Long ago, birds and beasts engaged in a war. It was a terrible conflict, and the clever bats sided with the birds when they seemed victorious, then allied with the beasts when that side was winning battles. Eventually, the war ended, the two parties reached an amicable settlement, and a great friendship party was held. But when it was the bats' turn to perform in the program, their fence-straddling tactics were exposed, and everyone refused to associate with them. Since that time, the bats have been too ashamed to show their faces during the day, coming out only at night to flit silently around.