Chapter 21: Horrible Truth

Ashlie's POV

I felt someone shaking my shoulder and I moaned.

"Ash wake up," I heard Shade speaking.

"Ugh, five more minutes," I grumbled, snuggle close to my made bed. He shook my shoulder again. "Come on the rain has stopped its time to go. Come one wake up!"

"Okay okay I'm up!"I got up slowly but still feeling tired with my head heavy. I yawned while I rubbed my eyes and notices Goth Throbb and Marina are gone. "Where's everyone?"

They went out to get some drink, "Shade replied. Then I caught a glimpse of his puzzled looks all of sudden.

"..What?"

"Why is your hair look all..puff up?" He asked.

"Puff wha..?" I ran my finger through my hair and winch of getting some stuck.

I moaned and brush my hair back into its normal state. "Its called bed hair Shade, and its how we..humans get it after we wake up."

"So I see," I see he was trying not to laugh and I frowned.

"Shade shut up!"

"I'm sorry your hair looks pretty funny." He bites his lips to prevent his laughing. I got up and shook some dirt off of me. "Okay come on let's find the others and be quick to catch up with the others." I grab my bag as Shade tsks.

"I didn't know humans can be this cranky," He lifted himself up and I grabbed his feet.

"Hey I'm tired alright, "I huffed." It's hard for me to handle this nocturnal thing you guys do, I'm not immortal." Shade shook his head, sighing before taking off with me and had some troubles flying due I was still heavy for him. But we manage to make it to where the rest is and I quickly drank some water before we journey on through the night. Marina was holding on to my hands while we venture through the woods before she finally spoke.

"I think we reached the southern valley," Shade nodded and flew up above the trees as we followed him up. When we reach up above the trees I thought my breath was caught due to how huge the valley was, don't know if I was tiny or the valley was really this massive.

"My gosh, how are we ever going to find your colony Shade?" I gulped and Goth flew over by us.

"You know, if you called on your sound map, together we can find out where your colony is." He suggested. Marina and I both gasped and I was about to tell Shade no but I saw him close his eyes. I watch him trying his best to concentrate.

"Focus Shade," Goth said, encouraging him.

He groans and begins speaking. I-I see.. the countryside! I see the city, the cathedral." He hums more. "Now I see…towers..and they all consumed by flames and there's a line of fire shooting, in and out of them.." Shade gasps, almost drop himself as if that was too much for him. I gulped softly and heard Goth hums.

"You have given us something to work with Shade." I turned and saw he was smirking, something that I felt uneasy there like before but this one that he makes made my stomach dropped. Then out of the blue, he sniffed in the air as Throbb did the same as something caught their scent.

"…Uh please excuse us," Goth said in gentlemanly, "The lunch special around here is, excellent." With that, he and Throbb both swooped down to follow that smell and then Marina flew up with me and frowns at Shade

"How can you just blurt out your sound map like that?" She snapped. Shade looks like he had enough of her attitude towards his new friend and flew towards her.

"You know maybe you were on that island so long maybe you don't know how to trust, a friend."

"Better friendless than clueless," Marina corrected in her snippy tone.

"Guys enough! We don't know if those guys will come back," I said, getting the two to stop arguing. Shade huffed and flew down towards the forest and we both follow him down. When all of us landed after Marina landed me she suggested.

"How about we ditch them when we have a chance,"

I shook my head. "But if we did that, Goth and Throbb will find us soon since they both have an excellent smell I believe. And they will ask us why we ditch them,"

"Then what is your idea?" She asked, looking annoyed.

"I-I don't know," I gulped. "But right now, let's keep things low for now until we can find a way to abandon them,"

"Guys seriously you two are just being paranoid." Shade rolled his eyes.

"Paranoid?" Marina glowered. "That what we are? Paranoid? Even Ash agrees with me that these both could dangerous!"

"So now you agreeing with me one thing?" I can't help but ask after I saw her not believing me about the band.

She looked at me dumbly. "What?" I then shook it off not want to bring this conservation yet but instead telling them this.

"Never mind, lets just..keep it low so Goth won't get much suspicious okay?"

"Suspicious of what?" All three of us jumped in startled when we hear that voice, we turn sharply to see Goth roosting another side of the branch with Throbb standing on another branch by him underneath. I bite my lips as I watch him raise his eyebrows.

"Just what you three are talking about?"

"NOTHING!" All of us exclaimed. I panic to see him hum like he's trying to find our hidden lies.

