Chapter 13: Meeting the Bloodwings

Without stopping, Shade and Chinook flew with me deeper into the jungle. We wanted to put as much distance as possible between us and the pyramid. After a while, however, the two of them couldn't go on anymore and landed on the ground for a short rest.

''We shouldn't stay here. It's too dangerous,'' I protested, looking around in concern.

''We know,'' Shade said gasping. ''But here on the ground, they might not find us as quickly as they would if we kept on flying.

''And I cannot move one wingbeat further,'' Chinook added, plopping backward into the grass.

I looked around uneasily. Above us was a dense web of leaves and ferns that would hopefully hide us from our pursuers and other attackers. But what did we do now? We were in the middle of a strange and highly dangerous place without help.

''We should go find Orestes,'' Shade decided, as if he had guessed what was going through my mind.

''That's easy for you to say. But how are we going to do that? We have no idea where he is. Not to mention where we are.''

''I know, but ... Argh!'' Suddenly Shade flinched and fell to his knees. Blood was oozing from under his hands, which he pressed against his stomach.

''Shade!" quickly I jumped to his side. ''What happened?''

''D-during the commotion, one of the cannibals must have slashed me,'' he replied with some effort. ''But don't worry, it's no big deal.''

''No big deal? Dude, do you see how it's flowing out of you right now?''

''Not helpful Chinook,'' I hissed. Unfortunately, Chinook was right. Shade was bleeding pretty badly. Though that didn't mean that the wound was very deep. With luck, it was only a flesh wound. Nevertheless, it needed to be treated as soon as possible, otherwise, Shade might lose too much blood. Frantically I looked around while Shade was writhing in pain next to me. Eventually, I took the red scarf from my hips and wrapped it tightly around his belly. This wasn't easy thanks to his wings but somehow I managed to do it. However, this temporary bandage wouldn't last long. We needed help.

''What now?'' Chinook asked. His voice laced with concern.

''We should look for a stream or something similar to clean the wound. Then we can also see how bad it is.''

''You guys really don't need to make such a fuss about me. I'm fine. Really.''

''Shade, you can barely stand.''

''Nonsense, I...'' Again he winced as he tried to straighten up.

''Face it Shade. You are not fine.''

He was about to say something when suddenly something rustled in the bushes beside us.

''What was that?'' Chinook asked.

Alarmed, we perked up our ears and glanced carefully around. Whatever it was, it was nowhere to be seen, but I doubt it was gone.

''Guys, d-do you think it's one of those Vampyrum?'' Chinook asked.

I didn't even want to think about that. But whatever it was, it was very close.

''I'll check it out,'' Cautiously, Shade crept over to the spot where the rustling seemed to be coming from.

''Shade don't," I hissed after him. But he had already approached the bushes and reached out for one of the fern fronds. Tentatively, he bent it back, and at the same moment, something leaped past him and right at Chinook.

''AAAAAAHH!''

The thing clawed itself to his face and refused to let go of him no matter what. Filled with panic, Chinook tried to pull it off of him while screaming and stumbling around.

''Chinook, wait!''

''Hold still!''

Shade and I tried our best to help him, but he was fidgeting too much and most likely waking up the entire jungle. Eventually, I did the next best thing I could think of. I ripped off a large leaf and hit the panicking Silverwing directly in the face with it. Immediately the creature let go of him and rushed back into the undergrowth before we could get a closer look at it.

''Uh, now that was something,'' Shade said, looking after the strange creature in amazement. His pain for a moment forgotten.

''You can say that again,'' I replied and threw the leaf away. Then I plucked some long grass stalks and wrapped them around my hips not wanting my skirt to slip off. It was enough that I was running around half-naked. It didn't need to be completely nude.

''Okay, guys, that's it!'' Caught by surprise, I turned to Chinook, whose cheeks were glowing with anger. ''First, the humans sew these bombs to our bellies and use us as weapons to destroy their own stuff, then we end up with bats that want to kill us with their weird rituals, and now we're getting attacked by everything. I've had it! I want to go home.''

''You're not the only one,'' Shade tried to reassure him, ''but if you keep making such a ruckus here, we'll be discovered and...''

''This is all your fault! We could be back in the forest, but you kept whining and saying he's no good, and ... and ... you made the humans mad. And look where it has brought us! We are in this strange forest all by ourselves. We don't know where to go, and we might not even stay alive until the next day. ''

In his panic, he was talking nonsense. If he kept this on, he might as well just shout: "Hello, carnivorous bats, here we are!'' To shut him up, I did the next best thing and slapped him right across in the face. Not too hard, but hard enough to silence him. Anger flashed in his eyes, and I briefly wondered if that had been a mistake. But at least he was quiet now.

