Flashback On the brink of adventure!

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 64th of Fall 512AV ~ 11th bell Gallan kept his word. The bat was glad he had, but that didn’t mean he liked being waked up by a loud knocking on the door of his room and his stepfather’s voice yelling at him to get up. Still half sleeping, the bat stumbled to the door and opened it, staring right in the excited face of his stepfather, who was almost jumping up and down in the hallway. “Uh, what’s the matter? It’s a bit too early for me to get up you know?” The moustache shot him a nasty look. “It’s almost noon Bran.” The impatience was dripping off his words and body language. It seemed he wanted to do something very badly. And as soon as possible. The bat shook his head. “Noon is early. For me it is anyway.” He yawned widely to accentuate this fact. He smacked his lips longingly to get back in his bed. Or what was left of it anyway. He’d been sleeping on a mattress for a while now. Since he broke his bed a season ago, he had no choice but to do so. Well, unless he slept hanging upside down on the ceiling. He hadn’t told his mother nor his father about this. They’d certainly scold him and he didn’t exactly like that. Scolding, punishment,… Those things weren’t something he liked. Not that anyone would like it. “Yeah yeah, whatever Bran, get dressed and meet me downstairs. Unlike you, I don’t have the time to idle around all day. Make haste!” With that he was off. The bat wondered what had gotten into him. Normally he wasn’t so short-spoken. He shrugged. Might as well do as he said. Then he remembered they were going to continue yesterday’s lesson today. Oh, of course. No wonder Gallan was so enthusiastic. He was all fired up to teach him some navigation. Speeding up his movements, the bat quickly got dressed. He grabbed a shirt and pants from the floor and put them on. Then he stepped outside his room and descended the stairs. Gallan was waiting for him. Impatiently tapping his left foot on the floor, his face lit up as he saw Brandon coming down the stairs. “Ah, there you are! Come on! Let’s go!” he commanded. “Hey, what about breakfast?” “You aren’t hungry. You never are when you’ve been hunting all night.” Brandon’s mouth fell open in surprise. How could Gallan possibly know he’d been hunting this night? He recalled that people usually slept during the hours he was awake. Although, he’d partly abandoned his nocturnal behaviour lately. He had no other option. He was taught during the day, so he couldn’t sleep then. He decided he wouldn’t ask. It wasn’t important anyway. If Gallan knew, then he knew. Nothing more, nothing less. It was possible he’d heard the bat climb the stairs when he got home. And it wasn’t exactly a secret for his family. As far as they were concerned, it was just a normal activity. A way to spend spare time. “What are we standing here for?” the bat asked when he almost bumped into his stepfather who was standing in the doorway. The man looked at him over his shoulder. “We’re waiting for a friendly Symenestra to carry us to the gate.” Satisfied with this answer the bat kept his mouth shut for a couple of chimes. Then, his lips started moving again. “Can I go to the gate myself?” He didn’t like waiting too much. And especially so if the thing they were waiting for was a Symenestra. The boy didn’t like the spidery race. They acted too high and mighty and something about them just didn’t seem right. The way they looked at his mother for example. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead.” * * * The wobbly ropes that made up the streets of Kalinor were hard to walk on. Keeping balance was hard enough, but walking? Taking small and careful steps, the bat advanced slowly. His arms were spread as if they were wings, and more often than not he forgot to breathe. Whenever he noticed it, he let the air escape his lungs and gasped a new breath. He was getting better at this. A season ago he still had to swing under the ropes to get where he wanted to be in human form. Now, he was able to walk on top of the cords. Practice, such an annoying thing to do, but it paid off in the end. He grinned. He was getting there. Slowly but surely. * * * Finally he reached the gate. Gallan was no-where to be seen. The bat frowned. Getting a lift from a Sym was supposed to be faster than his slow rope dancing. Why wasn’t he here then? Well, he could think of a few reasons. Maybe the Syms didn’t want to give his father a ride this time. Or maybe they’d thrown him into the dark depths of the cave. Why they would do that he didn’t know, but he wouldn’t be surprised if they had. Gallan’s absence had left him without anything to do. But since he might still show up, he couldn’t just leave. What would he do? He could try to do some weird stunts. What would try first? Ah! He hit the palm of his left hand, which he held horizontally, with the bottom of his right hand which was clenched to a fist and swung down like a hammer. A handstand. Great idea! He aimed his outstretched arms at the ground, and made a bowing gesture with his upper body, swinging his right leg in an arc upwards. He did this a few times to confirm his position and angle before trying it for real. His hands touched the ground, his right leg swung upwards, pulling the left one with it. The boy grinned as he came into the right position, his body formed an angle of ninety degrees with the floor. His grin quickly disappeared when his body started sloping too much. He was out of balance. Clenching his teeth for what was coming, the bat’s back hit the ground with a loud smack. “Ouch!” he yelled in pain. He made a mental note not to use that amount of force anymore when trying to stand on his hands. It was a bit too much. Suddenly he realised what that meant. He had been really close to a handstand. If he practiced a bit more, he might be able to do it in no time. He grinned and got to his feet. His stepfather had still not arrived. Well, he could do some more training. The bat positioned himself again and tried once more. This time he’d used too little force and he barely got his feet of the ground. He grunted. Finding the right amount of muscle power would require a great deal of training to get the hang of it.

