When the clan awoke that night, they instantly took off towards Midtown to find their pregnant Second in Command. They hoped they would find him.
...
When Brooklyn awoke from his stone sleep, he was hunkered down rather than standing up. As he started to stand up, he still felt a bit of a cramp in his stomach.
"Ugh! I hope you two are alright." He told his twins as he rubbed his stomach. "Now I need to find out where we are so we can get back home."
Brooklyn still held his belly as he approached the edge of this rooftop he was on. He didn't recognize his surroundings right off. "Oh well, here goes nothing." He muttered and spread his wings. He was just glad Fang hadn't broken either of his wings. He jumped off the rooftop and began searching for anything familiar that would get him home faster.
If he ran into his clan, he knew they might lecture him about being out here, but he had had no choice. He hadn't wanted to endanger the castle or be captured in a confined space.
As he soared, he got higher into the air, flapping his wings a bit to get an updraft. He also looked up into the sky to see if he could see the stars. It was so hard to see them in this city.
When he was higher in the sky, he saw the buildings didn't seem quite as familiar of the ones in Manhattan. It must have been some other berg of New York City.
After an hour of gliding, he finally came across something that made him recognize where he was. There was the ferry area and he saw the wide area of water. His wings were cramping, and he had to set down to rest them.
"Great. I think Fang had to drag me all the way to Staten Island." Brooklyn complained. Then he felt some movement inside him. He felt a strong kick inside his belly, making him rub it. Then his own belly gurgled out of hunger. "Are you hungry, little one? So am I. Perhaps I can get some breakfast before we glide across the water." Brooklyn smiled.
He knew he had to be quick about it. Restaurants would likely be closing soon. He rested his wings for a few minutes then went about trying to find a food stand or something. He soon entered the food district. With his twins being the size they were now; they needed more food.
Before long, Brooklyn started to smell some delicious smells. "Hmm, what I wouldn't give to be able to go in that restaurant and eat." He stated hungrily. He also felt movement from the other side of his belly too. But then, he felt the cramp again. He hoped the baby on the right side was alright.
Brooklyn soon came upon a hot dog stand that was closing up for the night. He landed on the roof and waited patiently. He followed the man to his home. After he left his cart in a spot and left it, Brooklyn swooped down silently and gently broke into the cart.
He found hot dogs and pretzels in the cart. He grabbed up to six hot dogs and three pretzels. Then he ran down the alley to eat his prizes. The food was still warm too. He wished he hadn't had to steal the food, but he had no money on him. Brook found a secured place and he sat down to start eating the food. He would need all the energy he could get with the twins that both took his energy a lot more and for the long glide back to Manhattan. His twins often left him hungrier after he ate to have more for themselves.
The red male loved eating the hot dogs and pretzels. They were so good on his taste buds. "I hope you two will like these pretzels as much as I do." Brook smiled at his belly. The twins inside him seemed calmer now that their daddy was eating to keep them calm, but he still felt them move around.
When he was finished eating, Brooklyn felt thirsty too. He needed something to wash the food down. Water was his main drink these days, but he would also drink milk, juice, and tea that was decaffeinated.
Brooklyn went looking for a gas station to grab something to drink before he would head across the water. He had seen one a few streets over from where he got his food from. He stayed on the rooftops again and walked and jumped over the tops. When he came upon the gas station, it was closing up for the night. It was 9:30 p.m. Soon, the lights were off, and the shop keeper was leaving for the night.
He waited for another fifteen minutes before going down and investigating around. He looked for cameras on the roof and broke inside. He snuck inside when he didn't see any cameras. He got into the back and found the door to get into the front. He saw many good drinks out there. Brooklyn was craving some juice and milk. Then he heard some sirens. That wasn't good.
The red gargoyle quickly grabbed a cranberry juice and chocolate milk out of the fridge and taking off back the way he had come. He tucked the drinks into his belt and felt their cold effects as he climbed up. Then he ran off the rooftop to a higher building.
He got a few buildings away before he sat down to enjoy the drinks. He was sure the babies would enjoy these. He tried to eat a wide array of foods and drinks so hopefully the kids would like them later on.
When Brooklyn was finished with the drinks, he saw an open dumpster behind the building and threw them in there before proceeding to get in the air again. He changed direction. "Now we're heading home, kids." He declared. He gave his belly a good rub before setting off again.
He took to the air and headed off of Staten Island.
...
The clan looked in many areas all over Midtown but never saw signs of Brooklyn or Fang. They were staying together to take Fang down once they encountered him or any cronies he might have with him.
"This is crazy, where is he?" Broadway asked in despair.
"We won't give up trying Broadway." Goliath assured the aqua male.
"How can Brooklyn take on Fang in his condition?" Angela was worried.
"He can't." Lex replied. "Or he puts his babies at great risk."
"We'll put that mutate on ice if we have to." Hudson proclaimed. "Especially if he hurts the lad."
"Why would Fang come after Brooklyn anyway?" Angela asked.
"Well, he did help to take Fang down while Goliath and you weren't here yet." Broadway replied to her question.
"You are thinking he wants revenge on him for that?" Goliath inquired.
"It's possible." Lex stated. "It's bad enough that he keeps on wanting to take Talon down."
"Fang's just mad that he can't be the leader of the Labyrinth." Hudson declared.
"We will find them. Keep your eyes and ears sharp." Goliath ordered. They all kept on looking all night.
...
It had been a long flight across the water, but Brooklyn was finally back on the island of Manhattan that he had long ago accepted as his home since coming here from Scotland.
