Chapter 18: Tick's Story

Marina was still thinking about what Zephyr had told her. Shade and Vanessa are alive! Alive and currently safe somewhere in the deeps of the jungle. If she could, Marina would tell them to stay put wherever they were and wait until she found them. And then she would hug them as tight as she could and ... pull out their ears. Especially Shade's. Why must he always get himself into trouble? And now she wasn't with him to prevent worse things from happening to him and their human friend. If only she had insisted on flying into the human flying machine as well.

''Be sure to keep your promise, Vanessa,'' she whispered into the wind. ''I can't lose you two.''

''What are you doing?''

With a startled gasp, Marina spun around and saw Penelope standing behind her. The other banded Brightwing looked at her with concern. ''You have been starring into the distance for hours. Is everything alright?''

Marina let out a sign for an answer and looked down. ''I'm just worried about my friends. I desperately want to see them again, but who knows when that will happen. Or if that will happen at all.''

''Of course, it will!'' Penelope smiled and walked closer to put a hand on Marina's shoulder. ''Have faith. Sooner or later, you will be all together again. Safe and sound.''

Marina smiled back at her thankfully and touched her hand on her shoulder. It was good to know that she wasn't alone with her worries, and there were still friends who were there to help and support her. Something she needed more than anything in these dark times.

''The elders are holding the next meeting in about an hour,'' Penelope said.

''That's good. Hopefully, they'll finally decide on what we are going to do now.''

To Marina's despair, there were mainly hours of discussion and arguing with no solution in sight. The assembled had gone so far as to divide themselves into two sides. One wanted to go into battle against the owls while the others relied on diplomacy. But what was worse was that no one offered an idea on how to find their still missing friends and family members. As the hubbub of voices increased to the point where no one could understand an exact word, Halo Freewing took a step forward and raised her arms to calm the chaos. ''Silence, please! We can't go on like this. We must decide now. Either we fight or we talk to the owls.''

''We should vote,'' suggested General Achilles.

''All right,'' Halo nodded to him and then turned back to the rest of the assembled crowd.''Those in favor of going to battle against the owls, raise your wings.''

Leather rustled as dozens of bat wings stretched out. So many that Marina felt nauseous.

''And now all those who would rather try to talk to them.''

Again, wings rustled. It was hard to tell if there were more or less than before. When Achilles announced the result, she was kinda relieved to hear that by a narrow margin, the votes for a peaceful solution were in the lead. And so, the meeting began to revolve around arranging a meeting with King Boreal in the hope he would listen to them.

Marina had been one of the few who had abstained from voting. On one hand, because she didn't know what was the right decision and on the other hand, because her thoughts were driving to her friends. She wanted to go and look for them, but she had no clue where to start. She couldn't just simply flutter into the jungle and call their names over and over. She could get herself killed by alerting a predator.

Halo was just about to end tonight's meeting when a young messenger flew up to her on the pedestal. He was in such a hurry that he needed a few seconds to catch his breath before telling her what was wrong. ''Halo,'' he panted, ''A delegation of rats has gathered ... at the eastern foot of the bridge. Their leader King Romulus wishes an audience with you.''

Marina's eyes bulged, ''King Romulus?" she exclaimed.

Immediately, several dozens of eyes looked at her in surprise. First of all, Halo Freewing, who narrowed her eyes to slits. ''You know the rat king?" she asked.

''Ehm yes,'' Marina confessed, ''But he was still a prince when I met him. His younger brother Remus had been the king of the rats at that time.

''What's your deal with him?'' Achilles asked.

''Romulus once saved Shade, Vanessa, and I down in the sewers in the north. He is a friend to all bats.''

''If what you say is true, then I believe standing around while letting his majesty wait is inappropriate. ''Halo summoned five-strong males for protection and also asked Marina to accompany her as well. ''If you are, in fact, a friend of the rat king, then it would be for the best if you come along.''

Marina nodded ''I'll come.''

