3
In the morning, the chiropters were gathering in one tree making sure no one was hurt. Dusk got stuck in a group of wailing elders who wouldn't stop making a fuss about the raid. Most of the chiropters had decided to stay and live in the upper branches.
"We should send scouts to find the felids and their homes," one of the elders said. The others agreed.
"I need volunteers to scout for felids," said Auster to the chiropters. Dusk waved his sail high into the air.
"I will go," he said.
"So will I," said Sylph.
Soon, a group of young chiropters had been sent out to glide over the surrounding trees to find any movement. Dusk became a valuable member once again, because of his special abilities. The forest looked blotchy from the sky so Dusk let his echovision take over him and he scanned the forest floor. Something scurried across the forest floor.
First, Dusk thought it was a soricid (he shuddered at the thought of the small rodents that had almost killed him), but it moved too slowly. A few more looks with echovision showed that it had sails. It was a chiropter. On its head was a shell with thorns.
He signaled his sister over.
"What is it?" asked Sylph.
"Look," replied Dusk, gluing his eyes to the grounded chiropter.
"What is that? Who is that?"
"I'll go down and take a look. Tell the others."
Dusk circled around it once and descended. By now, the chiropter had started to climb up the trunk of a massive tree.
"You there!" cried Dusk; "Stop!"
The chiropter stopped on a low branch and stared at him. Dusk felt a chill go down his spine, causing him to lose his balance for a moment. He got even lower.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The chiropter stared at him and said, "That is for me to know and you to find out," and he glided into the undergrowth and was gone.
Dusk was shaken. The chiropters voice was not natural. It sounded like the wind whispering to him. He flew back up into the air and found the rest of the group waiting for him in a tall sequoia.
"Well…?" asked Sylph.
"That was very strange," Dusk said, slowly.
"What was?"
Suddenly, the branches of the sequoia started shaking as a mass of chiropters leaped from branch to branch. All of them had a shell on their head, but most didn't have thorns on it.
"That!" cried Dusk.
The chiropters stopped and turned to them. Their eyes glowed in the light. Slowly, they moved up toward them.
"Run!" cried Sylph.
They started to flee but the chiropters had surrounded them.