Batty Koda, who had been watching from the tree this whole time, gasped in disbelief when he saw Budgie let Pips and the Beetle Boys inside her home. "Mayday! Batty to Ferngully: Pips and Beetle Boys captured, mission a disaster! Requesting backup, pronto! Oh, fractured figs, why didn't they listen?"

He felt very upset. No one ever listened when he told them that humans were off limits and what do they do? They go right up and talk to one! He spread his wings and flapped off, his antenna sparking.

Batty wasn't sure where he was going, but he hoped he could find some clue to the poachers' whereabouts. He ended up flying along the same river and came across a few abandoned warehouses along the bank. He decided to check them out. The first one he flew over to was a tall, ugly thing made of brick and rotted wood with big metal doors on the front. But there was a strange black insignia of a bull on the doors, one that looked like…

"Warped banana peels!" He shrieked. He struggled to stop in mid air but ended up smacking into the metal doors themselves. He dropped to the gravel driveway and lay for a moment, waiting for the stars to clear.

"Aha!" He bleeped, staggering to his feet. "It's a clue! Oh, to joy and hallelujah, I've found a clue!" Quickly flapping up, Batty peered in through a window and sure enough, he saw the three humans and several wooden crates inside. "It's all clear now; I've got to get back to the others!" He flapped off in the direction of Budgie's trailer home and crashed into the window overlooking the kitchen sink. When he peered in, he nearly fell off the sill. Pips and the Beetle Boys were having a grand time inside playing with the electronic devices, trying the ice cream in the freezer and switching the radio on and off. Batty tapped madly at the window until Pips noticed him.

The fairy flew up to unlock it; he seemed excited. Once the window was unlocked, Batty's words came out in a rush. "Hey, hey, I found the-" he tripped and fell on his face as he tumbled inside. "Fairy bug! I found the baby-" Pips stopped him.

"Batty, look at this" He fluttered to the sink and switched the faucets on and off, saying, "River on, river off, river on, river off. Isn't that amazing?" Batty winced.

Knot and Stump demonstrated the switches on the living room lamp. "Sun on, sun off, sun on, sun off."

Guzzi demonstrated further by jumping up and down on the toaster lever.

"Yeesh," Batty shook his head in contempt. "You bugs are on gravity gross-out…" he happened to look towards the television and spot Bark who was about to press the 'on' button.

"Sonic interference!" He bleeped and flapped over to the set where he pushed Bark away and spread his wings so that they covered the screen. "I insist you stay away from that sinister square. You have no idea what this does to humans,"

Pips and the other Beetle Boys flew over, now attracted to the box that Batty was trying to hide. "Lighten up, Batty," Stump snickered as he readied a small sling he kept on his belt. He fitted a small round stone into the pouch. "This is our friend's world."

"Exactomundo!" Batty exclaimed. "We don't belong here at all, we-" he was rudely interrupted because at that moment, Stump started swinging his sling and released the pebble. It hit the 'on' button head on and Batty shrieked and fell to the floor as the set thundered to life, revealing a live rock n' roll concert.

Pips and the Beetle Boys stared, transfixed at the screen. They had never seen anything like this before.

Batty groaned as he picked himself up. He tried again, jumping up and down in front of the television screen. "I've found the babies!" he shouted. "The poachers, the forest, the fire, their truck," he tried desperately to jog their memories as to why they had come this far. "The babies!"

Pips appeared not to have heard. "Oh, Budgie said she was going to take us on some rides later if you wanted to come."

Batty could hardly believe his ears. Was this the same Pips he had known not ten minutes ago? He sighed miserably as he stepped away from the group staring up at the screen and flapped over to the open kitchen window. As a final resort, he called back, "I'm going to save the babies, is anyone coming with me?" As he expected, there was no answer. Poor Batty slumped against the window sill, very disappointed.

He turned to leave, but stopped as he heard a buzzing noise behind him. It was Bark, the littlest Beetle Boy. "Just you then, huh?" Batty asked. Bark nodded excitedly. Batty sighed but perked up. "Okay then, partner, it's just you and me. Let's hoon!"

Bat and Beetle Boy flew off towards the warehouse. Once they arrived, Batty was going over a plan of action.

