Chapter 13
Back To The Island Part 2: Compared Loneliness
The island's grand tour lasted for about an hour, until the three young bats made it to the sandy beaches. Marina was finishing the tour, "... From the barnacle-covered rocks to the old cedar tree, that's mine. And from the waterfall to the north cove, that's mine… "
"You have this whole place to yourself?!" Shade could barely believe his ears.
"Pretty much." Marina replied.
Shade let out a breath in amazement, "We are totally surrounded by water!"
Marina rolled her eyes at Shade, she could clearly see that he doesn't get out much. "Well duh! That's what an island is."
Things were starting to look very, very familiar to Rachel now. Finally, it came to her. This was the same island that Ambrose had mentioned before, when he gave her directions to the Northern forest. And yet, who'd have thought that this island was Marina's home.
"Wait a minute, I know this place!" Rachel exclaimed.
This news took Marina by surprise. "You do?" she asked in astonishment.
Even Shade couldn't believe it. "You've been here before?"
"Sure have. I actually came across this very island when I first left my colony."
"You… left your colony?" Marina asked curiously.
"That's right." the Goldwing replied
"Why?"
Rachel was about to answer her question, but then she noticed Shade looking down at something and she followed his gaze. Down below was a pod of orcas singing and surfacing to breathe. She had only seen such creatures when she came across the island, but never had she actually seen up close. "Whoa," she breathed.
"What are those?" Shade breathed in astonishment.
"Orcas." Marina answered. Then she swooped down towards the pod laughing excitingly. Seeing that it looked like fun, Shade and Rachel quickly followed after her. As they flew down to the orcas, one of the whales blew out water droplets from its blowhole. Rachel got sprayed on by the whale as she let out a shriek and then laughed.
Shade flapped his wings as fast as he could, trying to catch up with the girls. Marina looked over her shoulder, noticing his struggle. She laughed and teasingly said "Can't handle the pace, kid?"
"What?!" He panted. "Huh. I was just- uh... getting my bearings."
But Marina shook her head, not believing him one bit. "Look, you're obviously too small to make it back to the mainland, nevermind catching up with your colony. So…"
"I don't care!" Shade cut her off sharply.
"Whoa! Shade! What's gotten into you?" Rachel furrowed her brows, not liking his sudden mood swing.
The Silverwing ignored his friend, "We're not going back."
"What?!" Rachel's eyes lit up with shock. She was absolutely stunned that he was giving up his colony like that, but she didn't understand why. 'Why is he backing down all of a sudden? Why does he want to forget?' She thought puzzlingly.
"... You and Rachel can hang with me!" Marina cheerfully offered. But then Shade's words caught her off guard, and she began to wonder what his deal was. "Wait… you don't care? What's that about?"
Shade sharply let out a deep sigh and reluctantly confessed. "Rachel and I broke the law. We looked at the sun."
Marina stopped in mid-air and gasped, her eyes widened in shock. Shade and Rachel flew ahead of her, leaving her so shocked that she forgot to flap her wings. Marina fell a few feet, but quickly caught herself and hurried over to rejoin with the others at the top of a nearby cedar tree. Shade and Marina roosted on a high branch, while Rachel landed on a branch below them, standing upright.
"You both looked at the sun?!" Marina exclaimed. But then she laughed, thinking it was a joke. "Oh! You're pulling my wing."
Shade and Rachel both wore a guilty expression on their faces, as it was no joke. "No, we really did." the young Silverwing insisted as he continued to explain, "You see, Rachel always wanted to learn from another bat's point of view, so I volunteered to teach her. I wanted to help her gain experience. Then she told me that she always wanted to see the sun…"
"And that's when Shade told me about the law. I thought it was unfair that the bats were not being treated as allies." Rachel added.
Shade hung his head in sadness as he continued, "But the owls found out and destroyed our home. It's all my fault. The colony is better off without me."
"Shade…" Rachel hated to see him feel so down. "... If it was to any consolation, it was - it was my fault too." She tried to comfort him, but he didn't budge.
Marina felt really bad for her new friends. After a moment of thought to herself, she landed on Rachel's branch and gave them an encouraging smile. "Well… hey. It could have been a lot worse."
