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Chapter Text

Voices.

Several of them.

It was hard to tell exactly how many were in the room.

There was one thing that was certain: The obvious nervous tone that they each had.

"Are you sure you looked everywhere?!" One voice said.

"Yes, I did! I've checked every room, cage and cranny! That animal is not on this floor!" The other voice, this one being a young man.

"Arnold, you idiot! You had one job and you managed to screw it up!" Another voice spoke up, this one being more feminine.

"Angie, calm down. She couldn't have gone far." He said.

She sighed, letting a sharp exhale, "You know, what I don't understand is how in the world did you manage to lose a bat that size: an adolescent Flying Fox of all creatures!"

She let out another sharp exhale in annoyance, "You two obviously don't know the seriousness of this situation: We had a Golden Flying Fox in that very cage, a species of bat that is native to the Philippines. We were supposed to have that animal transported to another facility at 5:00 am the next morning…. That's five hours from now and now it's gone missing."

Another pair of footsteps could be heard walking to the entrance.

"What's going on?" Another voice asked.

"You want to know what the hell's going on? This bonehead lost the Goldenwing!"

Silence met her.

"Yeah, about that. You know the facility?"

"Yes, what about it, Ramona?" She asked.

"It's the director! He's on the phone and he wants to talk to you… now!" She whispered harshly.

"Crud." She muttered under her breath.

"Ok, go look in the west hall or in the east hall."

"And Ramona, give me the phone and go look in the north corridor. I'll stall the director as long as I can."

The room grew quiet as the group went in separate directions.

Under a very disorganized work desk, a large black furred bat emerged and cautiously looked around.

"Luther. Luther!" came a harsh whisper.

"What?" He whispered back.

"Is the coast clear? Can we come out now?" The voice asked.

"Yes, but quickly! I don't know for how long!" He answered back harshly.

From under the desk emerged another large bat, one with pale gold brown fur, followed by a smaller adolescent bat and two small adult bats.

"Oh! My back!" The small male, Bami, complained.

"Dad, are you alright?" The pale gold furred bat asked in concern.

"I'm fine, sweetie." Bami reassured his daughter.

"Oh! Estás sempre a queixar-te das tuas costas, querida." The slightly taller pale furred female, Evior, said.

"Well, I can't help that I'm old!" He complained to his mate, who in turn let out a chuckle.

"So, what's the plan, son?" Bami asked.

His question was greeted with silence as his son turned around slowly with a somewhat sheepish smile.

The other large pale gold furred bat crossed her wings and gave him a skeptical look, "This was as far as you got, isn't it?"

The black furred bat nodded and exclaimed, "Well, what was I supposed to do? We couldn't waste any more time in that prison! By the time we had a plan, they would have already stuffed you in a cage and shipped you off to who knows where!"

"Our son does have a point." Evior said, looking at her mate.

"Look, right now we need to figure out where we are so that we can find the closest exit and get the heck out of here." Bami whispered.

"Mamãe." The four adults turned around to face the smallest of them.

"Edolia, what is it?" 

"What was the name of the human with the talking box in her hand?" She asked.

"Uh, Ramona. Why?"

"Because she's standing at the opening." Edolia said in a small voice, pointing a claw behind the group.

They all turned around to see the intern with her mouth slightly open in surprise in the entryway.

She then opened her mouth to shout.

"GO!!" Luther and his sister shouted at their group as they launched themselves from the floor and onto Ramona.

She let out a strangled scream as the large bats clawed at her face.

Evior held onto Edolia and took flight, with her mate quickly following.

Ramona fell to the floor, screaming in agony, with her hands covering her face as drops of blood trickled between her fingers.

The two larger bats flew down the west corridor with the rest of their family closely.

Shouts were heard, echoing against the smooth walls.

They are coming.

We are not going to make it.

"Ami! Amalia!" She snapped out of her thoughts to hear her brother shouting at her.

"Duck your head!" He shouted back.

She looked at him in confusion until she looked in front of her to understand why.

Several feet in front of them was a large window.

She heard a faint Grab them! before tucking her head into her chest.

CRASH!!!

Shards of glass rained down on the sidewalk as the family flew out through the broken window.

One of the scientists nearly fell out when he tried to make a desperate attempt in catching the fleeing bats.