That being said, Halo let the bats down towards the bottom of the east side of the bridge. Three rats were waiting for them in front of an entrance to a hole in the ground. As soon as the bats came in sight, one of the rats disappeared into the hole. Seconds later returned with another, much bigger rat than the rest. ''Salutations Halo Freewing. Thank you for giving me an audience,'' he said and spread out his arms in a welcoming way as the bats landed before the rats on the ground. Marina couldn't help herself but form a big smile on her face. It really was Romulus. He looked just the same as she had last seen him with his purple-colored fur and the thin membrane that grew between his arms and legs, giving him the appearance of half a bat. The only difference was the bottle cap on his head. The ''crown''. Perhaps the same his brother wore. She wanted to ask him what happened to Remus but wondered if Romulus even remembered her as well.

''Greeting, king Romulus,'' Halo replied. ''What gives us the honor of your visit?''

''We rats are aware of the owl's rage against you,'' said Romulus. ''With less than no reason for it at all. Be assured that we are standing by your side no matter how things will evolve.''

''Thank you, your highness. This offer is most kind, and we will gladly accept. So we are not sure if the owls are inclined to diplomacy.''

Romulus nodded. ''If the owls won't listen, then we will fight with you.''

''What do you know about the owl's reason behind their current hate against us bats?'' Halo asked.

''We know that the owls are claiming that you started this war by killing pigeons in the city. But I know that you are innocent. I've seen the true criminals myself. Giant, meat-eating bats who created this carnage. And I know they are no friends of yours or any birds or beast for that matter. But I fear the owls are simply using them as an excuse for war. If not this, it would be something else. Their quarrel goes back to the great battle of the birds and the beasts. But as I've said: If it comes to war, we will fight with you on the battlefield. Beneath and above the earth, on the land and in the trees.'' Halo thanked Romulus once again and told him she would inform the other elders immediately.

Marina could no longer restrain herself as she noticed the two groups were about to leave. The bats back to the top of the bridge and the rats into the underground. ''King Romulus,'' she said. ''Do you remember me?''

The king of the rats was just about to walk towards the tunnel entrance when he heard her call. He turned around and took a good look at her before nodding with a smile. ''Marina Brightwing. How could I ever forget about you or your friends.'' He walked closer and gave her a short but strong hug that made her gasp for a second. ''I'm glad to see you are well. But where are Shade and Vanessa?''

Marina let out a sigh that concerned Romulus. At his request, she told him everything that happened since they last saw each other. He frowned as she came to the part where she saw Shade getting chained with human metal and taken away by one of their flying machines. His face paled as she repeated what the hummingbird Chirp-Chirp had told her about the firestorms in the south.

''My friend Zephyr had a vision, that Vanessa and Shade are alright. I want to go, search for them. But I have no idea where to even start.''

Romulus scratched his chin as he thought about a solution. Then an idea struck him. ''I might know someone who could help you.''

Marina's face brightened up. ''Who is it?''

''The leader of the southern rats. Though, I'm afraid he isn't very hospitable to strangers. Especially with everything going on at the moment. But it is worth a try. If anyone can help you find them, it's him.''

''Thank you, Romulus,'' Marina said with a smile. ''I really appreciate this.''

He smiled back. ''No need to thank me. I'm just happy to help my friends.''

Marina smiles at him more. Then she heard her name being called. Turning around, she saw Halo watching her from afar, wondering while she didn't fly off yet.

''I need to go,'' she said. ''How do I get to the southern rats?''

''The best way would be the underground waterways. It isn't as fast as flying but much safer.''

''But I'm not much of a swimmer,'' she protested. ''How can I safely travel through water.''

''Don't you worry. I have something that could help you.''

During the next few hours, the rain had stopped and I was still ignoring the two Silverwings. Whenever they tried to speak to me, I either looked the other way or threw a deadly glare at them. I was so not ready to forgive them for what happened. Instead, I rather listened to Tick's stories about the jungle and his colony. Upon request, I also told him more about my own life. Shade seemed to understand I wanted nothing to do with him or Chinook at the moment and stopped bothering me after a while. But Chinook grew annoyed after each of his attempts came to nothing.

