Chapter 15: Peace & War

A while later, I was back inside the temple surrounded by a flock of happily chattering Bloodwing females. They were combing my long dark brown hair with their claws and wrapped my body in layers of leaves and petals.

''You will look amazing in this outfit,'' said one of them cheerfully.

''Indeed,'' another agreed. "The colors on their own look stunning on you."

I watched as they worked, standing as still as possible so as not to disturb them. To ensure nothing would fall off, they wrapped the natural fabrics tightly around. But not too tight, that it would affect my movement or breathing. They braided white flowers into my hair for accessories and gave me a necklace made of the same material. Eventually, I was given some space to check myself out. Though, without a mirror, this wasn't so easy. But as far as I could see, I didn't look quite bad.

''What do you think? Do you like it?''

''I do. It's wonderful. Thank you.''

''¡Fantástico!'' said a caramel-colored female smiling and clapped her hands together. ''We were hoping you would like it. It's not every day that we can dress someone up like this for a special occasion. Especially not a human.''

I nodded, knowing what she was talking about, and looked down at me again. My dress was sleeveless, bell-shaped, and had a sweetheart neckline. It encircled my waistline with red petals and layers of light and dark green leaves. It certainly looked much better than the pink dress I had to wear back in the mountain cabin in the north.

Taking a few steps around the chamber, I checked how it felt to move around in it. Meanwhile, the Bloodwing ladies were cleaning up all the fabrics which they had previously tried on me. As well as the brown fabrics I wore earlier.

The chamber we were in was relatively empty, with grass covering the ground and moss and vines growing everywhere. Moonlight shone through a crack in the wall, lighting up one of the less overgrown walls. Like so many others in this temple, it was covered in strange signs and symbols with a massive effigy of two creatures carved in the center. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were bats. One had the typical features of a Vampyrum Spectrum, while the other looked more like a Silverwing. Despite this, both looked rather similar. Cautiously, I stepped closer and ran my finger over the lines. It must have been centuries since they were carved into the stone. Looking at the wall some more, I also noticed something that looked like a pair of eyes right above the two bats.

"Excuse me, but could anyone tell me something about this effigy here?"

The Bloodwings looked up from what they were doing, and the one with caramel-colored fur walked over to see what I was talking about.

''Oh, you discovered one of the oldest pictures of the gods,'' she said.

''These are gods?''

''Sí,'' She said, pointing towards the Silverwing and the Vampyrum. ''This one is the mighty night goddess Nocturna, and this is the great god of the underworld Cama Zotz.''

''Is there a reason why they are illustrated as different bat types?''

''Not that I know of,'' she replied, ''Why are you asking?''

''Just wondering,'' I replied, knowing full well that she had a point. Yet the fact that they both looked like different kinds of bats, even though they were supposed to be twins puzzled me. ''And what's with those eyes?''

''The what?''

I pointed to the symbols above the gods. ''These here! Do they have any meaning, or are they merely there for decoration?''

She looked at what I was pointing at and shook her head. "Those aren't eyes," she said, "they're just ornamental leaves."

''I see.'' They didn't look like leaves to me, but what did I know. I wasn't the one who had chiseled the symbols into the stone.

''Now, vamos,'' she said, tugging me by my arm. ''The party is just about to start.''

I nodded and threw one last glance at the wall before following her and the others out of the chamber. Whatever mystery the image contained, I would think about it later. For now, I decided to put my thoughts and worries aside and have some fun. Who knew in what kind of trouble we might end up in the future?

In the courtyard, the Bloodwings were making some minor adjustments to the decorations before Chief Umber opened the festivities. There I found my friends on top of a weathered stone staircase. While Chinook was hanging upside down from a tree root above, Shade was lying on a soft bed of moss prepared for him. He probably should have stayed in the healing room, but I guessed he didn't want to miss the celebration. After all, it was also arranged because of him.

