A/N: And now...enters the big bad bat! :D

XxXxXxXxXx

Have I said that I hate intruders?

Well, one alien 'voice' – a presence – just happens to alert me when I have already enough to worry about with intensifying the darkness around Father's lair that I can no longer find peace there. No, these new intruders are not humans – Father's kind does not rekindle my sense into such anger even if they have trespassed – but one of those I personally dub as Big Enemies. I have encountered – and fought – many of them before, each of them differs as much from the ones before them as they are from the next. My father gives them many names, some too incomprehensible for me to think of, but I regard them all as enemies if they threaten Father and I. I leave alone those few I deem peaceful enough but I kill many more with my teeth, claws and fire. Yet, sometimes, I cannot help but feel as if deep down, we are creatures of the same origin despite the various masks we wear…

Enough.

All these thoughts are unfruitful and I have yet to see this new intruder. It is difficult for me to describe the 'voice' that reaches me, though muted by the great distance between us; it is like hearing, perhaps, but it feels like my whole body is the ears. The voice crawls across my hide and rattles my scales like waves…and truth to be told, this particular one irks me. I leave behind the safety of my cave and plunges into the watery entrance of my lair, my memories and senses navigate me through the tunnels and to the open water beyond. The water is calm, its surface dotted here and there by the humans' fish-catching metal leaves in the distance – but none of them belong to Father. I turn my head away from the vast openness and squinted my eyes toward the bay instead, where Father's 'lair is and see the glimmer of white I've recognized to be the particular floating leaf I am searching for.

My father's white carrier, never too far behind – and sometimes, even being ahead – of me whenever I hear the faraway 'voice' of those Big Enemies, is still silent in the shade of Father's lair. Does he not hear the voice of threat from beyond the horizon? I prowl around restlessly, anxious to begin my journey because I am used to follow after it rather than journeying alone. Then, I see a familiar figure striding out of the door. Not Father, no, but one of the females of Father's pack. I recall her as a formidable warrior, despite her slender limbs and lithe build, the Strong one of the pack. Another recognizable face follows after her – the Talkative one, who is himself trailed by his usual companion, the one with a round face and sun-coloured hair. Yet, I see no trace of Father although I can sense his presence in the building.

Where are they going? They do not seem to have any interest to board the white carrier, instead going their separate ways. I feel my curiousity piques at their strange behaviours but I hold myself back; the darkness I have noticed before has returned shortly before and its stench is tainting the three. I bring up my patience to wait for them to depart first but they never did; when I sense Father's dwindling presence from his lair, I know that he has left without the company of his pack members. The white metal leaf will not carry him this time; Father will journey through some other means that I do not quite understand yet. I give no detailed thought to it, though, merely content in knowing where he is heading – and that I will be there to assist even if no one else will stand by him.

XxX

I revel in the feel of water rushing across my hide as I swim through the water, following the disembodied voice, intent to find the source as soon as I can and see if this one is a threat to me and Father's pack. I swim for such a long time that the day blurs together; the cold water of my home becomes steadily warmer as I head South, following the trail of the voice with my senses. My tail swishes side to side, side to side, beating relentlessly as I ride whatever currents that happens to agree with my path. I see not much of Father's kind throughout the journey – I actively avoid them and their floating leaf, in fact, knowing the sort of responses I am likely to receive – but I do catch the glimpse of a flying Unlife once, high among the clouds. It reminds me of Father's floating leaf back in his Lair and wonder if the others have changed their mind…

The flying Unlife rises ever higher and the clouds swallow it, where my eyes cannot follow. I sigh for I have felt Father's nearness when the flying Unlife has been in my sight. But the disappointment does not last long; in the distant, an unfamiliar floating leaf comes into my sight, one that I do not wish to reveal myself to. I lose myself in the dark depth and continue onward.

XxX

There are times when the 'voice' becomes quiet and I am left with no direction, in which case I will take the chance to do a little bit of hunting. I am not easy to get hungry and the swimming has been rather leisurely to conserve energy – I have learnt to not swim at speed over long distances to keep me ready for fights, if it comes down to that – but I will never turn down a chance to fill my belly. I notice that the 'voice' usually stays quiet when the sun is up and emerges only after night has fallen. When I hear it next, it predictably comes up just as dusk has settled and the blue sky turns orange. Eager to meet the intruder, I follow it but it leads me away from the sea and into a confusing maze of freshwater rivers, lined for as far as I can see with thick, tangled trees that I am not familiar with. Neither the low salinity nor the gloomy depth bothers me – although it does have a smell different from the waters back at home – so I continue my search unhindered by the new watery environment. It does not take a lot of time – the Big Enemy reveals itself soon and I spot it emerging from behind a rocky outcropping from over a few miles away, greyish-blue against the warm-coloured sky.

I choose to hide myself and observe its behavior at first, so I let myself submerge and let the murky water covers me. It looks bat-like with its spindly legs and membrane-covered wings. And its sound, oh, it is irritating – thin and reedy in a fashion that grates my ears. I don't like it but it does not seem to be that dangerous…that is, until I see its head turn away from my direction, apparently finding itself something of interest. With its head directed downward, it comes to hover near ground-level and emits a most peculiar sound I have yet heard from it – and suddenly, it flinches away as something bright hits it on the face.

