That evening, Brooklyn ensured he kept his guard up and alert. Now that he had his arm cut, any predatory creature could come. And worse, bugs could eat at the fresh blood. The blood still dripped down his arm. Brook jumped at the animal sounds that kept on coming.

He wondered what those men would do to him once his time locked outside was up tomorrow, making him swallow at the thought of them giving him more torture until he was too weak to escape.

Once again, Brooklyn tried his luck with the cuffs on his wrists, but they still held firm, as another stomach rumble attacked him again. He winced, that one hurt.

"Ugh, shut up. I understand you need food, but nobody seems to be generous to us up here to even hand over an apple," Brook grumbled to himself in his head. Suddenly, a low wolf howl sounded, making him look around in fear for any coyotes or wolves to come for him, panting heavily. He never knew how many wild animals lived in plains like this, and sometimes got afraid that a snake could also creep up on him, too.

The growling and snarling suddenly got closer and closer. Brooklyn was trembling, eyes glowing, when seeing pairs of eyes staring at him; a pack of wolves. They had scented Brooklyn's blood, breaking into the property since Shadow Man didn't bother to put a protective fence around his pet. Brooklyn's eyes rounded in fear, seeing four wolves there, all bloodthirsty and ready to rip him to pieces.

He hissed back at them but they kept circling, waiting for the best striking option. Brook pressed against the tree as one wolf howled, charging. Brooklyn kicked with his foot, knocking the brute away, but gasped when claws got his right shoulder. Then one wolf pinned him to the dirt, growling madly. Brook struggled, wanting anyone to save him!

The wolf's breath stank when it moved in for the kill, until a gunshot rang through the air, knocking the wolf off Brooklyn. Brooklyn trembled when looking at who saved him; his 'Master,' who held a shotgun, a maddened look in his eyes. He then shot the rest of them, too.

"Keep away from my prize, you filthy mutts!" howled Shadow Man, his voice sounding a bit slurred from drinking earlier, which sent fear further into Brooklyn for facing his 'Master' from being drunk. The wolves nearly killed him, sure, but Brooklyn didn't like how Shadow Man brutally killed the one on him and just murdered the rest too. For he heard stories about how wolves had gotten killed out here in the west.

Shadow Man gazed at Diablo, who was looking petrified at nearly being eaten and from his gun killing the wolves, shaking. He knelt down; the gun pointed at him.

"Yeah, that must've scared ya into not wanting to escape. This is a much different neighborhood from what you're used to. Now, you gonna be a good pet and stay put? I may even give you a little something on your final day tomorrow." Shadow Man said with a smile that looked evil to Brooklyn, who pressed back into his tree, nodding, still shaking. Shadow Man petted his hair again before leaving, Brooklyn cringing from the move, hoping Shadow Man would keep his word and give him food.

....

The final day came, and Brooklyn was still hungry, though he continued his best to remain strong, watching for his 'master's' return, stomach feeling weak and loudly growling. He was also feeling dizzy from lack of water.

His hair became messy and sometimes falling into his face, arms stiff from being kept behind his back for so long too and wheezing softly from lack of air by the cuff on Brooklyn's neck and muzzle. Brooklyn by now was willing to eat grass, having earned a couple sun burns too from the Montana sun.

I miss my stone sleep... Brook thought in exhaustion, bags under his eyes when suddenly, Shadow Man came back with his satisfied grin at the sight of Diablo still shackled and looking worn down. The fear of wild animals getting to him had kept the young gargoyle unable to have a good sleep. Bugs also kept him miserable by attacking his wounds for most of the midday, hence the muggy weather. Horseflies were the worst, whenever they landed on him it hurt him terribly. He would try to jerk his arms but it only did so much to ward them off.

Brooklyn kept his blank look on his face as Shadow Man gave a little smile, drawing his dagger. "So, sweet little Diablo... did you behave?" Brooklyn cringed silently again from that horrid name, but he nodded, not wanting anymore wounds to slow down his escape. Little did he realize that Shadow Man would soon give him a big stomach ache.

"Very good. I actually have a little treat for you; some water and chicken. I promise you the chicken is safe to eat, little toy. But you better eat all of it or risk further beatings!" He warned, thrusting his fist at Brooklyn, who shied back, feeling skittish now of being hurt by anybody, nodding frantically, but still kept his act of not showing tears.

"Uncuff him then recuff his hands." Shadow Man ordered. He had other men with him and the two big ones came over and got behind Brooklyn and got a hold of his arms. One unlocked the cuffs then both got a hold of his arms and brought them around in front of him, then they recuffed the bonds on his wrists. Brooklyn felt relieved that he could at least move his hands more freely with them in front of him.