With the help of the Bloodwing girls, I joined the boys at their roost from where they had a great view of the fairground.

''Hey guys,'' I said, waving at them while I walked closer.

''Vanessa, is that you?'' Chinook asked, a look of utter astonishment on his face.

''Wow!'' came it from Shade, ''You look gorgeous.''

''Uhm, thanks,'' I said, blushing a bit from the compliment and sat down on an extra patch of moss. Both Silverwings still staring at me. ''Guys, stop it! It's just a dress.''

Shade and Chinook still looked at me slack-jawed. Then they blinked as if they just woke up from a trance, and shook their heads a little.

So... when do you think the festival will begin?" Chinook asked, pretending nothing happened.

''It can't be long now,'' Shade said, looking around. ''Chief Umber will surely show up at any moment.''

"I can't wait to see how the party turns out. The last one I went to wasn't that enjoyable."

"That bad?" Shade asked.

I sighed, stretching my legs. ''Let's just say, the banded bats were a little too wild for me in terms of dancing.''

''I see.''

''I mean it,'' I said, not missing the cheeky grin on his face at all. Straight-faced, I poked him lightly with my elbow.

''Ok, ok. I believe you.'' Shade chuckled, raising his hands in defense. ''Although, Marina told me that it seemed you enjoyed dancing with Scirocco.''

I wrinkled my nose in disgust, remembering the Greenwing. ''Urgh, don't remind me of him,'' I said. ''That guy was a creep.''

''I know. But still... He didn't deserve the end he got.''

''Neither did the other banded bats.'' Mournfully, I thought of all the poor bats in the Northern Mountains that had fallen victim to Goth and Throbb. ''Luckily a lot of them still escaped. Though I wonder if they managed to find a safe place for the winter.''

''Yeah me too.''

''Would you two please talk about something else,'' Chinook said. ''You making me all depressive.''

''Sorry,'' I said, smiling at him a bit and looked back at Shade. ''Say, are you sure you feel fine enough to be out here?''

''Of course. You don't think I want to miss the party, do you?! Although, I can probably just watch.''

''Hey, there you three are!''

Looking up we saw Tick joining us by the stairs.

''How is it going? I hope you guys like the exterior design. My colony loves to decorate. That's why we celebrate a lot of feats.''

''Really?''

Tick nodded. ''A welcome party is one of the rarest though because we don't get many visitors.''

''Sorry to hear that,'' I said but he waved it off.

''It's fine. But hey! Did someone already told you how beautiful you look in this dress?'' he asked, causing me to blush again. ''You look just like a flower. No! Not any flower. A rose.''

''Ehm, Thank you,'' I said, feeling slightly embarrassed. Getting such compliments was pretty new for me. I didn't know how to handle it.

''So, when does the feast start?'' asked Chinook.

''As soon as Chief Umber ... Ah! There he is.''

The Bloodwing leader emerged from the archway behind the stairs and landed by us. After greeting us shortly with a friendly nod, he turned to the crowd gathered in the middle of the square. Upon his arrival, almost all conversations ceased instantly and everyone waited eagerly for the words of their chieftain.

''My dear friends,'' he began, ''As you well know, we rarely receive guests in our home. And even more rarely such as these three here.'' He gestured towards me and the two young Silverwings. Slightly embarrassed, we watched how the vampire bats focused their attention on us. ''And so,'' Umber solemnly continued, ''it is my great honor to welcome Vanessa, Shade, and Chinook Silverwing in the name of the gods and all of us, here in the jungle.'' Approving shouting and clapping resounded. ''May the celebration now begin.''

After his speech, life came into the crowd. Bats buzzed around. Either to dance or to talk while others were singing or playing on self-made musical instruments. Smiling, I watched a group of newborns laughing and flying through the area. Their parents, chatting not far away in small groups by the glowing mushrooms. All in all, everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun.

A male with a curly brown bard came up to us and offered us something to eat. As expected, it consisted of leaves filled with blood and big fat bugs.

