Chapter 52

This Feeling

"That should be a good place to roost," Marina called out as they neared a cave.

Without any objections, the group made their way inside. To their relief, no one was occupying it, and they had the place to themselves. Unfortunately, they had one long, crazy night, and now everyone felt fatigued. The bats stuck themselves upside down on the ceiling while the owls were on a ledge.

"I hate that it's daytime already," Shade spoke, disappointed. "We should still be out tracking down the colony." He then sighed, stressed. "What if the owls found them already? Or worse…"

The Brightwing gently touched the small Silverwing's shoulder. "Shade, don't worry. I'm sure the colony is safe. We'll get to them in no time."

Helen looked outside from where she was standing with Orestes carefully. "While I would like to try and get some sleep, I don't feel safe knowing that one of the giant bats could pop up at any moment and assassinate us."

The snowy had a point, there was no telling what'll happen once they all fell asleep, and as long as Martin and any of their other enemies were hunting them down, they weren't safe. What was worse was that Lightning still hadn't shown up. He told them that Morgana wanted to help them, but Kassidy began to think that maybe something wrong had happened to him. Her thoughts had ashed with many terrible scenes. Even trying to think of good things couldn't help ease the matter.

"I say we take shifts then keeping watch for them and the owls," Kassidy said, thinking through her idea. "If we spot danger, we'll warn and bolt to safety. But, having a partner will make things better too."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Marina commented. She then pointed between her and the blonde Silverwing. "Shade and I can take the first shift."

"We can take the second one," Orestes said, indicating himself and Helen.

"So, I guess we're taking the last shift then, Kass," Holden said to the gothic Silverwing.

The mention of them taking the last shift made Kassidy remember what happened between them back at the mines. It almost made her cheeks burn red, and embarrassment couldn't even cover how she felt about that. She tried to remind herself in her head that the kiss was accidental. It wasn't like they meant to do that anyway. But, the more she wanted to block it out, the more that incident kept popping into her head that not even her magic could resolve the matter.

Trying to look deadpanned, the female Silverwing nodded at the purple Silverwing. "I guess we are," she said as casually as possible.

Kassidy wondered if Holden was thinking about the moment their lips unintentionally made contact, and as she did, she couldn't bring herself to look at him anymore. She tried to wrap her focus to something else that wouldn't make her look awkward, but the only thing the red-haired Silverwing could do was look outside to the snowy forest that was now in the awakenings of the sun's rays. The snow glittered like starlight, the birds singing their merrily morning tunes, and the wind softly hummed as if in deep thought. It almost made her want to go out there, but Kassidy dared not, for it was better she didn't claw more stress into the group.

Her fingers clung to her pendant hanging on the silver chain, making her think about what she would do. She had the feeling that she'd be seeing Martin and Dianna again, and if and when it came to that she had to find a way to pry out the information of where her family was from them. It wouldn't be easy, but doing nothing was like giving up. Kassidy quietly breathed, and she decided that it would be better that they focussed on getting through the day. Trapping herself in a plan to save her family would have to come later.

Finding food was no easy feat, but Quacey, Ursa, and a few other animals in the party could bring back enough for everyone to fill up on for the night. It wasn't fancy, but starving was no option for anyone. Eventually, the beasts decided to get some shut-eye, and many were sound asleep with the trek they had to get to the mountains.

Quacey was snoring lightly in his sleep, but it was short-lived when his ears flicked forward at some noise. The wolf halfway opened his blue-gray eyes as he scanned his surroundings, and it didn't take long for a yawn to emerge from his chops. He suddenly started to hear something scrap on the ground and his eyelids jolted up as his head lifted on alert. The one-eared wolf silently growled, but when he saw where the noise was coming from his growling fell silent. The black dog was sleeping, but she was violently moving her front and back legs back and forth like she was trying to run away from something and Quacey could hear her whining, almost in a rhythm.

The one-eared wolf had never seen her do that before. Was she having a bad dream? That was the only explanation he could think of at the moment. He thought of going back to sleep but seeing that dog acting like that did make him concerned. So, without a second thought, he slowly got up-without startling anyone awake-and started to approach the she-dog. Upon reaching her, Quacey could see that she didn't change a thing, and while trying to talk to a domestic animal may have been the worst-case scenario, it was better than a human hunting them with those sticks that were more powerful than thunder.

"What's wrong with her?" Quacey almost attacked who spoke, but when he saw that it was the familiar creme-colored rabbit and raccoon, he calmed himself.

"I think she's having a bad dream," the wolf responded in a whisper.

"Do you think we should wake her up?" The raccoon timidly asked as he fidgeted with his hands.

Quacey thought of saying 'no' just to calm down the two small animals, but as much as he wanted to he knew that wouldn't make things any better. The one-eared wolf nodded and said, "I think we got no other option anyway."

