by Emily Knight
As they spoke their two flying companions flitted through the air close on the clawed heels of their prey. The rat-bat flapped to-and-fro, and turned left and right at sharp angles.
Ana flew close to her father. "Even if we fly faster how will we catch it?"
Lysander pursed his dark lips and swept his eyes over the area. They sped over the rooftops of the houses, and in front of them lay the vast expanse of park woodland. "We must guide it into-" The rat-bat swooped low over a fenced backyard. "Block its path!"
They dove after their prey until all three glided over the blades of green grass. The rat-bat turned a sharp left and tilted its body so it flew perpendicular to the ground. At the back of the fenced yard was a gate. The tiny creature glided through the opening between gate and fence. The gap was too small for the others. They put on the brakes and stopped a few inches short of the wooden boards.
Lysander growled and flapped his wings. He flew above the fence and looked up and down the alley. The bat was nowhere to be seen. He sniffed the air. There was nothing but the scent of garbage and cat urine.
Ana flapped to his level. Her voice was tense and quiet. "What do we do now?"
Lysander closed his eyes and shook his head. "I do not know."
CHAPTER 20