''Get a grip on yourself,'' I scolded him. ''Yelling around like crazy doesn't help us at all. It would only attract the attention of Vampyrum or other predators. Something we really don't need right now. Especially not Shade. In that case, we could have just stayed in the pyramid.

''B-but...''

''No buts! From now on, we'll all be quiet as mice and not make a sound. Is that clear?'' Chinook just nodded while I emphatically tapped him in the chest. ''Then let's move on.''

I told Shade to lean against me but we barely even moved a step when I heard a startled whimper from Chinook.

''What is it now?" I asked, turning to him in annoyance.

The Silverwing trembled slightly and dared not to move much. ''I think there's something on my back,'' he whispered. ''It feels like a spider. A really big one.''

''Oh, come on. It's probably just a leaf. Turn around!''

Chinook did as he was told, and on his back was indeed a fat, hairy spider.

''Uh... '' With a quick flick of my wrist, I knocked the creepy-crawly off his back. ''Yep, like I said. Just a leaf.'' Shade wanted to say something, but I quickly gave him a significant look to make him close his mouth again. Shortly after, we continued walking. Due to Shade's injury, we couldn't move very fast. But flying was out of question. It would only worsen his condition and Chinook couldn't possibly carry both of us at the same time.

With a sigh, Chinook gazed around at our surroundings. ''We'll never make it home,'' he said

''Of course we will,'' Shade replied, holding onto me and him for support.

''He's right. All we have to do is reach the edge of the jungle. There we'll probably find Orestes. I'm sure he has already found a few more survivors. Including your parents. They are probably waiting for us there.''

''You sure?" he asked skeptically.

''Certainly. This jungle is not so different than any other forest. We'll make it out.''

''Alright,'' Filled with fresh confidence, Chinook straightened his chest and continued to help dragging Shade through the jungle in search for water and a place to rest.

''Be honest,'' the smaller Silverwing whispered to me while making sure Chinook wasn't listening. ''How good are our chances really?''

At first, I said nothing. But then I looked him straight in the face. '' Awful,'' I said. ''We couldn't be doing any worse. Or to put it short: We're as good as dead.''

''If you continue to make such a racket, then yes.''

Startled, I threw my head around and spotted a reddish-brown bat hovering in the air just a few inches above us. With a cold shock of relief, I realized that it was not a Vampyrum, but not a northern bat either. It was a young adult male, maybe a year older than Shade and Chinook, with big triangular ears, wine-red wings, short black hair, and light brown eyes. He had no mane like Shade or Chinook, but his belly fur was much lighter than the rest of his body. Furthermore, he had the longest incisors I had ever seen on a bat.

''Well, you are a strange bunch,'' he said, grinning at us cheekily. ''You're not from around here, are you?" That wasn't a question, rather a statement. But neither of us managed to utter a single word.

''What's wrong? Never seen a vampire bat before?" He laughed.

''A Vampire?!'' I thought. ''No wonder he has such pointy teeth.''

''Who are you?'' Shade demanded to know while standing protectively in front of me despite the pain he was in. The stranger landed on the ground and crossed his wings before his chest. His grin not leaving his face.

''No need to get so hostile, shorty. The name's Tick and you guys are...?''

''A vampire bat named Tick? How fitting,'' I thought and soothingly put a hand on Shade's shoulder, who angrily glowered at the other bat. Unhappy to be called small once again.

''My name is Vanessa, and these are my friends' Shade and Chinook,'' I introduced us to him.

''Nice to meet you,'' he said, then took a closer look at me. ''Say, you don't look like a bat. What kind of animal are you?''

''Uh, I'm a human?''

His eyes widen in surprise. ''A human. But aren't those usually much bigger? How come you are so tiny?''

''That's a long story,'' And one I did not want to tell now. I was getting tired of walking around with my hands covering my breasts. Plus, Shade was still in need of medical help.

''Wait, those paintings on you... You are from the pyramid, aren't you? The place where the Vampyrum Spectrum live.'' My friends and I looked at each other, unsure what to tell him.

''What about it?'' Shade asked, but instead of answering him, Tick just circled around us, looking quite curious.

''Those are sacrificial markings. And they look brand new.''

''Well, they drew them on us just a few hours ago.''

''For what occasion?'' he asked.

''The coronation of their new king.''

