"Are you sure this isn't to much Ricky?"

Wren stood, being held up by Ricky holding both his hands, dressed up in a puffy blue snowsuit, matching mittens, knit hat and wellies.

"Nonsense, it's freezing outside. I don't want him catching a cold"

I laughed as wren tried to walk, his waddle having grown so exaggerated.

"Alright but maybe bring a change if he gets uncomfortable"

"Fineeee-"

Ricky whined as he picked wren up, tickling under his chin and making wren gurgle around his blue cloud pacifier.

It was nearing wrens bedtime, the sun soon setting but we had no intention of putting him to bed, we needed him good and awake.

Our plan has succeeded so far, letting wren sleep in, really late and long nap and was just buzzing with energy. He'd need that for what were all about to do.

"Am gonsa be a bat-ada!"

Wren squealed trying to kick his little legs but Ricky held him tight and practically smothered him with kisses, just as excited as the small baby.

"Thats right my baby bat, tiny little baby bat"

Wren giggled and tried grabbing at Ricky's face, the mittens not helping.

"Come on you two, our carriage awaits"

Ricky followed me out to the car and I opened the door for him to strap wren in, with stuffie secured under his arm.

Ricky walked around to the other side of the car and I joined him in the front.

Ricky double checked that wren had everything he needed and we set off to the nearby woods, we might as well be ceremonious for our baby boy.

Ricky switched on the radio, flipping through stations until he yelled in excitement at the song playing, startling wren, who whined at the loud noise.

"Sorry baby bear, daddy really likes this song-"

He cut off his comforts looking me directly in the eye and mouthing along as the lyrics kick in.

So the story begins

Ricky slaped the dash in time as he started singing, mimicking the accents of the band.

City dweller, successful fella thought to himself

Oops I've got a lot of money

Caught in a rat race terminally

I'm a professional cynic but my heart's not in it

I'm payin' the price of livin' life at the limit

Caught up in the century's anxiety-

I looked in the mirror to Wren, giggling to himself and kicking his feet. He caught my eye in the mirror and I stuck my tongue out at him and he giggled more. Ricky continued singing along.

Yes, it preys on him

He's gettin' thin, try the simple life

He lives in a house

A very big house in the country

Watchin' afternoon repeats

And the food he eats in the country

He takes all manner of pills

And piles up analyst bills in the country

Oh, it's like an animal farm

That's the rural charm in the country-

"WOOK! Daddy Papa!"

Wren abruptly yelled and Ricky immediately stopped and turned back to him, I looked in the mirror to see wren pointing out the window, before I looked back to the road.

"What's up little bug?"

"Daddy wook, ih's a kitty!"

I heard him slapping his hands on the window, pointing at the apparent cat on the path.

"Yeah baby, that's a very pretty kitty"

"Papa see da kitty?"

He asked me

"Yeah I saw the cat princess, very pretty"

I said absentmindedly, keeping my eyes on the road as it got a little busier, now that we were on a main road. Wren pouted.

"Papa you no see it"

"No bubba I saw it, its alright"

He hmphed and wobbled his lip while glaring at me in the mirror.

"You didn' even wook"

I reached my hand back and rubbed his leg.

"I'm sorry little bat, Papa's gotta focus on the road but I'm sure the cat was really cool, what did it look like?"

Wren dropped the annoyed attitude and got excited over telling me all about the cat he saw.

"Ih had big gween eyes an wuz bwack and owange an white! It wooked weally soft, wike weawwwy soft"

"Oh wow, it must've been a calico cat, they're very pretty"

"Cawico" He tried to say, Ricky laughed

"Yeah baby cawico"

"Dats a funny word Papa, Cawico cawico cawico cawico-"

He broke into giggles over saying the silly word over and over. Me and Ricky laughed as well.

After a while more of comfortable silence, with the occasional serenade from Ricky or a 'Wook Wook!' from wren, we were nearly there.

Tress lined the narrowing road and Wren gazed around in wonder at the wood. Ricky started getting excited all over again.

"Are you excited my tiny bat?"

"Uh huh, am weawwy esci-ed"

Wren exclaimed and Ricky chuckled.

"And once you get the hang of it baby, me you and papa can go on little night time adventures together, perhaps as rewards for you being such a good boy"

"Ya! I wike dis. No sweepin!"

I laughed.

