Dragoncrest Cliffs poured myself a plate of chocolate milk

Rorqual, better known as Bat, never stayed up late. Nighttime was for sleeping, pure and simple. But for whatever reason, she simply couldn't sleep tonight. Perhaps it was the heat or the bedeviling humidity. Nightfall didn't seem to offer any relief from either. It didn't help that her litter mates were currently crowding her, making her even more unbearably warm. Even the most easygoing child in the world eventually got fed up and quit the family's sleeping quarters just outside Hougeda, meandering off into the darkness.

She didn't go far, planting her butt on a strip of grass just beyond edge of the redwoods. Bat peered at the roots of the nearest tree before her silvery eyes slowly tracked upward along its vast trunk. She had to really crane her neck to see all the way to the top, where the leaves rustled against the backdrop of night sky. For the first time in her life, Bat noticed the stars beyond the treetops. She blinked several times, then simply stared, mouth slightly ajar.