''So Alkaios has finally decided to take his brother's throne? About time if you ask me. Normally, they don't wait so long to appoint a new king. And King Deimos has been dead for five nights already.''

''Uh, actually the new king is his son Goth.''

Now Tick looked even more surprised. ''Goth has returned?''

I nodded. ''And his cousin Throbb too.''

''Well, talking about surprises,'' he said.

''Why?'' Shade asked distrustfully ''Are you friends with them?''

''The Vampyrum? You must be joking shorty.'' He laughed, but it wasn't a hearty laugh. Rather a nervous one. ''Nobody who got their wits all together approaches their roost beyond ten miles. I mean, we Bloodwings have a bad reputation too because of our diet, but the Vampyrum are awful for sure.'' He rubbed his temple, letting out a sigh. ''And of all bats, they now have Goth as their new king. Well, good night then.''

''You don't seem happy about this,'' I said.

''Of course not. Have you met this guy?''

Shade and I looked at each other.

''To be honest, yes. We had the pleasure of meeting him and Throbb in the north.''

''And you are still alive?'' Tick was impressed. ''How come?''

''As I said: It's a long story and kinda combined with the story on how I became so small,'' I explained to him. ''Unfortunately, I don't think we have the time to stand around here and chat. As you can probably guess we three are on the run right now. And we're not exactly planning to get recaptured by those cannibal bats.''

Tick nodded understandingly. ''They definitely won't have anything nice planned for you.'' He said and thought for a moment. Right then Shade hissed and sank to the ground, clutching his stomach. His blood leaking through the scarf. ''What's wrong?'' Tick asked, looking concerned now.

''One of the Vampyrum clawed him as we made our escape,'' I explained and kneeled down beside my friend. ''Shade are you ok? Can you get up?'' He tried to get up but the pain seemed to be too much for him now. Clenching his teeth together he shook his head, eyes shut tight.

''What do we do now?'' Chinook asked, knowing as well as I that Shade was in no condition to walk any further.

''You should come with me to my colony. There you will be safe for a while and our healers can treat your friend's wounds here.''

I looked questioningly at Shade and Chinook. Should we accept his offer? He seemed friendly and without any bad intentions. ''What do you think?'' Chinook was skeptical ''I don't know. Do you think we can trust him?''

''I'm not sure. But I don't think we have much of a choice. Shade needs help and so do we.''

''True,'' Chinook agreed. ''Alright. Let's go with him then.''

I told Tick that we would be happy to accompany him to his colony. Pleased to hear this, he also offered to carry Shade, seeing that he wasn't able to fly on his own. Chinook and I hesitated for a second but then helped Shade climb up on the vampire's back. Afterward Chinook grabbed my hands with his feet and followed Tick through the jungle.

On the way, Tick asked us all kinds of questions and told us a bit about himself to get to know us and to distract Shade from his pain. Roughly, we told him about our search for Shade's father Cassiel, the research center, and the bombs that the humans sewed on bats and owls to use them as weapons of destruction for their selfish purposes.

''So that's the origin of the firestorms.'' Tick gazed ahead thoughtfully, and for a while, he felt silent. Once again, I felt guilty for what my kind was doing to the bats. Although vampire bats, like him, were not abused as bombs, their habitat and that of many other species were being destroyed.

Just before dawn, we finally reached a high rocky ridge, seemingly jutting out of the forest. The peak shrouding in a veil of dense fog. I assumed Tick would pilot us over it. But instead, he flew directly toward the rocks and through a narrow crevice into the interior. I had to lift my legs and make myself very small so that Chinook could fit through with me as well. Next, we went through a short tunnel and then exited the mountain into a small valley. There, well hidden between the mountains and trees, was a small clearing. Through it flowed a narrow river that emerged as a thin waterfall from the rock face of the mountain. Right next to the river stood the old moss-covered ruins of a weathered temple. Above its entrance grew a massive tree, its roots apparently growing through the rock. And from its branches dangled vines like natural hammocks.

''There we are friends,'' Tick said proudly. ''My colony lives in that temple over there.''

''You guys live in a human building too?" Chinook asked.

''Well, sure. But humans stopped living there a long time ago. Besides, it's as good as any other cave.''

Outside the entrance, Tick gently sat Shade down on the stone and asked us to wait for a moment. He wanted to tell his chief about us first. Understandable. We were strangers, after all. It was better to let the leader or leaders know about us first before letting us in. Similar to what Mercury had done when he first brought me to Tree-Heaven. However, I was still not quite sure if it was a good thing to be here. Who knew what would happen to us in this colony of vampire bats or Bloodwings how they called themselves. But for Shade's sake, we needed to risk it.