"Mãe? Mãe, você está bem?!" Amalia shouted frantically.

"Querida, estou bem." Her mom responded. She had been clinging to her daughter's belly, before detaching.

"Alright, sound off!" Luther shouted back.

"Present!" Their dad shouted from above.

"Here!" Their mom shouted from below Amalia.

"here!" A faint but audible shout came from beside their mom.

"Okay, so where do we go now?" Amalia asked her brother.

"I don't know but we can't stop anytime soon. They'll be looking for us, so we gotta keep flying, probably until dawn. We'll make stops along the way." Luther said.

"Straight onto morning then." Their mother said.

We flew for what seemed like hours.

We were exhausted.

We kept taking turns in carrying Eddie until we came into view of a large oak tree.

"Up ahead!" Luther shouted.

The family perked up when they saw the large tree in full view.

"Hey, Eddie." Amalia whispered, tucking her head to face downward. A small grumble floated up.

"Eddie, we are getting close to our new home." She said.

"Really? Is it really home this time?" Edolia asked from her sister's belly where she clung on tightly.

"Yes." She said and looked at her brother. "Your turn." Luther flew under her and plucked his little sister, who immediately clung onto his stomach.

"I am going to go and hunt!" She shouted before breaking away from the group. "Keep flying until you reach the tree!"

She flew into the trees, using her echolocation to find anything edible.

After several minutes, she finally got something and flew in that general direction.

…only to fly into someone.

She fell to the ground, stunned. Her head was throbbing so badly that she placed her paw on her head to try and deaden the pain.

"Ow. Hey! Watch where you're flying!" a male voice said angrily.

She looked up and noticed the small Silverwing who was looking at her with a mixture of anger and astonishment.

"Excuse me?" She said, glaring at him as he shrunk back in slight fear. "Watch where you are flying! You could have done more damage to me or yourself."

"...What are you?" He asked after a moment.

"What do you mean?" She asked, a bit caught off guard by the question.

"Well… You're huge!" He practically shouted, "And your fur looks different." He added.

"Well, so does your fur. I mean, you are blue." She said, choosing to ignore his earlier outburst. Her ears burned warm with embarrassment. She arched an eyebrow and gave him a smug smile.

The small Silverwing chuckled sheepishly.

"Do you live in that tree? … the one by the lake?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" He asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Because my family and I are going to live there." She said, "By the way, my name is Ami. Amalia Foxwing." she introduced herself and stuck out one clawed hand toward the smaller Silverwing.

The small Silverwing eyed her hand before shaking it, smiling.

"Shade. My name is Shade Silverwing."

Chapter Text

"Justice has been served!" Brutus shouted over the heads of the silverwings as the great tree burned, several blackened branches fell into the lake below.

The horde of silverwings hung from the trees, gasping as they watched their home burn in a fiery blaze.

Large clouds of smoke filled the dark red sky.

A large Darkwing male huddled next to his family, his mother and father tried to comfort their young daughter; his little sister.

He wrapped his wing around his twin, Amalia, as she bawled silently. No sound came from her as she buried her head into his chest and cried.

She couldn't even hear what was going on around her, all she could smell was the burning wood.

It hadn't been her fault, though most would disagree. She had been curious in wanting to see the sunrise and so had Shade.

And it hadn't been his fault either.

She hadn't heard that owl screech when she looked away, he had pulled her out the way just in time.

Only a select few knew that his twin was deaf and to have that secret revealed, it would have been a death sentence to her.

Brutus's cackling alerted Luther as he looked above and watched the owls fly away, tossing their burnt branches into the water.

The owl looked back down and saw the larger bat, the smirk on his face disappeared when he noticed the look that was sent his way.

Pure vitriol. A fresh wave of hate came over Luther as he let out a low growl, his hair puffed out and for a brief moment, his eyes seemed to glow an ominous bright blue.

The owl, for a moment felt fear, and shook his head; screeching to the others to follow as they disappeared from view.

"...destroyed, we must begin our migration to Hibernaculum early!"

Luther overheard the last part of the elder, Frieda's, announcement. The rest of his family looked up at Frieda, staring at her in surprise.

"Luther." He looked down to see his twin whispering, "What did she say?"