"Maybe a little bit of sleeping, ok bubs"

"-buh needta say up, aunty sawah said so"

"Well baby bear, not necessarily-"

"Whas nessessaway?"

Ricky tried to explain it in simpler terms, that we'd be able to fit a nice family flight in before his bedtime, once wren has grasped how to easily shift. As it can be quite a challenge for the begginer, some it comes to easier, others need some time. So it's a good idea to have plenty of time with less of a bedtime constraint for the first time.

Plus the fancy Woody setting was good whiles drive, we obviously wouldn't wouldn't going this far out for every flight as we are the more suburban of vampires. But the woods were a nice change of scenery, and a great spot to scream in frustration and not wake neighbours.

"Buh I don wike seepie tam"

"Bedtimes still bedtime wren, nothings changing that"

I could sense the oncoming pout

"But hey bubba, let's not worry bout that now, cause its your special night, and we're just... about... here!"

I pulled over to on the roadside to park and Ricky squealed.

"Ah! Come on, let's go!"

Ricky practically dove out of the, his love of nature and this spot specifically overtaking him. I got out too, to free wren from his car seat straps.

"Out you come bubba"

I lifted him up and he babbled at me, wiggling to get a look around. He lifted his arm up in the air.

"Twees go up up up!"

I smiled as wren tried grabbing at the canopy. Ricky looked over and smiled too, before grabbing my arm and tugging us both into the woods.

"Speed it up you two, the night is young. We should enjoy it!"

Ricky yelled into the vast night sky and wren giggled. Ricky turned back and picked wren up, pushing his hair back and bouncing him.

"Its beautiful isn't it baby? The woods- anywhere at night, a whole different world and it's all ours baby. We're special like that, we get to see this"

I wrapped an arm around Ricky as he gushed over the scenery, wren peered around while listening intently before whimpering and hiding in neck.

"Dada, woodses scawy"

"Oh no darling, the woods aren't scary here-"

Ricky stopped, I did too. Wren peeped out.

"Just listen little bat, stay really quiet and listen"

We stayed in silence and listened to the sounds of the woods, wind whistling through the trees, the leaves crunching under our feet, the crickets.

"Hear that baby? Those squeaky crickets are chirping, they're letting us know there's nothing scary out there. We're the biggest scariest thing in the forest darling"

Wren giggled a tiny bit.

"We scawy?"

"Not at all baby, which just goes to show how not scary these woods are"

I watched as wren began looking sound in pure wonder at the area. It did feel out of story book, very picturesque and quiet.

"Dada, wans thown pease"

"Ok sweetie, but you gotta hold daddy and Papa's hands"

Ricky put Wren down and we took a hand each. Wren experimentally jumped on the leaves and giggled before jumping more.

Ricky told stories of mine and his misadventures in this forest as we walked, wren waddling as he hung on every word.

"Papa weally do tha?"

I laughed when wren stared at me in disbelief.

"Yup, he got so mad he knocked down a whole tree"

"Oh come on now, it was twig of a thing and I just about shattered my hand"

"Don't you act humble now, it was massive. Just the idea you could punch that hard had in pieces"

"Papa hi' twee! Whenny wansa see twee go boom"

Wren kicked out his legs as he said boom and giggled.

"Papa's not blowing up any trees bubba, and it'd be more my bones blowing up, most unpleasant it was punching that tree"

Wren whined

"Buh pweeeeeas! I wan see boomboom-"

Wren gasped as entered into a small clearing. He slithered out of our hands and toddled, falling over himself a bit, to a tree in the centre of it.

Ricky looked at me and I wrapped my arms around him as wren tried to hit the special tree, barely slapping it before falling on his padded butt with a small "oof".

We walked over to wren and I picked him back up.

"I'm blowing up no tree princess, but least of all this one"

Ricky fixed wrens hat and gently cupped his face.

"This tree is very special little bat"

"Whyah?"

"I proposed to your Papa with this tree"

I smiled in memory

"Sure did"

"This has always been mine and Daddy's spot as you've already heard, we'd come out whenever we wanted to escape the world. We'd sit together and watch the leaves change. One day Daddy set a dastardly plan he made me drive him up here, dragged me out to our area to show a little sapling that he'd planted. Before I could question, he was on one knee"

Wren looked up at the tall tree in shock.