Brooklyn landed on a building close to Wall Street to rest his wings again that were cramping up. He was also feeling the cramp in his stomach again too. "Oh, what is wrong with me?" He asked aloud. He felt the fetus move inside him and it seemed to aggravate the cramp some more. It would likely take another day of stone sleep for it to heal completely. But then, maybe it was just sheer exhaustion. He would likely need an exam when he got home.
The red gargoyle sat down to do some deep breathing to try to soothe the ache in his side. He hoped the food he had eaten wasn't the cause of it. It was getting a little harder to get up off of a floor. He couldn't put much bend in his belly anymore with the way it was holding the weight of two fetuses inside him. He was sitting on the balcony wall of the roof. That made it easier to get up rather than sitting on the floor of the rooftop.
Brooklyn was thinking a bit more about his return to the castle. He hoped the clan wouldn't send him away. He needed his clan to look after him right now. He might have been the one carrying these twins, but he had to depend on his clan to keep him safe. He rested a few more minutes, then set off again.
He was now able to see the Eyrie building in the distance. Just a little further. He knew that Elisa's apartment was in Soho, and he could stop there too for rest, but he was determined to get home.
When he got to the part of the city that was known as Chelsea, he had to stop again to rest. But he hadn't been paying attention to anyone watching him, though he was looking out for his clan. He hadn't seen them yet.
After Brooklyn landed, he was feeling that cramp again. He wondered what time it was. It had to have been past eleven or so. Then a clock dinged nearby. It was a different clock tower than the one Elisa worked at. It said 12 o'clock midnight. There was still plenty of night left to get home.
Then Brooklyn heard the sound of wings swooping in. He hoped it wasn't anyone bad. He turned to see who it was. The figure landed. His eyes widened at who it was. It instantly made him curl his wings and turn to the side.
"Demona! What are you doing here?" Brooklyn demanded furiously.
"I could ask the same of you, Brooklyn. What are you doing here and alone for that matter?" Demona inquired. "I thought you always stayed in groups."
"Usually, yes. But I got separated from the clan. So what? I'm staying safe. But stay away from me." Brooklyn glared at her.
Demona was eyeing the red male oddly. "What's going on with you? You seem different. You don't look well." She questioned.
"I'm fine, which is none of your business." Brook growled at her. He felt that cramp again, placing a hand on his stomach. "Ugh!" He grunted.
"You don't seem fine, Brooklyn. I can just see it in your breathing and your face. You're paler than I've seen you." She informed him what she was seeing in him.
"I'll be fine once I get home. Now leave me alone!" Brook snapped at her and with that, he jumped off the building. Demona jumped off after the young male. She had noticed something else too about him.
Brooklyn didn't want to be chased again like this. He knew the female was after him. She might have saved him once before, but it didn't mean she would save him again. He began to push himself to just get home.
As he got nearer to the Eyrie, he came to a stop in the air and turned to face Demona. "Leave me alone, Demona!" He ordered her. "I don't want you coming after me!"
"Oh, but I beg to differ there, Brooklyn. I see you have started looking a bit more like Broadway in the belly there. What's going on? I've never seen you look like that before."
"None of your business!" Brooklyn snapped and turned to glide away from her. She just followed.
He began to get as acrobatic as he could in the air, going around buildings to try to lose her. He felt the cramp again. He held his belly, wincing.
He tried to hold Demona off as long as he could but when the cramp got to be too strong, he finally had to land on a building near Times Square. He was panting hard and groaning. Demona landed a little way away from him.
"I see you are obviously in pain, Brooklyn. You aren't getting away from me." Demona said smugly.
This was the last thing he needed right now. He didn't need another enemy pursuing him. "Please... Demona... oh... leave..." Brooklyn tried to get her to leave him.
"Oh, no, no. Why should I?" Demona asked. "You are in no condition to be making demands."
"You wouldn't hurt babies, would you?" Brooklyn suddenly blurted out.
"You're not a baby at all, Brooklyn, just a stubborn young male." Demona exclaimed.
"No, oh, I've... got babies to care for..." He stated in pain.
"How could you unless it's a human baby? It's nowhere near our breeding year and there are no eggs in our rookery." Demona declared.
"No, I'm pregnant, Demona. Please don't hurt me." Brooklyn panted.
"That's impossible, Brooklyn. Nice try." She grinned in malice. "Males can't get pregnant."
"That begs to differ." He finally exposed his stomach to her. "What does this look like to you? I wasn't overly fat the last time you saw me when you saved me before." He had a hand on his belly.
Demona seemed to recognize how round his belly was in how a pregnant belly looked. That was impossible. "How would that be possible?" She was shocked.
"Try a government experiment." Brooklyn retorted.
"I've heard of humans doing crazy experiments on creatures, but this kind is something else." She replied.
"It wasn't like I had a choice. But I've grown to accept it as a part of my future. You are not going to interfere with my life or my babies." Brooklyn proclaimed. "If Angela should have taught you anything, it's to have some humility in you. Now leave me alone!"
Demona had interpreted the word babies for baby's instead. She didn't comprehend there was more than one. But then perhaps there was hope for the clan's future. Could those humans have raped her daughter? She hoped not. She would gladly kill them for this, whoever had done it!
"Who did this to you?!" She demanded.
"None of your business!" Brooklyn then turned and jumped off the building. He had to get home before morning. Demona was left there, dumbfounded.
She knew that if he obviously hadn't been pregnant that he would have attacked her. He always did. Then she took off after him again.
Brooklyn began rushing to get back to the Eyrie. It wasn't that far now. He was using his highest energy to push himself. The pain in his stomach was getting to him.
But his energy was fast running out and his vision began to black out on him... He had no control after that. He didn't see the figure diving after him...