"Bark, I'll go around the back, and you guard the exit." He scurried away, but turned around. "Never mind, we'll both guard the exit," he stopped again and his antenna sparked. "No!" The bat bleeped. "You read the paper and I'll go around the back! Hark, little John, the barn's on fire!" Bark watched in disbelief as the bat flapped up into the air, shouting, "Charge!"

Batty's antenna was sparking in earnest now and he dove towards the glass roof, squeezing his eyes shut as he plunged through. The glass was already weak and broken in several areas, so breaking through wasn't a chore. There was a loud crash and the sound of glass tinkling on the cement floor below and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, mid-section and back.

His antenna sparked again and he found himself crying, "The cavalry is here!" Then he swooped down to the wooden crates at the back of the room, but didn't get far. Mac had seen the brain-fried bat crash through the glass roof from below and had quickly caught Batty before he could get to the crates. Batty thrashed and shrieked in the poacher's hold, screaming things like, "I'm hit! I've gone down!" or "Admiral, clear the receiving pad!"

Mac examined the struggling bat in his hands and noticed the antenna sticking out of Batty's head. Goldstein had rushed in at that moment as did Ivan. Both looked bewildered. "What happened?" Goldstein demanded. Mac held Batty up by his feet. "This little bloke came through the roof."

"What's the matter with him?" Ivan asked, peering closely at Batty's headgear. Batty's head had cleared and he suddenly realized what was going on. "Infra-red air waves!" He grunted, trying to flap out of Mac's iron grip. Goldstein seemed to smile. "I wonder if he would fetch a profit,"

Ivan scoffed. "He's damaged, can't you see that?" Goldstein grinned. Batty could almost hear the cash registers going off in the human's head. "We could sell him to one of those biology labs," Batty gaped.

Mac shot that idea down. "Look at him, he'd never make it. We'll just keep him here until we find a good offer, and not from any labs, savvy?" Both men agreed. Mac towed Batty over to a cage that was right near Paddy's. Batty struggled every step of the way. "Ah! Ouch, you big lummox! Let go!"

All the animals in the crates watched with wide eyes as Batty put up such a big fuss. Finally, Mac tossed him in the crate and locked the door. Batty hissed and spat at the human as he walked away. "Bad move with the charging," he muttered.

"That's okay, Batty," Paddy said nearby. "It was nice of you to try, though."

"Yep," Batty mumbled unhappily. "You can always rely on good old Batty to get you out of a scrape." The fruit bat sat heavily down on the wooden floor and wrapped his wings around himself, ashamed that he had failed.

Bark watched all this through the roof and when he saw that Batty was captured, high-tailed it back to the trailer home. The Beetle Boy remembered where Pips and the others had gone, so he headed instead for the carnival. It didn't take him long to find his fellow Beetle Boys. They were at a shooting booth, where the contestants lined up at the table and shot small colorful paint balls at these wooden ducks that went around and around this track on the wall.

Bark waited impatiently until the people at the table were finished and then he zoomed down. Stump, Knot and Guzzi were laughing at how much fun they had when the ducks they had been riding on had been splattered with paint.

Bark reported breathlessly, "Batty's been captured by the poachers, but I know where the babies are!" The Beetle Boys immediately sprang into action. Stump leaped onto his stag-horn and shouted at Knot and Guzzi. "Find Pips, we gotta save those animals!"

Knot and Guzzi buzzed off in one direction, Stump in the other, while Bark decided to try and find Budgie. He had a hunch that wherever the human girl was, Pips would be with her. He was right. The two were at the giant slide. Bark flew up to them. "Pips!" He shouted. The fairy and Budgie turned around.

"I found the baby animals, but Batty was captured!" The Beetle Boy repeated. Pips' eyes widened. "When did this happen?"

"While we were in Budgie's house," Bark replied, slightly confused. Could it really have been that long ago? Pips looked frustrated. "I don't remember that at all! What was I doing?"

"You were watching that square thing…" Bark frowned. He didn't know what the television was called. Pips finished for him. "You mean Batty went off while we were inside, waiting for Budgie?"

Bark nodded. It was Budgie's turn to look confused. "Who's Batty? And what's all this about baby animals?" Pips explained, looking very ashamed. "The reason we came here was to follow some poachers who had come through our home and stolen some baby animals."

