Music of the Night

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Bill could only watch in horror as the lion began to tear at Arthur's wing membrane with a single claw. It wasn't like a slash but more like a slow, painful drag as though the claw was a box cutter poking at the taped package.

He himself was restrained by two other lions despite them being slightly smaller than him.

But he had to admire Arthur for not screaming or showing how much he's in pain to give into these lions' satisfaction. Those cloudy blue eyes seemed to be gazing right into the lions, he wondered if Arthur could imagine what they would look like.

"Your will is strong for a small bat," the lion commented. "It would be a shame to eat you and skin off your friend over there."

Arthur doesn't want either of them to be killed so he had to think fast. He's not as smooth or charming as some animals who could sweet talk their way out of trouble so he decided to experiment on something.

"Um...could you tell me why do you like to eat meat?"

All the felines were baffled at the bat's strange question. Arthur, held his head up despite the pain in his wing.

"I'm just curious why since there are alternatives the food engineers and scientists have been manufacturing. Like insects, arthropods, arachnids, annelids, molluscs and even the bean-based burgers. They are delicious and can be cooked in various methods."

Arthur shouldn't have said that because his stomach was growling. He hoped he could stand the pain for a bit, despite the gory image he imagined that his stomach lining has been destroyed by the bubbling of his stomach acids.

He needs to eat and have tea.

"He's creeping me out with those eyes!" one of the voices called out. "Let's just take out his eyes and be done with it!"

"Miguel's right for once," he heard another huffed. "I mean sure, bats have the most succulent meat but they have those teeth for biting us and sucking our blood."

Arthur hoped Bill is still conscious. He was afraid if he was all by himself in this den full of lions. He imagined it's like the history he had learnt when he was fourteen about prisoners, both carnivores and herbivores becoming lion food in a bloodied sport that was sponsored by the emperor back in the days.

He prayed that history does not repeat itself in this predicament.

"I'm not a Vampyrum," Arthur told them, trying to resist the searing pain. He might as well have no arms to match his blindness at this point. "I may be blind but I'm sure you can see my reflection in the mirror."

He felt the pain stop and with caution, he was lowered down and unbounded.

The first thing he does without thinking was stretched his left wing and winced when he felt his long fingers being loose. The membrane was torn and it would take at least a week for it to heal! He shifted closer to where he could feel Bill's tail swishing anxiously.

Both bat and tiger huddle close in each other's company without saying a word. The both of them want to get out of here as soon as possible.

"We might change our minds about keeping you. But there's something we want to find out first."

Bill brought Arthur close to him, feeling protective of the brave bat.

"If you could convince us about this 'alternative' food that might change our palettes, we might let you go. But if you try anything funny, the both of you will be the main course for our late night supper. Do we have a deal?"

Bill glanced at Arthur, who looked calm but he was sure that the Honduran white bat was panicking with his two fingers on each wings shaking as he sealed the deal.

"Okay, a deal."

"I hope you know what you're doing Arthur," Bill hissed in a whisper. "You're playing a dangerous game."

"Which you dragged me into," Arthur's ear twitched irritably at the hissing noise when Bill whispered too close. "I'm just going with the flow of the situation."

...

Mizuchi was enjoying the dinner at the cafeteria. Which was unlikely because it's the same item on the menu they have served every night for the herbivores: Chargrilled vegetables with gluten free bagels and potato-pumpkin soup served with a carton of beet juice.

Maybe the food was delicious because of how the harlequin rabbit was busy finishing the last chapters of the book she had purchased. It had a sad ending but Mizuchi was happy that at least the couple confessed their love for each other before the Vampyrum in the story was murdered.

She wondered what happened to the music that flowed throughout campus at night. It was too quiet. Sure it was nothing before but when that bat arrived, things have changed. The harlequin pondered if ha had anything to do with it.

She still felt guilty about bullying him because he never picked a fight with her or the fact that he can't see she or any of the other animals could. Mizuchi wondered if their meeting in town was the road to learning more about him.

And about herself.

Eversince that meeting, her long ears perk up when she thought of him. She shook it off, telling herself that they could be acquaintances but it would be difficult because she had scratched his cheek, picked on him  on the first day at the cafeteria and even told him to kill himself.

"Sheesh!" she stamped her foot, feeling frustrated. "I never thought this way to anyone before. What is wrong with me?"

"Something wrong, Mizuchi?" it was her friend Riley, the black cat. The harlequin rabbit was thankful that her friend was here because night on campus is scary because of the carnivores using the darkness as their ally.

Mizuchi gave her friend an assuring smile. "More than fine. Tonight's dinner was up to a different standard and there's no homework tonight."

Riley was suspicious of her friend's answer but decided not to question it. The both of them walked towards the herbivore dorm so that Mizuchi could get to her room safely. Along the way, she noticed that the harlequin rabbit was silent during the walk.

She wondered if that bat had anything to do with it.