Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [171]

Diana’s plan was extremely thorough.

At least, that’s what Bruce thought when he saw the tiny wooden raft. A fleeting urge struck him to turn around, head back to Themyscira, and never leave.

“You’re sure this can get us across the sea?” Bruce asked incredulously. “This thing looks like it’d capsize with the slightest wave.”

“An Amazonian boat doesn’t capsize,” Diana said with absolute confidence. “And even if it does, it’s fine. I have plenty of friends in the sea who can carry us to shore.”

One of Wonder Woman’s many superpowers was her ability to communicate with animals.

This, of course, included fish.

After spending so many years on Themyscira, Diana had befriended every fish in the surrounding waters. She could catch any random one and chat with it about stories of its ancestors.

“Kathoom.”

Bruce frowned slightly. “Didn’t you once tell me there’s a member of the Justice League whose main power is talking to fish?”

“You’re insulting Aquaman again!” Kathoom suddenly snapped, glaring. “I’m a die-hard Aquaman fan, so watch your mouth!”

Bruce was stunned.

What did I say?

The one constantly mocking Aquaman’s powers is none other than Kathoom himself! And now he has the audacity to call himself a fan?

Kathoom huffed indignantly. “I’ll let it slide this time since it was unintentional, but if I hear you insult Aquaman again, I’ll teach you a lesson in his name!”

No one insults Kathoom’s favorite superhero!

Meanwhile, Diana had dragged the boat out and effortlessly lifted it overhead with one hand.

“Ready!” she said, clapping her hands together with excitement. “Let’s set off!”

But Bruce suddenly said, “Are you sure we’re leaving now?”

He gestured outside the dock. “Shouldn’t you say goodbye to your family first?”

Diana followed his gaze and froze.

Standing on a nearby hill under the moonlight was her mentor and aunt, Antiope. She gazed at Diana with warm eyes, illuminated softly by the silvery glow.

“Antiope…”

Diana fidgeted nervously, like a child caught sneaking out to do something forbidden.

After a moment’s hesitation, she carefully made her way over.

“Did Mother send you to bring me back?” Diana asked, her head lowered.

“Yes and no,” Antiope replied with a gentle smile, reaching out to stroke Diana’s cheek.

“Your mother did send me, but not to stop you.”

She continued, “You’re determined to leave, and I can’t hold you back. Besides, once you go, it’ll be hard for you to return to this island.”

Diana was taken aback.

Hadn’t her mother just forbidden her from leaving?

“If it’s something you truly want to do, why would she stop you? She just doesn’t believe mankind deserves you,” Antiope said softly. “But right now, she’s likely somewhere, quietly watching over you.”

Antiope removed the crown from her head and placed it on Diana’s.

“It suits you,” she said with a smile.

Diana reached up, her fingertips brushing the crown on her forehead. A warm power seemed to radiate from it, spreading through her.

“Remember, fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” Antiope said, her tone firm yet kind. “Don’t let all your years of dedication go to waste.”

“I won’t!”

At that moment, the resentment Diana had harbored toward her mother, her mentor, and her people dissolved entirely.

She threw herself into Antiope’s arms, holding her tightly.

“Good girl, good girl…” Antiope murmured, gently patting Diana’s back as though soothing her to sleep, just like when she was a child.

From the dock, Bruce and Kathoom watched the scene unfold from afar.

“Jealous?” Kathoom asked suddenly. “When you left Gotham, no one came to see you off.”

“And whose fault is that?” Bruce retorted with a dry smile, completely unfazed.

Years of emotional tempering had rendered him immune to such jabs.

Diana finished her farewell, raising a hand to wave toward an empty patch of space.

She could sense her mother watching from that direction.

The five-thousand-year-old warrior, about to leave her home for the first time, wiped away the tears glistening in her eyes. With a determined expression, she returned to the dock.

“Let’s go!” she declared. “Let’s kill Ares!”

“Aye, Captain!” Bruce nodded. “We’ll succeed for sure!”

“Captain?” Diana asked, puzzled. “What are you talking about? You’re steering the boat!”

—

The little raft wobbled as it slowly left Themyscira.

As they crossed Zeus’ protective barrier, the island’s silhouette faded from view. When Diana looked back, she could no longer see her homeland.

“I’m not great at rowing these kinds of boats,” Bruce admitted as he paddled. “If it were a yacht, I’d be fine.”

From behind, Kathoom smacked Bruce with a wing.

“Get to work!” the owl scolded. “If you slack off again, I’ll whip you!”

