Chapter 3: Elysium


My breath stagnated for a second as Shade grabbed me by the leg and thus stopped my fall.

''Oh, great goddess Nocturna! Vanessa are you ok?'' Marina rushed over to us from the tunnel. Her eyes widened in shock.

''I'm fine,'' I replied, my voice no louder than a squeak. ''However, I would rather not hang upside down in the air the whole time.''

Shade understood and quickly glided over to a nearby elm tree where he dropped me on one of the top branches.

''Next time you'd better watch where you're going,'' he said with a grin.

''Haha very funny, Shade.''

''Eh, guys. Where are we?''

At Marina's question, we both turned our attention to what was in front of us and ... gasped.

A forest was stretching before us. Not the black grey woods we had just left behind us with snow-covered trees and sparse branches. But a warm summer forest wrapped in a canopy of green leaves, with colorful wildflowers entwining around the branches and the smell of sweet fruits in the air. I could even hear a bubbling stream further down.

But how could this all be? It was in the middle of winter. How could there be a forest where summer never seemed to end?

Feeling confused, I looked around and up at the ceiling. Familiar stars twinkled in the sky, which was slowly becoming brighter. But we weren't outside anymore, so how could it be that ...? But of course! We must be in some kind of greenhouse. That was the only explanation. Just what was its purpose?

Meanwhile, the other Silverwings also burst in and circled around in awe.

''What is this place?'' asked Chinook and came to roost on our tree right between Marina and Shade.

It was obvious that the latter wasn't exactly thrilled about it. He glared at Chinook in a way as if he wished he'd drop dead from the branch.

''Shade...'', I hissed at him through my teeth. This was really not the time for jealousy. He grumbled dissatisfied, but then stopped throwing toxic glares at Chinook.

"A summer forest in the middle of winter? How is this possible Frieda?''

"I don't know, Hector. This all seems like a mystery to me.''

For the bats, it was incredible: a living forest, inside a building! They had seen nothing like it before. Despite all the astonishment, it was good to feel my bones warm up after the bitter cold outside. The air was not too hot, but still warm enough for me to take off my coat and hang it next to me over the branch.

''So'', said Todd and tugged tentatively at a leaf. ''I don't know about you. But it certainly feels real.''

"Because that's what it is, my boy.''

We all turned around to the sound of the unknown voice and glanced at a crowd of strange bats. There were thousands of them. Greywings, Brightwings, Brownwings, Silverwings, ... and bats whose kind I did not know but perhaps have seen before. Back at Scirocco's cult. Yet not a single one of them seemed familiar to me. Some of them were banded, most of them not. They hung in the surrounding trees or circled curiously around us.

An elderly female hoary bat broke away from the turmoil and flew over to us. She had grey-silver striped fur, brown wings, light sand-colored curly hair with two darker strands and a mane of the same color. Her eyes were dark, almost black with white patches that sparkled like tiny stars, making her look very penetrating, and under her chin grew her cream-colored muzzle into a long and pointy beard. Ad on her left forearm sparkled a silver band.

"Welcome newcomers," she greeted us warmly, "Welcome you all. We didn't expect anyone new before spring. So it is a pleasure to see you have found your way to us.''

"Thank you very much ...''

"Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Arcadia, I was one of the first to find this place and therefore am the leader of all the bats that are here.''

''It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Frieda Silverwing, and this...'' she motioned towards at me and the others. "are members of my colony. We come from Hibernaculum, two-night flights from the east.''

"I see. But I see you have a Brightwing among you?!'' She looked at Marina with interest, as if she wondered what a Brightwing was doing in a Silverwing colony.

"Marina recently joined our colony after being on her own for a long time because her former colony had disowned her," Frieda explained.

Arcadia nodded sympathetically. "Because of her band. I get it. No, my child. It's all right. You don't need to hide it.'' The old bat had noticed how Marina, out of habit, tried to hide her arm under her wing. Caught, she stopped and blushed.

"All bats are welcome here. No matter with or without a band.''

''Sounds good to me'', I said to Shade who nodded in agreement. But then he frowned, and I was wondering what the matter now was. With a nod, he pointed forward and I turned around to see Arkardia staring at me with big eyes. The other bats had also noticed me and whispered excitedly to each other. I swallowed and felt a little like back with the banded bats in the mountains.

"Holy Nocturna..." Arcadia whispered in awe, "You have brought a human with you.''

''So? Is there a problem with it?'' Shade asked to my defense and frowned at her.

She shook her head. "Oh, no. On the contrary, it's a great honor to welcome you to our home. Please tell us your name.

"Er, I'm Vanessa," I said, not knowing what to make of her reaction.

