A swish.

Wren turned. "Oh ... hey ... "

"Hey," was the response. As Rella stepped out of the lift. Onto the darkened bridge. "Mm ... lonely at the top, mm?"

"What?" The other squirrel turned back to the console he'd been at ... near the Ops station. He'd been the only fur on the bridge. Well, HAD been ...

... and, now, his mate padded toward him, shrugging a bit, observing, "You're just ... you hole yourself up in here. You haven't been to the settlement in, what, six days? Everyone wonders where you are." Her voice trailed. She stopped a few feet from him. Tilting her head. "I just don't know what to tell them. ‘Oh, your captain has ... separation anxiety. He can't leave his ship. Even when ... it'll be perfectly fine without him. Even when he needs some fresh air. Even when he needs the sun on his tail and the wind in his fur. Even when he needs to be on his back in the grass ... getting a good yiffin' ... "

"What?" He looked up, blinking.

A giggle, and Rella ... stepped closer, putting her paws on his shoulders. "I don't tell them that last part, but ... it's still true."

Wren flushed.

"Come on ... darling ... please?" There was worry in her voice. "Please. Come on ... "

"Come what," he whispered, tapping at more controls.

"What are you even doing?" She peered at the read-outs.

"Making sure the ship's systems are maintained ... checking sensors. Just in case anyone comes into orbit. Mm ... scanning the settlement. You know ... "

"You should be IN the settlement."

"I can't leave the ship."

"Darling ... you CAN. Come on." She tugged at his arm. Trying to pull him out of his chair. "I'm the security chief. I can have you led out of here at armed guard."

"I'm the Captain. That would be insubordination. I could order your own team," he said jokingly, "to put you in the brig."

"And I could scheme with Denali to ... declare you medically unfit for duty," she her calculated response.

Wren's whiskers twitched.

"I did talk to him," she admitted, "but ... we're not gonna do that. But he strongly advises you get some rest. And spend some time with the rest of the crew. Most importantly ... " She pointed the fingers of her paw ... at herself. " ... with me."

Wren let out a gentle breath. "I'm sorry," was his whispered apology. "I just ... you know?"

She head-tilted, smiling ... " ... I don't know," was her confession.

"I just ... Luminous is my ship. I'm the first rodent captain. I was, anyway, and ... we were nomads, and this was our home, and ... I'm afraid if I step off the ship ... and just go and rest. That it won't be here when I come back."

"That's ridiculous. Luminous is not going anywhere."

"I know that. I didn't say it was rational. I just ... the ship's like an extension of me. I don't know. It's ... "

"Well," she said gently, silently slipping to a sit in his lap. A sideways sit, allowing her arms to go around his neck. "Well, I think, to some degree ... we all feel that way. I mean, we all love this ship. But you can see her from the edge of the settlement. Landed out here in this ... plain. Like she's watching over us."

Wren nodded quietly.

"But you've spent more time here ... than any-fur, and ... we've a housing unit for the two of us. Along with the others. And ... when I'm there, I'm there alone. They ask where you are," she whispers, "and I ... feel lonely." A pause. "You gotta leave the den, Wren."

The squirrel, eyes a bit pained, looked to her.

"I mean, it's okay, darling, but ... it's kind of not," she whispered. Whiskers twitching. Nose flaring. "The crew needs you. They wanna see you every day. Hear your voice. You're our leader."

He opened his muzzle to say something ...

... and she cut him off with, "Whether you like it or not. You know you are. So, please, just ... leave the ship. You can come back every few days, spend a few hours here. Checking it over ... checking it out. I'll come with you. But ... why live on the ship," she posed, "when there's a whole world out there? A whole nature, a whole ... land. There are trees, Wren," she whispered. "Trees. This forest ... "

"I know. I've seen it ... "

"Azure's been re-training himself in arboreal gymnastics, and now he's ... training Juneau, and ... there's going to be competition. A lot of the squirrels are getting involved. I thought I might join."

"Gymnastics?"

