The Grudge

Hi all! Been awhile, hasn't it? Here's the next installment to the series, with an important lesson on not letting upset with others get the better of you. Keep an eye out for references to Larryboy: The Cartoon Series, Ratatouille, Ice Age, and Dragon Tales, and enjoy!

Stellaluna's adoptive "bird family" didn't exactly take kindly to her at first. Nestra, for all the love she gave the little bat as a surrogate mother, insisted that she give up her natural habit of hanging upside down and learn to land on her feet. Pip and Flitter, although quicker than their stubborn sister Flap to accept Stellaluna, still laughed at her fumbling, which probably contributed her low self-esteem. But these paled in comparison to the way Flap acted: right from the get-go, she made rude remarks about what a "weird bird" Stellaluna was, and harshly pinned all the blame on her when the four children got lost in the jungle. Nevertheless, a group effort to save Nestra from the Great White Owl's clutches ultimately brought Stellaluna closer to her adoptive siblings, and to this day, they remain very close friends.

However, there was a time when it seemed as if their friendship would never be the same again...

It was a quiet morning in the jungle - the perfect sort of morning for a bat to sleep in peace, which is what the whole colony was doing. That is, they were, until the stillness of the cave was suddenly shattered by angry shouting. "No! I'm not the worst; you are! You're nothing but a bully! Just leave me alone!"

What was once a tranquil setting quickly became a chaotic one, as bats all throughout the cave were startled awake and flapped about, squeaking in confusion. The elders quickly came to see what the matter was. Jupiter looked up at one roost still occupied, and scowled exasperatedly. "Someone shut that species-confused brat up this minute!" he barked.

"That 'species-confused brat' happens to be my granddaughter!" Isis retorted coldly.

"No question there!" Jupiter snorted. "Your family has always been a burden to this colony!"

"Peace, Jupiter!" said Solomon sternly. "Insulting each other won't solve this problem. Isis, please tend to your granddaughter, then report back to us."

"Yes, Solomon." Isis bowed in respect, then flew up to the roost. "How is she, Estrella?" she asked.

"Not right, Mother," Estrella replied, "as you plainly can see." Sure enough, Stellaluna was trembling from head to toe in anger. "This is the second nightmare she's had this week, and she still won't tell me what's wrong..."

"Flap! That's what's wrong!" Stellaluna blurted out suddenly. This roused the rest of the colony even more. "SILENCE!" snapped Jupiter from below. "Do you want the whole jungle to hear you?!"

"One could easily ask you the same question, Jupiter," said Isis curtly. She then took Stellaluna in her wings. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go for a walk - you can tell me all about it."

Stellaluna sighed. "Okay, Grandma."

A few minutes later, grandmother and granddaughter were walking side by side on the cave floor. Isis listened patiently while Stellaluna talked about Flap's less-than-friendly treatment of her. "...And then she blamed me for getting us lost!" she cried indignantly. "Even though she, Pip, and Flitter left the nest on purpose! And then, even when I tried to help, she kept putting me down! And the worst part," faltered Stellaluna, swallowing a lump in her throat, "is that I gave in to what Flap was saying! I let her mean words bring me down!" Just talking about it made the little bat angry all over again.

"I see," Isis said slowly. "But she apologized for what she said in the end, didn't she?"

"Yes and no," replied Stellaluna with an exhausted sigh. "She apologized for calling me 'the worst bird in the world'; but she didn't apologize for blaming me."

"And have you ever thought about this until just recently?" Isis asked.

"Not really," Stellaluna admitted. "But I wish I had!" she cried, as cold fury pounded through her once again. "And it's about time I stood up to Flap once and for all!"

"Well," remarked Isis, "I hope you won't talk to her in a temper like that."

"Why not? She talked to me in a temper!"

"That's as may be, dear; but two wrongs don't make a right. Besides," Isis went on, "you can't let your upset control you like this. Hold onto your anger, and it's bound to hold onto you."

Stellaluna looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she were truly taking her grandmother's words seriously; but then she shook her head. "I have every right to be mad, Grandma," she said vehemently. "Flap made me feel like dirt!" She spread her wings and took off back to her roost, knocking into a stalactite in her blind anger. Isis watched her go, shaking her head sadly. "I can only imagine what her next few nights will be like."

Just as Isis feared, Stellaluna's anger served as a constant, distracting burden to her. Over several nights that followed, she would bump into trees, get tangled in bushes, and even forget her appetite. Sometimes her tempers got so bad that she would hurl half-eaten fruits against tree trunks. Needless to say, these outbursts were starting to attract a lot of unwanted attention from onlooking bats, who were starting to grow very wary of her - even Bolt was careful to give her some space!

Her friends were concerned for her rapid change in behavior too. "You just haven't been yourself lately," Rafi said one evening. "It's like you're a completely different bat."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing!" said Stellaluna, rounding on him testily.

"I never said it wasn't!"