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 64th of Fall 512AV ~ halfway the 11th bell Standing on his hands, the world looked way different. For starters, the guards at the gate were walking on the ceiling, and were looking at him, apparently amused with his acrobatic feat. His short performance came to an end quickly as he, once again, crashed down on his back. The laughter of the guards penetrated his ears. The bat was less pleased with the situation. Gallan still hadn’t shown up, and his back was aching. He pouted and grumbled about the laughing guardsmen. Realising pouting wouldn’t help him improving his skills, he got up and got ready to give it another shot. Ignoring the upbeat whispering of the guards, he positioned himself in the correct stance. He was almost there. He’d found the right amount of swing needed to pull his body upwards, but the thing he was lacking was balance. He swung his body back and forth a few times, lifting one feet of the rocky underground. His hands, with spread fingers, were carefully aimed at a spot on the floor. He in- and exhaled deeply a couple of times and puffed up his cheeks. He swung his upper body downwards, his right leg swinging upwards, while the other leg, his left, acted as the centre of rotation. Hands touched the ground, his legs were hurled upwards in a beautiful arc, the muscles in his outstretched arms were trembling with effort to support his bodyweight. His body swayed slightly, unbalanced,. The boy narrowed his eyes, and tried his best to stay still. To him it felt as if he was rocking heavily. It didn’t take long before his back was tilting towards the round again. Closer and closer did the ground pull it, as if there was a rope anchored in his back. The boy, who’s face was wrinkled with concentration, would not let that happen this time. After a few ticks of uncertainty whether he’d fall or not, it looked like he would indeed not be able to keep his balance by just standing there. The boy took a small step forward, hoping this would help him to equipoise himself. Unfortunately, one small step wasn’t enough. He took another one. The angle his back and the ground made was becoming smaller and smaller. Brandon started walking on his hands faster. It stabilized his position a bit, but it didn’t last if he stopped moving. The painful landing on his back was inevitable. As was the newly started laughter of the Symenestra guards. Groaning in frustration, the bat got to his feet. Rubbing his aching back, he wondered why Gallan was taking so long. He’d awakened him far too early to teach his son some navigation, was impatient and had been commenting on his tardiness, but he didn’t even show up himself. Well, that’s a great example of hypocrisy. The bat crossed his arms and sat down. Gallan’d better have a valid excuse for being late. At last the stepfather decided to show up. Carried by a Symenestra he arrived at the gate. The Sym looked much like the others. Thin, white, acting somewhat haughty. Putting Gallan down on the rocky surface that made up the ground near the gate, the Symenestra turned around and left, tiptoeing over the cords like they were streets. Well, they were streets. Here they were anyway. Brandon eyed the Spidery man jealously. “Sorry I’m late!” Gallan said, looking apologetic. Hmpf, he’d better be. Making me wait here like that. Like I have nothing better to do. Of course he hadn’t, but the bat didn’t want to hear it. Not even if he was telling it himself. He stared at his stepfather angrily. “I thought you were in a hurry to get here, and then you show up thirty chimes after I got here?! Just an apology won’t do!” Was what Brandon wanted to yell at him, but decided it was better not to. The man was his father after all. He just stared at him with one eyebrow raised, demanding to know the reason of his unpunctuality. “The Symenestra just didn’t pass our house. And when one did, it turned out he was a customer. I couldn’t just ignore a client. You do understand, don’t you Bran? The Client is…” “…The King.” the bat finished the line. “Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. It was in that book you own. It’s a principle of traders, I know that. But still, couldn’t you let mom take care of it?” As soon as it had left his mouth the boy knew that was a stupid question. There was no way his mother could handle the shop. Not that she was stupid, it was just that… Gallan sighed. And opened his mouth, echoing Brandon’s thoughts. “You know how Lethia is Bran. She hates the Symenestra. Can’t blame her though. She’d thrown the man out and that would be bad publicity. And they would probably throw us all down the depths of this cave. So no, I could not.” The bat shrugged, his stepfather was right. He guessed that counted as a valid excuse for coming late. He uncrossed his arms. “Okay then, remind me, what were we going to do again? I seem to have forgotten due to my loneliness here.” Gallan sighed again. He’d have to listen to this kind of half mocking complaints. The boy clearly got his attitude from his mother. He shook his head miserably. “We’re going outside to learn you some other ways to navigate.” “Sounds good to me. Lead the way. And make haste this time, alright?” The moustached man rolled his eyes. “Dear Gods. Spare me.”

