Artificial forest



The artificial forests are multiple locations in the Silverwing series. They are manmade buildings designed to house captured bats and owls before they are taken away for experiments by the humans.

Description
There are two slightly different artificial forest buildings featured in the series. In Silverwing, Goth and Throbb are held inside an indoor jungle while the humans perform experiments on them. The enclosure is large, but relatively small for the bats. There is a gentle drizzle of rain and the air is hot and humid. Many of the exotic plants that furnish the habitat are fake. All the walls are made of glass and there is a door that the humans use to enter and exit the enclosure. The only way out besides the glass door is a long air vent blocked by a fan.

The artificial forest building in Sunwing is described in more detail and appears to be more robust. It is a large manmade building that contains multiple indoor enclosures to hold a variety of different species. The roof of the enclosures are made of glass that is dimmed in such a way that nothing inside the buildings are visible from the outside. The only way inside is through any of the numerous small tunnels located underneath the line of the roof that lead to one-way openings into the enclosures. The entrances also have a mechanism that emits a powerful sound resembling bat or owl noises outside the building to lure animals inside.

There are three different forest enclosures seen in the building in Sunwing. The first is designed for the northern bats. It is a warm, vast forest that is home to a variety of northern dwelling trees including elm, maple, oak, willow, and hemlock. It is long, but relatively narrow. The walls of the enclosure are made of craggy stone cliffs, one of which has windows that peer into the human lab on the other side of the wall. There are flowers, fruits, grass, and moss growing in the forest. There are small tubes in the walls that dispense insects, including tiger moths and beetles. There is a broad stream traveling through the whole length of the forest that abruptly falls off into a small opening at the base of the stone walls, traveling through a tunnel that connects to other enclosures in the building.

Another enclosure is designed for the owls. It is very similar to the northern bat enclosure, featuring similar trees and landscaping. There are trees with hollowed insides and many places for owls to roost. There are mice available as a food source. The stream continues to flow through the owl enclosure, spanning the length of the forest and flowing into the next enclosure.

The final type of enclosure described is designed for southern bats. It is much hotter than the other enclosures and is very humid. A gentle drizzle of warm, artificial rain falls from the ceiling. It contains many exotic, tropical trees from the southern hemisphere such as palms. There are mossy vines hanging from their branches. There is a door in the wall leading to the human laboratory.

Silverwing
After being captured by the humans, Goth finds himself trapped in one of the human buildings with Throbb. He can tell plainly that the forest is fake, noting the stiffness of the plants and their lack of aroma. The gentle "rain" in the enclosure is from small sprinklers in the glass ceiling. The only food provided for the jungle bats are small mice. Aside from the glass doors the humans use to enter and exit the enclosure, the only way out is through a long air vent covered up by a grate and partially blocked by a whirring fan at the end of the duct. After escaping through the vent into the cold night, Goth and Throbb notice that the building is situated in the middle of a vast human city.

When the pair encounter Shade and Marina, Goth explains how they were trapped in the artificial jungle for a month and details the experiments the humans did to him. He questions Marina about her experience being banded, and states his belief that the humans only banded the bats with the intent of experimenting on them.