FSE

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The sun descended on the horizon. As night fell on the Manhattan skyline the gargoyles woke from their stone sleep. Pieces slowly cracked and chipped away from their bodies. When enough of their stone skin had fallen away they stretched, bursting forth from their stone prisons.

Broadway let out a mouth gaping yawn and scratched his large pot belly, which rumbled under his palm. "I'm hungry." He looked over to the two tropical colored gargoyles. "You two want breakfast?"

Dawn was about to decline his offer, but she remembered that Sunny was often hungry when he first wakes up. She gave the large gargoyle a bashful grin. "Sure."

Down in the kitchen the whole clan had gathered for breakfast. Even Goliath and Hudson had decided to join them. The two of them intrigued by the arrival of the two young gargoyles.

Dawn sat telling the story of how her brother liked to sneak off and play on the trains at the local railway station. "...That was when I found out that he had hitched a ride on one of the trains headed to New York."

"What made you suddenly want to come all the way up here?" Hudson asked Sunny, who was hurriedly shoveling food into his mouth nearly as fast as Broadway was.

"Lexington invited me!" Sunny explained excitedly around his mouthful of food.

All eyes fell on the small gargoyle, who was just about to bite into a bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich. "What? No. I didn't."

"Sure you did! You said in the chat room that I should come visit New York."

Lexington sat perplexed, obviously trying to figure out what the young orange gargoyle was talking about. Then it dawned on him."Wait. You're SunnyTheKid13? I meant come visit when you're older!"

After sharing a look with Hudson Goliath bent next to Lexington's chair. "Explain."

"Oh right. We hang out in the same chat rooms. It's a way for people to talk online." He shifted in his chair to talk to talk directly to Goliath. "Sunny was talking to me about a family rift he was dealing with, and expressed how he'd like to just get away from it. I told him that if he was interested in traveling that he should come up an see New York some time. I had no idea that he'd actually do it, and that he was so young."

At the same time Dawn was having a very heated talk of her own with Sunny. "When we get home we are going to have a serious discussion about talking to strangers."

Sunny huffed, and crossed his arms, not meeting Dawn's heated gaze. He knew what he had done was wrong, but he wanted to get away, feeling trapped by everything that was going on down south.

Overhearing Goliath and Lexington's conversation she paused in her scolding."Wait, family rift? You told them about that!" Dawn nearly shrieked at her little brother.

"I thought they could help us!" Sunny shouted back, the little gargoyle suddenly becoming very serious. "Face it Dawn, we need help!"

Goliath pulled Lexington off to the side. "What exactly is this trouble that they are in?"

"I'm not exactly sure."

The large blue gray gargoyle nodded and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Dawn if you wouldn't mind telling us what is troubling your...family." He hesitated using the word as he was still getting used to the idea that things could be different then what he was used to growing up.

Dawn clinched her jaw, not wanting to get these gargoyles involved in her family's mess. It wasn't their business in her opinion, and she was doing just fine on her own.

"If you don't I will." Sunny threatened, knowing exactly what his sister was thinking. Dawn had always had a stubborn streak, and he was getting tired of his sister's pride.

She shot her brother a threatening look, but her face changed when she saw tears welling in her baby brother's eyes. Dawn reluctantly began to explain "Our parents died when Sunny was younger. It happened right before dawn one morning. We were at the park playing. For some reason mom pulled me over and put Sunny in my arms. She told me to fly away. She was so scared and I didn't want to go, but she made me promise to take care of my little brother. So I took Sunny and I ran away to where I knew we would be safe. On the way there I saw a gargoyle following us. So I landed, and hid in the swamp to see who it was. By the time I caught another glimpse of them they were flying back to the park." Dawn took a drink of water before she continued. "The next night when I brought Sunny back home we got told that our parents were killed."

Angela placed a sympathetic hand on Dawn's shoulder. "How do you know that the killers weren't already at the park?"

"I know no one was there. Mom and dad always checked the park before we went to make sure there were no humans. The only ones who knew about us being there were other members of the clan."

Sunny could tell that his sister was unable to hold back her emotions much longer, and decided to finish for her. "Dawn and a few others think that the killer might have been someone in the clan, but our leader didn't believe her when she told him what she saw. So Dawn and the others took me, and left."

"I can see why you left. If the killer was a fellow clansmen then you might not be safe."

"Yeah but now we have to deal with the hunters, and lately the other clan has been pressuring Dawn and the others to go back."

"I refuse to go back to that clan!" Dawn shouted and stood, slamming her fists on the table. The steel creaked and bent under the force of her blow, shocking everyone. Instantly ashamed of her outburst she settled back in her chair, and quietly murmured under her breath. "Not if they are going to hide a murderer."

Brooklyn spoke up before anything else could be said. "Wait a minute." He looked to Sunny, "did you say hunters?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, at least that's what they call themselves."

"Gargoyle hunters?" Goliath asked to make sure that there was no confusion on what they were talking about.

The two siblings both nodded in confirmation. Their faces suddenly looking forlorn to the Manhattan clan leader.

The the young blonde gargoyle explained to them about the situation she and the other gargoyles were in."We had a run in with them once when we were with the main clan, but lately they have shown up in droves." her dark eyes wearily peered up through her curly bangs. "It's like we can't get a moment's rest without having to constantly look over our shoulder."

"We keep moving around the city so that they can't catch us," Sunny added. "But we're running out of places to hide."

Lexington looked to Goliath. "There has to be something we can do."

Goliath shook his head. "I don't see how..."

Broadway spoke up, agreeing with Lexington. "We've got to at least try."

After a long discussion the younger gargoyles managed to convince Goliath to let them travel to Florida to see what they could do with the situation down there. They didn't have a plan yet, but they were hopeful that something could be done with their help.

Once breakfast was over the Manhattan clan escorted the two tropical gargoyles to the train station. Dawn pointed out the train that they would be getting on, and showed them just how she and her little brother hopped on the roof of the train to hitch a ride. Goliath and Hudson kept a look out while the others boarded the train. One by one the young gargoyles made it across the platform roof to the top of the train.

Brooklyn was the last one to say his good byes to his leader. He assured Goliath, "Don't worry, I'll watch out for them." He then leaped over the gap between them and the train.

Goliath gave him a kindred hand shake, and nodded. "Be sure that you do." With that he released the beaked gargoyle's arm.

Dawn and Sunny both smiled and waved to Goliath and Hudson as the train began to depart. The other gargoyles bent down to catch their balance, not used to the movement of the train.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Goliath sighed, as he watched his daughter and the others atop the train disappear into the distance.

"You have to learn to let them go lad." Hudson said softly in his thick Scottish accent. "Besides, I seem to remember a gargoyle who left on a world wide adventure without even telling anyone." He said with a smile, in an attempt to sound encouraging.

Goliath gave Hudson a flat look, wondering when he was ever going to live that down. On the other hand the old gargoyle was right, at least they knew where the others were, and that they were safe.