"You were thinking it!" The two bats were now nose to nose, Rafi with a shocked, uneasy look on his face, and Stellaluna with a fierce glower across hers.

"Stellaluna!" Estrella's voice suddenly rang out. Stellaluna turned to see her mother looking down at her with a particularly stern glare. "This new attitude of yours has got to stop. I understand you're angry with Flap, but this is no way to express that anger! Now apologize to Rafi."

"But Mama..."

"Apologize."

Stellaluna heaved a deep sigh. "Alright. Sorry, Raf."

Rafi smiled understandingly. "Hey, don't sweat it," he said. "I'm just shocked that Flap had such a lasting effect on you. I mean, you never showed it until recently."

Stellaluna looked down sheepishly. "I hope what I said doesn't have a lasting effect on you."

"Don't worry, it won't," Rafi assured her. "You just weren't yourself. Maybe Flap wasn't herself either."

"I doubt it," Stellaluna replied sadly.

That morning, as the bats headed for home, they had to pass by the nest where Nestra, Pip, Flitter, and Flap lived. "Hey, look!" Pip called to his mother and sisters. "It's the bat colony!"

"Stellaluna!" cheered Flitter, who was still learning to talk.

But to the birds' surprise, Stellaluna took one look at them and burst into tears. They watched, stunned, as she broke off from the rest of the colony and dove deep into the jungle. "Weird," Flap remarked after a moment. "She's usually thrilled to see us!"

Pip turned to his mother. "Mom, can we go see what's the matter?"

"Of course," Nestra replied. "Just don't go too far."

"We won't!" chorused the fledgelings, and set off after their adoptive sister.

Stellaluna hadn't gone far before she heard the birds calling her name. She looked back to see Flap leading her siblings in a beeline straight toward her. "No, no!" the little bat whimpered, and beat her wings harder against the air.

"Stellaluna!" yelled Pip. "What's the matter?"

"Come back, Stellaluna!" called Flitter.

"No!" sobbed Stellaluna. "Stay away from me!"

"Will you just tell us what's going on?!" demanded Flap.

"Just leave me alone!"

Flap rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Must be a bat problem!"

Little did the kids realize that trouble lay just ahead. They were nearing an ancient bog: Stellaluna, blinded by her tears and anxious to get away from the birds, flew headlong into an overhanging vine. She lost control, fell, and landed with a squelching sound in the mud below. Then, to her horror, she felt herself start to sink. This was no ordinary mud: this was quicksand! "Help!" cried Stellaluna despairingly. "Somebody help, please!"

Luckily for her, Pip, Flitter, and Flap arrived and saw her predicament. Without a word, they fetched a long vine from a tree, and lowered it to their bat friend. Stellaluna grasped it firmly between her teeth, and with one great heave, the birds pulled her to safety. Without hesitation, Stellaluna pulled her adoptive siblings into a big hug. "Thanks, guys!" she said gratefully. "I thought I was done for!"

"Any time, Stella," grinned Pip. "That's what friends are for."

"Alright, alright; cut the mush!" snapped Flap. "You mind telling us what that was all about?!"

Stung by these harsh words, Stellaluna glared furiously at Flap. "No! I don't mind, and..." The little bat stopped herself suddenly. She remembered her grandmother's wise words: "Hold onto your anger, and it's bound to hold onto you." Stellaluna took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Flap; but I've just been really angry with you lately..." And she told her whole story. "Oh, that?!" Flap scoffed. "That was ages ago!"

"I know; but it still hurts to think about it," Stellaluna replied. "And I never got a chance to tell you how much it hurt until now."

"She's got a point, Flap," Pip chimed in. "You do have a bit of an attitude."

Flitter nodded vehemently. "It's mean!"

"And it wasn't all my fault," finished Stellaluna thickly.

Flap noticed the fresh tears in her adoptive sister's eyes, and heaved a deep sigh. "Okay, okay; I guess you have a point," she admitted. "I didn't really mean what I said: I was just upset about getting lost."

"We all were, Flap," said Stellaluna, wiping her eyes, "but getting mad at each other doesn't make anything better. I think that goes for both of us."

"I think it goes for everyone!" put in Pip.

"Yeah!" Flitter agreed.

Flap gave another sigh. "I'm really sorry, Stellaluna. I never thought my words could make you feel this crummy. I understand if you don't wanna be friends anymore."

To her surprise, Stellaluna pulled her into an even tighter hug. "It's okay, Flap," she smiled. "I forgive you, and you're still my friend."

Flap couldn't help but smile too, and hugged her adoptive sister back. "I've got an idea," she said brightly. "I'll try and be more a little more sensitive if you'll help me."

Stellaluna laughed aloud: her resentment had melted away completely. "It's a deal!"

And so, from then on, Flap tried her best to keep her attitude under control. It wasn't easy at first; but Stellaluna was always there to keep her from going too far. Both girls were happy to have worked their problems out once and for all, and even happier to know that by letting each other know how they felt without getting angry, they could build a strong, healthy friendship for life.