The night was full of the sounds and movements of other nocturnal creatures Erik could only guess at. There were times when the noises in the dark sounded awfully close. Sometimes it seemed that whatever was making them had to be very big. But Erik wasn't afraid, and it wasn't apprehension that kept him awake. He'd never felt quite so alive, and he didn't want to miss anything on this first night of his new life. A chill fell as the day's heat rose and disappeared into the clear, starry sky. Erik was profoundly grateful for the warmth of Quill's body and the comfort of her company. Alone out here, he might have been overwhelmed by the hugeness of the prairie. He might have felt defeated by his own smallness in the face of it. But with Quill, he felt anchored to the earth, part of it all.