Well, here's chapter two! Sorry this took so long, but RL came and slapped me in the face while I was trying to work on this. First was the news that we were finally going to be getting a downstairs unit in our apartments- we've been waiting six months, and we can finally get moved into one that doesn't require my other half to climb stairs- and then he got hospitalized with a serious infection on his foot that ended with half of said foot getting amputated. Let this be a lesson: don't wait until something LOOKS bad before going to a doctor. Especially if you happen to be diabetic. Just GO, and get it over with. Or you might end up with something far worse than what you would have had to put up with if you'd just gone sooner.

Chapter Two: Wyvern Clan

Elsewhere-

"I'm beat, Lex. Let's just go home and get something to eat. It's a slow night." The larger of the two figures gliding above Midtown grumbled, sounding bored. He sported a row of short spikes down the middle of his head to his neck, and large, frill-edged ears. His short, lithe companion, light olive-hued shape riding the wind currents easily, looked over at the heavy-set clan-mate beside him with one spiny brow-ridge raised, and chuckled.

"Broadway, we've only been patrolling for an HOUR! Besides, you need the exercise. You've gained weight again. Don't think I didn't notice you've been having trouble maintaining altitude." The small winged creature chided his large partner. Like his companion, his ears were long and pointed, though without the large frills. Both wore only a simple loincloth secured by a wide leather belt, and both sported long sinewy tails.

"That's only because I eat more when I get bored. And let's face it, Lex- it's been pretty slow for a couple of weeks now. It's almost like the criminals are scared to come out any more!" The big blue-green skinned flyer complained.

"Ha! Maybe they have good REASON to be scared?" His small clan-mate laughed, gliding lower to search the streets below for signs of trouble. "But hey, at least it makes our job easier!" They both laughed at that, and pivoted in mid flight around a corner to follow 48th Street west toward Hell's Kitchen.

At that moment, a lean, red-skinned figure swooped in from above, winging close to join them. His horned head sported a sharp beak and a long mane of thick white hair. He shared the same pointed ears and long tail as the other two, and like the others, glided over the city on large, bat-like wings that sprouted from the back of his broad shoulders.

"Goliath sent me to find you guys. He says to pack it in and come home. Angela spotted those suspicious figures near the station again." The newcomer said seriously. The other two traded a glance.

Lex frowned. "Again? Who do you suppose they are? And what do they want?"

Broadway sighed. "Oh, well. I was getting bored, anyway. Come on Lex. I'm hungry." He turned back the way they had come, his enormous wings fluttering briefly before catching the next current.

"Brooklyn, do you think we should check it out? This is the fifth time this month we've had those sneaky shadows lurking around; I'd like to know what they're up to!" Lexington asked his red-skinned clansman.

"Goliath thinks they might have something to do with all the crooks that have been turning up in the neighborhood tied up and unconscious. I guess it wouldn't hurt to look around and see if we can find them." Brooklyn nodded, and all three made for the 23rd Precinct police station. But instead of flying straight home to the old clock tower atop the station, they began a wide sweep above the neighborhood, scanning the rooftops below for signs of the mysterious figures who had lately been lurking about.

After three passes, they were nearly ready to give up, when Lex spotted movement in an alley a few blocks away, and signaled his clan-mates to move in closer. They saw three short, bulky figures moving in the deep shadows, but when they reached the alley, the shapes were nowhere to be seen- though they heard the slight metallic scrape of something large and heavy being moved further down the alley. They landed on the roof of an adjacent building, but all they saw was the empty alley, with a manhole cover where the sound had apparently originated.

"What do you make of it, guys?" Broadway asked, cocking his head and frowning. He scratched his head, and glanced from Lex to Brooklyn. "You don't think they went into the sewers, do you? Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," Lex said with a puzzled look. "Maybe that's how they keep disappearing. Whoever they are, they must be up to SOMETHING if they're trying so hard to hide."

"Yeah, and I don't like it. There's something weird about all of this," Brooklyn added, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Too bad we can't follow them down there."

Lexington thought for a moment, tapping his chin with one clawed finger, and then suddenly brightened. "Maybe we CAN! I bet if I hack into the city's data files, we can find some maps of the sewer system, and maybe figure out where they go!"

"Alright, LEX! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Brooklyn exclaimed, and the two larger gargoyles high-fived each other, with Lex jumping up in an attempt to add his.

Broadway nodded emphatically, eager to discover the identity of their mystery men. "Yup, that's our boy- always has a solution!" He said, chuckling.

Just then, they heard the sound of police sirens from a street nearby, and the three leapt off the roof, their wings unfurling as they winged toward the disturbance. "You think they might need out help?" Broadway asked, to no one in particular, as they neared the source of the noise.

They braked hard in mid-air, with Lexington almost colliding with Broadway as they saw what had brought the cops. Three jaws dropped in stunned amazement at the sight before them.

"I'd say that's a no," Brooklyn answered, gaping down at the three men tied to a telephone pole near a wreaked car, with a large note taped above them. The vehicle looked as if someone had taken a heavy, blunt object to it repeatedly, and the tires were all slashed. A very distraught-looking woman in an expensive evening gown with a fur stole, bedecked with glittering jewelry rose slowly, as if she wasn't quite sure where she was. She ran toward the approaching officers, yelling incoherently, and pointing at the tied-up men.

"Hey- you guys don't suppose this has anything to do with those guys we just followed, do you?" Broadway asked, stating what all three were thinking.

"Oh, yeah. I'd bet money on it." Brooklyn didn't even glance at his brother. "Looks like we've got some competition, guys. Whoever those shadow-guys were, they're some kind of vigilantes."

"You think we'll run into them again?" Lex asked curiously. "I'd really like to find out how THAT happened." He pointed down to the car, which had a conspicuous pair of long, straight slashes in the hood. "It looks like someone cut it with something really big!"

"Yeah, I'm curious about that myself. Looks like something Hudson would do with his sword." Brooklyn replied. "We'll see those shadow-guys again. I'm SURE of it." With that, he took off again, headed back to their roost. The others merely traded concerned looks, and then shrugged and followed him.