Chapter 5: Missing
Lost in thoughts, I watched a moth lazily fluttering past me. It's been a week now since we got trapped in this artificial forest. Which I was sure was a research station. But I had no clue what purpose it served? Was it simply to study the behavior of the bats? If so, then why do they need to trap all the animals inside without giving them the choice to fly in or out whenever they want to?
All these questions went through my mind. As well as the thought that Cassiel might have been here after all and just got released before Arcadia and her group arrived. But wouldn't he have flown back home then? Did he still got caught by an owl? I hoped not. Shade was so eager to find his father it upset me to to think he might never succeed. But without the help, how should any of us get out? Even though my bat friends and I had made some acquaintances among the other bats, none of them were willing to help us find an exit.
The reason for this was Arcadia. She was quite popular in this forest and highly respected. But she didn't like it at all that someone was upsetting the harmony by looking for a way out of this so-called paradise. I disliked the disapproving look I sometimes witnessed her throwing at Shade. And I had the feeling that sooner or later she would come up with something bad to stop him from what he was doing.
Part of me wanted to warn Shade about this, but our little argument a few days ago must have been a little intense. We still greeted each other whenever we met, but there was no other conversation. Worse was that sometimes he looked at me so strangely. As if he wanted to say something, but then he always flew away again, saying nothing.
''It's probably because of what I had said to him,'' I said to myself and rubbed my palm across my face. ''Ugh, why did I even tell him that? What did I expect? That Shade would stop obsessively pursuing Cassiel's trail?'' With a sigh, I rubbed the back of my nose. Knowing I just acted on impulse. I was angry and simply said whatever came into my head without thinking about it twice.
I still remember Shade's shocked expression. I shouldn't have told him about my father. I've never told my animal friends anything about my human family, anyway. Like Marina, I didn't like talking about them. I basically turned my back on them for reasons. That's why I booked a two-week holiday trip to Canada just for myself. Thinking about it, it had probably already expired by now.
Another insect was buzzing around me and crawled over my new grass skirt, which I was just finishing up. I shooed it away and put on my new clothes. I still preferred real clothes but since there was nothing like that to be found around here I had to find alternatives. Also I couldn't keep on wearing the tattered rags I wore before. Nor did I not want to wrap a leaf around my body like I did after I got shrunk. The new version was much better.
Satisfied, I looked at myself from all sides. This time I had chosen a two-piece. A skirt made of bound gras stalks and a short belly-free, sleeveless top, comprising leaves wrapped around my chest. For accessories I tied a belt of colorful flowers around my hips, which I had previously braided together with Marina and Breeze before they left to go hunting.
''Not bad,'' I thought looking at the result and then noticed Icarus coming over to me, holding a fruit in his hand.
''For you. I thought you might be hungry,'' he told me. Gratefully, I took the fruit and took a bite. It tasted delightfully sweet but not too ripe, so the fruit juice wasn't dripping over my chin.
''That was great. Thank's Icarus.''
He smiled. ''Good to know you like it,'' He said and roosted on a branch above me. Letting out a soft sigh, he stared off into the forest.
''You ok?'' I asked, throwing away the seed of the fruit.
''Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine.''
I could see that he was lying. His eyes were longing and grieving.
''You are thinking about Mercury, aren't you?''
At first Icarus said nothing, but then he nodded. ''You can't imagine how much I miss him'', he said. ''If only he had come with us.''
''I wish he came with us too,'' I replied honestly, ''But Frieda said he had to stay with the colony and look for Ursa. She said he was one of the best scouts for this job.''
Icarus smiled. ''I know. That's why he got picked to be the summer scout for the females more often than others. Even after we became mates.''
''I see.''
''Yeah,'' the smile vanished on Icarus face as he thought more about his missing beloved. Two bats greeted us shortly as they flew past and I recognised them as Chinooks parents, Plato and Isis.
''They both are so lucky you know,'' Icarus said looking after them, ''They are together and their son is with them as well.''
''True.'' I wanted to say more, but interrupted myself with a big yawn.
''Tired already?''