"I'll go wake Ursa then," the rabbit said. "I'd rather she be present when we try to wake up that dog."

The wolf could understand the concern, and he didn't dare stop the rabbit from going to wake up the white Kermode bear. So Quacey and the raccoon patiently waited, and it wasn't long until the creme-colored rabbit returned with a rather tired and cranky Ursa, but when she saw the dog whimpering and such, she looked down at the rabbit. "You weren't kidding."

All the rabbit could do was shake its head.

"I'll try and wake her now that you're awake, Ursa," The wolf calmly stated. He slightly hesitated as his paw hovered over the dog, but after a deep breath, he tried shaking her awake. "Miss," he whispered. "Miss."

After shaking her some more, the dog awoke with a jolt and started to breathe heavily. She was trembling, and her eyes were the color of chestnut brown, bloodshot and full of terror. Her eyes darted here and there as if she was expecting someone, but when she finally took notice of the four animals staring at her, she tried to sit up and back away.

"It's alright," Ursa gently said, almost motherly. "You have nothing to worry about."

Quacey expected the dog to stay silent, but he was somewhat surprised when she spoke-not in gibberish. "Are you… illusions?" she asked quietly and carefully.

"Illusions?" The one-eared wolf asked as he tilted his head. "Why do you ask such a question?"

The black dog closed her eyes and turned her head away, clearly traumatized by her dream. She started to mumble things under her breath, and the more she did, the more it looked like she was about to panic. Did she really think that they were illusions? Why would she think that?

The raccoon whispered to the three animals awake. "Do… all dogs act like… that?"

"I'm no expert on dogs," Ursa replied, "but I think something caused her to act that way." She then tried to approach the dog, but she stopped halfway, and Quacey assumed it was because she didn't want to scare her. "Miss, I need you to take a few deep breaths. I'm not sure what has happened to you, but I can assure you that you're safe. We won't harm you if you don't try to harm us."

The dog didn't open her eyes but did as the white Kermode bear told her to do. The four animals awake watched in silence as she breathed in and out, but she never once opened her eyes, almost as if she went blind. Quacey could practically smell the fear on her, and the dog gave no indications that she wanted to hurt any of them.

"How do I know," the black dog began saying silently, "that… you're not illusions?"

"Listen, you don't have to look at us," Ursa replied, "but I can promise you that we're not illusions. We're perfectly real in the flesh."

Almost snail-like, Quacey walked up next to Ursa, and once he was next to her, he spoke. "Could we possibly get your name?"

The black dog seemed reluctant to speak, but she finally said a few words after a minute or so passed. "Raven… my name's Raven."

It felt like forever had passed, but now Holden was awake with Kassidy, taking the last shift. He should've been tired, but in reality, he had never been more wide awake. Sleep never once crossed his mind, and all he could think about were the events that happened a while ago. Most of the banded bats and the rats-excluding Romulus-had been frustrating to deal with, but they were nothing compared to Martin and Dianna. Who knew Kassidy would've had a relative that was a serial killer? It almost felt like it shouldn't have been confirmed at all.

The sun's rays were still beating down onto the forest, and Holden had almost forgotten what it even felt like being out in the sunlight. He'd been used to darkness for so long with his friends that he'd gotten used to it. The last time the purple Silverwing saw the sun was when he broke the law with Kassidy and Shade, and he honestly started to miss standing and bathing in its warm and blinding beams. However, even as that was, Holden was glad his sight could still see daylight breaking loose outside.

Holden and Kassidy were dangling near the cave entrance with wide-open eyes and ears, but they barely exchanged words. The purple Silverwing was almost too afraid to say anything, which made him swear in his head as he could practically talk about anything… but he couldn't bring himself to say something. He knew that kiss was accidental, but ever since their lips touched, their conversations seemed flat. With them alone, keeping watch for danger while the others slept, things were more awkward than ever. Every time he even took a glimpse of the gothic Silverwing, his heart thumped against his chest in a clamorous rhythm like drums.

Before the silence could continue to escalate, the purple Silverwing decided to break it by saying the first thing that came to mind. "Some view, isn't it?"

Kassidy simply nodded. "Yeah… it sure is."

Again, silence came over them. Holden quickly tried to think of something else that wouldn't be too depressing for his friend. But what? Family was obviously not a good topic to discuss, considering her situation, and he'd rather not make her more upset than she already was. Nothing sprang into his mind, though.

"You're thinking about it too, aren't you?" Kassidy said out of the blue.

"Huh?" Holden looked at Kassidy, and his heart started to pound almost immediately.

"You know… what happened between us in the mines."

He found himself quietly gulping and rubbing his neck as he directed his gaze elsewhere. Holden didn't think that she'd be thinking about that incident still like him, but the fact that his friend admitted it in a way made him feel relieved somewhat. "Yeah…" the purple Silverwing truthfully said.

