When her parents had disappeared Marina turned to face the elders. The looks in their faces made Marina now dread whatever her band had given her.
"Marina...there is something about that band we must tell you," Lumina finally said, looking straight at the young bat. "It is unclean."
Marina jumped back in shock. "Unclean?" she repeated.
"Unclean. Cursed," answered Lynx. His eyes seemed to give off a strange glitter. "Terrible things have happened to bats that got banded."
Marina began to rock back and forth. She trusted the elders with everything, but this...they could be lying... She held her head in her wings, trying to think.
"It was an accident...I just flew, and they caught me..."
"It was no accident," Lynx said sharply. He rustled his wings. "You have been tainted. Unclean bats have been known to explode into flame, like Aura and Gabriel. Maria's wings fell off two summers ago, during migration. And some bats, like Pegasus and Penelope, they simply died; the bands killed them. Fortunately, they left before they infected more bats."
Marina's eyes were wide, unable to imagine the horrors. Wings falling off, spontaneously bursting into fire...
She quickly focused on Iris, who finally spoke.
"Marina, you must leave our colony at once," she said. Her voice was uncannily cold. "You will have several hours of night flying before sunrise."
"Leave?" spluttered Marina. She had imagined of adventures, of travelling the world, but to simply leave? "When can I return?"
"You cannot return," Lynx cut in. "You are unclean, and you must leave before it spreads to the rest of the colony."
Lumina raised her wings, spreading them in judgment.
"Marina Brightwing, you are hereby expelled from the Brightwing colony. You are forbidden to be seen or heard by any Brightwing bats. Never return to us."
"Marina...there is something about that band we must tell you," Lumina finally said, looking straight at the young bat. "It is unclean."
Marina jumped back in shock. "Unclean?" she repeated.
"Unclean. Cursed," answered Lynx. His eyes seemed to give off a strange glitter. "Terrible things have happened to bats that got banded."
Marina began to rock back and forth. She trusted the elders with everything, but this...they could be lying... She held her head in her wings, trying to think.
"It was an accident...I just flew, and they caught me..."
"It was no accident," Lynx said sharply. He rustled his wings. "You have been tainted. Unclean bats have been known to explode into flame, like Aura and Gabriel. Maria's wings fell off two summers ago, during migration. And some bats, like Pegasus and Penelope, they simply died; the bands killed them. Fortunately, they left before they infected more bats."
Marina's eyes were wide, unable to imagine the horrors. Wings falling off, spontaneously bursting into fire...
She quickly focused on Iris, who finally spoke.
"Marina, you must leave our colony at once," she said. Her voice was uncannily cold. "You will have several hours of night flying before sunrise."
"Leave?" spluttered Marina. She had imagined of adventures, of travelling the world, but to simply leave? "When can I return?"
"You cannot return," Lynx cut in. "You are unclean, and you must leave before it spreads to the rest of the colony."
Lumina raised her wings, spreading them in judgment.
"Marina Brightwing, you are hereby expelled from the Brightwing colony. You are forbidden to be seen or heard by any Brightwing bats. Never return to us."