''Come on, can't you see we are sorry?''

Clenching my teeth I slightly squeezed Tick's feet. He got the point and flew a bit further ahead.

''Hey, wait!''

''Chinook! Stop it already,'' said Shade. ''Don't you see that she needs time?''

''Time for what? To sulk?'' He let out a disapproving snort. ''I understand, what happened was horrible but she's ok and you guys have been through worse haven't you.''

''Why don't you just let it go?'' asked Shade.

I asked myself the same thing. But I was reluctant to break my current silence towards the two of them.

''We're almost at a lake,'' Tick said, changing the subject. ''We can take a short break there and maybe grab something to eat.''

''Sounds good,'' replied Shade.

Said and done. A few wingbeats later, we reached a well-hidden clearing with a crystal-clear lake in the middle. A waterfall poured over a cliff at one end of the area. It was a peaceful place. Only a few insects buzzed around while some harmless beasts crawled along the shore.

Tick set me down on a stone next to the waterfall and then joined Shade and Chinook on the hunt. Whereby he mainly wanted to bring me something to eat. As a vampire, he feasted on nothing else but blood. I decided to use the time to clean myself and my clothes from the mud the rain had not already washed off. Lost in thought, I tried to clean a particularly large stain on my skirt. Unfortunately, it was in such a bad spot that I couldn't get it off without undressing. I took a quick look at the bats and then decided to go for a natural shower. I untied the knot of my top at my back and wrapped one side off my shoulder. Just then, a sudden noise made me stop. Standing stock-still, I glanced around with both hands gripping the fabric in front of my chest.

''Something there?'' Nothing happened. ''I must be imagining things.'' I continued to undress and stepped under the waterfall. The water felt nice and refreshing. Exactly what I needed to calm my nerves and clear my mind. I rubbed my clothes clean and spread them out on the stone to dry. Then I washed myself. Taking all the time I needed. With a sigh, I threw my head back and let the water pour down on my face. Too bad I had no shampoo to wash my hair properly. But water alone also got you clean. If only it weren't for those twigs that kept poking me in the back or getting tangled in my hair.

Moment ...!

There were no branches or twigs behind me. Actually, there was nothing behind me except a rock wall. But only a few meters away from me. ''Someone's standing there!'' I breathed as shallowly as I could and focused on my surroundings. Unfortunately, the waterfall was too loud to hear anything close to me. With my heart pounding harder and harder, I dared not move and waited. Hoping that everything was only in my mind or that one of my friends was playing a joke on me.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and was spun around with a yank. Automatically I let out a shrill scream. The bat in front of me flinched at the unexpected noise but didn't let go of me. Eyes widen, I realized I was caught by a Vampyrum Spectrum. Not Goth. But that didn't matter. This one was equally dangerous. He had curly golden blond hair, sand-colored fur, and dark brown wings.

''Por fin te tengo,'' he said with a smug grin on his face. ''El rey estará encantado cuando te lleve ante él.''

Yo no hablo español. I wanted to say, but no words came over my lips. However, it was obvious what this guy wanted from me. He was one of those Goth had sent out to find me, Shade, and Chinook. To take us back to the pyramid. I called my friends for help and tried to free myself from the Vampyrum's grip, but he was too strong.

''¡Deja de resistir!'' He said, growling at me. I felt his claws digging into my skin as he tried to forcefully pull me out of the water. I punched and scratched him with my free hand tried kicking him as well. But then I slipped and fell into the water, pulling him with me.

