Gone Batty II: Eclipsed

Chapter 21: Zotz's Favor

Itzel did not know what to think of Phoenix. The red-winged Vampyrum consistently kept to herself and did not bother to have idle conversations with anyone. The only bat that Itzel had seen Phoenix to ever interact was with her grandfather, Voxzaco. Aside from that and bossing some servant bats around, Phoenix generally kept a low profile.

This sort of behavior put Itzel on guard. Phoenix did not strike Itzel as shy or even introverted. Especially not one who would snog the newly made King upon their first meeting. No, Phoenix knew exactly what she wanted and was not afraid to swoop in and take it, regardless the consequences. Perhaps this insolent bravery came from the assurance that she would be their future queen.

Another thing that had come to bother Itzel was that Phoenix had not once tried to introduce herself to the royal family any further. There was no semblance of interest towards herself or Throbb, Goth's kin. The most interest she had in anyone aside from Goth was in their little silverwing guest, Melody. Even then, something was off…

Who was this Phoenix and why did she only appear now? Why hasn't Voxzaco ever mentioned her before?

"Is something the matter, mi amor?" Throbb asked her when he noticed her far off look.

"I was thinking of maybe inviting Phoenix to dine with us. She is going to be a member of the family, so it would be good for us to get to know one another."

Throbb smiled and nodded, "that is a good idea. I had never talked to her before. I wonder what sort of queen she would be."

"Me too…" Itzel agreed. Just who exactly were they welcoming into their family? That evening, she searched for the dark-haired Vampyrum. Itzel asked around but the guards shook their heads, claiming that they have not encountered her. Phoenix was not in the temple, like she was usually. Voxzaco suggested that she was probably out hunting.

In the end, it was not Itzel who had found Phoenix. It was the other way around.

"Princess Itzel, how are you this evening?"

Itzel flinched in mid-flight and looked up to see Phoenix crouched on a branch. Itzel was flabbergasted. She had not sensed her at all. It was like Phoenix lacked a presence until she made herself known. Her scent was imperceptible, almost non-existent. There was a trace of wet soil and sulfur but that was not something anyone would associate with a bat. Phoenix smiled pleasantly, seemingly unaware of Itzel's surprise.

"I am doing well, thank you," Itzel finally allowed herself to say. "I was looking for you, actually."

"You were?" Phoenix blinked and tilted her head curiously. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I wanted to invite you to dinner with myself and my husband, Throbb. Would you care to join us?"

"Will Goth be there as well?"

"I'm afraid that he has yet to return."

"Oh." The look of disinterest crossed Phoenix's face, shocking Itzel. "That is a shame. I was hoping to get to know my fiance better."

Annoyance flickered in Itzel's eyes but she kept herself composed. She was expecting disappointment perhaps, but not this arrogance. "And I was hoping to get to know my future in-law. Do you protest?"

"Hmm…" Phoenix sighed out her nose as she thought, weighing her options. This irritated Itzel even more. "I suppose there would be no harm in attending since you have come all this way just to invite me. Very well, I shall come."

Itzel gave a strained smile, "I am honored."

Phoenix smiled back as if to say, 'as you should be.'

The warehouse was completely destroyed and was nothing more than a smoking ruin with flames licking at the grass and trees. Nothing was intact except for the large steel trash bin that was only charred black. There was a dull sound of something kicking from within and frustrated grunting. Eventually a rusted small plate was unhinged and garbage came pouring out. On top of it all was D.D. coughing and wheezing- despite not having any lungs. He crawled out of the junk heap, sliding on his belly before getting up onto his rubber feet. The penguin brushed off the brown goop off his belly, showing a disgusted emoji glowing green against the white. He plucked off a greasy banana peel off his head and looked around for his human.

"Ellie?" D.D. called worriedly, taking in the chaos that was around him. He did not remember the warehouse looking like this. "Ellie!" The little robot ran back inside the rubble, desperately searching for his master. D.D. had little understanding as to what had happened but he was smart enough to put two and two together. There were bad guys with bombs. There was an explosion and the warehouse was nothing more than a pile of rocks and ash. To D.D.'s immense relief, he had found no bodies. But there were no signs of life either.

Elliot and that annoying woman were gone.

For once, D.D. did not know what to do. He whimpered and looked up at the gray ash-ridden sky through the missing roof. But D.D. wasn't one to simply lay down and give up. He had been separated from Elliot before and each time D.D. had made it back to his master- whether Elliot liked it or not. Nodding with confidence to himself, D.D. turned to go and search for his black-haired scientist. He didn't get far though.