"Take his muzzle off so he can eat." The boss ordered. "And I don't want to hear complaints from you, Diablo. You just eat what you're being given and that's it!"

Brooklyn glared at the evil man. He nodded. He would give anything to get this evil contraption off his mouth. His beak felt so cramped from being held together for so long.

The muzzle was undone from behind his head. The instant it was off, the red gargoyle rubbed his face, trying to soothe his aching mouth. He also gladly opened his mouth wide to get feeling back in it. He licked his lips too in favor of trying to circulate his saliva. His mouth was so dry.

"I bet you want some water to wet your mouth down?" One of the men inquired sarcastically.

"Yes." Brooklyn replied. His voice croaked more because he hadn't used it in four days or so.

Shadow Man would allow him to say yes or no in this respect.

A wineskin was brought forth and held out to the dehydrated gargoyle. Brook gladly took it and started drinking the water greedily. He felt the liquid in his mouth and going down into his stomach. He felt when it arrived too. It felt so good going down his throat to relieve the scratchy feeling.

"Alright, that's enough." Shadow Man decreed. He came up and grabbed the wineskin away from Brooklyn, who was still plenty thirsty. "Got to save room for the chicken."

Brooklyn's stomach felt relieved to get something in it from the water, but then growled for demanding food.

One of the men then came forward with a plate of five pieces of chicken. They were boneless. It would attract predators a lot less and there were no bones to clean up.

The gargoyle could smell the chicken and it smelled good. He was still wary of this offering though.

"Eat up, Diablo. You never know when I will be this generous again." Shadow Man declared.

Brooklyn looked down at the chicken pieces in front of him. He could feel some gurgles inside his belly that were just asking for that chicken. He sighed and then picked up his first piece. It smelled normal.

He saw the men were all waiting for him to take a bite. He hated that he was being watched as he ate. They were wanting to make sure that he would eat.

He finally put it to his mouth and started eating it. It tasted fine. He ate it till it was gone. Then he picked up the next one had a different taste to it, but he continued to eat it. The evil leader was pleased.

Brooklyn continued to eat the pieces and he began to feel full after the fourth one. "One more to go, Diablo." Shadow Man declared.

The gargoyle reluctantly picked it up and started eating it. This one smelled funky. It tasted weird too. "What's wrong with this one?" he asked.

"It's fine. It was all cooked at the best. Now eat it!"

"Or you'll get another punishment!"

Brook's gut was telling him to not eat it, but with weapons raised on him, what choice did he have?

He hesitantly ate the last of the chicken piece. His belly was gurgling uncomfortably. He winced.

"Now, put his muzzle back on." Shadow Man ordered.

Brooklyn backed up. "No! I don't want it on me!" He held his hands up.

"Too bad. You're getting it back on whether you want it on or not!" A man exclaimed.

The two biggest, strongest men came forward and got a hold on his arms while a third came forward with the muzzle and he hooked it back on Brooklyn's mouth. He had tried to keep them from getting it back on, but it was no use.

"That muzzle will shock you if you so much as try to take it off with your hands, and it won't be pleasant." Shadow warned him.

The men then left him alone. His hands were still kept cuffed and attached to the shackle on his throat, but at least they were in front of him. Brooklyn hated being their prisoner. But then, he felt a sharp pain go through his stomach.

He let out a huge cry of pain from under the muzzle. It sent him to his knees. His hands went immediately to clutch his stomach.

Brooklyn had a feeling he knew what the pain was from; that chicken! 'I knew that chicken had something wrong with it! Oh! Oh, it hurts!' He cried in his mind.

His stomach began to really hurt after that. He rubbed his belly to try to soothe it. His breathing picked up in panic. He closed his eyes tightly. He bared his teeth in pain. Brook brought his legs up to try to ease some of the pain but that didn't do much. Then he leaned back against the tree. His hands kept clutching his belly.

The pain seemed to rip through Brooklyn's insides. With his mouth tied shut from the muzzle, he wouldn't be able to vomit the awful chicken back up. As long as he had to keep it inside him, Brooklyn knew he was going to be in for a big, awful stomach ache.

On camera inside the house, Shadow Man and his comrades were having a glorious time watching their prize suffering in pain. They had fed him old, rotten chicken. Even with warming it up again, it was still bad. Now it was having even an effect on the gargoyle.

Brooklyn's stomach was hurting so bad that he finally fell to his side. His hands were desperately clinging to his belly. He was crying out loud even with the muzzle on. He wanted the pain to stop.

