Chapter 18
Enter The Vampyrum Part 1: Prince Of Mysteries
The trio were a few yards from Zephyr and the cathedral, flying in their haste to the southern valley. They have to warn the Silverwings of the upcoming danger they're in and fast!
"We should be flying low so the owls don't see us." Marina suggested as she and her friends were flying.
Rachel couldn't agree more. "Marina's right. We should also avoid the street lights as well. Just to play it safe." Marina nods in agreement. As Rachel speeds up her pace to join Shade, Marina scans her surroundings until she looks up above, and gasps in fright.
An owl sentry was perching on the ledge of a building, patrolling the area. It noticed Shade and Rachel, and took off after them. Marina cried out, "Shade!" Her warning caught her friends' attention as they saw the owl heading straight for them.
Shade, however, didn't buy it. "Zephyr is just scaring us with another echo projection," he chuckled. But there was no humming and Rachel knew right away that it wasn't an echo projection! It was real!
The owl was about to snatch Shade, but thanks to Rachel's quick-thinking, she pushed him safely out of the way and was caught in the owl's talons instead. Seeing their best friend being carried away, Shade and Marina speed their pace and went after the owl in their attempt to save Rachel. However, the owl saw the two in the corner of his eye and pushed them away with his wing and continued to fly towards the moon. Rachel's gold-dusted wings reflected some light from the moonlight as she was carried off toward the horizon.
"Rachel!" cried Shade and Marina as they continued their pursuit to rescue her.
Suddenly, a large shadow swept over them, leaving the two of them to falter in shock.
Marina gasped, "No! It can't be."
Shade couldn't believe his eyes either. "No way!" he exclaimed in shock.
Rachel kicked and struggled to free herself from the owl's grip to no avail. But she kept on fighting to break free until the sound of another pair of massive wings, followed by a smooth mysterious voice, stopped her in her tracks.
"Hola."
Rachel turned her gaze to her left and her eyes widened in both shocked and amazement. She gasped, "Oh my…"
Rachel couldn't believe what she was seeing right in front of her. Her own captor couldn't believe his eyes either!
It was a giant bat just like Hegland said! He was unlike any other bat Rachel has ever seen! He was tall, handsome, very muscular, and twice her size! His fur was pewter grey. His deviant, intense eyes were as green as the sea. His teeth were razor sharp that they could tear any piece of flesh clean off the bone. His massive wings were velvet purple and they curled at the tips. Finally, his neatly trimmed goatee and his hair, which was as long as his height, were deep blood red.
The giant bat let out a soft, dark chuckle as he cut off the owl's path by spreading his wings behind the bright full moon, challenging his opponent. The owl accepted the challenge and flew towards the giant bat, but the bat quickly got out of the way at the last second. Seeing that the bat was toying with him, the owl had enough and turned around to confront him head on.
The young Goldwing realized that a battle between them had begun and that she was caught right in the middle of it! To make matters worse, they were about to clash right into each other!
The giant bat laughed as if he was about to have some fun with his new prey. He built up his speed and then rammed right into the owl's chest, overpowering it in midair. Using his incredible strength, the giant bat lifted the owl and tossed him down in midair. Startled from being thrown like a rag doll, the owl lost his grip on the Goldwing and released her.
As soon as she was out the owl's talons, Rachel quickly caught herself in midair and dashed to the rooftop of a nearby building to steady her racing heart.
"Rachel!" She heard her friends calling out to her and then they joined her on the rooftop. A worried Marina placed her hand on her shoulder. "Rachel, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." the Goldwing replied, still catching her breath.
But the trio were not out of trouble yet. As Rachel started to speak, she gasped when she quickly noticed that the owl had spotted them. The owl went straight for them, causing Shade and Marina to gasp as Rachel shielded herself with her wings. All of a sudden, the giant bat let out a mighty roar as he continued to intervene and throw the owl off course after slamming into his back. The giant bat then clinged onto the owl's feathers and began riding him like a wild bull.
The owl struggled to shake him off, but the bat still held on. The bat was laughing like he was having a blast as he was weighing him down. It was becoming so difficult for the owl to fly that he flew into a row of light bulbs on top of a theatre sign. He tried to skid to a stop as he slid across the surface like a runway, but his talons crushed the lightbulbs one by one. When the owl ran out of runway, he was forced to take off into the air again and he would have to wrestle his attacker in midair.
In the struggle of their midair wrestle, the giant bat climbed over onto the owl's front and the two descended onto the same rooftop Rachel and her friends were on. As they flew past them, the owl's back nearly hit Rachel and she lost her balance. Luckily, she was able grab hold of the ledge as soon as she toppled over. The giant bat slammed the owl onto the roof. Shade and Marina winced after the owl hit his back from the impact. The owl and the bat rolled about a few times until the owl finally broke free from the giant bat's hold and tried to crush his skull with his talons, but at the last second the bat quickly dodged out of the way before impact.
