50 Million Years from Now

Act 10

At the other end of the ledge, Roc was fast asleep. Somehow, all this racket had yet to wake him up, and Zenith kept a tight grip on his friend, not wanting him to get blown away. Then something rushed in through the cave's entrance. A group of Madagascar Giant bats flew in. All descended from the fruit bat, this species had flown for many miles from Madagascar. This was a migratory species. Usually, they would perch in trees, but with the storm raging outside, this colony was forced to take up residence in the Black beaks' cave. Their one-meter wingspan was an unwelcomed sight. Not because they were dangerous, but rather because they would make the already-crowded ledges even less tolerable.

As the unwelcomed visitors landed all around the Black beaks, some were less understanding than others. When one of the migratory bats tried to land next to Zgall, it was quickly met with a peck of disapproval on the top of its head. Zgall was already in a very bad mood being forced to share his space with other Black beaks. And he most certainly was not going to share it with bats as well.

This species of bats had not changed much from its ancestors in appearance, except for one major difference: the length of its legs. The migratory bats' legs were so long that they were forced to walk upright. However, this had created an advantage for their species, as these long legs also allowed them to catch fish during their migration. The stragglers were having a hard time entering the cave. Thanks to the wind many of them were smashed against the cave's walls, the impact breaking the bones of their fragile bodies and making them fall to the ground.

This however was a fortunate outcome for another species of bat. Hiding deep in the crevasses, one of the world's smallest bat species emerged. Their arm span, no longer than a pen, pulled their light-grey furry bodies out of their hiding spot. Long, almost tentacle-like, fingers waved around the corpses. These bats had long lost their ability to fly. They were Scavenger bats. They had completely lost their eyesight, but who needs it when you have echo location. As more and more of them felt the corpses, they began using the hook-like claws at the end of their fingers to tear pieces out of the carcasses. And then quick as a flash, they retreated to their holes.

This continued throughout the day and night until finally the storm passed. The screaming wind finally stopped. The roar of thunder ended, and the clouds finally ran dry. The storm had died down.

"Wow! That was crazy!" Vall squawked to Kay.

"Crazy really is the only word that you could use to describe such weather."

"Do you think it's safe to go outside now?" a voice asked.

The two turned to see Moramma looking down at them from the ledge above them.

"I guess there's only one way to find out," Vall answered. He leapt off the ledge and began to fly towards the mouth of the cave. Many more Black beaks followed him eager to finally spread their wings. Moramma soon joined Vall as they flew over the savannah. They were surprised by how much devastation the storm had caused. Tree branches were thrown about. A tree had been knocked over near the river that led past their territory. The river itself was overflowing. But what was most surprising was the number of dead animals. Some of them had been impaled by branches. Others seemed to have fallen victim to predators, and one carcass, that of what seemed to be a Plough-head, was blackened and charred, probably having been struck by lightening.

"My goodness!" Moramma whispered to herself as she witnessed the destruction the storm had caused.

"I've never seen anything like this!" Vall exclaimed.

"Same here," Moramma replied.

They began to fly back toward the cave. As they did so something caught Vall's eye.

"Wait Moramma! Come over here!" Vall called out.

"What is it?"

"Did you see something?"

"What exactly?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I saw something moving in the bushes over there."

Suddenly, bursting out of those bushes, came a large Plough-head. It looked to have been injured in the storm. A branch was stuck in its back leg. Its large snout had another branch piercing it. The animal fell to the ground roaring in pain. Vall started to turn back towards the cave but Moramma flew in front of him.

"We can't just leave it like this."

"Moramma, you must know these things happen sometimes."

"I am not going to let it just suffer there."

"Listen! That is a Plough-head, and they can be very dangerous."

"Vall," Moramma stared Vall directly in the eyes. "I am not going anywhere."

Vall looked back at the creature. It was clearly suffering. He sighed. "All right! I'll help. But if things get too dangerous, we have to leave it."

"Fine, we will do that."

The two landed a few meters away from the behemoth.

"Moramma, you see the branch pocking out of its leg? Move very slowly behind it. Don't make any sudden movements or loud noises. Once there, I want you to get in the air, grab the branch and pull it out. I'll do the same thing with the one near its head. Understood?"

The two walked very slowly and gently around the large Plough-head. Moramma got to the leg and looked at Vall. Vall had successfully got to the snout. Vall gave Moramma a nod as she flew up into the air and grabbed the branch. With another nod, Moramma pulled the branch out of the Plough-head's leg. The large animal roared and swung its head toward where Moramma was. Vall quickly grabbed the other branch and pulled it out of the animal's face. After quickly dropping it, he leapt into the air and took to the sky, the Plough-head's tusk barely missing him. The two Black beaks flew off as the rescued animal limped away into the savannah.

"Thank you for doing that," Moramma said while looking at Vall.

"I was only doing what was right."