At night, Aran was walking down the valley. He was holding a slightly large leaf in one hand. The night was clear with absolutely no clouds above. The stars were especially nice. He stopped for a bit and looked up.

Ayanna smiles when she spots her quarry not too far off; a brownish mouse. He had found herself alone in Aran's burrow, and decided to follow after him. Stealthily, she sneaks up on him, and then once she's near enough, she pounces at him, giving him a great big hug!

Aran squeaks and falls down, although a bit shaky, he is relieved when he discovers who it was. He chuckled and nuzzled the black colored mouse. "...Hi"

Ayanna nuzzles Aran in return, giving his muzzle a small lick. She notices his shakiness and gives him another hug, a little more comforting this time, helping the poor mouse up. "Sorry if I frightened you."

Aran smiled and shook his head. "It's okay. But I'm sure glad it was you..." He took Ayanna's paw and gave it a little squeeze. "What makes you come here so late at night?" he asked while he walked slowly towards the meadow.

Ayanna smiles, letting Aran take her paw. She shrugs a little. "I could ask you that, too..." she replies with a grin.

Aran smiles sheepishly. "Well, you don't wanna miss a sky like this one..." He walked for a few minutes until they reached the meadow, where there were no trees to block the view. He looked up and smiled. It was a nice sight... Stars were filling the sky.

Ayanna looks up briefly when Aran says this, nodding a little; he knows how much he enjoys watching the sky. "You don't mind if I watch with you, then?"

Aran looked at Ayanna and gave her a slightly nervous kiss. "Of course you can watch with me. It might have even made me feel lonely if I watched them by myself." He then lies down and looks up. His head is slightly tilted towards Ayanna's shoulder. He enjoys the moment deeply, and exhales a bit.

Ayanna giggles at Aran's nervous kiss, returning it with a playful one of her own. She seems to quiet a little after this, laying down next to him, also looking up at the stars. "They're pretty," she says after a moment. "But they make me feel so small.

Aran smiled at the kiss. "Being small might be hard sometimes. There are so many larger things to escape from... But it also means we notice things that bigger things don't. Which can sometimes be the greatest things you find..." Although odd that a feral mouse would say this, Aran meant it, and he looked at Ayanna. Her fur might have been darker, but to him she was brighter than any star in the sky.

Ayanna seems to notice Aran looking at her, and she turns to look at him, blushing faintly at the look he has in his eyes. "That's true. If I were bigger... I wouldn't have found you," she says softly, looking at the starlight reflected in Aran's blue eyes.

Aran blinked as Ayanna looks at him back. He blushed and gives her a nuzzle. "Ayanna... um..." He started to speak, but he didn't know what to say. He even asked himself why he started to talk. He just took Ayanna's paw.

Ayanna lets out a soft, almost purring noise when Aran nuzzles her, and she scoots herself a little closer to him, squeezing his paw a little. "Yes? What is it, Aran?" she asks, her eyes kind and her voice gentle.

Aran was all tense again. He didn't know what he should let out. "I... um... I love you... I really do." These words were all that came out, but they were the most honest.

Ayanna gives Aran a warm smile, her eyes shining a little as she leans a little closer, her nose almost touching with his. "Oh, Aran... I love you, too."

Aran smiled and gave Ayanna a gently hug. As he nuzzled her, he enjoyed her sweet scent and warmth. It was one of the few moments that took all of his worries and lonelyness away from him. He closed his eyes. "You're so warm..."

Ayanna murrs softly as Aran hugged her, slipping her own paws around him and pulling him close, nuzzling back. She smiles at his comment, kissing at his muzzle a little. "You're so cute," she says arily. "'n snuggly. My snuggle-mouse."

Aran blushed and kisses Ayanna back. He then holds her head tightly. Her head that was once hurt although he didn't know anything about it, but it seemed like he wanted to protect it from harm. He kissed her headfur and sticked it with his cheek fur.

Ayanna giggles a little at Aran's blush and kisses, murring softly as he holds her head and kisses and nuzzles it. "Aran..." she begins quietly, breathing into his neckfur, not wanting to break the spell of the moment. The male's musk and gentle touches made her feel a little giddy.

Aran smiled and kept nuzzling her. He opened his eyes half way and licked her fur a bit. He looked up at the stars while enjoying the moment... "Hmm?"

Ayanna gives Aran a slightly shy smile, licking him in return a little. "Would... you like to be... my mate?" she asks quietly. She felt ready for it; in her way, she was as lonely as Aran had been before she met him. The mouse made her feel needed, and loved.

Aran opened his eyes out of surprise. He held Ayanna tightly but he was too surprised to reply. A few moments past and he finally responds. "Your mate?"

Ayanna nods a little, looking into his eyes as if searching them for his feelings. She remains silent, waiting for his answer.

Aran finally lets go of her head and looks into Ayanna's eyes. He noticed the look. He looked into her eyes for a long time. They were so beautiful as though they were stars themselves. It would be the greatest thing that could ever happen to him. He slowly hugged Ayanna and nuzzled her.
"I'd love to..."

Ayanna smiles, nuzzling Aran's neckfur and nibbling at his ear playfully. "I love you, Aran. And I want to be your mate, too." She licks a little at his neck and cheekfur, almost as if she were grooming him.

Aran smiled and chuckled at the nibbling. He was very happy. He enjoyed her licking and liked her muzzle in return. He the moved his muzzle closer to hers, but was too nervous to kiss her. He blushed and smiled but just didn't have the guts to try kissing her.

Ayanna giggles a little at the lick to her muzzle, and she puts her muzzle close to his as well, her nose touching his as she looks at him expectantly.

Aran smiled and noticed her expression. It took him a while to move on, he looked up at the sky for a tiny bit, but just then he noticed what he hasn't seen for a long time: a shooting star, as it were telling him something... He looked at Ayanna and slowly gave her a kiss. He closed his eyes while he did so...