The blue Silverwing sighed as she rubbed her temples. "We shouldn't be hesitating to socialize, but we are… and all because of that…"

"Kiss?" Holden said, finishing the sentence.

Kassidy nodded. "Exactly."

"Then… we can try to talk about something else and not think about it."

She looked at him curiously. "Like what?"

Holden shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…" He sideglanced at Kassidy. "What haven't we ever talked about before?"

His friend crossed her arms, thinking it over, and she finally spoke after a minute or so. "We've discussed things about high school, but I don't think we've ever brought up college."

The purple Silverwing realized she was right; they never talked about college. "We never have, have we?" he stated. "Have you figured that all out?"

"I've thought of moving back to the USA to get my Bachelor's degree," Kassidy said, not looking at Holden, "but then there are financial issues and… this whole situation." She quickly cleared her throat and continued speaking. "Yeah, so… nothing exciting for me regarding getting into a university."

For some reason, the purple Silverwing felt a pang of melancholy wash inside his stomach at the thought of her possibly moving back to the USA. He should've felt happy for her that she thought of that, but selfishly he hoped that she wouldn't think of doing that. Who knew what the future would hold for all of them? Even as he thought of it, though, Holden managed to suppress a heavy sigh.

"What major were you thinking of doing?" Holden asked.

"Creative writing," Kassidy nonchalantly said.

That made the purple Silverwing's brown eyes widen. "Really? I actually thought you were going to major in something else like political science. You like writing?"

His friend formed a small smile, but it quickly vanished. "Yeah, I love it. I've always wanted to write a novel and get it published. Writing's been my passion for as long as I can remember, and as stupid as it may sound, it's one of my ways of escaping from reality."

Holden wasn't one to like writing or reading, but he could understand where she was going with this. The real world wasn't easy; there was much to think about, like a career. The purple Silverwing hadn't thought of his future, but he knew he didn't want his lifestyle to be like Martin and Dianna's. Yes, he was known as a troublemaker, but that didn't mean he was a villain.

"How 'bout you?" Kassidy asked. "Do you have things figured out before graduation comes?"

"Honestly, not really," Holden replied. "I'm not sure what university I want to go to, what I want to major in. I don't even know if I want to go to college. With my grades, though, I doubt I'll be getting into something fancy."

Hip-hop dancing and partying were almost like his lifeline; nothing else interested him. Yes, Holden wanted to improve himself like in school, but what was he supposed to do once his time came for graduation? Would he even still be alive by then?

Holden felt a warm hand stick to his shoulder, and his brown eyes found themselves staring into Kassidy's ocean blue eyes. His heart once more struck against his chest like a hammer, and he hoped she wasn't hearing it. "It's never too late to figure out your life, Holden. Sometimes time is all we need. Whether we manage to get back home or not, I'm sure you'll know soon enough what you wanna do."

"How will I know?" Holden said, almost quietly.

"You'll know. I got faith in you. Just make sure you don't get abducted by aliens." Kassidy then joked.

Holden smirked. "Would you like me to bring you back a souvenir if I ever escaped them?"

"Shut up, numskull." The blue Silverwing then playfully punched the purple Silverwing to the shoulder, and he started to chuckle. She smiled weakly again, but it didn't leave her face that time.

As Kassidy was smiling, Holden had to admit that she looked more beautiful with it on. He could understand why she hadn't been smiling a lot, though, and with her family still gone, he couldn't imagine how stressed she was. However, he wanted to help her more than anything, and she seemed to care about her family. More than money even.

The purple Silverwing thought she was remarkable for being so brave and tough as nails, and not everyone he knew at school was like her. She also had a brilliant mind and was very stubborn, determined, and outspoken. Kassidy was just different… and Holden liked that about her. It surprised him tremendously to think, at one point, he didn't even give a crap about what went on in her life. If she hadn't accidentally transformed them into bats, there was no telling what would've laid ahead of them.

The more Holden thought of it, the more it questioned why he had never noticed Kassidy before. A few weeks ago, she was just a random girl to him, but now there was a side to her that a part of him wanted to connect with like a charger plugged into a phone. He wanted to talk to her more, comfort her… kiss her. When that thought came to mind, it felt like his heart did a backflip. His brown eyes widened with realization, and he quickly looked away before the red-haired Silverwing could see. These feelings… could it be…? There was no denying these shaded feelings.

He had feelings for Kassidy.

"Holden, you alright?" the gothic Silverwing asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Holden quickly said. "Just thought I saw something."

Holden's brain was practically exploding with swear words. It all made sense as to why he had felt strange toward Kassidy, and now that he finally understood, he wasn't sure what to do. What made things more complicated was that he was dating Molly, and it felt like a lifetime ago he even thought of her. Even her name barely set foot in his brain.

