Way back in March 2015, from the 1st to the 7nth, I was home sick and spent most of the time in bed watching movies from my childhood. One of them, was Stellaluna. I'v always loved that book when I was growing up and when I watched the movie, I loved it just as much. The movie is cute and was a delight to watch on a sick day, and in February, I wanted to write something for it on FanFiction but didn't know if it was an option until I found it in the Movies category. I already have a few other stories I have to work on, but I wanted to get the prologue done at least so that it would be on my list and I can work on it whenever I can.

This story is also kind of based off of my own experience with bullying, only kinda different. I was bullied a few times in elementary school, a little in middle school and again in high school. Each times, I was bullied by different people, but they all bullied me with words, not with fists or kicks. Some of that is going to be seen in the story, but it will be different then my experiences. Some of the characters are kind of based off of real people too, Brandon is based off a girl I befriended in 2end or 1st grade who was blind but he's also based off the type of friend I always wanted and Taiyah is based off of all the people who ever bullied me, and Mindy is kind of based off of who I was in elementary school.

Anyways, the prologue is told in third persons point of view, but in the other chapters, it would be told in both Stellaluna's point of view, and in Mindy's point of view...Maybe even Brandon's point of view too. Sorry if I misspell anything, and I hope you all enjoy the story!

Prologue

"We'r moving again?" The little bat asked in a bored voice. Most young bats would hate the idea of moving, but the Gray bats had moved from one location to another so many times, that by now moving was just another part of life. "Yes, and hopefully we'll stay this time." Said her mother. In the dim moonlight, Her mother's silver fur seemed to glow.

She watched her mother in silent awe, entranced by her looks. Her mother wasn't old, all Gray bats have gray and silver fur, but her mother seemed to be the most silvery of them all. Her fur was light silver, her mane was light blackish silver, Even her eyes looked silver. They were actually blue, but they seemed silvery blue if you looked close enough. Despite her mother's light silvery appearance, her grandmother's fur was much lighter. In fact, her grandmother's fur was so light silver, it was practically white.

Her mother looked at her and smiled softly at her. She then wrapped her wing around her daughter. "Hay, it'll be ok, Sweetie."

The Little bat sighed and looked away from her mother's soft gaze. "No it won't be, Mama..It'll be just like all the other times: We come to a new land, find a cave or something to live in for a few weeks, and then leave again." She said, refusing to meet her mother's eyes.

"Sweetie, you know why we Gray bats do that-"

"Yes but it gets annoying after a while, and we'v been everywhere!"

"You don't even know where we'r going this time."

Surprised by her mother's words, she turned her head. Listening. "We'r going to the jungle, to live in a cave next to Fruit bats." Her mother explained. The little bats yes widen in shock. She had never seen a Fruit bat before, all the bats she ever seen were Gray bats. "Fruit bats?"

Her mother smiled again. "Their ancestors and our ancestors have been friends for centuries, and their leader is an alley to Veneta." She told her. Veneta was the Gray bats leader. The little bat rarely saw her, but she knew Veneta wouldn't move the Gray bats to a new home unless she was certain it was safe.

She looked down at the ground, taking it all in. Trying to wrap her mind around the notion of moving to a new world and living so close to Fruit bats. Her mother must have sensed it, She hugged her again and kissed her. "It won't be so bad, Sweetie." When the little bat didn't reply, her mother spoke again. "You might meet new friends."

Friends. The word itself made her bite her lip. She never had friends before, not even any of the Gray bats. She was bullied a lot, usually because of her shyness. All the other Gray bats are sociable, and love to hang out in groups. But she was the only one without a group to hang out in. The moving around never helped, because of the Gray bats constant change in location, she never had the chance to make any friends outside of the Gray bats.

If the Gary bats were bullies, what were the Fruit bats like?

She sighed. "They'll think I'm a freak, like everyone else does." She said glumly. "Look at me." Said her mother. Hesitantly, she looked up. Expecting to see her mother frowning at her. But only saw a gentle, warm glow in her mothers face.

"I told you this before, and I'll tell you again. Your grandmother and I were bullied too, but we made it through and we'r fine now."

"So?"

"So, it doesn't matter if others think you'r a freak or don't like you or anything like that. As long as you know who you are and you love who you are, everything will work out somehow."

She had been told this several times before, but it still gave her bittersweet comfort. Her grandmother was bullied because of her speech impairment, and her mother was bullied simply because she kept to herself a lot as a pup. It was as if she was destined to be a social outcast, just because her mother and grandmother were bullied too. But their stories comforted her too. Her grandfather protected her grandmother from the bullies, and that was how they fell in love. Later, her mother learned how to make friends with some of the Gray bats who use to bully her-actually, her father was one of the bats who use to bullied her mother!

The stories gave her hope that maybe one day, she'd have someone to protect her from bullies and maybe even become friends with a former bully. She would day dream about that person who protects her, what they would look like, who they would be, even their personalities. She hated that that person only existed in her imagination.

