GARGOYLES: Re-Awakening

Nameless: 1

When the gargoyles returned to the castle, Xanatos and Owen were waiting for them. As they landed, Xanatos stepped forward. "Good evening. Was your outing educational?"

Goliath approached Xanatos but did not speak. He looked at him, then at Demona. Suddenly, he stood sightly taller. "I would speak with you both," he anounced. "Alone!" And with that, he drew his wings around himself and set his eyes on Xanatos. It was clear he would say no more here.

"Very well," Xanatos said. "Follow me."

He, Goliath, and Demona decended through the hatch of the tower. When they had gone, Owen and the other gargoyles were left alone, eyeing one another awkwardly. Owen decided to take the initiative. He pulled the pocket square from his suit and began polishing his glasses, then asked, "Due to Cyberbiotics' unfortunate interruption we were never properly introduced. My name is Owen. How may I address you?"

The clan exchanged looks, then the small, greenish gargoyle answered. "We don't have names," he said.

Owen raised an eyebrow. "Then how do you address one another?"

The green one shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we just do."

Owen was intrigued, but stoic as always. "And Demona and Goliath?" he asked.

The large, blue gargoyle answered this time. "Humans gave them their names," he said. "Demona got hers from a girl she used to play with. I don't know who named Goliath." His last statement had him scratching his head.

Owen placed his glasses back on his face. He could not picture Demona playing with a little girl. "Well," he began again, "in the interests of efficiency you may want to consider choosing names for yourselves. I, for one, don't find 'hey you' to be particularly effective." With that, he turned and disappeared down the steps. The group pondered for a few seconds, then the elder hopped onto the edge of the tower.

"Well lads, I don't know about you, but I'm curious to see what this Xanatos has done to our castle. I think I'll have a look-see!" He hopped of the wall and glided down to the courtyard, finally disappearing through the entrance to the keep. The young gargoyles and their dog-like companion were left alone.

"Names," the green one said to his companions. "Do you think he's right?"

The red gargoyle scoffed. "Ya, and we'll start with you. How about, 'Tiny'?" He said.

The green one gave him a playful push. "Very funny," he said. "Maybe we'll call you 'ugly'!" He responded.

As the two of them exchanged soft punches in the arm, the blue one interjected. "I don't know about you," he said, "but the only thing I'm worried about is breakfast. When are we going to find something to eat?"

The other two stopped with their wrestling and looked at him. "Always thinking with your stomach," the red one said. "I could go for a little exploring. There's so much we don't know about this world. And I bet we can find you something to eat on the way. What do you say?"

"Mmm—I don't know," the yellow one said. "Maybe we should wait for Goliath and Demona to come back."

"You saw that look on Goliath's face. He'll probably be brooding over something all night," the red one replied. "Come on, now's a good chance to get away for a moment."

"What about the castle?" The blue one asked.

"He'll stand guard, won't you boy," the red one said to their dog-like companion. The gargoyle-dog gave him a fierce look and a bark, as if to say, 'you can count on me.'

A few minutes later, the three were in the air over New York City. They were each in a world of wonder and excitement. There was so much they did not understand, so much that seemed like magic to them. The lights were so intense that night seemed to be day. The buildings were unbelievably tall and made from materials other than stone and wood. And the people—none of them had ever seen so many in one place before. But, especially for the green one, what was most intriguing were the carriages moving down the street without horses. What sorcery was this? He wanted a closer look, but they were all somewhat intimidating. Big and moving fast, it seemed that it would not be safe to get too close too quickly.