Gasping, I returned to the surface. My attacker seemed less than thrilled about the unexpected dive. His brown eyes glared at me with rage. Then he immediately pounced on me. Swiftly I stumbled away from him into the deeper water. With a bit of luck, I could swim away from him and find someplace to hide. But as soon as I made my first swim stroke, I was grabbed by the ankle and pulled back. With a yelp, I dove briefly underwater again and resurfaced coughing. However, there was no time for me to catch my breath. Before I could even react, the Vampyrum struck and slashed his claws into my face. The pain was stinging, and I felt warm blood oozing down my cheek. Next, I felt a blow against my chin and fell backward into the water.

''That's it!'' I thought and gazed at the figure looming menacingly over me. The Vampyrum already raised an arm to strike again, but a furious outcry made him stop in his tracks.

"¡Déjala tranquila!''

Like a flash of red lightning, Tick suddenly appeared and pulled the Vampyrum by the ears and away from me.

¡Oye, deja eso!

The cannibal tried to grab Tick, but the latter skillfully dodged him. He whirled around and cut his muzzle with his sharp claws. This made the Vampyrum even more furious. With a snarl, he jumped out of the water and started chasing after the little Bloodwing.

I quickly got back up to my feet anxiously watched the deadly race above me. After a sharp turn, the giant bat had almost caught up with him. That's when he was attacked by two more bats from both sides.

''Shade! Chinook!''

I couldn't bear to watch them put themselves in danger. But I couldn't help them either. I had no other choice than to watch the spectacle. Much too late, it occurred to me that the Vampyrum might not be alone. Wouldn't his accomplice have come to his aid by now? A quick glance through the area revealed nothing about the whereabouts of another cannibal. I didn't dare lull myself into a sense of security. I hadn't noticed the first one until it was too late.

I rushed back to the rock my clothes were drying and put them back on. Not caring that they were still wet. In the sky, the Vampyrum was still chasing after the three bats. Suddenly one of them, Shade, fluttered away from the scene and hid in the tall grass at the other end of the lake. Was he hurt? I wanted to go to him but didn't know how. Just as I was about to swim to the other side, I heard a shrill cawing above me. The bats in the air heard it too. Confused, the Vampyrum looked over his shoulder, then his eyes widened in shock. A huge plump bird with a curved beak and sharp claws had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and immediately swooped down on its victim. The cannibal bat. Screaming in terror, the bat immediately took flight and disappeared into the dense undergrowth of the jungle. Closely followed by the bird. I wasted no time watching them further and got ready to jump but was stopped by Chinook.

''Vanessa, don't!'' he cried and held me back by my arm.

''Let me! I have to go over and check on Shade.''

''He's fine. Look.'' Chinook pointed ahead, and I followed his gaze to see Shade fluttering safely over to us.

''Shade, you are ok!'' I embraced him with relief and felt him hug me briefly as well. ''What happened? I thought you got hurt when I saw you flying away.''

''Don't worry. I'm fine,'' he said. ''I needed to get away to try fooling that guy with my echoprojection.''

''Your...'' Of course! That bird wasn't real. It was just an echo image made by Shade to chase the Vampyrum away. ''Luckily, the guy wasn't Goth. Otherwise, this probably wouldn't have worked.''

Shade waved it off. ''Oh, come on. Even Goth doesn't see through all my echo projections,'' he said.

''If you say so.''

After making sure the Vampyrum was truly gone, Tick joined us on the ground.

''Is anyone hurt?'' he asked, looking at us worriedly.

''Vanessa, your cheek,'' Chinook gasped and nodded towards my face. I lifted my hand to touch my skin and hissed at the pain. There was blood on my fingertips, but not much, meaning the wound wasn't that deep. ''I'll be fine. It's just a flesh wound.''

''Looks like the bleeding is already stopping,'' Tick said. ''I know some plants that can speed up the healing. But first, we should get out of here. Who knows if there's another one around.''

We all instantly agreed, and after I clung to Tick's feet, we flew off in search of a hiding place.

''You are coming with me, aren't you Frieda?'' Marina looked pleadingly at the chief elder of the Silverwings. The old bat shook her head with a sad smile. ''I'm afraid I'm too old to go on another journey,'' she said. ''Every bat is born with so many wingbeats. I have too few left. And I'm needed here now I think.''