''Do you think they eat meat, too?" Chinook asked worriedly.

''With those teeth, I wouldn't be surprised,'' Shade replied, leaning against me.

I shook my head. ''No, they don't. They only eat blood.''

''What?'' Both boys looked at me in shock. Chinook even turned pale. ''How is that any better?'' he asked.

''Guys, there is nothing to worry about. Vampire bats drink blood. Yes. But only from larger animals like horses or cows. Some even drink blood from birds. But they don't kill their prey. They just take a quick bite, drink a few drops, and that's it. You know, like a mosquito.'' Blinking, the two looked at me in amazement.

''I'm really beginning to wonder how you know all this,'' said Chinook.

''We humans have our ways to learn new things. I can tell you more about that later.''

At that moment, Tick came back to us from the inside of the temple, accompanied by two other vampires.

''Alright, Chief Umber is ready to see you now,'' he said and then introduced us to his companions. ''These are Leech and Screech, two of our best healers in the colony. They will take good care of your friend here.''

The name choice of these bats was quite a mystery to me. But that wasn't important now. Shade's health however was. Carefully Chinook and I helped our small wounded friend onto the back of one of the healers. Then we followed them and Tick into the temple ruins.

Inside it was dark, but not so dark that I could not see my hands in front of my eyes. This surprised me a bit. Here and there were a few gaps in the rock so that moon or sunlight could shine through. But still, it shouldn't be possible for me to see anything. Did my eyes get so used to the darkness that I could now see in it like a bat? Nonsense! That was impossible. On the other hand, I had no other explanation. Nevertheless, it was beneficial.

Around us, the air was filled with whispers, and hundreds of curious eyes glanced down at us from various angles. I tried to ignore them, but it still made me uncomfortable, especially since I had barely anything on. Fortunately, it didn't take long until we landed again, and I could cover my breasts with my hands again.

While Chinook and I stood there, on the steps of a half-ruined staircase, Shade was brought into a different room. Presumably the healer chamber. The room where we were in seemed to be the main room of the temple where the humans used to hold their ceremonies. At the thought of the last ceremony I attended, I felt a cold chill running down my spine.

For a brief moment, nothing happened. But then the whispers around us died away, and a bat appeared from the shadows above us. As expected, it was a Bloodwing like Tick. Except this one was much older with a wrinkled face and gray streaks in its hair. Its sand-colored eyes, however, gleamed with power and vigor. ''This must be their leader, Chief Umber,'' I guessed. Silently, he looked at us for a moment, then he flew down and landed above us on the top of the stairs.

"So these are the strangers you picked up Tick," he said in a deep but friendly voice. Strong muscles stood out under his dark brown fur. Like Tick, his belly had a slightly lighter color. His wings were black and his face and body marked with scars from old fights. One of his ears even looked like someone had taken a big bite out of it. Furthermore, he had shoulder-length dirty blond hair that seemed to be fused with the thick full beard on his muzzle. With great interest, Umber looked down on the three of us. His gaze lingering on me for the longest time. No wonder. He had probably never seen a human as small as a mouse before.

"Who are you strangers?" he finally asked, "And what brings you into our jungle?"

Chinook and I took turns telling our story to Chief Umber, Tick, and all the other vampire bats gathered around us. First, we began with our journey to the human building and our gruesome experiences there. By the mention of the bombs flared anger in the eyes of the Bloodwing leader, and outraged whispers arose in the crowd around us. With a wave of his hand, Umber silenced his colony and asked us to continue with our story. When we told him about Goth and his coronation ceremony, which we barely managed to escape from, he gasped in surprise. And after telling him that we had met Goth and his cousin Throbb in the north, he immediately wanted to know everything about it.

So I began to tell them my story. Starting with the night I found that mysterious blue pearl that miraculously shrunk me because of a wish I made. Then I went on and told them how I ended up with the Silverwings and about Shade and my forbidden look at the sun and the following devastating consequences. For clarification, I had to tell them more about this prohibition and its origin since apparently there was no such law in the jungle. Although, there were owls here as well. Afterward, I explained how Shade and I got separated from the colony on our journey to Hibernaculum and met Marina Brghtwing and then, sometime later, the two princes.

Chief Umber and his colony listened attentively to my story. And as I came to the part where we had managed to trick Goth in the mines, he burst out laughing. Even Tick and the other Bloodwings couldn't help but snicker at what they heard.