The giant bat snarled as he sliced a deep cut into the owl's torso with his deadly index claw. The owl winced from the pain and took a step backwards. Luckily, no blood was spilled. The giant bat chuckled by how much he enjoyed toying around with his prey. But the owl had finally had enough and wanted to put an end to this fight, once and for all. Even though he had no energy left in his body, the owl tried one last tactic and launched at his attacker again. Only the bat had the upper hand as he easily dodged around the attack, flew up, and climbed across a brick wall at such incredible speed.
Stopping into an offensive stance, the giant bat took a moment to throw a malicious grin towards the already tired owl and he knew that he had worn out his opponent long enough for him to deliver the final blow. The bat flew at the owl and overpowered it in its last struggle, dragging him behind the brick wall preparing to deliver the final blow. Three young bats were frozen in place of what was about to happen next. Finally – CRUNCH – the bat sank his fangs hard into the owl's neck and suffocated him to death, but not before allowing his victim to scream with his final breath, until the screaming died down and the owl's body went limp.
'Oh Nocturna. That was gruesome.' Rachel breathed heavily while mentally processing what she had just witnessed; a giant bat, in person, had just killed an owl!
The giant bat hopped back from his fresh kill with a predatorial glare and then noticed the three young bats who were frozen with fear after watching the whole battle. He stared at them with such intensity and focus, as if he was studying them.
Then he turned his gaze towards Rachel. His gaze shifted back and forth at her and her wings. 'My mystery señorita, we finally meet.' he thought, letting out a silent but dark sigh and then shifting his predatorial glare into a charmingly friendly smile.
The giant bat then noticed his shorter obese partner joining him with the newly killed owl. His fur was a lighter grey than his taller partner's. His mane was as dark green as pine needles. His wings were of a dark navy blue. His hungry eyes were the same shade of green as his partner's. Finally, he had bright purple hair as long as his height and matching, neatly trimmed goatee.
As the chubby bat was about to chow down on the owl's carcass, his taller partner stopped him in his tracks, motioning him that there were three witnesses present.
The taller bat let out a silently pleasured sigh and flashed a friendly apologetic smile towards the young trio. "Pardon my manners," he spoke in a Latin accent. "I am Goth. And this…" He hesitated as he begrudgingly introduced to his partner, "... is my brother-in-law, Throbb." His shorter partner, Throbb, grunted and nodded in greeting.
Shade hesitated, still shaken up from witnessing the attack. "Uh… hi. Umm…" he cleared his throat before continuing to speak. "I-I'm Shade, a-and this is Marina and Rachel."
Goth and Throbb flew over to their rooftop. Rachel was just as nervous as Marina, but she stayed strong. Then Goth walked up to her. "Are you alright, señorita? I hope you were not too traumatized by what you have just endured."
Rachel politely shook her head. "Uh, no. No, not at all. I'll live. I'm a lot tougher than I look. Thank you." Goth couldn't help but give her a charming smile. Then his eyes distractedly trailed off to her gold-dusted wings. Noticing this, Rachel cleared her throat. "Uh… Yes, my wings are sparkly… but my eyes are up here." she pointed to eyes.
Goth broke out of his trance. "Ahem. Eh… Pardon me, señorita. I didn't mean to stare. And If you don't mind my asking… What sort of bat are you?"
"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing." Rachel said with a witty smirk.
Goth chuckled, finding her spirit and her wit quite charming, and decided to answer her question first. "We are Vampyrum spectrum, commonly known as spectral bats. But we formally prefer to be called Vampyrum. And you?"
"I'm a Goldwing."
"A Goldwing?" Goth took a moment to rub his chin in thought. "Hmm. I must confess, I have never heard of a Goldwing before. And yet I'd never thought I'd live to see one up close in person… especially one as rare and beautiful as you." As he spoke, Goth took her hand and kissed it.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Rachel responded with a playful banter, as she pulled her hand away.
Goth grew to admire her charming spirit even more. "Nevertheless, I am pleased and honored to make your acquaintance, señorita Goldwing." He bowed in respect. He then changes the subject. "We are new to these lands, torn away from our own."
"Oh, us too!" Shade beamed, immediately idolizing his new friend!
"We have much in common." Goth wore a dark smile, only Shade didn't seem to notice.
Rachel couldn't help but sense that there was something amiss. She can tell by the way Goth smiled. It was almost as if he had a hidden motive, but she just didn't know what. She looked over to a worried Marina and she knew that she was thinking the same thing.
Goth continued to speak while wearing a troubled expression on his face. "All we want is to get back home in the south, but we cannot read these… uh," he points up at the stars. "… Northern stars."
"Well, you can travel with the three of us!" Shade suggested, which made Marina gasp. "We're heading south to find my colony."
Goth beamed at the very idea. "We'd be delighted! And in return allow us to offer our protection."
"It's a deal!" Shade immediately accepted.