Suddenly, Shade noticed something shiny on Marina's left arm, shimmering in the moonlight. It was a silver band… just like Rachel's! Shade's eyes widened. "You've got a band!" he exclaimed, pointing at Marina's band.
Rachel quickly noticed and was quite surprised that she didn't even notice the Brightwing's band earlier back at the old hut.
"What band?" Marina quickly tried to hide it behind her back before hesitantly pulling it back out, and said "Oh, you mean this band? You got a problem with it?"
"No." Shade quickly rebutted, rather surprised that Marina would take offense about it so quickly. "Should I?"
"Don't you know? It's cursed." she hissed through her teeth.
Shade gasped "What?! C-cursed?"
Rachel, on the other hand, looked at Marina dumbly. 'Cursed?' she thought as she looked at her own band, 'How can it be cursed?'
Both she and Shade gave each other a questioning glance, when Marina quickly changed the subject, "I'm hungry. Let's hunt." She took off from the branch before her new friends could say something and they followed after her.
When they finally caught up at the Brightwing's pace, Rachel called out "Marina, wait! Hold on a wingbeat! Look, I can tell that you've been through something, and I know that it has something to do with your band and you have been left alone. But Shade and I can't help you unless you let us in. So please, tell us what's going on."
Feeling defeated, Marina deeply exhaled and told her her story. "I was out hunting… alone." As she talked, she caught a tiger moth with her feet, while Rachel snatched one in her mouth and immediately munched it down.
The three friends stopped at a nearby cedar tree and perched on one of its branches to hear more of Marina's backstory, "... Suddenly I was hanging in mid-air, caught in this huge net!"
Rachel's heart nearly sank from Marina's horrifying experience. "You must've been scared."
"Yeah, I was. Then… this giant hand reached in and… that's when they banded me."
"The humans?"
"Mm-hm," Marina nodded.
"Then what happened?" Shade asked.
"I flew home." she continued, "But when the other Brightwings saw me with this band… they banished me."
Rachel was appalled by this news, "What? That's terrible! Why would they do that to you?"
"Oh c'mon Goldwing! You're banded too aren't you?" Marina spatted, pointing at the Goldwing's band with her free hand. "What? You think I didn't notice it back at the hut? You, of all bats should know by now, when the humans tag you, you're marked for certain death." With that, she shoved her tiger moth into her mouth and swallowed it whole.
Shade and Rachel looked at each other confused by what their new friend said about the humans and the bands. "Death? No. Marina, that can't be right." Rachel protested. She was astounded that the Brightwings, and other colonies, believed in the most outrageous superstition she had ever heard: the bands given to bats by mankind, condemn the wearer to certain death. It's absurd! Rachel knew deep down that Daria would never do something like that to her and her colony. She's too kind, gentle, and loving.
Shade added. "Are you sure? Because Rachel and I know some-"
"No, you don't know! None of you do!" Marina snapped, interrupting him.
Shade tried to reason with her. "Let me finish. I-"
"I don't want to talk about it!" she yelled refusing to hear anymore about the band. Then the Brightwing took off from their branch heading back towards the beach. Shade and Rachel followed after her.
"Marina!" Rachel called out to her, to no avail. She called out again, "Wait!" But Marina wouldn't listen, because she was in a lot of pain. Her colony cruelly turned their backs on her and tossed her aside like she was… an outcast. That was a hurtful experience Rachel knew all too well. She knew that she had to get Marina to see that she's not alone in this world. She needed her to know that they were one-in-the-same. But more importantly, she had to let Marina know the real reason why the humans band the bats.
Rachel and Shade caught up with Marina, as they headed over to the pod of orcas. One of the orcas shot water out of its blowhole, taking Shade by surprise. "What the-?" he questioned.
"Hey short stuff! Newby! Check this out!" Marina called down to them with a grin. She led her friends closer to the pod to get a better view. "You see those holes on top of their heads? They breathe through them."
Marina flew over to an orca's blowhole and then, as if on cue, the orca blew a powerful burst of air, sending her up into the sky like a parasail. Marina was having an absolute blast, and she laughed with joy.
