Over the next few days, Liraz proved to be a very chaotic addition to the prisoners. He was rather clumsy, tended to not notice when he got injured, and said very odd things that made everyone stare at him constantly.

For instance, the other day he asked a lizard if he tripped over his tail all the time or if he’d ever caught his tail on the way to strangling himself.

“I mean, if I had a tail, I would probably strangle myself accidentally,” he chirped, oblivious to the weird look the lizard was giving him. “I think of killing myself a lot, and I’d be afraid that my tail would put those thoughts into action. You mean your tail doesn’t do that?”

“No…” The lizard edged away from the overexcited bat slowly.

The guards didn’t seem to notice Liraz at all—they probably assumed that he was just another prisoner. He’d moved into Rogue’s cell, and he and the leopard got along quite well. They both loved joking around and making fun of the announcer, though Liraz’s quips were much darker than Rogue’s.

“I bet he’s never washed his teeth in his whole life,” Rogue snorted. It was true—the golden flash of fangs greeted Kira every time he spoke, even from through her window.

“I bet his voice killed his wife and children from hearing loss,” Liraz said, laughing maniacally.

Kira was busy drawing on the dirt in her cell, trying to find out ways they could escape. They knew where the exits were, and that they were guarded. They just didn’t know when the guards’ shifts were, or what distraction to use.

We need more information, Kira thought, frustrated.

Then, as she listened to the hyper conversation between Rogue and Liraz, it clicked. We need someone on the inside.

Someone they have no record of.

Someone that can fit through cracks easily and fly unnoticed.

Someone like…Liraz.

Her head snapped up. That’s it!

Liraz could blend into the dark. He was small, and nimble, so he could fit through small spaces stealthily. The guards wouldn’t notice if he was gone. It was perfect.

At the next mess, Kira told her plan to Laila, Rogue, and Maximon. Liraz sat with them, unaware of their conversation. He was too busy chowing down on a peach.

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“That’s perfect,” Maximon hissed. “We’d just need to, ah, make sure he stays hidden.”

Laila rolled her eyes. “We’re going to risk our entire chance of escaping and our lives with a bat? Ugh. Count me out.”

“It’s not that bad,” Kira promised. “All he has to do is learn when the guards’ shifts switch, nothing else. It shouldn’t be that hard for him.”

Liraz finished his fruit and looked up at them with a very peachy grin. “What are we talking about? Can I join in?”

Laila made a noise of disgust. “You have fruit all over your face.”

Liraz licked his mouth with his long pink tongue.

Laila glared at him. Her talons were curled dangerously under the table.

“Alright, stop it,” Kira said. “Look, Liraz, we need your help with something.”

“Really?” Liraz’s face lit up. “I can help! I’ll do anything!”

“Listen carefully, okay?” Kira told him. “And keep your voice down. We need to keep this a secret.”

Liraz nodded and looked around at the guards, then back at Kira. “I’m listening,” he whispered.

“We need you to spy on the guards,” Kira said. “Find out when their shifts start and end, and come and tell us. But you can’t be spotted.”

“I’ll do my best,” Liraz said. “But I don’t know if I can stay inconspicuous for that long. I’m rather clumsy, in case you haven’t seen.”

Kira smiled encouragingly. “You’ll do fine. I believe in you. You can blend in the dark, and you’re smaller than the rest of us. You can cling to the ceiling, for Dragon’s sake! You have supersonic hearing. As long as you stay out of sight, you’ll be the ultimate spy.”

Liraz seemed to ponder that for a moment. “When you put it like that, I think I might be able.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rogue said cheerfully.

Laila raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see. I have my doubts.”

“It’s simple. With his help, we’ll be out of here in no time,” Kira said, eyes sparkling.

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The next day, Liraz went on his first spy mission. He was small enough to fit between the prison bars, and once he was out, he was practically invisible in the dim torchlight.

Kira had given him instructions earlier. “Go to this door,” she had said, pointing out the first exit drawn out in the dirt. “Hang around there until you find out when the shifts end. If you need a break, come back. Don’t starve or exhaust yourself.”

“I won’t fail!” Liraz promised, saluting with his wing. He flew off into the darkness, alternating between flapping and gliding.

“Oh, I hope he does well,” Kira worried, clutching her tail with her paws.

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The bat came back at around sunset, buzzing with energy.

“Come here.” Kira reached through the bars and grabbed the edge of his wing, pulling him through. “What did you find?”

“Their shifts end every five hours,” Liraz said. “I wasn’t there to see the second shift, but I heard them talking about it. One of them said ‘I’m going to have to stand here for another five hours’ to another one.”

“That’s awesome!” Kira cried. She ran to the window. “Rogue, are you hearing this?”

“Indeed I am,” the leopard answered. “I’ll mark it down on my wall. Great job, Liraz!”

The bat looked very tired. “I think I’ll just sleep for the next twelve hours,” he panted. Then he flapped to the ceiling and wrapped his wings around himself.