hand on the young gargoyle's shoulder, and at that signal her aggression ended and she stood up.

Jacob, however, was still too bewildered and without breath to do much more than lie on the floor and catch his breath. Constantine knelt down and asked, "If I allowed that to happen to you and your human friends, how long do you think you would live? Certainly not the full six years of your enrollment."

Constantine helped Jacob to his feet once he had his breath back and then walked with the female towards the perch.

"The purpose of your being here is to learn, Jacob," he said without looking back. "You attend schools to learn."

Once the pair glided off into the night, Jacob asked after them, "And what in Hell am I supposed to be learning here?"

A feast indeed!

Malach, like so many of his peers who had known seasons of poor hunts and little food, was overwhelmed by the sight before him. Both serving lines of the cafeteria were filled with all possible meats, fruits and vegetables with baskets of bread dispersed along them; and fountain machines at the end of the serving lines, just before the doors that led into the dining hall itself, provided more than enough drink variety.

His whole clan working for food for a week would not be able to come up with such a bounty.

As his line moved forward, Malach withdrew from an inner vest pocket an etiquette booklet that the school had sent him - and a quick look around the room reassured him that he was not alone in doing so. Malach turned through the various pages until he found the section on dining.

"For many clans," the chapter began, "meals play an especially important role in traditions. This is just as true in Avignon. However, since students bring to the school with them such a wide variety of customs, this section will outline some standards that will ensure there are no conflicts between students.

"First, while it is common for many clans to eat without utensils or dishware - forks, plates, etc. - students are asked to make use of the provided tools to maintain an organized and clean eating environment."

Malach snorted, prompting the shorter male standing behind him to ask, "Do you have different traditions?"

He looked away from the booklet to reply, "We get our food in common, set out blankets in the barracks and eat what we are allotted."

The yellow, beaked student, dressed in casual attire better suited to a human than a gargoyle, raised his featureless brow under long brown hair, "That's all?"

"The only thing you need at a meal is food. The blankets are only to keep the dirt out of our diet."

"Makes sense."

The line progressed enough to allow Malach to take a tray and plate from their stacks, followed by utensils provided in bins.

"What are your customs?"

He responded after getting his own set of dining wares, "It's to each his own. Except for the youngest generations, we prepare our own meals, or go into the city. We typically don't eat as a clan unless it's a holiday."

Malach raised his brow, "Where are you from?"

"Colorado, just outside of Denver." He extended his hand, "James, by the way."

"I am Malach, from the Shenandoah," he replied before shaking his hand.

"Is that short for Malachi?"

"No, Malachite, after the stone."

James snorted and said, "A gargoyle named after a stone. I think that makes the most sense out of all the practices I've heard so far."

"We are not all named after stones in my nation. They are based off our calendar and what symbol we hatch under. There will not be another stone generation for two-hundred years." The line moved forward once again to place Malach in reach of the first bread basket, from which he raided three dinner rolls.

"At least you get to be unique."

Malach shook his head and said, "My build, shade and character are what make me unique, friend, while my name limits me. With only so many stones in the ground to match our tones, there are four others I have met with my name."

"So, if someone just refers to 'Malach,' how do you know who they're talking about?"

He was about to answer when someone placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "We call this one 'the small one,' but only if we want to pick a fight."

As though he would, in fact, start a fight, Malach turned with a sharp look to see who had revealed his despised character name, but his stance changed when he saw the offender.

"Elatay!" he said in greeting his friend with an embrace. "I have been looking for you since I arrived."

"Peace, friend," the bald turquoise male with two small horns along his brow, only a few inches taller than James but discernibly more toned, said as he returned Malach's embrace. "The festival lasted long this year, so I only arrived a few hours ago."

Once he let go a moment later, Malach ran the gold trim on the sleeve of his friend's white tunic between his talons. "I see they made you a priest. Congratulations."

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "It was more difficult than I thought it would be."

"And Rita? How did she perform?"