“Shut up!” Bruce grumbled, glaring.

In truth, they didn’t need to row across the entire sea.

Once they drifted a short distance from Themyscira, the boat entered a current, and the natural flow of the water carried them away from shore.

Bruce finally got a chance to rest, though he wasn’t particularly tired. Meanwhile, Diana unpacked a bundle from her back. With a clatter, a sword and shield spilled out.

“I got these for you,” she said to Bruce. “They’re not as good as what I’m carrying, but they’re still among the finest Amazonian weapons.”

Bruce picked up the sword, ready to embrace the role of a melee mage. But the shield? That he didn’t need.

“I’ve got a shield already,” Bruce said, pulling a small shield from beneath Kathoom’s feathers.

It bore the design of a grail surrounded by twelve knightly swords.

“This is Hogwarts’ heirloom!” Bruce explained. “A relic of the great wizard Merlin, passed down from the Knights of the Round Table—their legendary meeting table, to be exact.”

“Oh?” Diana said, readily believing his nonsense.

“That shield does look extraordinary. Your magic school must be quite powerful.”

“Of course,” Bruce replied with a nod.

The story was fabricated, but the shield’s strength was real—it was Captain America’s vibranium shield.

The boat drifted along the current as night deepened.

Diana lay on her bedding, gazing at Bruce, who sat leaning against the edge of the boat.

“Doesn’t sitting like that make it hard to sleep?” she asked, patting the spot beside her. “There’s plenty of space here. Why don’t you lie down? Like this little owl.”

Kathoom was already snoozing there.

Bruce shook his head. “It’s not appropriate. In human society, men and women don’t sleep together casually, at least…”

He tried to elaborate, but Diana interrupted.

“Didn’t you tell me you’re not a man?”

“I—”

Bruce was speechless.

“Just come over here!” Diana said with a shrug. “If I don’t mind, why should you? Stop being so uptight.”

Bruce took a deep breath.

“Fine, you said it.”

Feeling mildly offended, Bruce didn’t stand. Instead, he shuffled over on the deck, picked up the peacefully slumbering owl, and unceremoniously deposited it on the other side of the boat. Then, he lay down.

“There, that wasn’t so hard,” Diana said with a chuckle. “You’re like a shy little boy. We Amazons aren’t so fussy—we’re straightforward.”

Bruce didn’t know how to respond to that.

He crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight up at the sky, catching faint traces of Diana’s scent.

His gaze remained fixed on the stars.

“Coward,” Zur-En-Arrh’s voice suddenly taunted.

But it didn’t last long. Kathoom II retaliated immediately, and Bruce heard a brief cry before silence returned.

Diana, too, was gazing at the starry sky, each twinkling light seeming to represent a deity.

“I don’t have a father,” she said suddenly. “My mother sculpted me from clay, and Zeus gave me life.”

“Really?”

Bruce racked his brain for a response. With Kathoom out cold, he was on his own.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “I don’t have a father—or a mother.”

Diana nodded. “You win.”

Bruce sensed the conversation had taken a strange turn and worried he’d said the wrong thing.

“Let’s get back to Zeus,” he said. “I heard humans were created by him. If that’s true, doesn’t that make Zeus your father?”

“I wouldn’t dare think that,” Diana replied. “Besides, Zeus is a god of many loves. Even if he were my father, he couldn’t give me the love I’d want.”

“So, you feel lonely sometimes?”

Bruce turned to face her.

“I did when I was younger,” Diana admitted. “But once I threw myself into training, those feelings faded.”

“Distraction is an effective remedy,” Bruce said. “After my parents died, I felt detached from the world, like I might as well join them.”

“How did you move past it?” Diana asked.

“…I’m not sure,” Bruce sighed. “Maybe I haven’t. But I don’t feel as sad as I did. I have things I want to do—like saving my city.”

“That’s an honorable goal,” Diana said, placing her hand on his forehead.

“With the honor of Themyscira, I bless you. Your dreams will come true.”

Diana withdrew her hand, her gaze steady. She believed the blessing would work.

“Thank you, Diana,” Bruce said.

“It’s the least I can do,” she replied, stretching out contentedly and closing her eyes.

“All right, let’s get some rest. Hopefully, we’ll reach your ‘England’ soon.”

“We will,” Bruce said, closing his own eyes.

The owl, seemingly fast asleep, suddenly raised a wing and gave Bruce a thumbs-up.

—

This is a fan translation of 蝙蝠侠的猫头鹰教父 by 巴巴罗萨光年. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!