So, I know I haven't posted in forever, but I've been very busy trying to make Dwarf Fortress mods and write and school and ..blah.

Actually my post is in memory of my other baby girl, Mai Havok Valentine, who passed today.

We got her when we found out Midna needed a partner of sorts to live with because rats were social.

We went into the pet store that we got Middy from and they showed us the girls. My mom wanted a black and white rat, but I saw a white and blonde one..with dark red eyes. I thought it was the coolest look ever, and she was simply off doing her own thing, not caring about anyone else, very cool-like. I wanted her.

So we got her. And in honor of her awesomeness, I named her after my current obsession. Mai Kujaku. But my mom didn't understand "Kujaku" so I changed it to her english name. Her middle name was Havok after Davey Havok from AFI.

She instantly fell head over heels with Midna. They were buddies right away. Slept in a pile all the time, and where ever one went, the other did.

Mai was a bit more playful than Midna, but she really didn't like being held. She swayed her head and when we finally realized it, we found out she had trouble seeing because of the way her eyes were tinted. I still tried to get her to like me, but despite liking me, she still never wanted to come out with me or let me hold her. Everyone was too afraid to hold her because my mom claimed she bites, but she didn't.

When Midna passed I tried to grow closer to her, and I did. She still didn't like to be held, but she would come out from time to time if I left my hand in the cage.

She got struck with a respiratory infection and I jumped right on it because I knew that had been what killed Midna. I gave her the meds myself when my mom would be too out of it or away to give it to her. I had her out every day. I slept with her in my room even though I couldn't sleep with her in there because of the noise.

She did well for a long while, but then her health deteriorated again. Mom said if we took her to the vet, they'd suggest putting her down since she was so old. I was genuinely afraid of that, so I didn't press the issue. But I held her in a blanket and kept her out with a heater nearly every day and fed her baby food when she couldn't eat solid food anymore. The little girls started being too much for her to handle, so I started keeping her in the smaller cage and in my room despite the fact that again, I wasn't sleeping well. Finally today, she couldn't even move. She passed.

She was a great rattie to me. I still hate that they pack so much in their lives despite being so short in span. It's ridiculous.