>As you walk down the dark, wooded path, you smile.
>Crickets, owls, bats, all the creatures of the night are singing their nocturnal songs.  Marvelous.
>There's nothing quite like a nice midnight stroll.  The crisp air, the solitude... simply sublime.
>Then again, maybe your opinion is colored a bit by your field of study.  You've been researching nocturnal animals for quite a while now, and have even published some papers on those that live in more remote places.  You can appreciate a creature that, like you, prefers night to day.
>A small bat whizzes by your head, chasing down a mosquito.  You chuckle and gently lean out of the animal's path, watching him snatch up his prey skillfully.
>The crickets and owls continue to make their music, but you begin to notice another sound in the mix.  Something rather out of place at that.
>You hear a bell chiming.
>It's rather irregular in timing, but rings out clear as crystal.
>...it can't be a church bell, no town around here has any.  It's too low to be a bicycle bell, and besides that it's rather too dark for anyone to be biking.
>So, what could it be?

>Curiosity gets the better of you.  You stray from your path and wander into the thick of the woods, following the bell.
>A dim concern that you're walking into a trap sets in.  But... surely a dangerous person wouldn't be standing in the woods, ringing a bell like some twisted Salvation Army representative, right?
>Despite your vague fears, you soldier on, letting that musical chime guide your feet.
>The bell doesn't seem to be playing any particular tune, with its pitch varying at apparent random.  It also seems to vary in timbre occasionally... as if whoever's responsible has several different bells on hand.  How bizarre.
>The sound seems to be growing closer, at any rate.  It's only now that you realize it seems to be coming from above you.
>You step into a small clearing, just outside the mouth of a cave.  The sound is at it's loudest now, the bell chiming from above the cave.  You squint, but see nothing in the inky darkness.
>...could you perhaps simply be suffering from the most melodious case of tinnitus ever?
>You shrug and turn to leave, only to hear a much more concerning sound: a loud, visceral hiss.
>Huge wings beat loudly against the air, then something lands behind you with a thud.
>A leathery wing wraps around you, then awkwardly yanks you backward, turning you around in the process.
>You're not sure how to respond to what faces you now.

>For starters, it's taller than you, if only by a few inches.  Of course, there's a lot more to take in than just height.
>The figure seems to be a bat person of some sort, with fur of a dull golden hue.  As your eye scans over the bat, it becomes apparent she's female, judging by her small, yet perky chest.  She has a lean, aerodynamic build. 
>But all that pales in comparison to her most striking feature: her face.
>Or lack thereof, at any rate.
>The bat woman's head seems to be entirely encased in what appears to be a large, golden bell.  At the very bottom of it, her chin, mouth, and nose can be seen, but the instrument completely obscures her eyes.  Pointed ears jut from slots at the top of this bell, twitching madly.
>The bell twitches slightly, letting out a quiet jingle not unlike a sleigh bell, and the bat hisses again.
>You get the feeling she's staring at you, more or less.
>Rather than terror, however, another feeling courses through your mind: fascination.
>You've seen batfolk before.  Heck, you interviewed one for a paper once.  But this woman seems to be something different entirely.
>Despite her bared fangs, you can't be frightened by her.  You're too excited about the prospect of being faced with a possible new species.

>You smile and show that you're unarmed.
>"Hello there, my name is William.  I don't mean any harm."
>The bat tilts her head, apparently confused.
>"Mm?"
>Perhaps she isn't familiar with English?
>"I am William.  Who are you?"
>She snarls again, then her bell chimes loudly.  It kind of hurts your head, actually.  She takes a deep breath before speaking in a high-pitched voice.
>"Mm.  Kneelle."
>"Kneel.  Is that your name?"
>”N… Nuou. Knelle. Eeelle. Eh.”
>She seems to struggle a bit with her vowels, the sounds rolling around in her mouth uncomfortably, as though she has to wrangle them into submission before speaking.
>”Ah, Knelle. That better?”
>"Mm."
>She nods, causing her bell to lightly jingle.
>"W... Wyll?"
>She drags the "y" sound out for quite some time, almost singing the word rather than speaking it.
>"That works.  What ARE you, Knelle?"
>"Mm."
>"..."
>Seems she's not much for conversation.  Well, you can at least surmise she's intelligent enough to understand English.  Though it seems she may only be able to speak monosyllabic words.
>Her ears perk up and swivel towards the moon, then her bell rings out with a familiar tune: the Westminster Chimes.  She then tolls the hour: 1 AM.
>"Mm.  Late.  Why are yuh... yuou here?"
>"I was just on a walk, and I heard your bell."
>"Mm.  Leed y-you here?"
>"Indeed."
>"...mm?"
>"Oh, uh, yes.  Sorry."
>She nods again, then continues to "stare."
>"..."
>"Is something wrong?"
>"You souh… sun… You sound goud."
>"Huh?  Thank you.  Your chiming sounds nice as well."
>She lets off a bright DING not unlike a ring-for-service bell, then catches you entirely off guard by wrapping a wing around you and dragging you towards the cave.

>"Huh?  What are you doing, Knelle?"
>"Late. Yuh-you need sleep."
>"Oh, I'm fine, really.  I sleep during the day."
>She continues to drag you. 
>"Mm. Bet, hu... hues sleep at nyght?"
>Hues...?  Oh, humans.
>"Well, most of us do, but I prefer the dark."
>"Mm."
>She releases you altogether, nodding curtly.
>"Guo, theen."
>"Huh?"
>"Leave.  If yuh want."
>"No no, I'm fine.  I just don't need sleep right now."
>"Mm.  Why stay?"
>"Well, I'd like to talk to you some more."
>"Mm.  Dun... Don't lyke talk."
>"That's fine too.  I just want to study you, I've never seen anyone like you before."
>"Mm.  Stuh... me?"
>"Yes, I want to study- err, learn about you.  You're an interesting person.  Or, uh, a neat person."
>"Leearn me?  Neat? ...Mm."
>She DINGs again, folding her winged arms over her chest.

