░1░s░t░ ░D░i░g░g░i░n░g░ ░-░ ░E░l░i░
When the tricolor spotted rabbit, Eli, reached a valley with a wide river flowing through it, he instantly knew that he had found the correct place. One side of the river held a group of trees spaced well-enough apart for deer, caribou, and other large animals to travel through. This would not do for a den - it was too open. On the other side of the river, however, he found a thicket which was exactly what he had been looking for.
He picked his way carefully through the foliage, keeping his nose raised and sniffing the air for any sign of dangerous animals such as foxes or badgers, but there was no such scent. Nevertheless, he would choose carefully when it came time to dig out the burrow, which was his first order of business. He found that there were thorns and briars in the shrubbery and this was perfect as it would catch on the hide of any predators and, with luck, discourage them from venturing forth in this protected area.
Knowing he had found the ideal location to home himself and his future warren, Eli began to dig. He moved paw-fulls of dirt, kicking out little rocks and pebbles that had been held within the ground. He discovered a couple of big, plump earthworms as well, and he sent them into the dirt-pile, seeking dark and moisture. They weren't of interest to him in this moment - what he really cared about is working on some tunnels.
As the day drew on longer and longer, he found that he could not only fit his entire body into the hole but soon had dug so deep that he needed to venture several lengths in order to kick the dirt out of the hole. Now there was a large mound outside and he would have to tramp this down later to avoid advertising exactly where his new home was. Several times he ran into larger stones or roots which prevented him from continuing onward but he simply put turns and curves in the path and figured this was actually an advantage, making it even more difficult to navigate for anything larger than himself. He knew that if any rabbits were expecting little ones then he would need to dig the tunnel somewhat wider to allow them passage, however that was a job for another day. At this time he was just creating the basic structure and making it complex enough to thwart would-be enemies.
When he came out of the burrow and found the sun had set on that day, he decided that he had done enough for the time being. At the entrance to the new den he stomped about and flattened down the pile of dirt, kicking the excess into the shrubbery to disperse it somewhat. There, now the entry wasn't so obvious any more. He went about and gathered some leaves and sticks, placing them around the hole and making it more difficult to spot. There, now it looked like it had been there for quite some time, a weathered old rabbit warren's place, and he didn't think it would draw too much attention.
He decided to go around the area and begin digging other, smaller holes. He made some of them just entry-ways bearing his scent (to throw off dangerous predators) while others he developed further, giving them both entries and exits, twists and turns that would foil even the most quick-witted of the forest's creatures.
By the time all of this work was done, the sun had come out once again and, completely tired, Eli went deep into the burrow for some well-deserved rest.
☆ ☆ ☆ 