Chapter 4: Snared

''We must decide about what we should do now,'' said Frieda and the Silverwings, Marina, and I agreed.

After taking a good rest for the day, we gathered early the next evening near the stream where Arcadia had talked to us in the morning before. Since we couldn't find Cassiel here, we wondered what our next steps should be. Should we stay or should we go?

''Why don't we just stay?'' asked a young male named Windslang. ''I mean, this place is perfect. We're safe from the owls and we don't have to worry about winter.''

The others nodded their heads in agreement. Only Shade shook his head and turned away from the rest of the group. I sighed. I knew he was still disappointed that his father wasn't here. Unfortunately, this building had been our only clue. And with no further hints, searching for Cassiel was just like searching for a needle in a haystack.

''Indeed. This place is wonderful. The perfect sanctuary for our colony.''

''You may be right, Icarus,'' said Frieda and nodded to him. ''I suggest that a few of us fly back to Hibernaculum and lead the rest of the colony here. Who volunteers?''

Instantly, Chinook's wings shot up in the air, followed by Icarus, Hector. and Plato.

''I'm afraid this won't be possible,'' came Arcadia's voice and I turned around to see her approaching us.

''I don't understand,'' replied Frieda. Arcadia smiled and landed on the ground right in front of the Elder. She was one head smaller than her, but this didn't seem to intimidate her at all.

''Simple,'' she said. ''The rest of your colony has already made its choice. They have decided not to join you.''

''True, but only because they had no idea where we were going,'' said Frieda. ''Though when they hear about this place, they will be eager to come here.''

''Elysium is only for those who have the faith and courage to seek it.''

What did the old bat mean by that? I wondered and noticed Frieda becoming suspicious as well. ''Don't you think that's a bit harsh?'' Her voice was still calm, but I could tell by the way she folded her wings in front of her chest that she was getting upset.

''This is the way Nocturna wanted it. And the decision has already been taken. The door opens only in one way,'' said Acardia, and we all gasped.

''You mean we're trapped?'' Shade blurted out.

Arcadia looked at him mockingly. ''You can't be trapped in paradise. This is your final destiny. Accept it, young bat.''

Shade did not accept it at all. Snorting, he turned away from the old Hoary bat and flew up to the ceiling. I watched him disappear into the opening in the wall from where we came in and hoped he would manage to find his way through the trap door inside it. But not a moment later he came back.

''Marina, Chinook,'' he called down, ''Come, you must help me.''

''That's enough!'' Arcadia hissed sternly. ''How dare you? I am appalled by this blatantly ungrateful behavior. And that in front of a human.'' She gestured over to me. ''It is thanks to her kind that we have this wonderful paradise in the first place.''

''Then why can't we get out?'' Shade asked. His voice shaking.

''The door was designed to keep us safe, and to keep our enemies out.''

''But that doesn't make any sense,'' I said, raising an eyebrow and watched Arcadia blinking at me. She seemed visibly surprised at what I said.

''What are you talking about?'' she asked. ''Of course, it makes sense. You, yourself, should know that better than anyone.''

''No, I don't. I did not build this building. So I don't know what purpose it serves.''

''It protects us.''

''How?'' I asked, stretching my arm. ''If everybody can get in but can't get out, how is this place safe?''

''Our enemies can't get in here,'' said Arcadia.

I recalled how Orestes didn't fit through the opening and therefore had to find another way in. So I had to admit, she was right on that part. ''But then why aren't they trapped here instead of us?'' I asked.

''Now, stop it!'' You could tell from the way Arcadia was looking at me that she did not like what I was talking about.

''But Vanessa's right,'' came Shade to my aid as he landed on the ground next to me. ''This place is a trap. We should be looking for a way to get out of here as soon as possible.''

''That's enough!'' Arcadia boomed and furiously flapped her wings. ''How dare you? Especially you!'' she shook her head, staring at me. ''How dare you speak ill of what your people have accomplished for us?''

''Well ... ,'' I began, but Icarus interrupted me.

''It's enough, Vanessa!'' he scolded me. ''We don't need to discuss this further.''

''But...''

''The same goes for you, Shade,'' Ariel added.

Shade and I looked at each other. Both of us knew, that we should better leave this place. And that quickly. But it seems the others didn't want to listen.

Meanwhile, Lucretia and Orion, along with the rest of the Silverwing colony, were waiting patiently for Mercury's return.