"She said that we have to leave for their winter home earlier than usual."

A guilty expression formed on Amalia's face, "It is all my fault. I should have left when Chinook fled."

"Regardless of what this clan thinks, It was not your fault. It is not Shade's fault. You were just curious."

"And look where that curiosity has gotten us. We have only been here for a year… and I already destroyed their home."

Luther opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't think of anything.

The rest of his family listened, melancholic expressions on their faces.

Her father walked over and he faced his daughter. "We can't dwell on that now, dear." He said, "There is nothing that can be done. Right now, we must focus on following them to their winter home."

The family huddled close.

On another branch, Shade's emotions were all over. He was sad over his friend's own turmoil… and he loathed himself over what happened.

********

Before dawn, The clan sang to each of their pups the migration sound map. 

We had to wait patiently as everyone finished and began to take to the skies.

Ariel, Shade's mother, offered to sing the sound map to my parents.

When that was done, they sang it to us and I offered to sing it to Amalia.

Ariel flew away to where her son was on a distant branch.

The smile on my face slowly disappeared as I turned to look at my twin, who looked up at me with a worrying frown.

I pretended to sing the soundmap to her and as everyone was flying away, my family and I told to stay close to us.

What more could I say… What good would a soundmap be to someone whose world was silent?                                          

Chapter Text

Blearily opening her eyes, Amalia breathed in deeply for the first time in hours and erupted into a terrible coughing fit. 

She felt something wet on her fur and a grainy sensation against her paws. A large dark seaweed was draped on her shoulders and another on her head.

It was then she looked at her surroundings. She was… on a beach, waves crashing against the sand. She had seen pictures of these places from the laboratory, one of the assistants would leave them out for her family to see.

Her head throbbed a little when she tried to remember. 

Flashes of lightning and a horrible rumble that she felt within her bones as she fell from the sky.

She felt a rustling movement close by and looked to her right. A smaller silverwing rose from the seaweed, coughing.

She remained seated for a moment before rushing over to him, throwing her wings around him.

Startled by the sudden contact, the smaller silverwing relaxed and embraced her as well.

"Shade." She whispered as she pulled back and looked at him, "I thought you were dead."

"Thought the same about you." He, Shade, whispered back. His ears moved back when she pressed her forehead against his, embarrassed at her gesture. She was smiling when she pulled away.

The skin under his fur felt uncomfortably warm when he noticed something over her shoulder.

"Um, Amalia. We should go." Shade said as he pointed over her shoulder. She looked behind and her eyes widened at the sight.

A horde of crabs were walking toward the mound of seaweed, snapping their claws menacingly.

Amalia hurriedly pulled off the seaweeds that covered him. She managed to pull off the last one just as a crab cut right near the end and the two flew up in the air.

"Stay with me, ok?" Shade said as he flew toward the forest with Amalia close behind.

*********

The sounds of birds and insects filled the air as we both flew onward, Shade had looked behind and gasped.

I did not have to guess… I could feel the heat from the first rays of dawn.

Seeing a lone cabin, we both dove through an opening in the roof and settled among the rafters.

He yawned and I did too as we wrapped our wings around our own bodies.

It was not long before we fell asleep.

We both woke a few hours later, and I noticed how Shade had stiffened. I did as well when I caught a strange scent.

We were not alone.

He cast off his echolocation, flashes of purple and green waves hit whatever was in front.

Imagine our surprise when the rays bounced a brightly colored bat who peered out from behind the large pieces of wood.

I think she was just as surprised when she saw me… I do not believe she had ever seen a bat of my stature before.

She was… a bit arrogant if I was being honest.

But as we got to know her over the course of the night, I realized something.

She was quite lonely and defensive. Being on an island by yourself after being disowned by your colony for being banded… she had every right to be angry when we noticed the silver metal piece on her wrist.

She did however brighten up when we told her about Frieda.

And suggested that we head for the mainland.

I could not help but chuckle when Shade let out a quiet 'oh no' at the ocean that lay ahead.                  

Chapter Text

The strange feeling gnawed at her gut when they landed on the tower, in between the broken pieces of wood.

Her nose wrinkled when a pungent odor hit her nose.

She caught the words that tumbled from Marina's mouth.