Marina wanted to protest but then looked away guiltily. She wanted to be reunited with her best friends so desperately. But what if she was needed here too? She knew what her heart wanted her to do. Was it selfish? Would the others think she was a coward just trying to avoid war?

''You must go,'' Frieda told her as if reading her thoughts.

''She is right,'' Ariel said. ''But you won't be going alone. I'll be coming with you.''

''So do we," came it from Mercury, and his mate agreed with a nod.

Marina looked thankfully at the two Silverwing males and Shade's mom and smiled. Frieda smiled as well and placed a hand on Marina's head. ''You are one of the bravest bats I know. Make a safe journey and bring back Shade and Vanessa.'' Marina nodded and said goodbye to the wisest and most righteous elder she had the privilege to know. The other three were already flying ahead, but Marina hesitated. Something inside her told her that this might be the last conversation she had with her. She quickly pushed that thought aside. Frieda was old, yes, but she would certainly still be there when she and the others returned.

Back down at the eastern foot of Bridge City, a rat messenger was waiting for them. ''King Romulus is expecting you'' he said and turned to the tunnel entrance. ''Follow me, please.''

Marina grimaced at the musty stench around her. She didn't like tunnels. They made her feel breathless and cramped her wings uselessly against her sides. Luckily the passage wasn't long and soon she could hear the sound of water. Romulus was waiting for them on a large flat stone that jutted out into a swift underground stream. And tight up on the long side of the rock was his boat. Just by looking at it, Marina knew it must been made by humans. Too bad Vanessa wasn't with her to tell her what purpose it served. For a big part of her life, she was living on an island. Watching the humans come and go on their ships. This one wouldn't even fit a human child.

''It was found decades ago in a human dump,'' Romulus explained. ''And it's amazingly waterproof. It has served me well and will get you safely south.''

''Thank you,'' said Marina.

''I can't spare many,'' the rat king continued. ''But these few are among my most trusted and enabled servants.'' He introduced them to Ulysees, who would guide the ship south and who knew the waterways of the world better than many fish. Two big and buff soldiers named Angus and Bartholomew would come with them too, as well as Harbinger. A slender rat with very long whiskers curled upwards at the end. One of Romulus, chief ambassadors.

''Your journey will take you far beyond the borders of my realm. I cannot guarantee how my southern cousins will react to you. Our relations have been ... difficult lately. But with Harbinger, you will receive the best treatment possible. Take care of them,'' Romulus said, turning to his rat crew. ''And treat them as if it were me you were carrying.''

''Yes your highness,'' came the reply

''Don't worry,'' Romulus whispered into Marina's ear, noticing her skeptical look. ''You'll be safe with them. I made changes since my brother's reign.''

''What happened to Remus?'' she asked.

He smirked. ''You probably think I finally dethroned him.'' Romulus shook his head. ''No, my brother deposed himself. His paranoia about potential conspiracies weighed so heavily on him that he literally ran away a few days after you guys left. He left the kingdom in such chaos that it wasn't difficult for me to come in and restore order. But enough of that.'' He clapped his hand's ad then helped her onto the boat. The others came on board as well.

''Good luck and safe travel.'' Romulus waved them farewell, and the rats loosened the rope. Instantly, the boat leaped away on the current. Marina's heart leaped too. Finally, she was on her way to find her friends. She grabbed the side of the boat and waved back at the king and his rats until their silhouettes were no longer identifiable, and they delved deeper into the murky tunnel.

''Hang on, guys,'' she thought, looking ahead, ''Hang on, ... Shade.''

