Chapter 12

The Bright Side

The four bats flew in silence while they were hunting for food. Kassidy and Marina had some good catches to satisfy their hunger while Shade had a couple good catches too, but still couldn't get himself a tiger moth. Holden, on the other hand, had a bit of a struggle with his hunting. Kassidy noticed that he was going for the more advanced and hard ones rather than the ones that were easier to catch for him and whenever he tried to catch one of the advanced bugs he would crash into something or fly out of control. Holden would get furious but he kept trying to hunt. Kassidy didn't know when was the last time he even tried to go for the easier bugs but she could tell that he was trying to hunt the more advanced bugs just so he could be where she, Shade, and Marina were. She asked him one time if he needed help but he declined the offer and kept hunting.

Kassidy, Shade, and Marina then got near a tree branch and planted their feet on it and hung upside down after flying for a while. Marina and Kassidy had tiger moths in their hands and they were good catches. Kassidy was about to eat her tiger moth until she noticed that Holden was still hunting and he was trying to chase down a tiger moth. He had his eyes locked on it and he was using his echo vision on it and his teeth were bared in anger. To Kassidy, he looked like a bull ready to knock down someone at the moment. He was trying very hard to catch his prey and this made Kassidy think about when she first had her struggles with hunting down insects. It was frustrating for her but she eventually got the hang of it after a while and now she was pretty much an expert at it. If Holden would've learned to hunt when Kassidy was learning how to hunt he probably would've been an expert at it as well.

"That's the third tiger moth he tried to hunt down today," Marina said. "It's going to take him all night to try and catch one."

"Well you never you know," Shade then looked at Marina. "Maybe he'll catch this one."

"Maybe."

The three of them watched as Holden chased the tiger moth. He sometimes got tricked by it and he cursed but Holden didn't hold back and kept going. He then flapped his wings harder and when he tried to bite into it, the moth flew down and Holden tried to adjust his flight but he didn't have a whole lot of time and he crashed into a tree.

"Oh!" Kassidy, Shade, and Marina shouted simultaneously and they had their eyes widened.

Holden then fell to the ground and he was groaning in pain. He rubbed his forehead with his eyes squeezed shut. After a few minutes, he then sat up and kept rubbing his forehead.

"Holden, you okay?" Shade asked.

Holden looked up at the three and they saw that a bump was forming on his forehead. "Yeah… I'm fine, just the forehead." Holden then looked around him and he then furrowed his brow. "Damn it, he got away." He then got up and took off from the ground and landed on the tree branch Kassidy, Shade, and Marina were on and hung upside down next to Kassidy. "Why do some of these bugs have to be so difficult to catch?"

Kassidy looked at the moth she was holding and she then sighed now not feeling hungry for it. She had plenty of food to eat but not Holden and she didn't want him to starve. Sharing is caring she thought.

She then lifted the moth towards Holden. "Here."

Holden looked at the moth Kassidy was giving to him and he was surprised. He looked back at Kassidy. "It's your moth though."

"I insist you take it, besides I'm full. You need it more than I do."

Holden looked back at the tiger moth and deciding not to waste it, he slowly took the moth from Kassidy. He looked back at Kassidy with a weak smile. "Thanks." He then put the moth in his mouth and he chewed on it and from the look on his face, Kassidy could tell that he was enjoying the tiger moth. He then swallowed his moth. "Wow, that was pretty good."

Kassidy was glad she gave him the tiger moth. If she didn't he probably would've kept trying to hunt down one. She would've helped him though if he didn't stop.

"I-I was out hunting… all alone," Kassidy, Holden, and Shade looked at Marina and she was staring at her tiger moth sadly.

"Huh?" Holden said.

Marina turned to face the three Silverwings. "Suddenly I was hanging in midair, caught in a huge net. Then… this giant hand reached in and…that's when they banded me." She looked back down sadly as if she was guilty of a crime.

"Then what happened?" Shade asked.

"I flew home, but when the other Brightwings saw me with this band-" Marina lifted up her banded arm and looked back at the three Silverwings, "they banished me."

