With Eyes of Love
[timeline: companion piece to Chapter 11 of Otherworld 3: Tala] Part One
There was a great celebration when he was born to Shami, the favorite sister of Shuhan, the leader of their clan. His mother cradled him in her arms, her wings wrapped protectively around them both. On his back were two tiny nubs which would one day sprout wings of his own. She named him Kamui after his grandfather, the great adventurer, who had soared the skies and founded their home in the Northern Lands of Demon World.
Klevar, his father, plucked the baby out of his mother's arm and held him high. "Behold my son!" he said proudly to the crowd gathered. The baby showed no fear and smiled at the crowd, his dark eyes full of knowledge and intelligence. Shuhan stepped forward and Klevar placed his son in the Bat Lord's arms.
Shuhan's mate had died childless and he had not found anyone else that he wished to share his life with. This child was his only nephew. Shuhan raised the baby up high into the air so that all could see him.
"I declare that this child, Kamui, is my heir."
The crowd cheered and Klevar knelt before his Lord. This was unexpected! Shami brushed tears of joy from her face. Her son was to be the next Lord! What an honor!
When Kamui celebrated his sixth-month birthday, tiny wings unfurled on his back, only a few inches long. One day they would grow to a span of ten to twelve feet and he would soar the skies majestically, the heritage of each member of the Bat Clan.
The Den was high in the mountains, in natural caves. Other than their huge black wings, the Bat Clan was no different from any human-formed demon. Raizen was the Lord of the Northern Lands, but he had no interaction with the Bats, and they were grateful that they were left alone. They had not offered any assistance in the Three Wars World, and not being fighters, they would have been able to offer very little.
As he was growing up, Kamui was treated as the next Lord, as a princeling. He attended all the functions of honor, and each year his birthday was a grand celebration. Shuhan took over Kamui's education when he was six and soon the small boy was flying in the air with Shuhan slowly keeping pace with the small wings of his nephew.
When he turned sixteen, his wings were fully grown, an impressive span of thirteen feet. He was the envy of all the young males and the desire of all the females. He could have his pick of any young female in the entire clan for Kamui was not only good looking, with shiny dark hair and large brown eyes, his wings were glossy black and perfectly formed. In a clan where flight is everything, a young Bat was judged by his wings and Kamui was deemed beautiful.
The young females would gather on an outcropping of rock and watch him fly around them, showing off. They squealed with delight and called to him, promising him eternal love if only he would chose one of them as his bride. Bats usually mated young, before their 20th birthday, so he was pressured to choose by his parents and by Shuhan. They each had a favorite: Shuhan wanted a young female named Cera who was the daughter of a good family, Klevar wanted Falla because she was the prettiest of them all, and Shami wanted Naomi who was the best cook and would give her son a comfortable home.
Kamui did not know who he wanted to mate with -- he felt nothing for any of the girls. Oh, he flirted with them, but none of them had touched his heart. So he avoided making a decision, hoping that one day he would meet the "right" girl and that she would make his heart soar.