But Marina still felt uneasy with the idea and she grabbed Shade by the arm. "Shade, a word please? Now?" Then, she dragged him towards the brick wall.
Before joining her friends, Rachel turned to Goth and Throbb and asked, "Uh… would you please excuse us for just a moment, Goth?"
"But of course, señorita. Take your time." As soon as the Goldwing followed her friends, Goth's smile shifted to a dangerous frown as if he knew what her Brightwing friend was thinking.
Marina takes Shade and Rachel behind a wall. "Shade are you out of your roost?! You can't just offer a couple of complete strangers to join us on our trip. We don't even know anything about them. Plus, Goth had just killed an owl right in front of us."
"Marina, will you relax? Goth is offering us protection from the owls, remember?" Shade protests. "Besides, we can't just abdomen them. They're new to the North just like Rachel."
"Yeah, but they're also a dead owl right in front of us! They're the ones who killed the pigeons too. And we were wrongfully blamed for that, in case you've forgotten!" Marian made a valid point.
Shade seemed to contemplate. Then he and Marina turned to Rachel.
"Come on, Rach. You agree with me, don't you?" Marina asked.
"Well, what do you think, Rachel? Goth saved your life, after all." Shade asked also.
The Goldwing felt like she was in a difficult and complicated position. "Well… I must admit, I'm a bit perplexed myself. I am not one to turn my back on those in need, but I can also tell when something is amiss. I think there might be more to Goth and Throbb than what they're telling us." She thinks for a moment, then she sighs. "Okay. So, here's what I'm thinking. I'd say we lay low for now and let them tag along with us."
"What?!" Marina exclaimed.
"We can't have Goth know that we're on to him and then have him become suspicious of us." Rachel further explained. "We need to be smart about this. And if anything goes wrong, we ditch them. Agreed?"
Shade and Marina nodded in agreement, but Marina was more reluctant. After they wrapped up they're discussion, they rejoined Goth and Throbb, who were anxiously waiting.
"Well, mi amigos? Have you finally made your decision?" Goth asked.
"We have, actually." Rachel answered. "You are welcome to join us."
"Excelente!" Goth grinned in delight.
Throbb chuckled and smacked his lips as he stared down at the three bats with hunger. Rachel noticed the hungry look in Throbb's eyes and felt a little uneasy by it. Even though she was a little freaked out after her near-to-death experience, witnessing Goth killing the owl, and actually seeing a giant bat – two for the first time, she had to remain cautious as well as calm to avoid suspicion. But she also had to admit that it was pretty amazing to actually see giant bats up close and in person.
As her friends took off into the air, Rachel went back to the dead owl. When she examined the claw marks on its torso, she noticed that they were identical to the ones on Hegland's neck and on Ambrose's leg. Then she started to have a flashback of Goth's battle tactics while fighting the owl earlier. He moves like a highly trained warrior with advanced and strategic hunting skills. This definitely confirmed not only that Goth and Throbb were behind the attacks, but it also confirmed what kind of bats they are… They're carnivorous bats!
When she deduces this, she shows no fear. Instead, she secretly plans to observe and study Goth more closely. There was something… dark and yet… complex about him.
"Something troubling you, Rachel?"
Rachel flinched, snapped off from her thoughts. She didn't even hear Goth coming up to her from behind, yet she tried to remain calm and turned to him. "No, no. I'm fine. I'm just um… really impressed by how you took down the owl. I've never seen anything like it." She wasn't lying. She really was impressed.
Goth smiled, feeling flattered by the Goldwing. "We, Vampyrum, are highly skilled hunters, señorita. Trained to become the mightiest warriors of our colony."
"So I've noticed." Rachel chuckled. Then, there was an awkward moment and she quickly changed the subject. "Uh… Shall we be off?"
She was about to take off but gasped when Goth blocked her path with his wing. Then he wraps his wing around her shoulder, leans in close to her level, and then whispers "Just between us señorita, I couldn't help but witness you risking your life to save your amigo, Shade. And I thought that was very brave of you. Truly, you were fearless."
Rachel was a little nervous by how close he was that her cheeks uncontrollably turned red. "Uh… thank you… so much. That's what best friends are for… we look out for each other." She then took his arm off of her and took off to join her friends and Throbb.
Goth paused for a moment as he watched her fly towards her friends before he followed after her.
Meanwhile, Chinook raced fast back to the water tower to warn the Silverwings about the owls and the prosecution. Luckily, he had made it back to his colony before the owls and the cardinal did.
"Owls!" he cried out to the colony.
Frieda was alerted and the Silverwings murmured in fright. Bathsheba, however, sneered before she approached him. "What's this about owls?" the dismissive elder demanded.
Chinook explained. "There's a bounty on our heads and we–"
"A bounty?" Bathsheba cut him off. "Don't be ridicu–"
"Silverwings! Prepare to evacuate the roost!" Frieda immediately took action and alerted the colony. Since the owls arrived in the city in battle formation and the pigeons were posted on night guard duty, she knew that something was very wrong and her colony was in grave danger.
