Update, and New Story: Awake

Sorry about the lack of activity last week. We've all been adjusting here now that our home is two people richer.  I got myself in a rut, and I'm trying to dig myself out with new stuff while I re-energize my spark for the Living Stone.  So while I'm trying to make more Kra-related scribblings, I have a new piece to share that I've tentatively titled Awake.

Thank you for your patience and understanding in our times of (minor) crisis, and as always, I hope you enjoy!

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How very curious.

This was the first thought the rabbit had. His forepaws rested on the smooth, weathered stone disk, the reason for his thought. It was so intricate, so delicate, but simple and solid. It was impossible, this stone. It should not be. But here it was, under his paws, giving him a reason to sit and just ... think.
Thought had never occurred to the rabbit before. All that mattered was being a rabbit; eating, rutting, and running. But all these images and ideas in his head now, they were so much more interesting!  The worst of it was, he could have done it before. But it did not matter as much as it did now, with this enigmatic stone unraveling his brain.

The rabbit knew he was awake now when all his life he had been asleep. One thought now kept running through his expanding mind: "Why?"

There was a rustle in the grass nearby, and old instincts kicked in. The rabbit stood up on his hind legs, peering around cautiously. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed the telltale orange fur of a fox. It dawned on the rabbit that if he panicked like he used to, he would not have noticed the fox.

He looked down at the stone. He wanted to bring it with him, but it would slow him down when he ran from the fox. He could come back for it. It had to come with him, but not now.

The choice would have been made for him a moment later as the fox burst from his hiding spot, pouncing for the rabbit just as he dashed away. The rabbit was not afraid, he had done this many times before. But now, even as his legs pumped in sprinting leaps, his mind raced just as hard. He could stay one step ahead of the fox, if he could think on his feet.

A memory of a brook swollen from the spring melt drove him to take a harsh turn, one he almost did not make. The rabbit heard the snap of the fox's teeth just behind his tail, spurring him on to deeper urgency. He noted how much wider the fox's turn was than his own as he scrambled away, his plan taking a more definite shape.

The wild chase bolted through a thicket, startling a flock of tiny birds. The forest filled with chirping and fluttering of the frightened avians, but neither the rabbit nor his fox pursuer were deterred from the hunt. The rabbit weaved through the trees, trying to wile the fox away from his path, but this fox seemed particularly determined to catch him. It seemed like the brook would be his best chance.

Finally, the rabbit could smell the brook nearby. The ground started to slope down in places as the trees thinned. But there was one part that stayed more or less even, culminating in a rise, and that was the path the rabbit took. He bounded over stones and roots, making sure that the fox was always just behind him. The orange furred beast just beyond his tail was completely focused on catching this slippery prey.

The rise the rabbit sought appeared before him, and he heart leapt. He turned up the speed, pushing himself further than he ever thought to before. The fox picked up speed as well, just as the rabbit hoped he would.

Just before the running pair reached the end of the cliff, the rabbit sprung off to the right in another tight turn, skidding to a stop just short of the edge. This time, the fox's turn was just too wide. It scramble for a foothold just before it realized it was about to slide off the edge, but to no avail. It yelped as it tumbled down the cliff to the rushing water below. There was a loud splash below, and the rabbit released a sigh of relief. He stepped up to the edge, catching a glance of the fox's miserable expression as he drifted downstream with the current. He dropped down onto his side, panting hard with the exertion of the explosive run. Thoughts of seeking out cool water and tasty clover brought him to his feet once more, and he started hopping to a calmer section of the brook for the former.

As he was lapping up water next to the calmer side of the brook, he remembered the stone. He needed to keep it safe, but he did not know why. But how could he do such a thing? He was only a little brown rabbit, what could he possibly do to keep it safe?

He began to hop away in search of the stone once more, when his paws landed on something hard and smooth. Gazing down, the rabbit cocked his head to one side. The stone was under his feet once again.

How very, very curious indeed, the rabbit thought.