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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.
Even as he decided, 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 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
scrambled 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.
********
The orange glow of dusk was a new sensation to the rabbit.
It warmed him in a sad way, something unexplainable was happening to the sky,
the way something unexplainable happened to him. Without any warning, his whole
world was changed, and what would become of him was mostly unknown. His night
was approaching, and there would be no moon or stars to show him what was
coming.
With a clouded, darkened future ahead, and scarcely any
memories to guide him, he knew that he had to leave the forest. There were so
many things he needed answered, so many questions that found him so suddenly,
and none of the answers were here. What he could remember of his old life was
pleasant, if rather lonely. There were no companions he left behind, no
offspring, and no family to miss him. Sure, he might have found a mate one day,
but that was no longer going to satisfy him.
Besides, there was the stone. The fragment -- he knew that
it was broken, but not why -- rested on his back. He wasn't sure how it
happened, he was thinking of how he could move the stone long distances, and it
was suddenly resting securely just below his shoulders. It seemed to react to
his movements, staying with him even when running vigorously. He felt strangely
reassured by that; the stone had chosen him, and did not want to leave him.
But it was not safe with him, and it needed to be kept
safe. Somewhere out in the wide world
was someone who knew what it was, or what he needed to do with it. He shuddered
as he realized that he would need to deal with the most dangerous of creatures,
the tall two-legged monsters. They hunted his kind, they treated the forest
like it was their sole property, and they spoke in loud rumbles that used to
hurt his ears when he was little. But there was no alternative; one of those
creatures would have the answers he needed. There was a hive of them nearby,
with the big wood and stone nests they made homes out of, he had seen it from
far away and knew that it would not be hard to find. The real trick would be
what to do once he was there.
He decided to spend one last night in his burrow. It was
too risky to leave the forest at night, between predators and the cold he would
be far better off starting his journey while he could see. The dry, warm little
hole that kept him safe for so long deserved one last visit at least.
Looking up into the sky one last time through the trees,
the rabbit could make out the twinkle of stars that were breaking through the
branches above his burrow. He watched them glitter, hope stirring in his furry
chest. Maybe he would find little lights like that on his journey.
********
Morning found the rabbit already awake. He had woken from
dreams that had chased him through the night, wild images that wrested him from
rest. Terrifying beasts, wicked laughter, fires in the night, and hawks whose
wings blocked out the sky all visited him that night. When he awoke, there was
still darkness clinging to the world outside.
The stone was a comfort to him while he waited for the
sun. He picked it off his back to study it, to take his mind off the dreams,
when it had begun to glow. Not all over, but in the etched grooves that had
escaped his attention until now, there was a soft green pulsing light. The
shape in the disk's center was mysterious and comforting, even though it was
certainly something that should have scared him. It was a monster, with a long
snakelike neck and tail, sharp talons, and large batlike wings. But the image
was one of majesty, not ferocity. In time it instilled curiosity in the rabbit,
and he desired to see such a creature. It was not important that he did so, at
least not as important as the stone itself, but a chance he had to see such a
thing would not be wasted.
He wondered what that beast was called. The stone gave him
the name dragon.
"Dragon," he repeated aloud. The sound of his
own voice shocked him. He just spoke like one of those tall beings! Did that
mean he could communicate with them, or did he just perceive himself as
speaking? If so, would the words of those creatures make sense now, even if
they could not understand them?
When the light spilled into his burrow, his new voice was
still a mystery to him. He would have to find another sapient being to find out
the truth of it.
The rabbit spent the morning crossing through the woods,
realizing just how little of it he had truly seen. His section of the forest had
always seemed so large, but with the awareness he had now he could see places
that he had never been before all throughout the woods. A clearing here, a dell
there, little nooks and crannies that were all near places he had been, but had
no reason to go. Before, he was controlled by instinct and fear; unless he
could find food there it was left alone for fear a predator could be around.