Stinks!

She agreed as the three sniffed the air; the fur on the back of her neck stood up when she recognized the scent.

They had no time to react when a pair of owl wings pulled them inside.

********

One pigeon squawked something, his voice was muffled as several pigeons flew around the old tower. 

They bumped into each other, their only source of light was gone.

Amalia leaned back when two birds collided with one another, the smaller one face planted on the floor. The same one that had a gash across his neck.

She felt someone pull her wing as she looked down at Marina.

The smaller brightwing was casting worried glances at Shade, who bit his lip as he suppressed a pained groan.

He was leaning against Marina, his left wing was limp against his body.

The large tear continued to bleed, staining his hip and dripping down his leg.

He couldn't fly with an injury like that, he had already lost too much blood.

She looked up in time to see that Marina was talking and managed to catch the words.

"... need to go, now." She said, eyeing the still crashing birds.

Amalia nodded and saw the only opening was clear.

"Go. I will follow." She said.

Marina hesitated before Amalia urged her.

She quickly took flight, gasping as she weaved her way around the pigeons and finally exiting through the same entrance that they had been taken from.

Amalia approached Shade, who was breathing heavily and was holding his injured wing.

"Shade." She whispered as her friend opened his eyes to look at her.

"I am going to need you to hold on as tightly as you can to me, ok? Do not let go." Amalia explained as she spread her large wings.

Shade nodded and approached, digging his feet into her fur and wrapping his good wing around her waist.

Amalia stood still and waited before flying past several of the birds and through the same opening.

She briefly closed her eyes at the city's bright lights before opening them again.

Marina had been waiting under the roof of a nearby building before she detached and flew next to them.

Amalia turned her head just as Marina asked, "Are you both alright?"

"I am fine." She responded before looking down at Shade.

His eyes were still shut… and he looked very pale.

"Marina. He needs help." Her voice quivered. "We are too vulnerable out here."

Marina looked at Shade worryingly, her brows furrowed as she started to think.

"There has to be an abandoned building where we can hide." Marina began to say as they flew past the other buildings. "We can stay until those birds get tired."

Amalia nodded before noticing how Marina opened her mouth to speak before shutting it.

"What is it?"

"...Are there other giant bats… like you?"

"Yes. My twin brother." Her answer surprised Marina, causing her to grow quiet once more.

"You wish to know if there are giant meat eating bats, do you not?"

Amalia waited until Marina turned her gaze back to her, she remained silent.

"To be honest… I should hope not."

Chapter Text

He was an interesting old bat.

Eccentric would have been the correct word to describe him.

He introduced himself as Zephyrniah, a navigator for all the other migrating colonies.

He helped us, slathering a healing poultice on Shade's injury as well the cut on my hip and the one on Amalia's leg.

We were so busy flying away, we didn't even feel the pain.

It was worse for Shade. 

Zephyr had said that the poultice would be enough to numb the pain but the wound needed to be closed up.

We had told Shade that Amalia would have to sew his wing together using a lock of her hair and something that Zephyr called a needle.

Zephyr gave him a herb to make him fall asleep while Amalia fixed his wing.

…And it would have been difficult to ignore his shouts if he had been awake.

********

"Zephyr?" Amalia asked, waiting as the older bat turned around. Both Marina and Shade stood on opposite sides of her.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Could you tell us what is happening to the colony?"

The older bat nodded and stood still, his large ears moved from side to side as he muttered quietly to himself.

He opened his eyes again, concern laced his face.

"What is it?" Shade asked.

"They are in grave danger." 

Chapter Text

The more rotund purple furred bat let out a startled yell followed by the taller red furred one as Amalia dropped down from her perch and in front of Shade and Marina.

The golden fur on her back puffed out in anger.

She let out a feral growl as she stalked after the two.

"Fique longe deles! A menos que você queira que sua garganta seja arrancada!" She snarled out as she stood up with her large wings flared out.

The purple furred bat couldn't help but shiver in fear, using his wings to cover himself as he felt the brick wall against his back.

The taller red furred one pressed himself against the wall as she got up close and snapped at him, his expression was unreadable.

His fur moved slowly up and down, his pupils blown wide as he felt his heart hammer away in his chest.