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 79th of Fall 512AV ~ sometime between the 13th and 14th bell “Tell me son, what do you know about this?” The moustached man made a wide gesture to the environment surrounding them. The rocky underground beneath their feet was too hard to sit on. Well, it made their butt hurt after a couple of chimes, which was why they were standing. The man continued with booming voice: “Tell me the time of day, tell me where to go if you would travel towards Wind Reach.” A simple demand. At least, that was it supposed to be. The small stepfather believed Brandon had been taught enough to be able to give a correct reply. The boy in question nodded slightly and placed a hand above his eyes, right on his eyebrows to cast a mild shadow over his sensitive orbs. Gazing at the bright sky of today, he could easily find the place where Syna was hanging right now. He wasn’t sleepy anymore, and not sleepy yet. His father had just consumed a loaf of bread. So he deducted it was somewhere past noon already. His inner clock confirmed it. Using this information he guessed that the sun was standing a bit farther to the right than the south was, so that would make it about… “I think that it is somewhere past the thirteenth bell. Maybe fifteen chimes, but I’m not sure.” Gallan clapped his hands briefly, giving the boy a small applaud. “Very good! I don’t think you’ll be wrong by much. You’ve become rather good at reading the hour by using the position of the Sun Goddess,” he complemented. The lad was flattered. He gave the stepfather a small and modest grin and started with the next task. Where was Wind Reach? He sighed. This was quite a bit harder. He frowned. If his memory served, Wind Reach was located on an isolated part of Kalea. But where? Then he remembered the huge scroll Gallan had have him carry. The scroll contained a map of the cities of Mizahar. The isolated city should be on it. He was permitted to use the map right? He guessed he was. His stepfather wouldn’t bring it otherwise. The bat pointed at the scroll, a questioning glare sent to his father. The man nodded. “Go ahead.” Carefully rolling the map open on the rocky surface, the weird shapes painted on it came into vision. The dots with the words – names of cities, he knew- were scattered all over the land. The boy frowned and gazed at the map, trying to find the name ‘Kalea’ on the scroll. It should be written with large letters, not with the small unreadable ones with which the names of the cities were written. AH! There it was. On the middle left side of the map. Now, for Wind Reach… He let his finger hovering above the map, moving simultaneously with his eyes. Wherever his focus shifted to, his index finger followed. The boy let a frown take over his forehead. Wasn’t it located somewhere here? His finger pointed at the east side of Kalea. The small name was hard to read. The bat brought his face closer to the map, up to the point when his nose was almost touching the thing. Nope, not Wind Reach. This was Alvadas. High in the north of the province, his eyes found a bulge of some sort with a small dot in it. Finger hovering above it and nose touching the map, he could make out it was the city he’d been looking for. Careful not to wreck the expensive looking scroll, he rolled it back to a stave of paper and placed in the roll that was used to preserve it. Then, he got back to his feet. Aware of the expecting stare of his stepfather, the bat did not rush things. It had to be done correctly. There was no point in doing it if he did it wrong, was there? The sun hadn’t moved much. It was practically in the same place. He nodded to himself, concentrating on what he’d learned. Wind Reach was located in the North, maybe even slightly Eastwards of the absolute North of Kalea. The noon had passed already. It had been about a bell and twenty chimes since noon. Noon was the point where Syna was on her highest in the sky. It was in the South. Which meant that Wind Reach was located behind him. Turning around, he pointed his finger slightly to the East as to the North. “According to the map and the position of the sun, I am guessing that Wind Reach is that way.” Gallan nodded. “Mind telling me what direction you are pointing to, Bran?” “Sure,” the bat was not in the slightest bit surprised by the little man’s demand. “I’m pointing Northwards, slightly tilting in the North Eastern direction.” The moustache slightly curled upwards at it’s edges. The cheeks of the man bulged outwards a bit, a smile on his lips. The chest of his small frame puffed up with pride. “Well done,” he complemented “Well done!” The boy modestly looked down. He hadn’t done it all by himself. The lessons he’d attended helped him a lot. When he said so, his father responded in a way he didn’t expect. “My boy, my lessons merely guided you and showed you the way. I explained how to do it, I did not help you with your task just now did I?” “No, but-” “Although I’m glad that you thought my classes were helpful, I did not help you at all. Like I said I merely showed you how to do it. You told me everything I asked you to tell me. And you did it right, and on your own. Take pride in your own accomplishments, son.” Brandon only nodded, taken aback by this sudden outburst. So, modesty wasn’t a good thing? He should be more proud of what he did by himself? Even though someone helped him take the first push forward? Somehow that seemed not the right thing to do. He didn’t really get what his father was trying to tell him. He shrugged. He could always pretend. “Okay.”

