Here, two pre-contact Kipip pause in their travels, soaring low over the desert sands, to witness a total solar eclipse.
The planet Anyanayap is well known for its vibrant orange and yellow skies, a phenomenon caused by the large amounts of sand and dirt blown up into the atmosphere. During a total solar eclipse, though, the sky is painted a deep crimson, making it quite the event to behold. The planet’s native intelligent species, the Kipip, does not see this eclipse the same way—rather literally, in fact.
Rather than having eyes with color-sensing cones, they see changes in light and shadow through their photoreceptive whiskers, and smell changes in heat through thermosensory pits along their muzzle. So, when viewing the eclipse, the Kipip see the darkening of the sky, the bright corona around the moon, and sense the sudden drop in temperature.
Having relied on warm air rising from the sands to glide, it seems this pair must wait out the eclipse to continue their journey.
