A Hellhound in Manhattan: Part 1

Chapter 9

Brooklyn glided across the city as Loona suppressed the urge to scream. She clung to his back with her arms around his shoulders and eyes shut tight, the wind violently whipping her hair and coat about. This was what she got for turning down his offer to let him carry her instead.

She clasped at him so hard that her nails dug into Brooklyn's thick hide. He could tell that she wanted to get down.

Finally, in one of the rougher parts of town where he was assigned, he found the flat rooftop of a brick building for him to land.

Loona was shaky as she planted her feet on solid concrete again. She bent over in the corner, afraid she was going to throw up. She shouldn't have had that beer.

She sighed. It was a false alarm.

Brooklyn lightly rubbed her back. "I take it you don't travel by plane, then."

"No," Loona nervously chuckled as she stood back up. "I'm a— I'm a land mammal."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just, uh..." She tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear. "That was a first. My first time flying." She rested her palms on the raised brick ledge as she leaned out watching the evening traffic below. "This I can handle."

The neighborhood had fallen under disrepair, once again due to the neglect of city officials. Not many people lived there, save for several petty criminals, families barely able to get by, and young people disowned by their parents.

Brooklyn leaned on the roof ledge next to Loona. "Sorry I didn't get patrol in a nicer neighborhood. I didn't think you'd insist on coming along."

"No, it's okay. I'm... I'm used to places like this. At least from up here I'm safe."

They heard the echo of a distant police siren.

"So... this family of yours," said Loona. "They just tell you to go on patrol every night?"

"Well, no. Not always. Things have just gotten a lot weirder than usual, if you can believe it."

"Ha! What, weirder than being frozen in time? Or fighting with a magical king?" She awkwardly looked away. She was one to talk, given her own circumstances.

Brooklyn laughed. "Yeah... I love my family, but sometimes... It can get so frustrating. Last year I was left in charge of our clan for several weeks while Goliath was off making some long journey across the world."

Loona looked at him curiously.

"Oh, Goliath is our leader," Brooklyn clarified. "He and a couple others left without a word of where they were going, or how long... And since I was assigned his second-in-command I had to take over while he was gone. But since he's come back sometimes it's like my job's not so important anymore. Like I'm just a dumb hatchling again...

"Loona, you said before that you were trying to figure yourself out. Right now I'm not so sure how I fit in my family anymore. Lex looks after our landlord's kid, Hudson is kinda retired, Broadway and Angela have got each other... What does that leave me...?"

"Hmm. Guess families are made to disappoint, huh?"

Brooklyn glanced at her, prompting her to explain.

"I don't know where my dad is," Loona elaborated. "At least, I think he's my dad. I managed to track him here but I haven't had any luck actually finding him."

"Hmm... Maybe we can help. Do you know his name? What he looks like?"

"Nope. Just..." She rubbed at her nose. "... memories."