Chapter 4 the Shrinking Ray
I followed where Shade and Chinook were going through the tall weeded grass across the campground. Then they both gasped in fright and zoomed fast right behind my shoulder once more as Shade hid in my hair.
"There it is." Shade quivered, pointing ahead with his foreclaw. I looked at where he was pointing at and shined my flashlight and indeed it was something they saw, it was a white fabric with a muffled red blinking. I gulped and walked a bit more closely and heard its moan and clattering.
"Careful don't make it angry!" Chinook said and I felt his claws digging into my sweater in panic. Ignoring his warning I gently touch the fabric with my fingers and jerk it off.
Right after I did that Chinook was the one who screamed right in my left ear. I yelped in pain from his bat screech while dropping my flashlight and rubbing my ear to clean them.
I glanced at the monster once again and I couldn't help but smile a bit almost chuckle at the sight. I gently took Shade and Chinook off my shoulders with my two hands and I felt both of them trembling.
"Um guys, is this the monster you're scared of?" I watched them open their eyes a bit as they slowly turned their head to look at the monster they had seen before. Right as they see it, their expressions are changed from fear to confusion.
"What?" Shade first spoke out tipping his head a bit. I couldn't help but laugh at their reaction and looked ahead to see some kind of ray machine with red beeping.
"It's only a machine guy's nothing scary,"
"Scary? I wasn't scared of it." Chinook committed.
"Then how come you screamed like a girl?" Shade asked with a smirk on his face.
"That wasn't a scream!" He growled and saw his both cheeks blush under his fur." It was…um...a battle cry. And that one was a warm-up." I shook my head and stroked his head a bit with my thumb.
"Come on Chinook it's okay to be scared once in a while, if it makes you better I got scared too from it." He purred a bit from my petting and smiled.
"Did anyone tell you you're sweet for a human?" He asked.
"Aww, Chinook you're such a gentleman for a bat." I giggled and rubbed his back softly.
"Oh bother." I heard Shade mutter. I let them free out of my hands as they both soared into the sky. I glance at the machine once more and walk towards it curiously. Shade flew down and landed on the top of it.
"Ashlie, what is this?" He asked and tapped the metal with his claws curious. Chinook, on the other hand, was still flying around to get a better view. I even say he was opening his mouth and I can guess he was using his echolocation. Shame I couldn't hear it.
"Like I told you guys it's some kind of a machine," I replied.
"What's a machine?" Chinook added.
"It's um, a thing that helps humans like myself to make things life better," I explained. "It's like for example, we use cars to go from place to place in less than 24 hours and planes we used to take us to another country. " I walked up towards the machine curiously and saw the instructions that were in the Chinese language.
"Why does everything have to be Chinese instructions?" I muttered to myself. I walked around a bit to study it and sure enough, it pretty much reminded me of one of the Disney shows called Honey I Shrunk the Kids.
I swallowed as I saw the red still beeping slowly. I wonder who it belongs to. And how come it's still activating when no one is around? I thought and looked at the front of it with my flashlight. Then all of a sudden I felt a gush of wind blowing on me and I gasped and shivered a bit.
"Guys I should head inside the tent right now, it's getting a little chilly..."
"~Ashlie~." My eyes lit up and looked back after I heard something that sweet melody."Who's there?"
"What Ash?" Shade asked. I turned and saw Shade landed on the top of the machine.
"You guys didn't hear that," I gulped and pointed out of the woods.
"Hear what?" Chinook questions. "We didn't hear anything." Right, when I was about to tell them I heard a voice Shade accidentally stepped on a red button and the machine started to whirl up fast. He gasped and flew out of the machine.
"Runt what did you do you made it angry!" Chinook snapped. He raced away fast. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Shade flew fast and stopped in front of me.
"COME ONE! IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!" I turned fast without him saying it twice but before I could even blink I felt my whole body was shot on my back and I let out a sharp breath and blacked out.
A second later my body jolt and I opened my eyes sharply gasping as if I was taking a long breath. I moaned and rubbed my eyes and saw everything all pitch-black and warm. I don't remember how heaven could be this dark. And why do I smell some kind of ordinate? I gasped in startled when I heard Shade calling for me.
I struggled while I felt a little sore from being hit by a machine but managed to crawl out and felt the cold air on my skin. I shivered a bit and wrapped the fabric around me I found to keep myself warm. I looked up and saw Shade and Chinook both arguing in the sky as they re flying. I whistle for them to hear me and wave my one arm out.
"Guys! Guys!" I saw them look down at me after I managed to get their attention. Both of them swooped down and landed.
"Oh thank Nocturna you're alright." Shade sighed in relief. "I thought you were gone after that machine zapped you."
"I thought I was gone too," I replied panting. Then something was odd, Shade and Chinook were now both... big? Their now the size of a human.