With today it was the second night that the messenger went in search of Ursa, who was supposed to help them find a safer place to hibernate before the owls may come.

''Let us hope he succeeds this time,'' said the female elder. Orion nodded and glanced briefly out to the entrance of the Hibernaculum.

''You'd think finding a white blackbear would be pup's play.''

''Not with all this snow,'' Lucretia replied and let out a sigh. ''What do you think? Will the others manage to find Cassiel?''

''I don't have much hope,'' he confessed. ''But at least they have a clue. Maybe this building Icarus spoke of will help them find him.''

''If they even find it.''

Just then, an icy wind blew into the cave, causing Lucretia to shiver a little and wrap her wings closer around her body.

''We should go further inside,'' Orion said, shaking himself. ''This weather is not good for our old bones.''

''You're right, we...''

''OWLS!''

Lucretia and Orion both swirled around to see Mercury rushing inside with panic in his eyes. ''They found us!'' he screamed.

Right behind him appeared General Brutus himself, together with his lieutenant Atlas and three more owls. Together they blocked the only entrance to the winter roost and caused everyone to go dead silent until Orion spoke up.

''General Brutus! What is the meaning of this?'' he demanded to know.

''I have no business with you, bat,'' the general said, glaring at him. ''I merely demand the surrender of Frieda Silverwing and the other traitors, Shade Silverwing, his female accomplices, that human girl, and … my son.'' Brutus shook his feathery head in disgust.

''General Brutus,'' Orion stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists and his fangs bared, ''How dare you invade our winter roost! It's against the law.''

''Save your breath, bat,'' the general spat. ''King Boreal himself gave me his permission for this operation. Besides, I only negotiate with your new leader ... Bathsheba.'' Brutus moved his wing aside, revealing a smug-looking old bat.

Lucretia and Orion were shocked, and so was the rest of the colony.

''Bathsheba?'' the male chief elder said while starring with disbelief at the other bat. ''What have you done? You let our enemies straight to us.''

Bathsheba just snored, unaffected by his words. ''Sometimes you have to sacrifice the fewer for the many, Orion,'' she said.

''Enough of this,'' Brutus declared angrily. ''Now hand over the traitors and nothing harm will come over to the rest of you.''

''They aren't here,'' said Lucretia.

''Then where are they?''

''We won't tell you,'' said Orion with a frown. ''Now leave this place, Brutus, otherwise, you will feel the wrath of all of us.''

Some of the others, especially the adult males, agreed with him. Brutus, however, was far from impressed.

''Well, I thought you might not want to cooperate. In this case...'' he turned to his owl soldiers. ''Capture these two together with the other elders and lock them up until they tell us the traitors' whereabouts.''

"What?''

''No!''

The colony erupted in an uproar as two owls approached and took their elders in their claws and carried them off. Mercury tried to stop them, but got brushed off by a wing and tossed against a wall. Hissing in pain, he got back up to his knees and glared at Bathsheba.

''How could you do this?'' he asked with disgust of what she had done. ''We are your colony.''

''Well, maybe you could tell us where they are, Mercury,'' said Bathsheba while glaring at him. ''After all, I don't see your mate hanging around, so you must know something too.''

''I won't tell you anything,'' he spat.

Brutus shook his head, watching him with a sighed. ''Bats,'' he mumbled, then ordered his soldiers to arrest Mercury as well.

With a sigh, I looked at the flower in my hand while sitting on a root in the shade of a young beech tree. I still couldn't believe that we were trapped here. Paradise. Pah! As if. Good. The forest itself was beautiful. A mixture of conifers and deciduous trees with soft soil of mosses, wildflowers, and grass. Even the stream was nice and clean and ran from one end to the other. In other words, it was the perfect forest for a walk or a picnic. Even at night.

Still, knowing a way out would have been nice. Not to leave this place immediately. But for the possibility. Besides, it would give us a chance to get the other Silverwings. I bet they were wondering by now where we all were.

Looking up, I saw Shade fluttering around, still in search of a way out. He has been doing that for three nights now and with no sign to stop it soon. I had tried to help him at first. But there was little I could do. The forest was huge. It would take months to comb through it fully. Especially without help.

It wasn't like the others didn't want to help. On the contrary. Frieda was worried about the colony, Breeze and Todd missed their parents, and Icarus longed to see Mercury again. And the rest of our group also wished for a way to be with the other Silverwings again, while wondering if they were okay and all. But instead of flying around, looking for hidden holes and secret doors, they took things calmy. Though in Shade's eyes it looked like they were just fooling around and did nothing besides have a great time as if we were on vacation. Not caring about the others at all.