It was every guy's vision to date a hot chick like Molly, but as Holden reflected on her, he realized they never really had a spark. Whenever they kissed, it felt neutral to him-nothing special. Even when they go anywhere together, it felt as plain as a burger with no toppings. However, when it came to Kassidy, it was different. Sure, they were complete opposites, but that still made him attracted to her. Wherever they went, the purple Silverwing enjoyed doing things with her, like dancing, excluding the dangerous situations they got themselves in. And that unwitting kiss from the mines… it actually felt good to him. Holden even thought he tasted magic that was sweet like crushed candy.

"Well, thanks for the chat," Kassidy said genuinely. She looked towards the brightly-lit sky of warm colors, with stress streaming through her blue eyes. "I think I needed that, considering…" she trailed off and breathed little by little through her nose.

Holden didn't need to ask what she was trying to say, as her expression was enough for him to know. He almost hesitated, but he wrapped his arms around Kassidy, surprising her. He felt the same reaction but tried not to show it. "It's okay… I understand. We don't have to talk about it." The purple Silverwing felt stupid for hugging her without permission, and he quickly added, "And if you want me to let you go… just say the word."

He was almost sure Kassidy would've gladly told him to stop embracing her, but his arms almost faltered when she said, "It's okay, I don't mind… Thanks, Holden."

A faint smile took place on Holden's face. "Anytime, Kass."

His cheek rested against Kassidy's head, making him want to sleep with her in his arms. Her warmth blended into his, making him want never to let go of her. While resilience seemed to always dominate the witch, there was a gentle side to her that could surface. Seeing that part of her was pleasant to the purple Silverwing.

Holden wanted to confess his feelings to Kassidy, but it made him wonder if she even felt the same way about him. What was the point of hiding his feelings from her, though? It was likely she'd find out eventually. While at that moment, it wouldn't be a good time to tell her he had feelings for her, he had to get it off his chest before he went crazy. She had the right to know anyway.

However, before the purple Silverwing could even open up his feelings to her, they heard someone in the cave speak. "Helen?" Holden heard Orestes's tired voice whisper.

The two Silverwings looked over their shoulders to see the great horned owl looking at the snowy Princess, concerned… and she seemed panicked in her sleep.

Holden and Kassidy looked at each other and then flew over to the two owls. Orestes noticed them as they landed on the ceiling, and he didn't hesitate to speak. "I just woke up to hear Helen talking in her sleep; she's dreaming about something."

"Either way, we should wake her up," Kassidy replied. "Because it looks like her dream is about to give her a heart attack."

Suddenly a sleepy Shade and Marina joined the group. "What's going on?" Shade asked, a little irritated, and then a yawn slipped out his mouth.

"Helen's having a dream," Holden answered.

"And nothing pleasant, I'm guessing," Marina chimed in.

Orestes tried shaking Helen awake. "Helen? Helen."

The snowy didn't wake up, though, and her purple eyes remained shut as she mumbled to herself.

The skies were in an uproar of thunder, packed with dark, grey clouds. Helen was flying with Orestes and a few others, and what she saw in the sky was the most terrifying thing imaginable. Martin, the human-turned giant bat's eyes didn't have their mismatched colors. Instead, they were pure black like pools of tar, and there were no signs of pupils. His veins were seen on his body, pumping with blackness, and these spider-like legs-which wasn't actual legs-hung lazily onto him, trying to kill whatever it reached. Kassidy was trying to get to Martin, freezing those black, monstrous things with her ice magic and then shattering them while flying.

The witch was getting close to reaching that red-winged Vampyrum, and the closer she got, the more Helen feared the worse to come. It was beyond what any bird and beast had ever witnessed, and Martin looked like a creature from the depths of hell coming to take over the world. He was more powerful than ever.

When Kassidy got close enough to the red-winged Vampyrum, she tried to attack him-as fire crawled onto her hands-and yelled wrathfully. However, a black limb commanded by Martin's will suddenly thrust into the side of her stomach. Everyone with Helen widened their eyes in horror as they saw blood leaking down the female Silverwing's abdomen.

"NO!" Holden shouted at the top of his lungs.

More of the black magic Martin had stretched towards Kassidy and bound her, and as they did, they started to squeeze her tightly. The red-winged Vampyrum roared with laughter. "I would say pleasant dreams, Orphan," he wickedly said, "but there aren't any left for you."

Kassidy struggled against Martin's magic, and more of it started to snake around her like she was being swallowed up. Her breathing weakened, she moved less, and her eyes gradually began to roll to the back of her head. Helen's fear came true.

Kassidy was about to die.

"Helen!" Orestes said out loud as he continued to shake the snowy Princess awake, and she finally awoke, breathing quickly and shaking uncontrollably. Kassidy watched as that all happened with her friends and the great horned owl tried to calm down Helen as he gathered her in his wings. "Helen, breathe. Breathe."

