Darkwing

Chapter 1 - Jump

[I do not own or make this this story, all rights go to Kenneth Oppel. If you enjoy this book then please support the original owner and buy the book. Thank you.]

Part 1
The
Island

Chapter 1
Jump

THE TREE HAD NEVER SEEMED so high.

Dusk laboured up the trunk of the giant sequoia, sinking his claws into the soft, reddish bark. Pale lichen grew along the ridges; here and there, pitch glistened dully in the furrows. Warmed by the dawn's heat, the tree steamed, releasing its heady fragrance. All around Dusk, insects sparkled and whirred, but he wasn't interested in them just now.

His father, Icaron, climbed beside him and, though old, he moved more swiftly then his son. Dusk hurried to keep up. He'd been born with only two claws on each hand, instead of three, and hauling himself up the trunk was hard work.

"Will my other claws ever grow in?" he asked his father.

"They may."

"If they don't?"

"You'll have less to grip and pull with," Icaron said. "But you have unusually strong chest and shoulder muscles."

Dusk said nothing, pleased.

"That will help make up for your weak legs," his father added matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Dusk said, casting a surprised backward glance. He hadn't realized he had weak legs, but his father had obviously noticed. Maybe that helped explain why climbing was such tiring work.

Just four weeks ago he'd been born, rump first and three seconds behind his sister Sylph. Blind and naked like all newborn chiropters, he had crawled up his mother's belly and started nursing immediately. Within days his vision cleared and focused. Fur grew over his body, and he gained weight. He ate insects his mother had caught and chewed for him.

And this morning his father had roused him in the nest and told him it was time to climb the tree. They'd set off, just the two of them. Even though he'd been nervous, Dusk still loved the way everyone looked at him, the youngest son of the colony's leader.

"Am I odd-looking?" Dusk asked now. He was merely repeating what he'd overheard from others--including from his own mother, when she thought he was asleep.

Icaron looked back at him. "You are rather odd-looking, yes."

The answer disappointed him, even though he knew very well it was the truth. Watching the other newborns, he could tell he was different. His chest and shoulders were bulkier then normal, giving him a slightly top-heavy appearance. His ears were large and stuck out to much. And, most mortifying of all, even at four weeks, no fur had yet grown across his arms and sails, making him feel childishly naked. He wished at least his sails were like his father's.

"Dad, what's it like being leader?"

His father reached back with a rear foot and fondly tousled the fur on Dusk's head. "It's a lot of responsibility, trying to take care of everyone. It's a great deal to think about."

"Like what?"

"Well, we've been very fortunate here, Food is plentiful. There are no predators. I hope things stay that way. But if they change, I might have to make hard decisions."

Dusk nodded, trying to look solemn, not really having any idea what his father was talking about.

"Will I be leader one day?" he asked.

"I very much doubt it."

"Why?" Dusk asked indignantly.

"When a leader dies, his first-born son becomes the new leader."