I quickly speak before Goth can say, "W-we were just talking about stuff. You know some um…private..stuff?" I smiled sheepish shrugging my shoulders.

"I see." I can tell he wasn't buying this and I being to change the subject fast.

"So how was hunting? Did you or your brother in law caught something?" I sighed silently in relief when Goth smirked.

"Why si we did try catching the rabbit but it got away thanks to my brother.."He glared at Throbb which made him gulped and rubbed his knuckles*

"Si it wasn't my fault, I had to sneeze,"

Goth just rolled his eyes in annoyed. " Excuses excuses, now be a good brother and make my band look shiny." Throbb groaned and when Goth holds his arm out with a band he begins to clean it. I huffed silently of how Goth was rude of how he talks to his brother. We watch him tries to polish his band but no matter how hard he tries it won't be shiny as Marina's band. He even blows his hot breath on it.

"These bands.." He struggled and use his arm to wipe it. "They're hard to keep clean and twice hard to keep it shiny.*

"Why the humans' bands the bats anyway?" Shade asked. I turn to him like are you kidding me, he wants to repeat it or he just wants Goth's opinion?

Goth growled lowly, "To imprison us! So they can steal our secret of night vision." We watch him try to get his band off with the addition of trying to bite it.

"Maybe the band means something good," Marina said. He stops biting his band and looked at her dumbly.

"..Such as?"

"I don't know," She replied unsure, something special?"

He scoffed. "Something special.."He thought for a moment and then turn to her and smirked* "How amusing señorita," I gasp to hear him say that and saw Marina look hurt. Then she huffed and spread her wings out and storm off. We all watch her flew into the distance and then I turn and glare at him.

"You know for being a prince, you're a terrible one." Then Shade flew over at me and grabbed my both hands which I I'm glad he did because I don't want to be near these giant bats anymore.

Third's person POV

Goth growl lowly while he and Throbb watch Shade and his human friend took off after Marina.

"That brightwing and human are starting to ignore me." He bared his teeth under his breath. Then he heard his brother in law lick his lips and look over at him.

Then let's eat them and be done with it." Throbb grinned hungrily.

Goth smirked but he pats on his shoulder. "Patience, for a time with bat meat, will come soon. But, "He looked at him darkly. "That human is mine, you may have the brightwing. Throbb hums and then he sniffs and he saw another brightwing that is a male, flying past them.

He looked at that bat with hunger. "Like now..? Then Goth snarled at him, make him stay put and spoke dangerously.

"Its mine." With that, he lifts himself up from his roost and spread his massive wings out. He took off and begin to hunt the brightwing.

Ashlie's POV

By the time we finally caught up with Marina I called her. "Hey wait! To my shock, she's ignoring us and Shade didn't have any choice but flew on further despite how tired he was of carrying me. "Marina please stop! He can't go on further..!" She notices and I can see her huffed and flew down towards the ground. Shade followed her down and landed me before he lands beside me, panting heavily.

"..What's your problem!?"

"You two agree on everything Goth says!" Marina shot back at him. "He's not nice as you think." She crosses her both wings and turns around showing her back.

"Wait a minute I don't agree with what he says!" I retorted.

"Your just mad because Goth doesn't think your band was that special," Shade added.

"If that's true why do I even bother to find your colony and meet Frieda?" She asked, glance back at us.

"Beats me." Shade replied, in sarcastic. That made her more upset and she begins to shout at us.

"I'm going to back to the island I wished I have never met both of you!"

"Marina, what is the matter with you, why are you blaming me too?" I snapped. She glares at me sharply.

"You weren't supporting me when I told Goth about my band being special!" She answered.

"Supporting you?!" I blinked at her more shocked. "You want me to support you after what I hear you don't trust me?!" Okay, that came out wrong and saw her eyes lit up.

"Wha.." I decided to just let it out after what I have been through every since the greywings and Marina saying that the humans that banded them were now marked with certain death.

"Marina, do you not trust me enough after what I said about the band, of how my people are helping you?"

"Of course I trust you!" She said.

NO YOU DON'T!"

"Ashlie!" Shade tries to interrupt but I continue.

"No you haven't, I heard you talk with Zephyr back at the cathedral and you still believe these… these stupid bands are cursed! There just bands! They are unless and harmless tags, all we ever do to you is helping you never to go extinct! If it weren't for us you and the rest of your colony would've been wiped out from earth!

"I was just seeing what was his opinion about humans!" Marina shouted back at me. "Ash..!" I didn't want to hear what she says so I shut my eyes in anger.