Without those restrictions, he was free to let his curiosity get the better of
him.
Wisely, he still kept the overwhelming urge to explore in
check. He was in no hurry, but there was still danger in the woods. His mind
was enhanced, but the rest of him was just as susceptible to claws and fangs of
wolves and foxes. He was fortunate yesterday, he could not be so careless with
the future of the stone in the balance.
He made his way through the forest, crossing over the
brook from yesterday by way of an ancient fallen tree. From there, he climbed
up the other side of the valley, making his way into the hilly side of the forest.
The rabbit was getting into territory he had practically never explored, only
foraging so far from home during dry seasons.
The trees here were spread further apart, which gave him
pause for thought before cautiously treading further. It was one thing to hop
between tree trunks and tread softly in the shadows, he felt far too exposed in
the open parts of the forest.
More than once, he was acutely aware of the predators that
were around him. His evolving mind had not enhanced his senses, but it had made
him more aware of what sounds meant what, and found himself able to anticipate
things before they came to be. This saved him many times from being spotted by
hibernation starved bears and prowling lynxes. The ease at which his knew
understanding allowed him to move freely frustrated him somewhat. Why could he
not have this ability sooner?
As he reached the edge of the forest, he could feel that
the regular dangers of the woods were being left behind. He found that the
thinner the trees became, the fewer animals were willing to venture out. He
felt almost liberated as he found the horizon beyond the trees, feeling safer
than he ever had before. There were no telling sounds, no foreboding scents
that betrayed any predators. He took a deep breath, letting out a relaxing sigh
as he took in the serenity of the open hills.
A cold breeze washed over him, causing him to shiver
unexpectedly. Still, he would deal with the cold if it meant he could relax a
little.
Something changed in the air, and the rabbit was fully
alert once more. He dove away just as a hawk's talons tore up the grass behind
him. The rabbit scampered away, his little heart pounding once more, retreating
back to the safety of a nearby tree. He glanced back, watching the enormous
bird take off again and soar back into the sky.
As he caught his breath again, the rabbit made a mental
note: nothing is ever safe.
********
The rabbit slumped against a large stone, panting still
from his ordeals. Dusk once again blanketed the sky, and what sunlight remained
had guided the poor lapine to the rocky outcropping where he now collapsed. He
recounted in his head his travels that day. After the first hawk attack, he had
since been accosted by three more of the birds on seperate occasions. In
between those, he managed to avoid an angry fisher, a pair of very territorial
beavers down by the river, and hungry snake, who had chased him all the way
back down to the river again. Whatever sense of serenity he had felt outside of
the forest was now gone; he had simply traded one set of dangers for another.
Now that he was sure he was finally alone, he took stock
of his surroundings, still out of breath. Despite the erratic path he had been
forced to take, the rabbit had made quite the distance for the day. He could
still see the treeline, but it was incredibly distant. The brook in the forest
became a full river as the valley opened up, and it was along that river that
he had found solace. It occurred to him that he should have followed the river
out to begin with, just as a guide to follow as he searched for the tall
beasts.
The spot he was in was quite different from what he was
used to back in the forest. Great, rocky mounds jutted out of the ground,
uncovered by lush soil and smelling of strange minerals. With a lack of soil,
grass was scarce, as was any other kind of life. The land seemed to get lower
and lower all the time, and even though it was dark, he could almost see in the
distance where his river would terminate in a waterfall.
It mattered not to the exhausted rabbit. This was the
safest he had been all day, that could all wait until tomorrow.
However, another feature he spied filled his tired heart
with a mix of curiosity and dread. Not far from the very spot he lay, there was
a rutted dirt trail that wove its way down the valley, one the tall beasts must
use. He understood now what those trails were for, they marked places where it
was safe to walk. He planned to make use of them in the future, other animals
would not want to be close to the tall beast trails.