To be honest, I was disappointed at them too for not actively looking for an escape like Shade and I did. But then Frieda told me that this wasn't the wisest way to do it. Even if all of us searched through the entire forest, it would take too much time. But we were new here. We needed time to befriend the other bats. Only then they might agree on helping us. It seemed logical to me, and I hoped it wouldn't take too long for us to gain the trust of the others. So I took it easy with my own search. Although I didn't stop it completely. I merely concentrated on enjoying the momentary peace and warmth and made acquaintance with the other bats. They were all nice and even waved at me when they spotted me while passing by.

Marina befriended a group of Brightwings or hung out with Chinook, Todd, and Breeze most of the time. And whenever I wasn't out for a walk or just sitting somewhere and following my thoughts, I usually joined them. In the beginning, we also asked Shade, but he always came up with some excuse so we stopped asking.

''Hi there!'' I looked up and saw Marina roosting above me.

''Hey.''

''How is it going?'' she asked and moved down to my side.

''I'm fine,'' I replied and tossed the flower in my hand away while changing my sitting position to a more comfortable one. ''I just saw Shade flying past.''

''Still searching, I suppose.''

I nodded.

She sighed. ''Of course, he does. He can't just take a break for once, can he.''

''Well, it wouldn't be wrong to know a way out of here in case of emergency,'' I said.

''What emergency?''

''Marina, not all humans are nice. Just because they build this here doesn't mean they have good intentions with it.''

''If that's the case,'' she asked, ''then why bother making a forest so wonderful as this one?''

I shrugged. ''Beats me. The only reason I can think of is that they don't want you guys to suspect anything wrong.''

Marina rubbed her chin and seemed to think about what I just said.

''Let's assume you are right,'' she said, ''what do you suggest we should do?''

''Keep looking for a way out?'' I shrugged again, let out a deep sigh. ''Honestly, I have no idea but we should still be alert.''

Marina got silent for a moment. ''And what if Arcadia is right?''

''What do you mean?'' I asked.

''What if she is right, and this here is the fulfillment of Nocturna's great promise?''

I had no idea how to respond to that. Actually, I didn't believe it. Also, I wasn't really convinced that Nocturna even existed. I generally did not believe in the existence of any Gods. But I didn't tell her that. I wasn't one to question anyone's beliefs. That was their business, and as long as no one tried to force their beliefs on me, everything was fine.

Marina wanted to say something again, but then we noticed Shade hanging around near the stream.

''Come on, let's say hello to him before he flies off again,'' I said. Marina hesitated for a second, but then nodded and grabbed my hands with her feet to fly us both over to him.

''Still searching,'' she greeted him as soon as we landed. Shade just nodded and took a quick glance at us.

''And? Are you two enjoying paradise?'' the mocking undertone in his voice was unavoidable, but Marina and I ignored it.

''Better than being eaten by owls,'' Marina smiled. ''Come on, Shade, give it a rest. If anyone deserves a break, it's you. This place is not that bad.''

A tiger moth fluttered around Shade's nose, but the Silverwing made no attempt to hunt it.

''You know where the bugs come from,'' he said. ''Those little holes in the cliffs.''

''You mean the walls of the room?''

Shade blinked at me for a second. ''Uh, yes. Anyway, these things are everywhere and the bugs come shooting out. Hard to believe what?''

''Shade, what does it matter?'' Marina asked.

''And they don't taste very good, either.''

''Now hold your breath,'' Marina put her hands on her hips. ''You are complaining about the food? Would you rather be outside scraping frozen lichen off a tree?''

''You know I am right,'' he said. ''The insects don't taste normal, and they all taste the same. The bugs aren't as crunchy as they are outside. You must have noticed that.''

She frowned. ''Maybe I did, but is that so bad?''

''Besides, they're all too easy to catch,'' he continued, ''even the tiger moths. And they are supposed to be a challenge, yet I haven't missed a single one today.''

''I don't know what your problem is, Shade. It all fits. The sun. No owls.''

''I know, I know,'' he said irritated. ''But not even the sun is the same. It's actually much brighter than this one. You both saw it with me, remember?''

''It was too painful to look at it outside. This way we can enjoy it,'' said Marina and let out a sigh. ''Look. Arcadia has been here for two months and nothing bad had happened to her or the other bats.

