Act the Fourth: You HAD to Ask!

TheCuriousSeed

How much longer in the Wilderness? Read on to find out.

~"Holy moly!" exclaimed Heidi as a hive of bees, a nest of wasps, a bike of hornets, a colony of ants, a different colony containing yellow jackets, a kaleidoscope of butterflies, a posse of fireflies, an eclipse of moths, a business of sawflies and a cloud of snow scorpionflies began to swarm above the canopy of the Wilderness.

~"What in the Second Star of Neverland is going on here?!" cried Elva.

~"Not the flower that attracts these insects, that's for sure," said Jessie.

~"EEEEEEEEEEE!" squealed Foxglove. "They're gonna sting us!"

~"Not so long as those insects keep above the canopy," said Elva.

~But who should fall but four butterflies and two fireflies with broken wings?

~"They could all use a safer place," said Daylily.

~The Animal Friends never did leave the Wilderness, but they were mainly there for moral support and guidance until…

~"I got this," Diamondwings said before flying to the fallen butterflies and fireflies. She communicated to the fireflies best she could, but to the butterflies, it was easier-peasier. Gingerbright and Violet Beacon decided to talk to the fireflies. After a minute or two…

~"They need to be guided out, but since they can't fly with their wings broken, six of you need to carry them," said Violet Beacon.

~Only the Animal Talents, Scouts and Tinkers volunteered.

~"Make that sixteen," said Daylily as ten more fireflies fell from the sky, wings damaged.

~"Or we can magic their wings all better," suggested Labyrinth.

~"Or we can build a wagon for them," suggested Jessie.

~"Great idea," said Magnolia. "But what can we use to…"

~"Strawberry made all those instruments from grass blades, so maybe we can build something from the same."

~"Garden Talent on!" called Elva.

~Lavender and Xenops worked together to grow vines, grasses and other small plants, then Magnolia and Jessie went to work weaving these plants into a sturdy wagon, then chopped off some parts from a stalk to make wheels for the wagon. Xenops made the wheels all perfectly round and the same size before Gardeners and Tinkers attached the wheels and soon…

~"It's beautiful!" said Jessie.

~"And it's completely biodegradable," added Daylily.

~Some of the fallen had burs in their wings, some with bent wings, some torn, but Saffron knew what to do: she sought metal and soon found metal dust, forged the dust into miniature needles and, using her Pixie Dust, made a magical thread that could cure anything quickly and painlessly. She went to work sewing the torn wings and soon the wings were cured. She then shaped the metal into straightening irons and smoothed out the creases, curing those too. By the by, save this for the Neverfairies as humans can't exactly ensure the wings can be cured painlessly.

~"We'll help them return home," said Violet Beacon.

~Just then a few goofy butterflies came to cause mischief. They were disturbing the squirrels, frogs and lizards and some of the frogs even tried to eat the butterflies, but thankfully, these butterflies tasted horrid! A bat then swooped down and snagged three of the goofy butterflies!

~"Hey, some of those butterflies were my friends!" cried Diamondwings.

~"Remind me never to offend any insectivorous bats," said Blueblitz.

~"Agreed," said Violet Beacon.

~"How about never offend a bat, period?" asked Gingerbright. "Especially an insectivore like a masonry hole bat?"

~"Remember the bat that started off as and turned back into that wingless Water Talent Rani?" said one of the older fireflies that had just been healed. "She didn't turn completely into a bat, but she still remembers what being a bat felt like because the bat became a pinprick in her head and still resides there to this day."

~"And ex-bats saved by belief are often left with bats in their heads," added another firefly, this one a little younger.

~"Let's see if we can fly yet," suggested a third firefly as he flapped his wings carefully, then quickly. His wings didn't hurt at all anymore. In fact, all the fallen butterflies and fireflies could fly again, but they still needed help.

~Daylily kissed each one on the head while Saffron sang to them. The Tinkers decided to help build new homes while the other Animal Talents gave directions to safety. All was going swimmingly until…

~"Oh no, another bat!" cried Onyx.

~"And a colony of fire ants!" added Heidi.

