Chapter 6
From the sounds the running streams, fireflies danced across its banks and high above. Besides the glowing insects, a beetle flew over the stream to avoid the clutches of its hungry predator. Shade Silverwing is getting close to his meal as he maneuvers his wings during flight to catch it. His light-blue fur became like that of a blur, along with his blonde hair and mane, as he finally caught the beetle in his mouth. As he roosted on a nearby branch, he grabbed hold on the squirming insect as he bit into its head stopping its squirming. Then he proceeded to break its hard shell with his teeth as the Silverwing began to chow down on its delectable flesh.
This was the first beetle of the day. Shade already caught like fourteen mealworms and eight midges. Plus the vast amounts of mosquitoes he caught, ate, and swallowed while flying... although he lost track how many he eaten after two hundred and forty something. To Shade, beetles were the most tastiest of insects in the forest... except it never compares that of a tiger moth, which is hard to catch. He needed to eat tons of insects in order to get fat for hibernation as he and his colony travel to Hibernaculum in a week. Like that could ever happen!
As usual, he hunted a bit away from his colony and roost... just to get away from Chinook, and his friends, while avoiding being called a runt by the "most promising newborn" of the colony. He despised the word... even thought it's true. He was unfortunate enough to be born early and thus acquiring his small stature and wingspan. Shade's mother, Ariel, reassures him that he will get bigger as he grows. Another reason why he's alone is to hone his hunting skills and his flight skills to prove everyone that he can accomplish anything by himself, despite of his size.
As finished off his meals, his ears twitched as he picked up the sound of wings flapping slowly approaching. Shad turned toward the source of it and then reacted with incredulousness. Slightly far, but not too far, from him is a Silverwing carrying two younger bats around his neck as a strange creature is holding onto his feet as he flew. To make it more ridiculous, from what he's hearing, the darkly colored Silverwing is flying with his eyes closed! Also he's not using echolocation to boot! It's if he doesn't how to use it or something like that!
"LEFT! TURN LEFT!"
"DON'T LISTEN TO REI! TURN RIGHT!"
"YOU TWO AIN'T HELPING!" the strange Silverwing yelled with frustration in a tired tone.
"Well this won't be a problem if you just—" but the strange female-sounding creature was cut-off as the Silverwing asked "CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHERE TO LAND! I FEEL LIKE MY BODY IS ABOUT TO FALL APART INTO PIECES! IT'S LIKE I'VE BEEN FLYING FOR A WHOLE DAY!"
"You've only been flying for almost an hour."
"WHAT?!" the Silverwing said in disbelief with surprised expression. So surprised in fact that he almost open his eyes. But he quickly stopped himself before continuing "I'VE FLOWN WHILE CARRYING YOU GUYS FOR THAT LONG?!"
"Yeah. I'm impressed that you managed it." she said honestly with cracked smile. "But can't you just open your eyes? You'll have to face your—"
"JUST TELL ME WHERE TO LAND WOMAN!"
That made the female frown with slight irritation.
Shade couldn't decide wither to laugh at the Silverwing for flying with his eyes closed or be impressed by carrying both the creature and the younger newborns. He thought if the strange Silverwing was from his colony, he be the 'promising one' instead. The young bat smiled at that. It would infuriate Chinook if he got less attention from both the newborns and the adults if that were true. The strange Silverwing is the same size as Chinook, but only with a slightly longer wingspan.
The young bat noticed that they were about to land soon. So he stealthily followed them to meet this unfamiliar guests.
"There Percy." Ange pointed out. "Just fly a little lower and we'll land on the biggest branch on that tree."
The teenage girl instructed Percy as he landed safely, not before Ange lets go of his feet and landed next him, on their rest-stop. As Yamada twins let go of the teenager's neck, Percy opened his eyes, and then got onto his hands and knees as he panted in extreme exhaustion.
WHAT THE HECK?! IT FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN ON A LONGEST MARATHON OF MY LIFE!
"Are you okay Perc'?" Ken asked.
The fatigued teenager slowly, and verily, got up as his breathing became more steadily. "I... I guess so."
Percy then noticed how high he was as the the teenager then ran —actually quickly flew while only half-an-inch off the branch— to the tree and hugged it for dear life.
"ANGE?!" Percy hollered in a panic toned with his eyes again closed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME HOW UP THE BRANCH WAS?!"
