Chapter 1
It was dusk at Bat Mountpit. Not that many of bats that lived there knew it. They spent a large portion of their lives inside caves and tunnels and thus many of them were couldn't see well or blind. But every so often, will come along with eyesight better than his neighbors. What was even more special was that this particular bat wanted to go outside the many caves of Bat Mountpit to see the world, both literally and figuratively.
Ever since he'd been old enough to fly, Darkwind had what the other bats thought was an unusual desire to explore. Wanting to know his way around Bat Mountpit had been one thing, but his curiosity about the outside world was another. The first time he'd seen a hole, he went out of it to see what was out there. The sun was just setting and he watched in amazement as the sky changed colors and became darker. Since he was young, his eyes had yet to deteriorate as bad as his elders and he watched the world change.
"Darkwind?" his father's voice had called. "Are you there, there?"
"Yes Father, yes father," he called back. "Come up here, here!"
His father, Stonegrip, landed beside him.
"What are doing here, here?! It is not safe, not safe."
"Father," Darkwind asked. "What IS all this…all this…"
Stonegrip gestured with a wing. "It is called the 'sky'. The white orb is called 'the moon,', the moon."
"What are those little twinkly things, twinkly things?"
"I think they are called 'stars'. I have never seen them, even when I've come outside, outside. But I have heard of them. Now let us go back inside, back inside."
"And there was this…this giant ball of light, ball of light. The brightest I've ever seen! I didn't know light could be so bright, so bright!"
"It is called the 'sun'. When it is up, it is day, day. The moon comes up at night. Bats can go out at night, but not the day. It is too bright. And the outside world is very dangerous, very dangerous."
But from that day on, Darkwind was fascinated by the outside. He'd watch sunrises and sunsets when he could and hang around at holes and cave entrances to watch the daylight stream in and move around as the day passed. He learned everything there was to know about outside world. Of particular interest were two stories of visiting beasts. Stories of mice, moles, badgers and vermin. There was even a more recent story told by bats who came from another place that spoke of hares and an adder. One story told of how two mice and a mole had chased away an owl that had been terrorizing Bat Mountpit and left a door that had served bats ad emergency exits and entrances long since. Darkwind found this door and the it became his favorite place to see the outside world because of its incredible view. The time he spent looking outside it what helped him develop better sight than his peers. He even started flying around the Bat Mountpit with his eyes closed so that looking around in the darkness couldn't hurt his eyes and rob him the pleasure of seeing sky and the lands in the distance.
"Hmmph, Hmmph!" his mother said with a frown. "You're interest in the outside will get you in deep trouble, mark my word. Bat Mountpit is our home! Here we have everything we need and are protected, protected!"
"Aye," Stonegrip said. "But sometimes bad things happen, happen. Foebeasts come and attack us. It hasn't happened since before our son was born and I hope it never happens again until after he dies, he dies."
"If foebeasts come," little Darkwind said, "I fight them, fight them!"
His mother took him in her wings and shook him, glaring him in the eye. "You'll do no such thing! If foebeasts, you let your father and other grown bats fight them, fight them!" She shook her head, her large ears drooping slightly. "You've been hearing too many of those stories. They're starting to fill your head with silly ideas, silly ideas…"
Darkwind continued to have those silly ideas. He wanted to be like the mighty Sunflash, the brave Long Patrol hares, the clever Dinny, and great Martin the Warrior. Out there was a world filled with adventure and amazing things and creatures and one day he would leave Bat Mountpit to see it all!
One day, when Darkwind was nine seasons old, he was watching a sunset when he saw them. A group of creatures. Leading them was a large red and white beast he knew to be a fox wearing a crown. With the fox were rats, ferrets, weasels and stoats. They carried weapons, wore armor and wore unpleasant expressions. The fox, who became bigger as he got closer, was berating them. Darkwind couldn't hear the words, but he could hear the anger in fox's voice a distance. An uneasy feeling filled him and he went back inside.
"Beasts coming, beasts coming!" he shouted as he flew through the caves and tunnels. "Don't look good, look good!"
Batwives and batbabes were made to go into further caves to stay save while Stonegrip and several males hung from the cave ceiling to watch and see what happened. Darkwind watched clinging to a stalactite.
"Darkwind?!" his father hissed. "Go hide. It could be dangerous, dangerous!"
Before Darkwind could reply, the vermin poured in.
"Fools!" the fox bellowed. "Blithering idiots! We should have won you hear me?! Won! It was a perfect strategy!"