She tore her gaze away from the two when she felt someone tug on her wing, and looked down. Both Shade and Marina were trying to pull her away; Marina was shaking her head while Shade was giving her a pleading look.

She let out a frustrated breath, as she ran her claws through her mane and ultimately backed away.

"Um… we-we're so sorry for our friend." Shade explained, stuttering at the beginning as he stood next to Amalia. 

The taller bat had her left claw gently on Shade's shoulder, while her right wing was around Marina, holding them protectively.

"She's a little protective. We're pretty far off course but thanks for saving us."

The other bats looked at one another before peeling themselves away from the brick wall. The smaller rotund one stood next to the redhead, almost hiding behind him.

The redhead's expression quickly changed from neutral to almost salacious, as he straightened himself up.

"It was no trouble at all, amigo. If we wanted, we would have done it again." He spoke as the purple one licked his lips, "Absolutamente." 

Though now faint, the air smelled of blood as Amalia eyed the feathers that peeked out from the other side of the wall.

"Oh, but where are my manners? I am Goth." The redhead, Goth, introduced himself, before placing a claw on the purple one's shoulder, "And this… this is my brother-in-law, Throbb."

"I-I'm Shade." Shade introduced himself.

"Marina." Marina introduced herself by waving at the taller male bats.

"Amalia." Amalia said after a quiet moment, her wings wrapped around her friends a bit more tightly.

Both Goth and Throbb approached the trio, though Throbb chose to stay a bit farther back.

"We are new to these lands… torn away from our own." Goth explained, folding his wings around himself.

"Oh! Us too!" Shade said, the nervousness had vanished as he smiled up at Goth.

"Then we have much in common." Goth responded, he couldn't help but smirk at the Silverwing's excitement.

Marina could only stare at him, worry and suspicion laced her features.

"All we want is to get back to our home in the south." Goth explained, before pointing at the sky, "But we can not read these… uh, northern stars."

"You can travel with us!" Shade suggested, warranting a gasp from Marina and a surprised look from Amalia. "We're heading south to find my colony!"

He let out a yelp when he felt Amalia pinch his shoulder, his ears pressed flat against his mane as she sent him a reprimanding look.

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" Amalia spoke in a soft voice, "I need to discuss this more with my friends." Her dark blue eyes stared back at Goth, who felt his fur stand up under her intense gaze.

"Umm… yes. Of course." Goth responded. The normally prideful bat nervously rubbed the back of his neck as the taller female led the smaller ones away from them both.

"What are you doing, Shade?" Amalia asked her friend as soon as they were far away enough.

"Um… I'm inviting them along." Shade said, as if it was the most obvious answer, "I don't see what the big deal is."

"You seem to forget that the redhead managed to fend off a full grown owl and break his neck." Amalia explained. "I do not trust them."

"What?" Shade asked.

"Shade, I'm with Ami. I don't feel comfortable traveling with two strangers. And why did you have to tell them about your colony?"

"I agree with Marina. You did not have to reveal your colony."

"Ok, you two are paranoid." Shade said, crossing his wings over his chest.

"No, my dear. We are just being cautious." Amalia spoke gently, placing her paw against his cheek. "We are not familiar with them."

He felt the skin under his fur heat under her gentle gaze as well the knowing look in Marina's eyes as she looked between the two.

"I-I mean y-you both have a point… but come on, we would have two more large bats who could protect not only me and Marina but you as well."

"You think I need protecting?" Amaila stood to her full height, eyeing the smaller Silverwing with a mischievous look in her eye, "You seem to forget there are two wolves somewhere who still bear scars from me."

Marina slowly turned her head, her jaw slack as she stared at the taller female who looked at her when she felt her gaze, "I'm going to ask about that later. Remind me."

Amalia silently chuckled at her response, nodding.

Shade laughed as well, "Please, Ami."

Amalia's smile faded just a little as she thought it over. Shade was right, though. It would help having two more sets of eyes, looking over their shoulders.

"Ok, but you both stick close to me. Just because they are coming with us does not mean that I fully trust them." Amalia responded as the three of them walked back to Goth and Throbb, who were patiently waiting.

"Welcome to the group!" Shade exclaimed when they were close enough.

Genuine smiles graced both Goth and Throbb's features. 

