1-3-10

And the crew of the Chenodia along with many of the townspeople of Karlaca pursued Pietro the bat through the islands. When he dove into the forest, those capable of flight like the bats and birds such as Yvonne the fruit bat, Sienna the owl, Camia the parrot and more than a few others took wing. Juarez the buzzard in particular had the special advantage of being able to smell blood from the sky and was able to easily keep track of the bleeding and injured bat.

That said, Pietro knew the land better than the Chenodia crew and fled through places he knew it would be hardest to follow him. He ran beneath the cover of trees to avoid the pursuers from the air. He moved through rivers and creeks to wash off his trail. He hid behind trees and bushes as people searched for him, cleverly eluding the Chenodia crew and the townspeople of Karlaca.

+++

Then mist flooded the surrounding forests as the sun began to set, muddling the search further.

“Curses,” Beryl scowled. “We’re going to lose that bugger in this mist!”

Juarez the buzzard landed beside her, clearly displeased with the development.

“It’ll be dark soon too,” said Danilo the alligator, one of the soldiers accompanying Prince Gaius. “I don’t fancy being caught out here in the dark.”

“We’ll need to find him double time,” Gaius said. “Just where could he be going?”

“Actually,” Medina the water buffalo said, as she caught up with him. “He could be going to Belford Mansion. If that’s the case, all we really need to do is follow him. He’ll lead us right to Belford Mansion.”

+++

Sanchez the dog, Vic the lemming, Zenny the tiger and followed by Steno the hyena followed closely to Pietro the bat’s trail.

The bat was wounded but he was nimble and clever. But while the trail was hard to follow, they managed to keep track of him through his blood, footprints and changed surroundings. As mist and darkness covered the forest, it became even harder for them to pursue him.

Beryl the mink, Gaius the lion and Medina the water buffalo quickly caught up to them with the others trailing behind them.

“Any sign of him?” Gaius asked as he lit a lantern.

“I’m still following his trail sir,” Sanchez the dog said. “But he can’t be far.”

Sanchez led the train as the large group behind him fanned out, making sure to watch for anyone or anything that might be hiding among the bushes or trees.

What they didn’t expect though was for Pietro to be right in front of them the whole time.

As Sanchez passed, Pietro sprang and wrestled with the dog for a few moments. Sanchez had the upper hand against the bat but the latter had the element of surprise. The others were rushing in to help but Pietro managed to snatch the dog’s pistol from his belt and had it pointed at the latter.

“Not another step!” Pietro snarled as he now held Sanchez hostage. “Or the dog gets it!”

“Pietro,” Medina the water buffalo said. “Pietro, look what’s become of you!”

“Don’t you start with me on that!” Pietro said and pointed the gun at the woman. “Don’t you dare!”

“Pietro,” Medina went on. “I helped raise you. I was there when your mother gave birth to you. I was there for you as you grew up. What pushed you to become like this?”

“You people did,” Pietro said. “You and other people like you are what made me into this!”

“But how?” Medina said. “What did we do to embitter you so?”

“When I was born, my father had already left me and my mother,” Pietro said. “I grew up fatherless and miserable.”

“But your mother loved you,” Medina continued. “She would never have allowed you to become like this!”

“No, it was you people who made me this way,” Pietro spat. “You and your festivals and your constant need to be happy while my mother and I were miserable!”

“Your mother was always happy. She was happy even though she knew that life was hard. There’s nothing wrong with being happy Pietro.”

“But you see, that’s what I’ve always hated about you! How dare you be happy while other people were sad or suffering! I wanted to tear your smiles off with my bare hands if I could! That’s why I helped Count Belford. I worked with him so I could give you something to be sad about for a change. I knew that if I did what he told me he would make all of you miserable.”

As Medina continued to try talking sense into the bat, other people who were part of the chase decided to take the initiative.

Nobuo the gecko had an idea and invited Vic the lemming and Steno the hyena to come along with him. They had snuck up around the bat where he held Sanchez the dog hostage and positioned themselves where he wouldn’t see or detect them with his echolocation. The three slowly advanced slowly and signaled at Sanchez not to betray their approach.

After ten to fifteen agonizing seconds, the three jumped the bat, followed quickly by Sanchez the dog. Nobuo the gecko grabbed his arm with the gun, Vic grabbed him by his legs, Sanchez grabbed his head and Steno grabbed his injured arm. Pietro screamed in agony as the hyena pressed on his bullet wounds. Nobuo wrestled for the gun as the others rushed in to help but neither he nor anyone else expected what happened next.

Pietro managed to pull his arm away from the gecko and put the gun under his chin.

“I’ll see you all in the Abyss!” Pietro said and pulled the trigger.

There was a loud report that was quickly followed by silence. The bat’s body fell limp and lifeless. Pietro had killed himself.

A few moments later, Vic sat with Zenny and the others. With Pietro gone, they now had no one to guide them to Belford Mansion. Prince Gaius was speaking to some of the locals and asking them if they could still retreat back to the town. There were those who protested that such as Beryl who thought they had already come this far and that going back would just doom Karlaca to its fate. She insisted that they keep searching, that they might get lucky and somehow find Belford Mansion. With the darkness around them, the dense mist and not to mention the undead that lurked in it, it would be highly unlikely though.

But then, not far from where they were, Vic saw a light.

“Hey!” Vic called out and pointed at what he saw. “Everyone, look!”

Zenny stood beside him, unsure of what she was seeing.

“That’s...” Beryl said, not knowing what else to say.

“That’s a light from Belford Mansion!” Medina the water buffalo said. “I don’t know how or why this is happening, but we must follow it!”