Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my characters.

I'd like to thank Rachel, Zealak Silverdirk, and The Essence of Music for reviewing. Thank you!

Chapter 1

Friends Rock!

Hazel gasped. "What?!" The others snorted.

"You heard right. Now get out of our sight!" one of the Elders exclaimed.

"But-" she tried to protest. A rather large bat charged at her, sending her flying. However she came back and re-landed. She looked at her mother. "Mom..."

Her mother said nothing, she only sighed.

"Mom..." Hazel comtinued, on the verge of crying, desperate to get someone on her side.

"Hazel...Please...just go." the parent finally said. Hazel couldn't stop the tears. They fell from her eyes and tickled her fur. "Go before they offer you to the owls."

Hazel cocked her head. "What's an owl?"

Nobody answered. Most just pointed in a single direction, signalling her to leave. She looked around, trying to find a sympathitic face.

"You really mean it huh? You guys want me gone..." she mumbled when she saw nobody feeling bad for her. She tried looking for Tachetee, but couldn't find her in the large group.

"Dead will be much preferred, but we're letting you off easy. Now leave before we change our mind."

Having no other option, Hazel took to the air, crying. However, she paused and looked back. "Please...give me another chance..."

"Leave!" the colony shouted. Hazel bristled and bared her teeth.

"Fine! But you will all regret this! If it's the last thing I do!" she growled in anger before finally leaving. She moved as fast as she can away from he others, mumbling inaudible things in a typical teenage fashion.

"Hazel, wait!" a voice called. Hazel ignored it. Tachetee caught up and flew alongside Hazel. "Slow down."

Hazel landed on a tree branch with Tachetee beside her. Hazel immediatly started crying, digging her face in her friend's fur. Tachetee gave her a supportive hug.

"It's not fair! What was I supposed to do? Let that Human blow me to peices?" she asked in a muffled voice.

"Shhhh...it's going to be okay." Tachetee reassured.

"No it's not! Things will never get better! This sucks!"

"You don't need them Hazel."

"Yes I do! Without a colony, what do I have?"

"Me."

Hazel looked at Tachetee with large watery eyes and a tear-soaked face.

"Hazel...I'm your friend. And you know that I'll always be with you no matter what. You don't need no stinkin' colony. We have eachother. And that's all we can ever want."

Hazel smiled. "Really?"

"Why do you think I banished myself! What, you think you get to have all the fun? You can't get rid of me that easily!"

Hazel laughed softly and hugged her companion. "You the bestest best friend ever, Tachetee."

"I know I am. Now c'mon! We got some exploring to do!" Tachetee said excitedly. Hazel gave her a weird look.

"Wha-?" she questioned.

"Look at it this way. We're free to do whatever we want. Without a colony to tell us what to do, we can travel the world. See what there is to be seen!" Tachetee explained.

Hazel smiled. Tachetee was right. There's no more colony rules to follow. No more getting in trouble. They can make up their own rules as they go along.

She liked that idea.

---

Hazel waded in the shallow part of a lake. She splash around, trying to soak herself from ear to toe. Her mother used to go against that alot.

Her mother...Hazel stopped splashing. She thought how her mother had betrayed her. How can she just let tell her daughter to leave? What kind of parent was she?"

Hazel snapped out of it and it was just in time. A large snake, who has been stalking her, struck out. The little bat, jumped and hovered out of it's reach. Tachetee quickly arrived and immediatly began to harass the reptile.

"What's your problem? Huh? You want a peice of us, mi amigo? Well, come and get it!" she started.

"He can't! We're too good for him. He can't handle how yummy we taste. Mmmmmmm..." Hazel joined. She turned and shook her rear in the snake's face.

When it struck, Hazel was again out of range.

"We're so delicious, we want to eat ourselves." Tachetee continued. They laughed. Taunting a snake was one of the things the colony made illegal.

"Are all southern bats this stupid?" the snake asked. Hazel and tachetee looked at eachother.

"Southern bats? What do you mean? There's more bats in the world?" Hazel asked.

"Yes. Up in the north." the snake explained.

"Maybe we should go. Which way is north?" Tachetee asked. The snake cocked it's head in the right.

"That way. Just keep going straight, and you'll be in the Northern Forests."

"Cool. Gracias." Hazel thanked

"Not a problem." As the bats left, the snake chuckled silently. "With their trouble making behavior, General Brutus will no doubt get rid of them. That is, if the cold doesn't kill them first. That's what they get for getting on my last nerve."

With that, the snake slithered off to find easier prey, leaving the bats to their fate.