"Why?"

Marina narrowed her eyes. "When the humans tag you, you're marked for certain death." Marina plopped the tiger moth into her mouth and ate it.

Kassidy, Holden, and Shade looked at each other confused. Kassidy definitely knew that it wasn't true. What Marina said was wrong. She didn't know where the Brightwings got that idea from but she thought that maybe they were frightened about it.

"That's not true," Kassidy said and Marina looked at Kassidy. "They actually serve a good purpose for any animal really." Marina didn't respond to Kassidy and looked back down. "Did your parents try to help you not get banished?"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

Kassidy could understand that. She thought that Marina went through a difficult time and she didn't want to upset her any further. When her parents died she didn't like or want to talk about it and it was too painful for her to bear back then. Even now it's still painful for her.

"Well if what Kassidy said is true then the bands probably are not cursed," Shade said. "I mean we know someone that-"

Marina got in Shade's face bitterly. "I don't want to talk about it." She then released her grip on the branch and flew away from the three Silverwings.

Without hesitating, the three Silverwings released their grips from the tree branch they were on and followed Marina. Holden looked at Kassidy and Shade. "Did she have to be rude about it?" Kassidy and Shade scowled at Holden. "What?"

"Holden, she's been through something that she doesn't want to talk about," Kassidy said. "A lot can be like that when they've been through hard times. I know I have and so have Shade and you."

"Look, man," Shade said. "I know you still probably don't like Marina but Kassidy does bring up a good point." Shade then got confused. "You've been through something?"

"Another story for another time," Holden said.

The three Silverwings followed Marina as they flew over the ocean again. They were flying over orcas again and Kassidy smiled again to hear the orcas whistling. The orcas lifted to the surface and as soon as they did they blew water out of their blowholes.

Shade gasped. "What the?"

"Hey, short stuff," Marina shouted to Shade. "Check this out." Marina flew closer to one of the orcas and so did the three Silverwings. "See those holes on the top of their heads? They breathe through them." Marina flew near the blowhole on one of the orcas and as soon as she did the water shot out and the water lifted her up and she flipped in the air and she laughed.

Shade laughed. "Awesome! I'm gonna try that."

Marina flew near Shade. "Sure you can handle it? It takes skill and timing."

"If you can do it, it can't be that hard." Shade flew near an orca and got near its blowhole. Then water shot up from the blowhole and Shade lifted to the air and flipped. "Whoa!" Shade then stopped spinning in the air after the water stopped shooting from the blowhole and he looked at the three bats and smiled. He then flew near Marina. "Heh, yeah."

"Not bad," Marina said. "Course your form could use a little work." She then looked at Kassidy and Holden. "You guys should try it, it's tons of fun."

Kassidy looked down at the orcas still smiling and she definitely wanted to try it. All she had to do was get near one of their blowholes. She thought it looked easy. Even when she saw Shade and Marina do it she thought it looked like a blast. She also thought a little bit of fun wouldn't hurt anybody.

She looked at Holden. "Come on, I dare you to try this with me."

Holden looked at Kassidy and he smiled. "Please, I'll take on any dare. Trust me. I happen to be the King of taking dares."

"We'll see, 'Your Highness'."

Kassidy and Holden flew near an orca and got near its blowhole and waited for water to shoot out of it. After a few seconds of waiting, water shot out from the orca's blowhole and the water lifted Kassidy and Holden into the air and they flipped together in the air like they were acrobats and they were laughing.

"Yeeee haw!" Holden shouted.

Kassidy felt like she was at a water park and the salty water somehow calmed her from worrying about what's been happening. She and Holden then regained their flight and Kassidy flew towards the water and using the tips of her wings she touched the water and made huge ripples. With her smile so big she then started to glow brightly as she flew next to the orcas. Then with a few huge flap of her wings, she flew up as if she was a shooting star and landed her feet on one of the orcas' fins and she then spread opened her wings as if she was surfing on the beach again. Whenever she went to the beach she would always go surfing and it was a good sensation to even think about. The orca swayed to the sides hard but Kassidy stayed in place.

