Silverwing

The war between birds and beasts is symbolic of the divide that exists between bats and the other creatures in the animal kingdom. The mythology says that when the great war occurred, the bats didn’t feel allegiance to either side, so they chose not to fight. When the war was over, the birds and beasts both blamed the bats for their pacifism. This caused them to banish the bats to the night. Ever since, the bats have lived alone in the night skies without any friends in the animal kingdom.

As Shade and Marina travel alone together, they don’t meet any allies that aren’t bats. Every other creature seems to hold onto the resentment that originated during the great war. The only creature that shows empathy and compassion to Shade and Marina is Romulus, the rat with bat-like wings. He bridges the divide between mammal and bird, just like the bats, and this makes him feel connected to them. But it also makes him an outcast to his own kind.

Nocturna’s Promise symbolizes the bats’ creation and redemption story. Shade and his colony believe that Nocturna created all bats, and that she is like the night sky watching over them. After the great war between beasts and birds, the colony’s mythology states that Nocturna gifted bats the ability to thrive at night. But greatest of all, she gave them the Promise that they would one day live in the sunlight again. Nocturna’s Promise symbolizes hope for Shade and his colony. The owls rule the skies and enforce the laws that they created, but Nocturna’s Promise represents the idea that hope is on the horizon.