''Everyone seems pretty happy, don't you think?''

''Very happy,'' he muttered, then looked at us both carefully. ''Don't you feel like prisoners at all?''

''Well...'' I turned to Marina.

''You're so mistrustful, Shade,'' she said, shaking her head. ''Isn't it enough that the humans made this place for us?''

Shade frowned. ''No, it's not enough for me. I want to know why they did it.''

''And how, may I ask, do you expect to find that out?'' she asked. ''You can't exactly ask them.''

''I don't, but Vanessa can.''

I blinked at him in surprise. ''Say what?''

''You're human, too,'' he said looking at me ''You can understand them and you could figure out the meaning of all this so much easier than we could.''

''Of course, Shade,'' I said without hiding the sarcasm in my voice. ''That's exactly what we will do. I'm just gonna walk over to the humans who are probably somewhere in this building by ... I don't know, crawl through one of these insect holes maybe and ask them why they built this place.'' I nodded emphatically. ''Surely, it won't seem odd to them to see a tiny human standing right in front of them.'' I shook my head, rolling my eyes. ''Guys this...'' I pointed up and down at myself. ''It not normal, even for my kind.''

Shade sighed. ''I just want to know the truth of this all. "For all we know, they may just be collecting us. Maybe they want something from us.''

''Nobody forced us to be here Shade,'' Marina reminded him. ''We flew in here by choice. We didn't need to. You were the first one, remember?''

''Actually, that was Vanessa.''

''Hey! That was an accident. I didn't mean to fall headfirst through a trap door.''

''I know. I'm sorry.'' he sighed. ''I just thought ... I thought I would find my father here.''

''We know,'' Marina said, looking at him sympathetically, ''And we are both sorry that he isn't. But look: It's no use worrying all the time. You should relax a little, like the rest of us.''

''And do what? Listen to Chinooks funny stories all the time?''

She looked at him funny. ''What's that supposed to mean?''

He huffed and crossed his arms. ''Oh, come on. I bet he's a real funny guy. Why else would you want to be with him all the time?''

"Now, stop it Shade. This is not the best time for jealousy dramas,'' I said.

"I'm not jealous.''

"Well, then what do you call it?" Marina demanded to know and glared at him. ''Admit it. You don't like how I spend more time with Chinook than with you.''

"That's not...''

"Let me tell you something," Marina took a few steps forward so that her and Shades' noses almost touched. Her eyes sparkling angrily. "For the first time in my life, since I was exiled from my own colony I am truly happy. Ariel is like a mother to me and the other Silverwings are all nice to me too. And so are all the other bats I have encountered in these woods so far. Nobody cares a thing if I or anyone else wears a band or not.''

"She's got a point, Shade," I said.

Shade took a step back from Marina and glared at us both.

"I never said I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. I just want the opportunity to do so. Besides, the other Silverwings at Hibernaculum are still in danger. But apparently you don't care about that.''

"What? Of course we do.''

"Oh, yeah?'' he said irritably. ''Then why am I the only one trying to do something?''

''You're not the only one,'' I said, raising my voice and crossed my arms before my chest. "We're all looking for a way out, just a little slower.''

He laughed half-heartedly. "Well, that's great. And when are we gonna get out of here? In ten years?''

''Shade!''

"You know what? Why don't you go back to Chinook or sit in the shade and nightdream all the time? After all, that's what you two love doing the whole time.''

Now I had enough and so did Marina.

"Do what you want, Shade," she simply said, and then flew off.

Shade huffed and turned to me. ''And why are you still here?'' he asked

Angrily, I drilled my fingernails into my upper arm. ''You only doing this because you still want to find your father,'' I said. ''That's the real reason. If Cassiel were here, you'd also slow down a bit.''

''What's wrong with it?'' he snapped. ''Should I just accept that he might not be even alive anymore like I originally thought?'' He violently shook his head. ''I'm sorry Vanessa but I can't and won't do that. Not yet. But you don't understand that apparently.''

''You are not the only one who lost a father, Shade.''

''But at least you know where yours is. And I don't mean Mercury or Icarus. I'm talking about your human father,'' he said. ''I bet you can't even wait to return home and embrace him.''

My fingernails dug even deeper into my arm while I glared at him coldly, listening to him.

''No, Shade ... I can't do that?''

''Why?''

''Because, he's dead!''

And with that I turned around and walked off into the forest, leaving Shade alone by the stream not wanting to see or talk to him for a while.