"That's horrible!" Budgie intoned. Pips nodded ruefully. "Batty is our fruit bat friend. While we were waiting for you in your home, he must have flown off to rescue the animals himself. He had tried to tell us, but we were just so distracted by this place!"

Budgie held out her hand for Pips to land on. "I'll help you rescue them."

Soon, Budgie, Pips and the Beetle Boys arrived at the warehouse. The group approached cautiously, in case one of the poachers should happen to notice them. Budgie climbed up to a windowsill and peeked in through the stained glass. Pips joined her.

"Is that them?" She whispered. Pips nodded. "That's them, all right."

Stump pointed out, "Okay, so we're here, now what do we do?"

Guzzi sounded upset. "We can't possibly take them by ourselves. They have those big animal guards, remember?"

"Well, we can't just abandon the babies," Knot retorted. His stag-horn mount buzzed impatiently.

Just then, the big metal doors of the warehouse creaked open. Budgie flattened herself against the wall of the building and gasped as a huge yellow truck with two covered trailers rolled slowly through.

On a sudden and crazy impulse, Budgie leaped for the covered trailer and snagged a hold on the tarp covering.

"Budgie!" Pips shouted after her retreating form on the back of the speeding truck. "Come on, let's go!" The fairy waved to the Beetle Boys to follow him and away they flew, trying with all their might to catch up to the trailer.

Budgie clutched the side of the truck in terror as it rolled along down the dirt roads. She opened her eyes at one point and swallowed loudly. Maneuvering herself over to the back of the trailer, she slipped inside under the tarp covering. She squinted in the sudden dimness, but was soon able to make out several metal cages stacked up against the back of the trailer. Several squawks emanated from inside the cages as she advanced, so it was a safe bet that this was the bird van. Budgie used her hair pin to unlock the cages and succeeded in freeing all the birds. She untied the tarp from where it was fastened down on the outside of the truck and marveled at the fleeing rainbow of lorikeets, cockatoos, and various parrots as they flapped back to whence they came.

She didn't reflect on the Kodak moment too long, however. She knew she had to get to the other trailer which meant another trip on the outside of the trailer. She bit her lips as she climbed back out, forcing her eyes not to look down as the truck squealed along a road built into the side of a large hill. Below a river trickled, which was the last thing Budgie needed to see right now. Inch by inch she made her way, until at last, she was at the front of the second trailer. In-between she and the first trailer was a metal attachment. Carefully planting her hands on the cold metal, she crawled slowly along until she reached the trailer and pulled herself up. She let out her held breath and slipped in under the tarp. This trailer had fewer cages than the one before. She advanced towards the closest one which held a huddled figure inside. A second later, the figure stirred and opened its leathery wings… and shrieked in surprise!

"Short-circuit side effects!" Batty bleeped, backing up against the back of his cage, shivering violently. "It's you! What have you done with Pips and the Boys?"

Budgie almost lost her voice. Did the bat just speak? She cleared her throat and hesitantly asked, "Are you Batty?"

Batty Koda sniffed proudly and spread his wings out, trying to appear larger than his normal size. "I should think so, both mentally and name-wise, and it's Batty Koda to you, missy!"

"I'm Budgie…"

"Aha! So you're the human that's been causing this whole mess!" Batty pointed accusingly at the girl with his large thumb claw. "No!" Budgie frowned. "I'm here to save you!" She didn't know why she was arguing with a bat at this time. As she talked, she jiggled the lock.

"Ha!" Batty snorted scornfully. "What a rort! The only help I'll ever need from humans is the 'letting alone' kind!" Batty folded his wings and glared at the girl in front of him. Budgie leaned forward so that her nose almost touched the bars of the cage. Batty looked wary. "Pips is on his way and so are the Boys. I'm going to try and free you all, alright?"

There was a sound like a sigh from inside the cage. "Hang a fang, do what you want, human!" Batty grumbled. Budgie half-smiled and jammed her hairpin into the lock. Wiggling it vigorously, she sighed in relief when she heard the click and the lock dropping to the floor. Budgie opened the cage door, reached inside and pulled out Batty Koda. She held him rather like she was examining him. Batty was starting to feel rather ashamed of his attitude. This human really did want to help him.

