WAR || Deerbarrow Warren writing || DNP

[Ladyskittels]

This is where I will place all of my writing for Deerbarrow Warren. Please do not post

[Ladyskittels]

It was a bright and sunny summer's morning, perfect weather for a stroll of the territory. Igetis-rah, his eyes still straining to open all the way as he just got up, stretched his legs out in his cozy underground den before he stood and made his way out into the early dawn's light. Hesitating at the entryway of the den, the buck sniffed the air and swiveled his ears as he listened for any sign of nearby Elil. He saw nothing but a small group of does grazing in the fields next to the pond, a good sign. If there were any sign of a big predator, they would be sure to spot it and the sound of their thundering feet would be plenty of warning to a young rabbit patrolling the fields on his own. The young male took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp coolness of the air before taking his first steps outside.

Drops of dew clung to the fur of his paws and legs, the cool temperature sending a light chill of surprise down Igetis-rah's spine. Mixed with the cool breeze, a lesser experienced rabbit might've thought it wasn't summer but, in fact, the beginning of autumn. That was a dangerous time since that is the time of year when the two-legs and their dogs are most active for hunting. Igetis-rah, his mind drifting with his thoughts, paused mid-stride to check on the group of does. They didn't seem to notice any danger, although one of them kept thorough watch by picking up her head and scanning the horizon. This calmed him, although he did lift his gaze toward the sky. He couldn't see much, but experience and instinct had taught him to keep one eye on the ground and the other in the sky. He breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing was there, at least nothing visible. The young buck continued on his way, slowly patrolling his favorite trail around the pond.

Every now and again the relative silence was broken by the buzzing of mosquitoes starting to wake and start their day, or by a fish breaking the surface of the pond as it caught itself a snack. Igetis-rah's stomach growled as he thought longingly of the fish getting to eat a snack. He licked his lips and paused by a small patch of herbs, taking a large mouthful of the plants. Breakfast on-the-go was better than no breakfast at all, thought the young buck as he chomped feverishly on his meager breakfast. If only he had the pleasure of having another rabbit with him. Maybe then he could let his hair down every once in a while, so to speak. Maybe then he could enjoy eating and keeping patrol in shifts, just like the family of deer that was now grazing happily less than fifty feet from him.

A twig snapped beneath his paw as he had let his thoughts wander aimlessly again. Wincing, Igetis-rah turned his head toward the deer, all of which had their wide eyes in his direction, ready to flee if necessary. He could almost hear their sighs of relief as he lifted himself up onto his haunches so his face, herbs still dangling helplessly from his mouth, was visible to them. He pulled the rest of the herbs into his mouth and ate it quickly, as if to say sorry to them. The deer went back to their business, shaking their heads every so often as the mosquitoes nipped at their hides. Soon, the buzzing was all that the rabbit could hear, and he figured he'd better abandon his patrol and try again at dusk when the annoyance was at a minimum.

Igetis-rah hopped away from the tall grass and made his way clumsily toward the pond water. He had never mastered the art of hopping on sand in broad daylight, let alone when the sun was barely out. He slipped and fell face-first into the wet sand and grumbled in annoyance before standing and shaking what he could from his pelt. What he went through for a measly drink, he sighed and drank greedily, not knowing when he would dare make his way back to the pond. He would probably take refuge underground and spend the day deep in the tunnels expanding his underground burrow.

[Ladyskittels]

Siopi twitched his nose to shoo a pesky fly that had decided it was the best place to take a rest. He glanced over at the horizon with a contented sigh. It was peaceful, at least for now. It wouldn't be long until the other rabbits surfaced to join him on a patrolling mission in the oak forest, and the buck was not very thrilled about that. It would be nearly impossible to concentrate on the variety of cumulonimbus clouds rolling lazily across the sky- or as more commonly known as storm clouds- or the types of various sounds and scents that surrounded the ground below. A thunderstorm is going to come in tonight, Siopi observed, moving his golden eyes slightly down to investigate the leaves of the oak trees blowing in the wind.

"What'cha doin'?" A perky voice called from behind him. Without turning, the black and red buck knew exactly who the voice belonged to. The ghostly grey and white doe they called Myrtia. He wanted to huff or come off as rude, but knew better not to from the countless times he'd made her cry from doing this in the past, so instead he smiled and managed a shrug in response.

"How many times do we have to explain that he can't answer you dear?" Came the voice of the spotted doe who was just a few paces behind them. Bittersweet, or Bitters for short, smiled warmly at Siopi, causing a small twinge of discomfort in the buck. For some reason, it made him feel weird when she was nice to him. Made his heart flutter, and his mind to fog. He hated that.