"We should start heading for the forests." Amalia said as she spread her wings, "The owls will be looking for their friend." She eyed the dead owl's body, still barely visible from behind the brick wall.

The four agreed as they spread their wings and took to the air; Shade and Marina stayed close to Amalia while Goth and Throbb flew behind her.

Goth silently eyed the taller female, his brain racked over what he had seen an hour ago.

It may have been the full moon playing tricks on him…but for a moment, he swore he had seen her eyes glow a dark blue.

Chapter Text

The gnawing feeling of doubt in my gut did not go away as long as Goth and Throbb were around.

Something was telling me that they were not what they seemed.

I did not think that they would reveal their true nature so soon.

Imagine my surprise when Shade came flying out of the underbrush, white as a ghost, trying to explain something before he promptly vomited the meal that we had scavenged earlier.

He said that he had seen Goth hiding something under the bushes at the edge of the woods.

The body of a smaller bat, with a large fatal gash along their stomach. 

A portion of their neck was missing, and the grass had been stained in their blood.

Their head had lolled out from under the leaves; their blank eyes had stared back at Shade when he fled.

*******

"Goth and Throbb don't just eat meat… they eat Bats!"

Amalia's eyes widened at his words; her wings faltered in mid-flight. Marina gasped as well at the news.

"Shade. You showed them your sound map. They know where the colony will stop next." Amalia spoke; her voice wavered.

"We-we have to find my colony before Goth and Throbb do." Shade said, a frantic look overcame him as the trio landed on a nearby tree.

"They'll all be eaten. It'll be my fault!" Shade exclaimed, digging his claws into his mane.

"Shade." Marina said, taking his claws out of his mane and wincing when she saw that there were small drops of blood on the tips. "Snap out of it. Look, panicking isn't going to help at all."

"She is right." Amalia said, "Take a breath."

Shade stared at the two women before he did as he was told. He could feel his breath wavering and his heart pounding in his ears.

"When you have done that, try calling up your soundmap. It might give us an idea on where the fire towers are."

Shade still shook with fear and nervousness as he tried to calm himself, his heartbeat had slowed a bit.

He closed his eyes as he tried to remember; a familiar humming sound reverberated into his ears.

Rows of light attached to smaller metal towers rushed by before panning around the wider structures. White flames erupted from the tops.

He gasped and opened his eyes again.

"Did you see anything new?" Marina asked. "Were there mountains… a river, maybe?"

"There were these other giant towers that led along the cut line." Shade began to explain, "You know, those places where the humans steal all of the trees."

"Then, let's go." Amalia responded, already spreading her wings.

Shade and Marina nodded and took flight, Amalia followed close behind.

*******

The towers that Shade had seen appeared below us, past the clouds. 

But we veered off course when Marina and Shade heard a shriek… an owl's cry for help. 

Shade, stubborn as he was, reluctantly followed and we found the source of the cries.

A brown feathered owl with a red mane and golden collar was struggling against a net, a human trap.

I could tell he was scared, who knew how long he had been tangled, and we did not know when the humans would return.

Marina had explained that she knew how to get out of the trap since it had one of the ones that had been used to band her.

Shade refused to help, explicitly telling me and Marina to leave him behind. 

I do not think I have ever seen him that angry; he sent one last glare at the owl before flying upward to a hanging branch, his back turned to us.

It was obvious that Marina wanted to yell at him, but she groaned instead and motioned for me to grab the sides of the trap.

I felt the rope stretch underneath my claws; we struggled to pull it apart until I lost grip on the rope.

We looked over our shoulders just as the owl went flying backwards into the foliage of a tree.

And winced in unison when he landed roughly on a branch.

I flew toward him; Marina was flying next to me. A small shadow passed over, Shade had dropped from his perch and was following closely.

I landed on the branch and approached the owl; tapping the sides of his face gently as he groaned softly.

He finally opened his eyes, his gold orbs landing on before widening and letting out a silent gasp.

A larger shadow covered all four of us, as we turned around… only to be met with a group of imposing owls and one stoic general.

*******

"Let Go Of Me!" Amalia shouted as one of the owls dug their beak into the skin behind her neck, shoving her into the smaller cell alongside Shade and Marina.

