'You'll get fat,' said a voice.
'Who's that?' said Dol.
'Only me,' said a friendly bat hanging upside down on a branch, 'I live here, under that flap of an old tree trunk.' 'I think I might like to live here too,' said Dol, 'I've got to find a good place to build my nest.' Dol popped under the flap.
'This is perfect!' she said, as she dragged leaves and grass and bark inside to make a cosy nest.
Night after night Dol scampered around finding things to eat, played with her friend the bat and went to bed in the morning.
'You'll get fat,' said the bat, as he watched Dol chew a hole in the side of a hazelnut shell to reach the nut inside.
'Yes, I will,' said Dol. 'I need to have lots of food in my tummy so that when I go to sleep I can keep going through the winter.' When the first frost appeared on the hazel leaves, Dol knew it was time to snuggle inside her nest and go to sleep.
Now she really would need her orangey fur to help keep her cosy in her little nest. Not like when she was born. Then, she had no fur, just pink, soft skin -and she didn't open her eyes for three whole weeks.
'Happy winter!' said the bat as Dol disappeared into her nest. The bat would be going to sleep for some of the winter too, but only when it was really cold.
And when the foxes and the stoats and the weasels and the badgers came sniffing for food, the bat took care of her friend.
If Dol's enemies came too close, the bat would spread her dark wings and squeal and squeak in their faces until they ran away.
Finally spring arrived.
'Happy spring!' said Dol, between mouthfuls of sweet blossoms.
'I slept right through the winter, and woke up safely in spring!' 'Maybe we did it together,' said the bat.
'Why? Did you sleep too?' asked Dol.
'Some of the time,' said the bat. 'Shall we play?' 'Yes!' said Dol.
So, they played through the spring and summer and autumn. And when it came round to winter again, how do you think the bat helped her friend the dormouse?.