"You know what? Just go back to your island and forget what I said about my kinds! You're just like the Greywings colony! Seeing me as a demon! If you are scared I might do something, then go away!" I didn't care how I was hurting her but I was more upset than I ever was. She huffed and spread her wings out and took off, having Shade and I left behind. Right after she left he glance at me.

"Ashlie that wasn't her fault she did trust you."

"Shade she didn't trust me enough!" I glared at him. "Ever since I came to her island and after she shows me her band she believes my kinds place this stupid curse on it."

"Everyone has their different opinion!" Shade said, "Marina just… need to get to know you more, you're not giving her the chance and let her befriend you... "

"I HAVE BEEN!" I screamed at him, which made Shade back up a bit and my tears begin to leak out from my eyes. "I have been..trying all my best to fit in, your species. Your mom Chinook and Frieda are the only bats that accept me for who I am while the rest see me like I was born from some kind of monster. See me as a freak that makes me wish I wasn't born or was turn into a bat-like you. Mostly I want to just..disappear," I see him didn't say a word after I let all my troubles out. He then spoke quietly.

"Ash..your not a monster, you have never been." I didn't want to believe that anymore after what I have been through that I run back, crying gently. But my running stops when I hear something munching and hears someone clearing his throat. I looked over and notices Goth and Throbb are on the ground as I see the purple giant bat eating something. I walked over quietly but I didn't care they hear me coming. Right, when I come out of my hiding, I see Goth was scooting something over in the bush and he wiped his mouth off with his hands.

"Hola señorita," He greeted me smoothly."Where are your friends?"

"Their coming," I said, wiping my tears off with my mittens.

Throbb notices some tears in my eyes and tone. "Hey what's wrong amigo?"

"Nothing," I lied, with my head down. "I'm fine." I heard Goth hums.

"Señorita, did you and your friends fought?" I didn't say a word but I finally spoke.

"..I hate being a human," I shut my eyes and I didn't hear him talk. Then my eyes opened a second later when we heard Shade coming. The silverwing landed beside me but I did not look at him.

Goth smiled. "Ah, there you are Shade! Now, where is Marina?"

"She decided to head back to the island." He sighed. Goth nods and looks out in the opening.

"Ah but the owls are out, and we promise to protect you both." He still smiles and turns to another giant bat. "Throbb! Go find Marina and uh..escort her. Its at least we can do to pay her." Shade and I were puzzled about how he was speaking but I always have feeling it's not good. Throbb nods but I catch a glimpse before he takes off a hunger gleamed in his eyes. When he left Goth then turn to us and ask towards Shade.

"Now why don't we call upon your sound map? See if we can narrow in of your, colony." He wraps his massive wings and I shivered a bit. There was something about him that, creeps me out. How his voice sounds smooth and the way his personality. Like he can easily catch his prey within a second of his movement. Shade and I watch him walk up a bit from us.

"Towers of fire..hmm.."I saw his tip wing caught on a grass and when he pulls it an arm corpse came out and land on the ground, that belongs to a bat that was a brightwing. My face was turned to horror and saw Shade having the same feeling and looks like he was ready to throw up. We discovered the horrible truth over these giant bats, their cannibals!

Goth turns and notices our face, He smirked. "Somethings wrong, amigos?" He walks towards us. "You both look..a little pale."

"Uh yeah, calling the sound map is uh exhausting," Shade forced to smile as I did the same.

"I..I guess I haven't slept well due I can't be nocturnal. Maybe when we get some water from the stream nearby it might help us ease a bit. We'll be back." Shade and I walk quickly through the giant bushes before Goth can say anything. When we were away enough I begin to hear him chewing the dead bat which made my stomach all sick up. Shade, however, was worse than me that he was going to faint. I helped him lean by a giant tree for support and glance at me fearful.

"Ashlie… ..their.." He stuttered,

I shushed him quietly still have fear on my face. "Shh, I know. We got to find Marina before Throbb gets a chance to eat her." He nodded and took my hands with his feet and he manages to lift himself up and he flaps his wings fast as he can and we begin to find Marina before its too late.

AUTHOR'S NOTE! HOW WAS THAT ONE SO FAR EVERYONE! SO SORRY THIS WASNT UPDATED HOPEFULLY THIS WILL MAKE UP TO YOU ALL ;) HOPE YOU ALL LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING BUT IF NOT DONT READ AND REVIEW IT! I DONT OWN ANY SILVERWINGS CHARACTERS EXCEPT OC!