Silently we flew further through the jungle until we came to a moss-covered tree. Near its roots was a small knothole. We flew inside and arrived into a small, cozy-looking den. After checking if it was safe, we decided to spend the rest of the night and the next day in here. The bottom was made out of soft bark. Perfect material to make myself a comfortable sleeping place. It could easily dig a hollow in it and fill it with leaves I plucked from the entrance. After I was done, my friends returned from checking the area. Chinook walked over to offer me a bug he caught. Feeling hungry, I took it thankfully but noticed how Shade was throwing a glare at the bigger Silverwing. I guessed he wanted to catch this bug for me but got beaten by his rival. I rolled my eyes and ate my dinner. They couldn't just stop. Couldn't they?

During my meal, none of us spoke much. We were all still in shock about our encounter with the Vampyrum earlier. We had been so lucky not to encounter any of them so far. It wouldn't last long. It was only a matter of time before we ran into another one. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Goth himself.

After a while, Chinook let out a big yawn. ''That's it, guys. I'm going to roost. See ya tomorrow.'' He flew off to roost on the ceiling. Shade soon went to sleep as well but decided to roost further away from Chinook. Seconds later, I heard the bigger Silverwing softly snoring in his corner. I too could feel the desire for sleep rising inside me. But first, there was something I needed to tell Tick.

''By the way, thanks for saving my life twice tonight.''

''No problem,'' he said, smiling. ''You are my friend. I couldn't let you get eaten.''

''I appreciate that.''

Tick chuckled softly. Then his expression shifted. With a sigh he wrapped his wings around himself and looked to the ground. His lips pressed tightly together.

''You ok?'' I asked, raising an eyebrow.

''It's nothing. Just...'' He shrugged, not knowing how to put it in words. ''You know, I'm glad to call you and the two Silverwings my friends. Though, it kinda feels weird for me that I saved the life of a human. Uh, not that I have anything against your kind.'' he quickly added. ''But the thing is ... My parents died because of them.''

''Oh...'' I didn't know what to say. Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised. Humans were known to cause distress to a lot of animals. It made me sick. Especially since I was one myself. But even though it wasn't my fault, I couldn't help but let Tick know how sorry I was.

''It's alright,'' he replied.

''Tick, I understand if you don't want to talk about it but didn't you say your parents died from an illness. What does my kind have to do with this?''

At first, he didn't respond, and I feared I shouldn't have asked. Perhaps this topic was too painful for him to talk about.

''Ehm, you know what? Forget what I said. Let's talk about something else.''

''No, no, it's fine,'' he said. ''I can tell you what happened.''

''You sure?'' I asked, looking at him in concern. He nodded but didn't start telling his story right away. It seemed he was firstly thinking for the right words to start. As the silence was stretching between us, he eventually began talking about the time when he was just a young pup.

''I had just learned how to fly,'' he said with a nostalgic smile on his lips. ''I was a lively child who couldn't keep still. As soon as I had no problems holding myself in the air, I was everywhere and nowhere. My parents had trouble catching up with me every time. But it was just too much fun. And it still is today.''

I nodded, listening to his story. Partly I shared his enthusiasm to travel through the air. Yet flying by oneself was something completely different than hanging on to someone.

''I also got myself into all kinds of trouble. Nevertheless, I had a happy childhood. One day, however, my father came back from blood collecting...''

''Blood collecting?'' I asked, interrupting him

''We Bloodwings drink blood remember?''

''I know,'' I said. ''I just never heard you call it that way.''

Tick shrugged. ''Well, hunting wouldn't fit since we don't actually ''hunt'' our prey like the boys over their hunt insects.'' He nodded towards the sleeping Silverwings. ''Anyway, one this night something was ... different,'' he continued. ''The group my father was part of went to one of the usual feeding places. A fenced area with huge hooved animals that did nothing but eat grass all day.''

''A farm,'' it occurred to me as I pictured his story.

