Bats
686 Words
The huge brown bat stood frozen, swiveling its head as if searching for someone in particular. The entire coliseum fell silent. Some tribesmen reached for their weapons. Others quietly searched for an exit.
After a long, tense pause, the beast locked its eyes directly on Khaza.
It unleashed a deafening screech and lunged.
Mono watched in shock as Khaza intercepted it with only a few swift jabs, knocking the creature aside. For a moment, it seemed the danger had passed.
Then another bat swooped in.
Then another.
Then yet, another.
Within seconds, an entire colony of giant bats flooded the fortress, screeching and tearing through the air. Chaos erupted. Bats snatched residents and dropped them from terrifying heights. Warriors scrambled to defend themselves.
Khaza quickly became overwhelmed. There were too many. He shifted from fighting to shielding the vulnerable, taking blow after blow as he protected his people.
Mono hesitated.
Should it run?
Should it leave this place to ruin?
Vanchana did promise a “very chaotic plan.” Maybe this was the chaotic plan. Maybe it was Mono’s chance to escape. The tribe seemed capable of defending itself… Probably.
Yet, a question resonated. Was that the right thing to do?
Mono had never faced a choice like this. After taking a few steps back, it made a decision. Maybe it should at least try to help.
Since it couldn’t lift weapons or fight directly, Mono searched for another way. Something loud. Something distracting.
Its eye landed on a massive stone bell.
Without hesitation, Mono rammed its round, plump body into the bell with surprising force.
The sound was enormous.
A deep, echoing blast shook the entire arena.
The bats shrieked in confusion, colliding with each other and crashing to the ground. The bell was working amazingly!… Perhaps too well.
Suddenly, every bat turned its attention toward Mono.
They dove at it relentlessly, snapping, clawing, grabbing, throwing. Each hit made Mono feel lighter, weaker. Chunks of black ooze splattered across the ground.
Mono didn’t feel pain, not exactly, but each scratch and bite drained something vital. The world blurred. Shapes twisted. Colors faded.
Mono couldn’t feel its legs.
Then its body.
Then anything at all.
Nobody came to save it this time.
Mono called out for Vanchana. But, nobody came.
It called out for Khaza. But, the words didn't come out.
It was all pointless, wasn’t it?
And yet… something inside Mono refused to fade. A tiny spark of will. A stubborn insistence that it would not end here. Not like this. Not because of a bell.
Mono focused every last bit of energy it had. Anything. Something.
When its senses returned, Mono realized the bats were no longer attacking.
They were trapped.
Dozens of them, bundled together by long, coiling tendrils — tendrils sprouting directly from Mono’s own body.
The entire coliseum went silent. Even Mono, who could not speak, felt the weight of the moment.
The bats wheezed and gasped, struggling for air, silently begging Mono to release them.
So, of course, Mono did.
The bats screeched in terror and fled the fortress, scattering into the sky as the tendrils dissolved.
Mono collapsed, its stubby legs twitching weakly from exhaustion.
Khaza rushed over after ensuring his people were safe.
“Are you alright? Those scratches seemed fatal!”
He gently lifted Mono upright with his massive hands.
“Thank you. For helping us so honorably, for enduring such sacrifice… You have my gratitude, and the gratitude of my entire tribe. You have not only helped us survive, you have become a symbol of peace. You have shown that the fear and hatred toward your kind can finally end. Thank you.”
Khaza knelt and bowed his head to the tiny shadow.
The tribe gasped. Their great leader bowing to a creature they once feared?
One by one, they bowed as well.
Mono felt pride.
Triumph.
And most of all… peace.
Khaza rose and wished Mono safe travels, releasing it from the tribe’s judgment.
Mono picked up the Mind-Tuner lying on the ground and set off north, into a dense jungle full of new mysteries.
- Writer