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 83th of Fall 512AV They were back again. The woman and the young lad. Taking their positions in front of each other, about six meters apart. Nothing but air separated them. The woman shifted her stance, her whole body facing slightly sideways, but her head was looking straight at him. She raised her arms up, hands on shoulder, maybe even eye level. Lifting one foot off the ground, she placed it back on the rocky underground, but one foot length of space between her two feel. Lethia bended her knees slightly. Still keeping an eye out to her son, she saw him do the same. She nodded approvingly. Cold winds howled through the rocky field just outside the entrance to the cave city. Some smaller debris from fallen rocks tumbled away, rolling over the ground. As if given a sign, the couple started to move. Both of them simultaneously started walking to the right. Placing one leg in front of the other, in a sideways fashion the pair started circling around each other, diminishing the distance between them with every step they took. Until they were only two meters apart. She took in all she could about him. although she was sure she knew almost everything about him already, she still did so. Even though he probably wasn’t even near her skill level, it was never health to underestimate an opponent. Especially rookies. Or novices. Whatever you want to call them. Amateurs usually made the most surprising moves and although they were generally not as skilled as experts – that is why they were called novices – they could still catch you off guard when you underestimated them. So she never did. Okay, maybe a little. She tried not to though. Lethia observed his stance. It was practically the same as hers, but the stance she used was more relaxed. She saw that the boy was tensing his muscles already. His breath was coming out in ragged bursts as well. She frowned. Since when was he so tense during training? Sure, it was the first time since a while that they had come here together to sharpen his fighting skills, but he’d never seemed so … edgy. Maybe it was due to the events of their previous sparring session. With a gleam of guilt in her eyes and the associated expression travelled over her features. She had almost broken his ribcage last time. That might have something to do with it. No, it most surely had. She sighed. The bear hadn’t thought it would have such a magnitude on his behaviour. He seemed almost scared of her. Wary anyway. That was a good thing. Opponents were dangerous after all. It didn’t matter if it was just a friendly fight or a battle to the death of one of them, one should always be afraid of what their opponent might be able to do. “Relax your muscles a bit. You’re using up energy already, and the fight hasn’t even begun. Also, it will make your reactions a fair deal slower.” The boy didn’t bother to answer or speak at all. No ‘thank you for the advice’ came out of his mouth. Well, he did listen to her, that was something, right? His pose became so much more relaxed. Now the fight could start. First the game of finding out everything about your opponent should be played. This was the phase where you gained crucial information that could be the key to victory. Being taught that, Brandon seemed to realise this well enough. This was one of the most important stages of battle. Lethia did not rush things, if her opponent would, so much the better, they wouldn’t find out much then. She smirked. One look in Brandon’s eyes and she knew enough. He was a bit reluctant to attack. Probably he thought defence was the best option right now, after what happened last time, she could not blame him. His walking technique was pretty good though. His position was too. Eager to use any advice thrown at him, he’d calmed down and looked at ease. Well, as much as one can look at ease in the midst of battle. Now, time to learn how good his defence exactly was. The woman took a quick step forward and made a feint attack aiming for his stomach. The boy reacted immediately. With a sudden movement, his arms shot down to protect that area while taking a step back, getting out of his mother’s reach. If it was instinctive or not, the bear did not know, but his reaction speed was great. She wasn’t quite finished yet though. Another blow followed the feint, now aimed at his head. It was a right hook of sorts, but with open palm instead of a fist. It was blocked with the left under arm belonging to the boy. He grinned, satisfied with himself, even though his grin was a bit shaky. Defence: good. This too wasn’t the last move of her combo. Drawing her arm back, the woman twisted her upper body to the right, her legs followed, and while using her right leg as a spring, she kicked her left one upwards and to the right. It met nothing on its path. Frowning slightly in confusion, the bear landed, the place where the boy had been standing was empty. Suddenly something hit her right ankle. Not being able to regain her balance right after landing, her feet were wiped from under her body. The ground raced towards her, too fast for her to react. The rocky surface slammed into her, hard. Her right side hit the floor first. Although her shoulder received the most damage of the fall, the rest of her body hurt enough as well. She rolled on her back, eyes trying to locate the lad who’d got her of guard. He wasn’t hard to find. Especially so since he pushed his knee on to her throat. One fist was clenched and held high, in case she’d try something. Lethia cursed herself. She’d been too hasty. She should have made more feints before actually attacking him. “Well done, Bran. Mind getting off me? It’s pretty hard to breathe.” The bat nodded and released his mother. Dusting herself off, she watched him in surprise. He’d gotten quite good. Had he been training here in secret? There was just no way he’d become able to perfectly time and execute his moves. “How did you do that just now Bran?” The boy shrugged. “When you jumped, I dodged your foot. Then I got into position for a low spinning sweep kick. I practiced it a lot during the time I had nothing to do.” He shrugged again. “When you were on your way down, I started spinning and when your feet touched the ground I managed to land a hit. It was just a wild guess when you would actually land though. I think I had luck this time.” “Ah, I see. Well then, what about another round? Let’s see how long your luck will last. I’m quite curious to find out.” Lethia said. The boy nodded in response and got into his fighting position. His mother did the same.