He let out a pained screech as he shut the cage hurriedly; The owl winced, placing his wing against his neck. 

A small amount of blood stained his feathers, a burning sensation pulsed steadily. She had managed to cut him.

The owl, surprised, stared back at the larger female before spreading his wings, and settling with the other guards.

The owls had been rough as well with Shade and Marina; She could smell the blood from the cuts that had been inflicted upon them.

A loud 'thump' was heard outside of the cell, Brutus had landed; His wings were folded against his back.

"You three are trying my patience… especially you, lawbreaker." He said in a low voice, his golden eyes glowed in his shadow, "Now, I suggest you tell where your colony is."

"No!" Shade shouted, Brutus's eyes widened slightly at the smaller bat's outburst, "How many times do I have to say it?! I would never endanger them!"

Brutus let out an annoyed huff and leaned in close to the cage, Shade backed away fearfully.

"Just like I told my son, I will get the information needed even I have to torture you lot for nights."

The stubborn general let out an undignified frightening screech when Amalia suddenly launched herself onto the bars. 

Her displeased gaze mirrored that of her twin's, It caused Brutus's feathers to stand on end.

She let out a warning growl, almost feral as her eyes burned an unnatural blue.

"Do. Not. Threaten. Them." She stressed the words out as the general backed away from the cage.

He let out an angry screech before spreading his wings, "Guard them until I get back."

*******

It had been about an hour or so after General Brutus and a few owls took to the air.

I'm here to relieve you.

Marina and I looked up when we heard a voice outside of our cell, I nudged Amalia slightly and motioned outside.

The owl that was guarding our cage hesitated before the one with the red mane sternly told him that it was on his father's orders.

The flapping of wings was heard as the guard took flight, and the red maned owl peered through the cage.

I was convinced that he would lead us to our deaths and refused to budge.

That is until I felt a lighthearted tap on the back of my head and looked to my right.

Ami was just staring at me, a stern yet warm look in her eyes as she glanced at us and to the owl.

I sighed and he opened the cage when Amalia suggested using the lever.

The only problem was that we had no idea where we were or even where the fire towers were.

Until he said that he knew where we could find them, adding that it was quicker if he showed us the way instead.

We followed after him, managing to avoid any other birds or owls along the way.

By the way, what's your name?

Marina asked as she flew next to him. I flew near his right wing while Amalia flew next to her.

Oh! It's Orestes!

Chapter Text

I do not know what was more startling, seeing Goth chase after Shade like a rabid animal, or seeing him light up the sky as he was electrocuted by the wires in the power plant.

We did not see where he had landed, but Shade had told me that Throbb had let out an anguished cry at seeing his now deceased brother-in-law.

No doubt burned to the point that he was unrecognizable.

********

Orestes, dear. Are you certain that you want to go?

Amalia asked, resting on a branch alongside Shade and Marina. The larger owl was perched next to her.

Yeah, I have to. Also, we're gonna attract a lot of unwanted attention. Think about it: an owl traveling with three bats? 

Orestes responded, already spreading his wings.

Okay. Well, fly safe. Hopefully, we'll see you soon.

Marina said, waving one of her wings at him.

Thanks, and maybe somehow convince my father to stop this war before it begins.

With that, he flew away. The trio watched him leave until he was a small dot in the distance.

********

After resting for a while, the trio heads for the forest.

…And narrowly avoid the wolves that were feeding on various deer carcasses, freshly killed.

Shade couldn't help but notice how the third wolf, the alpha, was limping slightly.

The wolves' snarls and howls grew distant as they ventured further into the forest and encountered Ursa, the albino Kermode bear.

To their surprise, she looked worried when she saw them. Quickly trekking over to the metal tank that dispenses her food and scarfing it down.

Hearing her speak through mouthfuls of food, saying that she had no interest in the war, caused Amalia to puff up in rage.

********

"Are you Fucking kidding me?!" Amalia roared, causing Ursa to hit her head on the metal food bin in surprise. She let out a pained grunt and peered at the visibly angry bat.

Shade and Marina backed away as well, surprised since this was the first time that they had ever heard Amalia swear.

"Ow! What are you swearing at me for?!" Ursa growled but backed away when Amalia flew too close toward her muzzle.

