Chapter 4

Shade Silverwing

Several hours later, Rachel finally reached the Northern forest. Her wings began to grow sore from flapping, plus she hasn't had anything to eat since she left home. In fact, she was so excited about her first winter migration, that she never even stopped to think about food. But Rachel wasn't going to stop now. She had to find the campsite and fast.

As Rachel went deeper and deeper into the forest, her wings grew even more weary and she decided to roost on a nearby branch up ahead. As the young Goldwing paused to get her bearings, something caught her eye.

Some big rocks formed in a circle? She spread her wings, detaching herself from the branch, and flew down to closely examine the ring of rocks with the charred center. Her brown eyes lit up, realizing that it was the fire pit Ambrose had described earlier. This was the very spot where Daria sets up camp to watch the Silverwing! "Finally," she said quietly to herself, looking relieved. "I found it. And it's just as Ambrose described it."

"Who's Ambrose?" said a voice.

Startled, Rachel screamed and quickly turned around to see another bat standing right behind her. He had just appeared out of nowhere. And he wasn't just a bat… he was a Silverwing.

Both his fur and his wings were as blue as the sky. His hair and his mane were as yellow as the sun, and his eyes were as green as seaglass. He also appeared to be about Rachel's age, only a little smaller.

"Sorry," he reassured her with a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just curious to know who's this Ambrose, and who are you?"

"Oh, right." Rachel's heart was pounding still from being startled, and she breathed calming it down. Although she had to agree, this Silverwing certainly is a curious one. And since he was being friendly, she was happy to answer his question. But considering the fact that Rachel never really had any friends except Jill, she was careful to find the right words. "Well, uh - Ambrose, he's um- he's an old friend of mine. He told me where to find this campsite and I-hey, wait a minute."

"What?" The silverwing looked at her puzzled.

"What's a Silverwing doing out here at a human's campsite?" she wondered.

The Silverwing thought for a moment before now answering her question. "Uh… well, I- I was curious. I didn't know this was a human's campsite and I-" he trailed off, staring at her wings. "Hey, what's up with your wings?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong with my wings?" she wasn't sure what he meant by that.

"They're covered in gold dust."

Rachel giggled and smiled. It seemed perfectly obvious that he has never seen a Goldwing before. She didn't blame him. Well, come to think of it, this is her first time out in a real forest. Things are about to get very interesting. "Well of course they're covered in gold dust, silly. I was born this way" she told him, crossing her wings. "I'm a Goldwing. And I'm proud of it"

"A Goldwing? I've never heard of a Goldwing before." the Silverwing admitted, looking astonished. "I didn't know that they even existed."

"Then you'd be the first," Rachel added. Then she noticed his size. "You know, I have to say. You look pretty small for a Silverwing."

The Silverwing narrowed his eyebrows as he took offense to that remark. Rachel's eyes lit in an instant, not realizing sooner that she had offended him. She had no idea that he was very sensitive about his size.

"I'm a runt and thanks for reminding me." He spoke sarcastically, and then spread out his wings about ready to take off… and to get far, far away from her.

Rachel tried to stop him, but he had already taken off, heading back to his colony. "No, wait! Please! Don't go!" She quickly spoke,begging him to come back. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I didn't realize how insensitive that was."

She continued to beg desperately. "Please don't go! I don't know my way around here! I am lost and I have nowhere else to go!"

Those last few sentences caught his attention. "Huh?" he silently spoke under his breath. He stopped in his tracks, turning and gliding back towards the Goldwing, and then he landed right in front of her.

"What?" he began, astonished by what she had just said. "You don't know your way around?"

"No," she replied, her voice in an unsure tone while simultaneously shaking her head. "I'm…" she paused for a moment, "... sort of new to the Northern forest."

"You mean you're..." he couldn't finish what he was about to say, but he already knew the answer. She was born in human captivity and has no experience out in the wilderness.

Judging by the sad expression on his face, Rachel knew what he was thinking. "I am from the human city." she explained. " And yes, I have no experience out here in the Northern forest. " she explained. "Nor has my colony. We Goldwings have been living in human captivity, isolated from the outside world for 50 years, and we've never been given the chance to migrate. Ever."

"50 years?!" the young Silverwing exclaimed with an astonished look on his face. "Really?"

Rachel nodded her head as she continued explaining. "That's why I'm out here. I left my colony to gain the experience of freedom. My elder, Nicodemus, has given me the opportunity to go on my first migration. All I have to do now is find another colony and join them on their migration. Plus, my friend Ambrose told me to find a colony of Silverwings who live around these parts."

The Silverwing felt both sheepish and guilty. He almost left her alone in the woods with nowhere else to go and not knowing what to do in order to survive. The worst part was that he almost left her with the owls out and about. Swelling up with guilt, he decided to help her. The young Silverwing's eyes lit up, remembering what she said earlier.

"Well, what do you know," he began, "you're in luck! We do live around these parts!"

"Really?" Rachel beamed. Her eyes filled with hope and joy.

"Mmm-hmm. And it just so happens that my colony and I are going to be migrating south to Hibernaculum very soon."

"When?"

"Within a week."

Rachel never felt so happy. It was as if her hopes and dreams were finally coming true. Not to mention, she has met another bat who was as kind, caring and understanding as her family and Nicodemus.

"Why don't you join us?" the Silverwing proposed with generosity. "We will teach you everything you need to know in no time."

Rachel beamed. Her eyes again swelled up with tears and her heart was filled with so much hope that she couldn't thank him enough. She then took him by surprise when she embraced him with a massive hug, "I would love that very much. Thank you."

The young Silverwing blushed for a few seconds and then he hugged her back. He was about to tell her she's welcome until his eyes shot open as he heard an owl hoot in the distance. He then glanced up at the horizon with a nervous look on his face. And for a good reason. The sun was coming up and the owls will be out patrolling these parts soon. He quickly let go of their embrace.

"We better get going," he informed her. Rachel gave him a puzzled look, not understanding why he was getting jumpy all of a sudden. She was about to ask him why, but he quickly grabbed her hand.

"There's no time to explain," he interrupted her. "It's getting late. The sun's coming up and I have to get back to my colony. Come on, let's go."

He was about to take off when he looked over his shoulder at Rachel. "Oh! By the way, my name is Shade. What's your's?"

Ah! Of course. Rachel completely forgot. Throughout the entire conversation, they haven't been properly introduced.

"My name's Rachel." she replied, reaching her hand out to shake his hand. Shade quickly turned to shake her hand.

From that moment on, Shade Silverwing and Rachel Goldwing who would become the best of friends, took off into the air, heading east to his colony. Little did they know that they were being watched from afar.

An owl scout was perching on a tree within a few yards from the human campsite. His eyes widened with both amazement and shocked by what he had just witnessed. "A Goldwing?" He quietly exclaimed from under his breath. "From the human city? And with no experience here in the forest?" His eyes lit up, "I must inform this encounter to General Brutus, at once. He is not going to believe this." The owl immediately took off and flew into the opposite direction to report to his commanding officer.

Goldwing's Note(s):

BOOM! Shade Silverwing and Rachel Goldwing FINALLY MEET! Up next, meeting the Silverwings. But the question is... Will the Silverwings accept her OR will they cast her aside like an old glove?

Stay tuned for Chapter 5!