Ayanna closes her eyes a little as Aran kissed her, tilting her muzzle a little as she kisses him back, holding him close to her. Her paw strays behind his head and he strokes the back of his neck a little.

Aran mrrrd as his neck was stroked. He scritched Ayanna's head in return. They've been quiet for a while now. But Aran finally spoke. "But, are you're sure we're ready for this? I think it's wonderful, but we might be a little too young... Well, I don't know but.. what do you think?"

Ayanna seems a little dissapointed that the kiss had ended. She sighs a little at his question, not sure how to answer. "To young for what?"

Aran felt guilty after he noticed the look on Ayanna's face. He looked down and shook his head. "Nothing... I don't know. I guess I just felt young because I first met you when we were still young... But we've grown now." A few seconds later, he kissed Ayanna again. This time it was a longer.

Ayanna seems to be relieved at Aran's response, and she leans into the kiss, letting it become more passionate now, still stroking at Aran's fur.

Aran enjoyes the kissing and the stroking, when suddenly a slight gust of wind started to blow. It was getting a tiny bit colder. Aran shivered a bit but didn't care too much.

Ayanna snuggles a little against Aran when she feels the cold breeze, though she doesn't interrupt the kiss.

Aran continued with the kiss, wrapping up Ayanna tightly as she snuggles him. He moved his tail towards Ayanna and he breaths in her scent again. He could feel Ayanna's pulse as he hugged her tightly.

Ayanna finally breaks the kiss, slowly, though she keeps her muzzle close to Aran's nose. "You'll make a wonderful mate," she breathes, finally, giving his cheekfur a nuzzle. "Don't worry so much, Aran. Even if we're mates, we can still take things slowly."

Aran smiled and closed his eyes as his fur was nuzzled. He was happy to hear that Ayanna was okay with "taking it slowly." He then had another question in mind. "Ayanna, I've been wondering. If we become mates, where are we going to live? My burrow isn't well.. exactly the most confortable place in the winter.

Ayanna bites her lip a little. "I'm not sure... There was a burrow that my brother and I lived in for a while... maybe we can find it again."

Aran nodded. He nuzzled her forehead but noticed Ayanna's slightly worried look (or at least he thought it was...) He finally asked. "Is everything alright?"

Ayanna smiles a little at Aran. "Everything's fine," she whispers. "Everything's wonderful. We'll find a place..."

Aran was glad she was okay. One after another he found different things to think about now that they are going to be mates. By then Aran might have been a little bit away from being calm. "So.. does that mean we are eventually going to have.. children?"

Ayanna blushes at Aran's question, giving him a little nuzzle. "Do you want children?" she asks softly.

Aran smiled at the blushing. He already had an answer in mind to her question but instead he asked her back. "Do you?"

Ayanna's ears fold back and she gives his nose a playful lick. "I asked first," she replies with a grin.

Aran blushed. He didn't see that coming... He kissed Ayanna once more, this time without any nervousness. "I want to have children. I think it will be wonderful..."

Ayanna smiles, kissing Aran back; she's glad that he's becoming more comfortable with her. "I do too," she replies, nuzzling his muzzle.

Aran smiled and hugged Ayanna again. A second later, he yawned. It was getting late. All of the rats in the colony were probably asleep by now. He glanced at the stars again, with his paw in Ayanna's...

Ayanna smiles at Aran, giving his muzzle a lick. "Tired?"

Aran sighed and smiled. "Maybe... But.. I don't want to go. I'm having such a great time." He looked into Ayanna's shiny eyes and scritched her paw.

Ayanna smiles, glancing down at her paw as it is scritched. She reaches over with her free paw to run her paw through Aran's chestfur.

Aran felt his chest being stroked. But then tears started to flow in his eyes. He sniffed. "I can't believe this is all happening. We're mates... Me and you." He moved himself and nuzzled Ayanna's fluff to hide his tears...

Ayanna blinks a little, then holds Aran close, cuddling him as he tears up.

Aran sniffs and gets settled in Ayanna's cuddle for now. It was the first time ever he cried for being happy. When he cried, it's always been because he was lonely or afraid. But not anymore. If only he didn't have to leave tonight..."

Ayanna knows the tears are happy ones, and in fact her own eyes are a little damp; in her own way, she had been just as lonely. Ever since her parents died... Tzolkin helped, of course, but he couldn't replace them.

Aran nuzzled Ayanna's chestfur and finally started to speak. "Ayanna, you're... you're brighter than any star I've ever seen in the sky..." He wrapped his arms around Ayanna and gave her a small squeeze. He finally looked at Ayanna with his slightly teary eyes.

Ayanna blushes at Aran, smiling and giving him a kiss on his nose, squeezing back. "You're such a caring mouse, Aran; I don't think I could ever be unhappy around you."

Aran couldn't believe what he was hearing... "Oh..." He yawned again. But he didn't want to leave. "Won't it be nice if we could just stay here till morning?"

Ayanna giggles and runs her paw through the fur of his forehead. "I don't know. We've gotta sleep sometime... 'n I don't like sleeping out in the open," she adds a little nervously.

Aran nodded. "I understand." After he just had one last glance at the stars, he yawned again. "Well, I guess I should be going back." He finally sat up but he just couldn't go... He was worried that Ayanna might not be able to but he decided to ask anyway... "Do you want to... come along?"

Ayanna sits up as well, nodding to him. "Yes, Aran... We're mates now, after all," she says with a grin.

Aran smiled and stood up, offering Ayanna a paw to get up. "Right..." He kissed Ayanna once more. "Well, let's go... Ayanna."

Ayanna takes Aran's paw and smiles, allowing him to lead her.