D.D.'s movements were sluggish and he felt incredibly heavy. Within seconds he toppled over and couldn't get back up. D.D. squeaked in a panic and flapped his flippers and wiggled his legs. He could feel himself short circuiting inside and he twitched when there were sparks and pops going off inside him. His belly flashed a red warning that maintenance was required. D.D. struggled to open himself up to view the damage, but before he could- there was another sizzling pop and the little robot shut down.

Denise rubbed at her tear-filled eyes as she pushed past the shrubbery. The feathers tickled the nostrils in her beak and she gave a boisterous sneeze, "ACHOO!" She sniffed and rubbed at her nose… only to sneeze again. "GAH!" She yelled in agitation. "What is with these feathers?! I can't even get this itch to go away without making it worse! A-CHOO!"

"No wonder your dad wants nothing to do with you! Who would want to have anything to do with you?! You are a natural disaster!"

"He didn't have to say that…" Denise muttered miserably, "even if it's true." She sniffed and tried not to cry again. "I already know that no one wants me."

'Not even my own parents.'

Her nose/beak began to itch again and she gave the largest sneeze yet, "GYAA-CHYOOO!"

Denise sniffed and shook her head, trying to pull herself together. Why was she sneezing so much? And her eyes… were burning. Did she cry that much? Even her throat felt uncomfortably dry and itchy.

Suddenly there was an outcry of birds in the air and Denise looked up. They were squawking in distress and for a moment, Denise thought she could hear them screaming. She jumped when she felt something scuttle over her foot. Denise yelped as mice, lizards and other small creatures raced past her- in the opposite direction that she was heading.

"What, did I sneeze that loud?" Denise wondered.

"Fuego! El fuego!" one mouse shouted as he ran past her.

"Fire?" Denise looked forward and realized that the cause of her sneezing and dry throat had nothing to do with her tears. There was black smoke emitting from the trees and Denise could see a hint of flying embers. Denise gasped. How did she not smell it before she saw it? The fire was close. Too close!

Denise turned around and began to run. Panic began to rise when Denise realized that she was falling behind everyone. She could not run fast enough. Not as a bird. She looked at her wings but Denise didn't know the first thing about using them. Was she just supposed to flap them? She tried and after a few running steps, she managed to get into the air. But Denise quickly lost control and tumbled back down into the dirt. Not having much of a choice but to try again, Denise got up and ran as fast as she could. She launched herself into the air but for some reason, no matter how hard she flapped, her body lurched and tilted- losing balance. Denise screamed and flew right into a tree before crumpling back down to the ground.

"Ugh… ow…" Denise whimpered and struggled to get back to her feet. She coughed heavily as the hot smoke irritated her throat.

The fire was visible now and was closer than ever. Denise could feel the heat through her feathers. There was no way that she was going to outrun this but she wanted to live. "I don't want to die like a roast duck!" She ran again, huffing and coughing. She blinked constantly, tears welling up in order to keep her eyes from drying.

"Denise!"

She looked up, surprised to hear Elliot's voice calling for her. Was she hallucinating? Could she possibly hope that he would come for her after everything? Despite her doubts, her eyes did not lie. She saw a snow-white owl amongst the dark smoke- like an angel in the night. Orestes was with him and the horned owl pointed her out to Elliot.

"I see her, she's down there! Follow me!" Orestes and Elliot dived down towards Denise, who was surrounded by flames on both sides and behind.

"Elliot!" Denise yelled his name.

"Denise, you have to fly!" Elliot instructed her as he circled around her in the air.

"I can't! … I tried!... I keep crashing!" Denise wheezed as she kept running.

"Keep trying!" Orestes encouraged her. "We're right here with you."

Denise did as she was told. She flapped her wings and she managed to get a few feet off the ground. But that was when her body began to teeter-totter. "It's not working! I'm gonna fall!"

"Use your tail feathers to balance yourself out!"

"My tail?" Denise had no idea how to use her tail considering that she never had one before. But to her surprise, she found that she did indeed have muscles from the back of her spine connecting to something extra. "Ah!" Denise began to fall again, but before she could hit the ground, she flared out her tail feathers and she stabilized. She was flying a foot away from the ground, but this time, she was keeping straight. "I'm flying!"

"Turn your tail left or right depending on where you want to turn, or else you'll end up flying into a tree," Elliot instructed over her.

"Whoa!" Denise dodged a lopsided burning tree in the nick of time. She rose higher and higher until she was on the same level as Orestes and Elliot.

"You did it, Denise! Good job!" Orestes praised her with a big smile.

