The Flying Fox of the New Moon
Pteropus
The flying fox flaps his wings as he soars through the night sky. There is no moon to see tonight, only the stars to illuminate his path.
The large bat does not mind this meeting with Hecate; his eyes are well-adapted to such low light conditions.
He is not by himself. A few dozen flying foxes are with him, all searching for food. They call each other when they need to.
The bat searches for food with his chocolate-brown eyes. It had been a few years since he last inhabited this area, but he knew what to look for.
The flying fox begins to smell what he is searching for; the sharp, camphoraceous scent of eucalyptus is undeniable.
He dives down below the tree line to pinpoint the source of the smell. The eucalyptus flowers are ready to be devoured.
He flits to each flower and eats as much eucalyptus as he can stand. The delicious scent and flavor make him ravenous.
The other bats in his colony are hungry, too; they finish eating the nectar out of the aromatic plant, and they fly off in search of more to eat.
It is several miles before another flying fox detects some mangoes. Many bats delight in this since mangoes are a particular favorite.
The flying fox loves his colony loves the food that they search for. So he does not mind the new moon tonight because he knows it will shine again.
Soon after they finish, the bats retreat to their home. Soon the sun will wake, and it is best to be asleep before the dawn.
This is the final piece of the “fox/moon” series. The first in the series is “A Fox at Dawn”. I decided that instead of a fourth fox species I would go with the “flying fox” bat genus. I do think these creatures deserve the same amount of love and respect as foxes, and I also think they’re pretty cute!
I hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve written. I don’t know where my muse will take me next!
