Dave dropped like a literal stone, which is a terrible analogy but in the moment it fit the bill to so speak. Wasting not a moment – except to think about my pretty decent stone analogy – I dove after him, wings slanted sharply upwards, eyes narrowed, face forward, focused and intent. My antenna crackled wildly in the humidity and the sudden burst of adrenaline, which was probably the source of this crazy monologue I was giving myself as I flew to my friend's rescue.

Just before Dave hit the ground all that way below, and before I started worrying that I would break my neck in the effort to save him – I caught him mere inches from the little fern fronds growing out of the ground. My antenna sparked, making me spasm in midair. Dave was lying spread-eagled across my back, seemingly lifeless. Fighting back the rising panic growing in my chest, I flapped on, unable to stop. I zoomed on through trees, past shrubs and more fronds until a hanging vine appeared out of nowhere and caught me around my midriff.

"Oof!" Like a jungle scrunchie, it whipped me back the very way I'd come, with Dave slipping precariously off my back.

My antenna clicked like an invasion of castanets, my vision was already clouding over, and my brain gave completely in to loony-mode. I had no idea if I was still in the air at this point. "Passengers, this is yer captain speakin'. If y'all would please remain in yer seats, we'll take this craft in for a nice, easy land – ung!" My monologue was cut off as I rocketed into something cool and hard, my face assuredly making a nice indentation as I did so.

For a second everything was still, and then my head and vision cleared and my antenna settled into a somewhat dormant state. Wincing, I slowly pulled my face out of what I'd landed in. At least I knew where we were – on the forest floor. I looked back down again. There was my face indent, just like I predicted. My head buzzed like a hive of bees, which made my ears ring. What was wrong with this stupid antenna? I clenched my jaw in frustration, a soft growl boiling in my throat. Why was it doing this to me?!

Then, all at once, my head snapped back up. Fortunately, my neck was attached. Dave's crumpled form lay not two feet away from where I'd landed. Blood pounding in my ears, adding to the infuriating ring I'd developed, I wrenched myself around and over to where he lay. When I reached him, I gently prodded his chin with my wrist. No response. I took hold of his ear and gave it a yank. Still nothing. An unrecognizable sound emerged from my throat; probably some sort of strangled sob with emphasis on the strangled bit as it literally sounded like my neck was being squeezed.

"Dave?" I whispered. "C'mon, wake up." Nothing. I pulled away with a start as realization hit me with the full force of an electrical transformer. I'd lost him, one of the only friends I had left. I didn't save him. Didn't... couldn't. I felt like the wind had got knocked out of me for a moment as I could only stare back at the still, shallowly-breathing...

Rip snort! Hang a fang! Hold the phone! He was still breathing! "Dave!" I choked, hardly believing it. The older bat writhed on the ground and his eyes slowly opened.

"Dave!" I breathed, face lighting up like a fluorescent tube. "You're al-!"

I broke off when he started coughing again. It was another one of those rib-breaking hacks. Maybe not so alright, then. When he stopped, his dark eyes searched for me. "Koda…" he said it so soft, I almost missed it.

"Yeah?"

"Koda," he said again.

"I'm right here, Dave."

"Koda," he said a third time. I was starting to find this game a little annoying. He hadn't gone deaf with that fall, had he? Could you even go deaf from a fall? "I-I..." he exhaled. "Something's... wrong." That was all he said. Before I could ask just what was wrong, he fainted.

Dave woke up towards evening. I had relocated him up to a high branch of one of the fig trees in the clearing (let me tell you, carrying someone who is completely out is no circus). Fractured figs, he looked even worse in the late light. He was settled in the crotch of the fig tree, his wings sort of hanging out on either side (I had spent a good ten minutes rearranging the membrane, thanks very much). He didn't speak at first – can hardly blame him for that – he stared emptily out of his eyes at the gathering twilight, just breathing softly.

I was sort of crouched nearby, waiting for him to make a move that indicated in the affirmative that he was conscious. I wasn't disappointed, though it really must have killed to speak. "K-Koda...?"

I hop-flapped over. "You're safe now."

"I-I have to tell you something," the fruit bat's voice softened even more, which seemed impossible as he was already speaking just above a whisper.

"Hold that thought," I interrupted. I quickly plucked several fig leaves from the branches above, gathering them up into a small pile which I then tucked under his head as a makeshift pillow. "Comfy?"

