I don't own Silverwing-Sunwing, or its characters, names dialogue you may recognize. Read and enjoy. :)
Lura: Yes, have fun reading about me!
Chapter Four
"Yes," Frieda called, overhearing, flying towards the three. "We must all decide what to do, and quickly." The Elder Silverwing coasted back to the shockingly diminished Silverwing Colony, leaving the three to follow. Lura gaped; it has felt like many more bats than just six had flown past her in the chute. Including the four of them, there were only ten. Such a small Colony...did they stand a chance out here? As Frieda neared, a male called nervously, "Why don't we return to Hibernaculum?" He shivered as Lura, Marina, Frieda, and Ariel roosted, and then folded his wings over his body. "We should all be hibernating by now. Who knows how long we'll last out here, freezing and with hardly any food?"
Marina and Lura exchanged an uncomfortable glance. Marina hated the idea of abandoning Shade, and Lura felt guilty that she personally liked the idea of going back to a safe place, and sleeping the winter through. Then she shook her head, a tiny movement, and realized she wanted to meet Shade and ask him more about what he'd been through. She wanted to see for herself that he'd been treated the same way as her, and maybe get some more answers.
"The flying machine that took Shade was flying south-southeast. I'm not going to leave him. I watched him fly away once, but I'm going to go find him!"
"The plane could be too far away now to even track. And it could have gone in another direction." Frieda said softly, extending a wing towards Marina. "I should've followed him," she muttered harshly to herself, "If I'd...been braver, I would have." Frieda and Ariel lifted their claws and moved down the branch, roosting closer to Marina. "No way, Marina," Lura burst out. "You would have experienced what I had to go through. I wouldn't have met you and found a new colony. I'd still be lost."
"And," Ariel put in softly, "you wouldn't have been able to warn us." Marina laughed, then hid her face behind a wing, but Lura had already seen the glistening teardrops streaming over her muzzle. "I'm used to males leaving me behind and not telling me. Suppose...I've gotten used to it," she sniffed, and shook her head, shaking the tears away.
"We should just go to Hibernaculum," the same Silverwing male from before interrupted, "I'm sorry, Ariel, for your loss. But how in Nocturna's name could we find him? Which way has it gone? We have no idea of knowing."
"You're right," Ariel replied sharply, glaring at the male named Windsling. "We don't know where he could be. But I've lost Shade before. I can't lose him again. You can go back if you want. I'm following the flying machine."
"Me too!" Lura chorused, and Ariel smiled at her. "You may go back to Hibernaculum, but we're going. Any who choose to come, speak up now." The bats that were going back to the Silverwing's winter roost fell away from the branch, and only two remained. "Warn any bats you see not to go into this building! It is an accursed place." Frieda shouted after the bats, and together, Marina, Ariel, Frieda, Lura, and the two other Silverwings flew off.
Lura's ears pricked suddenly, causing Marina and Ariel to glance at her strangely as she soared on ahead. "Look," she urged them, "Bats! About a hundred, and they're going to the Human Building!" Frieda shot past the Graywing and said in passing, "We must warn them," she said and Lura forced her wings to fly faster. "Look closer, Lura: do you know who that is?" Lura squinted at the distant figure leading the bats, then parted her jaws and identified him by her echoes.
"Achilles Graywing!" The young bat's disbelieving voice rang out as Frieda flew forward to greet Achilles, both flying around each other in a tight circle. "It's a pleasure, and a relief, to see you Achilles."
"The relief is all mine, Frieda. But we have bad news to give you. Hibernaculum has fallen." For a moment Frieda was frozen, her eyes shocked and furious. "The owls," she muttered dully, and the ancient Graywing nodded. "The owls have broken all Hibernation laws, attacking any and all roosts they can find, taking them prisoner or chasing them out and killing them. I've gathered some survivors, and we were on the way to rouse your colony, but we were too late. They were under siege, about a hundred owls, and we could not fight them."
Lura hovered nearby, ears straining to hear what Achilles was saying. He was possibly the most famous bat in the Graywing Colonies, especially hers, for reasons she didn't understand. Frieda seemed to freeze in midair, losing some altitude, but then recovered and flapped her wings to regain it. Lura flew closer and heard, "Your colony is imprisoned, Frieda, and I am sorry." He swept a wing towards some bats that had flown up. "We were spotted, and barely escaped the owls when they gave chase.""I must go help them!" Frieda cried, alarmed and incredibly angry. Achilles glanced at her sharply, shaking his head. "They are my colony!" the elderly bat yelled."I know!" Achilles shouted back. "But if you go to rescue them, you'll be outnumbered, then killed, and have done them no good!" Frieda's eyes lost their gleam. "To attack HIbernaculum...not in millions of years has this happened," she hissed, voice dull but filled with rage. Lura couldn't hold it in any longer, and flew close to Achilles. "Hey," she growled sharply, causing Frieda to give her a reprimanding look. Achilles looked her up and down, then his face lit up as he seemed to recognize her. "Lura?" The young bat was startled. "How'd you know my name?""I know your mother, Linden. I was part of your colony fifteen years ago, and after the rebellion battle I left, but before that and the battle she told me that she wanted to name a female newborn she might have in the future Lura. And, you look a bit like her." He glanced quickly at the Silverwing colony, then back at Lura. "Where is Linden?" Lura trembled a bit before whispering hollowly, "She's dead."
A/N: Poor Lura...Chinook doesn't have any parents now either...when will it stop?! (Weep ;-; )