As he lay in his rocky bed, a nagging thought tugged at
the rabbits mind. He should not be alive. There were too many dangers he had
escaped, too many predators and threats that had tried to take his life today
that he barely escaped from. The more he considered it, the more concerned he
became. It was a mystery; his newfound understanding of himself and his
surroundings did not make him any faster or stronger, and he certainly was not
lucky.
The stone that rested on his back must have been the
cause, though he could not say how. It was saving his life somehow, but for
what he could not say. Maybe it needed him, specifically him, for some hidden
purpose. He wished he could find out more about the stone; why it was broken,
what it had done to him, where it came from, what it was capable of, and why it
had picked him were all questions the rabbit needed answered.
There were so many questions in the world now, the rabbit
thought as he sighed, resting his head as he curled up to sleep. He wondered if
he was better off now, or if it would be better never to ask the questions at
all.
Morning came to rabbit as gently as he could have asked. A
cool fog had settled overnight, obscuring the sun's brilliance and coating the
rocks with glistening dew, the rabbit's favorite morning treat. He stretched
his limbs, feeling the soreness from yesterdays trials. The wild run he made
yesterday felt like an age ago, but the aches in his body told him otherwise.
He lapped up the tasty dew from the slick rocks, and
cleaned himself up with water from the stream. He hopped off towards the path
he noticed yesterday, hoping to find something to eat, when he heard, no, he
felt a low rumble in the ground, as though something large was approaching from
down the trail behind him. He hopped
nervously back to his tiny stony shelter, hoping that whatever could shake the
ground like this was not interested in eating a rabbit.
Seconds ticked away as the rabbit lay watching the road,
his breath ragged and stressed. He thought that his own fearful anticipation
would kill him long before this new monster had a chance. Eventually, though, his patience was rewarded
as the source of the rumbling came into view.
A horse, large and proud came trotting down the road, pulling a terrible
monstrosity of wood behind it. Two round
wooden disks on either side of the thing's body seemed to facilitate the
creature's movement, and allowed the albeit already mighty horse to carry it
forward without having to drag it on the ground.
The wooden beast behind the horse also seemed to be
carrying itself one of the tall beasts that the rabbit sought. The beast had a
tired but pleasant expression on its round face, wearing what appeared to be
the pelt of a wolf around his shoulders and some kind of shiny, red skin on the
rest of its torso. Its legs were clad in a dark, rough pelt of some kind,
almost like that of snakeskin, and feet covered in a thick brown hide caked
with mud. The rabbit imagined that the tall beast was compensating for its
hairless skin by using pelts from all kinds of other animals.
If this beast had indeed killed all those creatures, it
did not appear that threatening now. Indeed, it was rather fat and soft
looking, about as menacing as a hog rolling in the mud. But the rabbit still
knew better, these beasts were dangerous, having deadly weapons in place of
claws and fangs that could make short work of any beast, or certainly the likes
of a small brown rabbit.
The rabbit knew that he was likely not going to find a
better time to approach a tall beast. He had to learn about his stone somehow,
and if he just hopped into their hive, they might hunt him down because he was
there. But right here, it was only him and one beast. Perhaps the beast would
be understanding, but if he did attack the rabbit, escape would be far easier.
But how could he get his attention? How could he stop the
horse and wooden beast? He had discovered his voice, the other day, louder than
it had ever been before, but how loud could he make it? Loud enough to be heard
over stamping hooves and rumbling wooden disks?
The rabbit gulped and took a deep, steadying breath. He
had to try, the stone had chosen him for a reason.
Boldly he hopped up on top of the rock he was using for
cover. He felt exposed and endangered immediately, but ignored his instinct and
stood his ground. The horse was almost upon him, perhaps a few breaths away.
"Excuse me," the rabbit said timidly. At first,
the horse and the tall beast did not respond, continuing on their way, as
though not hearing the rabbit's plea. The rabbit spoke again, this time as loud
as he dared, just as the horse was passing by. "Excuse me!"