She then saw Shade do the same thing and she then smiled mischievously at him. Shade almost lost his balance when the orca he was riding on also swayed to the sides hard. She looked at the water and using her water spell she concentrated on making some water float and with enough concentration, some of the water floated. She guided the water over to the top of Shade's head and then she dropped her hand and the water fell on top of Shade. Shade yelped in surprise and he coughed. Kassidy laughed while Shade shook the wetness away and after he did that he looked at Kassidy a little annoyed. He was about to speak to her but he then stared in awe at her. She knew why he was but she kept smiling and shrugged.

The orcas Kassidy and Shade were riding on were going back under, so they got off of them and flapped their wings and as soon as they did, the orcas made huge splashes. Shade flew next to Kassidy. "Kass, how are you glowing?"

"Whenever I smile too much I glow like this."

"That's amazing."

Kassidy then saw Holden get near another blowhole of a whale and the water instantly shot out of it and Holden looked like he was having the best time of his life as he whooped and flipped in the air. Kassidy and Shade laughed as Holden then regained his flight and flew downwards near the ocean. He looked up to Kassidy and Shade. "What do you have to say about that?"

"Not too shabby, Holden," Kassidy shouted towards Holden. "You might, after all, be the King of dare taking."

Marina laughed as she flew next to Holden and his smile instantly faded away the moment she got near him and he looked away from her. "Not too bad for a human bat yourself, a little more practice and you'll be almost as good as me."

"Yeah, whatever," Holden said.

Without Holden or Marina realizing it, an orca was advancing towards them. Kassidy noticed that they didn't see the orca behind them and her glow faded as her eyes widened in shock. She noticed that Shade saw that too.

"Marina," Shade shouted. "Holden! Look out behind you!"

Holden and Marina looked behind them and when they saw that the orca behind them had its mouth wide open they gasped with their eyes widened. They screamed and flapped their wings as hard and as fast as they could but without a struggle, the orca closed its huge mouth around them and then dove back into the water. Kassidy and Shade's jaws dropped.

Holden and Marina were inside the orca.

Kassidy and Shade followed the orca that Holden and Marina were in as fast as they could and they made sure not to lose it. Kassidy was not intending on this orca eating Holden and Marina alive on her watch. They were breathing hard as they followed the orca and it hadn't come out of the water yet. Orcas could stay under for a long time and she hoped that the orca would pop back up to the surface sometime soon because they needed to help them. Eventually to Kassidy's relief, the orca made it back up to the surface after a while.

Shade looked at Kassidy. "Kass, what do we do?"

Kassidy looked at the blowhole and even though this looked risky it was worth a shot. "Shade, orcas can't breathe without their blowhole. We need to cover it so they can get out."

Shade looked towards the blowhole and nodded. "I might need you if I fall off of it. I'll go cover it." He then flew towards the orca.

"Shade, be careful, orcas can be very aggressive!"

Shade flew towards the orca and as he did the orca shot water out of its blowhole and he waited until the orca was done with what he was doing. He then landed on the orca's back and then he laid on his stomach and covered its blowhole. "Let them go!"

Kassidy then saw that the orca's eyes widened and then it narrowed its eyes towards Shade and she then knew that wasn't a good sign. The orca then swayed far to its right and left side to try and get Shade off of him and he also used his upper body to lift up and down rapidly to get him off him as well and Shade almost slipped off a few times but he kept covering the hole. The orca then jumped out of the water and Shade hollered as it did and the orca then landed in the water and Shade was underwater with it. Kassidy saw bubbles forming at the top of the surface but she kept following as she saw that Shade was still hanging on. Kassidy felt as though she was watching a rodeo. The orca then jumped out of the water again and Shade hollered as it did the same thing as last time.

"Shade, hang on!" Kassidy shouted.

The orca then landed in the water again and went under it, taking Shade with it again. After a few seconds, the orca resurfaced and Shade kept hanging onto the blowhole. Kassidy flew near Shade and the orca but far enough away from them. Shade looked a little scared at what he just did but to Kassidy, she thought he did very well. It was pretty much a brave move what he did there.