Bitters, having had moved on to giving Myrtia the usual speech, stood a few yards from the buck, her back to him. Siopi could not wait to get this over with. He stood and recited the rest of the speech in his head, Don't touch anything you don't know what it is, no straying from the group, no making loud noises or any sudden movements. If you do all of this, you can have a play session in the field and maybe Igetis-rah will let you play with his rock. The buck chuckled silently at this. He found it funny how Myrtia had to be convinced into doing things an adult rabbit should be able to do without much difficulty.

Once Bitters turned her head to him and gave her usual nod, they were good to go. Myrtia led the way, tugging against a vine that had been tied around her and tied to Bitters for safety reasons, causing Bitters to struggle to remain on her feet because of the stark difference of strength of the two rabbits. Next to their leader, Igetis-rah, she was the only one capable of handling the difficult job of slowing down a boisterous Myrtia, but it was not easy work. Siopi was too weak for it, although he hoped to gain the strength to take the weight off of poor Bitter's shoulders.

They continued on their patrol like this; the two does were talking and having pointless conversations that Siopi blocked out, keeping his focus on the forest around them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary- a few old tracks from an elil every now and again peaked his interest, and he stopped every so often to investigate before continuing on the path.

Before he knew it, the three were at the clearing in the oak forest; a small area where there was a meadow filled with herbs and plants that were found nowhere else. He was happy with the area so he turned to Bitters who had decided it was a good place to let Myrtia off her leash for a little while to run off some energy, and tapped her on the shoulder excitedly.

She lifted her head up from the vine she had been rewrapping and looked at his expression, trying to decipher what it was he was trying to tell her without words. "Do you like this place, Siopi?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she often did when trying to concentrate.

The buck nodded and looked back toward the burrow. "Do you think we should tell Igetis-rah?" Bitters continued, as this is usually what he meant by looking back to the burrow. He nodded again. I think this place would be greatly useful for the warren. It has plenty of herbs you can't usually find other places and it was so nicely tucked away from the rest of the territory that was full of dangers. he thought contentedly as the two rabbits watched Myrtia exploring the meadow. She seemed very excited to explore everything available to her. She was still so much like a baby, even for a one year old.

[Ladyskittels]

Igetis-rah stretched out his limbs, eager to go out for a long awaited patrol. It had felt like ages since he had last been out; there was little need to do so when he had three new friends to help him out. He was seldom lonely anymore, perhaps only when the three went out for their patrols or activities together which left him at the burrow or doing something else. Igetis-rah didn't mind too much however- he would gladly have his new life than his old one in a heartbeat. Certainly, things were different now with other personalities and such, not to mention the growing cramped-ness of their current burrow, were very apparent.

Myrtia, who held herself on her haunches in order to peek above the tall grass, had begged to accompany Igetis-rah on this outing. He didn't quite blame her for not wanting to stay in the burrow with Bitters and Siopi while they tended to their injuries sustained from their last outing. After all, the poor doe was still a little traumatized from being left alone in the burrow while they went out so it made sense she'd tag along.

The grey and white doe twitched her nose, shifting her weight slightly as she turned to look the other way. She certainly does try to help, Igetis-rah mused as he lifted himself up on his haunches to accompany looking for elil. But just how long are we going to be able to devote our time to look out for her....? That certainly was the question when it came to caring for Myrtia. Or rather, the elephant in the room; everyone could see this obvious question when it came to her future, although no one dared acknowledge it. For now, there was little problems with her current demeanor so long as precautions were put in place for the safety of her and the warren. It was nowhere near to a perfect or a permanent solution, but it was definitely the best plan the warren had for now.

"Have you found anything?" Igetis-rah asked in the same type of voice he would talk to a kit or young apprentice. A very gentle tone.

Myrtia shook her head slowly. "No," the doe responded simply. "There's nothing much out there except for this hill that keeps moving towards us."

Igetis-rah froze, feeling his heart rate quicken. "The what...?" He asked and cleared his throat that had suddenly tightened out of fear. "Where is it?" The leader added, trying to see what she was talking about.

The grey colored doe blinked her blue eyes at Igetis-rah, confused as to why he was acting so scared. "It's nothing to worry about, Igetis-rah," she stated in a tone meant to calm him. "Hills don't just stay in the same place all the time. They'd get too bored."

His emerald eyes narrowed as he scanned the horizon where she had been put in charge of watching. After a few moments of keeping watch, something moved in the grass. Not very noticeable at first, but it was definitely larger than a rabbit and it was coming for the two of them; a hunter stalking its prey.