''Thank you Bark,'' said Umber to him and took a leaf. Tick did the same while Chinook and Shade preferred to grab the creepy crawlies. Without much hesitation, I did the same and grabbed a particularly fat one. Shade, who was just about to bite into his bug, paused and looked at me quizzically. Without paying much attention to him, I bit into the insect in my hands and let myself enjoy it. Questioningly, Shade turned to Chinook, but the latter was too busy with his own meal.

''Something wrong?'' I asked after taking another bite.

''You do know that that's a bug in your hands right?''

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. ''Yes, I'm aware of that, Shade.''

''Ooookay. ...just asking.'' ... ''Since when are you eating insects?''

''Since yesterday,'' I replied.

''How come? I thought you didn't like them.''

I shrugged. ''These here just taste good. And to be honest, I've had enough blueberries the past month.''

I could see he was still confused about my change in diet but didn't ask me further about it, preferring to continue eating his own insect.

After our meal, we talked a bit with Chief Umber and Tick while also watching the bats celebrating in the courtyard. I loved the music that the musicians played. The rhythm alone was so captivating that I couldn't help myself but move a little back and forth to the beat.

''Would you like to dance with me?''

The question came so unprepared that it took me a few seconds to figure out who had asked it until I realized that Tick was looking me straight in the eyes. Waiting for my answer, he smiled and nodded towards the dance floor.

''Uh, sure,'' I said and took his hand to let him lead me to a free patch of grass down by the other Bloodwings. After a few careful dancing moves the music begun to grow in intensity. And before I knew it I was whooping and laughing while twirling around still holding Ticks hands, following his lead. The Bloodwing was laughing as well and circled with me around the dance floor.

The other bats on the ground stepped aside to make room for us but I barely noticed it. I just let myself being tossed and turned by the rhythm of the music. My dress swirling around in the air. I had so much fun I didn't even notice how fast the time went by.

Eventually, I told Tick I needed a break and let him take me back to the others. Together we watched the other bats dance and kept talking until dawn. By then some bats, especially the youngest ones in the colony were starting to get tired and their parents decided to take them back inside the temple.

However, most of the others still had enough energy to party on for a few more hours. I too wasn't too tired yet. But Shade needed rest because of his injury and Chinook was getting nervous because of the approaching sunrise. Chief Umber assured him once again that he had nothing to fear here regarding the sun and its law. But Chinook insisted on being inside the temple before the first rays of the sun. His request was granted, but Shade and I stayed a while longer with Umber and Tick. And although I was secretly still anxious about the well-being of our missing friends, I couldn't help myself but feel happy.

Tonight was just wonderful.

Tonight was just terrible.

With Breezes help, Marina fluttered from bat to bat to help treat their wounds. Like the gash, Todd got in his ear. He had been lucky to get away with a minor injury. Unlike some of the other bats in their traveling party.

Everything had been just fine as long as they kept flying underneath the foliage roof. But yesterday their path led them over a large grassy area and they had no choice but to fly across it.

And that was when fate hit them.

As if they had just been waiting for them, six owls swooped down on them as soon as the last bat was far enough away from the saving undergrowth. Fortunately, they managed to escape just in time but bats got wounded or even killed during the ambush, including the young banded tricolor bat.

Marina had hardly known her. She mostly hung out with the other bats that had escaped with them from the human building or the other banded bats. Still, Marina did not take her death lightly. Just like her, the tricolored bat had been cast out of her colony because of her band. In the false paradise, she had then found refuge until she followed Marina and the Silverwings back to freedom. She had then been worried that she would now be alone again, thinking no colony would take her in. But Marina was sure Frieda would have offered her a place in her colony. Just like she did with her.