"Welcome, Vanessa.'' She gave me a friendly smile and then turned back to Frieda. "You are so lucky to have someone like in your midst. No wonder you found us so late in the winter.''

Shade and I exchange a few puzzled looks.

"Eh, sorry," said Todd, "you still haven't told us where we are.''

"But isn't it obvious, my dear?'' Arcadia replied. ''You are in Elysium. Also known as Paradise!''

''Paradise?''

My friends and I continued to exchange surprised looks hearing that. What was that supposed to mean now?

Arcadia just smiled. Apparently, a reaction like ours was nothing unusual to her.

"Come, friends'', she said, ''I'll gladly explain everything to you all.'' And with that she flew ahead, leaving us no choice but to follow her, in order to get some well-needed answers.

She led us to a small meadow with colorful flowers next to a stream with crystal clear water. After everyone landed, I sat down on the grass and waited to hear what Arcadia had to tell us. She herself waited patiently until all eyes focused on her.

''As you know, we bats have a hard time in the outside world. The birds and the beasts are our enemies and we are not allowed to be outside in daylight. Even the slightest glimpse of the sun can end up with terrible consequences.''

I knew exactly what she meant and glanced briefly over at Shade. He returned my gaze for only a few seconds and then turned away. It was clear to me that Shade was still blaming himself for losing Tree-Heaven. And to be honest - so was I.

''Perhaps you have heard of Nocturna's great promise,'' Arcadia continued. ''The promise that one day we shall return to the light of day.''

Frieda nodded.''This story is well known to some of us, but what does it have to do with this place?''

''Quite simple.'' Arcadia's smile grew so broad, it almost looked unnatural. ''These here is the fulfillment of that promise. In Nocturna's name, humans have given us a place where we can finally be free. Free from fear and danger. The trees are green all year round and the stream never freezes over. It's always warm as a summer night with as many insects to feed on as you can wish for.''

''How many bats live here?'' asked Frieda.

''Several thousand at least. All from different colonies.''

Again my gaze turned to the Shade. This time he didn't look back to me but shifted restlessly back and forth on his spot. It must have been torturous for him to know his father might be one of them but wasn't allowed to look for him right away.

''Every single one of us came from places that are millions of wingbeats away from each other'', Arcadia explained. ''But we all had two things in common. We believed in the secret of the bands. And we have heard the call.''

''The Call?'' said Frieda.''You mean the voices outside this building?''

''Yes,'' Arcadia confirmed. ''They are meant to lead us to this place. My group was the first to arrive. That was about two months ago.'' There was a kind of pride in her voice. ''The forest here was empty then. As if Nocturna had just created it for us.''

I frowned. Something was wrong. Shade thought so too and immediately blurted out the question how it was possible for them to hear voices when there was no one in here before?

From the way Arcadia stared at him I could tell that she disapproved of a young bat like him asking questions. Although his question was quite justified. Yet all what the old Hoary bat told us was that it was a secret. Nothing more. Great explanation! Really helpful!

''And are there really no birds or beasts here?'' Isis asked and glancing around nervously while huddling closer to her mate. Only now did I realize that the sky above us was getting brighter. Outside this greenhouse it would mean that the owls would soon patrol the air, that birds would wake up from their nests, and that beasts would start sniffing around for food. Arcadia, however, seemed unconcerned. Instead, she smiled again.

''You don't need to be afraid. There are no animals in this forest except us bats and, of course, insects.''

''But why?'' The words were out of Shade's mouth before he could stop himself. ''Why did the humans build this place for us?''

''As I've told you before. It is the fulfillment of Nocturna's Great Promise. See for yourself!'' She pointed her wing up to the roof, causing us all to follow her gaze.

By now the sky had become even brighter and a powerful band of light stretched across the eastern horizon. The dawn. I still remembered how Shade and I had been waiting for the sunrise serval weeks ago. And now I could see the same mixture of fear and admiration in the faces of the others as I had seen in Shade's face.

After millions of years without the sun, they now saw it rise with royal grace, leaving veils of mist on the horizon behind it. My friends fell into silent amazement watching it and I also didn't hear a sound from Arcadia or the other bats. They all continued to watch fearfully as the sun took on its full glory. A shining disk in the firmament. But then I noticed how Shade frowned in confusion and bent over to him. ''Say, isn't the sun actually much brighter?'' he murmured to me.

I nodded. ''The glass roof softens it a little,'' I said.

''Arcadia lifted into the air and floated over our heads. Bathed in sunlight, she was radiant and the white spots in her eyes gleamed like little suns.

''You see,'' she said, ''just what I told you. The great promise has been fulfilled! Here is the sun! And we can look at it. We can fly in its light without fear. There are no owls or beasts here that could hunt us. The sun is ours again! Our banishment is over!''