Denise smiled back. She turned her head to look at Elliot, "I did it, Elliot! See?"

"Yeah," was his only response and Denise winced. He did not even look at her.

Orestes noticed and he awkwardly tried to defuse the tension, "we should probably try to get as far away from the fire as possible. Come on, I'll lead." Orestes flew in front of the group, knowing that it was up to him to get them to safety. Elliot was practically blind and Denise was too new to this. "Everything is going to be fine, guys. I promise."

"Is the coast clear?" Melody asked Goth as he peered around the stone exit.

"Quiet! I cannot concentrate," Goth snapped and sniffed the air. He clung to the stones with his claws, masking himself like a dark stain on the wall.

Melody frowned at his rude tone but said nothing more. She closed her eyes and sniffed too. She could smell a lot of bats, it was practically overwhelming.

"The bloodwings may not be in sight but they are nearby," Goth said quietly. "They would not leave us unguarded. If we attempt to leave, they will ambush us."

"So what do we do?"

Goth clicked his tongue as he thought. Then he suggested, "we could always use a bait to draw their attention away."

"And by bait, you mean me?" Melody deadpanned.

"As much as I would love to entertain the idea, you would not last long enough to make a difference."

"So, you're offering yourself up?" she asked in disbelief. Being noble did not seem like Goth's style.

"I did not say that," Goth glared at Melody. "I am going to show those infernal bloodwings that they have messed with the wrong King."

Melody raised an eyebrow, "that still sounds like a suicidal mission to me. There is only one of you and thousands of them."

"That maybe so, but I have something that they do not have."

Melody crossed her arms as she hung upside down behind Goth. Okay, fine. She'll bite. "And what is that, exactly?"

Goth gave Melody a chilling smile, "the favor of Cama Zotz. Stay here and don't move until I have them all distracted." Goth slipped out of the ruins and crawled out the other side. Melody looked outside again and scanned the trees. She couldn't see anything in their dark canopies.

Once he was on the roof, Goth turned this head and let out his echolocation, something that he did not use very often. The sound bounced off the trees and back to him, and through the soundwaves, he could see past the disguise. Those were not leaves, but bats. Their many eyes stared right back at him and Goth knew that it was impossible to sneak past them.

Goth grinned darkly at the challenge that was presented before him. He had never attempted to go against so many before by himself. Even with the silverwings, he had Throbb with him. But the difference here was that these bats were no silverwings. These bats were capable of killing. Despite the odds seeming to be severely against him, Goth was certain that Zotz would not allow him to lose. There was a reason he was made king. He had a mission to accomplish before the eclipse. "So you think that you have me where you want?" Goth said to them.

The vampire bats hissed in reply and began to grow restless. They sensed a larger predator in him but their fear was doused by their number.

"Then what are you waiting for? Show me what you're made of, you mangy leeches!" Goth charged.

The bloodwings gave a chorus of unholy shrieks and came down at Goth in a black cloud of wings and sharp teeth. Goth tore through them like a javelin. His claws tore through dozens of bodies in one go.

Melody's eyes widened as she watched the battle go down. In seconds, the bodies of vampire bats began to litter the ground. Some of them, still twitching. She could barely see Goth in the giant mass of bloodwings. His purple and red was the only hint of his presence in the screeching dark swarm. A rational part of her brain insisted that there was no chance for Goth to survive this infinite amount of enemies. But the bodies kept dropping- none of them which were Goth.

Blood sprayed as Goth clawed the bloodwings down. He roared and snapped his teeth down around a screaming bat and crushed it in his jaws. Swinging his head he tossed it into the mass, hitting a few bloodwings in the process before he killed another with his fangs. But this did not mean that he went unharmed. He felt teeth digging into his arms, legs, ears...everywhere. Goth was covered with bleeding bites and cuts. There was not a second where he was not in pain. There was too many. If this kept up, he would be torn to shreds in no time. Not seeing another way and hoping that this would work, Goth silently prayed. 'Cama Zotz, give me your strength to defeat these pests. Give me the power to put them in their place in the underworld!'

Goth's breathing hitched when he suddenly felt a surge of power pump through his veins. The pain in his wounds faded and they healed before his eyes. Goth grinned and let out a hearty laugh. This is what he was talking about! In one simple motion with his claw, he sliced off a head of one of the bloodwings as easily as it would be to cut through butter. The bats who were close enough to witness this paused in their attack- shocked into a stupor. Big mistake. They were dead before they even knew it.

