GARGOYLES: Re-Awakening

Return: 1

The three brothers approached the castle cautiously. They were hoping to return unnoticed, given what had happened in the alley. The green one had some light bruising developing on his cheek, which would be hard to hide. As they approached, they saw Demona and Goliath standing together on the tower so they diverted to make their landing in the courtyard. As they landed, the red one spoke to his brothers.

"Ok, listen," he said. "If Goliath notices, what do we say?"

"We'll just tell him I tripped and fell," the green one said. His brothers looked at him.

"Simple," the red one said. "As in, dumb."

The blue one spoke up next. "Why don't we tell him we were attacked by bandits but we fought them off!" He punched his hand up through the air as he spoke.

"I don't know," the red one said. "The point is we're supposed to be staying out of sight. How do we explain that they saw us in the first place?"

The green one spoke up again, excitedly. "Maybe we say that I tripped and fell off the side of a building and landed in the middle of a group of bandits!" The blue one looked at his brother and then to the red one. Then he gave a little shrug as if to say, why not? The red one closed his eyes, shook his head, and let out a low groan. In that moment, Goliath landed with a rustle and a thud beside them. All three jumped back and then stood extra tall, looking sheepish—as if they were hiding something. Goliath looked at each of them, but then his eyes settled on the green one.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, immediately spotting the evidence of their misadventure.

The green and blue gargoyles both began blubbering an answer at once. The green one saying something about falling off a building and the blue one something about fighting bandits. Goliath raised his hand to silence them.

"Enough," he said. "It matters little."

There was a short pause in which all three exchanged glances that were a mixture of surprise and trepidation.

"It does?" the red one asked, with a careful tone.

"Yes. We won't be here much longer," Goliath said.

The three did not understand. The red one stepped forward. "What do you mean? Where are we going?"

Goliath looked at them, considering his words carefully. These three were young and inexperienced. The task ahead of them could be dangerous and would require them to stay focused. He did not want to fill their heads with too much hope, nor stoke their imaginations too far.

"We will be returning to where the castle once stood. There, we will retreive something which may help us to right our current situation."

The three were now more confused than ever. What did he mean, and why was he being so vague? Goliath saw their reaction, and spoke before they could fall over him with curiosity.

"I cannot be more detailed with the three of you now. I will need you to be completely focused on your responsibilities once we get there."

"What responsibilities?" the green asked.

Goliath considered for a minute more. "If all goes well, merely lookout. However, there may be occasion for battle, like on our first night."

"Goliath," the red began. "You can trust us. What are we retrieving? How will it help?"

"Trust is not the issue," Goliath said. "It is a matter of organization. The less you know now, the more focused you will be."

The red looked at his brothers. They knew it was pointless to argue once Goliath had made up his mind. But the red in particular was feeling dissatisfied. They were older now, almost fully grown. They deserved to be treated as equals, he felt. It would be a conversation for later.

"When are we going?" he asked, only.

"Tonight," was the answer.