Slowly, the snowy started to calm down against Orestes, and as she did, she drank in all the air she could. It was clear though she had gone through quite a petrifying dream. "Great phoenix…" Helen quietly said.

"It's okay. It was just a dream," Orestes reassured her, and when he did, Helen started to relax against him.

"Are you okay?" Kassidy asked, concerned.

"I…" However, Helen could barely say a word, as if she had forgotten how to speak. She never once even looked anyone in the eye.

Before anyone could even say a word, they heard a snap coming outside the cave, and no one dared to say a word. Slowly, Kassidy crept to the mouth of the cave on the ceiling on all fours, and as she did, she was as silent as the wind. Holden, Shade, and Marina weren't far behind her, which she didn't expect, but she didn't stop them from coming with her. Orestes stayed with Helen since her dream still perturbed her, but he carefully kept his yellow eyes on the cave entrance.

Kassidy and Holden took one side of the opening while Shade and Marina took the other side. The four then looked at each other, and as they did, the female Silverwing indicated to them to be silent, and the three nodded. They couldn't be too careful, whether it was the giant bats or the owls.

However, the four staggered when they heard a voice echoing in their heads. Kass, Holden, Shade, Marina, is that you in the cave?

The four bats looked at each other. Only one animal could do something like that. Kassidy then quietly called out from the cave. "Lightning? Is that you?"

A red-tailed hawk suddenly flew in front of them like he'd been waiting for that moment. "Lightning!" The four bats said in unison, relieved to see a familiar face.

"Huh?" Orestes said, and Helen looked up, confused. "Guys? Wh-What's going on?"

"It's okay, Orestes," Marina assured the great horned owl. "He's a friend of ours."

"You never mentioned you had a hawk friend," Helen said almost silently as Orestes put his wings down from her.

"I guess it really never came to mind," Shade replied.

"Lightning, what happened?" Kassidy asked. "Where were you?"

Martin and Dianna got me unconscious while I was trying to distract them from going anywhere near the hut, Lightning explained through their heads. When I woke up, though, three individuals helped me, and together, we went to track you all down. It wasn't easy, but seeing you all here now, it appears we succeeded in our search.

Shade tilted his head confused. "Who's we?"

"That would be us," a masculine voice chipped in, and the four bats whipped their heads over their shoulders to see three figures standing near the cave. There was a great grey owl, a barn owl, and even a black cat.

"Uh…" Holden said, confused. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be alarmed by this or…"

"It's okay," the same voice spoke, coming out of the great gray owl. "You can trust us."

Kassidy was not too keen on trusting strangers immediately, and she was a little skeptical of those three. She wanted to believe that the great gray owl was being honest, but she wasn't sure if she could. After all, they were in this messy situation with the owls, her half-uncle, Dianna, the brothers-in-law, and the wolves. Who knew what those three individuals were capable of?

"Who even are you three?" Kassidy asked straightforwardly.

The great gray owl placed his wing on his chest. "My name's Raymond-" he then indicated to his two companions, "-and this is Sylvester and Stella." The barn owl and black cat nodded slightly to them in greeting.

As the four bats stared at the three strangers, Kassidy noticed something around the two owls' necks… necklaces that looked like hers! The only difference was Raymond's pendant was the color purple, almost like Helen's eyes, while Stella's pendant was as white as delicate snow. There were more magic users right before their very eyes.

Kassidy's eyes narrowed at the three suspiciously, and Raymond seemed to have picked up on it. "I see you've figured out we possess magic. I understand you may have your suspicions, but I can assure you that we mean you no harm."

"Yeah, and we almost didn't get killed by a magic user serial killer a dozen times now," Holden sarcastically spoke as he crossed his arms. "What makes you any different?"

"Exactly, we barely know anything about you," Shade agreed.

"Allow us to explain our identities more then," Raymond spoke calmly. "You see, we're part of the Spell Organization-a secret group full of magic users."

"I'm sorry, what?" Holden said, puzzled. "Is this some kind of fantasy shit you're now pulling out of a book?"

"Holden, let them speak," Marina said while furrowing her brow at the purple Silverwing.

"No, it's real," the barn owl named Stella affirmed. "It's been around for centuries."

"This organization is used to stop anyone from using the darkness of magic to terrorize and harm people," Sylvester, the black cat, spoke up. "We arrest those that are a threat as far as magic goes."

"Indeed," Raymond said after he nodded.

Kassidy, Holden, Shade, and Marina looked at Lightning as if they were seeking guidance. The red-tailed hawk nodded, hinting that they were speaking the truth. Well… the female Silverwing thought to herself. I suppose since they helped Lightning…

"We're on a mission," Raymond continued, "we're after two specific people, which I'm sure you can probably guess who I'm referring to."