"You didn't asked!" the teenage girl then touched her temple with her finger and thumb in annoyance. "I understand your fears Percy. I really do. But you need to—"
"Uh, hello."
Ange nearly yelped, the twins squeaked in fright (Ken tried to stop it, but only half way), and Percy's eyes went wide open as they heard a new voice amongst them. They quickly turned around to see a male silver-haired bat with light-blue fur alongside his blonde hair and mane. Percy knew that he, the twins, and Larz were the only bats in the truck when they escaped. Meaning that this is a regular bat, not a human turned one, from the wild!
The teenage boy planted his back against the tree in extreme fear gripping the bark with his claws/hands as the others quickly went beside him in startlement.
OHCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPERCRAPERCRAP! AN ACTUAL FREAKIN' BAT IS TALKING TO US! Percy thought with extreme fear and panic.
"Sorry," the bat genuinely apologized, "I didn't mean to startle you all." The bat clearly sounds like he's around both Percy's and Ange's age. And from his size and wingspan, Percy figured that the young bat is a runt. The teenager inwardly groaned from knowing that.
"I just saw you all as he landed on this branch." the bat continued talking as he slowly approached them. Percy pressed his back against the tree even more as he gripped its bark tighter, hoping that the tall and huge plant to swallow him whole. Ange, Rei, and Ken on the other hand are recovering from the bat's surprised appearance.
"And I have to say, that was very cool how you managed to carry them all. No one in my colony can accomplish anything like that!"
Percy taken aback by the bat's compliment... but that wasn't enough due to his chiroptophobia.
"Also I want to ask you guys some questions." the bat asked.
"Ask us? We don't even know you?!" Ken stated.
"Ken! That's not nice!" Ange said.
"But it's true!"
The bat realized that as he began to speak "Again, I apologize. My name's Shade."
OH GREAT, WILD BATS HAVE NAMES TOO?! DOES THAT MEAN ALL WILD ANIMALS HAVE ONE AS WELL?! Pets is different, BUT STILL!
Ange slowly approached Shade as she said "Nice to meet you Shade. My name's Ange. These two here is Ken and Rei."
"H-hi." the little girl nervously said as she peered over behind the teenage girl's back.
Ange then looked at Percy and looked back at Shade with squinted eyes of annoyance as she pointed to the teenager behind her with her right thumb "And that's Percy."
"What the heck is with my introduction?!" Percy asked.
"Nice too meet you." Shade said. "And about my questions. Ange... what are you?"
Ange and the former humans stared at the bat with disbelief.
"What?! You never seen a human before?" Percy asked.
Shade's eyes went wide. "YOU'RE A HUMAN?!"
The young bat approached the teenage girl as her expression spoke out "WHOA! TOO CLOSE!" as he examined from head toe... without touching of course.
"I was told that humans are huge!" Shade said as he expressed how big flying up in the air while stretching his wings.
He then flew down back to them as Ange replied "It's... complicated."
Ange didn't know whether or not to tell him about what happened to them. Sure he looks and sounds friendly, but she doesn't know if he'll believe them or not. Percy understood why Ange said it as well.
Shade didn't understood what she meant as he then began with his other question "Also, what kind of bats are you two? I've always thought that there were only Silverwings?"
"Silverwings? Do you mean silver-haired bats?" Percy asked.
Shade stared at Percy funny "No, I'm a Silverwing like you."
Percy and the others can't believe it. Does this mean that animals also have different names for their species as well?
The twins looked at each other as Rei replied "We don't know."
Shade couldn't believe his ears. "Really?! Surely your parents must've told you?"
Then Rei began to sob, confusing the young bat, as Ken glared at him "Great, now you made her cry!"
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No." Ange said. "Like I said. It's complicated."
Shade regretted asking the twins about his question as he now felt bad. He didn't know what their situation is, but he wasn't going to stand around and be useless!
"I don't know what's going on, but if you guys don't have a place to stay, I'm sure my colony will accept you."
"Your colony?" Ange asked. "Would they really?"
"Sure." Shade replied. "Plus the elders of my colony can help with your problem. Frieda, our chief elder, is very wise."
Percy's eyes lit up with intense fear. Does he mean by staying him and the other bats?! Then instantly, the teenager began to have Vietnam-like flashbacks back to the plane falling apart in the lightning storm to the bat cavern all those years ago.