A few minutes later, Rachel and her friends, along with the Vampyrum brothers, finally made it into the forest and decided to stop and rest in a tree. Shade and Marina roosted next to each other on a tree branch. Rachel, Goth and Throbb stood below them on a neighboring branch.
As soon as they landed, Goth and Throbb felt a slight cool breeze and began to shiver and wrapped themselves in their wings like winter cloaks. Rachel could tell that they've never hibernated before, nor were they used to cold climates.
"How do you little bats survive this cold?" asked Goth. "Where we are from, it is warm and sunny all year round."
This sparked Rachel's interests."Warm and sunny all year round?" she exclaimed astonishingly. "Sounds like a true paradise!"
"Indeed it is, señorita." Goth chuckled. "It makes a bat grow to a reasonable size." He spread open his huge wings and laughed with pride. "As a prince, I am a magnificent specimen even by my colony's standards."
"You're a prince?" Rachel was stunned.
"Si. I am royal by blood. Crown prince and heir to the throne of the entire Vampyrum colony."
"Then I am pleased and honored to make your royal acquaintance, Crown Prince Goth." Rachel teasingly curtsied in respect. Goth smirked in flattery. Throbb chuckled, suddenly began to cough.
"How'd you end up so far from home?" Marina asked curiously.
Goth was a bit reluctant to answer that question, for the very memory of it was not too great. "Oh. Uh… The royal guard was not acting with its ears wide open. The dirty humans captured us, banded us, and brought us here to be imprisoned." Goth extended his left arm, presenting his bronze band, and then clenched his fist tightly at the memory of his abduction. Then he immediately glanced over at Marina's and Rachel's direction after noticing their bands. "I see you and Rachel were also taken prisoner by those smelly humans, señorita." Rachel was annoyed by how Goth was insulting the humans. "Ahh, common ground," his green eyes met with hers as he chuckled softly. "It grows like the jungle vines."
"Jungle? Is that your home?" Rachel asked curiously intrigued.
Shade, who was also curiously intrigued about Goth's homeland, flew down to join them on their branch. "What's a jungle?"
"A jungle?" Goth chuckled, amazed by how they don't know what a jungle is. He proudly and poetically described his homeland. "A jungle is an explosion of color! Born in the heat and the sun. We live as we choose in our jungle. With the warmth on our wings and our bellies never empty. We eat only the most succulent of small birds, the tastiest of lizards and other… Small animals." Goth leaned in closer to Rachel, nearly making her blush.
Marina furrowed in suspicion on that last line. "Hmm."
The owls were drawing near to the water tower, but the panicking colony quickly detached from their roosts and took off into the air just in the nick of time. As Silverwings flew out from underneath the water tower, the colony's scout, Mercury, spotted the lumber sawmill.
"That building, over there!" He alerted Frieda, not taking his eyes off the sawmill. Seeing the sawmill, Frieda flew downward and led the Silverwings inside the building safely.
They soon realize that the owls back at the water tower were really a diversion for a much bigger trap and the Silverwings were about to be ambushed! Just when the colony thought that they were safe, the cardinal turned back to the squadron of owls behind him and led them out of the trees and attacked the sawmill. They began to claw their way inside the building by tearing up the wood with their talons.
The Silverwings were trapped and they stood trembling in panic, not knowing what to do. Hastily, Frieda looked for a way for her colony to escape. She looked over at the saw machine. If the lumber goes through the saw machine from one end and comes out from the other, then there has to be an exit to escape. And the only way to get to the exit and escape was to fly towards the machine while avoiding the saw blades. It was risky and very dangerous, but it was the only way out.
Suddenly, the owls clawed at the roof and they made a big enough gap to enter the mill. Frieda gasped and turned to the colony quickly. "This way! Keep it tight and be careful!" Then she led them towards the saw machine.
One by one, the owls managed to slip into the sawmill and chase after the bats. In the middle of their pursuit, Frieda carefully but quickly led her colony through the deadly lumber machinery like an obstacle course. Seeing the razor sharp saw blades up ahead that went up and down, she came up with a plan to escape the owls' capture and reach the exit. Even though it was risky, the head elder led the Silverwings towards the blades. Realizing what Frieda was doing, Bathsheba gasped in horror. Luckily, the Silverwings managed to fly under the saw with no casualties.
As the cardinal was closing in on the Silverwings, his triumphant expression shited to terror when he almost got too close the blades and he quickly gave up the chase to avoid death. Unfortunately, One of the owl soldiers rammed right into the saw and was consumed by the blades of death.
After the loss of one of their fellow soldier, the owls aborted their mission to capture and arrest the Silverwings to prevent any more casualties. Seeing that the Silverwings had managed to escape, the cardinal grew nervous and received a deadly glare from one of the owl soldiers. The owl gave the cowardly cardinal a final warning before retreating to their superior with the remaining squadron.