The horse stopped short, and the tall beast glanced over
to the sound of the rabbit's voice. The look of befuddled surprise when the
beasts eyes fell on him made the rabbit shrink in embarrassment. Silence fell
over the trail, broken only by the sloshing of the river nearby.
"I need help," the rabbit said meekly, breaking
the seal of quiet. "I don't know what to do."
The horse reacted first, leaning it's long neck down
toward the rabbit. Its big, chestnut eyes considered the rabbit with the same
curiosity the rabbit found himself capable of recently. The horse then looked
back at the tall beast sitting on the wooden monster. The tall beast returned the
horse's look, one of trepidatious wonder.
"Are you lost, little one?" the tall beast said,
thankfully sharing the same language as the rabbit.
"N...no," the rabbit said. "I just have
something that I need to protect."
"Protect?" the beast said, stepping down off of
the wooden monster. "What could be precious to a rabbit?" He strode
forward, coming to kneel next to the rabbit's perch. The rabbit turned around
to show the stone that rested on his back. The beast gave a curious sound in
response. "Where did you find that?" he asked.
"In the forest," the rabbit stammered. "It
chose me to keep it safe, but it made me ... change."
"Hence why I am speaking with a rodent," the
beast said, chuckling. The rabbit turned back to him, to see a warm grin spread
on his flabby features. "Though I'm not unfamiliar with conversing with
the odd furry creature, eh Tavis?" He turned to face the horse.
The horse chuckled, much as the tall beast had moments
ago. "I guess not," the large beast said, his voice grand and
booming.
The rabbit's ears perked up after the horse spoke. Another
animal that could speak like him! Surely this was a good sign, he thought. Was
this common enough that perhaps other tall beasts would not be so startled by
him?
"You are lucky, my fuzzy little owl snack," the
tall beast said. "not many humans would have given you the time of day. At
best they might have ignored you, at worst they would have killed you as an
abomination."
The rabbit shrank once more. So much for that fantasy.
"But we are far more understanding," the beast
said, reassuring the crestfallen bunny. "My name is Gregor, once an
adventurer, I am now but a humble merchant. This studious stallion is my
longtime companion, Tavis." He gestured to the horse, who bowed his head
quietly. "With whom do I have the honor of conversing this fine
morning?"
The rabbit blinked and cocked his head curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you have a name?" the horse prompted, his
deep voice filled with gentleness.
"I only just learned how to ... well, learn,"
the rabbit admitted. "I didn't even know things had names until two days
ago. I didn't even know what a day was before that! I ... everything just
happened so suddenly, I just ran and ran, and the stone just wants to be safe
... what is happening to me?"
"Calm down, it's all right," Gregor said,
placing a hand in the rabbits head between his ears. The rabbit was about to
recoil from his touch, but the human's hand was so warm, so gentle that he just
let himself relax for a moment. Tears began to form at his eyes as the release
of his stress began to wear down his need to hide. He sobbed pitifully under
Gregor's hand for a few moments, the reality of his situation crashing down on
him in the flash of a few moments.
"We'll not ask any more of you for now," Gregor
said softly. "Would you like to join us on our journey? Whitemill is not
far from here, we can rest and learn more there in the comfort of a toasty warm
room, perhaps over a hot meal."
The rabbit looked up at him with tearful eyes, and in that
moment knew that the man could be trusted with anything. Maybe the stone told
him to trust the man, but it was more a feeling the rabbit got when he met his
gaze. The man had cool green eyes that let the rabbit believe that everything
would be okay, that in the end it would all be made right.
"Will your monster let me ride with you?"
"Monster?" Gregor asked, mystified, following
the rabbit's gaze to the wooden beast. He threw back his head in laughter.
"That's no monster, that's my wagon! It's no more alive than the rock
you're sitting on."
The rabbit sighed in relief. So much to learn, how would
he ever find all his answers?
********
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