A pair of round eyes, black like obsidian, peered up at the stars and sparkled for a moment with their light.
The young bat quickly closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep. He snuggled under one of his mother’s wings, her furry body and elegant face pressing gently against his side as she kissed her young son.
Ignoring her affectionate nuzzling, he listened and waited. He could hear his mother humming a tune she had been humming to him since he was a newborn pup.
His ears perked slightly as her hum gave way to pleasant singing, the familiar melody replaced with well-known lyrics.
Tell me that you love me,
Tell me that it’s true.
Tell me, ‘cause my love,
You know I love you too.
And as the stars fade into day,
If you’re lost and can’t find your way,
Sing out, sing my name;
Let the sound guide you to your dwelling place.
Satisfied, the young bat opened his eyes again, pushing his mother’s wing away so he could look out at the deep blues of the sky and deep greens and reds and browns of the forest.
“Well,” his mother chuckled, smiling at her son, “good evening, Patas. I was afraid you might be thinking of sleeping all night.”
Patas shook his head fervently, grinning boyishly as he spread his little wings and dropped from the branch where he had been hanging. He flew in circles a couple times, relishing the feel of air rushing around his wings, his body seemingly weightless as he glided around outstretched tree limbs and hanging vines.
Péla watched her son’s antics and sighed. “Dear, it took weeks before you finally learned to fly. And now it seems like you never want to stop!”
Patas giggled as he flew in loops around his mother, doing his best to prove her point. His circles quickly became warped and wobbly, and he collapsed onto a nearby branch, panting as he gripped the branch tightly with his two thumb-claws, trying to steady himself.
“Mommy, why is the world spinning?”
Péla laughed as her son, disoriented, clumsily attempted to crawl along the branch. “You shouldn’t make yourself dizzy, Patas.”
Péla suddenly gasped in fright.
Hearing her, Patas turned to look in the direction she was facing. He soon caught sight of another creature, hiding within the dense shadows cast by outstretched tree limbs. He watched with curiosity and alarm as its two dark eyes stared back at him through the thick green leaves of canopy. Hesitantly, Patas began to sing one of the songs his mother had taught him for seeing through vegetation.
He stopped short as the form grew, spreading enormous wings to either side of its already massive body. Its leathery wings snapped against still air as it approached the fearful duo. Within moments, it landed near Patas, hanging from a branch not far above the little bat.
It smiled down on him in a friendly manner. “Hello.”
Patas’ eyes widened in wonder as he looked up at the giant. It was twice as big as his mother. Its lengthy ears and round black eyes focused on him. The bat’s jaws were long and well-formed, and it had a tall, leaf-like projection at the tip of its snout. Its body, a single, dusky grey, was quite muscular.
“Hello.” Patas responded in a small voice, shrinking back as the intimidating creature eyed him carefully.
“Have we been introduced, young bat?” the giant asked in a grating voice.
Patas nodded. “Yes. You are Cattae, the priest, the right-wing assistant to our god, Spectral.”
“Good child.” The grey bat nodded in approval. “Did your mother tell you I would be coming?”
Patas glanced in Péla’s direction. She was trembling on a nearby branch.
“Cattae,” she spoke up timidly, “I hadn’t told him yet. I didn’t expect you to come when he was so young…”
The large creature’s dark eyes turned to her. “Are you questioning my judgement, servant?”
Péla shook her head fervently. “No, no, of course not.” She looked at her small son again, who waited expectantly. She tried to keep her voice from shaking as she addressed him. “Patas, go with Cattae. D–do whatever he tells you, alright?”
Patas nodded as Cattae ushered him on with an outstretched wing. “You know where to go, little bat?”
Patas could only think of one place the priest would want to take him. As the little bat flew off, Cattae cast one last glance at Péla before spreading his own wings and following the young pup through the shady forest.
Péla watched as he left, her heart beating fearfully. She tried to swallow. “Spectral, please, let my son return to me. Let him live.”