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 1st of Winter 512AV The temperature had dropped quite a bit during the last days of Fall. It was winter now and it felt like winter too. The bat shivered. His breath formed clouds drifting off to the sky, but dissolved before they had flown away too far. His arms wrapped around his chest to warm himself up a little, he looked around him. Where the hell was he anyway? Somewhere in the middle of the wilderness that stretched from Kalinor to the next city. What could be seen here? No idea. Rocks. Trees. Other stuff you find in the wilderness. The bat sighed. The study of his environment hadn’t given him any new information. He didn’t know where he was, and not on which side of the cave city either. Conclusion, he was lost. How he’d gotten here? Well, that’s an easy one to answer. Here is what happened that morning. It had been early in the morning. The sun hadn’t started her daily journey across the sky yet and Leth was still ruling the heavens. The bat had only come home after a night of hunting. Tired, he went upstairs and laid himself down on the mattress lying on the floor, next to his broken bed. His eyes closed soon, the desire to sleep pulling his eyelids down. What happened after that was unknown to the bat, but there were some people who did know. In fact, they were the culprit. The ones who dumped him in the wilderness. * * * The stairs creaked as the heaviness of a human foot was placed on it. The orbs of the bear shot open. She had been wild awake all night, for a change. Her bondmate and husband had been too. Why? Because they were waiting for their son to return from his usual nightly hunt. Breath held inside their lungs, they focused on the sound of his footsteps. A door was closed loudly. The bear tapped the small man on his shoulder. He nodded in the dark, not that she could see, and both of them got out of bed. Unlike you would expect from a person who had been lying in bed, they were fully dressed. As quiet as possible Lethia opened the door of their bedroom and snuck outside, followed by a moustache walking silently after her. The bear listened at the door of her son’s room. Nothing. No sounds that implied he was still awake. She made a mischievous grin. With a simple turning movement of her wrist, she opened the door softly. There he was, in the light of a candle Gallan had lit, he could be seen sleeping peacefully. Wait a chime! Why wasn’t he lying in his bed? Tip toeing closer, the bear couldn’t really see good enough to make out a single thing and demanded with a hushed whisper that the candle had to be handed to her this instant. Casting a bit of illumination of the small flame dancing on top of the candle, Lethia could see her son’s bed. Wrecked. She scowled. She’d felt a little bit guilty for what they were about to do in the name of training, but that had disappeared completely after seeing this. “Oh, you little bastard!”she growled. An expression of confusion was displayed on the bat’s face. His eyelids trilled and a small gap appeared between them. Quickly, Lethia knocked him out cold by hitting his right temple with her knuckles. Just to be sure, she gave him another one. The last hit some bit of vengeance in it. Grinning, she turned around and pointed her thumb at her son. “He’s ready.” Gallan nodded. He didn’t quite like what they were doing, but he saw that it was necessary to put him to the test. The small man walked away, going downstairs. Meanwhile Lethia grabbed the knocked out Brandon and heaved him on her shoulders. She grunted. He was heavier than he looked. When she’d placed him in a comfortable position –for her- she followed her spouse downstairs. There, Gallan went over the details of their little scheme. His moustache bubbled up and down in the process. “So, phase one has been completed. Get Brandon: check! Next phase was … Get outside? No wait! Write instructions. Yes, that has to be done first. The man stumbled off and returned soon after with a quill and inkpot. A scroll of paper was tucked between hand and inkpot. Careful he placed them on the table and settled down in one of the chairs. Right hand grabbing the lid of the inkpot, left the pot itself, he opened it with relative ease. Dipping his quill in the black liquid, he tapped it on the edge of the pot, so he wouldn’t spill ink. And the letters would come out more beautiful too. The tip of the quill scratched over the paper, guided by the practiced movements of the stepfather. Black lines flowed out, forming words. Every once in a while, he dipped the scribing tool back in the ebony liquid. When he was done, he blew carefully over the sheet of paper, hoping the ink would dry a bit faster. In order to fasten this process even more, he grabbed the corners of the sheet and flapped it up and down in a wavelike movement. Content, the moustached man folded the letter four times and placed it in the pocket of his unconscious son. Impatiently, Lethia eyed him a bit annoyed. “Can we go already? He’s getting heavier every chime.” Once given permission by nod, she started pacing off, taking the stairs down to the shop and the exit of their house. Gallan was on her heels. * * * The bat breathed warm breaths on his almost frozen hands. It helped only briefly. Swearing rudely at no one in particular, he placed his hands in the only place he could think off they would warm up at least a bit. His pockets. Something made a crumbling noise, and his left hand found something touching it. Curiously, he grabbed it with his index and middle finger and pulled it out of his pocket. Folding it open, he saw it was a letter. How did that get in his pants? Dear Bran, I am sorry to tell you, but today is a test of your abilities. This explains why you’ve woken up in this cold and desolated place. We brought you here in order to see how much you have learned from my lessons. (It was your mother’s idea.) You are in a location not far from the cave city, but it might prove rather difficult finding a way back. Don’t worry I have faith in your capabilities and am sure you will make it back home soon. Good luck to you. Gallan. PS: Your mother has found out that you broke your bed and is really mad right now. Stay low when you get back and do not, I repeat do not disturb her (semi-) hibernation or sleep. His hands were clenching themselves in to fists while holding the paper, which was being fumbled up while that happened. Trembling with anger, he put it back in his pocket. His teeth gritted on each other, his brow furrowed. “GODS DARN THEM!!!”