"She insisted that I not tell. You will find out when you see her again."

Malach shook his head and smiled, "I should have expected it."

The line moved again and Malach returned to it to keep pace, arriving at the first trays of meats. "Have you gotten your food yet?" he asked as he took generous helpings of pork.

"Yes, and I am seated with a few others near the back of the hall. Come sit with us when you are finished here."

"Of course." Malach indicated James, "This is a new companion of mine."

James turned and extended his hand, "James, happy to meet you."

"Lazwar, I am happy to meet you as well," he said placing both his hands over James' one in place of a handshake. "I will let you get back to getting your meals and look forward to sharing with you," he said after releasing James' hand and turning to leave.

"You too, friend," Malach said after him as he moved down the line.

After a moment's pause, James said, "Not to be rude, but 'Lazwar?'"

Malach replied through a crooked grin, "Lazurite."

Sophie picked at her salad while she waited for her companions to return. Going through the lines, she was both impressed by the sheer quantity of food the school was able to provide and unnerved by just how much of it the students consumed.

She looked around the room and saw plates piled high with more meat and bread than anything else, maybe some fruits and vegetables on the sides, and most of the students had opted for water than the other drinks available. Only a few glasses of milk or juice and even fewer of soda were visible.

Her meals had always been light, though not by any scarcity. Since the sun provided the vast majority of her energy, she stuck to the old rule to not eat more than three fists-worth of food per meal; although she was sure that rule would become an exception once the combat training began.

While Sophie ate, she flipped through the etiquette booklet Camila left behind as she went for a refill of her drinks.

"Hierarchy plays a vital role in many clan societies," she read, "and it is the same at Avignon. Your accomplishments will bring you recognition among your peers in many ways, but the school will encourage this by truly placing you at the head of your class should you achieve it. After your first rating at the end of two years, you will be seated in your classes by academic rank, assigned competition partners by your fighting ability, and seated in the dining hall by your overall standing."

Sophie looked around the dining hall at the groups which had formed. Most students had opted to seat either with others they had known before arriving at the school or those they had just met. Others gathered by such qualifiers as the place of their homes or common language.

And, indeed, the room hummed with conversations in a multitude of languages, some she could recognize and others new to her.

Not long after she left, Camila returned to the table with a glass of milk and another plate of meet.

"What did you get this time?" Sophie asked.

"Venison. I have never had it before, but it makes me very much want to move north so I can hunt it myself," she replied as she cut into the meat.

"Do you hunt much at home?"

Camila shook her head. "As I am sure you know, the city provides enough food. But sometimes my brothers and sisters and I travel to the jungle for a hunt, but not in a while. Do you hunt?"

"No. I didn't really do much fighting or things like it until a few years ago, once I got serious about coming here."

Camila finished a piece of venison and downed some milk before asking, "Did you do any kind of training as a young gargoyle?"

"We had nightly exercises starting around age ten and up to when we were thirty, but after that we were kind of left on our own. And, really, the only ones who kept going were the ones who wanted to become police officers."

With that last sentence, Sophie's mind immediately occupied itself with thoughts of Nicholas, having been too occupied with the multitude of tasks in the last few hours to think about him.

She wondered if her courting had worked, if the two were finally on the path to becoming mates after so many years of efforts; and she worried about the risks he would face after he graduated from the academy in a few nights.

It was then that Lazwar returned to the table. "I found my friend, and he and another will join us soon."

"Great," Sophie said. "So, what was this festival you were talking about that kept you late?"

"It is to celebrate that we will enjoy life more than sleep for the next six months. Warriors compete to increase their rank, and clerics, like I was, perform rituals in the hopes of becoming a priest," Lazwar smiled, "which I did. It is a time to reconnect with friends not seen for a long time, and, for some, it is a time to find a mate."

"And this is something your local clans do?"

"All nations of the Appalachians participate, and we often host visitors from clans around the world. You should come next year."

"I just might. There aren't a lot of celebrations at home," Sophie said.