"Um, guys? How did you two get big all of a sudden?" They both looked at me funny and then have a shocked look on their face, telling me it's not good.
"How are you gotten small?" Chinook asked back. I looked at him now puzzled but gulped and looked around my surroundings slowly. My eyes went huge when I saw the weeded grasses now taller and the old tent was huge!
I breathed and looked ahead and saw the machine was now all broken into pieces with little smoke coming out from it. I swallowed and slowly looked down at myself and I realized I was nude. I squeaked and covered myself fast with the fabric which now I realized it's my giant sweater sleeves end.
"Oh..my..god...I SHRUNK!" I let out a terrifying scream so loud that all the birds awoke in startled and flew out from the trees. "THIS IS NOT HAPPENING! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!"
"Ashlie calm down!" Shade reassured quickly. I shook my head fast and pointed at the broken machine.
"That was a shrinking machine! That machine shrunk me!"
"It's not that bad," Chinook added trying to help out.
"Not bad? Not bad?!" I look at him all panicking." Look at me! I'm close to 3 inches tall! How this is not bad!?" I ruffed my hair in frustration. "Oh god if my dad sees me like this he will have a massive heart attack and won't know how he'll explain this to my mom. " I spoke imagining what'll happen to every father's reaction to seeing his eighteen-year-old daughter now as small as a Thumbelina.
"Okay, Ash first calm your skin and second we'll find a way to unshrink yourself before your dad knows it." I sighed and breathed to calm myself after hearing Shade speaking.
After I calmed down I asked. "And how are we going to do that?"
"Maybe our elders can help you," Chinook suggested. "There are the wisest elder bats that have all the answers, I'm sure they can help you find a way back to your size." I bite my lips unsure how they can help. Even not too sure if they welcome a human.
"Right," I glance around trying to find something sharp enough until I saw a glass near the broken machine.
"Shade I need you to grab a sharp glass over there." I watched Shade fly over and grab it with his feet and flew back and landed. "Ah, thanks."
"Why do you need it?" Chinook asked. I chuckled softly.
"Well, I need some new clothing to go around a bit. I cannot go out naked and let other animals see me."
"Oh," Chinook replied and I saw his cheek blush a bit, realizing what I meant.
Shade laughed. "We'll be guarding while you change."
"Okay thank you." I went inside my giant sweater and began to make myself an outfit for my tiny body. It was pretty little difficult at first due to its dark so I stabbed a couple behind me to get some light. I used more of the broken glass to cut gently on my white tank top to get a couple of pieces for my clothing. I cut a huge hole to get my pocket knife and use the needle I have and a blue string attached to my sweater to make the pieces stay together.
Right after I did that I put the white dress on I made and to my relief, it fitted like a glove. I use the rest piece to wrap both arms around to keep them warm from the cold along with my leggings. With the final touch, I cut out my blue sweater with a huge hole for my head to go through.
After I was all done, I began to make my way out of my sweater when and stepped outside. I saw Shade and Chinook both talking. I cleared my throat and saw both of them turn to me. Their both eyes lit up and I smiled shyly.
"Well, what do you think? It's not much but it'll have to do for now."
"You look great in it." Shade replied. Chinook however looked at me funny.
"Is that how humans wear?"
"Chinook!" Shade hissed.
I tsks. "It's okay I'm not excellent at sowing. All of sudden we heard an owl hooting in the distance. I saw their both faces growing pale.
"Oh no." Chinook gulped and Shade nodded.
"We have to move now, the owl is coming and the sun is coming up."
"What what?" I asked feeling puzzled. "I watch Chinook fly above me.
"Come on I can carry you we have to hurry." He spoke in desperation.
"Okay, what is going on? Why are you guys freaking out it's just an owl." Chinook rolled his eyes and without a warning, he snatched my shoulders with his feet fast.
"Hey what are you…?!" Before I can even protest he picks me up from the ground and I yell in startled with my both legs dangling in thin air. "The hell?!" I see Shade follow us as all three of us begin to head through the dark woods fast.
Third Person POV.
Not too long after the tree left seconds ago an owl swooped down to investigate the damage. He saw something glowing and smoke coming out from the distance and he decided to check for himself to see if the bats had done something against the law.
He scans around the abandoned campground until he discovers a broken shrinking ray and human clothing with a flashlight still shining. He used his beak to sniff around the clothes and then saw a hole looking like a dress. He tips his head in confusion about who could've done it for he knows no one animal could do this.
"I must report this to Brutus. He's not going to believe this." With his wings, he flew into the sky returning to his General.
Author's Note: How was that so far? I hope you like where this is going but if not DON'T READ AND REVIEW IT! Whew things got bit crazier for our OC for now she had gotten shrunk to their size. Stay tuned what happens next! XD I don't own any silverwing characters except OC enjoy! X3