People are reading this? *looks at reviews* AAH... Wow, thank you very much for all the reviews! I took names from various sources, as I don't think Kenneth Oppel has actually mentioned the names of any other Brightwing other than Marina...
"Mom! Dad!"
Barely fifty wingbeats away Marina could see her parents roosting together in a tree, surrounded by pale buds. Her father Raphael was large for a Brightwing, stern and commanding - Marina thought that one day he'd make a good elder. Demeter was sweet and kind, but Marina felt that her mother could be too overprotective at times.
"Mom! Dad!" Marina yelled again. She flew straight at the branch, flipping over quickly and roosting next to her mother. Sticking out her wing, Marina could barely contain her joy. "Look!"
Their reactions were not what Marina had expected. The two adults immediately went into shock, their eyes blank and devoid of emotion. Demeter suddenly burst into tears, crying.
"Mom?" Marina asked, her face falling. "What...what's wrong?"
Raphael wrapped his wings around his mate, his face tightening as his eyes stared at the band. Demeter continued to cry, shaking the branch with each sob.
"Dad?" Marina was thoroughly confused. "What's wrong?"
For the first time Raphael couldn't look at his daughter.
"I think it's better if we go see the elders," he finally said, glancing away.
Marina followed her parents as they quickly flew over to a large tree, where the elders were roosting. She didn't think all of the elders would be there - some of them had to hunt, right? - and wasn't surprised when her parents only found two female elders and one male elder.
Marina didn't really know the male elder - she was sure his name was Lynx, which suited the predatory look he got when he went out to hunt - but she knew the other two. Iris was beautiful, as elders went: her fur was slightly darker than most Brightwings, her wings curved elegantly and ears delicate. She was probably the youngest of all the elders, and Marina liked her the best. The other elder was named Lumina, and Marina found the name suiting. Lumina glowed where Iris didn't, and while the other elder seemed to look fragile, although she wasn't, Lumina was large and powerful, her old wings still able to give powerful wingbeats.
"Iris, Lumina, Lynx," Raphael said when the three bats had landed and roosted beneath the elders. "There is something we must show you."
"Raphael, what is wrong?" asked Lumina, truly concerned.
Iris looked further back, sighting Marina. Her mouth was going to curl into a smile until she saw the band on Marina's forearm.
Had she not been an elder, Marina was sure that Iris' jaw would've simply dropped. However, she was dignified, and Iris nudged Lumina with her wing.
"Lumina, Lynx...look at Marina's wing," she said to her fellow elders, her face grave.
The other two bats looked at Marina, and they too were shocked into silence. Marina shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"It's...it's just a band," Marina stammered. This was the opposite of what she had felt only a few minutes before: now Marina was scared, more scared than she could ever imagine. "I mean, what's wrong?"
"Raphael, Demeter, please leave us," Lynx said, his voice just as grave as Iris'.
Demeter fluttered towards Marina. She reached out, as if to hug her, then suddenly shrunk back, afraid.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Marina asked, terrified at her mother's reaction. "What's going to happen to me?"
Raphael extended his wings and wrapped them around Demeter in a hug. He whispered something into his mate's ear before taking flight.
"Mom?" Marina asked quietly.
"Marina, everything's going to be fine," Demeter said, but they both knew that it wasn't true. She leaned forward, forcing herself to get closer to her daughter, then backed away again. "We love you, and...goodbye, good luck..."
Words suddenly failing the mother, Demeter abruptly stretched her wings and took off.
"Mom! Dad!"
Barely fifty wingbeats away Marina could see her parents roosting together in a tree, surrounded by pale buds. Her father Raphael was large for a Brightwing, stern and commanding - Marina thought that one day he'd make a good elder. Demeter was sweet and kind, but Marina felt that her mother could be too overprotective at times.
"Mom! Dad!" Marina yelled again. She flew straight at the branch, flipping over quickly and roosting next to her mother. Sticking out her wing, Marina could barely contain her joy. "Look!"
Their reactions were not what Marina had expected. The two adults immediately went into shock, their eyes blank and devoid of emotion. Demeter suddenly burst into tears, crying.
"Mom?" Marina asked, her face falling. "What...what's wrong?"
Raphael wrapped his wings around his mate, his face tightening as his eyes stared at the band. Demeter continued to cry, shaking the branch with each sob.
"Dad?" Marina was thoroughly confused. "What's wrong?"
For the first time Raphael couldn't look at his daughter.
"I think it's better if we go see the elders," he finally said, glancing away.
Marina followed her parents as they quickly flew over to a large tree, where the elders were roosting. She didn't think all of the elders would be there - some of them had to hunt, right? - and wasn't surprised when her parents only found two female elders and one male elder.
Marina didn't really know the male elder - she was sure his name was Lynx, which suited the predatory look he got when he went out to hunt - but she knew the other two. Iris was beautiful, as elders went: her fur was slightly darker than most Brightwings, her wings curved elegantly and ears delicate. She was probably the youngest of all the elders, and Marina liked her the best. The other elder was named Lumina, and Marina found the name suiting. Lumina glowed where Iris didn't, and while the other elder seemed to look fragile, although she wasn't, Lumina was large and powerful, her old wings still able to give powerful wingbeats.
"Iris, Lumina, Lynx," Raphael said when the three bats had landed and roosted beneath the elders. "There is something we must show you."
"Raphael, what is wrong?" asked Lumina, truly concerned.
Iris looked further back, sighting Marina. Her mouth was going to curl into a smile until she saw the band on Marina's forearm.
Had she not been an elder, Marina was sure that Iris' jaw would've simply dropped. However, she was dignified, and Iris nudged Lumina with her wing.
"Lumina, Lynx...look at Marina's wing," she said to her fellow elders, her face grave.
The other two bats looked at Marina, and they too were shocked into silence. Marina shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"It's...it's just a band," Marina stammered. This was the opposite of what she had felt only a few minutes before: now Marina was scared, more scared than she could ever imagine. "I mean, what's wrong?"
"Raphael, Demeter, please leave us," Lynx said, his voice just as grave as Iris'.
Demeter fluttered towards Marina. She reached out, as if to hug her, then suddenly shrunk back, afraid.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Marina asked, terrified at her mother's reaction. "What's going to happen to me?"
Raphael extended his wings and wrapped them around Demeter in a hug. He whispered something into his mate's ear before taking flight.
"Mom?" Marina asked quietly.
"Marina, everything's going to be fine," Demeter said, but they both knew that it wasn't true. She leaned forward, forcing herself to get closer to her daughter, then backed away again. "We love you, and...goodbye, good luck..."
Words suddenly failing the mother, Demeter abruptly stretched her wings and took off.