"Is there a lot of food there?" Camila asked.

Lazwar laughed, "It is the one time of the year we can be sure we will not go hungry."

"Then I will come, too."

Malach and James arrived at the table, both following in the likeness of most others and boasting ample portions of meat. Malach sat next to Lazwar, James by Sophie, and exchanged introductions.

Sophie asked, "So, how do you and Malach know each other?"

"When his clan was independent like mine," Lazwar said, "we shared hunting grounds. After he joined the Shenandoah clans, we saw less of each other. Then his mate took the same path as I did, and we were able to stay friends that way."

"So, what is the religion you are a part of?"

Lazwar curled his lip as he pondered his answer. He answered, "It is not like what the humans have. Our task is to keep the others mindful of the gifts of nature, and to make sure that nature is honored."

"They are also what humans call judges," Malach said. "When some violate our clan laws, the priests hand down punishments."

James interrupted the line of conversation and said, "Speaking of humans, where do you all stand on them being here?"

Malach and Lazwar exchanged glances and shrugged. Malach said after swallowing some food, "I am not bothered. I am living with one of them, and I think it will be a good thing."

"I am not bothered either," Lazwar said. "We share this planet, we should share our knowledge and customs, too."

The other gargoyles at the table, however, visibly disagreed, either with curled lips or shaking heads. Sophie spoke on their behalf, "I have nothing against humans, really, but they won't let us have our own culture. Whenever we get something that's ours, humans want a piece of it."

James and Camila nodded in agreement, and Malach asked, "Where are you from again?"

"New Amsterdam."

He looked at Camila and she answered, "Rio de Janeiro."

"Denver," James said without being prompted.

"I find that amusing," Malach said. "You three have lived near more humans than I will ever know, you are even dressed like them, and yet complain that they are eroding our customs. Could it not be, perhaps, that the problem is that you are taking too much of their customs?"

Sophie was not prepared for the argument. She had grown up being told about human intrusions, and how she would never experience what it would be like to be a true gargoyle because of them. And now, less than two minutes into knowing her, Malach suggested that she was at fault.

It took effort to keep her anger in check, but she did manage to respond calmly. "Well, don't you think maybe we're better to judge humans than you? I mean, like you said, we've grown up around them, and we know what they're like. What do you know about humans?"

Malach shook his head. "I admit not very much. I went to their capital city once as a youth for a few nights, and my friends and I sometimes go into the nearby city for a meal. But there are many humans near my home who are very receptive to us, and I like to think that their kindness is what humans are really like. Maybe my humans are different from yours."

He continued, "But you still did not answer my question. Even if you are better to judge humans, could you be the ones taking too much from them rather them from you?"

"We can't even be free in the sky above our home because of them!" Sophie protested. "And the Bureau is always poking and prodding to make sure we're following all their rules; if the rest of the human government did the same thing to its own citizens, there would be no crime and no liberty."

Lazwar spoke up, "You could leave the city. There are no gargoyles along much of the Appalachians north of us, and there you and your clan could live away from humans."

She was floored by the suggestion. "Why do we have to move? We were here first. Would you leave your home if humans encroached?"

"Humans are not the problem for us," he said. "Other gargoyles are. It will not be long before many clans have to split up and migrate in order to keep enough resources for everybody."

"Yeah, well, even humans are leaving their cities faster than we can keep up. They'll be a problem for you eventually, then there won't be anywhere for us to live in peace."

Malach drank down his water and said, "I am glad that we could meet. I think you and I should be friends, and we will learn much from each other."

Around the corner before the dining hall was a series of cubbyholes assigned to the students for them to put their belongings so as not to take up space while they ate. Jacob found his name and stashed his books and uniforms away before turning the corner.

Still aching from the brief and one-sided sparring session, Jacob rubbed his neck as he approached his human peers, who had gathered outside the doors of the dining hall.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Are they not letting you in?"

Loren responded, "We thought it would be best to go in as a group, and after the gargoyles got their food. What happened to you?"