''But what about the bands?'' Icarus asked, ''What do they have to do with all this?''

''After I received my own band, I thought a lot about it. Like certainly a lot of us,'' Arcadia said.

''Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the bands merely serve as a way for us to connect with the humans. They are signs of friendship, a symbol of the Great Promise. A promise that Nocturna gave us and got fulfilled by humans.'' She smiled down at me with a radiant smile. It embarrassed me a little, so I looked away and noticed how Shade and his mother gave each other meaningful looks.

''We came here because we are looking for someone,'' Ariel told Arcadia. "A banded Silverwing named Cassiel.''

Arcadia landed back on the ground, scratching her chin. ''Cassiel... Cassiel... That name doesn't ring a bell. But so many have come here. Let me try...'' She raised her voice and called into the forest: ''Is there a Cassiel Silverwing among us? Pass the question.''

I noticed how Shade buffed his fur when he heard his father's name echoing from tree to tree until we heard it throughout the forest.

''Cassiel! Cassiel Silverwing! Is he herer? Cassiel ... Cassiel ... Cassiel.''

But the voices grew faint and eventually became silent. I listened intently hoping to hear an answer. But it never came. After a few agonizing moments of silence, Arcadia turned to Ariel with compassion.

''I'm sorry.''

''Thank you,'' said Ariel, but her voice was merely a soft whisper. The spark of hope that had gleamed in her eyes was gone. Her ears slowly folded to her head while Hector placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

The other bats also expressed their condolences. But Shade seemed to ignore them all. He just stared at Arcadia and shook his head.

''He must be here!'' he insisted. ''He came here last spring. He knew about this place. He must have come here - even before anyone else. He is here!''

''Now, listen to me, boy,'' Arcadia said frowning at him. ''I and my group were the first to arrive. There were no other bats in this forest before, and I don't remember a banded Silverwing named Cassiel.''

''But... but...''

''Shade it is ok,'' said Ariel softly, ''We've tried. He's not here.''

Shade opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. I felt I should do something, but I didn't know what to do except touching his arm in sympathy.

''Shade, I...'' But he just shook his head and brushed my arm off. His eyes filling with tears. Without a word, he eventually jumped up into the air and fled into the woods

''Shade!''

''Let him go, Vanessa,'' Ariel said. ''He needs to be alone right now. I'll check on him later.''

I sighed. ''I'm sorry Cassiel isn't here,'' I said. But Ariel just shook her head and offered me a tentative smile.

''There is no need for you to apologize. None of us knew if he was really here. He might have flown to another building.''

''Yeah, maybe.''


We spent the rest of the morning looking for food and exploring the area. But although the fruits here were juicy and delicious, I barely felt hungry enough to eat a lot of them.

I still felt sorry for Shade and Ariel. They had so hoped to find Cassiel again. Especially Shade. But eventually, their expectations were crushed. I wished I could have known how Shade was doing right now. But I hadn't seen my Silverwing friend since he bolted into the forest.

''He'll be back,'' I said to myself. "He just needs some alone time. That's all.'' I couldn't help but smiled. Time for oneself. I haven't had much time alone since I met Silverwings. Although that's always been very important to me. I've never enjoyed spending time with other people without the possibility of having some privacy from time to time.

I guess I just hadn't thought about it. There had been more important things. Or maybe I just liked the company of the Silverwings better because they were animals and not humans.

Anyway, it just seemed a little strange to me now as I was sitting there alone by the creek eating my berries while my friends were out in the woods. Marina wanted to stay with me first, but I told her to go catch some insects which she then did and accompanied Chinook, Breeze, and Todd on their hunt.

And then I thought about Orestes and wondered how he was doing. Like Cassiel he was not here. At least we had not found him yet. I supposed he was in another part of the building. The forest was huge, but I remembered that the building had looked much bigger from the outside. Though I could be wrong.

''There you are Vanessa.'' I looked up to see Icarus landing by me. ''I found a roost for us and prepared a nest out of leaves and grass for you to sleep in.''

''That's great'', I said, suppressing a yawn. I didn't realize how tired I was.

After stretching myself I climbed on Icarus' back so he could take me to our sleeping place. As I slipped under the leaves in my nest-like bed, I felt like I was back in Tree Heaven. Only this time Mercury wasn't with me but Icarus. Nice to know that he was as willing to take care of me just like his mate did.

... When exactly did they adopt me again?


AN:

(Goodbye white cloak, you will be missed. :C xD)

Told you chapter 3 would be up this week.
Ok, I actually thought I wouldn't post it before Wednesday but I was in a flow. xD