For June, I got to pick our next subject for our monthly growth series, and I honed in on a nostalgic favorite- Goliath, the stoic leader of the Gargoyles. He's going to be made into a whole new gargoyle, bigger and stronger than ever- if you want to see how big, check out Big Stories here: https://www.patreon.com/bigstories

Art ©  silver-stag

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Nightfall again in New York City; the clock tower that housed the Manhattan clan of gargoyles burst into activity, as the monstrous guardians of New York awoke. The strongest of them all and the clan patriarch, Goliath, awoke with a powerful roar, even as it was drowned out by the traffic below. The gargoyle was considered by his friends and family as a protector and beloved leader- to his enemies, the most powerful warrior. His limbs were roped with tight muscle, hard as stone even after he awoke. The claws on his fingers and feet were sharp as daggers- well, except for one.

He frowned, glancing down at his foot. One of his claws had been broken, right off at the tip- it had to have happened during the day. "How strange…"

"Goliath, you've got something on your wing," Brooklyn pointed out.

The dusky-toned gargoyle's frown deepened as he snapped off a small, paper tag. "It has the day's date on it," he rumbled.

"Oh yeah," Lexington took a closer look at the tag. "Remember what Lisa said? There's a restoration crew checking out the clock tower, that's why we cleared out the TV."

"And hid all the food," Broadway the thickly built gargoyle grumbled.

Goliath snorted. "So this is their handiwork, then?" He crossed his well-muscled arms. "How do we make sure that we don't see any more accidents while we sleep?"

Lexington waved off his leader's concern. "Oh, I'll take care of that. I can get to the contractor's network and move some things around- make sure they give us the premium treatment."

Goliath arched a brow, but after a moment's consideration, he nodded. "Well, let's hope they know what they're doing…" he looked back at the tag. "What does it mean to be marked for 'structural enhancement?'" He glanced behind him, where a hunk of granite had been placed behind his perch.

The other gargoyles exchanged looks, then shrugged. "We'll talk to Lisa- she'll make sure you stay in top shape during the day."

The large gargoyle grunted, nodding brusquely. "Indeed. But we have to get on our patrols- this city won't wait for us."