"It almost worked, Sire," a stoat offered with a weak smile. "We almost had 'em!"
"And if you hadn't sounded the retreat, our losses would've been worse," a rat pointed out.
"We can always try again in a season or so," another rat said hopefully.
"True," said the fox, his anger cooling. "No beast has ever gone against Salamandastron with a loss as small as ours." He looked around the cave. "In fact, this cave would probably make a good base."
As he looked around, he saw the bats.
"Well, well," he mused rubbing his chin. "What have we here?"
"Looks like bats, sire," a rat said. The fox's scowl made him shrink. The fox pointed.
"You, bats! I am King Salazar the Wicked and I claim this mountain and its cave as my own. You will serve me or be considered enemies. And enemies will be slain."
Stonegrip frowned at him. "Bat Mountpit is our home, not your lair. We not serve you, serve you. But we will not stand in your way. Leave us in peace, pass through our caves, and do not make your trouble into ours, ours."
The other bats literally and figuratively echoed his sentiments.
Salazar glared at them.
"Idiots!" a ferret called up to them. "No beast says 'no' to King Salazar and lives to tell of it!"
The fox held up a paw for silence. "It's understandable. They clearly don't want to get caught in our battles. Why, I'm not even sure bats would make such good slaves. However…" he smiled wickedly as he looked up at the bats. "They can be useful. As target practice."
The vermin sneered as they readied their arrows and spears.
There was a shriek as Darkwind let go of the stalactite and flew at Salazar. The large fox yowled in pain as the little bat hit him on the face to start scratching and biting. The other bats saw their chance and let go of the cave ceiling to fly at the vermin with war cry like screeches. Didn't even have time to fire before the bats slammed into them. Shouts and screamed echoed in the cave as the bats fought with everything they had to defend their home and families, even though they were outnumbered and lacked weapons. It happened a few times two or three bats would grab a vermin and fly up to drop him. Several bats fell, but so did some vermin. Some of the horde even fled, scared by the sight of the bats' fangs and the deafening sound of their high pitched screeches.
Salazar tore Darkwind from his face to slap him repeatedly while holding him by the throat.
"How dare you strike a great king?!" he bellowed. "I will use your skin for a scarf, you little flying mouse!"
He drew his knife. But before he could bring the blade down, a chorus of voices shouted out.
"Give 'em blood and vinegar! EULAILIAAAA!"
Salazar turned to see a dozen or so hares come charging into the cave. The bats who could flew out of the way for the hares to crash into the vermin. A hare wearing a scarf came at Salazar, sword drawn. The fox threw Darkwind at him to send him to the ground, the sword falling from his hand. The hare got back up as fast he could, one paw holding Darkwind.
"You all right, laddie buck?"he asked in concern.
"I think—lookoutlookout!"
The hare turned to see a burly stoat come at him. He sidestepped for attack to miss. Darkwind flew from the hare's arm and flitted around the stoat's head, screaming and hitting him with his wings. His foebeast distracted, the hare picked up his sword and quickly finished the stoat off.
"Thanks, lad!" he called to Darkwind. "Now get to safety! We'll handle these dirty blighters!"
Darkwind took cover behind a stalagmite to watch the battle. The vermin, weakened from fighting the bats and taken by surprised, were quickly defeated. Those that weren't slain fled. When the battle was over, the hare who'd saved Darkwind started giving orders.
"All right, lads! Now that the fightin's over, start the healin'! These brave bats did us a great service and now we should help them!"
"Yes, Major!" the other hares replied in unison.
The Major looked around. A big frown appeared over his face. "Confound it all, where's that blasted fox?"
"I think I saw him run off, sah," a young hare replied.
"Flippin' worst kind a' vermin; cruel and cowardly! You, Dithor! See if you can pick of his trail and track him. But don't enage."
"Yes, sah!" the young hare replied with a smart salute before heading off.
"I'll guide, guide him!" Darkwind said as he let go of the stalagmite with a flap.
As they went through the caves, Darkwind called out to the other bats.
"Foebeasts gone! Father and others hurt! Help them, help them!"
Some bats who were skilled healers flew to where the battle had taken place. Darkwind led Dithor through some caves and tunnels, but the fox's trail grew cold.
"Blighter could've gone anywhere," the hare remarked. "Probably could've climbed up several ledges and along the wall for all we know. Confounded foxes are good at covering their tracks, doncha know?"