Eventually, I finished telling them everything and Chief Umber looked at us with amazement. ''I must say, I'm more than impressed by your courage and adroitness.''

Tick was also visibly astonished by our adventures. ''I can hardly believe that all this really happened,'' he said.

''Just believe it,'' I said with a smile. ''It's all true.''

Chief Umber stroke his beard while looking at us. ''If you hadn't recently escaped from a sacrificial rite, I would almost believe that Lord Cama Zotz himself had helped you.''

At the mention of that name, Chinook, and I looked with shock and surprise at the Bloodwing leader.

''You worship Zotz as well?"

''Of course. Almost all bats in the jungle worship him. But don't worry, our way of serving him is different from that of the Vampyrum Spectrum.''

''So you don't make bloody sacrifices?'' I asked cautiously.

''We do that,'' Umber replied, and Chinook and I tensed up for a moment. ''But we don't sacrifice random creatures as the Vampyrum do. No. We sacrifice only volunteers among our own people at exceptional occasions.''

''Who would be nuts to volunteer for such a thing?" Chinook whispered in my ear, but Umber still heard him.

''It may seem strange to you, my young friend. But would you not also want to give your own goddess whatever she asks of you? And what more precious gift can you offer to a deity than the gift of life?''

Chinook hesitated, unsure what to say in reply. But something had struck me. ''You know about Nocturna?''

He nodded. ''In the past, many knew about her as well as Zotz. Some bats, therefore, worshipped both gods. But that has changed, and nowadays, only a few still know about his sister.''

''Wait a sec!'' I interrupted him. ''Nocturna is Zotz's sister?''

''His twin sister, to be exact.''

Now that was a surprise. Not even I knew about this even though I had already heard a lot about the Mayan bat god. At the same time, I wondered how the knowledge of Nocturna disappeared among the bats of the south and why no one in the north knew about Cama Zotz.

All of a sudden, there was a loud rumbling sound, and everyone looked at Chinook, who was holding his stomach in embarrassment. ''Uh, sorry, but I'm starving here,'' he said.

There he wasn't the only one. My stomach also made me painfully aware that it was now more than time to fill it. Noticing the hunger written on our faces Chief Umber gave his Bloodwings a sign, and shortly after, a young female approached us, holding a bowl in her hands.

''There you go. You are more than welcome to have a share of our food,'' she said cheerfully and handed us the bowl. But when we took a peek inside, we somewhat lost our appetites. Chinook even turned so pale that I feared he would collapse. As I said, vampire bats feed on blood, and the bowl was full of it.

''Eh, that's too generous,'' I said, trying not to look too long into the bowl, ''But unfortunately, we don't eat ... well... this.'' I pointed at the substance, and disappointment flashed briefly on the young vampire bat's face. But Umber nodded understandingly and told her to bring us something else instead. A little later, she then came back with a bowl full of insects and larvae.

Immediately, Chinook started devouring the creepy-crawlies with grateful hunger. But I hesitated. I would have liked to say that I also do not feed on insects. But the little one had looked so upset when we refused her blood offering that I couldn't bring myself to disappoint her again. Therefore, I swallowed my disgust and reached in for a less nasty looking insect. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Chinook giving me a puzzled look, but I ignored him and took a tentative bite. Surprisingly, it didn't taste that bad. Quite different from when I first tasted an insect which Mercury had brought me. Had my time with the Silverwings before our trip to Hibernaculum not been the only time I had eaten insects, I would have said that I must have gotten used to the taste by now. But I had been living on berries alone for all those weeks. Maybe I was just too hungry right now. Whatever the case was, I finished the insect and immediately took another.

After we finished our meal, we were taken to the river, where they helped us wash down the sacrificial marks on our skin and fur. Thankfully, I was separated from my Silverwing friend and surrounded only by female Bloodwings, who shielded me from prying eyes. Afterward, they treated our own wounds with homemade herbal mixtures and then gave me a simple piece of brown cloth as a new skirt and, at my request a second one to wrap around my chest like a poncho. To make sure it would hold, I knotted the overhanging ends together behind my back. It was now almost noon, and Tick led us to a sleeping place specially prepared for us. I was so tired from all the exertion but before I could sleep I needed to know how Shade was doing. Tick assured me that he was doing fine and that we could see him tomorrow after resting a bit. Knowing he was right about us needed some sleep I nodded and laid down on the soft nest of grass and leaves and immediately fell asleep.