What the great gray owl said had the four bats looking at each other as if they had guessed the same thing. "Martin and Dianna?" Kassidy presumed when she and her friends looked back at the two owls and black cat.

Raymond nodded. "We were also trying to find you, Miss. Kimler."

"Me?" Kassidy said as she pointed at herself. "And… you know who I am?"

"You and Holden were reported on the news as missing," Sylvester explained. "After watching the news, we went over to your house to try and see what happened using a spell that can rewind to certain events. We used that spell to try and catch up with you and your friends each night that passed so we could help you and not let Martin and Dianna bring upon anything that could kill any of you. We've seen what you all have been through, and by spells' name, we found it hard to believe you are still standing and breathing."

"That's something we can agree on," Shade spoke up.

"So, this organization you're in," Kassidy said, the suspicion inside her slowly shoveling away, "you say it's to stop anyone from abusing such power in any way and to arrest them, correct? I assume that Martin and Dianna are the most wanted on your list."

"They've been wanted for many years now," Stella said with facts. "They always manage to slip under the organization's fingers, and no matter how close we are to arresting them, they're one step ahead of us."

"It might be different now, though," Raymond chimed in. "And we are very sorry for what you all had to go through, but with us now, you can rest assured that we will help you."

The more they spoke, the more Kassidy thought that maybe they were telling the truth. What if they were lying, though? However, it made her remember what Zephyr told her back at the cathedral. You must never underestimate the power of a kind act, the albino bat's words stemmed in her head, even towards one enemy. Raymond, Sylvester, and Stella didn't seem all that bad, and it looked like they genuinely did want to help.

"If that's not convincing enough, perhaps this will." Raymond suddenly flicked his wing in the air, and a puff of a purple cloud swirled in front of him and his two companions, and before long, two figures materialized on the ground. Who the four bats and their two owl allies saw took them by surprise: Goth and Throbb. The two looked like they were trying to get up and move around, but they were clearly struggling as they were wiggling around like worms. "We saw these two tailing you, so we used our magic to bind them in a way."

The brothers-in-law seemed stumped by what was happening, but Goth looked angry. Kassidy watched as the purple Vampyrum opened his mouth to let the storm loose, but as soon as his lips began to move, nothing came out of him. Instead, there was only silence, which seemed to get Goth more frustrated as he tried to move around more aggressively.

"Holy sunlight," Marina exclaimed. "They actually have Goth and Throbb!"

"What the hell's going on with Goth?" Holden asked as he pointed at the purple-winged Vampyrum. "Why is he not making any noise?"

"Oh, they were causing quite a ruckus while we took them by surprise," Sylvester clarified. "So, I used a mute spell to shut them up." After he said that, Kassidy saw Goth looking at him, and it looked like he was trying to insult him, but the black cat didn't seem bothered at all by him.

"Okay, I'm not gonna lie; that's pretty funny," Shade said with amusement written on his face.

The purple-winged Vampyrum flashed his angered eyes at the sky-blue Silverwing, and his teeth were bared as he did. Marina looked at Kassidy, Holden, and Shade. "Guys, do you know what this means? If these two get turned in to the owls, maybe there's a chance we could prove that the Silverwings and even Kassidy, for the matter, are innocent. All we would have to do is make them confess."

Kassidy had to admit that the Brightwing made a valid point, but would the owls even believe them? There was no telling. "After what Martin and Dianna put them through, maybe they'd be willing to testify instead," she thoughtfully spoke as she looked at Orestes and Helen. "Do you think your fathers would finally believe the innocence of me and the Silverwings if these two confessed?"

"It's… possible," Helen said, slowly coming to relax. "Owls can be hard to convince, but if Goth and Throbb tell the truth, it could change their views on how they see you and the Silverwings."

"Especially our fathers'," Orestes piped in.

"Well, I don't think those two will be confessing anytime soon," Holden said as he used his thumb to point over his shoulder at Goth and Throbb. "At least not Goth, that is."

Kassidy crossed her arms as she looked at the brothers-in-law. "Maybe if they cool down enough, we could talk to them about it then."

Shade groaned. "What if that takes a while?"

"Then we'll do the waiting game." Kassidy then looked at Shade. "It's not like they have anything better to do in their spare time out here-besides probably still trying to eat the colony."

"Either way," Marina stated, "Having these two as the main witnesses of Martin and Dianna will surely get the owls' heads straight."

"Do you believe us now?" Raymond asked carefully.

Kassidy and her three bat and two owl friends looked between each other. They indeed did seem like allies; if Lightning could trust them, they probably could too. Plus, they could greatly help to deal with Martin and Dianna. Those two monsters could be out of their hair, and this situation could finally be over. Plain and simple.

As if they communicated through their heads, they nodded in agreement and looked back at Raymond, Sylvester, and Stella. "I think we can," Kassidy responded.