For the past hour, Goth had answered Shade's constant questions about his colony and homeland. He was talking for so long that Throbb got bored and left to go hunting without anyone noticing. As Goth was talking, Rachel joined her friends on their branch and roosted right between them.
Goth finally decided to change the subject. "Enough about me. What about you?"
"Oh, well… we Silverwing live as we choose too!" Shade began to brag, trying to impress Goth. "Like the rule that bats can"t look at the sun? Well Rachel and I did… even if the owls didn't like it."
"Didn't like it? They burnt down your roost!" Marina exclaimed. "And Rachel nearly got herself killed!"
Goth turned to them with a concerned frown. "Why did your males not save you?" Then he crouched down closer to them and rested his arms on his knees, listening intently.
Shade explained. "They weren't there, they were waiting for us at Stonehold. That's where we were getting ready to migrate to before the owls attacked." The young Silverwing angrily flew up to stand on his branch and he clutched his fist. "I hate the owl, even more than I hate the treaty!"
"Treaty?" Goth asked curiously.
Rachel explained. "An unduly, meaningless law I had recently learned about from Shade and his colony when I joined their migration. Basically, the bats were punished for not taking sides in the battle of birds or beasts."
"That's why we have to fly at night." Shade added. Then he flew over to another tree and perched on a branch, with his back towards Goth and his friends.
Goth hummed in thought as he looked up at Shade, forming an idea. "I could bring an army of my species up from the south, and end this persecution once and for all." Rachel and Marina were both shocked by Goth's words, then the Vampyrum prince continued as he pointed to Shade. "You, Shade, could be my commander-in-chief." Then Goth raised an encouraging fist. "I think you have the makings of a great warrior!"
Shade grew speechless. He liked the idea so much that he beamed with excitement. Rachel and Marina, however, had their concerns.
Goth placed a proud fist to his chest. "Your father must be very proud."
Shade sighed heavily at the very mention of his father. "I… don't have a father. Uh… Cassiel, my dad… disappeared while scouting one night. They say the owls got him." He lowered his head in sorrow.
Goth flew up to Shade and placed a hand around his shoulders for consoling. He sighed. "A boy without a father."
The moment Shade turns his head away solely, he was unaware that Goth's consoling frown quickly shifted to a malevolent grin, which the girls both didn't miss. Rachel and Marina gave each other worried looks. Then Rachel began to see the night sky was growing bright.
"Dawn is coming. We should probably find a place to roost and be ready to travel by nightfall." The Goldwing suggested.
Noticing the sky, Marina agreed. "She's right. We'll need to rest before we reach the Southern Valley."
"I see a hollow tree not too far ahead, amigos." Goth pointed to his left. "We can roost there for the day."
The four of them headed towards the hollow tree and made themselves comfortable. As they slept through the day, only Goth stayed awake. He was staring at the sleeping Goldwing, drinking in every ounce of her natural beauty. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. The more he stared at her, the more drawn – no, the more entranced he was by her. There was something about her species that was so mysterious, yet so majestic.
Then, as if he were under a spell, the Vampyrum prince scooted closer to the Goldwing and gently brushed back some of her rich brown hair behind her ear. Undisturbed by his touch, the sleeping Goldwing moaned and unconsciously formed a smile. A smirk spreads across Goth's face as he plans to wait until Rachel awakens so he can be alone with her and learn more about her and of her species. Finally, the Vampyrum prince closes his eyes and falls into a deep sleep.
Hours later, Rachel was the first to wake up just as the sun started to set. Seeing this, she detaches herself from her roost and steps outside the hollow tree entryway to watch the sunset… thanks to her little loophole. She couldn't resist. But she also had to be careful not to enjoy it so much because her wings might start glowing again, and she didn't want Goth or Throbb to know about it because she didn't quite trust them… yet. Little did she know that a certain someone was watching her looking at the sunset.
Once the sun is finally down, Rachel flies to a nearby stream for a drink of water. Just when she turned to rejoin her friends, Rachel bumps into Goth – who stealthily landed right behind her – causing her to stumble back and nearly fall into the stream. Luckily, the prince catches her at the last second.
"Ah. Glad I caught you." Goth says in a smooth tone.
"Oh. Goth, it's just you." Rachel sighed in relief as he pulled her back up. She brushed off the dust from her yellow mane. "I didn't even see – or hear you coming from behind."
Goth chuckled amusingly. "I happen to have that effect on everyone. I also just wanted to make sure that you were safe. After all, I did promise to protect you and your amigos. You really should be more careful, señorita. I saw you looking at the sun set earlier. A little risky, don't you think?"
"Oh contraire, you highness. The Great Treaty states that bats are forbidden to see the sun during the day. Sunsets don't apply." Rachel corrected him with a sassy smirk.