"Vewy big"

"Yeah, this trees been around for a long time, and it's gonna stay around for even longer"

Wren mumbled a 'wow' to himself.

Ricky began what felt like a prepared speech as wren hung on his every word, possibly not understanding it all but getting the jist.

"Wren baby, this tree has had alot of special moments happen around it, and today we add to that list. For this, little bat, is the place you learn to shift"

Wren squealed in excitement.

"Bat-ad-da!!"

I bounced wren

"Oh are you excited princess?"

"Ya bat-ad-da!"

Wren flapped his arms around like wings and I chuckled.

Ricky took a deep breath and began his teaching.

"Watch me, little bat"

Wren kept his eyes trained on Ricky as he talked.

"Shifting can be as easy as taking a breath, as long as you let it be. You've got to relax, see look at me-"

Ricky threw his arms out

"I'm all relaxed, I'm loose, and I'm ready"

He changed to a more dramatic tone.

"Some baby are able to fly away from just standing still-"

Ricky began taking slow deliberate steps backwards

"-While some, like myself, enjoy giving a bit.. more.. flair!"

Ricky pushed off the ground on the last word, gently shutting his eyes and in a fluid movement if shadows and smoke, a bat arose.

The bat flew up, doing a little showy flip before spinning around the central tree and in another shadow encased shift, Ricky stood next to me, smiling madly.

The little thing in my arms' jaw hung open, but no words were spoken. There was a moment of worry before a wide smile broke out across wrens face.

He shook his arms excitedly and then turned to me.

"Papa now! Papa bat!"

"Alright alright bubba, Papa's going he's going"

I chuckled as wren excitedly pushed me when I passed him to Ricky to make me move faster.

I took a step back thought 'bat'. I pushed off the ground and let the shadows that pulled me up envelope me, closing my eyes briefly and then opening them to see in black and white.

I flew up in a flash, taking a moment to hover whilst I scanned the surrounding area. I saw my baby being held up high by my husband as he tried to grab at the air, presumably trying to get me.

I flew down to a low hanging branch and hung upside-down, not far from my babies. Ricky held wren up for a closer look at me in my bat form.

His paci having fallen thanks to his open mouth smile, wren giggled as I cocked my head at him, internally grinning.

Wren raised his arm to, I assumed reached out to me, until he shoved the mitten right in his mouth and slobbeered around it.

"Papahhhh!"

I squeaked disapprovingly, seemingly having the wrong effect on wren as he burst into giggles.

I hopped off the branch and shifted back, immediately taking wrens mitten out of his mouth and tutting.

"No bubba, that's dirty"

Wren whined.

"Wan bat-daddies!!"

Wren giggled at his words and Ricky laughed too. He spun wren around and held him up while nuzzling his nose.

"But I wanna see my baby bat, my cutie little baby bat-"

Wren babbled cutely before grabbing Ricky's nose. Ricky spoke with a changed voice due to the nose grabbing.

"So baby bat, would you like to give it a try, see how you feel?"

"Uh huh! Downsies peas"

Ricky let down wren but kept hand in hand, making wren try shake outta Ricky's hand. I ran my fingers through wrens hair and he looked up at me.

"Bubba hold Daddy's hand"

"I do batbat"

"Your going to need Daddy and Papas help"

"Buh I do muh-selfs"

Wren exclaimed happily

"Hold your horses baby-"

Wren interrupted me.

"I wanna twy, pease papa. I cans dos it!"

Wren finished his pitch with a heart melting smile and puppy eyes.

I caved.

"Ok bubba give it a try"

Ricky let go of wrens hand and bent down to kiss his cheek.

"You got this baby"

Wren readied himself, cutely puffing out his cheeks and sticking out his butt to balance himself. He ran forward and jumped, only going about a foot before he face planted the leafy ground. Me and Ricky sniggered a little at the funny display but quickly stopped when wren let out a little cry.

We rushed to his side and Ricky peeled him off the ground. Wrens face was mucky and he held his scuffed up mitten to his eyes and he sniffled and tears welled up.

"Oh bubba are you hurt?"

Wren shook his head as Ricky wiped away his tears, cleaning the dirt off his face as well.

"Well what's wrong princess, tell papa?"

Wrens bottom lip quivered as he mumbled out, me just about understanding him.

"Cans do it, no good"

Ricky also caught it.