"I am cursing at you because I can not believe what you are saying!" Amalia yelled, "You can represent the other Beasts, but you do not wish to do that! Why? Because you do not want to bear the responsibility that it comes with!"

Ursa let out a surprised grunt and a yelp as she tripped over a root, backing away from the advancing bat.

Amalia then rested on the bear's chest, her wings crossed over her chest. "You know, next to General Brutus, you have got to be the most insufferable animal that I have ever met."

The albino Kermode bear felt her ears grow warm, and silence fell between them. Only the sounds of crickets and other insects were heard.

"Ursa." She looked up when she heard her name. The quiet rage in Amalia's eyes had faded slightly, but was replaced with a sense of disappointment.

"We are on the brink of war. A war where no one, not even you, will be safe." Amalia looked over her shoulder at the small cub that was crouching behind Shade and Marina.

"Not even him," Amalia stated and flew off the bear's chest. "I suggest that you think about it."

All three bats spread their wings, flying low so that the small cub would keep up.

********

I don't think anyone has ever spoken to the Kermode bear like that. I do think that Amalia was a bit harsh, but maybe Ursa needed to be told.

We continued on our way, still flying low and stopping to rest so that the cub could keep up.

It was for the best to leave the forest so that he could be safe and away from the humans.

But flying low and stopping every once in a while quickly became a bad choice.

The wolves found us again, and we were cornered by the alpha, Luger.

I didn't notice it before, but he and others had large, visible scars on their muzzles and necks.

We had no way to escape without leaving the cub to defend himself. I covered the cub's eyes and closed my own as I felt Shade stand in front of me and Amalia.

One of the wolves let out a pained cry, and I opened my eyes.

********

The howl was heard from miles away, echoing against the trees.

Amalia bared her fangs at Luger, one of her wings dripped with blood down to her claw.

Luger snarled back, his left eye had been gouged, and blood poured from the injury.

"You!" Luger shouted, his eyes narrowing.

He snapped at the area that she had been, his depth perception being off.

Shade, Marina, and the cub moved out of the way in time just as Luger crashed against the trunk, pieces of wood littered the grass.

Amalia managed to avoid him and proceeded to launch herself onto the female wolf.

The female wolf howled and yelled when she felt Amalia sink her claws into her neck and tear into her fur; after several minutes of snapping her jaws at Amalia and the larger bat, avoiding the sharp teeth, she managed to shake her off.

Amalia then crashed against the ground, and Shade and Marina rushed over to her. After shaking off the dizziness, she hissed at the three advancing wolves; her golden fur puffed up in defiance as she covered them with her wings.

The young cub stood in front of the trio, growling and snarling.

"I can't tell you how many times our food always fights back." Luger growled out, "On the bright side… they don't last for very long."

As the wolves continued to advance on the group, a roar was heard as a familiar white bear burst through the trees and barrels into the wolves.

It doesn't take long to scare them off, them whining with their tails between their legs and sporting new injuries.

********

Ursa?

Shade managed to say as he and Marina helped Amalia up. Both female bats looked surprised at seeing the large bear.

Ursa breathed heavily and sat on her hind legs, looking at the group.

You… all three of you… were right. This war needs to stop before it begins.

The Kermode bear explained, her response let the group breathe a grateful sigh of relief.

Where will you go? Luger will be back with more wolves, and it won't be safe for anyone.

Marina had asked.

Me and the remaining animals as well as that little rugrat, are going to leave the forest and go past the mountains.

Ursa said, smiling, when the cub approached and nuzzled her side.

My question to you three… is where will you go? 

The trio looked at one another before looking at the distant mountains.

Well, we're following Shade's soundmap, and he says that the next stop on the map is through a wolf's ear.

Marina spoke, earning a confused look from the Kermode bear.

What?

Ursa asked, cocked her head to the side.

Yeah, that was my reaction. Anyway, we have to get going. Good Luck.

Marina responded as she spread her wings and took flight; Shade followed after her.

To you as well.

Ursa spoke at their retreating backs, before noticing that Amalia had remained.

Ursa, I am sorry for cursing at you earlier. But I am glad about your choice.

Amalia apologized, earning a solemn nod from Ursa before she spread her wings.

You know, it is very good that we have the leader of the Beasts on our side.