It was then that I notice the noises in the grounds – noises that I am too familiar with to be mistaken.

I feel anger rises in me and I discard all attempts at being discrete. I spring out from my cover and step onto the tree-covered banks, heedless of the trunks that annoyingly prick the sole of my feet. Nothing matters, for even as I make out the sound of a speeding floating leaf and the shocked screams of its occupants, I hear the all-too distinguishable voice of my father, lower and less frequent than others but it is the one voice I am particularly attuned to. I barrage though the trees and roar my warning at the bat, all my anger contained within it: Come closer and I WILL kill you.

The bat, though alarmed, does not seem willing to give up without a fight. It gives another defiant screech and swoops down lower for another pass at its potential victims. My blood runs hot at the blatant challenge and hurtle myself at it, my arms locking themselves around the furred body as I attempt to suffocate it under my weight. We crash among the trees alongside the riverbanks, which cushion our fall – though unfortunately, the mud that layers the Earth makes the bat slippery to grasp. I try to reach it with my claws, aiming for the wings; a miss, for the bat has hopped just out of my reach. Those spindly legs desperately claw for purchase on the slick ground, slip, but manage to yet again amble out of range just as I try to swipe at it. I scramble towards it but too late, it has launched itself into the air with a frantic kick. I make a desperate lunge for it, intending to break the wing-bones with my teeth. I want to keep it on the ground but in its panic, completely ignorant of the jutting branches all around us, the bat begins flapping its wings with such frenzy that it does not seem aware of the gashes in its delicate wing-membranes, torn open by whatever trees it has crashed through in its ascent. Quickly, I begin pursuit of it, using my speed in the water to keep me as close as possible to the flying rat although to my frustration, the water is too shallow for me to do anything else.

Ahead of us is the tall, many peaked-landscapes of human-built city. The buildings and whatever may happen to them is of small concern to me but I do realize that if allowed to escape among the maze-like environments, it will be much more difficult for me to hunt it down. I hound its movement as best as I can, waiting for the opportunity to stop it – and suddenly, the river bottom drops drastically beneath me. I carefully keep my sight upon it as I head down, building up the needed distance to perfect my lunge – and when I see its flight slows down the tiniest bit, I propel myself forward as fast as my tail can. I break the surface in a brilliant spray, my outstretched claws groping for the stunned bat and hauling it close to my chest. We drop back into the water with a splash, using the thicker hide on my back to absorb much of the impact – all the while, I keep the bat firmly in my embrace. It may be a great flyer but water is its weakness. Even now, I feel its smaller body struggle against me as water closes down upon us, its heart drumming so hard from fear I can feel it against my hide. It is running out of air, while I have little need to worry about drowning.

Victory seems almost assured for me.

…which is why I totally do not see it coming when, with what few breath it has left, it screams right in my face.

I have been unsettled by the noise it makes the very first time I heard it; up close, the sound is not only uncomfortable but downright painful. My eardrums feel like being shattered from the force of its shrill scream. My sight becomes disjointed and my strength fails. I feel a brief pressure upon my chest and the furry bundle in my arms kick free. Blackness begins creeping in from the edges of my vision as I float down and down, the dark depth below pulling my unmoving body and I…

I…

I…don't…

...Father…?

I hear it. I recognize it – the sound of Father's floating metal leaf, the rumbles somehow muted in my stupor. Yet, there is no mistaking it for what it is. The pack has come to Father's aid.

…Must protect…

I feel Father's presence moving with the floating leaf. Somehow, he has transferred himself from the smaller floating leaf he has last seen him in and into this more familiar carrier. The white foam that trails behind it traces its path – and where the white leaf is heading, I can hear the distant 'voice' of the bat not far off. Red fills my vision and my blood roars hotly in my veins as the memories of my defeat come back to me. It…is unacceptable! The nerve! I will not tolerate such humiliation, NOT from such laughable weakling!

I force my limbs to move, fighting the phantom heaviness in my slack muscles. My sweeping tail drives me forward with new determination. The bat soars between the high towers of the city for protection though its movements are somewhat groggy now. The water must have at least done something to disturb its senses, then. It tries to keep a stable flight but accidentally strays to the wide, unhindered sky above the river – an easy prey for me. I breach the water, jaws opened –

– And my jaws snap close on empty air. It has yet again eluded capture; curse that stinky, winged rat! Its unpredictable flight pattern makes it all the more difficult to grab and in turn, makes my failure all the more infuriating.

You will NOT escape me!

I give chase; my eyes becoming blind to my environments while all of my attention narrows down to the crafty little fur-ball. I thread the increasingly shallow river, no longer able to submerge myself in the water and use my underwater speed in the pursuit.

So close! Just a little bit more…!