''Kinda,'' I replied and wiped some tears out of my eyes. Weird. Why was I so tired already? It wasn't even close to dawn yet. Then my nose caught a strange smell in the air? Chemical and sweet. I just noticed it now, and it made me feel sick, but my fatigue was stronger. Letting out another yawn, I felt my eyes getting heavier.
''We should head to our roost before we fall asleep here on the spot,'' said Icarus, looking a bit tired himself. He came down to my branch and let me climb up on his back then flew up to our sleeping spot. I snuggled into the back of his mane and slowly drifted off, the unpleasant smell still stuck in my nose.
Hours later, I woke up from a weird and crazy dream. I could barely remember anything about it except for three symbols. A two–headed feathered snake, a sleek jaguar and a pair of eyes without a face. Just two slits in the dark. Darker than the night. Like neon signs, they shone into my mind.
I could still see them after I opened my eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. I've had weird dreams before, but these symbols...
I wondered what they meant. Or if they had any meaning at all and were not merely figments of my mind.
Sitting up, I stretched myself and looked around. I was alone in the tree-hole. Icarus must have been up already and out hunting. I walked over to the entrance, wondering if I could spot him outside.
Things were already turbulent outside. Bats of all kinds were fluttering through the forest, but they didn't seem to be on the hunt. They rather ignored the sluggishly buzzing moths and beetles around them.
''Where are they?''
''I can't find him!''
''She is gone!''
Confused I looked more around, wondering what was going on. Desperate calls for friends and family members filled the air mixed with crying. A Greywing female came over to him as I carefully climbed down to a branch. Her eyes were red and swollen.
''Have you seen my Dory?'' she asked me ''Please tell me you have seen her anywhere.''
''I'm sorry but no I...''
''I can't find her, '' she whined. ''She is gone like the others.''
''Wait what do you mean?'' But instead of giving me an anwser the Greywing mother lifted back off into the air. Calling out the name of her daughter.
Now I was feeling scared too. How come the bats all disappeared? There was no way out. They must have been taken away. But to where and for what? Luckily for me, the tree Icarus had chosen as our roost was full of branches so I could easily climb downwards.
Still, I was extremely careful. One wrong step and I was down faster than I wished. I already suffered from a broken bone. I did not want to go through that again.
Once I reached the ground, I ran through the woods calling out the name of my friends. Unfortunately, my voice drowned in the common confusion of shouting and sobbing.
Eventually I heard someone calling my name and turned around to see Icarus looking for me. I waved and called out to him to get his attention. Noticing me, his face lifted with relief. Then he flew down to me, followed by Ariel, Marina and Shade.
The adult Silverwing male rushed over to me and wrapped me into a tight hug.
''Why did you left the roost?'' he asked, grabbing my shoulders.
''Icarus, I'm not a child. I was just...''
''Hundreds of bats have gone missing,'' Ariel interrupted me, ''All gone without a trace.''
I gulped. Hundreds of bats disappearing out of the blue?!
''What about the rest of our group? Are they all still here?''
''Most of them,'' Icarus replied, ''But Hector, Chinook and his parents are missing.''
I felt shocked hearing this and glanced over to Marina and Shade. They too seemed concerned, yet they said nothing.
''Let's get to the clearing,'' said Ariel. ''Frieda said we would meet her there after she talked with Arcadia about whats going on.'' With a nod we followed her to the said place and found the Silverwing elder still discussing with the leader of Elysium. A crowd of others bats hanging around them in the nearby trees. At the sight of the assembly the female hoary bat immediately raised her voice for all to hear: ''Everyone please calm down. I'm sure we will figure out what's been going on. ''
''They left without a trace.'' came the voice of a long-eared bat.
''Where did they go?'' asked another one and quickly others joined in. Arcadia called for peace once more. "We'll figure out what happened. But please remain calm.''
"But where did they go?''
"I want my children back.''
"And I my mate.''
Arcadia had trouble keeping the worried crowd under control. "Everyone, please. We must keep calm.''
"It was the humans. The humans took her.''
All bats plus me turned around to face Shade who. He looked a bit intimdated with all those eyes looking at him but did his best not let it bother him so much.