Goth let out a hearty laugh. "Found a loophole. Very clever." Eventually, he calmed his laughter. "You know, you are not like other bats, señorita. I kinda like it. You've got spunk, sass, and a lot of spirit."
Rachel gives the Vampyrum prince a sassy smirk and replies, "And proud of it."
With an amused smile, Goth seizes the opportunity to learn more about her and her species. He holds his hands behind his back and circles around the Goldwing. "So, Rachel… Shade has already shared about himself. Tell me about you."
Rachel was a little uncertain as to why Goth was circling her for, but she remained confident. She asks, "Where would you like me to start?"
"Start with your wings." He takes Rachel's hand and lifts it high to examine it more closely. "As I've said before, I have never seen anything like them. Quite unusual for a bat to have gold dust on their wings, and yet quite extraordinary."
"This is how I was born."
"Interesting," Goth replied to her. "So, you're the only one in your colony that has gold dust on the wing, yes?" He questioned her.
"Yes, I am." she noddley answer.
"Speaking of colonies, where is your colony?" he curiously asked where they are.
"Oh. My colony?" Rachel didn't know how to answer that question. She still wasn't sure if Goth could be trusted. "Well, they are back in the city…"
"The human city?" Goth raised a skeptic eyebrow.
"Yes. In the conservatory where we grew up. The truth is, Goth, my colony has never actually been outside the human world before. We Goldwings have been born and raised in human captivity for 50 years. And this is the first time in my colony's history that a Goldwing has ever been to the outside world."
"And that makes you the first Goldwing."
Well, technically Nicodemus was the first Goldwing to leave the conservatory, but he didn't stay for long and Rachel knew that. But since she was still not certain to trust Goth, she chose to leave that part out just to play it safe. "Yes. I left my colony to experience life in the Northern forest and my first migration. That's when I met Shade and his colony, and they accepted me to join their migration to Hibernaculum."
"Fascinating." Goth strokes his chin in amazement. "And how are you liking it so far?"
"Well, aside from some dangerous setbacks and almost getting killed by owls… I love it. It is so much better than being cooped up and hidden away in a fake forest. I mean, the endless flying, the fresh clean air and wide open spaces… It's absolutely breathtaking."
As she spoke, Rachel took in the moment to spread out her gold-dust led wings and breathe in the night air with content, while her hair floated ever so freely in the autumn breeze. Finally, she snapped back to reality and her cheeks turned red in embarrassment. "Oh! I'm sorry. I got caught in the moment."
Goth chortled in amusement. "Not at all. I find your enthusiasm quite charming. You must prefer life out here than in that wretched human world. Yes?"
"Well… Not that I'm complaining — I mean, don't get me wrong, Goth. I love my colony, but honestly… When you've spent your life cooped up and hidden away behind concrete walls, not much really goes on." Rachel turned away from Goth and looked up into the stars as she continued speaking from the heart. "Growing up in an artificial forest just seems so lifeless and colorless, and everyday just feels like it's the same old boring routine: roosting, flying, eating, sleeping, repeat. I need some excitement in my life. Freedom. Adventure. And I would give ANYTHING to have that life."
Goth wore an amused smile with one raised eyebrow, intrigued by the girl's longing for freedom and adventure. "I know the feeling all too well, señorita. I was like that too while I was still trapped in that human prison. But then… I heard a voice."
Stunned, Rachel turned her head towards Goth. "Voice?" she said, sounding a little nervous.
"Yes. A voice. I heard it singing from the other end of an air vent back at the humans' conservatory. It was the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. A voice that was longing for freedom. It inspired me so much that I decided to no longer keep waiting in the wings – so to speak – and escape from the humans' conservatory."
Rachel quickly shifted her head away from Goth, realizing that Goth was held in the same conservatory she was and that it was her voice that he was listening to! But she couldn't let him know that she was on to him.
Unfortunately, unknown to her, Goth already knew! Then he got an idea. He walked up to her and held her hand while wearing a charming smile. "Perhaps you can have that life." He caught her off guard before he continued to charm her. "Come with me. To the South. Life is so much better down there than it is here. The jungle is full of life, color, excitement, freedom, and adventure! And more! You can finally live the life of freedom you've always dreamed of… And perhaps, one day, find that one special mate?" He hinted at her.
That last part caught Rachel off guard even more, that her face turned red with embarrassment and she quickly pulled her hand away, much to Goth's dismay and disappointment. "Oh, no, no, no. I'm not really acquiring any kind of romance throughout this journey. I'm not even ready for that yet. Even if I wanted to, I'm underage."
"I don't quite follow you, señorita." Goth said puzzling.
"Well, in my colony, we Goldwings have certain marriage and coming-of-age bylaws." Rachel explains. "And according to those bylaws, I am not yet of age to marry. And If I were to be courted by a suitor before my coming-of-age ceremony, it would be considered highly inappropriate. I may be headstrong and free-spirited, but even I take the marriage and coming-of-age bylaws of my colony very seriously."
