A blushing dawn glow warmed the waist of the sky; the dry, bedridden horizon that enabled day and night to argue with each other's presence. The yolk-spilled plate of amber let its meagre rays regard the waiting lands of the terracotta earth which demanded the attention of the daylight. The fresh face of a new day was rewarded with the gentle choir of canaries someplace in the distance.

Deep in the heart of Mossflower under a blanket of gentle sunshine; the sturdy, swift figure of a young mouse maid ploughed the lush undergrowth of the forest vegetation, the air swimming with heat. The young mouse maid looked back as she ran, various patches of grass concaving where her paws had been. A thick length of rope fashioned from horse hair was carried as blithely as the smile on her face. In times, when fate had played its worse and pleaded for salvation, the weapon had called for gruesome deeds which included the ending of an opponent, but it was also the essential tool for curing an empty belly. Thus, one did never go hungry with a weapon which could kill two birds with one blow. Mariel, the legendary mouse maid, had earned a name to not be unheard.

From the corner of a red sandstone building, a face eaten bare of happiness claimed a young male mouse who sat at the edge of the Abbey pond. The days went and came, and the young mouse would've been thoroughly enjoying the coolness of the water if not for certain events in his life that had permanently affected his outlook on things. His face took hard work into concealing his feelings as he gazed in to the clear blue depths of the waters, a missile of tears loading slowly in his eyes. The corners of his mouth below his brown muzzle threatened to sink, and sink indeed just like the way his mood had gone, after the passing of his father. Dandin couldn't recall the last time they had sat side by side in the wake of a hot summer's day. Oh, that monster; loneliness; does it not yield its unwelcome force?

"Hi there, care for a hungry maid to join the Abbey?" A confident voice squeaked behind the south gate.

Dandin's ears shot straight up. Between efforts of sucking away his tears, he raised his voice a pitch to ask the anticipated guest- or intruder their invitation. However, the young mouse found that the following voice was very familiar.

"Who speaks?"

He was traded with silence.

After a few monotonous seconds a quail tone hitched into the mouse's voice, barely passing through the wooden door.

"Dandin? My long-time friend, have you yet forgotten your travelling companion?"

The silence that followed was an excited bedlam of unspoken curiosity.

However, time had taken its toll and adolescent male had yet a few moments to believe what his ears were receiving.

The voice spoke again, in panic and sudden grief.

"Dandin, speak! Grunt, mutter; cry! Talk to me so I can hear your voice again; you must remember me-Mariel! If that name does not ring a bell, I cannot bear to think of where our friendship has gone.'

Mariel

Dandin tasted the name over and over again. Yes, it did ring a bell. A very large bell which rang memories of all sorts and it all hit him hard in the head.

The Foxwolf, the Gullwhacker, Bowly Pintips, Rab Streambattle…

This time the young mouse's silence guided him through actions rather than words. Numbly, he began to shuffle towards the door and swung it wide.

Evening faded into night, and soon the Abbey Hall had transformed into a happy ruckus of merriment and glorious food, piled high in steaming plates or iced porcelain bowls. Set afresh from the kitchens by the Friar himself, included dishes of honey baked apples with sweetened syrup drizzled generously over the top like a blanket of melted sugar, and sky high piles of leek and onion pastries; the hot filling bursting at the very seams of the crisp pastry. Sitting in grand splendor on top of a table clothed with checkered fabric was a bountiful bowl of shrimp 'n' hotroot soup which had a spicy texture that tingled on a beast's tongue with such flavor. The delightful creatures of young and old shared their enjoyment with music and dance.

Aside from the merry bedlam, Mariel and Dandin, still overcome with the speechless feelings of seeing each other after many years, snuck out of the Great Hall together.

The two young mice strolled casually through random choice of routes in the Abbey, side by side, until they came across a musty old room that had been abandoned long ago.

Dandin opened the door just a crack and peeked through. Dust motes floated in motions like water through a stream of moonlight from a window. Looming from all four sides of the room, deserted stone glared coldly back at the two intruders. Even the young mouse maid's old room did not seem welcoming to the both.

Nevertheless, the two emotion-drained creatures shuffled inside wordlessly and came to rest upon a wooden bench.

Mariel coughed and twitched her ears idly. 'It's been an awful long time hasn't it? I wouldn't be surprised if our friendship has to be regained. Even my own room seems like another planet.'

A sad sigh escaped from Dandin. He was quiet for a few moments.

'I've been horribly scarred since the death- since many unpleasant turns of events in my life. I wouldn't be surprised either.'

Mariel faltered and looked at her paws dejectedly. Tears threatened to spill beneath her lashes and she choked on her own sobs.

"It looks like we've both been hurt. What do we do now? Where do we even start if the last time we left off seems like an alienated illusion?"

Dandin lifted his muzzle off his paws and his head swam once again with memories that wrenched his heart and made him feel like buckling to his very knees.

There was the option of leaving. Abandoning everything they had, take off as strangers, and, if ever to meet again, meet like strangers as well. That was the much easier option that would require little or no effort. Then there was the option of rebuilding their relationship, little by little. And, as the cliché went, taking baby steps back to where they were. This prize would require pain, grief, sorrow; all the unwelcome feelings of one alive. However, in spite of that, the sky would be clear and fresh. Dandin had not felt the feeling of a fresh sky with a loved one in years. Did he want a clear sky?

As alive beings do, they make reckless decisions. The next move Dandin made was a supportive statement.

He took Mariel's face in his paws and kissed her muzzle.