"Mm-hmm ... in the trees. I ... thought we could practice together. Deeper in the forest, where the trees are closer together. Where it's more ... private," she whispered.

He caught her eyes.

She smiled ... unable to help herself.

"Well ... I mean, you're right." Wren sighed. Closing his eyes.

She kissed (gently) his forehead. "It's okay, baby ... "

"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I haven't meant to ... ignore you. Or the others."

"I know you didn't. Sometimes, you just need a good ... yank of the tail," she explained, "to keep you honest." Another kiss to the forehead. A giggle.

"To keep me honest?" A small smile. "What's that even supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," she confessed, giggling, shifting a bit (in his lap). "It just sounded like a good thing to say."

Wren chuckled. The sound of his mirth (and hers) echoing on the bridge. The consoles humming lightly, and the lights dimmed, and the viewer ... showing a view of the plains. The wild grasses. The sky-blues. The wisps of clouds, and ... the sun (as it was rising for a new day).

Rella, in his lap, wriggled a bit, her bushy, luxurious tail ... swish-swishing in the still air of the bridge. And she shifted about ... standing and then ... sitting again. At a straddle of him. Facing him. Belly to his. Nose to his. Sitting at a straddle in his lap, and arms round his neck, and ...

" ... you look ... beautiful," Wren whispered.

"My fur's been getting lots of sun ... makes my coat shinier," she said. Paws on his own fur. "You need some sun," she observed. Nose back on his cheek. She breathed a bit. "You take your flea medicine?"

"Not recently ... "

"Gotta take it," she reminded.

A quiet nod.

And Rella closed her eyes. Breathing. Breathing ...

"So ... how's everyone doing?" Wren asked, of his crew.

"Well ... the rodents, most of the rodents ... they're doing fine, you know. Especially Field and Adelaide. Field's a farm-mouse, anyway, by birth, and ... he's in heaven. He's writing stories and poems, and ... cataloguing the local bird life. He's helping Azure run the apiary."

"The bees ... "

A nod. "The bees. They're jarring honey. Azure is spending lots of time ... in the trees. Assumpta will sit on the ground and just ... watch him. Watch him move. Watch him tumble and flip. She'll sit and watch him with that focused, predatory gaze, and just ... purr. No doubt making herself hungry for each nightfall. When she can have his acrobatic self ... alone in their housing unit."

A slight giggle from Wren.

"And ... what else, what else," Rella whispered, kissing her mate's neck. "Mm ... " She breathed in (of his scent). And breathed out.

The exhale warming his neck (even more than it already was).

"Chester's tagging along with Field ... a lot. And both mice are spending lots of time with their mates. Adelaide's constantly lugging Akira around, with a warm smile on her muzzle. Akira's growing. I mean ... she's not a year old yet, no, but ... she's gonna be crawling all over the place pretty soon. Juneau lets her play with her gurgle-goo."

"Gurgle-goo?"

"This little wild animal thing ... Juneau found. A ball of gurgling fluff. It's asexual. It ... sort of reproduces itself. But it hasn't done that yet. Juneau's already promised to give gurgle-goos to, like, six different furs ... "

Wren smiled. "Hmm ... "

"Yeah, and ... so, most furs are doing great. Pyro and Dotna spend most of their time wandering about. Walking. Talking. They're not the kind of furs who can sit still. You know? They always have to be moving about, busying themselves ... they often come back to the ship."

"Yeah ... they were using the simulation room yesterday. For a few hours."

Rella nodded.

"Mm ... so, everyone's okay?"

"Some furs are restless. Juneau has no engines to tend to, and she's an engineer, and ... to live with limited technology ... she's a bit antsy. But Chester's doing his best to ground her, and ... she's become good friends with Assumpta. So ... she's okay."

"You sure?"