Melody's fur prickled as she sensed a change happen. Before the bodies dropped one by one. Now, they fell in heaps and pieces. The direction of the battle shifted and instead of the cloud of vampire bats attacking Goth, they were now trying to scatter. Their battle cries were transformed into terrified screams. Melody knew that this was her chance to get away. All of her sense of reason was instructing her to flee while she had a chance. Away from these bloodwings. Especially away from Goth.

But as she tensed to fly, she flinched when she heard the vampire bats wail in fear. She heard them dying. Melody looked over her shoulder and actually got a good look at what was happening, her heart fell. This was hardly a distraction anymore. This was a massacre. There was something wrong with Goth. His eyes were no longer the vivid green that she had remembered. They were glowing like the sun. A bright scorching color. Melody muffled a scream behind her hands when she saw him grab a bat with his feet and used his jaws to crush the skull and rip the head clean off the shoulders!

She knew that Goth always relished in killing, but this was a step beyond it. He looked lost in it. Lost in pleasure. Besides that, was he always so frightfully strong? She wondered if Goth even knew what he was doing anymore.

Unable to stand by while there were bats in danger, Melody left her hiding space and flew towards the blood and carnage. "Goth, stop it! That's enough!"

He didn't hear her or chose to ignore Melody. With a singular punch, a vampire bat's neck twisted until it gave a sickening crack. Goth was in a state of euphoria. He was powerful. He was in control of all these pathetic little lives. He no longer remembered why he was killing. All he understood right now was that he enjoyed it. With each blood spilt, his excitement rose. He wanted more. He wanted to kill more!

The bloodwings rushed past Melody, no longer caring about her. They were desperately flying for their lives. Away from this monster. A few rammed into her, knocking her off balance but Melody kept pushing through. She had to stop Goth! "Goth, you've proved your point! They surrender! Stop it!"

He did not stop and Melody knew for a fact that he heard her this time. His eyes met hers and Melody paled. She was staring into the face of a demon.

Through his vision, everything was in black and white. The only color that stood out was red. But for some strange reason that he could not understand, this one singular bat was in color. Her blue fur and brown hair stood out among the masses of black. She was the perfect target. A sadistic smile spread across his blood stained face and he licked some of it off with his tongue. No longer interested in the vampire horde, Goth turned his attention to the small silverwing and let out a horrendous roar. He charged down at her, his jaws wide and ready.

There was an sharp crackle of fear, like a cold electric current. But that fear turned into an emotion that Melody was not expecting; irritation. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Melody flew in place as Goth dove towards her. Blurs of black zoomed past them. It was like she was watching everything through someone else's eyes. Melody could feel the blood pumping through her ears and the sound of her breathing echoed like it was on surround sound. Her amulet began to flash, slowly at first and then faster and faster. The electrical current that she felt built up in her body more and more, spreading through her wings to the very tips. Without noticing the change, Melody's wings began to light up into a starry cosmos and her hair began to billow about despite there being no wind. Her irises transitioned into blue.

"I said… STOP!" With a single hard swoop of her wings, Melody let out a powerful ultrasonic wave. The air rippled and blew into Goth- sending him spirling back into the jungle. The trees creaked and the leaves flew in the same direction, but it was over in an instant and it grew quiet. The glow faded and Melody felt the tingling sensation disappear. She breathed heavily and her hair settled down around her. Her eyes returned to their hazel color. Melody stared at what she had just done without any idea of how she had done it. She looked down at her necklace. Did Nocturna help her just now?

Melody shook her head, snapping out of it. Without wasting a minute, she went searching for Goth- feeling concerned that she might have killed him… again. She found him at the base of a tree, groaning and struggling to get up. She landed a good distance away, in case he tried to attack her again. "Goth?" she called out with uncertainty.

His eyes opened, back to their normal green. Goth winced and got back up to his feet. "What… happened?" he breathed. His ears were ringing.

Melody looked around warily and rubbed her arms. She didn't see the vampire bats anymore. "You tell me," she replied quietly.

Goth tried to sort his memories. He was fighting the bloodwings and then he prayed for Zotz's help. It all began to come back to him. Goth let out a breath of laughter, causing Melody to frown. "Zotz heard me."

"What?"

Goth gave her a triumphant smirk, "that was the power of Zotz. I never felt so powerful!" He flexed his claws before him in amazement. "I had never felt so… alive."

Melody grew angry. "Good for you," she spat. "I'm sure that you are very proud of nearly committing genocide of an entire colony. You nearly killed me." She tried to ignore the flicker of fear when Goth had mentioned Zotz. That was Zotz's power and he gave it to Goth? It was… terrifying.