''What are you talking about boy?'' Arcadia asked, frowning incredulously.
''They came when we were asleep,'' he explained. ''I saw them. First I thought it was just a dream but it fits. There were many of them. They went to the trees and picked the bats one by one with their long sceleton arms.''
Agitated murmurs rose in the crowd. And several pairs of eyes wandered over to me.
"Did anyone else see humans in the forest?" Arcadia asked.
For a moment, silence reigned. Then finally some hesitant answers came from the crowd like: Maybe they had seen something. Or maybe it was just a dream. But nobody seemed to be really sure about what they said.
But Shade was right. Only humans were able to enter the forest through the - for my circumstances - huge door on the wall and get the bats. And I also knew what they had used to help them with this.
''You have been drugged,'' I exclaimed, trying to shed some light on the subject.
I noticed how some bats in the audience gave me puzzled looks. Others, however, thought about my words and nodded as if it was the only logical explanation.
''Are you sure about this?'' Arcadia demanded to know.
I nodded and turned to the other bats. "Surely you must have noticed the strange smell.''
"Sweet," came a voice.
"Yes, I smelled it too," said another, "I thought it was just part of my dream.''
''The humans sprayed a sleeping powder into the air so you wouldn't notice how they took some of you out of here.''
The crowd began to wonder:
"What are they doing to them?''
"Why did they take them?''
"When will they bring them back?''
To my regret, they did not simply asked the questions through the area but addressed them directly to me. As if they expected me to answer their questions. Unfortunately I couldn't do that. I had no idea why some bats got taken away. Maybe for some experiments. But I didn't want to tell them that. Nor did I know if any of them were going to be brought back. It all depended on what my kind wanted from them. I just hoped it wasn't something bad.
I noticed Arcadia thoughtfully tugging at her fringed beard. Her black eyes coolly wandered over the faces of the bat.
Eventually she raised her powerful voice to the assembled crowd once again.
''If the humans really came and took some of us with them then it can only mean one thing. They were chosen to come to an even greater place.''
"Greater than paradise?" Shade cast a skeptical look on the old bat. The femle simply ignored him and preferred to turn her attention to the others instead. ''The humans have taken good care of us all this time. It is clearly Nocturne's will that they help us once more to reach our true destination.''
Amazement spread through the crowd. To me it all sounded doubtful but the bats that had lived in this forest for a long time seemed to believed in Arcadia's words.
"When will we be chosen?''
"Must we wait long?''
I winced as a young Brownwing female grasped my arm and looked at me pleadingly. "May I be the next one, please. I want to be with my mate again.''
"No, let me be the next.''
"No, me!''
More and more bats surrounded me on all sides, bombarding me with questions and wishes.
Desperately I tried to avoid them but the clusters around me grew thicker and thicker, their desires becoming more urgent. Eventually it became too much for me to bear so I shouted for them to leave me alone while I pushed some of those too close to me aside to squeeze through. Shade and Marina came to my aid and grabbed my hands to pull me out of the crowd. Together with Icarus, Ariel, Todd and Breeze they formed a circle around me to protect me from the other bats.
''Everyone, please calm down,'' Arcadia said. ''I'm sure all of us will be chosen when the time comes. Have faith everybody.''
Her words seemed to have their desired effect this time as well. The crowd became noticeably calmer and little by little they stopped pressuring me.
Once peace had finally returned, the hoary bat declared the meeting to be over and sent everyone back to their everyday business. Except for my friends and me, everyone followed her orders. We remained in the clearing and talked about what had just been discussed.
''Do you believe that's true?'' Todd asked.
"Not at all," said Shade.
''But what if it is true?''
"Wow." Breeze had a dreamy look in her eyes. "I always knew Chinook was special. Why else would he be among the first to be chosen for something special.'' Hearing this Shade rolled his eyes.
"You can't possibly believe that," he said.
"But if it's true...''
"Friends, please," Frieda joined the discussion. "'There is no use arguing about something we know little to nothing about''
"But what are we going to do now, Frieda?" Ariel asked.