"Huh…" Goth rubbed his chin and raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Fascinating."
"Besides, if I extended my stay in the outside world, I'd fear that Daria would have a field day with me."
"Daria?"
"My best friend back home… Before I met Shade and Marina, I mean."
"Ahh. She must be quite the worrywart in your colony, yes?" Goth assumed.
Rachel paused in hesitation by Goth's assumption. "Oh, um… I never said that she's a Goldwing, nor did I say she's from my colony."
Goth's eyebrow sternly raised with suspicion. "Something tells me that this… 'Daria' friend of yours is not one of us."
Rachel couldn't lie to him even though she knew Goth would lose his cool. She used all her courage to tell him straight in the most calmly possible way. "No. She's, um… A human."
At the very mention of "human", Goth's eyes flared with hate and hands turned into fists and they tightened as he angrily snarled. His hatred towards humans began to cloud his judgment as he argued with her. "As bats, we have no human friends nor should we! Humanity is our enemy, señorita. I assumed that was another reason why you escaped that wretched human prison."
"Goth, I know you're upset but that's no excuse to take it out on me or Daria." Rachel protests defensively. "You can't hold all human's accountable for the actions of a few bad ones. And Daria is not one of them. She has a good heart. She and I have a very special and strong bond. She raised me. She loves me and she would never betray me. Daria is one of the many good humans who are fighting for us bats as well as the entire Animal Kingdom. Doesn't she prove that there are good humans as well as bad?"
The Goldwing turns to leave, but then Goth spreads out one wing, stopping Rachel in her tracks. "Need I remind you of the imprisonment, the torture, and the pain and suffering those wretched humans have put me through?"
"And I'm sure the humans who're responsible for that will face the consequences." Rachel tried to reassure him.
"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Goth snapped. "It can NEVER be enough! Humans are greedy and selfish and cruel. They are evil! And if I had the power to wipe them all out, I would do it within a wingbeat!"
Rachel didn't flinch. Instead, she stands her ground in a more calming manner. "I have always believed that there is good in everyone, whether they are human, bat, bird or beast. And I always will." Goth is taken aback by her calmness and strong spirit. "Because I am not one to give up on anyone or anything."
The Goldwing walks away from the surprised Goth. Despite his reaction, he scoffed arrogantly. "I'm surprised and astounded that you have so much faith and trust in those savages. But I suppose it's not your fault for being a human's pet."
Rachel stopped in her tracks, her eyes flared with rage at the very mention of "human's pet". Suddenly, she turned to march at the arrogant prince. She roughly grabbed him by the mane, catching him off guard, and then yanked his mane to meet her at her eye level. "Let me point something out to you, Prince Goth." She snapped at him. "I find that turn condescending! I am a lot of things but I am NOBODY'S pet! You got that?" Finally, she lets go.
Goth breathed heavily as he was taken aback by Rachel's sudden anger. Just as she was about to take off to rejoin their group, Goth calls out to her. "Señorita, wait!" Rachel looks over her shoulder to at least hear him out. "Please. I apologize. I was not aware that the term offends you so. I didn't mean to offend you nor did I mean no disrespect." Then he bows in respect.
Rachel took in a heavy breath before turning to him. "You may be a prince, Goth, but I think it is you who should be more careful. Take the owl and those pigeons you've killed for example." Once again, Goth was taken aback by how she deduced that. "Those murders you've committed have caused a lot of trouble for me and my friends. And now the owls believe we are out for blood as retribution for them burning down Tree Haven. Because of you, you might as well have ignited a war. Because of you, the owls have wrongfully pinned the blame on the Silverwings!"
"I did what I had to in order to survive!" Goth argued.
"You keep telling yourself that!" Rachel responded coldly. Before taking off, stopped herself one more time as if she remembered something. "Oh. And I also know that it was you who attacked Ambrose."
"Who's Ambrose?"
"The orange tabby cat… and another one of my best friends back home. You attacked him in the alleyway just outside his apartment building."
"I don't eat gatos, señorita. Too much fur. Especially for my taste."
"If that's so, then how do you explain the cat fur that's stuck to your mane?" She pointed.
Noticing the cat hair, Goth picked it off his mane and examined it. "Must've been from Throbb. His brain is always in his stomach."
"He's not the only one."
As Rachel turns away from a speechless Vampurum without saying another word, Goth's surprised expression becomes a sly smirk. He was very impressed by her strong spirit. Then his impressed smirk shifts into a dark devious smirk as if he's mentally altering or concocting a secret plan for her. Then she flies away to join her friends, leaving a frowning Goth to his thoughts.
After her conversation with the Vampyrum prince, Rachel and Goth rejoined their travel group and the five of them flew onward to the Southern Valley. As they traveled, thunder began to boom and the rain started pouring down. Luckily, it was just a minor rain storm instead of a maelstrom like the one that blew Shade and Rachel off course.