Shade couldn't help but chuckle, seeing how fun it was riding on orcas. "Awesome! Oh, I'm going to try that!"
"Me too!" Rachel laughed excitedly. "That looks like so much fun!"
"Sure you two can handle it? It takes skill and timing." Marina told them.
"Well, if you can do it, it can't be that hard. Right Rach?" Shade shrugged.
She chuckled, "Are you kidding? I'll take any challenge!"
They both swooped down to the blowhole of another orca, waiting until - POOF - a puff of air sent them flying high. They shrieked and laughed from the thrilling moment. "WHOO HOO HOO!" Rachel shouted, while Shade added a few somersaults in the air. Then they flew back over to Marina, chuckling.
"Yeah!" He smiled smugly.
"Ha! How was that Marina?" Rachel asked smugly.
"Not bad." The brightwing shrugged slightly, "of course, your forms could do a little work."
"Oh really?" Rachel smirked teasingly. "Is that a challenge?"
The three of them shared a playful grin before they shot downwards to another orca.
"Get ready!" Marina instructed. Then the orca shot a burst of air sending the trio into the air, twirling and laughing and squealing from all the fun they were having.
Shade even perched onto the dorsal fin of another orca and rode it like a surfboard. Rachel was quite impressed. "Nice!" she chuckled.
Marina too was impressed by Shade's neat surfing trick, that she chuckled. "A little more practice and you and Rachel will be almost as good as me."
Rachel smirked at her, but then it quickly shifted to dread when she saw an orca closing in from behind Marina. It's mouth wide open, ready to gobble her up. "Look out!" Rachel shrieked.
Shade too saw the danger and screamed, "Marina! Look out behind you!" Marina looked behind her and, to her horror, she saw the orca closing in on her. She cried and flapped her wings as fast as she could in her attempt to escape from the approaching jaws, but it was already too little too late. The orca swallowed her whole and dove into the water.
"MARINA!" Rachel shrieked in horror.
Panicking, Shade and Rachel scanned the water to find the orca, yet there was no sign of it.
"Where is she? Do you see it anywhere?" Rachel said, worriedly.
"I don't know." Shade shook his head and continued searching.
Fearing for Marina's life, Rachel continued to scan for the orca, until she finally spotted a dark shadow rising to the surface. "Shade! Over there!"
The Silverwing turned to where she spotted it and they both gave chase after it. When the whale surfaced for air, Rachel caught a glimpse of its blowhole and remembered what Marina said about their breathing. Then an idea popped in her head. "That's it! Shade, the blowhole!"
The Silverwing turned his head to where she was pointing, and caught on to what she was talking about. The only way to get the orca to open its mouth and free Marina, is by clogging up its blowhole. Shade and Rachel flew down and laid on top of the orca's blowhole, using their small bodies to block up the airway.
"Let her go!" Shade cried out.
The orca felt the little bats on top of its head and grew really agitated. It tried to roll from side to side in attempts to shake them off, to no avail. Then the orca tried jumping in the air, but the stubborn little bats wouldn't give up. They just kept clinging onto its rubbery hide, refusing to let go. In one final attempt, the orca dove into the water to drown out the unwanted pest.
"Oh no you don't, you big hunk of blubber. I… will… never… GIVE… UP!" Rachel grunted and strained as she kept holding on, her claws dug further into the whale's rubbery hide.
The orca decided to try one last trick to shake the annoying little pests. It jumped up into the air and then dove, head first, into the water in an attempt to drown them. Moments later, the orca jumped back up to the surface, now looking sluggish and worn out.
Until, due to the lack of air, the orca finally admitted defeat and opened its mouth, gasping for air. This gave Marina, now covered in whale saliva, the opportunity to escape from the jaws of death... literally.
When the whale inhaled enough oxygen, a powerful burst of air blew Shade and Rachel from its blowhole. Shooting them up into the air like a sky rocket! They screamed as they were both propelled into the sky before they managed to regain their balance.
Marina flew up to them with a grateful smile. "I owe you. Both of you."
