Human Mystique
Synopsis: Along their journey to rejoin the Silverwing colony, Shade Silverwing and Marina Brightwing come across a human sorceress named Ella who unexpectedly grants Marina's wish to grow as large as a human. Only trouble with this wish is it is temporary. By the time the sun comes up, they are bats once more. This is based off the Teletoon series.
Chapter 1--Sojourn Into the Forest
Shade and Marina usually kept to their typical duties on Hybernaculum. She still didn't know what her band stood for, even after reconnecting with her old clan. The Brightwings had made a home for themselves elsewhere after the attack against them enacted by Goth and his brother-in-law Throbb. Those two spear-nosed bats were nothing but trouble and if anything Shade had learned it was not to trust them as far as they could fly from the two miscreants.
Elder Frieda had sent the two youngsters out on a mission. They were to look for an herb that would help soothe her ailing throat. Only recently had the elder suffered a bout of strep and Bathsheba (much to everyone's begrudging) had to take over as leader. It wasn't that the Silverwing clan didn't like her, it was that her nagging could be irritating. Without thinking long or hard about hearing Bathsheba carry on, Shade and Marina left the clan and flew into the woods to search for some mint, rosemary and tea leaves.
Since they were smaller in size, it took Shade and Marina until evening to make it to the forest, but they found the herbs that they had been searching for.
"Finally ! I thought my wings were gonna fall off.", Shade complained.
"At least we got what we needed. Personally I didn't think you'd ever make it, Shade.", Marina joked. Sometimes Shade hated how much Marina could sound like Chinook even when she didn't mean to do so.
"Ha ha. Very funny, Marina. Now, let's get the herbs and fly.", Shade said, becoming a little annoyed and impatient with her. Luckily their eyes were adjusting to the light changing and they gathered the herbs that they needed but what happened next would change both their lives forever.
Chapter 2--Ella the Sorceress
Many of the bat clans had seen humans from a distance and some had even been in contact with them, but for many bats, those encounters were dreams; easily forgotten the following day.
Sometimes humans decided to live on their own with the company of nature surrounding them if the element called 'society' didn't see as 'normal', especially if these humans were keeping a secret from society that they wouldn't understand. Ella the Sorceress was one such woman and she was by nature, unique. That doesn't mean she was strange or peculiar, but she had gifts that typical people didn't have and couldn't understand without labeling her as a 'witch'. The label 'witch' had terrible connotations to people that had natural magical powers and wanted to do no harm but Ella could never convince anyone that she wasn't delving into black magic, so she had to make a new life for herself in the forest.
Ella's life was peaceful in the forest. She had a black cat named Ebony that was her constant companion and nature kept her company when customers weren't bothering her for natural remedies or potions to exorcise evil spirits from their homes. Along her walk to collect her thoughts for the day and commune with nature and her spirits, Ella happened to see two bats along the way. At first, they were afraid of her, but she could speak to them.
"Oh, please don't fly away !", she cried out. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Shade and Marina stopped in mid-flight. Did a human just speak to them ?
"I've never heard of humans being able to speak to bats.", Shade responded, inquisitively.
Ella giggled. "I never thought bats could understand me in return." She then paused as she introduced herself. "My name is Ella. What are your names ?", she said as she led them back to her house.
"I'm Marina Brightwing. This is Shade. He's a Silverwing.", Marina responded politely.
Ella smiled as she reached out her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you both."
The two bats felt more at ease being around Ella now. They could sense that she did not mean them any harm.
"A pleasure to meet you too, Ella.", said Shade.
"Perhaps you could come inside ? You look a bit tired from your flight.", she mentioned congenially.
Marina smiled. "Oh, we'd love to."
As they flew inside, both of them saw Ebony sleeping and were a little leery of her. After all, a feline like that could be a threat to them.
"She won't eat us, will she ?", Marina asked, cautiously, not wanting to offend the sweet, youthful woman.
"Ebony ? She wouldn't hurt a fly. A mouse maybe, but nothing else. She sleeps most of the time since she is so old.", Ella answered, with a chuckle.
"How is it that you can talk to us ?", Shade said, supposing all humans were evil as he had heard many times before from Bathsheba in her ramblings.
"I have had this gift since I was young. I was often ridiculed for having a talent of communicating with animals. Only a few understood me because they too were different from my other peers. Yet, they weren't like me. Unfortunately, I was outspoken. Being outspoken can lead to trouble sometimes.", Ella said, with some sadness in her voice.
"That's really a shame. But I notice you've made some accomplishments. You help other people.", Shade said. He had observed that even for a small, rustic domicile in the woods, it had all the amenities of the 21st century. Ella wasn't as old fashioned as they originally believed.