I can even feel the rush of wind from its beating wings. It must have realized how little the distance between us from the nervous squawk it gives. I power my legs harder, determined to trap it between my teeth this time – when it suddenly spirals itself sideway and folds its wings close to its body. My bafflement only lasts a short while before realization hits me right on the snout – the bat has gambled its luck and attempted to slip through one of the semi-circular gaps that line a bridge which spans the width of the river – a bridge that I, in my mad quest for revenge, have utterly failed to notice. The bat wins its gamble this time; its body, now streamlined, manages to get past the obstacle, its vast wings snapping open as soon as it is free from the metal trappings of the bridge.

I have not been so lucky.

My muzzle pushes right through the gap, driven forward by my momentum built during the chase. I dug my feet-claws into the riverbed to gain some traction but still I cannot stop, not until I have shoved the entirety of my head through the narrow space. Trapped, I try to push my way forward but the steel structures prove sturdy against my struggles; I frantically retrace my steps but the loop around my neck catches on the jutting spikes at the back of my head.

Oh no…

I…I've been trapped! I slam my body forward, again and again, in an attempt to crumble down the bridge but everything is for naught. I am immobilized, unable to move in any way even though I have put every ounce of my strength into my attempts to break free. I roar out my frustration which proves to be a foolish thing to do indeed, because the sound of my distress has caught the attention of the very creature I wish to avoid in this situation. I've become an easy prey and neither of us fails to notice my vulnerability.

The bat plunges towards me even as I struggle – a futile effort, for its clawed legs strengthen his roost upon my muzzle. I doubt that it can do any serious harm towards me, but when its fangs sink into the hide of my snout, I am tormented less by pain itself than the humiliation in my helplessness. My roar is no longer as frightening in its knowledge that I can do little against its puny bites. I cannot shake it off, as limited my struggles are, and neither my claws nor tail can reach it. I desperately breathe out my fire – the searing heat forces it to take flight but it returns as soon as it ceases, back exactly where it has been a few seconds ago. Its fangs flash sinisterly when it opens its muzzle, ready to take a second bite.

Then, I feel it; the revolting darkness that has driven me away from Father's lair these few days.

It comes out of the blue that it stuns me the moment I sense it, but it has not come for me. Instead, the darkness takes the bat perched on my nose, surrounding it, tainting its presence the way it has previously tainted the members of Father's pack, though it is far more intense now. The bat freezes and even with the awkward closeness, I see its eyes narrowing most peculiarly, growing distant, as if staring into something beyond me. A voice unexpectedly calls, a voice that is not at all like the 'voice' of Big Enemies that I have mentioned. In fact, it is incomparable to anything I have heard throughout my life. I cannot comprehend it not only because of its faintness – the words are foreign, but it is unlike the difference between father's language and mine. Yet, the bat seems to understand it perfectly and responds to it in its own shrill squawk. Spreading its wings wide, it takes off without a moment's interest towards me anymore as if I am no longer there. With it, the darkness goes and the atmosphere is once again clear from its influence.

The bat problem has been eradicated, at the very least. However, that I am still trapped is still something I cannot solve. My neck-muscles begin to ache from the prolonged extension, made only worse by my frantic struggles to escape. In my misery, I cry long and hard into the night, reflecting my anguish…and am surprised to find a voice answers to my helpless cry.

"Godzilla!"

I bellow harder, recognizing the voice belonging to Father. I cannot turn my head to search him but I do see the white glint of his carrier at the corner of my eyes. Even his nearness is soothing enough when just a few seconds ago I have nothing but a Big Enemy taunting my defenselessness.

"Follow my voice! Back away! Back away!"

Back away? But I've tried –

I grunt in defeat. I do not seem make progress in everything I've tried, but his advice gives me something to put my hope into. I do as I am told; I back away, once, twice, and on the third attempt, my head happens to tilt a little – enough for the spikes at the back of my head to avoid catching the steel loop. My head slides loose from the entrapment almost laughably easy, it annoys me to think that I have been caught here for that long.

I duck under the bridge and spot the white carrier on the other side. My father is standing at the front of it and I see relief on his face, his concern for me satiated that I have broken free. I am grateful for his aid, without which I may as well still be trapped here until one enemy or another finds me and bring me to death. I shiver a little at the unpleasant notion of such end.

Thank you, Father.

He recognizes my gratitude with his smile. I see no reason for me to linger afterwards, what with the bat having vanished and all, and vanish myself into the deeper parts of the river. Besides, I am getting hungry with all the thrashing about even if I ultimately fail to kill the bat. I cannot lie – I have been a little worried should my father becomes disappointed at my recklessness or the fact that I have been bested by a Big Enemy smaller than myself. It is as much relief for me that I see no such signs on his face as it has been when I am finally free from the bridge's loop.

Well, it bears no benefit thinking of further. I swim off, aiming myself for the vast freedom in the sea. Until my hunger is satisfied and the bat decides to show itself again, I will just have to wait. I do hope that it dies from fatigue or whatever wounds I have given it somewhere far from here, its body sinking into the ocean or buried deep underground, its threat to be forgotten forever.

I should have known that such luck is too much to be hoped for…