~"And five more fireflies and two more butterflies were tangled in those strange vines!" added Phoebe.

~"And moths!" added Xenops.

~More pandemonium ensued and soon the fairies and Quarry were overtaken, but not for long because that same bat swooped down and ate fourteen moths! Daylily knew something was off with this bat because this bat still had dreadlocks.

~"Wait here while Holly, Elva, Jessie and I try to figure out why he's here in daylight," said Daylily. "C'mon, girls!"

~The bat that ate three of the goofy butterflies snagged only eleven moths, then joined his friend who wasn't a full bat yet.

~"Please pardon our intrusion, Esteemed Bats, for we should have a letter of introduction, but we four were curious as to why you are still out when the sun is too?" asked Daylily.

~The bat with the dreadlocks answered, "Actually, night has just fallen, Esteemed Daylily."

~The bat that looked like a complete bat added, "Esteemed Daylily, we ought not pry, but why out so late? Neverfairies are diurnal, not nocturnal like us bats."

~"Esteemed Bats, I pray ask, how is it you know our names, yet we not yours yet?" asked Jessie.

~"Actually, Esteemed Jessamine, your friend with the green hair's name we are as-of-yet unaccustomed to," answered the bat with no dreadlocks. "Your elder sister, Esteemed Elva, met us when you had only just Arrived."

~"Well, Esteemed Bat, our friend Esteemed Holly can only converse with Chordates like us six. You know our names four, but please, may we presently know yours?"

~"Esteemed Jessamine, we bats do not often have specific names, especially if we have always been bats, but we shall make an exception. I can still remember when my colleague Esteemed Comet was still a sparrowman. I, however, have always been a bat, ergo I have no name that can be spoken in a language known by all fairies and sparrowmen."

~"May we please give you a name, Esteemed Bat?" asked Elva.

~"I'm afraid our matriarch would disapprove, Esteemed Elva. We that were always bats are not meant to have names pronounceable by all. Only the bat colonies are to know their names, ergo you will still have to refer to me by species."

~"That sounds fair, Esteemed Bat."

~A third bat came by, but unlike the first two, this one still had bright blonde hair and was a female. Comet still had dreadlocks, but the dreadlocks matched the rest of his fur.

~"Please wait, Esteemed Bat Brothers!" called the third bat. "I had just transformed into a bat!"

~"Esteemed Tessa?" asked Comet.

~A third male with bright red hair joined in, but he still had blue eyes instead of the more typical sepia to black among bats. Eight more incomplete bats joined in.

~"Oh no, it is nighttime!" exclaimed Holly. "We've been in the Wilderness so long we lost track of time and we can't escape!"

~"Esteemed Bats, we pray implore that you please refrain from eating our Animal Friends, even the Arthropods," Daylily asked politely. "Any unclaimed Arthropods, however, are still fair game."

~The one bat that had always been agreed, then he told his friends which animals not to eat. Thankfully, there were far, far fewer that were adopted than not, ergo no worries.

~"Thank you, Esteemed Bats. We are very grateful, but are you able to find a way out of this Wilderness?"

~"This Wilderness is inescapable only to Neverfairies and their Animal Friends until completion," explained the always-bat. "Until we meet again, Esteemed Fairies!"

~Once the twelve bats left, the Animal-gifted fairies returned to their friends.

~When the four returned…

~"Looks like the bats have left us alone," said Tansy.

~"Good because bats are so creepy," said Foxglove.

~"Plus, we had a little trouble with getting the fireflies and butterflies home," added Heather. "We need to fly to do that."

~"But we're only allowed to fly to help strays," explained Heidi.

~Jessie knew that these butterflies and fireflies needed help from Animal, Tinker, Garden and Light Talents to return safely home, so everyone worked to make new homes, provide food and ensure their safety. Once taken care of, a few frogs, squirrels and lizards were also in need. Everyone worked together to make new homes, feed, cleanse and cure the frogs, lizards and squirrels, all the while the swarm above the canopy was scattering to avoid the bats, some luckier than others. The animals of the Wilderness were soon all helped, so now it was time to move on.

Stay tuned because more awaits!