The Moon of Dirgue

Digital painting – plus fictional story opening.
‘The Moon of Dirgue’
The moon of Dirgue known as Anturi to the native inhabitants has only a few rotational cycles left before their Sun is completely out of view beyond the horizon. A sharp chill in the air is now rapidly increasing as the orbital path of Anturi will soon plummet this lushly foliated moon into a duration of extreme freezing temperatures as it passes into the shadow of Dirgue, an uninhabitable gaseous giant.
Temperatures at the equator of Anturi during lighted cycles can become intolerable when passing closest to the Sun in it’s orbit around Dirgue, so most all Anturians reside in the temperate zones of the northern and southern hemispheres. The annual mass migration is about to begin as all Anturians travel in specifically dedicated shuttles towards the last moments of light at the equator before entering the bitter chill of darkness.
The Anturians are all completing their own final preparations for the upcoming annual climate shift as once again ice and snow will soon cover their fertile temperate zone farmlands. All Anturians must be ready and waiting at the shuttle stations before the last shuttles leave else be left behind to endure the harsh climate of the shadow.
This continuous darkness and extreme cold temperatures span numerous rotational cycles until Anturi reaches a further point in orbit around Dirgue to where the Sun begins to come back into view of Anturi once again as well as the eagerly welcomed light and warmth.
The Anturians have built a sophisticated underground system at the equator for food and energy storage to supply the public needs during the annual darkness. Simple uniform housing was constructed underground encompassing the equator to accommodate the population. Tall solar energy collection structures are lined up in rows above ground for the soonest possible recharging of the nearly depleted storage pods supplying energy during the darkness.
This annual cycle is different for Klektew and mate Suriole as they are untimely expecting their first child very late in the season. Anturian birthers become very prone to injury during this time as their body dedicates most all life energy to the growing offspring making Suriole unable to help in the preparations for darkness. Klektew must now rush to complete the preparations alone and get them both to the nearest shuttle station in time.