[Brandon Blackwing]

After the initial outburst of anger, paired to the scream that had torn itself out of his throat in a curse, emptiness followed. No, not emptiness, he still felt different, though the feelings were easy to confuse. No, what he now felt was despair, hopeless and lost in his current situation. Alone in the wild, imprisoned by the area around him, even though another person might describe it as freedom. For him it didn’t feel that way though, he’d never felt as vulnerable in his life, and the times he’d gone out and left the cave city he’d been in bat form. From up high it was easier to determine where he’d been already, but from the ground… everything looked the same. Test of his skills? Ha! Don’t make him laugh! This was no test, this was making him feel fear, making him helpless. Part animal or not, he wasn’t used to living in the wilds, so how the hell did they expect him to make it back home alive? It would come in handy if he at least knew in what direction the underground city of the Symenestra was located, but even that knowledge was held back from him. Since that would have been the starting point, he’d have walked the way back, but as there was no telling if he was positioned North, South, East or maybe West from the city, it was an impossible task. Fear grabbed hold of his stomach spreading ice through his belly, sweat erupting from his pores and his onyx orbs widening from the shock. He was alone, lost in the wild. Destined to die here if he couldn’t find the way back home, or if he didn’t find food. And he hadn’t even mentioned the monsters that might be lurking somewhere near. Wider and wider his eyelids became, and tears filled them as the silent promise of death seemed to become more and more realistic. But it was then that his instinct took over. As all animals, there was the urge to survive imbedded in his brain, and even if he’d think he’d accepted death, he would find his mind still looking for a way out, another solution, one that didn’t end his life. The heartbeat of the bat raced and sped up, adrenaline pumping through his veins. His whole body was trembling, his eyes were still wild, but now he knew what to do. He could survive this, all he needed to do was listening to his instinct, trusting it and not overthinking things too much. After all, actions could change the situation, thoughts could not. First he needed to find shelter, a place to hide from the dangers preying on his lonely silhouette. Or water, but as it wasn’t likely he’d find a stream or puddle here just like that was doubtable. No, his priority should be shelter. It would protect him from the elements as well, as they could be more vicious than any creature alive sometimes, and ,given the cold temperature of Winter, he’d be likely to freeze to death when caught by rain or a snowstorm. Not that he suspected there would be a snowstorm on the first of Winter already. Well, I’d best get moving, I want to find a safe place before night falls.”

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 2nd of Winter 512AV It was well past midnight already and the lonely shadow soaring high above the ground still hadn’t found the city of Kalinor back yet. It wasn’t surprising, since the entrance to the cave city was hard to find, a cave itself. But he didn’t care, if he had to he’d search all night long, two nights or even three nights if he couldn’t find it so soon. Luckily he had found a place he could use for shelter, too small for a human to fit into, but a gigantic space for a bat, and that was only the fist part of the small cavern, further into the mountainside and into the cave, a large room had been hollowed out, lots of stalactites decorating the place. It was the perfect place for him to stay, and the presence of lots and lots of his purely animal cousins proved that. They were all hanging upside down, wings wrapped around they bodies in hibernation though. Something he ought to do as well, even his mother did, hibernating that is, not hanging upside down. That actually was his plan B. If he couldn’t find Kalinor back within three days, he’d retreat underground for the duration of the Winter season, and stay there ‘till spring had arrived. Than scenario seemed to approach faster than he’d imagined at first, he’d thought he’d be able to find the Sym city fairly easy when flying over the region, but this first flight had rid him of his illusions. He didn’t recognise the environment at all, so he could with certainty state that this area wasn’t positioned in his hunting territory and because of that he was now completely helpless, rendered unable to find his home. It had been his only hope, but that had been shattered immediately, now the only thing he could do was aimlessly search. However, he couldn’t keep at it forever, it was Winter even though the temperatures were pretty warm for this time of year and food was getting scarce. Insects did keep themselves at their own schedule and the lot of them had left already, going wherever it was they went every winter. Even tonight he had only been able to catch twenty mosquitoes, whereas he would have devoured more than one hundred times that number if it were summer. If things stayed like this -and they would- he wouldn’t be able to go flying for three nights and hibernate. No, he had to make a choice; stop searching after tonight and hibernate, with the opportunity to get back home after that, or stay at it, with minimal chances to find Kalinor before he’d be unable to fly because of malnutrition, and eventually die. Brandon didn’t have to think too hard to come to a conclusion. Though he probably – no, most likely- wouldn’t make it through winter in great shape, having to burn through all of his reserves and definitely suffer from malnutrition for a couple of days nearing the end of his hibernation, chances of his survival were large enough. He’d go with that plan, even though Gallan and his mother would be worried sick, the one that counted was himself. They said it was a test of his abilities, well, he had accepted the challenge –he hadn’t had a choice –but they’d never said there was a time limit. The grey bat flapped his wings, the loud noise shaking up the nightly silence and got ready to return. The sky was getting brighter, Leth’s reign was almost over and Syna would take over his rule. He made a wide turn, pointing one wing diagonally downwards, the other in the opposite direction and felt the air ruffle his fur as he did.

