The bat soon found itself returning to the village more and more often. In the forest, food had been scarce, but here, there was an abundance of easy prey, plenty of meals that kept it fed and strong. One large building in particular became its favored hunting ground. The animals inside were always easy to catch, weak and unresisting, allowing the bat to feed without much risk.
Over time, it noticed two dominant creatures that roamed this place: one was a very large beast, running on four legs with a long tongue, and the other was equally strong in its own way. The bat encountered these creatures many times but always managed to evade them. It never took unnecessary risks, always choosing to fight only when it was certain of victory. In that way, the bat continued to survive and thrive in its newfound hunting ground.
The bat usually hid during the day, preferring the cover of night. But from time to time, it would venture out just to see what was happening around its territory. On one such cautious outing, it noticed something strange: the large, four-legged beast and the hairy creature it had often evaded had temporarily teamed up. Even if it was just once, that alliance made the bat uneasy. It knew that if these two creatures worked together and the bat was left out, it could easily become their next target.
So, when a flying predator swooped down to attack them, the bat made a calculated choice. It intervened, swiftly killing the bird and signaling to the two larger creatures that it was on their side. Even though the bat preferred to work alone, it realized that showing a gesture of goodwill might keep it safe. For the first time, the bat felt a real sense of worry about its own survival, understanding that a little cooperation might be the key to avoiding a fatal confrontation. The bat realized that the smartest move was to appear neutral to these stronger creatures. If they saw him as an ally, or at least not as a threat, they would have less reason to join forces against him. So, that single act of helping them was a strategic choice: by showing that he wasn't a foe, he hoped to prevent them from uniting to eliminate him. In the end, it was the best move he could make to ensure his own survival. Since that strange rebirth, the bat had grown significantly. Once, he had been barely larger than the rats he hunted, but now he stood half as tall as the doors of the odd structures in this tiny village. He had become large, powerful, and with that size came a new confidence and a cautious sort of courage. He was no longer just a small, desperate creature; he was smarter and more cunning, understanding the subtle moves that would keep him alive in this peculiar new world.
These patterns repeated themselves night after night. He hunted under the cover of darkness and always returned to the safety of the forest before dawn. The bat chose not to live in the village itself; it was too dangerous and too exposed. Instead, he made his home in a hidden spot in the woods, carefully camouflaging his resting place. He had hollowed out a tree and arranged it so that from the outside, it looked perfectly ordinary. No other creature would guess his hiding place.
He was meticulous about not being followed. Each morning, before the sun rose, he would slip back into his hiding spot, making sure no eyes ever saw where he slept. It was this caution that kept him safe, hidden from the morning creatures who might otherwise discover his resting place and turn the hunt on him.
Beyond his nightly routine, the bat gradually introduced two new habits into his life. The first was a subtle form of alliance-building, not true cooperation, but a series of small gestures to show the other strong creatures that he wasn't their enemy. He demonstrated that he wasn't easy prey and that there was no need for them to turn on each other. In this way, he maintained a careful balance of strength and neutrality.
The second new habit involved the large building where he often hunted. Inside, he discovered strange inanimate figures and objects, things that resembled animals but never moved or spoke. Among them were pages filled with symbols he couldn't understand, yet he was fascinated, like a child encountering a new world. He began to flip through these pages curiously, drawn to learn more about the mysteries of this place, eager to understand the strange environment he now called home.