Griffin was flying up through Coma Zotz' underworld, scared. He didn't want the giant bat to get him, but it was far too fast for him to escape. He knew it was futile to try & escape, he was just a newborn, & his pursuor was the bat god Coma Zotz, so what hope DID he have of escape?
"Help me." He said weakly. He heard Coma Zotz laugh a laugh that sent shivers up the newborn's spine. He wanted to escape, but he couldn't, Zotz was too fast for him.
"Nobody can help you, newborn." Zotz said. "You're too weak & unimportant for anybody to care about your safety."
"Not likely." came a voice that startled Griffin. He looked to his left & saw a bat whom he knew would help him. He saw Shade, Shade Silverwing, his father, coming to his aid. He flew alongside his father, his hope of escape greatly improving. He saw the light of escape dead ahead, & when he turned around, he saw Coma Zotz starting to lag behind. He kept flying & flying until finally he reached the exit to Zotz' world. He broke through the barrier & made it out into the forest.
"We made it, dad!" Griffin shouted. However, something startled Griffin. Where was his father? He looked around, but couldn't see him anywhere. Where was he? Griffin started to get nervous.
"Dad?" He called. "Dad, where are you?"
"I was never here, Griffin." Shade's voice called, sounding like it was coming from all directions. "You let me die, remember?" The horrible truth rushed back into Griffin's head like a bullet. He remembered that Shade had died to save Griffin's life, & that Griffin would never see him again. Tears began to well up in Griffin's eyes, when he heard something. He looked back down to the portal leading to Zotz' underworld & what he saw horrified him. A giant fiery hand shot out of Zotz' world & grabbed him, he could feel the searing heat of the hand as it pulled him down. Griffin was horrified, he was going back into Zotz' world, the world that took his father from him, & was going to claim him in a matter of seconds. He tried to escape, but the hand was too strong for him.
"HELP ME!" Griffin screamed. "HELP ME!"
Griffin then shot awake. He was not in Zotz' world, nor was he headed there. He was back in Tree Haven, the place he grew up in, & the place close to where he knew his father had died. He knew this was reality, & that he had no hope of ever seeing Shade again. Tears once again filled his eyes, & this time he knew they were real, & he felt he deserved them considering what happened to his father. He let them fall a bit, sniffling a little.
"Dad." He quietly said to himself. "Please forgive me."