"C'mon, let's get you all cleaned up…" Rachel returned a smile. Then she added with a laugh, "... AND away from those orcas." Shade and Marina joined in the laugh, and the trio flew over to a waterfall by the beach to help Marina wash off the whale saliva.
Shortly after the orca incident and Marina's little shower, the three teenage bats flew to the ledge of a totem pole to rest their wings. The bewildered Brightwing still couldn't get over the fact that her new friends were willing to risk their lives for her. "You two saved my life!" she said.
"Ha, it was nothing." Shade chuckled bashfully. Then his smile faded to a serious frown. He wanted to finish where they left off; hence the subject being Marina's band. "Although…"
"Although what?" She asked, looking a little curious.
Shade paused for a moment before continuing. "You didn't let me or Rachel finish what we were saying about the band."
Marina frowned and hung her head in sadness, "Oh… that."
"Frieda - my elder, has a band just like yours."
Marina's eyes lit up in surprise and as she looked at her own band, a smile slowly grew on her face. "An elder? Banded? Like me?"
"Well, maybe not exactly like-"
"And she's old?" Marina cut him off, getting excited.
The young Silverwing chuckled, "Practically ancient." Shade, followed by Rachel and Marina, then flew onto the top of the totem ledge.
"You see, Marina?" Rachel smiled as she further explained, "That's what I've been trying to tell you all night. The humans banded us to protect us, not condemn us. Besides, my elder, Nicodemus, has a band just like you and me… and he's as ancient as Freida. You are not alone."
The intrigued Brightwing took a moment to process what her friends had just told her. Two banded elders? Humans protecting bats with the bands? Could it be possible that the other Brightwings were wrong? Finally, her mental process came to a close. "Then… maybe the band doesn't mean certain death." she wondered.
"Well... that orca didn't get you, did it?" Shade added.
"He's got a point there," Rachel agreed.
Then an idea came to a very pleased Marina as she placed her fingers to her chin in thought. "Maybe it means I'm destined to be an elder too!"
"Elder Marina." The smaller bat chuckled, "I like the sound of that."
"Me too." Rachel giggled.
"When do we leave?!" Marina blurted out, looking more excited than ever.
"Leave?" Shade and Rachel asked in unison, their eyebrows raised.
Marina nodded, "Yeah! To join Shade's colony so I can meet this Frieda!"
Marina's sudden proposal filled Rachel with hope and joy. She gasped with excitement, followed by a giggle. "Marina, that's a great idea!" she exclaimed, as they excitedly embraced in a hug giggling. "Why didn't I think of that before? The three of us can fly to the mainland, catch up with the Silverwings, and then we'll all migrate to Hibernaculum together! It's perfect!" The girls let go of their embrace and then Rachel turned to Shade and said, "Who knows what amazing discoveries we'll find along the way, right Shade?"
"I-I can't." Shade slightly stammered. The poor little Silverwing sadly turned his head away, as he felt every bit of enthusiasm instantly fade away and be replaced with despair. "I can't face my colony. Not after losing Tree Haven."
Rachel hopped over to him, having enough of the pouting and doubting. "Now Shade, we all make mistakes sometimes. I know I did, but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna give up just like that," she said with a snap of her fingers. "I'd just keep on going. It's like what Freida told me, we learn from our mistakes and keep on going. You cannot let all the bad things that have happened in the past get you down."
Marina hopped over as well and gently placed her hands on his shoulder. "She's right, Shade. Don't be so hard on yourself. At least your colony didn't banish you."
Shade sadly sighed, "I just wish you could have seen Tree Haven, Marina. It was the biggest hollow oak ever!" the young Silverewing continued describing his home to her, while he gazed up at a beautiful silver moon. "With the gnarliest roots and all kinds of chambers and roosts and… and…"
"Come on." Marina opened her wings and took off, smiling at the curious glances from her new friends. "I think I've got just the thing for you guys."
Neither Shade nor Rachel knew what Marina had in mind, but they followed her anyways. Whatever it was, it would be definitely something that would inspire all three of them to embark on the adventure of their lives.
Goldwing16's Note(s):
Hiya Guys! Here's Chapter 13!
I wonder what surprise Marina has in stored for Shade and Rachel.
Stay tuned for Chapter 14!