As if hinting that Shade wasn't going to give up, the orca opened its mouth and Holden and Marina flew out and Marina cried out disgusted while Holden looked scared to death but also disgusted as they were covered in seawater and the orca's saliva. The orca then shot water from its blowhole and it made Shade float to the sky and he screamed. After the water stopped shooting in the air, Shade regained his flight and he sighed relieved. Kassidy took the chance to fly to Shade and as soon as she got near him she was airborne.

"Nice job,"

Shade looked at Kassidy and he gave her a weak smile.

They then heard breathing and it sounded as if someone was hyperventilating and they looked to see that it was Holden and Marina was airborne next to him trying to calm him down. Kassidy and Shade looked at each other and then they made their way to them. As soon as they got to them they saw that Holden was shaking.

"Holden, you alright?" Kassidy asked.

Even though he was shaking he managed to look at Kassidy. "I've seen things in there… that's going to scar me… for life."

Marina patted Holden on the shoulder. "Well you're okay, we at least didn't get eaten alive." She then looked at Kassidy and Shade and smiled. "I owe you guys one."

"You can thank Kassidy," Shade said. "It was her idea to cover the blowhole."

"You can also thank Shade," Kassidy said. "He covered the blowhole."

"That's great, I really appreciate what you guys did there," Holden said, "but can we get away from the ocean now? I don't want to go inside another orca's mouth."

Holden instantly took off for the forest as fast as he could. Kassidy sighed but she didn't want to yell at Holden and tell him that he was a baby. He, after all, was just inside an orca's mouth and it's not every day that anyone gets stuck inside an orca's mouth. Kassidy, Shade, and Marina then followed Holden into the forest to catch up with him.

It was horrific to him to even think about. He almost got eaten alive by that orca but if it weren't for Kassidy and Shade, he and Marina would've never gotten out. To him, this journey was already getting suicidal and he didn't know how long it would be until he actually got himself killed. Holden was now getting homesick and he really wanted to get out of this crazy environment and go back to his good life. Holden was hanging on a totem pole upside down with Kassidy, Shade, and Marina. It was Marina's suggestion that they landed on this totem pole and when she did, Holden no longer cared and while they did, Marina didn't hesitate to ask Kassidy how she was glowing that one time and Kassidy told her how she was glowing.

He was scared of what was happening that he so desperately wanted to curl into a ball and hide from everything around him, but even though he was scared he wasn't a coward. When his Mom was around she would always comfort him whenever he got scared and when she did cheer him up he would feel like he could be tougher and stronger and he was right. The fear he was feeling right now was embarrassing as him trying to hunt and he hated that he had to be scared out here and like this right now. Even though he wasn't a child anymore he actually wished he could go back to those moments with his Mom and let her hug him and whisper soft words of comfort to him. But she was no longer around.

He hated his Mom for being an alcoholic and being less caring to him, his Dad, and Lewis. She, in fact, wasn't always like that. He remembered her being a cool Mom and she was always wild and fun. His Mom was a very good dancer and she even taught him how to dance and have fun. Holden looked up to her and he remembered wanting to dance just like her. When he was a kid he would always imagine himself being a famous dancer that as he grew older he would practice and learn all the dance moves he could just so he could get to where he wanted to be. However, as he did grow older his Mom suddenly changed as if she were cursed by someone. She changed from Holden's idol to someone that Holden now despised because of what she did and he never forgave her for it.

His entire childhood he wanted to be like his Mom, but when he saw how fast she changed over the years he couldn't believe that he wanted to be like her. Ever since she left him, his Dad and brother, Holden never wanted to speak to his Mom again. He didn't know why she did what she did but he promised himself that he never wanted to turn into what his Mom had become. But he has been slowly falling in his Mom's footsteps as if he didn't have a choice and went to a lot of parties and dances and not focusing on his school work. He wanted to dance and have fun, but he didn't want to turn into a screw up like his Mom was. He knew though he wasn't trying hard enough to overcome that and he felt ashamed about that.

