Batty Snacks

The night was long and cool, and the perfect time for swarms of bats to take flight into the dark expanse of the sky. An invasive species to the island (not that it was saying much in the shape it in), they had total dominance over the sky. While a few birds of prey existed that could easily swipe a bat out of the sky, flying at night helped avoid most of them. Not to mention this specific species of bat was one of the biggest known, flapping across the sky in search of fruit and pollen to feast on. In the sky, nothing could reach them.

However, that last statement had not been true in quite a few years. A loud screech filled the air, a dark shape diving out of the sky to nip at the wings of the bats with a white beak. Shrieking in alarm, the swam of bats dove from the air. Expertly the flying tapejara herded them through the air, separating a small amount of the group off and driving them closer to the ground. The bats panicked, before suddenly spotting a yawning cave in the side of a mountain. Eagerly they dove, quickly seeking shelter in the darkness. As they flew over the entrance, there was a sudden snap as what they had assumed was a rock shifted, revealing massive jaws that reached up and snagged a bat out of the sky. The rest of the swarm shrieked in panic, but the exit was blocked by the now massive shape- they quickly flew deeper in.

“No fair!” Oboe called, spiraling down to rest upon the back of the large acrocanthosaurus who was crunching down on the poor bat in its jaws. Shadestealer huffed, looking back at the tapejara with a bored look. With one last massive flex of its jaws, the bat vanished. “I didn’t get any!”

“The hunt is still ongoing.” The acrocanthosaurus spoke lowly, its voice quiet even in the echoing cave. From further in the pair could hear the sounds of panicked squeaking, and low growls. “You did well luring them here. It seems Bellatrix is securing the final phase. We will all have plenty to eat.” Indeed, the bat was barely a light snack to the huge carnivore. The bats were only a bit smaller than Oboe herself.

With a huff the small omnivore lowered herself onto the back of Shadestealer, taking a moment to recover from the chase. “What are we waiting for, then?” She squeaked. With a huff, the massive carnivore started moving, walking deeper into the cave.

It was not long before they came into the main area of the cave, the place where they had picked beforehand. A large central chamber of the cave with no exit except the one they were now blocking made the perfect trap. Underneath the swarm of bats stalked a growling Anteosaurus, the dark colors across her scales making her perfect at darting in and out of the shadows to keep the bats on edge. “About time you two showed up.” Bellatrix took a moment to pause, shooting a glare back at the two of them. “It's pure luck none of them attempted to go back the way they came from without you to block the exit, Shadestealer. Oboe, I need you to get up there.” 

Oboe bristled a bit at the command but did as told, letting out low grumbles as she took to the air. Shadestealer was much more calm, simply settling into place as guard as Oboe flew up to harass the already panicked bats. The furry mammals dove in a desperate attempt to dodge the clamping beak of Oboe- and right into Bellatrix. The Anteosaurus leapt into the air much higher than one would expect of such a square creature, sinking her teeth into a select bat and dragging it down. This caused the rest to fly into an even greater frenzy, some attempting to slip past Shadestealer and meeting their own end at its sharp teeth.

For the next few minutes they continued to whittle down the remaining bats, Bellatrix and Shadestealer grabbing a few more- even Oboe managed to catch her own when she chased a bat right into the wall. (It still counted…) 

Eventually, Bellatrix gave a nod towards Shadestealer who entered the cave with them. The rest of the bats spiralled out in a mad rush for freedom and it let them, having just caught another and feeling full enough it was not worth the effort.

“Good job.” Bellatrix’s voice was muffled around her own meal, gulping it down in a few bites. “That should give us enough energy for a while. This cave is pretty good.” The Anteosaurus sent an approving look at the walls of the cave, resting her claws against the stone for a moment. “You outdid yourself, Oboe, for finding it.”

Said tapejara looked up from her own meal, pushing the scraps towards Shadestealer who easily consumed it in one huge bite. “Yeah! It's great!” She took into the air, settling into a nest shaped rock in the center of the room. “I'd never thought we would find a cave big enough for Shade’s fat tail.” The acrocanthosaurus gave her a look from where it sat with the dark side of its face, but didn’t protest. “We should stay here.”

Bellatrix tilted her head to the side for a moment, before glancing towards Shadestealer. The dinosaur shrugged. It’s feathers would help keep it cool in the cold months that were forthcoming, but the other two would not be so lucky. Especially with Oboe and her delicate wings- while she had some feathers, it was not enough to keep warm in cold weather. 

Bellatrix huffed a sign, wondering once again how she had ended up as the leader of this small, mismatched group. “Fine.” She huffed, lashing out to leave her claw marks onto the side of the rock. “Just for the winter.” Maybe they would get the chance to snack on more bats…