''Only half of them collected blood. The rest came back empty-handed. Including my dad. He told our chief that humans had caught them with a giant net before they could get to the animals. They didn't hurt them. They just freed them from the net and smeared a weird-smelling paste on their backs. I can't exactly describe it, but I remember it having an acrid smell. My mother helped my dad lick the stinking stuff off his fur, and I tried helping as well. But I had to stop after a few licks because it tasted too awful. Getting it off was hard work. And if you think that was it then you are mistaken. The group who went to the same place the next night came home with that stuff on their backs too. None of us had a clue what the humans wanted to achieve with this. The third night it happened as well. This time my father went with them again and came with his fur covered with this disgusting paste. It was a mystery to all of us. On the fourth night, things changed. Bats were starting to feel sick, including me and my parents. Our stomachs hurt, and we couldn't keep our food in for long. There was also this uncomfortable heat and the feeling of difficulty breathing.''

He paused and rubbed his hand over his face.

''The healers had no idea what to do. They tried all sorts of things to help us. In vain. Not even praying made a difference. We feared it might be a punishment by the gods for something we did. Though none of us had a clue what it could be. We were all so worried. Especially Chief Umber. It killed him to see his colony suffering. Night after night, more and more bats became ill. For a long time, the cause seemed unclear until Dewdrop, our chief healer at the time, fell ill herself. She had been helping to lick off the nasty stuff. Mostly for those who were too weak to do it themselves. At that point, Umber realized that this had something to do with the mysterious sickness and prohibited everyone from going to our food source in the east. He initially faced a lot of protest with this, because this food source was the most accessible. Others were more difficult to obtain or too far away. But our chief was adamant. In the end, everyone obeyed and no more returned with their fur covered in paste. Further, Umber insisted the stuff should no longer be licked off. Instead, those affected should clean their fur in the river. And it worked.'' Tick beamed. ''There were no further cases of the disease. But for those who were already sick, there was still no cure. At least not for the extremely severe cases. I was lucky that I had licked up only a small amount of that stuff. Therefore, I was one of the lucky ones who slowly got better after some time. But for others ... it was all in vain. They had ingested too much of it.''

Again, Tick paused. In the darkness, I noticed a fine gleam in his eyes. He averted his gaze from me and lowered his voice a bit. It was clear to me that this must be the part of the story that was most difficult for him to talk about.

''The first death occurred five nights after the outbreak of the first severe cases. More followed one after the other. Our colony shrank almost to half. It was a miracle that some survived the disease. My parents ... were among the first who died. ... They didn't tell me until I got better myself.'' He tightly clenched his fist for a moment and took a deep breath. ''Umber took it upon himself to take care of me since my father had been the one who told him about this danger at the very beginning. He blamed himself for not being more careful. But how were we to know that the humans would poison us?'' Turning back to me, Tick's eyes were filled with tears, and his voice was shaking. ''We hardly ever met any humans, ... nor did we ever harm one. So what was that all about? Why ... Why did they do that? What was the point?''

I just looked at him. Unable to give him an answer. Tick kept staring at my face while none of us spoke a word. Eventually, he shook himself and wiped the tears from his eyes.

''Sorry,'' he said with a soft chuckle. ''I may have exaggerated a bit. I've never shared this story with anyone before, you know!? But maybe I shouldn't have told you. After all, you are a human yourself, and I don't want you to think I have ill feelings for your kind. Even though they are the reason for ...''

''It's okay,'' I replied, clutching my skirt as tears ran down my cheeks. ''I understand.''

AN:

A new chapter for the new year.
Now Marina is on her way to find her friends. Will they finally be reunited or does fate keep them apart for longer? We will have to wait and see. ;) :)

Anyway, there is something I need to tell you about this chapter. Tick's story is actually based on a real event. Years ago I watched a documentary about researchers putting poison on the fur of captured vampire bats called "Vampiricide". They did this in the belief that it would decrease the rabies prevalence among them. Which it didn't. Instead it even increased the risk of it.

Spanish Translation:

Por fin te tengo - I've got you at last.

El rey estará encantado cuando te lleve ante él - The king will be delighted when I bring you to him

Yo no hablo español - I don't speak Spanish.

¡Deja de resistir! - Stop resisting!

¡Déjala tranquila! - Leave her alone!

¡Oye, deja eso! - Hey, stop that!