'Oh! Goliath, help me! Oh, my stomach... hurts! It feels like something's... trying to attack me from the inside out!' Brooklyn cried out in his mind. Tears were in his eyes and they were falling because he was in so much pain. He had practically curled into a ball.

That chicken had been his first meal in days and the man had seen to have given him rotten food or it was poisoned, or both. Brooklyn tried desperately to breathe. His voice was muffled but it was clear he was in incredible pain.

Eventually, the pain made Brooklyn so desperate that he began clawing at the ground around him. His talons left deep scratch marks in the dirt. His chest and stomach were heaving for breath.

When Brooklyn held still long enough, he was grimacing in pain, moaning. His eyes were still shut. His stomach was in horrendous pain. What he wouldn't give for an antidote to the pain. Anything to stop the pain!

'Oh, why did they have to do this to me? I never did them any harm. Oh, it hurts!' Brooklyn put his hands back to his aching belly. He was breathing hard.

If he got anymore food after this passed, if... it passed... if it didn't end up killing him first, the red gargoyle knew he would be reluctant to eat anymore food those humans ever gave him again. He winced as another jolt of pain went through him.

This was going to be one long day.

....

Brooklyn was still wheezing in pain for the next hour, staring up at the slightly cloudy sky, jolts of pain still attacking his belly. He attempted to swallow what was about to come out of his mouth, but that didn't do very well with his stomach.

He clawed feebly at the dirt again, shaking, praying for relief to come for him. The pain was too much.

'Agh!... anybody... help me!' Brook wailed silently in his head, heart thumping for a thousand miles, wondering how much longer that Shadow Man would leave him in agony, stomach feeling like it was on fire. His shoulder wound from the wolves hadn't been treated either, stinging from the dirt getting into it.

He couldn't handle this pain any longer, sometimes crying out for his clan again though they were several states away still, breath becoming hoarse now, just lying there on the ground, struggling to remain conscious, throat dry again and making him cough, the cuff around his neck not making it any better.

A tiny frown was on the red male's face from deep depression, from both the poison and from his behavior before getting taken.

I didn't mean it, guys... I'm sorry I'm so selfish! Brook sniffled quietly, that darkness slowly starting to take him, seeing a couple figures moving closer on him until finally Brooklyn slipped away, head lolling to the side when passing out, poison burning his heart.

Shadow Man smirked down at the passed out gargoyle, feeling for a pulse. He was still alive but struggling. "I believe he's had enough poison, boys. Let's cure it so we can do some more games later and finally give him his special mark." he said sickeningly. His men laughed ruthlessly, two of them uncuffing Brooklyn's neck.

The doctor, Doctor Thomas, came forward with a syringe of Pepto Bismol to heal Brooklyn, who was still out of it, body trembling and unable to move anywhere. Thomas held up Brooklyn's head while two others held his arms, putting the syringe into the corner of his mouth that wasn't covered by the muzzle. Brook managed to down the medicine and groaned weakly after they finished, cuffing his neck once more and leaving him there to sleep it off, and treated his wounds from the knife and wolf.

"We'll come check on him later when Diablo wakes up," Shadow Man ordered, gesturing to his men to leave Brooklyn and have the medicine do its work.

....

Close to sunset, Brook slowly began to regain his senses, his body feeling terribly weak, looking around sleepily, wondering where he was, until he felt a medal cuff around his neck and that muzzle.

Oh great, still here. But-but my body and stomach hurt... he thought groggily, rubbing it. It was still achy but he didn't feel as in pain as he did the first time the poison attacked. Plus he felt bandages on his arm and shoulder. Brooklyn gazed up again at his owners, seeing Shadow Man sneering.

"Aw, did my little pet get a stomachache? You're better now though since we gave you some anti-nausea medicine. Was just some bad chicken you ate. But soon, your special present will soon come, to finally symbolize your rightful owner's brand of my design. You will no longer be seen as a member of a group of winged freaks, but a helpless pet belonging solely to me. For now, at the moment, you can have one more night outside!" Shadow Man mocked, his pistol under Brook's chin.

Brooklyn couldn't say anything in his defense, just staring in fear and disbelief. You sickos hadn't just fed me bad chicken, you freaking poisoned me! He screamed mentally, still shaking from that terrible experience, and wanting to escape before he got his mark from his owner. Brooklyn didn't want to belong to this creep, this satanic human. He wanted his real family!

The red gargoyle was left alone after that, trembling but doing his best to keep his clan in his head to ensure his sanity, every now and then weeping softly now that he was alone again, wishing for Hudson's strong but gentle and comforting hugs.