>"Yuh... yuou want knuh... knou what?"
>"Well... for starters, there's your bell."
>"Mm?"
>You run a hand across the smooth metal of her head, and she shakes it a few times, producing a variety of chimes and jingles.  A smile crosses her face for a moment.
>"Neat, mm?"
>"Very much so, yes.  How does it work?  Is it a helmet?"
>"Heel... mm?"
>"Oh, it's something you wear on your head."
>"Ou, cluh... clowthes?  Nae.  Part ove me."
>"Interesting.  What's it for?"
>"Mm.  Talk, see."
>"You talk and see with it?  I suppose you use it like echolocation?"
>"Eec... huh...?"
>"Oh, sorry.  Can you explain the different sounds your bell makes?"
>"Mm.  Suhnds... s-sownds mean thyngs."
>"Really?  What does that ding mean?"
>She makes that exact sound again.
>"Mm..."
>...maybe she just doesn't know how to say it?  Or is she just tired of talking to you?
>"Is it.. happy?  Sad?"
>She shakes her head with a grunt and a jingle.
>"N-nae... is, ah... mm..."
>She seems stumped.
>"Huh.  Well, we'll figure it out later then.  How well do you fly?"
>"Yees."
>"Ha, pretty well then?  Good, good.  You seem fairly light as well, so I'm sure that helps."
>"Mm."
>You go down a list of questions, getting little more than grunts for each answer, and eventually run out of things to ask.
>"Well, I think that covers it?  Thanks for the interview, Knelle."
>"Mm."
>"Mind if I write about this in a paper?"
>"Mm, nou... no.  Duou yt."
>"Pardon? D... duo height?"
>"Nuh, duh YT."
>"The height?  I don't..."
>She shakes her head, frustrated.
>"N-nae!  Duh... due... bleh, D-DEW eet!"
>"Oh, oh!  Do it! Splendid!  Do I owe you anything for this?"
>"Mm, yees, please."
>She lets off a series of various chimes, then grins somewhat concerningly.
>"...what do I owe you, exactly?"
>"Mm.  Nuh mahr talks."
>She envelopes you in a wing and drags you farther into her cave, fangs glinting in what little moonlight gets in.

>It's cool and damp inside the cave.  Water drips down the sound echoing through the cavern in an almost melodious manner.
>Knelle jingles quietly as she walks, a smile still faintly visible beneath her bell.
>"Where are we going, Knelle?"
>"Mm, nuh mahr talks, Wyll."
>She licks her lips, her fangs glinting again, then leads you farther into the depths.
>It becomes difficult to see anything now.  The only light is given off by glowworms.  The curve of Knelle's bell causes their sickly blue hue to shimmer and reflect in an oddly mesmerizing way.
>She begins chiming a quiet tune, as though humming, and leads you deeper and deeper into the encroaching darkness.
>"Do you know where we're going?"
>"Yees, I due.  Be paysh... mm, wait, please."
>Understanding her asking for patience, you soldier on, even as a vague fear washes over you.

>What could she have planned?  Surely she's not going to kill you... right?
>Of course not.  She would've done it already.
>So, then what could it be?
>Eventually, she stops jingling.
>"Cluh... close yew're eeyes, Wyll."
>You comply, and she takes your hand again.
>"Owkay, lew... luh... look!"

>You open your eyes, and your jaw drops.
>You're standing in the midst of a subterranean grotto.  Bioluminescent mushrooms grant the room a minty green light, a light that dances off your hostess's head ethereally.
>Small knickknacks litter natural stone shelves, and you quickly piece together that this is where Knelle lives.
>"Yuh... yew lyke?"
>"It's beautiful- err, very nice, Knelle."
>"Thank!  My hoose."
>She dances around the underground room, jingling loudly as she moves around elegantly. The sounds of her bell echo in the room wonderfully, forming a sort of one-woman bell choir.
>A genuine smile shines from beneath her instrument as she dances, eventually reaching her wings out to you.
>You hesitate, but she pulls you into a spinning dance, providing her own music.
>You soon whistle along with her tune, enraptured by the remarkable melodic complexity of her music.
>She gasps.
>"W-Wyll, you make gewd sounds!"
>Your whistling blends with her echoing chimes beautifully, making a sort of symphony.

>The dance goes on for an hour or so, then Knelle releases you, tittering and dinging.
>"Y-yuou fun, Wyll."
>"Why, thank you, Knelle!  You're a rather fun person as well."
>A faint blush appears within her ears.
>"I'd say you're the most interesting person I've ever spoken to for my papers.  I look forward to writing about you."
>"Wyll, you wryte abuht me?  Coo... come shou me?"
>"Of course I'll come back to show you."
>"EE!  Thank!"
>She wraps her winged arms around you, then steps back awkwardly.
>"Eh, sur... sawr... bleh, SOH-ree."
>"It's fine, Knelle.  I liked it, and I like you."
>"L-lyke...?"
>She hugs you again.

>A month passes.  You step into your house with a yawn, having just left work.
>Since the first time you met her, you've published your paper on Knelle's species, Chimeropterans... more commonly called Dingbats.
>You still visit her regularly, of course.  In fact, you recently convinced her to move a little closer...
>"EEE! Wyll!"
>Your housemate flies down from the ceiling, tackling you into a warm hug.
>She dings loudly, a sound you've since learned the meaning of.
>It means love.