"Yes. I hope I can help you two, also.", Ella stated, honestly.
"Wait, what do you mean by that ?", Shade said, a little defiantly.
"You're obviously exhausted from the flight. I have plenty of plants here you could eat so you could regain your strength. Let me put on a cup of chai tea and you can drink that before you make your journey back home.", Ella said.
"That is so kind of you. So, you don't eat animals ?", Marina inquired, as she looked around and saw no indication that she ate meat.
"Oh heavens no. I'm a vegetarian. There's a farm not too far from here and I eat eggs and drink milk. Near the farm is a stream, and I catch fish there occasionally. But besides that, no other meat passes past these gums.", Ella said. As soon as the microwave beeped, Ella blessed it with a Latin spell.
"What was that ?", Shade said, raising an eyebrow.
"A good luck charm for stamina and energy on your soujourn back to your clan.", Ella responded merrily with a twinkle in her violet eyes. Her auburn hair glittered underneath her tiffany lamp.
"We can't thank you enough. We really needed the respite.", Shade finally confessed. He now knew he could trust his gut instinct when it came to humans.
After eating and drinking the two bats took their own supply and thanked their hostess for her assistance.
"I guess it is true, one can only judge on someone's aura, not on their past.", Shade said. Shade was beginning to sound a lot more like his father, Cassiel, whom he had an idea was still alive somewhere figuring out the secret of the bands. Somehow he would be able to see him again because his heart told him to keep searching for him.
Chapter 3--Marina's Transformation
Frieda was beginning to feel much better and her voice was returning to her.
"You didn't happen upon any trouble while you were out, did you ?", she started, considerably worried for Shade and Marina. It wasn't Marina that worried her as much as Shade did. Marina was more practical while Shade was impulsive, just like his father.
The two decided not to mention the fact that they had encountered a human. It would probably not bide well for them in Hibernaculum and they would most likely have to roost with the adults for breaking another law in the Great Treaty. It was a pity that the Treaty had been lost when Tree Haven had been burned by the owls so many years ago. Its knowledge had been kept in the Echo Chamber and the echoes had been lost, but as far as the Silverwings knew they weren't breaking any ancient writ.
"No. It was just a long flight. We had to stop along the way to rest.", Shade explained.
"Good. We wouldn't want any more mishaps.", Frieda said, chuckling. The two bats were met by Breeze and Chinook.
"Great to see you back, runt !", Chinook stated jocularly as he tousled Shade's mane.
"Can't say I feel the same.", Shade retorted, joking back with a crooked grin.
"Hey, I heard tonight you can see the stars for miles. We might even be lucky enough to see the milky way.", Breeze said, excitedly. It had been a while since Shade had time to truly appreciate the stars, so he decided to join them. Marina, his constant companion, flew along with him.
"You saw a human ?", Chinook chided, almost sounding like Ariel, Shade's mom.
"We both did, and she was very kind. She's known as a 'sorceress'. I think that's a kind of healer.", Marina stated. To be honest, the both of them had been scared out of their wits but when she revealed she wasn't a threat, they knew she could be trusted.
"I'm going to let Mercury know about this !", Chinook fumed. Breeze held him back.
"Chinook, no. Don't. We don't want them to be exiled.", she said, gently reproving him. "Besides, there is nothing in the treatise that states anything of that gravity.", she reminded him. Chinook grumbled and rolled his eyes in irritation.
"You, as usual are correct, Breeze. I will keep this a secret, so consider yourselves both lucky.", he stated, still a bit upset. Breeze did her best to soothe his ire. All of a sudden, Marina felt strange, like she was going to be sick. Her whole world spun around her and she became very dizzy.
"What's wrong, Marina ?", the bats asked in unison.
"I…don't know. But I feel unusual.", she said. Not only did she feel unusual but an unusual transformation was taking place. Just then, Shade noticed something different about Marina. She looked two inches taller than him.
"Uh, Marina ?", he began, "Did you just get…taller ?"
She gazed at her wings in surprise. "So it seems.", she observed. She noticed that her arm band was beginning to feel a bit tight around her wrist.
Chinook raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Shade ?", he asked.
"Maybe she's older than you."
"No.", Shade answered. "Just a minute ago we were exactly the same height, but now for some reason, she's taller than me."
Suddenly, Marina grew another three inches. She was now as big as a spectral bat. Her band felt even tighter around her wrist.
Breeze's eyes widened. "Did I just see what I thought I saw ?", she asked in a surprised tone.
"Now you're even taller,", Shade said to Marina. "As big as Goth or Throbb !"