The bitterly cold wind nipped their bodies as they smoked their cigarettes, and Martin was not only seeing red but he was made a fool. No matter how much the nicotine entered his system, all the red-winged Vampyrum wanted to do was obliterate the section of the forest they were in into many pieces until there was nothing left. Dianna managed to find him in the mines, and when he realized that Kassidy and her friends managed to trick him, he was that close to setting the mines aflame. He wasn't sure how they managed to do it, but he swore he wouldn't underestimate them. Next time he would be ready, more potent than ever.

"We should've had this in the bag," Dianna complained. "But now we're back at square-"

"Would you shut up for one minute so I can think!" Martin yelled in his wife's face, but she never once flinched. "It's already frustrating as it is, so don't be nagging at me!"

"Screw you! Maybe if you hadn't decided to toy with that brat and her friends in the first place, we would've had her by now so we could get what we had in mind over with!"

Martin growled. "Oh, I suppose you hadn't done some stupid shit over the past few days as a bat yourself?! I know what I'm doing!"

"Oh, really? Because last I checked, you were cowering on your knees like a helpless person, not realizing that you got tricked! I think you've lost your touch to being your magic-user side!"

"At least I'm even a powerful magic user, unlike you, you helpless bimbo!"

Dianna slapped Martin on the cheek, but after she did, both of their eyes widened. They hadn't fought like that since their bad luck many years ago. They were a great team and stuck through thick and thin, but their outbursts towards each other came loose like a screw.

Martin swore as his cheek started to sting. "Dianna, I'm sorry. But, look, the orphan and her friends are turning us against each other, and it's clear we need to take some serious action." He then looked down at his half-smoked cigarette, and as he did, his mismatched eyes flashed with an idea. "It's time we got out the big guns." He then wickedly smiled at his wife. "Love, you still have that chemical liquid you created, right?"

Dianna cocked her eyebrow with interest. "More than enough."

"Excellent." Green fire erupted from Martin's hand, burning his cigarette to ashes. "This time, we'll have them cowering in fear for good."

Nighttime loomed over the sky with the dark shades complimenting one another as the stars embedded in them, and the group had departed from the cave-after doing the sight-seeing spell-making sure no one was tailing them. Kassidy had to admit that they looked like a weird colony with bats, owls, a cat, and a hawk. She could only imagine how the Silverwings would react once they saw her, Holden, and Shade with the others in the group.

Lightning led them all to where Morgana resided; according to him, they were not far from where she lived. He didn't say much about her, which begged the question of what she'd be like, if anything. So far, Kassidy and her friends had complications when it came to meeting strangers, but somehow out of the ratio of those strangers, they managed to befriend them, but most of the strangers had not been too kind to them: discrimination pretty much. Morgana seemed like a hospitality person, though, especially if she wanted to help Kassidy and the rest of her friends. Who knew?

Kassidy was flying with Holden, Shade, and Marina, Orestes and Helen were behind them, speaking quietly to each other, while Raymond, Sylvester, and Stella were chaperoning them with Lightning. Raymond was in his human form, using his magic to make Goth and Throbb float in the air like gravity was defying them. While having them fly on their own would've been reasonable, they were not trustworthy enough to, especially since they've been causing a lot of trouble. Sylvester went from one limb on the trees to another, shapeshifting into a shadow-like figure in the process, never once making a sound like his paws were made of air. Stella rode the cold wind quietly and concentrated in her barn owl form, her hazel eyes never daring to blink as she scanned their surroundings.

Kassidy had to admit that those three looked like they had no struggle when it came to magic. Hell, a bead of sweat never even slipped down their foreheads. Probably advanced in magic like Martin, Kassidy thought to herself. Especially Stella.

The gothic Silverwing took note of how young Stella was. She seemed to be around her and Holden's age, and the fact that she could easily conjure magic kind of made Kassidy jealous. She wasn't even advanced yet, but she supposed that Stella must've had some sort of training in the Spell Organization to keep her magic under control. Kassidy quickly brushed that aside and tried to avert her attention to something else that wasn't negative at most minor.

While trying to think of something else, her sense of smell had been burning from the metallic smell she'd picked up on a while ago. At first, she thought it was only just coming from her cut hand-from the blood oath she made with Goth-but by then, her hand had crusted with the blood as the cut was still throbbing. So it had come from someone else. She looked right at Shade and Marina, but they didn't look like they were injured with blood sprayed on them. Kassidy hummed to herself, but that was when she remembered something: that strong scent had increased when she and Holden had been together. Although she could be wrong, the witch had to know.

She rotated her head at Holden, observing his body and facial movements, but as Kassidy looked at him, she felt butterflies in her stomach. The talk she had with him a while ago had been pleasant, and it hadn't been one of those disagreements they would've had days ago. No. They had been very open with each other, and the moment Holden hugged her, it felt like everything around them became more peaceful as if nothing had ever happened in the first place… and in a twisted way, she wouldn't have minded if they stayed like that for a long time.