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 91st of winter 512AV Brandon woke up with his stomach gnarling, an empty feeling there, a hole where there should have been flesh and organs. As he had expected, hunger had woken him, and it wasn’t just any kind of hunger, no, he was ravenous. But he was happy because of that fact, since that meant he was still alive, that he had survived. If he was human right now, he would have grinned triumphantly but bats couldn’t do that kind of things. His stomach snorted at his contentment with the situation, not as pleased as the bat was, growling at him to wake up. Maybe he should start with opening his eyes, that would really help to wake himself up entirely. His biological clock let him know that the sun had already started to set, dying the heavens around it in bright colours. The rest of the world was wrapped in the cloak of twilight, not really night, but not day either, a period in between where both of the rulers of the sky were present in their shared realm, albeit with the heaven in between the both of them. It was the bat’s favorite time of night, this. Brandon unfolded his wings, spreading and stretching them, his muscles stiff from his long sleep. The bat’s stomach let itself be heard again, longer and louder than before, expressing it’s discontentment with its empty state. Bran gave in and did as asked, pulling his claws from the ceiling while flapping the membrane between his digits, if he hadn’t he would have crashed into the ground but now he circled through the forest of stalactites ornamented with his sleeping cousins. It was easy to dodge anything, even when the visibility was zero, because of the neat echolocation his kind possessed. The exit was near, a beam of lighter darkness radiating inside, along with the soft caress of the wind indicated that it was indeed where he could get out. If he hadn’t been this hungry, he would have stayed a little longer. Well, he could always do so after he’d filled his belly with some delicious bugs which would taste all the better when stilling this famishing feeling. If there would be some already. But he guessed there would be, Bran was pretty sure winter was as good as over, so his prey would have started to return as well. A meal was waiting for him, the first one since spring and he couldn’t wait. The thought alone was enough to taste them, to feel the exoskeleton of his prey cracking when he bit, the satisfactory sensation after having eaten enough. After that he’d come back, sleep a little, wait for the rest to wake up, or at least one individual so he could ask for directions. Things would turn out alright after all, and before long he’d found the way back home, he was sure of that.

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 1st of Spring 513AV With the long awaited passing of the cold season known as Winter, the Watchstones turned green, the blue of the season prior cast aside, the hope-giving light radiating from the crystal surface. Many other, less sudden and attention worthy to humans, sometimes even barely noticeable for them, occurrences took place. Birds returned from their winter addresses, hibernating species awoke from their slumber and buds containing new plant life grew from twigs. The middle one was the most influential for Brandon since his cousins, which was how he called all bats, too returned to the world of the awake. It also meant that he would be able to get home, probably. When he too opened his eyes when being awoken by his inner clock, the cave almost exploded with all the high-pitched cries that bounced off the walls and the heavy wing beats. Most of the bats were up already and fluttered around in the limited space of the cavern, waiting until they could exit, the hole through which could be done flooded by dozens or hundreds of small furry bodies. There wasn’t just one species occupying the space, but a couple, there were brown bats, grey bats and some others, some smaller and some larger. The young Kelvic unfolded his leathery wings, already flapping them before he released the ceiling, soaring through the cramped indoor sky with his own voice adding his own scream to the rest of the cacophony. The wind that ruffled his fur as well as the direction of the other screams and the echolocation he used told him that the bats were flying counter clockwise in the cave, a ring of flying mammals that Bran soon joined. This was the waiting line as it were, one that shortened quickly and before long it was the bat Kelvic’s turn to leave through the hole, which he did immediately, surrounded by others. Outside the swarm of bats scattered in all directions, Each headed towards their own hunting area, some sticking together for a while before splitting up and go their own ways. It was now that Brandon had to take a gamble, the gamble of which bat to follow and ask for directions. Himself being part of a colony of bats that lived inside the cave city Kalinor, he somewhat knew how his own hunting area looked like, smelled like and felt like, but there was no way that the others that lived here would. They knew their own territory, but not anyone else’s but maybe they might be able to tell him which way the large colony in Kalinor could be found, that would be enough. The Kelvic sought for a nearby cousin with his cries, the echo telling him exactly in which direction and how far he could find one. The direction was straight ahead and the distance between the two of them something of fifteen meters, not that far, he could catch up quickly if he sped up a little, which was what he did. Moving his digits faster, the frequency of his wing beats increased and so did his speed, in no time at all he found himself flying next to a bat of the same species as himself, a female even, her cries told him. The only problem was to get her attention, something that was probably not as hard as he thought it would be. In mating season he would have sung her a song, a bat song, but that might not be a good idea right now, wouldn’t want to give the wrong impression. Instead he emitted a couple of squeals directed at her, and a flick of her ear made it clear she was listening and Bran replaced his attention seeker calls into some that expressed him being lost. One of worry was returned. Good, she might actually help him, and he cried out once more, telling her that it was a large colony he was looking for, but too that there were dangerous creatures there. Thinking that that should be an accurate description, he stopped calling, only echolocation cries still leaving his body. The female returned his description so that he understood that she had recognised it. It was