"I got an early lesson. But why are you all waiting around?"

"Never get between a gargoyle and his food or mate," Osyka said. "Since we haven't been brought into the folds of their society yet, it's best not to look like we're intruding."

He replied sharply, "'Brought into the folds' nothing. We got accepted here, and that's good enough; and right now, I'm starving."

As Jacob walked to the door, Loren put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Jacob, I know you're on this crusade to show that we're equal to gargoyles, but the fact is that we're not. If you go storming in their social order time and again, they're going to get annoyed pretty quickly, and that's not a good thing."

Jacob looked around the group. "And all of you are buying this?"

"We grew up with gargoyles, friend," Imaran said. "This is the way of things."

Jacob shrugged off Loren's hand from his shoulder and leaned against the wall. "Well, the way of things sucks."

They waited outside the hall for a few more minutes without much conversation, occasionally peering in to see when the lines were light enough that they felt comfortable entering. When the only ones in line were gargoyles returning for second helpings, they filed in and got their meals under less-than friendly glances from the gargoyles present.

Once all they all had their food, they left the serving area and entered the dining hall. The moment they stepped into the hall, the many conversations that had been taking place moments before went silent.

The group of humans stood quietly as they met the glares of the other students. Jacob managed to see Malach towards the back of the hall, but his posture and facial expression were not inviting, nor were those of the others he was sitting with, and getting back to him was not an inviting prospect.

Loren nudged him and indicated an empty table not more than a few feet away that could accommodate the group. As they made their way to the table, Jacob said to the gargoyles to break the silence, "How're y'all tonight? Good?"

Most of the students got the cue to end their silent stand-off and resumed their conversations in muted tones.

"That wasn't awkward," Loren said once seated.

"Do we have to look forward to this every night?" Sylvie asked.

None of them had an answer, and they lingered on her question in silence for the remainder of their meal.

The school had not scheduled anything after the dinner for the night, and so the students assembled at various places around the campus to socialize. While the rest of the humans went back to their rooms, Malach caught Jacob after the meal and went to campus' gardens, where many of the students had gathered.

Jacob asked on the way, "So what was with the cold shoulder back there?"

"Some of my friends had made it known that they were not too receptive to you, and I did not want to agitate them," he responded. "I hope you will forgive me."

Jacob smiled, "I was never cross at you, just curious. Is that going to be normal for a while?"

"I am afraid so, friend. But once they and the others see that you and your friends are no threat to them, you will be accepted."

"And when will that happen?"

Malach shrugged and said, "It depends on your efforts."

Jacob shook his head, "My friends have it in mind that you all will resist us more if we try and force our way into your social order."

"They are likely right," he responded. "However, such emotions pass with time. Just be persistent, and the others will come to see you as a friend."

"Mixed signals - great. If I wanted those, I'd just get a girlfriend."

The night was cool and quiet, the high walls surrounding the campus effectively blocking the sounds of the city around them. In the gardens, the walkways and scattered benches were lit by lights tucked away in the vegetation, an aid to Jacob but clearly a distraction to the gargoyles, who he noticed often looked skyward.

Jacob and Malach met up with Venezuelan who lived across the hall from them. She, like many of the others, was occupied with the heavens. She said, "I cannot see the stars as clearly here as back home. I hope it is not like this every night."

"You're in a city," Jacob said. "It will be like this most nights."

She pouted. "They should have built the school elsewhere, then. It disturbs me if I cannot see the stars."

"Are you planning to navigate a long glide home, friend?" Malach asked with a grin. "I think you will be disappointed when you cannot cross the ocean."

"No," she said, flicking her tail at him with a grin. "I just like to see the stars above my home, and this place is now my home."

She was visibly affected by her words, and she looked down at her feet. "I only just realized that I have left all my friends and family behind for a place almost none of us had heard of a few years ago." She managed a smile. "I hope it will not be too difficult to bear."