A little nod. "Mm-hmm ... no, I've talked to her. I'm keeping tabs on everyone. Adelaide helps with that. With her telepathic abilities, Adelaide ... makes for a good ... mothering sort. You know? She knows when something's wrong, and she knows what buttons to push to make it better, so ... she and I made the rounds yesterday. Chatted for a bit with everyone. And everyone's doing fine. All mate-ships are healthy, all yiff drives raging strong ... " A paw fishing for one of his. Squeezing. "Including my own," she whispered, smiling, breathing out. Breathing back in. "The only problem, really, is ... after so long ... you know, going to school, working, being on a star-ship in space ... to suddenly be living in nature, in rather utilitarian housing ... it's a change. It's been a few months, and ... a lot of furs are in the final phases of adjustment. They're accepting it. They're liking it. It's just ... we've been out of our natural element for SO long, that ... it's difficult to get back into it." A pause. "But you should see the rodents, Wren. I'm so proud of them ... they're adjusting really well. Like I said ... "

"What about the non-rodents?"

"Denali ... Pyro ... they're fine. They have their mates, and ... it's not them I'm worried about."

Wren blinked.

"It's the other predators. The two foxes, and ... the paw-ful of predators. Not Assumpta. But ... the other few."

"Are they causing trouble?"

"No, but ... they've got this look in their eyes. This feral kind of look. It's, like, being back in nature, and ... living like we are ... their instincts are flaring. One of the foxes approached me and ... said he and the other fox wanted to strike out on their own."

Wren frowned.

"I said I'd talk to you about it. I mean ... we could give them some supplies, if that's what they really wanted. But I asked how they'd support and sustain themselves. He said he didn't care. He just needed to be away from the ‘stench of prey'."

Wren frowned.

Rella sighed. "I didn't react kindly to that ... gave him a reprimand, but ... " She shook her head. "I say we let them go. You know, if we were still in space, there wouldn't be a problem. We could keep the predators in check. There are only a paw-ful, anyway. Out of eighty-three. I say we let them go ... they can do whatever it is predators wanna do in the wild."

"And if they decide to come back?"

"We'll show them mercy," Rella whispered. "And let them ... back in. That's what distinguishes us from them, Wren. We know when to lower our defenses. We know when to ... be merciful. To forgive."

The squirrel nodded. "Well ... alright. Tell the fox that ... he and his buddies can strike off. Give them some med-kits and a portable food processor. Or whatever they want."

Rella nodded.

"Anything else?" Wren asked, leaning back in his chair, and Rella ... leaning with him, nosing his chin, his neck. Giving little kisses.

"Mm ... mm ... not much," she breathed. "Just like I said ... any other problems would be eased by your constant presence. You're the Captain. Talk to Juneau ... she's having the same problem you are: she doesn't know how to unplug herself from ... all that we were plugged into. I advised Chester to ... take her into the woods and spend a few days alone with her ... he's gonna do that after the gymnastics competition."

"When's the competition?"

"Two days from now. You wanna be a judge?" A smile.

"I don't know enough about it ... it's been forever," he admitted, "since I've been in a real tree."

"Well ... I'll have to give you some pointers," she promised (with a soft, silky voice). And kissed his lower lip. And his upper lip. And both his lips. Soft, sweet ... kisses. Little smack-smack sounds ... little baited breaths. Tails flickering, flagging, and ...

... his paws around her clothed back. Pulling her closer.

She arched and breathed. Head tilting ...

... as they kissed ... a long, melting kiss. With whiskers all a-twitch!

And they breathed in ... as muzzles parted.

Hearts pattering.

"Well," Rella breathed, licking her own lips ... swallowing. "Well, how ‘bout you ... come outside with me? Come on and out and ... play," she whispered.

"Play?" was his shy, blushing response.

A nod, forehead to his. A smile and a whispered, repeated, "Play."

"I guess I could do that ... "

"You guess?" A prodding grin.

A giggle. "Mm ... well, I KNOW I could. And ... I will," he said. "You just gotta let me stand up. So I can walk to the lift, and ... so we can leave the ship."

"Get up, mm? Mm ... " Her paws massaging the back and sides of his neck. "A difficult request, but ... " She slipped off him. Standing, extending a paw ...

... and Wren took it.

And she led him to the lift. Dreaming of love beneath the sun and trees. Already getting weak at the knees.