Why Bat Has No Friends

A close-up of a bat hanging upside down with a red background.

When the mammals on the ground went to war against the birds in the sky, Bat was nervous. He did not want to be stuck on the losing side. Bat thought the birds would win. There were far more birds. They could swoop down, peck at the mammals, then fly out of harm’s way.

Bat flew up to the birds, flapped his wings and said, “Look! I have wings just like you. I wish to fight on your side.” The birds twittered and squawked to each other. Finally, they agreed Bat could fight with them.

“What a wonderful choice I’ve made,” Bat thought. “I will be on the winning side for sure.”

But the mammals were hard to defeat. They had sharp teeth and claws and were much larger than the birds. To make matters worse, the wind made it difficult for the birds to control their attacks. The mammals quickly won that battle. That night, Bat flew down to join them.

“What are you doing here?” roared Cougar, his paw raised to strike.

Bat opened his mouth wide to show his pointy teeth. “I am one of you!” he said, “See, I have teeth in my mouth, not a beak like a bird.” The mammals agreed Bat belonged on their side.

The next day, the wind was gentle and the birds were able to organize. They pecked at the eyes of the mammals and swooped into the sky, triumphant.

That evening, Bat snuck away from the mammals’ camp and flew to join the birds. They complained that they had seen him on the mammals’ side during the battle, but Bat flapped his wings and claimed to belong with the birds.

And so it went for many days. When the birds won a battle, Bat would flap his wings and go with them. When the mammals won, Bat would bare his teeth and side with them.

Finally the animals were exhausted of fighting and called a truce. Then the mammals and the birds began to talk about Bat. “It doesn’t seem fair. He switched sides whenever he wanted,” squawked Crow.

“No, not fair at all,” growled Bear. “Bat has wings but he did not stay with the birds.”

“And he has teeth but did not always help the mammals,” added Crow. All the animals nodded and looked at Bat.

“Because you could not choose your friends during war, you will not have them during peace,” they said. “From this day forward, you will only fly at night when everyone else sleeps. You will have no friends among the mammals or the birds.” And that is why Bat has no friends.