When the Great Emperor Yelm first saw Bat and his Wife eating fruit in the treetops Yelm was greatly angered because of all the creatures that flew only Bat and his family did not serve the Sun and His Court, so he sent an army of birds to punish Bat and his kin, stealing all the fruit and driving Bat and his Wife away. Bat said to his Wife "What shall we do?" and his Wife replied "Let us wrap ourselves in our cloaks and sit very still, then the Emperor's army will not see us and we will be safe" and Bat said "That is wise."
Later, after the Emperor Yelm had been struck down by Death, the skies grew dark and the land grew cold. Bat and his Wife felt it was safe to eat fruit again, but the followers of Yelm (looking for a scapegoat to blame their loss on) cried out "There they are, wicked Bats!" and attacked them with beaks and talons. Bat said to his Wife "What shall we do?" and his Wife replied "Let us go below the trees, wrap ourselves in our cloaks and sit very still, then the angry birds will not see us and we will be safe" and Bat said "That is wise."
Then Flamal was struck down by Death and all the fruit fell from the trees and it grew still darker and colder. Bat and his Wife crept down from the lifeless trees to eat the fallen fruit which they had to find mostly by smell since it was nearly too dark to see. But the birds heard them and cried out "Wicked Bats! You are to blame for all our troubles, we shall have the last of the fruit and eat you too!" Bat said to his Wife "What shall we do?" and his Wife replied "Let us go into the caves where it is darkest, wrap ourselves in our cloaks and sit very still, then the vengeful birds will not see us and we will be safe" and Bat said "That is wise."
Then came a great roaring sound from below them as Zorak Zoran rushed up out of the cave and began fighting with the army of Yelm, sending them fleeing in terror in all directions, but Bat and his Wife sat very still and the Troll War God did not notice them and persued his foes across the world. Bat and his Wife sat for a while and thought they were safe when they heard a voice in the Dark. "Who are you, sitting there all quiet and still, wrapped in your cloaks?" It was Xiola Umbar, sister of Zorak Zoran, but she did not roar like her brother so Bat and his Wife were not so frightened. "I am Bat and this is my Wife" said Bat "and we were hiding from the army of Yelm when the Terrible One ran by us and chased them off. Now we are alone, hungry and cannot see, for the Dark. :Have you no friends? said Xiola Umbar. Bat's Wife said "No, we are the only ones of our kind and for that the bird-folk hate us." "Than I shall be your friend" said Xiola Umbar.
End of Part One.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------------------------------ This is what I wrote last night, before reading Ben Sunstrom's swell poston Bat Evolution, and I think I will swipe some of Ben's ideas if I may. My story is based on information from Troll Pack, Troll Gods and the Glorantha Box with some ideas of my own, mainly that Grandfather and Grandmother Bat were the children of Hykim and Nature and therefore neither strickly Draconic (scales and wings) or Yelmic (feathers and wings) having fur and wings. IMO, in pre-Lesser Darkness times, there were only Fruit Eating Bats and Dark-sensing, cave-dwelling, insect-eating Bats were created/adopted by Xiola Umbar as a) useful allies and b) to make up for her brother killing Flamal.
Gary R. Switzer--Aero Hobbies
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #136
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