Dave nodded slowly. "Koda, I really need to-"

"Gimme one second," I flapped over and positioned myself in front of the horizon. I mean, come on! The sun was shining directly into his eyes! "Better?" The apprehension in my voice and actions was as apparent as a falling piano.

Dave looked long and hard at me. I don't think he even blinked. "Koda,"

I mumbled and looked away.

He sighed; a thin, reedy sound. "I'm... dying, Koda."

"No, you're not!" I snapped back. The protest was forceful enough to make my fur stand on end. "You can't!" Maybe I should have clicked my heels together, just in case. That usually worked, right?

Dave flinched at the heat of my remark. Then he relaxed, a melancholy smile starting at his mouth. "Why not?" He asked, quietly.

I sputtered, trembling in rage. Why not? Why not? "Why not? Because... I'm not gonna let you!" I very nearly shrieked. Wow, that was creative.

Dave twitched. "Koda, I can hear you just fine," he acknowledged flatly.

"Can you? Can you?" I continued to rant, waving my wings above my head as I turned, glaring vengefully into the horizon. The sun had disappeared, but its light was still present. "Well, great! I'm glad I won't have to keep shouting it to the world so it'll come true!" I broke off, panting with the effort.

"Koda," the gentle voice tugged at my ears and I turned, reluctant as a wet dog and plopped myself down on the branch. Dave chuckled. "Look, it wasn't easy for me to tell you that so don't think I derived any sick pleasure," he broke off to cough. "But I'm shutting down, that's the plain truth. I've known it for a while, okay? I just thought we'd get there before I cashed in." He trailed off.

"But we didn't," I was surprised at just how angry I sounded.

Dave shook his head and sighed. "No, we did not." He shifted slightly. "But I want you to go on to Ferngully."

I faced him in disbelieving horror. "Infra-red air waves. What was that?"

"Go to Ferngully. Just because I can't make it doesn't mean you can't take a crack at a real life, too. You... you deserve to." he coughed again, and shuddered. Well, that deflated my protest. "But before I go, I... wanted to tell you something." He interrupted yet again to cough. This time it was deeper; a bone-rattling cough that was painful to hear. "I-I told you about Magi Lune, right?"

Magi Lune? "You did," I replied, slowly.

"Magi Lune…" Dave repeated to himself, smiling slowly. "She's wonderful, Koda; the wisest fairy in the forest, so… so caring and kind." He paused. "She's demanding, but she's fair." He looked at me then. "There was this legend that humans and fairies used to live in accord with one another. Until," he coughed. "Un-until one day, the-" he broke off yet again into another coughing fit. I hovered nearby, fidgeting.

He shook his head. "I-I'm okay..." he stayed his breathing, and continued. "There's an old, old spirit, older than Ferngully - older than Magi - named Hexxus, the spirit of destruction."

For some reason – even though I'm clearly not superstitious – a chill danced up and down my spine. "Hexxus?" I repeated.

Dave nodded. "Hexxus had been im-imprisoned in the bowels of the earth, and-"

"Say what?" That sentence just sounded so wrong.

Dave winced. "Beneath the earth, if that helps." He continued at my hesitant nod. "He had been cast... beneath the earth at the beginning of time, when his influence nearly cost all life on earth. And then he escaped his imprisonment centuries later, raining down toxins and poison, devastating the earth as he had so long ago."

Highly intrigued by now, I scooted closer, my jaw gone stupidly slack. This was the campfire story to pwn' all campfire stories.

"Magi... saved us. Saved us all by calling upon the ancient powers. She-she managed to trap Hexxus in a tree, where he remains to this day."

"So... this guy's still around?"

Dave nodded. "I...I had a dream awhile back, now, about that same legend. Call me a crazy, wizened old fruitbat, but..." he sighed and looked at me. "I... Hexxus..." his eyes widened suddenly and he jerked.

"Dave?" Trying to keep the urgency out of my voice was like trying to stop a train with a toothpick.

"He... came back..." Dave managed to continue, even as his body twitched with spasms. I realized then that... he was really going. "Hexxus c-came back..." Tears trickled down form the corners of his eyes. "And-and... Ferngully... Koda, can y-you...?"

"Yeah?"

"Go to F-Ferngully... tell M-Magi Lune wh-what I t-told you." His voice dropped as the spasms slowed. His breathing quieted. "And... and tell her... I'm-I'm... sorry." And that was it. As his body went limp, the spark left his eyes and his face went slack.

He was gone.