"HELL NO! WE'RE NOT LIVING WITH YOU!"
Shade slightly frowned not understanding his sudden outburst.
"PERCY!" Ange said not liking his outburst. "He's offering to help us!"
"Did you forget about my 'conditions'?!"
Then the teenagers began to argue. The Yamada twins sighed at the older kids. Also Shade wasn't paying attention since something caught his eye. The birthmark of a silver band on Percy's right wrist.
"Is that a band?"
That stopped the teenagers from arguing as they looked. Shade way to close to Percy, much to the boy's discomfort.
"My mistake, it's just a birthmark. I thought it was a band like F—"
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Percy yelled with anger, hate, and a sliver of fear as he unintentionally bared his teeth.
Shade recoiled as he took a few steps away in both confusion and then frustration.
"HEY! What's your deal?!"
"Shade, I am so sorry!" Ange immediately apologized. "He's not used to other bats."
"But... the twins."
"He's known them for a long time. Like I said, it's complicated."
Ange then grabs the twins as she adds "Now if you excuse me, we're about to have a private discussion. It won't take long." The teenage girl then lead both Ken and Rei away from Shade and walked towards Percy.
"WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Ange asked in a whisper.
"WE ARE NOT GOING TO STAY WITH HIS COLONY!" Percy argued.
"WE HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE!" Ange argued back with a begging tone. "THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE TO STAY. PLUS WE'RE PROBABLY LOST WHEN ESCAPING FROM BOTH NIGEL AND MACK."
Percy was about to argue about that until he realized that she's right about that.
"Also this Frieda might help us if we explain to her and the other elders what happened."
"If they believes us." Percy said doubtfully.
"Please Percy. Just bare with them until they find a solution. Think about our families."
Percy's expression slightly softened. He then looked at both Ken and Rei as they stared at him with pleading eyes. The teenager faced away from them as he grabbed the sides of his head while feeling all conflicted. After a few minutes of struggling silence, he gritted his teeth, and then let out a long conceded sigh of exasperation.
"Fine." Percy said grudgingly. "We'll go."
Ange, Ken, and Rei smiled.
"Thank you—" but Ange was cut off as Percy added "You owe me big time!"
Ange nodded. She understood that he's about to face his phobias. The teenager knew it isn't going to be easy for him.
Ange and the former humans turned to Shade as she said "We humbly accept your offer."
"Great!" Shade said. "I promise you won't regret it."
"Well I'm about to." Percy whispered. Ange heard that as she then elbowed him.
"Alright then. Let's take off." Shade said. "Are you going to fly with eyes closed again by any chance."
"Got no choice really." Percy said grudgingly.
"Why? If you're going to do that, can't you use your echo—"
"Can't just lead us?!" the teenager asked impatiently.
Shade shrugged as he then took off and waited for them. The twins, once again, clung around Percy's neck as the teenage hovered in the air awaiting for Ange to grab his feet. But all of the sudden his face twisted with slight pain from the soreness of his muscles.
"Percy, are you alright?" Ange asked with a sincere concern tone as she noticed his pained expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Percy replied. "Just a little sore is all."
"Sounds a lot more than a little." Shade approached. "If you want, I can carry h—"
"No, I can do it myself." Percy argued with stubbornness. "Besides I doubt you're strong enough to carry Ange due to your size."
Shade was insulted. "I'm a lot stronger than I look!"
"Percy please let him." Ange said. "You're clearly in no condition to carry all of us."
"Ugh. Fine. But be careful with her!"
"I will." Shade promised.
Ange then grabbed the young bat's feet as they then took off. Percy was following the sound of both Shade's beating wings and the sound of Ange's voice directing him. Shade has no idea why Percy can't just use his echolocation with his eyes closed or just fly with his eye open.
They kept on flying what seems like twelve minutes as they approached a little island with a hallowed tree in the center.
"Percy." Ange called. "We're close to the ground. You can open you're eyes now."
The teenager opened his eyes as he saw both his reflection and the twins. Strangely, he wasn't afraid to fall in while flying. He then spotted the tree in front of him as they all landed inside.
Then the twins got off of Percy as the teenager began to pant, but more than last time as he can feel his body aching. Percy almost collapsed as Ange quickly caught him.
"Thanks." he said with really tired tone.
"Your welcome."
"Guys," Shade said while motioning his wings to to his home, "Welcome to Tree Haven."