Shade, Marina, and Rachel were flying up ahead of the Vampyrum brothers. As the young trio were flying, an uneasy but cautious Marina finally broke the silence. "Guys, I don't feel right traveling with those two meat-eaters."
"We eat bugs." Shade replied. "That probably grosses them out."
"It's hardly the same thing." Marina rebuked.
"I'm still feeling a bit perplexed, but I agree with Marina. I feel like there's more to Goth than what he's leading on. He's hiding something. But what?"
Shade only shook his head, brushing off suspicions the girls had about the Vampyrum brothers. "Look, Goth and Throbb can protect the colony. Do you have a better idea?"
Meanwhile, Goth and Throbb were flying a little ways behind them, having their own private conversation. Throbb shivered easily from the cold autumn shower, but his brother-in-law didn't let the cold rain bother him as Goth was too confident and focused on a secret yet diabolical plan.
"How can it be so cold and wet and… and cold?!" Throbb whined as he continued to shiver.
"We will not have to put up with this much longer." Goth spoke with such confidence, his eyes locked on the Goldwing.
"Why don't we just eat them?" Throbb impatiently suggested.
Goth wore a menacing smile as he hinted to his brother-in-law, "Why eat them now when you can be patient and eat an entire colony?"
A confused Throbb looked at Goth with one raised eyebrow, until he finally got the full concept of what his brother-in-law had in mind. The plan was simple but ingenious: Once they've found the Silverwing colony, Goth and Throbb will devour the entire colony including the runt, the Brightwing, and save the rare Goldwing for desert. He loved the plan so much that he chortled gleefully. Little did Throbb know, however, that Goth has something else in mind that acquires to keep Rachel alive.
Things were about to get intense for the bat teens and the Silverwings. But soon they were about to find that things were going to take a turn for the worse.
Goldwing16's Note(s):
Hiya guys!
IT'S FINNALY HERE! CHAPTER 18! AND OF COURSE... GOTH'S ARRIVAL!
Thank you all so much for your patients. Now before we get to our FUN FACTS, I need to get something off my chest... And I am not gonna lie, it feels SOOOOOO GOOOOOD to be back into writing another chapter for Silverwing: Silver And Gold. I almost lost my passion for it. Especially since I was so busy with my day job, working on my Danny Phantom fanfic - which I'll eventually get back too, BTW - and getting through Hurricane Ian - FYI, don't even get me started on Ian - I'm just to be alive and getting back to doing what I love. But now I'm back writing SSAG and we've finally gotten our favorite naughty bat into the story... And about DAMN TIME TOO, if I might add.
And now for the best part...
FUN FACT(S):
1. Now first off, I like to inform everyone that I've parted this chapter only I didn't want to make another very LONG CHAPTER like I did in the last one. The last thing I want is run out of ink and paper while in the middle of printing, you know what I mean? Plus, it helps build up the suspense in the story.
2. When Goth and Rachel finally meet, Goth pulls the "Prince Charming" card... but our snarky, spunky, yet witty Rachel immediately pulls the "Playing Hard To Get" card on him... nut in a more friendly-playful sort of way. NOT IN A ROMANTIC WAY. Even when Goth hints/offers her to come with him to the jungle, Rachel is unaware that his royal highness is trying to woo her. So keep that in mind.
3. Goth and Rachel's argument scene is referenced by one of my favorite Disney Saturday morning/afternoon cartoons growing up... Disney's Gargoyles - where in Season 1 Episode 5 The Awakening Part V, Demona declares that humanity is the enemy through her bitter hatred towards them while Goliath tries to reason with her, but neither were moved by each other's words. I chose this scene because I thought it was the perfect argument for Goth and Rachel to have, as well as a perfect way to for Goth to see how strong Rachel is in both spirit and will... And damn! She really slammed Goth pretty good when she called him out on the fowl massacre and the attack on Ambrose. That girl certainly has her way of handling situations and beasts... No offense, Goth.
Not to mention, that he called her a "human's pet" and has finally seen what happens she gets angry... Trust me guys, you DO NOT want to get on our Goldwing girl's bad side.
4. And in case you guys have quite notice... Another Disney reference scene I used in this chapter is when Goth catches Rachel just before she falls into the stream and smoothly says "Ah. Glad I caught you" - Same thing that Prince Hans does and says to Anna at Elsa's coronation reception in Frozen. I thought that scene was perfect and it would be smooth move on Goth's part.
5. As Rachel had explained to Goth the chapter...The Goldwings have their own certain bylaws when it comes marriage and coming-of-age. If you guys recall, from Chapter 2, Jenner Goldwing stated the Rachel's still technically and therefor is not yet officially of age to marry until by next spring. So, it would seems pretty accurate for this chapter.
Anyways... I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well as Thanksgiving. So stay tuned for Chapter 19 and have a wonderful Christmas this year!