"Ahem," Batty cleared his throat, feeling his furry face go hot from his blush. "We seem to have a whole trailer full of animals that are still in their cages, if you know what I mean."

Budgie smiled then. Releasing the bat, she retrieved her hairpin from the fallen lock and set about trying to unlock all the other cages. Batty even pitched in, using his antenna wires as a key. This would often result in his antenna sparking loudly and him getting shocked as the wires reacted with the metal of the lock. Just then, before she could open up Paddy's unlocked cage, the tarp flew up and she heard a cruel snicker from behind her. Budgie whirled around and gasped upon seeing Mac only a few feet away.

The poacher placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, almost laughing. "That was pretty clever of you, taking my birds, but next time, you might want to make sure you take out the rearview mirrors before you do anything stupid."

Budgie's knuckles turned white as the poacher came nearer, sneering at her. Suddenly, with a loud scream, Batty hurled himself at Mac's head. The startled poacher waved his arms wildly, trying to fend off the attacking bat. Budgie saw her chance and made a break for it, ducking under Mac's legs and jumping out of the trailer onto the other's tarp-covered exterior. However, before she could make another move, Mac grabbed hold of Batty with one hand and with the other he leaned out of the trailer and loosened the pin that held the attachment together

"Good luck, girlie!" He cackled as the trailer slowed in its ascent and then started going backwards down the road. Budgie let go of the tarp and jumped clear before the trailer went off the cliff. She landed hard on the dirt road with a thud.

Pips caught up with her. The fairy and the Beetle Boys buzzed over, expecting the worst, but not a moment later, Budgie stirred and sat up, breathing hard and rubbing her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Pips asked. Budgie nodded. "I just got the wind knocked out of me." She cast her eyes down. "I managed to free the birds, but not the baby animals, sorry."

Pips looked surprised. "You did what?"

Stump grumbled, "That musta been one heckuva ride, human." The Beetle Boy leader looked approving, though.

Budgie grinned wryly. "I almost freed Batty, but one of the poachers surprised me at that moment. Batty distracted him while I escaped." She turned to Pips. "Your bat friend doesn't really like humans, does he?"

Pips shrugged. "Mostly no, but I'm surprised. It sounds like he was trying to save you."

Budgie stood up. "Well, nevertheless, we have a long walk ahead of-" she whipped around as a car honked from behind them. It was Budgie's grandfather.

"Budgie!" The elderly man cried as he pulled over and leaped out. He swept his granddaughter up in a hug. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! Why didn't you stay back at the trailer?"

As the grandfather scolded Budgie, Pips raised his arms and again started to chant. "Bless your eyes with magic light; I give the gift of fairy sight!"

Automatically, the grandfather raised his head, staring intently at Pips. "Budgie," he whispered. "Is that what I think it is?"

Budgie smiled as she squeezed her grandpa's hand. "Yes, it is. Pips, I'd like to introduce my grandpa, Joseph Turner."

Mr. Turner held out a finger to Pips, who hesitantly shook it. This human seemed right at home with meeting fairies. "Did I miss something, Izza?" Mr. Turner asked teasingly.

Budgie nodded. "A little. These fairies are trying to rescue some baby animals that were taken from their rainforest by poachers."

Mr. Turner frowned. "Then, by all means, let's follow them! Hop in, all of you!" The man rushed back to his car. Budgie hopped in the front seat and Pips and the Beetle Boys settled themselves in the cup holders in the front.

Not far away, in fact, below in the river, Crysta and Rex were still floating. The fairy had so far managed to find out that Rex and his friend, the other Doberman Slasher, were abused by their master, Mac. The poacher was harsh and cruel and often forgot entirely about the dogs; such that Rex and Slasher would go without meals as a result of the man's nasty manner. Crysta's heart went out to this poor animal. She couldn't believe that humans would be so cruel to living creatures and it made her angry just thinking about it.

"Don't worry, Rex, I'm sure we'll find someone who will be willing to have you as a pet." The Doberman growled unhappily. He didn't believe her.

An hour or so later, farther along the road, the truck had stopped at a loading dock. A small shack lay alongside it. Goldstein and a strange man sat inside at a table, deep in conversation. Mac, Ivan and Slasher the Doberman waited outside, leaning against the trailer truck that held the mammals.