Marina, awed, didn't understand how this could be happening, but then she remembered that incantation that Ella had used. Before she could say anything else, however, she became even larger by a foot and a half. Her band was now starting to really hurt around her wrist, almost cutting off the circulation of blood through her veins. She clawed at the band and pried it from her wrist before it could become any more constricting, cutting her wrist in the process. She held it in her claw, impressed by how tiny it was in comparison to her.
Just then, she grew even larger, about the size of an adult human, hitting a bit of the cave she and her friends had been hanging from with her head. She backed up, holding her head momentarily.
"Ouch !", she exclaimed, nursing the bump that had been left behind. She then looked down at her now tiny friends.
"Oh my gosh, I'm humongous !"
The bats, suddenly freaked out by seeing her new size, nearly flew away in terror.
"Wait everyone ! It's still me ! Don't flee…", she said, holding her claws out to try to stop her friends. They rebounded into her hands.
"What just happened to you ?", Shade asked, amazed that he was standing in the palm of his friend's claw.
"I am not certain. I don't know how this could've happened. But don't you realize, this is my dream come true ! I can now discover who put this band on me. Maybe I can even find your father, Shade.", she said, gently.
"What a great mate you have there, Shade.", Chinook stated, playfully, nudging him in the side.
"Oh, shut up, Chinook.", Shade retorted, sharply.
"How long do you think this new form will last ?", Breeze said as she and the others flew around her.
"I don't know, but keep the colony busy while I am gone. They'll start asking questions before long.", she said.
"Be careful, Marina.", Shade said, softly.
"Don't worry…I will be.", Marina stated with a gentle smile before she walked off. Shade started to wonder if the contact they had experienced with the Sorceress had been the source of Marina's transformation. Waving it off as pure coincidence, he and his friends looked for the Milky Way before flying back to Hibernaculum to rest before dawn.
Chapter 4--Meeting Doctor Rutherford M. Lake
Marina found that walking wasn't too bad a form of transportation. Though she did prefer flying, it was much easier. She had found that her arm band was now so tiny compared to what it had been before. Thinking quickly, she placed it on her ear and wore it as an earring. "I suppose this is a good a place as any on my person to keep it. I can't afford to lose this precious band," she mused as she continued walking. Along the way, she heard a human voice sounding as if it was on the trail of something that had escaped. "No, Frank! Come back here! You're meant to go back to the lab for research!" he yelled in exasperation. Marina saw the frog hop by her and stop momentarily. It gave her a one word warning, "Run!" "Run?" she thought to herself, wondering what the cryptic alarm could have meant. The scientist, having stopped and doubled over to collect himself raised back up and took a couple of steps back. Upon regaining himself and meeting Marina's gaze, he could see that she was a Brightwing, but much larger in size.
"M-m-monster !", he stammered, shivering a bit.
"I am no such thing !", Marina began. The scientist was astonished. Befuddled, Doctor Rutherford Lake adjusted his ovular glasses and gaped at her.
"Pardon me, but did you speak ?", he said, curiously.
"Of course I can. And apparently you can understand me. I know from what I have seen of humans, not all humans have this ability.", Marina began. The scientist was at a loss of words as he tried to make sense of all of this. He noticed that she was wearing a band upon observing her again.
"That's an interesting band you've got there. You're quite rare, you know that ? Do you know who gave you that band ? ", the doctor said, inquisitively. Marina couldn't recall for the life of her who had 'banded' her but she asked the doctor a question herself.
"No, sadly, I don't. But I was wondering if you could help me. I am searching for a Silverwing that has a band like mine. Maybe you have a method of doing so.", Marina suggested. It happened by luck that the doctor was searching for a Silverwing and hoped that with any luck, he might be able to help her find out more about herself and maybe even help her locate Cassiel in the process.
Chapter 5--The Weird, Wonderful World of Homo Sapiens
Marina soon learned that the doctor's name was Reginald Meritt Lake. He was a environmentalist as well as a researcher on cures for such diseases as diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS. From what she could see, he was working on many different projects. She saw what looked like the visual interpretation of an echo-map on a computer screen.
"Excuse me, what is this computer tracking ?", Marina asked, inquisitively.
"That's a map of tagged, or banded bats like yourself. The bands have computer chips in them that can be tracked from here. From the lab I can map out the migration pattern of bats like yourself. It's my duty from letting beauties like yourself become endangered species again.", Reginald stated, honestly.
"Endangered ?", Marina stated, raising an eyebrow. The word 'endangered' didn't sound very positive.
"Yes, it's a label for a species in danger of becoming extinct. Extinct species no longer exist here on this planet, which is a pity really.", Reginald explained.
"So, it's your job to make certain that bats continue thriving ? I guess human begins can be truly good after all.", Marina said, touched by Reginald's studies.
Later, the doctor had pin-pointed the group that had banded Marina.
