It's really been a while! Well, it feels nice finally updating the first story I wrote. Brings back memories...sort of...It's kind of sad that today I just got everything planned out, who will live, who will die...Well, whatever. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: A Time Never Begun

Chinook sailed without tire through the cloudless sky, nothing protecting his weak eyes from the sun. Slowly, but surely, he was getting there, to his tomorrow, though slowly, he was dying. He had flown for weeks without food; the insects wouldn't fly this high above the clouds, and the only water he drank was when he weaved through the wisps of clouds and the moisture within would cling to his muzzle. It was sufficient, just enough, but some days like today, there would be no clouds at all and the back of his throat would feel brittle and parched like the bark of an evergreen tree, but then in other days, it would rain heavily, like the sky knew he needed to survive.

Chinook didn't know how long he could go on like this, hoping for the best, though knowing that it wasn't likely to happen, but he knew he couldn't stop now. He was in search of something, something that would show him the reason for existence, and if he gave up now, he wouldn't know how close he was. It was painful at times, dodging the dangerous lightening and quenching his fear of the rumbling thunder that seemed to grow nearer with every roar and not to mention, avoiding the sprays of water when he flew over lakes and rivers, but if he learned to endure this pain, surely it wouldn't be as bad as he advanced on.

Shade, lined in quicksilver, was flying alongside him, watching him curiously but warily. Now that Chinook had found out that Shade had died, his figure became less visible, now just mere outlines and some features like his eyes and his ears. Shade now appeared to looked believably more like a spirit and it made Chinook rather dismayed, thinking now they were getting on so much better than how they had when Shade was alive. Why did time have to choose now to make things turn up?

"Specifically, what are you looking for, Chinook?" Shade asked curiously.

"I'm not quite sure. All I know is I want to find my reason for existence,"

"Do you have laments? I've seen other bats act this way when they are upset about troubles in the past…"

Chinook sighed, biting his lower lip and pressing his ears back. Why did Shade always seem to know everything? No matter how hard Chinook tried to hide something, it seemed Shade could always figure it out.

"Yeah…You're right…I'm rather troubled by the death of my parents, and my being not very clever…"

"Well, your intelligence is something you can change without going back in time, but the death of your parents isn't. I'm sorry Chinook, but I don't believe it's possible to resurrect the dead…"

"There has to be a way, Shade! I know there is. You know how I know? Luna, one of Griffin's friends had been burned to death by a twig he accidentally dropped on her and now she is alive and well! What more proof do I need?"

Shade suddenly got a dark, serious look in his eyes that tried to hide a painful truth about what really happened. He felt compelled to tell Chinook the real story and so he took a breath and decided to go on.

"I sacrificed myself, for Luna and Griffin. The reason I'm, well, not alive right now, is because Goth had killed Griffin, and so I died so my life force would go into Griffin and Luna's bodies. There's a price if you really want your parents to live again…"

Chinook had not bothered to ponder too much on what Shade had said; the minute he heard that there was actually still a way to see his parents again, he begged Shade for more details. With a sigh of reluctance, Shade agreed, explaining that they had to travel into a tunnel that leads to a world of the dead. He felt a feeling of foreboding when he realized that Chinook was suddenly very willing to go to that world just so he can see his parents one more time.

"You might never come back out. You might end up like me," Shade warned, looking at him regretfully.

Chinook looked out into the horizon with a wise look in his eyes, and he turned to him, smiling weakly.

"It's okay. All I want is to see Mom and Dad maybe for just one more time. And if I do end up like you, we will be in this together,"

Shade smiled but refused to look into his eyes. He was planning to live again, somehow and then Chinook would be left all alone if he became a spirit like Shade was now. But he decided to keep that thought to himself, so he wouldn't discourage Chinook's hopes of seeing his parents again.

"Do you still remember where that tunnel is, Shade?"

"Yeah. Follow me,"

So there they went, soaring lower, but much faster than before, picking up speed as Shade lead Chinook to that evergreen forest, weaving over and under branches full of fresh needles, with their familiar spice in the air. The chatter of songbirds became apparent as they accidentally knocked into some branches a few times, Chinook laughing as this time he was the one having snow dumped on his back.

He shook his head, getting the stray clumps out of his fur, chuckling when some went flying and hit Shade, well, the snow went through him, but Chinook pretended not to notice. It was like the good old times. Chinook missed those days and he knew Shade did too.

"Well, here we are," Shade said, gazing deep into the dark tunnel before them, just large enough for them to dive in one by one.

Chinook looked into it, with strange fascination and Shade had to flap his wings a few times to get his attention. It was like he had been hypnotized.

"Are you ready?" He asked, expectantly.

"I always was," Chinook said, with a familiar sense of overconfidence, arrogance, though he was grinning at him, chuckling at the end.

"Sure you were,"

And with that, they dived in, tumbling into the tunnel, the two bats shrieking and laughing as they fell faster and faster, like the pull of gravity grew stronger as they reached deeper depths than Chinook had ever imagined.

This story isn't going to be perfect. There is going to be tragic things that happen near the end, even though this story is about changing tragedies...I know...hypocrite much...Well, all we can do is hope that the characters are happy in the end! Bye! ;)