''I'm afraid there is nothing we can do at the moment except wait.''
Not exactly what everyone wanted to hear, but she was right. Right now there was barely a thing we could do but wait and see what else would happen. I just hoped Chinook and the others were alright.
Moonlight shone into the narrow gap between two boulders on the riverbank close to Hibernaculum in which Mercury and the elders were imprisoned. Day and night they were guarded by owls and by wolves. Since they weren't even allowed out to hunt. The owls brought them a handful of miserable insects barely enough for all and threw those into their cell. Hibernation was also out of the question. Their prison was too drafty for that. The icy wind blew almost constantly through the gap of the sticks that had been placed as a barrier in front of the entrance. Furthermore, they were not left alone. Every night one of them got dragged out to answer General Brutus questions about the whereabouts of Frieda and the other.
Mercury could only shake his head. Brutus must have gone mad. Didn't he see that poor old bats could get sick and probably die from this procedure? At least he left the others in the Hibernaculum alone. At least as long as they obeyed Bathsheba as their leader. That traitor. How could she do this to them? What was wrong with her? He was so glad that Icarus and Vanessa weren't there. He missed them both dearly but didn't want them to endure what he and the elders were going through.
The Silverwing male shivered a little, not from the cold but from the pure image of what Brutus might do to the young human girl who was like a daughter to him.
Wherever she was, Mercury prayed to Nocturna that she was safe together with his beloved Icarus and all of the others.
''What are we going to do now?'' asked Aurora her wings tightly wrapped around her body.
''Don't worry'', Lucretia assured her yet sounded not really optimistic. "We'll find a solution.''
"Hopefully, quickly.''
Orion looked worriedly at the wooden grating that blocked the entrance. "It's been a week now'', he said. ''Soon Brutus will lose his temper and we'll lose our wings, or worse, our lives.''
"Losing our wings seems worse.''
"You may be right, Aurora. Best we don't think about it any further and rather concentrate on how we can get out of this mess,'' Lucretia said.
Easier said than done. The big gray wolf who was guarding the front of their cell was taking a nap but his shaggy fur was so close to the entrance that he would surely notice if they just tried to squeeze through between the sticks. The situation seemed hopeless.
Suddenly one of the other male elders seemed to have noticed something in the back of the cave.
''These stones here looked a bit lose so tried to moved them and then I found this.''
He showed them a small hole, big enough for a bat to crawl through with some effort.
''How come none of us noticed that before'', asked Orion.
''Well, I'm not a youngster anymore but I'm very sure that these stones I pulled off weren't lose before.''
''You think someone helped us?''
''It could be a trick from the owls.''
Lucretia walked closer and poked her head through the hole. ''I don't see any wolves or owls around on this side'', she said. ''But it feels too risky for me if we all try to escape from through here.''
''Maybe only one of us should go'', Aurora suggested.
''Good idea.''
Orion nodded. ''Agreed. And I think we all know who should be the one to go.'' He turned to Mercury and the others did the same.
The young male looked slightly surprised. ''Me? But what about you? You shouldn't be in this prison for more than you already have to.''
''Mercury,'' Orion put a hand on the younger males shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. ''I know you mean well but you are young and we are old. Our wings don't carry us fast enough like they used to. And we need a fast flyer to find help and free us from Brutus, his owls and his wolf companions.''
''I see.'' Mercury let out a sigh then nodded. ''Alright, I will go.''
''Thank you.''
''I'll try to be back as soon as I can,'' he said and crawled through the hole with the elders wishing him good luck.
Outside he took a quick glance around with his echolocation, to make sure the coast was clear and then rushed off into the forest. Not knowing that he was watched by Lieutnant Atlas who quickly reported his escape to General Brutus.
''Excellent'', he said. ''Take a patrol and follow him. He will surely lead us to the traitors.''
Atlas nodded and flew off to execute the orders of his commander.
AN: A brand new chapter. I don't have much to say about it except that I hope you guys like it. ^^
(Funfact: Whenever I read the part with the sleepdust in the book I aways imagine it to have a pink color for some reason. Probably because I associate the word sweet with the color pink.)