not unusual for bats to swap roosting places from time to time, and it seemed that she had left the place not that long ago. Well, not that long before hibernation, that is. A cry coming from her attracted his attention and had drawn his gaze towards her, what the purpose of it had been, and she made a wide turn to the left, the Kelvic followed her lead and they kept flying in that direction for a while, indicating that he had to keep heading in that direction. Another call told him that it wasn’t far anymore, and with that she turned away, pushing one wing down and the other up. The directions he had been given were accurate, it was indeed not far anymore and before his eyes the surface became one he recognised, this was his hunting area, and this was his home. From here he would be able to find the entrance to the cave with ease but first he should eat, his stomach grumbled and demanded that the should be hunted. And it would be done. *** As dawn approached and dyed the dark sky in colours of red and orange, a small silhouette sped through the tunnels leading to the milk white gigantic droplets connected by threads in different colours. It had been quite a while since he’d been here for the last time, yet at the same time it seemed as if it was just yesterday that he had awoken in the wilderness. Dodging threads and drop-shaped houses, the furry bat knew exactly where to go, one of those drops was special, one of those was a place he could call home. He could smell it already, the scent that were so alike to his own, yet different, Gallan and Lethia’s smell made the house stand out as if it were a bright yellow in a sea of blue. Small claws grabbed the rounded walls and a bright flash of light transformed the bat into a teenage boy. His hand tried to turn the knob of the door, but it was locked, and he suspected that the window through which he usually exited and entered when he went out to hunt would be closed as well. That left only the option of waiting for someone to wake up and open the door. A sigh, the naked lad sat down and leaned with his back against the wall, this would be a boring while…

[Brandon Blackwing]

The 20th of Spring 513 The day had finally come, the day he was allowed to leave the city in the cave, the wonderful place spoiled by the Syms. Glad he was, but at the same time he did not want to leave, the city had grown on him. Not the people, but the place itself. The people were horrible. Damned haughty Syms, may they all rot in Hai! Well, his biased view on the inhabitants of the city was quite unreasonable actually, since he had never spoken to one himself, but the way they came across was enough for the bat. Glad he’d never see one again, hopefully. Though, he would miss his mother and stepfather, the brute bear and the enormous mustache. Strange as it sounded, the lad would miss being beaten to a pulp during training sessions or being bored to death by Gallan trying to teach him intellectual things. He would miss the cozy droplet shaped house and his busted bed, his countless cousins dangling at the ceiling and the cold, fresh air inside the cave. Even the annoying but challenging ropes used as streets would be missed, how weird that everything seemed so nice and familiar when he was about to leave, how he felt that maybe it was better to stay after all. A rough shaking of his head dismissed that thought, he had come so far, it was not the time to back off, to turn tail and flee. This would have sounded unbelievable if he had heard this when he had first stated he wanted to journey away from Kalinor, but leaving required courage, a whole lot of it actually. It was because he would lose everything, he would leave everything he knew behind, family and home, love and comfort for a plunge into the unknown. He did not even have an idea where to go yet. It mattered not, if he knew his family a bit, they would give him some advice right before he left, they would not pass on that opportunity. No one would keep silent when their fool of a beloved son was about to leave and might not return, this was goodbye. The last moments with his family and he would enjoy it, even when eating a bowl of Bruka like he was doing now. Silence enveloped the trio that sat around the small dining table, only the cluttering of wooden spoons on wooden bowls could be heard. In case of the bat, it was caused by nervousness, butterflies twirled around in his chest and belly. Gallan and Lethia did not to cherish their last meal together with the troublemaker of a son they had raised. And a troublemaker he was, worrying the two of them all the time, his lust for excitement caused him to do all sorts of dangerous stuff, from breaking his bed to almost falling into the depths of the cave city. This moment was one they wanted to cherish not only because there existed a possibility that they might never see him again, but also since this was in fact their second chance. A season prior, they had wanted to test Brandon’s skills by abandoning him in the wild, thinking he would find the way back with ease. However, as he had not returned by the second day, Lethia had in a panic returned to the place they’d left him, but she had found nothing there. Only his scent, and it had been one of fear too, agony even. And to make things worse, the trail had headed into the opposite direction of Kalinor! She had followed it for a couple of bells, but when she had arrived at a small spring it had vanished, it had stopped. The two had been devastated, both convinced they’d killed their child. Gallan had been furious, the bond between the man and Kelvic put to the test. Both of them had been angry with themselves, the female for proposing the test and the male for not stopping his bondmate. But some of his rage was aimed at her as well, for dragging the boy into the wilderness. Struck by grief and due to the bond connecting their emotions and minds, he could not stay angry with her for long, the state of disarray and extreme guilt and sorrow her mind was in was far worse than his. In a way, their loss made them seek comfort by each other more than ever before. Yet, a season was not enough to get over it, both of them grief-stricken and tired, no tears left in their body. And then, at the beginning of Spring he stood there like nothing had happened, before the front door, naked and grinning, the boy they had believed to be dead -but even so, they had not been able to accept it. A punch in the face by his mother he had received, the grin wiped from his face and then a hug that was capable of crushing his ribs, but filled with love as the bear’s shoulders had jerked up and down, tears pearling down her cheeks.