"Hey, you're very good darling"

"Buh I no bata!"

I scratched the side of wrens head as I continued off of Ricky, lightly chuckling

"Bubba that was your first go, no one can shift on their first go. So I say we keep going, till your flapping around like the little bat you are, which is gonna be taking alot more practise"

Wren smiled and Ricky turned him to look up at himself.

"Lets try something a bit easier honey. Running jumps are a bit too big for a little one like you to be trying right of the bat anyway."

Wren blushed a little and frowned and I tickled his sides to turn that upside down.

"- Why don't I guide you through it baby, Papa'll help too"

Wren looked to me then back to Ricky.

"Oki"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Daddy tucked some stray hairs back into my hat.

"Wren honey I want you to relax"

I was laid against Daddy's chest to listen to his heartbeat. Cradled by him as Papa scratched my head through my fuzzy hat.

"Take some deep breaths with me, can you follow daddy breathing? Breathe in 1,2,3 out 1,2,3-"

Daddy went on while I mellowed out. Daddy began to lightly bounce me up and down, as Papa began whispering in my ear. I liked the sound of Papa's voice, Daddy's too, but when whispers stuffs to me, I feel like I'm floating. It's nice.

"Princess I need you to do something very good for papa, ok?.. ok. Imagine a bat, a very cute little baby bat that's just learnt to fly. Imagine how it flies up up up in the sky and flaps its wings. Can you imagine it bubba?"

I mumbled "Bat-ad-da"

Papa smiled and slipped my paci in between my lips, hoping to soothe for what came next. As I imagined the little bat flying high up in the sky, I got a cold feeling in my toes.

The feeling began to spread up and my eyes grew wide, I squirmed and whined, wanting it gone. Daddy smiled at me reassuringly as I cried out.

"Baby I know it feels weird but trust daddy and embrace the shadows"

I whimpered and daddy soothed me almost instantly, while still bouncing me

"There's nothing to be afraid of baby, and even if there was... you're in control baby, let the feeling cover you up. It'll only be for a second"

I gulped and stopped resisting the cold almost buzzing feeling that began enveloping me. For a moment as I bounced upwards, I couldn't see. A dark purple smoke clouded my vision, I immediately covered my eyes and whimpered...

...only for it to come out as a squeak. I did a double take. I removed my hands, wait, they weren't hands, they were wings. I blinked frantically and squeaked loudly as I saw an extremely defined world, everything seemed so much more vibrant and intense.

I began to fall, why hadn't daddy caught me yet? I started waving my arms almost instinctively and found myself hovering. I squeaked in distress, generally unsure of what was going on.

That was, until I looked down, unto Papa and Daddy clapping and whooping for me.

"You did it baby bear, I'm so proud of you!"

Did I do it? Did I shift?

"Well done bubba, you absolute best boy, over here now bubba. Give yourself a rest"

Papa directed to the special tree, I glided over and landed, practically clinging to the branch. I saw my little claws and the wings connected to them, without a shadow of a doubt, I had shifted.

My adrenaline rush of knowing exactly what to do ended and was now scared and confused, once again.

But not for long, when I suddenly felt two light landings on either side of me, the beating of wings followed by a grasp at my neck.

In my disoriented state I couldn't process what was happening around me and just panicked, screeching loudly and struggling to get away from the thing that tried to pull me in closer.

Baby boy calm down

I froze. I could hear Daddy's voice, but I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, it seemed to come from everywhere. I quieted my squeals and tried to even my pant like breathing.

It's only just Daddy

I looked to figure above me. It was a bat, a familiar bat. It was bat-dada. I squeaked, this time happily.

And Papa, don't forget papa

Another voice entered my head and I turned around quickly and saw papa, or at least a black bat which I'd seen to be papa. I squeaked at him and I heard papa and Daddy laugh in my head. I frowned, or at least the bat equivalent of frowning.

Sorry bubba, i know it's a bit confusing. You're too young to be able to talk like me and Daddy in bat form, but that's ok. We understand you either way

The two larger bats nuzzled me and i screeched happily. Daddy spoke

You're doing so incredibly well baby, how about we try a little flight together hmm?

I nodded eagerly, I was quite scared but my excitement outweighed it and I was raring to go.

Hold on bubba

No other unnecessary words were said as daddy guided me onto his chest, holding on tight and we flew up past the canopy.