"We have all had to leave behind our loved ones for this place," Malach said. "That will help us bond together."

She nodded then looked at Jacob. "Tell me about your home. What is Nebraska - yes? - what is it like?"

"It's a nice place," Jacob said. "But it gets boring after a while. My family has a farm a bit north of town that goes down to the Loup River, and we grow soybeans mostly. Got a mom and dad, obviously, and a younger brother, David, and I miss 'em pretty bad."

The female smiled, "That has always interested me about humans - parentage. I have no idea who my biological parents are, who my cousins might be, but humans must know."

"There are so many of us I guess it helps us to distinguish. We're so-and-so's son or brother as opposed to another person who we could get confused with."

She pondered for a moment then said, "I guess that is a good reason."

"Oh, man," Jacob said suddenly, placing a hand on his forehead. "This reminds me - I was supposed to call home when I got in. You don't mind if I cut and run, do you?"

"Will you come back?" Malach asked.

"I don't know. The jetlag's hitting me pretty hard right now. I think I might go to bed after I call."

"There are at least five hours left in the night! Surely you cannot sleep the rest of the night and the whole day before classes start tomorrow."

Jacob grinned, "You haven't seen humans sleep much, have you?"

Malach laughed. "Well then, friend, I will try not to wake you when I come take my perch before sunrise." He extended his hand. "Sleep well."

Jacob shook his hand. "No problem. But, if you don't mind, wake me up. I really want to see you turn to stone."

Malach raised his brow and exchanged a look with the female, who also looked similarly at a loss for words. Malach turned back to Jacob and said, "If you insist."

Jacob smiled and said before he walked away, "Thanks."

However, it was not long after he left the group before Jacob began to doubt his decision to leave the gardens. As he walked across the parade grounds, lit only by the moon and stars, Jacob could sense that he was being watched.

He paused and looked around but failed to see anything, or anyone, following him.

But he was unnerved enough that when he resumed his walk he did so at a hastened pace. His suspicions were realized when he got to the base of the stairs that would take him up to his dorm.

Sloane stepped out from behind a small, nearby grove and blocked Jacob's path, as well as startling him. His arms were crossed and wings extended, though not to their full span, and he said, "I am impressed that you have the instinct to know when you are being watched, but not surprised that you cannot make use of it."

"Yeah, well, you're the one nature chose to be the hunter, I just make tools. Is hiding in the trees normal behavior for you?"

Slone snorted. "I find it funny how humans like to use humor to try and mask their obvious nervousness."

"If you've got something on your mind, how about you just go ahead and say it."

"You are a combative one." Sloane caped his wings and began to pace around Jacob. "I have no doubt, yet, that you are a kind human, and perhaps your intentions here are innocent. However, willing or not, you and your friends represent the injustice that is humanity taking what it has no claim to. You do not belong here, and I think you know this."

"Problem is that I'm here all the same. I guess you're just going to have to live with that."

"For now, maybe. But I want to give you a fair warning, human, that if you or your friends make any mistake, or any affront to my kind, I promise that you will not be my concern for long."

"I don't think you know who you're threatening, friend," Jacob said with a hard glare.

Slone leaned in close to him, "Would you care to try and show me?" He growled and his eyes began to glow.

Jacob's fight or flight instinct tried desperately to kick in with deference to the latter action, but he fought it down to meet Sloane's stare directly. He said, "You just have yourself a good night, friend, and we'll let things run their course, okay?"

As he walked up the stairs, Sloane called after him, "Always look over your shoulder, human! We will be watching you."

They always call at this hour, she thought to herself as she left her meal preparations and dashed for the phone. She picked it up on the fourth ring, "Hello? Goldberg residence."

"Hi, Mama."

"Jacob!" she said with relief. "I was getting worried. Did you get in okay?"

"Yes ma'am. Do you know who upgraded me to first class for the flight out of New Amsterdam?"

She walked back towards the kitchen, "Oh, that was one of your father's friends. You're so tall, he didn't think it would be comfortable for you to be in coach for all that time."