Speaking of the elder, Marina looked around to find her resting alone on a cedar tree. Despite being one of the lucky ones who had escaped with barely a scratch Frieda's condition wasn't as good as before. When flying, she often lagged and her breath rattled with each breath. Marina, Ariel, and some of the others had therefore begun to take turns carrying her on their backs.

Worried, she wondered if this trip might be too much for her. But Bridge City was the only safe place they could go. Hopefully, Frieda would make it all the way there and won't ... No! Marina shook her head vigorously. Refusing to think about any possible deaths in the future. She had already experienced enough of this last night.

Suddenly, Frieda's ears perked up and she flew over to a tree at the edge of the cedar forest. Confused about what she was doing, Marina followed the elder and settled down behind her on the same branch at a respectful distance, not wanting to scare her.

''Do you see them?'' Frieda asked without looking back.

Marina followed her gaze and in the pale light of the moon, she spotted a shiny mass above a distant group of blossoming trees. What was that? She sent out sound and the returning echo painted a picture of numerous colorful birds in her mind. Never had she seen such birds before. They were so tiny, barely bigger than herself.

''What are they?'' she asked while watching the odd birds buzzing around from flower to flower.

''Hummingbirds,'' Frieda replied. ''They feed on the nectar of flowers.''

''I see,'' she said, noticing the elder putting on a serious face. Was it a bad sign that they were here? They didn't seem very dangerous to her but you could never know.

''Come with me but be quiet. Hummingbirds a very sensitive creatures. Even the slightest hint of a possible threat can scare them off.''

Marina nodded and followed Frieda up to the treetops so they could approach the hummingbirds in plain sight. Merely a hundred wingbeats away they got spotted.

''Hummingbirds!'' Frieda called out to them. ''My name is Frieda Silverwing and I mean you no harm and came to speak to you.''

For a moment, Marina thought the time had stopped. The hummingbirds merely stared at them with their dark beady eyes. Then they suddenly vanished in a blink of an eye.

''Where did they go?'' Marina wondered, looking around amazed by their speed.

''Please,'' Frieda tried again. ''Do not be afraid. We just want to talk.''

But the hummingbirds showed no signs of wanting to talk with them as well. Disappointed, the Silverwing leader turned to leave. Marina wanted to say something when she noticed a small green flash whizzing past her nose. Before she could even draw Frieda's attention to it, it flashed past her again and she could barely make out the outline of a feathered head and a beak.

''Why do you disturb us?'' The words were spoken fast and Marina had trouble understanding them.

Eventually, the thing slowed down and reveal itself as one of the hummingbirds. Its plump body was covered in shiny emerald green feathers with a patch of navy blue on its throat. Its eyes were round and dark like tiny back pearls. Blinking, Marina stared at the little bird. Unlike her and Frieda, it did not simply circle in the air but whizzed around, either to the left or to the right, up, down, and even backward.

''Sun's getting up soon. What are you doing here?'' the bird asked again. Its voice sounded somewhat grumpy, high-pitched, and seemed to vibrate in sync with the beating of its wings.

''We simply want to ask a few questions. Nothing more.'' Frieda assured.

Narrowing its eyes, the hummingbird looked skeptically back and forth between the elder and Marina, then nodded.

''Speak! But fast. You can't be here for long. Dawn's coming.''

The little bird was right. Looking towards the east, Marina could see the sky lightening up already. The Silverwing elder nodded gratefully to the hummingbird, who refused to stay still. ''It won't take long,'' she said. ''I only ask for the information about why you are here, so far away from your hibernation areas.''

''They have been destroyed,'' the hummingbird simply replied.

''By whom?''

''By humans. Humans from the north. They sent flying machines that spat fire. They burned everything down. Everything. We had to flee from the jungle. Others too. Birds, beasts. You haven't heard about it?'' Questioningly, the little bird tipped its head to the side and made a few hops through the air.

''No,'' said Frieda. ''We haven't heard anything about it.''

''Well, there were rumors.''

