„And there goes another one. Alyssas newborn was very thin wasn't she? No wonder she didnt survived the first three days."
„True but it's really a shame that there are so many weak newborns born this year. How can our colonie remain with no new generation?"
„It's just a bad year for newborns this time."
Ariel jerked her ears. She didn't want to hear anymore about newborns who were to weak or to small to survive.
It was sad but true what the others said. Way to less young were born to become strong flyers someday.
Especially Isis newborn was the most promising kid. He was already the biggest and strongest among the others and would certainly make a great hunter and flyer someday.
Other newborns however...
Ariel pushed her wings a bit asaid to take a look on her own child.
He was small too small for his age, but this was mostly because he was a preemie.
Who was born two weeks to early and at first she wasn't so sure if he would survive the first nights.
He was so weak, couldn't even hold on his mothers fur.
But now after nearly two weeks Shade did became stronger thanks to her milk.
His fur becam to grow and his eyes opened.
But still he was so small. Ariel hoped that her son would grow some more in the next time.
In the meantime he was one of the smallest in the colonie and while others like him didn't make it, Ariel was determind that her son wouldn't have the same fate as them.
She just couldn't loose her mate and son in one and the same year.
Arier sighted and wrapped her wings closer around her body in case Shade would catch a cold which she didn't wanted.
The little guy clinged on his mother tightly and slept peacfully.
He was so calm Ariel often thought he wouldn't be breathing anymore.
Once he was so quite that Ariel panicky poked her newborn eagerly to get anykind of reaction from him.
To her relief did Shade wake up ,but he wasn't very pleased about it and chirped loudly under protest.
Wing beating next to her took her out of thoughts.
It was another silverwing female called Pala.
She hung upside down next to Ariel and on her belly clung a sleeping newborn like by almost every female.
„Good night Ariel. How are you?" she asked cheerily. „Good night, I'm fine thank you. How about you and Penumbra?"
„Splendid, you know I thought it might be the best time now to start feeding her solid food.
She already trys to get a pice of mine sometimes." Pala said.
„If you think so... Shade won't be eating insects this soon." Ariel admitted.
„But he has been doing well it seems. I would have never belived that he would actually survived until now." Pala said amazed. „Did you know even Alyssas newborn Sylphie died. Sadly the child was only a bit bigger than shade."
„Yeah, I...heard about it how tragic." Ariel didn't want to hear anymore about it. But Pala talked constandly further until Ariel at least got her attention on another topic.
While those two talked did Shade wake up from his slumber and yawned.
A clittering sound got through his ear and as he turned around he saw a little insect on the wall behind him. He had never seen something like this in his short live so far and wanted to take a closer look.
He looked to his mother, but she was still talking to Penumbras mother.
How boring, he thought. That thing looks more interesting. I wanna know what that is. I'll go and look at it.
And so without Ariel noticing he crawled away from her on the wall after the insect.
„Well it's getting late. It's time to feed my darling I belive she's going to wake up soon." said Pala looking at her daughter.
She and Ariel told there good byes and flew back to her roost.
Ariel was a little relieft that it was quiet again.
She thought it would be feeding time for her son as well.
So she looked at her belly thinking Shade would still be there sleeping.
„Don't you want eat something sleepyhead?..." Bu what was that? He wasn't there.
Shade was gone!
Panickly Ariel looked down in fright her son had might be fallen down, but she couldn't see him anywhere.
Quickly she flew from her roost and searched every corner in the nursery, while constandly calling her childs name. „SHADE? SHADE?"
He however didn't hear her. He was to much fixated on the insect befor him that he doesn't realize what was happening around him.
The insect went farther to a hole in the tree, moved its wings and flew out in the night.
Too bad. Sadly Shade couldn't follow the insect but he wanted to know where it went.
Anyways he started to feel a bit hungry know so he turned araound and wanted to go back to his mother, but...
Where was she? Where was his mother? Shade got scared and looked around he hadn't noticed how far he got apart from her. Shade searched around and saw many other females but none of them was his mother. Panickly he gave high-pitched chirp sounds so his mother could hear and find him.
But nothing like this happend and so he chirped and chirped desperately until someone came to him. Happily Shade turned to the other bat cause he thought it was his mother but to his dissapointment was there a different female silverwing.
This one looked very old had wrinkles on her face and got grey streaks in her black fur.
But her eyes and her smile gave Shade such a warm feeling that he calmed down.
„It's ok little one. Did you got seperated from your mother? Don't worry I'll bring you back to her."
she said and Shade greatfully crawled to her and clung on her belly fur.
In the meantime Ariel was still looking for her son.
She was afraid something bad might have happend to him.
But no one could tell her where he was. No one had seen or heard him and in this chaos of mothers and newborns wasn't it easy to find a certain one.
I just looked away for a short time. How could that happen? Ariel blamed herself over the lost of her newborn.
Soon she he began to feel tierd but she wouldn't dare to stop searching.
Suddenly she heard someone behind her.
It was the chief elder of the silverwing females.
„Frieda, what are you doing here?" Ariel asked surprised. It wasn't often that one of the elders left there roost up high in tree heaven where it was much quiter than down here with all the loud newborns and there mothers.
„Only a little flight through the colonie. But I see you're in pain Ariel."
Ariel swallowed and tried to calm her voice.
„It's Shade. Hes gone. I just looked away for a second and now he's gone. I'm scared something might has happened to him and I can't find him." Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. She fels like the worst mother in the world.
After both found a roost the hung upsidedown and Frieda took her wing around Ariels shoulder.
„Don't worry." she said „I think you and your son will find each other very soon" Ariel looked at Frieda confused and saw her lifting her other wing up revealing a tiny silverwing newborn. „Shade!" Ariel called and took her son immediately and happily in her wings. The little one was happy as well seeing his mother again and snuggled deeply in her fur.
„Thank you Frieda, thank you very much. I don't know how to repay you for this." Ariel said and empraced her newborn tightly.
„It's allright Ariel. It makes me happy to see a mother an a child together again." Frieda said smilying. „I found the littly guy near one of the knotholes as he tried following a cricked.
This is going to be a curious young boy."
„I'm sure he will." Ariel sighted. Than Frieda said good bye to Ariel and flew back to the elder roost.
Arie flew with Shade back to her roost to still trying to calm herself from the shock.
Without Frieda she might had lost her own newborn today.
Never should something like this happen again. From now on she would take a better eye on her child, she said to herself and looked at Shade who hungrily drank milk from her breast.
Silverwing belongs to Kenneth Oppel, Characters called Alyssa, Sylphie and Pala are mine^^.