Inside the trailer, Batty stared gloomily out through the cage bars, not appreciating the familiarity of this setting. "Great oil slicks!" He muttered as he kicked hard at the bars. Paddy, nearby, started to cry. "What's going to happen to us, Batty?"

Not wishing to cause any more alarm, the fruit bat tried to make their prediction sound more optimistic. "Oh, we'll probably go out to sea in a big boat where we'll see other cities and forests… Haven't you wanted to travel to strange and exotic places?"

"No," came the miserable reply. Batty sighed. "Me neither, but that's what we're going to do."

Below, Bandy started sobbing, and a few other babies joined in. The sad chorus was too much for Batty, who stuck his head out of the cage bars.

"Hey, everybody! Turn an ear or two this way and I'll lighten up the subject," humming in a sort of off-key voice, Batty started to sing.

Hey, this could be worse; at least we have each other.

Come on, everybody

You know you're not alone.

If we stick together, we'll find our way home.

Take a look around you; tell me what you see…

We're all part of a great big family.

Can you feel it, deep inside you?

A wild pulsing, through the air,

Together, that great brand of emotion

Is all we need in here!

Listen to me, now,

We're gonna find our way back home!

The bat's singing seemed to calm all the animals down and soon, they were all joining in with the tune. Batty was thrilled his plan had worked until the tarp was drawn up, revealing Mac and Ivan. Several animals squeaked in fright and dismay. Batty hung his head and his ears drooped. Mac stepped up to him, glaring inside the cage.

"You better behave yourself, bat, or else." The poacher growled. "We're taking you out for showing, and if this guy likes what he sees, you'll be going to him, savvy?"

Batty hissed at the poacher, who picked up the bat's cage and jumped neatly out of the trailer. Batty watched as they headed inside the small shack. He was set down upon a table and was peered at by a small, thin man with thick black hair, dark skin and eyes that resembled olives. He looked skeptically at the bat, and then up at Goldstein. "Not interested. But you may continue with the delivery, if you must. Let this one go; he's too damaged, as you can tell." He said in a thick French accent.

Goldstein's eyes lit up as the small man handed him a black briefcase. The plump man opened it and Batty saw hundreds of dollars neatly stacked inside. Goldstein closed the briefcase.

"At once, thank you, monsieur." He motioned to Mac to let Batty go. The poacher grumbled under his throat as he opened the cage and grabbed hold of Batty. The bat shrieked as he struggled with Mac's grasp. The poacher towed him outside, where he threw him into the air. Mac stood, glaring after the bat's clumsy flying figure until it was out if sight.

Batty flew up over the loading dock, back toward the road, hoping to find Budgie or Pips. He spied a car and streaked downwards, but at the last possible second, his antenna sparked and he found himself chattering as he headed straight for the car's windshield, "Mister Courtesy white phone, please. I wish to speak with the head of the lab if you don't-" Smack! Batty hit the windshield like a runaway train. The bat bounced off and landed on the side of the road, dazed. The car pulled over up ahead and screeched to a stop. Batty was aware of voices nearby. One sounded very young, and the other much older.

"Grandpa, look! It's Batty!"

"I see, Izza! A very batty bat indeed!"

"No, no!" Batty was picked up and cradled in a young girl's arms. "This is Batty Koda, Pips' friend."

Batty's head pounded, but his vision cleared up enough to see Budgie staring down at him in her arms. "Are you okay?"

"Sonic interference," Batty murmured softly. "Someone hold my head before it rolls off. Where did that car come from?"

He heard a gasp and turned to see Budgie's grandfather, staring openmouthed at the talking bat. The elderly man shook his head. "This has been a rather exciting day," he climbed back into the car. Budgie carefully picked her way back to the front seat, not letting go of Batty for a second, even when she buckled up.

Pips saw his fallen friend. "Batty, are you okay? Where are the babies?"

Batty weakly pointed with his claw. "Straight ahead, a loading dock or something. You can't miss it, humans." He slurred.

Mr. Turner nodded and muttered something to himself as he drove on. The sky was darkening as the sun left horizon. Within a few minutes, it was be night.