Moonspear forty winks

They gazed upward in silence for a little while, before Atlas posed a question that dragged her attention back earthward. "I love stories, though I've never made one up myself," she admitted, a little worried that she would disappoint him by admitting this. What had prompted him to ask in the first place? "How about you?" she questioned in the next breath, thinking she would love it if he told her one, if only because she could listen to that smoky timbre forever.

She stated that she enjoyed stories but admitted that she had never really tried to make any of her own. The dark yearling understood this well enough, or so he felt. When the question was returned to him, he glanced toward her with some surprise and gaped for a moment. 

Well I feel the same I think. I really wish I could come up with stories but... I don't know how to start or how to end. Sometimes I think about the middle parts that could be though, the shadow confided to her. It didn't really make much sense after he'd said it, but he looked to Meerkat with the hopes that she might understand what he'd meant. If that wasn't sign enough that he shouldn't have been crafting tales, he didn't know what was.

He admitted he wasn't very good at coming up with beginnings or endings, though he could whip up something in medias res. Meerkat wondered if he would share any of his tales with her. Maybe she could help him bookend them. Now there was an idea: the two of them could collaborate on a story. It might come out a little wacky but she thrilled at the thought.

Before she could voice the suggestion, a twinkle at the corner of her eye captured her attention. "Hey, look," she whispered sotto voce, "it's Polaris, also known as the North Star." Before Atlas could train his attention on the right piece of sky, Meerkat boldly lifted a paw and gingerly guided his face in the right direction, her toes tingling where they pressed so lightly against his cut jaw.

"There's another bright one," she added after a few beats. She pointed and admitted, "But I'm not sure what it is. It looks a little yellower than the rest of the stars." Phox would've known. Meerkat pursed her lips thoughtfully, then gave a little internal shrug. She'd made a disclaimer; she wasn't an expert.

As the night settled in fully around them, Meerkat noticed wisps of what looked like clouds, though she was pretty sure, "That's the Milky Way." She drew in a breath of the cooling air and simply gazed at the whole masterpiece visible from this vantage point. She'd forgotten about her shortness of breath and her dizziness. In fact, Meerkat forgot about her surroundings entirely for a while, save for the warm press of Atlas beside her.

Her eyelids grew heavy, yet she didn't want to close her eyes. She didn't want to stop gazing at the stars, nor did she want to miss a moment here with him. Eventually, though, she lost that fight, drifting off with her head rolling gently on Atlas's dark shoulder. It was time to catch those forty winks.

Spent no less than 15 minutes scrolling up and down the page watching that little heart emoji beat.

The dark yearling allowed her to guide his attention toward the shimmering star overhead – it shone much brighter than the others, from what he could tell. The name Polaris seemed strong and suitable for such a remarkably standout figure in the heavens. This was quick to spiral his thoughts into a few uncertainties and things that he was curious about. The shadow took in the sparkling splendor of Polaris once more before he furrowed his brow thoughtfully and glanced toward where Meerkat was.
 
“How do stars get their names? Are they all named? Could we name one?”
 
The last question felt a bit silly, but he was curious to know if there were qualifications for becoming someone who named the stars and granted them importance.
 
The milky way was something to behold as well. Atlas had seen it numerous times but had never been able to call it by its real name. It felt good to know that he would be able to learn. It felt even better to know that he would have someone like Meerkat who was willing to offer what she already knew about the subject. If she had someone she knew who was well-versed, perhaps Atlas could learn from them too.

The rumble of his voice stirred her from her doze, eyelids parting slightly. "Hmmm?" she murmured, though she didn't actually stay conscious long enough to process his question, much less respond to it. Instead, she scrunched her face before turning to press it into his neck. With a contented sigh, she went right back under, her body going boneless as it sank against his solid, warm embrace. Even in her sleep, she snaked her forelegs around him, clinging. Hopefully Atlas had nowhere else to be for the rest of the evening, as Meerkat wouldn't be letting go anytime soon.

The dark yearling looked down at her tired expression and smiled softly. There would be other time for talking about how stars earned their names. And as the blonde youth wrapped her limbs around his frame, Atlas could not help but to feel at peace.
 
The inkjet hunter allowed for Meerkat to sleep while he traced the heavens with his gaze, counting as many stars as he could manage before his own eyelids began to fill heavy. He felt warm there with her on the mountainside. So when sleep carried the dark young beast away to a world of dreams, he went happily and without many cares at all.