#moonrats

This stinky (its pungent odour is frequently noted) little beast isn't really related to rats, but the closest living relative to hedgehogs.

Pretty much all hedgehogs are photogenic and wildly beloved. Moonrats? Stinky little thieves with racoony faces

You get hedgehogs all over Africa, Asia and Europe (the old world, it gets called), while moonrats are only found on the Malay peninsula and in Borneo and Sumatra.

This goth cousin to the hedgehog doesn't have spines, has similar solitary habits and likes to eat bugs but will happily scavenge any free protein you leave unguarded, much like Mrs. Tiggiewinkle.

I can't find anyone saying if they self annoint (spit up all over themselves) like hedgehogs do, but I'm going to assume they do because I would, if I was marvellous little beastie eating bugs and worms for tea.

july 6: nothing profound today but something introspective coming soon ;)

really really enjoyed both our calls, dopamine all around except time zones frickin suck since helping with dinner is like my one familial responsibility (i am horrible at facetiming/calling people in general so this whole zoom culture is actually an improvement for me in a way)

this photo was taken on a drive on the island

the main reason i wanted to write this post was did you know there are birds called nightjars and rodents called moonrats

and this here is a splendid glossy starling from iNaturalist

now you know :)

see you super soon

me:

Living on a lunar colony conjured up dreams of adventure...to someone from Earth.

But not to Jensen. He and five other children held the unique title of First Lunar Generation - or ‘Moonrats.’ To him, the Horizon lunar colony in the Sea of Serenity was home. Sixteen years trapped inside its walls felt far too long and cramped. He itched to explore.

Jensen entered class that morning, bleary eyed and yawning. A notification chime pinged from his datapad. He read the message, which only consisted of a meaningless timestamp: [OBSERVATION GARDEN. 4:24PM].

He ignored it.

Lunchtime came around, and the message pinged again. And again, he ignored it.

That afternoon at 4:24pm, the colony stopped. Everyone stilled except for him, as though Time had singled him out.

A shadow eclipsed the verdant blue and green world rising outside the window. Terrified, he ran, too scared to notice his route took him straight to the Observational Garden.

A being, tall and lean, stood in the middle with its three fingered hand outstretched. The other Moonrats - the alien/human hybrids - flanked it. They, too, beckoned him.

The alien’s voice held a mellifluous tone that rang in his mind instead of his ears. “Come home.”

It opened the outer doors. But instead of being sucked out into space, the Moonrats could breathe. They could thrive.