Kassidy immediately shook her head and almost growled to herself. Damn it, what the hell's gotten into me lately? Focus!

Her blue eyes pinned back on Holden-trying to ignore these feelings stringing her insides-and while they were flying, she noticed he flinched slightly in pain at some points. But why? She couldn't find anything unwanted on him at first, but after some mighty concentration, Kassidy pinpointed something on the palm of his hand. It was hard to see what it was a few times, but she worked to register it as a wound.

Well… that's no coincidence, Kassidy thoughtfully said in her head, referring to her cut hand. "Holden, what the hell happened to your hand?" She asked.

"Huh?" Holden said, but as the red-haired Silverwing was eyeing his hand, he seemed to have picked up on her question. "Oh, I cut it while helping Marina and Orestes remove some rocks."

"Okay, we gotta get that treated then. It's going to get infected if we don't."

"Your cut probably might, too, Kass," Shade chipped in. "I still can't believe what you did back in the mines."

"Wait, what?" Holden asked. "You got a cut on your hand too?"

"Yeah, this is the first I'm hearing of it, too," Marina said, who was eavesdropping on the topic.

Kassidy looked at Shade, puzzled. "Shade, you didn't tell them?"

Shade pressed his lips tightly together, and Marina looked at him thoughtfully as he did. "Tell us what?"

The sky-blue Silverwing didn't answer, making Kassidy sigh a little frustrated. "I made a blood oath with Goth."

"You what?" Marina looked at Kassidy with her green eyes widened. "I would've expected Shade to be the one to strike up a deal with Goth, but you making a blood oath with him? I'm starting to wonder if you are finally out of your roost."

"Marina, it's okay," Kassidy assured her Brightwing friend. "As long as the cuts are still on my hand and Goth's, the blood oath will still be upheld. Besides, Raymond, Sylvester, and Stella captured him along with Throbb, so there's no way he'll try to get out of it."

"She does have a point," Shade spoke up. "It seemed like she knew what she was doing anyway."

Holden shrugged his shoulders. "I trust she knew what she was doing. It's not like she made a deal with the devil anyway." He then smiled weakly at Kassidy, and as he did, that almost made the female Silverwing blush.

Marina looked like she wanted to argue, but she sighed in defeat. "Let's pray to Nocturna then that nothing else gets messed up. Things are already getting messy as it is."

"Then we'll get it cleaned up," Shade said enthusiastically. "I think we'll be proven innocent in no time as long as we can still turn Goth and Throbb in to the owls, and they tell them the truth." He looked at Goth and Throbb. "Things are starting to look up to us."

A few more minutes passed, and Lightning spoke through their minds before anyone knew it. We're here.

Everyone stopped and took a moment to rest, but as they did, all they could see was a dead end—a mountain wall. "I don't get it," Holden said, confused. "There's nothing here."

A graceful hoarse screech sounded in the sky, and everyone looked up to see a red-shouldered hawk. Feathers gleamed in the moonlight like the moon cried on her, and her gentle flapping wings put the wildlife at ease. No one said a word as they watched this beautiful bird approach them like she was a deity that came into the opening unexpectedly. Yet, to Kassidy, something about her gave off a sense of wisdom and good nature like Frieda.

The hawk lightly touched the snow, carpeting the ground, the snow never crunching. The bird's Caribbean blue eyes landed on everyone in the group, and they held a charm that no one could look away from, even if someone paid them to do so. The female Silverwing then noticed something around her neck: another necklace with a pendant hanging from it. Her stone was golden-yellow like it was a gift from the sun. It was another witch.

The hawk's wing met with the pendant, and when it did, she spoke, her voice like milk and honey. "Change me into a human."

As soon as she said those exact words, her pendant glowed a brighter yellow, and she was in an aura of that. The light danced on her gingerly as it shined more brilliant, and almost everyone had to shield their eyes. It reminded Kassidy of when she, Holden, and Shade glimpsed the sun and broke the law, and with her hidden in darkness for so long, her eyes now seemed to have loathed that brightness. The radiance eventually died down, letting the many eyes breathe in the night again. What once was a hawk stood an exquisite woman.

She had beautiful long locks of sun-kissed blonde hair and soft beige skin, which went along nicely with her Caribbean blue eyes. She wore a long white dress, a white winter coat, and a white scarf. It was almost like looking at an angel. The woman smiled warmly as the wind breathed through her hair, never seeming to mind the cold. It was almost as if everything around her praised her.

"Hello," the woman spoke tenderheartedly, "I've been expecting you."

A/N- Hey-a! It's been a while since I last posted this-life you know. But I'm happy to have posted the next chapter, and I hope ya guys enjoyed!