"It was the Conservationist Movement for Brightwings.", the doctor confirmed. He told her more about their group and how long they had been instated.
"You are a rare bat indeed, even rarer than a Silverwing. That's why you are watched so carefully through the tracking unit on your wing. Or in this case, it's being used as an ornament.", the doctor chuckled. He found it amusing that she had been wearing it as an earring now, but she found the doctor humorous himself with all his gadgets, his gesticulations and his scientific puns. Homo sapiens were certainly weird and wonderful.
Together the two studied the tracking map more closely.
"You said you were looking for a Silverwing, correct ?", he asked.
Marina nodded eagerly. "And this says where he's located ?",she responded hopefully.
"Yes, he is in a cave a few miles from here.", he said.
"Thank you for your help. I don't know how to repay you.", Marina added.
"You don't have to, just knowing that conservationist efforts are working is more than enough to make me happy, dear Marina.", the scientist said. With that, the two bid each other farewell and she began her travels back to Hibernaculum.
Chapter 6--Caught Up in a Storm
As the sun began to rise, Marina began to worry about the prospect of owls in the nearby area. But her size made her confident. For now, she was too big for the owls to consider her dinner, so she felt she was fortunate. But, then she noticed a change. As the sun peaked over the horizon, she noticed that there were cumulonimbus clouds gathering in the sky. It felt rather foreboding since she felt the wind change and could smell the fragrance of rain in the air.
"A storm is on its way.", she felt, but little frightened her. She noticed that she was beginning to shrink and her band slipped from her ear. Quickly before it could hit the ground, she placed it on her wrist again. Up above in the clouds, the storm began brewing and Marina began to shrink. Before she could find shelter, she had begun to get caught up in the sharp winds and found herself swept away into the clouds. Luckily, she had been able to grasp onto a tree as the storm continued to beat down. As it began to calm, she flew back to Hibernaculum, exhausted.
Chapter 7--Cause for Rejoicing
Since she had been so tired, Marina hadn't had time to speak to anyone but by the time the moon had risen, she had so much to discuss.
"I am telling you Shade ! He's not too far from the forest, and I can help lead the way there.", Marina stated.
"But, will we be able to make the journey without attracting suspicion, particularly from Bathsheba ?", Shade offered, knowing that when it came to Bathsheba, it seemed she had ears and eyes everywhere. She even had a disposition against Shade from the beginning that he had violated the Great Treaty. The teens weren't concerned with that as much as they were about finding Cassiel. Shade's hopes and dreams were confirmed, at least, partially. He wouldn't believe his father was living until he saw him face to face.
The group began to fly while the rest of the Silverwings prepared for the weekly spring harvest. The flowers were beginning to bloom and fruits weren't too far behind. Bugs were coming out of hibernation so there was no scarcity of food for the Silverwing clan. It was a particularly good time for the teens to scout for Cassiel with the guise that they were going hunting for food.
Taking the lead in their 'hunt', Marina led the other three bats to a cave that the doctor had described to her. There were thousands of bats living in the cave and one of them, hopefully was Cassiel. After asking for Cassiel, he showed up quite unexpectedly.
"I heard there were others asking of my whereabouts.", he said. Shade, upon seeing his father, began to weep joyfully.
"Dad !", he exclaimed, his voice breaking a bit from his jubilance. The two immediately recognized each other, embraced and started to talk in length about how much had gone on since Cassiel had left the clan and who had banded him. Marina too, found everything fascinating and had a feeling that this brave new world she was being introduced to was more welcoming than she had originally perceived it to be.
"I bring Cassiel back to the clan !", Shade stated as soon as he arrived back with his friends. Ariel, Shade's mother, was overcome with tears upon seeing her beautiful mate again. The two embraced, kissed and remained in each other's embrace for a lengthy period of time.
"You have much to account for, my husband.", Ariel began. Cassiel nervously placed a claw behind his head, chuckling anxiously.
"I know I do, my dear. But rest assured, I will make up for lost time.", he said, taking her breath away in a passionate kiss that was veiled from the little ones.
"I think we should leave mom and dad alone for a while.", Shade said to his friends and joined the rest of the Silverwings in their celebration of Cassiel's triumphal return.
Epilogue
Shade could now learn more about what Marina had seen as well as what his father had been through. Cassiel had explained he would've gotten back to them earlier but had unfortunately forgotten the sound map that would lead him to Hibernaculum.
"I suppose being away from one's clan can cause them to become absentminded.", he admitted. It was true that their kind had a tendency to lose their way if they had been cut off from their own blood relatives. But, none of that was an issue any longer. They knew, as long as they had each other and kept learning about the strange world of homo sapiens the more likely they were to survive in this uncertain and sometimes savage world.