"I always try to kill you," Goth shrugged. "I don't see how this would upset you anymore than usual. You always luck yourself out of it. Speaking of which…" Goth eyed her carefully. "How did you stop me?"

Melody saw his eyes settle suspiciously onto her necklace and she quickly covered it with her hand. "You said it yourself. Luck."

"Hmm," Goth tilted his head. He did not buy her lie one bit. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. There was a sudden gust of wind and it knocked you away."

Was that really true though? Goth did remember being thrown back. If it was just the wind, then why was Melody not affected?

There was a crunch and Goth whirled around with a savage snarl. His eyes searched the vegetation for an intruder. Melody froze in place, not sure what to expect. Out of the bushes came out the bloodwings. They inched towards them slowly… very carefully.

Melody blinked. There was no trace of aggression in their eyes. Instead there was fear and awe. Goth tensed to attack them again but Melody's hand on his arm stopped him. Goth growled at her but Melody shook her head. "Look, I don't think they are going to attack."

Goth turned to stare at the bloodwings but he did not relax. His growl still rumbled in his throat, daring them to do anything funny. The bloodwings stopped a good distance away and to both Goth's and Melody's utmost surprise, they fell down to their hands and knees and bowed low before them both. Even Goth stopped growling.

"The day has arrived," the bloodwing in the very front cried. She lifted her head and raised her wings to the sky. "The great gods, Cama Zotz and Nocturna have blessed us with their presence! Forgive our ignorance! Punish us if you must! We are not worthy!"

"King Romulus?" Marina exclaimed.

The bats all looked at her in surprise.

"You know him?" Halo asked.

"Of course I know him!" Marina beamed ear to ear. "He had helped Shade, Melody, Barnabe and me once before when his brother held us captive. He's a friend to the bats."

Bathsheba scoffed, "unbelievable. Who has heard of a rat who has been the least bit civil to our race?"

Marina glared at the old bat.

"Well, if it is as you say, then it would be rude to keep him waiting," Halo finally said after a moment's consideration. "I shall gather five of my guards to accompany me. Marina, I would like you to come as well. If you are as well acquainted with King Romulus as you claim, then it would be safer for all of us if you are there."

Marina nodded. "I will come."

Halo led the bats down towards the river and towards the bank. In the long grass, a pair of rats waited for them. The larger of the two, was Romulus, still with the yellow bottle cap on his brow like a crown. Romulus nodded to Halo respectfully as they landed on the bank. "I bring you salutations, Halo Freewing."

"Likewise," the elder bowed her head in turn. "What do I owe this visit?"

"My subjects and I have left the sewers and have decided to live closer to the river. Our old home is unsanitary and many of my kind have been contracting diseases. The fresh air and water would do us good. I have come to ask your permission to let us live here in peace."

Halo thought for a moment, "I am willing to share the bank as long as we have nothing to fear from you. I want no fighting amongst us."

Romulus bowed in agreement. "My rats will not harm your bats. After the war with the owls, we only want a quiet life."

"Then you may stay."

"You have my thanks," Romulus smiled in relief. When he turned his eyes to Marina, they widened in recognition. "It's you!"

"King Romulus!" Marina jumped towards him and the rat swept her into a giant hug. Marina winced when he hugged her a little too tight. "It's… great to see you too! And you are a king! Were you finally able to overthrow that scumbag of a brother of yours?"

The rat put her back down and looked at her sadly, "the very night I let you free, Remus turned against me. I managed to save myself by gliding to safety, but my brother fell to his death."

Marina winced, "oh no. I'm so sorry, Romulus."

The rat shook his head and gave a tiny smile, "it is always a pleasure to see your friendly face again, Marina. How are your friends, Shade, Melody and Barnabe?" He looked around, hoping to see them too. "I have heard great tales about your triumph at Hibernaculum."

Marina's smile faltered a little. "They… are not here."

Romulus noticed that something was amiss. "What's wrong?"

"Melody's okay, but… Shade and Barnabe have been stolen by humans and have been taken to the far south in a giant flying machine. They are in danger and I'm scared that I won't find them in time."

King Romulus tapped his long teeth as he pondered when an idea came to him. "Down underground, there are waterways. The water flows fast and one of the tunnels leads south. If you travel by the current, it should take you where you want to go."

"Wait, how are we supposed to travel by water?" Marina asked. "I'm not much of a swimmer."

"You won't have to swim. I have a boat that you can use."

A/N: Comment, Fave, Follow… you know the drill. xP I'm too lazy to write anything specific here.