Before the little bat could say anything more, her grandmother, Theresa, called from inside the small cave. "C-Celeste! M-Mindy!.W-we should S-sleep now." Her grandmother's voice always sounded shaky and uneven, but soft and gentle, like freshly grown moss. Over the years, she and her mother had learned to be patient with her grandmother's speech impairment. She stuttered a lot, but mostly if she was tired or upset. She also had troubles saying big words.

Her mother looked over her shoulder. "We'r coming, Mother." She said. Sh started flying over but noticed her daughter hasn't moved. "Aren't you cold?" She asked. The little bat nodded. "Yes Mama, but I'll be inside in a minute." She said. Her mother thought for a moment. "Ok, but come straight inside." She said and then flew inside the cave.

With her mother gone, the little bat looked at her reflection in the river as it ran toward the waterfall. She stared at her light gray fur, dark gray wings, black tipped ears, black mane, and light blue eyes. Actually, she looked a little like how her grandmother looked like when she was young. Only she had her father's blue eyes. Her father was one of Gray bats soldiers, he was called Alexander which suited his rank as a soldier and his protective personality. Because of him being a soldier, she barely saw him but she felt safe whenever he was around. All the other Gray bat pups stayed clear of him because of his size.

Don't be afraid..It'll be just like all the other moves..Just with different bats nearby…You'll be ok…She tried to tell herself, but in her heart, she knew those words won't help. She frowned at herself. Why was she so shy all the time? Maybe if she wasn't so shy, she'd have friends! She splashed the water angrily, destroying her reflection. I won't be shy this time, I won't be shy. She told herself.

From now on, I'm Mindy the strong.

"More Flying Foxes?" Askari couldn't believe his ears. "Sort of, I guess. my mama called them Gray bats, so I'm not sure." Said Stellaluna. She was hanging upside down from a tree with Brandon while Flap, Pip, Flitter and Askari sat on the branch below them. They met every few days, just around sunset time. Brandon and Stellaluna would wake up early and come out of the cave, while Askari swing his wave to the tree and the three birds flew over.

Pip thought this over before asking. "Do you think they'll be like you guys?" Brandon shrugged. "Maybe, but then again they'v lived literally everywhere in the world so they might be completely different from Fruit bats." He said. Brandon was another Fruit bat, with darker brown fur and his wings were almost chocolate colored. He was distant, and rarely smiled, but he was the closest thing to a friend Stellaluna had in the Fruit bat's cave. He didn't think she was weird or that her friends were weird and seemed to actually like them.

But the real reason why Stellaluna liked having him as a friend was because of Taiyah. Taiyah was a female Fruit bat who bullied and picked on Stellaluna for her bird family and her bird and spider friends. But she also bullied Brandon because he was a runt, and was blind in one eye. It as different for Brandon though, he had experienced Taiyah's bulling ways longer then Stellaluna had, and knew how to protect himself from her. Stellaluna still had to learn that stuff.

"What if their just like that owl?" Flap asked, frowning at the thought. "I highly doubt they'll be like that owl." Said Brandon, turning his head so he could look at her better. "No one is like that owl." Added Pip. Flitter looked at them, then at Stellaluna. "Different?" She asked. "Probably, but maybe some of them are friendly." Answered Stellaluna.

At this, Askari shrugged. "It would be interesting having a different kind of Flying fox as a friend." He said, considering it. "Guys please, we don't even know where they originally came from." Said Flap.

"My mom said they were originally from a more far away jungle and that they got chased out by owls." Said Brandon matter-of-factly. Flap glared at him. "Ok, fine. You know where they originally came from. But why would they find a home then live there for a little while and then suddenly move again? and why would they ask to be neighbors with you Fruit bats?" She asked.

Stellaluna and Brandon looked at each other. Both stumped with that question. "Well..That we don't know, but my mama said some bats just migrate a lot." Said Stellaluna. "Their Gray bats and they have been friends to Fruit bats for many years and their leader is a friend to our leader." Added Brandon. Helping her explain it.

"Why are you so critical about them?" Asked Pip to Flap, who just frowned at her brother. "Because it sounds suspicious to me. Out of the blue, a new type of bats ask the Fruit bats if they could live next to them when they had been living from one place to the next on their own for years? Something about it smells fishy to me." She said. "Or you'r just jumping to conclusions again, like last time with the monkeys." Said Pip.

"Hay, those monkeys looked sneaky to me!"

"Your only saying that because they threw their banana peals at you!"

"So? It wasn't funny!"

"No but you deserved it!"

"Ok, we get it!" Brandon finally said, breaking the fight. "Anyways, when they arrive, Brandon and I will meet a few of them. Maybe we can get them to meet you guys." Said Stellaluna. "But what if their like Taiyah?" Asked Askari. He use to not really mind Taiyah, since he didn't see her too often. But that changed when she called him an ugly crawly. Now he just didn't care for her.

"And what if their not like Taiyah? We'll never know if we don't find out." Said Stellaluna.