Kassidy, Shade, and Marina were looking at him. After they landed on the totem pole they were trying to calm him and reassure to him that everything would be fine after Marina asked her question to Kassidy. He wished he could believe that but would it? If he died he would die knowing that he was just the party boy and troublemaker that never got to live a very long lifespan. If he did manage to get home he wanted to change the way things were and for the better.

Holden then looked away from the three of them and a single tear formed and it skimmed down Holden's cheek and he didn't want them to see that. He wiped away the tear and looked at the horizon. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked to see that it was Kassidy touching his shoulder.

"Holden, it's okay that you're scared," Kassidy said calmly. "I know you're not used to any of this but you know you're not isolated. We may not be with the colony or at home but we still got each other."

"I know I just…" Holden paused and he looked down at the ground. "I… I want to go home. I know I mess up a lot and I just… can't take this anymore."

"Mess up?" Shade asked. "What do you mean?"

Holden looked at Shade and Marina and he then sighed as Kassidy took her hand off his shoulder. "Okay, here's my side of the story and Kassidy pretty much knows it."

Holden got on with telling Shade and Marina how he was a popular kid where he was from, how he was a troublemaker and didn't get good grades at school, and how his Mom was an alcoholic, how she and his Dad got a divorce, and how he wanted to change. Telling it was hurtful to him but he managed to pour it all out and Shade and Marina listened without interrupting but their eyes were widened in shock as he kept talking. After he was done he took a breather after talking so much.

Marina smiled weakly at Holden after a moment of silence. "Hey, I know we got off on bad terms but I'm sure things will get better. As long as you want to change I think you'll turn out okay. You've made it this far right? It's a long way but I'm sure you'll make it."

Even though Holden didn't like Marina's attitude in the first place he somehow appreciated Marina being nice to him. "Well… thanks."

Shade then slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead as if he just realized something. "I can't believe I almost forgot."

"Forgot what?" Marina asked Shade confused.

Shade pointed at Marina. "You didn't let me finish what I was saying about the band."

"Oh, that." Marina looked away with her head down.

"Uh-Frieda, our elder, has a band just like yours." Shade said pointing at Marina's band with a smile.

"An elder…banded?" Marina looked at her band as if she couldn't believe what she just heard. She then smiled and looked back at Shade. "Like me?"

"Uh, well maybe not exactly like-"

"And she's old."

"Practically ancient."

The four bats took off and they then made their way to the top of the totem pole and landed. Holden had no idea how old Frieda was but she looked really old. She was very nice to him and he liked that she wasn't too harsh on him, Kassidy, and Shade after they looked at the sun. He also wished he would've thanked Frieda for her kindness but as soon as they got back to the colony he was definitely going to thank her.

"Maybe the band doesn't mean certain death," Marina said.

"Well, the orca didn't get you did it?" Kassidy said. "So it's pretty official that it doesn't mean 'certain death'.

Marina put her finger on her chin. "Maybe it means I'm destined to be an elder too."

Holden thought about it. "Elder Marina." He slowly nodded and then slowly smiled at Marina. "I hate to admit it but it does have a nice ring to it."

Marina looked at all three of the Silverwings one at a time. "When do we leave?"

"I'm sorry, we? As in all four of us?"

Marina looked at Holden. "Yeah, to join your colony so I can meet this Frieda."

Shade looked uncertain about something. "Kassidy, Holden, do you think the colony will actually accept us again? I really don't want to face them…" Shade turned away from them and he looked down sadly. "Not after losing Tree Haven…"

Kassidy walked towards Shade and she put her arm on his shoulder. "Remember what I said, Shade." Shade looked at Kassidy. "Lawbreakers or not they're still our colony no matter what. When we find the colony we'll face them together."

"Right… I know."

Marina got near Kassidy and Shade with a sad expression on her face. "Don't be so hard on yourself Shade. At least your colony didn't banish you, Kassidy, or Holden."

Shade looked at Marina as Kassidy put her arm down from his shoulder. "I just wish you could've seen Tree Haven, Marina. It was the biggest hollow oak ever. With the gnarliest roots and all kinds of chambers and roosts and-"

"Come on."

