Stavanger Bay i have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night

There is a sudden emptiness around her, a rush of cool air, and she lazily turns her head in the dirt to watch Amayo. She nudges Appeh, who playfully responds, and she has to restrain the urge in her legs to join in. She scrambles to all fours as the other exits the den, looking back for Qilaq to catch up.

I'm coming, I'm coming!

It is brighter and she blinks a few times as if she needs to adjust but it takes only a second. The den her parents had had been covered with trees and while she could see an occasional star through the branches, it's nothing like this. She thinks to ask where they are going but it's fleeting and disappears, finding herself wrapped up in the sky.