That made them silent for a minute, not sure what to say next. Until Pip finally spoke. "So…When are they coming?" He asked. "It depends, they might come tomorrow night, or the night after, or the night after that. Their pretty far away from here." Said Stellaluna.

Suddenly, a voice came from the far horizon. "Flap! Flitter! Pip! Time to come home!" Called the mother bird. "Aw great, time for bed." Said Flap. "Oh well, see you guys later." Said Pip as he and his sisters started flying. "Bye guys!" Stellaluna called, waving goodbye to them.

When the three birds were gone, Askari looked at the two young bats. "You guys don't really think something is up, do you?" He asked. "No, Flap is probably just being suspicious." Said Brandon. "She can't help it, its just her instincts. She was suspicious of me when I first met her too." Said Stellaluna. "Yes, but that was because she didn't know you were a bat and because you landed into their nest." Brandon replied back.

"Still don't like her that much, do you?" Asked Askari. Brandon shrugged his shoulders again. "Well, she's not as bad as Taiyah, but she is a little..You know, hard to talk to." He said. Brandon was ok with Askari, Flitter and Pip, but it seemed he and Flap just didn't quite see eye to eye just yet. "You'll learn to like her eventually, you just need to get to know her more." Said Stellaluna.

Brandon gave a simple, but assuring nod. "So how are we going to meet the Gray bats?" He asked. Changing the subject. "I was thinking you and I meet a few when they come and then bring them to meet Askari, Flap, Pip and Flitter later." Stellaluna replied. "That works for me." Said Askari. "Then we'll do that, it sounds easy to me." Said Brandon. He usually left the planing to Stellaluna, she was better at it then he was.

"Ok then, I'm going to go Stella, its getting kinda cold out here for me." Said Askari, he then swung away, making his famous howling sound as he went. Brandon chuckled at him. "Does he do that every time he swings?" He asked.

Stellaluna giggled. "Yeah, I guess it makes him sound more intimidating then he actually is." She said. Trying not to stare at Brandon's eye. He was blind in his right eye, so while his left eye was was yellow as a daisy, his right eye was completely white with a faded gray iris. When they first met, Stellaluna feared Taiyah had blinded him. But as it turned out, Brandon was born blind in that eye. It saddened Stellaluna that Brandon was blind in one eye. Sure he was distant, a little cold and didn't smile much, but he was great friend all together. He knew what it was like being a social outcast, he knew how to take care of himself and he had a talent for knowing the right things to say at the right time. She was grateful to have him as a friend.

Since they both had problems, it made sense that they both tried to help each other with their problems: Brandon would protect Stellaluna from Taiyah and other bullies, and Stellaluna would stand, sit and hang upside down on next to Brandon to his right so she could help him see.

"Brandon?"

Brandon turned so he could look at her better.

"What if Flap is right?..What if the Gray bats are just like Taiyah?" Stellaluna suddenly asked.

"You'r just nervous that they won't like you." Said Brandon. Stellaluna looked down at the grass floor. Yes she was nervous of that happening, but it was more then that. The only bats she knew were her mother and Brandon, and Brandon was the only friend she had in their cave. She didn't even know there were more bats out in the world. What if they didn't accept her as a bat because of her bird family? What if none of them wanted to be her friends?…Stellaluna wanted to befriend a Gray bat, she wanted to learn more about them and maybe even get Flap to change her mind about them…But if they don't even want to be friends..

A wing wrapped around her, giving her a soft, reassuring hug. "Hay, don't be like that, Stel. You'r Stellaluna, your friendly, witty, adventurous. If any of the Gray bats don't like you, then thats their problem." That made Stellaluna look at him. Askari can call her Stella, Pip, Flap and Flitter can call her S.L (Yes they did that sometimes), but only Brandon can call her Stel. It was a nickname he made up himself, and Stellaluna held that nickname close to her heart because it was made by Brandon. In return, whenever he called her that, she would call him Brad.

"But what if-"

"But nothing, you'r an amazing bat, Stellaluna. I see it, Askari see's it, Flitter, Pip, and Flippedie-Flap see's it too and if the Gray bats don't see that, then its their loss." He said. That was a nickname he made up for Flap, but only Stellaluna knew that. She smiled at him, and hugged him back. Thank goodness Brandon was her friend. "Thanks, Brad." She said.

They then joined the other bats as they went looking for fruit. Both of them flying high enough to soar over the treetops. Stellaluna felt as if she could fly high enough to touch the stars and hang up side down from the moon if that was even possible.

She smiled as she imagined what that would be like: hanging from the moon and literally being above the entire world. She could everything from up there, and anything she wanted to see. She imagined the moon in its crescent form, Flap, Pip and Flitter flying around them, Askari swinging from one star to the other, and Brandon hanging upside down next to her. Staring in amazement at the world down below them. Maybe a few of the Gray bats would be there too. They could all be happy there, no bullying, no worry. Just friendship and happiness, and tons of adventures ahead of them.

I hope I can make a new friend.