Marina took off and this earned confused looks from the three Silverwings. They all took off though and followed Marina through the forest. Holden had no idea what this Brightwing was up to. "Hey, island bat, where are you taking us?"

"Just a little further, human bat," Marina said joyfully.

As they flew, Holden then saw something in the distance that made his eyes go wide. He saw a hollow looking tree that looked like it could actually be Tree Haven. It looked very old, gnarly, and it was pretty big. Holden heard Shade and Kassidy being impressed by what they saw and he also heard it come out from himself.

"So what do you guys think?" Marina asked. "It's big, it's hollow, it's gnarly-"

As they got closer to it, Holden saw that there were many holes and without wasting any time, he, Kassidy, and Shade checked out the tree and went through many of its holes as if they were on a playground and were wowing amazed. It was too good to be true. The three of them then got back to Marina and they were smiling. Maybe Marina wasn't as bad as Holden thought she was.

"It's perfect," Shade said. "This could be our new Tree Haven!"

"Hell yeah!" Kassidy shouted.

The four of them then flew to a nearby tree and planted their feet on its tree branch and swung upside-down. Shade looked at Kassidy and Holden. "Guys, we gotta let the colony know about this." He then looked at Marina and smiled. "I guess you'll get to meet Frieda after all."

Marina smiled. "Then it's settled, we'll head for the mainland. Together."

"Hang on," Kassidy said and everyone looked at her confused. "Before we go I need to do something real quick."

"Huh?"

Kassidy looked at Marina. "Trust me on this. We're all going to need it."

Kassidy turned to look at Shade and she lifted her arm towards his head but she didn't touch it. Instead, she slowly lowered her hand down from near his forehead to his chin and as she did, Holden could hear her magic doing its work. Kassidy has been doing this on their journey to him, to Shade, to herself, and even to Ariel. When he asked her why she was doing this spell she said she felt like they were being watched by someone and she didn't want to take any chances on letting anyone see through their vision if they had magic or not. She also said if they did have magic she didn't want them to intervene while they were migrating. He could tell that she had a hard time trusting a lot.

Kassidy then did the same thing to Holden and as she did it, Holden could feel the magic flowing through him and it felt strange to him. He never believed in witches and other people having magic but seeing it was something he never would've thought he would see actually occur in real life. He pretty much thought it was ridiculous that some believed in that stuff and now he believed in it.

Kassidy released her grip from the tree branch and landed at the end of it near Marina so she could do the same thing again. Holden could tell that Marina was finding this very confusing. He didn't blame her and he could see why.

"What're you doing?" Marina asked.

"It's a spell that prevents anyone to see through your vision." She then explained to her why she was doing this and Marina looked a little shocked. "That's why I'm doing this."

Marina looked a little unsure about this but then she nodded. "Well… if that's what you feel then I guess I got no choice."

Kassidy nodded and then did the spell on Marina. After Kassidy did the spell on her, she then did the same thing on herself.

"So, Marina," Holden said and Marina looked at him. "Which way's the mainland?" Marina smiled and pointed and when Holden looked he felt like he was going to be sick. Marina was pointing towards a huge body of the ocean and that's when he realized that they had to fly over it. "Oh…"

Lurking in the shadows on an island as falcons, the two figures were watching Kassidy, her friends, and another companion that was with them. They've been following them and their colony for some time now and it wasn't hard to stay hidden from them. After they saw that the three were separated from the colony they didn't hesitate to follow them. These sorts of journeys weren't that bad for them considering they've done it many times before in their lifetime.

The male figure already liked how this was playing out for her and those friends of hers. Two of them almost got killed but they were only lucky to be alive if it weren't for Kassidy and that runt. Pretty soon the male figure and his female companion would have more of the fun when the time was right.

A/N- Another chapter down, guys. Spoilers: I'll be adding more characters in this story but you'll have to wait and see who they are. Also, I'm now on DeviantArt and my account is FirecrackerWolf, so it's pretty much the same account as this one. That's all I wanted to say and I'll see you guys later.