"Yeah, it would have been a rough trip. Am I interrupting dinner? I'll call back later if I am."

"Oh, I haven't set the table yet. The food is still in the oven and your father is still with David at the rehabilitation center in Grand Island, but they'll be back in a little while."

"Well, give them my best. I don't know how much longer the calling card will last."

She resumed stirring the black beans and said, "Of course I will. So, tell me how it is over there. Have you gotten to see any of the city, yet?"

"Yeah, some of the other students and I went in for lunch, and it's a nice place. And the school folks weren't kidding when they said their place was a palace; it's huge."

Less inquisitive and more concerned, she asked, "And what about the gargoyles? What are they like."

There was a pause before her son continued. "It's hard to tell right now. My roommate's nice, and so are some of his friends…"

She interrupted, "Your roommate is a gargoyle?"

"Yes ma'am, all us humans got a gargoyle roommate."

"Well, that certainly will be an experience for you."

"Oh, yes ma'am."

"But why is it 'hard to tell' about the others?"

Another pause. "They're just, I don't know, nervous about me and the other humans. I think they'll warm up after a while, but I don't know."

She knew there was something more he wanted to say on the matter, but she knew that pushing him on it would not yield results. "Don't let them get to you, Jacob. Whether they do or don't come around, you just be who you are. Like your father said, you made it in and you've got nothing to prove."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

The oven timer went off. "Hold on one second. I need to take the roast out."

"Oh, well, I don't want to burn up all my minutes, I just wanted to call and say I made it. I'll call at the end of the week when I have more to talk about."

Although she could talk for hours more, Jacob was never one for phone conversations. She was disappointed, but said, "I bet you're tired from all that travel, too. I'll let you go, then. Just remember that we're proud of you and you've already accomplished so much."

"Thanks, Mama."

"We love you, Jacob, and I'll make sure your father and brother are around for when you call next."

"I love you too, and I'll send you net-mails before I call when I can."

"You just focus on what it is you've got to do."

"I will. Talk to you soon."

"Bye, Jacob."

"Bye, Mama."

Jacob's sleep was still dreamless, and like earlier he had fallen asleep before he could get himself properly adjusted in bed. He was brought out of his sleep by a series of pokes from Malach's tail.

His roommate said, "It was difficult to wake you, you looked so at peace; but you insisted."

Jacob rubbed some of the sleep from his eyes. "Yeah, I really want to see this."

Malach smiled, "You truly are fascinated with my kind. I have yet to decide if that is flattering or unnerving."

"I'll back off after a while, I promise."

"I noticed when you left that you had not gathered your belongings." Malach pointed to Jacob's desk. "I brought them up for you."

"Oh, thanks."

Malach walked to the window at the other end of the room and stepped out onto his perch. Jacob, rather than stand against the wall as he had at sunset, gathered himself against his fear of heights and stepped out onto the opposite perch.

His gargoyle friend knelt down on one knee, rested his hands on his forward leg and opened his wings, and Jacob looked around the walls and watched as the other gargoyles almost in synch walked out of their rooms and took their places. He noticed how many different poses the students struck; some were fierce, others relaxed like Malach.

The horizon became brighter with each passing second it seemed, and before the sun climbed over the distant mountains Malach said, "I know I have only known you for one night, but I think you will do well here."

"Thanks," he replied.

Malach smiled and said, "Sleep well, friend."

"You too. See you tonight."

Malach nodded and looked back towards the horizon as the sun finally crested the mountains. The sound of stone cracking filled the air, and Jacob watched with rapt fascination as the color faded from his friend's skin and clothing to become a dull grey and appeared almost lifeless.

Jacob sighed and said as he went back inside, "I was expecting something a bit more dramatic."

He climbed back into bed and turned away from the window. And although he had avoided the question since his arrival at the school, Jacob could not help but ask himself before he drifted off to sleep, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Next: "First Lessons"