Chapter 6
"I found two new bats to come with you and I think you will like them. Lilly, do you know how to ride a bat?" Vikus was telling us. We were riding on his bat Epipides going to the arena to get our bats.
"Um, no not really." I didn’t, but I had an idea that you can’t squeeze your legs around it. But I did ride tons of horses to I going to guess it’s like that only I can’t guide myself, the bat will. We land on a moss, covered floor with thousands of bats flying above us. Some had riders and some didn’t. When we entered two bats fly down to greet us. One was silvery bright and a smile plastered on its face. There were golden streaks across its back and it was smaller then the other one. The other one was a dark brown with a few yellow strips along the back.
"Lilly, I picked out Artemis for you. Gregor I choose Smokey for you." We both step forward to greet our bats. Artemis nuzzles my arm with her head and purrs into my ear.
"It is an honor to meet you overlander." I smile at her and she glows.
"Nice to meet you too." She leans forward and I climb onto her back like I would a horse. There is no saddle but I’ve done this before. I shift in my spot and she shudders.
"Have you ever ridden a bat before?" She whispers to me.
"No, I haven’t." I admit. She giggles and weird laugh but it still makes me laugh along with her.
"Just relax and swing your legs. If you fall I will catch you. If you have good balance this is great."
"I have ridden a horse before, but I have to guide the horse." She shudders again.
"I will fly on my own, you just stay on. Okay?" She seems to get into a better mood when I answer. I look over at Gregor and he has started having a conversation with his.
"Did Gregor ever have a bond?" I ask Artemis.
"Yes, they never seemed to be separated when they we’re together." Suddenly she slacks and her muscles power down and she doesn’t seem so bright now. I stroke her neck and she comes back to life.
"We must get going if we are to get supplies." She rises into the air and slowly flies. It is an amazing feeling to fly. I really did feel like I was flying. There is a wind that they make even it isn’t natural. She flies over to a big group by a river. We are standing on a stone perch that reaches one foot into the river. It isn’t moving very fast, but I can tell it once did. There are six baskets filled with food and supplies. One in the middle has a red cross on the side and know it must be Howard’s. This morning at breakfast he was talking about one particular patient and I realized he was a doctor. Artemis lands with three other bats and Gregor follows us, with a wind. He flashes me a smile and slides off of his bat.
"That was so much fun. Thank you for the ride." She nods and I slide off.
"So, did you like your first bat ride?" Gregor is suddenly behind me whispering in my ear. I lump and punch his gut. He winces and takes a step back. Then smiles and gives me a thumbs up.
"Good job." He gasps out. I smile and help him up. I smack his back and sigh.
"Gregor, Gregor, Gregor. What am I going to do with you?" I joke with him. He smiles and walks me over to the questers. There is also a new guy with us and I look quizzically at Gregor. His face lights up and waves at the new guy. This guy doesn’t have two legs, only one.
"Hey Mareth. This is my cousin, Lilly."
"Nice to meet you Lilly."
"Same to you." He gives me a smile and I smile back. Luna comes to stand beside me and I smile at her.
"You exited?" I whisper to her.
"Oh, yes. Very exited." Luxa calls everyone to her and we circle around her.
"Okay, here is the plan. We are bring food and supplies for the nibblers We have some food for us and plenty of water for the others. Once we have feed every nibbler we will guide them back to the jungle." I nod with the rest of them and we break. I walk back to Artemis and tell her the plan. She nods and lowers down for me to get on. I swing my legs over her neck and slide on. I look around to see an underlander, that’s what Gregor was calling them, latching a basket on to a bat. Suddenly there was a jerking from behind and I turned to see what it was. A girl was strapping a basket onto my bat. I watch her closely and notice she missed something. When she’s gone I slide done and fix it. I know when a saddle is done wrong and she messed it up completely. I undo everything and do it again. This time it’s strapped on correctly.
"Lilly, what are you doing?" I hear Gregor asking me. I slide out from underneath Artemis and smile at him.
"Just fixing the saddle." I smile at him. He frowns then walks back to his bat. I sigh and get back on Artemis.
"Thank you for fixing the saddle."
"Oh, don’t mention it." I smile and look up. I find Luna staring at me and I give her a small wave. She snaps to attention and waves back. Then I look down and find a group of girls gathered around my feet. They are waving trying to get my attention. I recognize a face and smile. It’s Terra, Nathaly, Cleo, Nicole, and Bella.
"Lilly, hey!" I wave at me and I wave back.
"Hey, guys. What’s up?" They frown and look up.
"Um, the top?" I sigh then smile, slightly embarrassed.
"I’m sorry, I mean what’s going on?" I ask them instead. They smile and start to giggle, I start to wonder if this was a good Idea.
"We heard you were going on a quest and we brought you a few things." They hold up a pack and hand it to me. I check inside and find three flashlights, three containers of batteries, a box of cookies, a bottle of water, and a hairbrush. I slip it onto my back and they smile.
"Uh, thanks guys." Luxa clears her throat and they run away giggling. A horn blows and we all take off.
Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:23 am