"Sorry, sorry," Darkwind told him apologetically.
"Not your fault, me lad. If it weren't for you I'd be lost in all this darkness and wide spaces, stumblin' around, hittin' me foot on stones, bumping me head and fallin' into holes. May as well best head back to the Major and see how your friends are doin', wot?"
Darkwind led him back to their destination. Many of the bats who'd fought would survive. Unfortunately, Stonegrip wasn't one of them. He lay on his back, wounds signaling where he's been shot by arrows or cut by knives or swords.
"Father, father!" Darkwind shouted as he landed at his father's side.
Stonegrip reached up to his wing claw on his son's head. "My son…no matter what happens, you made me proud this day, proud. You warned us, then attacked their leader before he could give the other to fire and gave us an opening, an opening. You are very brave for one so young. Maybe those stories weren't so foolish after all, after all…"
"We're sorry we bought this upon you chaps," the Major told them, his ears drooping. "Blinkin' vermin came this way after we defeated them at Salamandastron. Should've finished them off when we had the chance…"
Stonegrip shook his head. "No. Vermin come often. They come to hide. To steal. To kill, to kill. The fox talked of taking Bat Mountpit and enslaving or killing us. Not your fault, not your fault." He coughed. He covered his mouth with his wing. There was blood on it when he removed it. He sighed. "Darkwind, take care of your mothe, your motherr. She will need you now more than ever. You also now have my blessing to fly out of the caves and do what you wish. You may even leave Bat Mountpit someday, someday…"
If Stonegrip had more to say, he didn't get to say it. He closed it eyes, never to open them again. Darkwind started to cry, futilely wiping his face with his wing claws. The major rubbed his head.
"There, there, young one. Your father has gone to a better place. You were by his side and his last words were of pride. I certainly wish I could've been at my father's side and heard any of his last words…"
The hares stayed the night to rest and experience the bats' hospitality.
"Look at them eat, eat!" a bat cried out.
"Will there be anything left for us, left for us?"
"Don't worry, marm," Dithor told the bat who'd just spoken. "We wouldn't dare eat enough to let others starve."
Other hares chimed in.
"It's just that an army marches on its stomach, dontcha know? And the Long Patrol doe a great deal of flippin' marchin'!"
"Think of it as a compliment. We've certainly never tasted scoff like this at Salamandastron!"
"Yes, nothing like foreign delicacies after a long day's work, wot?"
Just before dawn the Long Patrol set out to leave. At the cave entrance, the stood rigid in attention as the Major addressed the bats.
"We of the Long Patrol thank you for your role in helping us vanquish the vermin. Our Lord Galrath sends you his thanks to. Our mission was merely to track the vermin, but when we heard the fighting we have to take action. You had them distracted and weakened and this allowed us a victory. Though our target, the fox Salazar escaped, it will take long seasons before he is able to has the force to attack Salmandastron again. In the meantime, we send out patrols until he is dealt with to make sure he doesn't hurt other beasts. But for now he is defeated as we owe it to you brave bats." He saluted smartly at bats. The rest of the hares repeated the gesture. "May the seasons be kind to you in the future."
Darkwind flew down from his perch and hovered in front of them. "Can I go with you? At least for a while, a while? It sounds exciting, exciting!"
The Major studied him before nodding with a smile. "I supposed it couldn't hurt. If that's okay with your mother, of course."
She hesitated before nodding. "He may never get another chance for such an event, such an event. But come back quickly, my son, my son."
Darkwind told her he would and went with the Long Patrol. He rode on the Major's shoulder's taking in the sight of the world outside Bat Mountpit up close and watch the sunrise. When it was time, the Major had his hares go on ahead and turned to take Darkwind back to the cave. He took off the scarf he wore and tied it around Darkwind's neck.
"A souvenir, wot?" he told the little bat. "Consider yourself an honorary member of the Long Patrol. A beast brave enough to attack a bounder like Salazar to save his friends is always welcome in the ranks. I don't know if we'll ever cross paths again, but always know you'll have friends among the Long Patrol. We'll certainly make sure every beast knows your story, brave Darkwind."
"Thank you, Major, thank you, Major," Darkwind told him with a fanged smile. He put a wing claw on the scarf. "I will to my best to be worthy, be worthy."
The two beasts shook paws before the Major turned to leave. Even as the sun became too bright, Darkwind watched him as long as he could before he had to return to the caves of Bat Mountpit.