''Tell us about it, please,'' Marina asked, trying to ignore the violent pounding of her heart in her chest. Human flying machines that flew south, carrying fire. Carrying Shade, and Vanessa. She didn't want to imagine what that could mean.

''At first, many flying machines came. Many. They flew very low and seemed to spit fire by themselves. But the southern humans shot them down with their own weapons. Then a few months ago, the northern flying machines started flying higher. Higher and higher. Up to the clouds. And then there were rumors. Rumors that they were using bats and owls to carry the fire.''

''Did you see it yourself?" Marina asked, her throat dry.

The hummingbird shook its head. ''No. I didn't. But others say they saw it. You really don't know about this?''

Stunned Marina looked over at Frieda.

''If it's true what you say then we don't do it by choice,'' the elder said. ''The humans have captured many of our kind along with owls and sewed metal disks to their bellies. Loaded them in flying machines and took them south.''

''The fire is pouring out of these metal disks. That's what I heard,'' said the hummingbird.

''What happens after that?" asked Marina. ''Are there any reports of the owls and bats surviving this.''

As she had feared, the little one shook his head.

''Not that I know of. The explosions are huge. Very huge. I doubt anyone could survive it.''

Marina looked away. Fear growing inside her. Was this what had happened to her friends? Did they die in one of these rains of fire? Squinting her eyes tight to keep away the tears she wished she had taken Vanessa with her instead of letting her go to the flying machine with Throbb. Or stopped Shade from taking a closer look at what the humans were doing or stopped him flying into the building right at the beginning. They shouldn't have gone there. Ever. Now her friends were most likely gone. Chinook, Orestes, Vanessa and ... Shade. Gone!

''Hey, you!''

Marina flinched as the hummingbird suddenly appeared right in front of her face.

''Why are you crying?''

At first, Marina just blinked at the bird. But then she eventually noticed the wetness on her cheeks.

''Close friends of ours were taken south in such a flying machine a few nights ago,'' Frieda explained, looking compassionately at the young Brightwing.

''Maybe they are lucky then.''

''You think so?'' Marina asked, wiping away her tears.''

The hummingbird shrugged and fluttered in zig-zag. ''Not sure. But perhaps something is wrong with their disks. I heard rumors of animals whose metal disk didn't explode like they were supposed to.''

Marina wasn't sure if the bird was telling the truth or just trying to make her feel better. Either way, it filled her heart with hope and for that, she smiled at it. ''Thank you...''

''Chirp-Chirp,'' said the hummingbird.

''What?''

''Chirp-Chrip. That's my name.''

''What an unusual name,'' she thought. ''Nice. It's..uh.. very feminine?''

The little bird looked at her funny. ''You think I'm a girl?''

Upps! ''Sorry I didn't know you were a male,'' she said, hoping she didn't offend him much. To her surprise, Chirp-Chirp still didn't look happy.

''I'm no boy.''

''Wait, so you are a female then?''

Chirp-Chirp shook its little yellow-green head. Now Marina was confused.

''But you must have a gender.''

''Why? What's the difference? I'm Chirp-Chirp and that's it. Why do I need to identify myself further as male or female?''

''Uh ...'' Marina had no answer for this. Therewhile Frieda looked back at the horizon and noticed dawn approaching soon.

''It's time for us to fly back to our roost,'' she said.

Chirp-Chirp looked at them sadly. ''I'm sorry that I brought you such news,'' they said truly and then frowned. ''It is outrageous of humans to use us like this.''

''Thank you anyway.''

''Yeah,'' Marina added. ''Thank you very much Chirp.''

''Chirp-Chirp,'' they said. ''Chirp is my father's name.''

Marina opened her mouth for an apology but the hummingbird already turned their attention to Frieda.

''We know about the war the owls have waged against you. We won't fight on their side.''

Frieda nodded. ''For that, we are thankful as well.''

''Good luck you two. I hope you'll find your missing friends alive.'' And with that, they dashed off in a flash.