Igetis-rah turned to Myrtia and whispered frantically, "We're gonna play a little game, okay? When I say to run, we're both going to race toward the tunnel entrance on the other side of the field and wait there for a little while."

The doe shook her head. "That doesn't sound like a very fun game," she complained.

"Myrtia, I don't care if it sounds fun or not, we can come up with another game once we get there. Deal?" He said in a tone harsher than he meant to. Tears brimmed in the doe's eyes which made him feel a little bad. "I'm sorry, okay? Let's race now." He added in a gentler voice. The doe wiped her eyes and nodded, seemingly willing to race him to the tunnels made for their safety.

A loud crack sounded from close behind them as the elil crept nearer. "RUN!" Igetis-rah shouted, and the two rabbits took off as fast as they could toward their only escape, the elil closing in all the time.

[Ladyskittels]

With the dawn came a new day, and with that brought three rabbits out for a patrol. Myrtia led the way through the open field excitedly, Bittersweet and Siopi following not far behind. The three stopped every so often to check the air for birds of prey, and to keep an eye on the family of deer grazing contentedly nearby. It would be easy for an elil to spot the trio out in the open, but the deer family being so close brought a sense of security as they need not keep an eye out for larger predators.

Myrtia had been explaining the wondrous healing properties found in what she referred to as 'magical moving roots', but Siopi tuned her out as soon as he realized she was talking about the worm she had found before their patrol. Out of boredom, Siopi found himself daydreaming as they walked, the wind lulling him into a sort of trance.

In his mind, he was running through the open field, the brisk air whipping through his pelt. He could feel the traction of the uneven earth beneath his paws, the tall grass tickling his cheeks as he raced past them. He smiled, letting the daydream take hold of his mind for a little while. He didn't remember the last time he'd allowed his mind to drift, especially with them being out in the open and in danger potentially.

THUD. Siopi bumped into something solid that was directly in front of him, jarring him from his daydream. Shaking his head to get his mind back to reality, he came to realize the very solid something he had bumped into was actually a someone. Myrtia, to be exact. She had stopped suddenly, going off of Bittersweet's puzzled expression.

The two exchanged confused glances before Bitter's voice asked Myrtia, "Is everything alright?" The look of confusion turned to one of concern as the ghostly grey doe didn't respond. In fact, it looked as if she was turning paler if that was possible. "Myrtia?" Bittersweet tried again, nudging the young doe with her nose.

Siopi turned his head from the two does, getting a bad feeling from Myrtia's lack of words. Normally, nothing could make her be quiet. The buck felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he followed Myrtia's gaze beyond the grass to the large creatures trotting on the outskirts of the field where the family of deer had once been.

The young buck recognized the taller creatures at once; human hunters. He had an experience with them when he was younger, shortly after he had been injured. Funny how the very danger threatening his life had saved it once.

As he watched, the hunting dog drew nearer and growled, having picked up the scent of the three little rabbits. Fear overtook him, and all at once, the dog was upon them, snarling at Bittersweet and Myrtia both of which were now frozen with fear. His mind wanted nothing more than to flee, although he found himself running toward the dog and leaped onto its back, biting at it's rough hide to distract it.

The dog howled with pain, and turned its head to try to dismount the buck clinging to it's back. Siopi allowed himself to glance down at the does and locked eyes with Bittersweet for a fleeting moment, pleading wordlessly with her to run. The doe blinked back tears but seemed to understand and forced herself to move, taking Myrtia with her toward the burrow.

Siopi breathed a sigh of relief, the strange tingling feeling in his stomach coming back as he realized he would rather be injured than let Bittersweet get hurt. He didn't have much time to process this however, as he was still on top of the dog and needed to focus on how he was going to make it out of this encounter with his life.

[Ladyskittels]

Safely tucked away inside the burrow, Igetis-rah sighed and stretched out his legs. What to do today? He thought to himself as he scratched idly at a mosquito bite on his ear. Somehow a bug had made it into the safety of his burrow. Perhaps he should focus his efforts on expanding the vast tunnels below ground. "Maybe I should dig out more tunnels in the hillside," he mused to himself in a soft but cheery voice. "From there I can go for some herbs and surprise the mole family. Miss always loves fresh flowers in the summertime." Igetis-rah smiled happily before hopping out to the far expanse of his territory.

It was a long journey to the hillside. The three year old male took a minute to gather himself and take in his surroundings. There was a hole nearby that cast off sunshine from the sky above, lighting the surrounding tunnel with dim light. From where the spotted rabbit sat catching his breath, he could see several pathways branching out from the entrance to the hills, leading everywhere in the Deerbarrow Warren. He tilted his head as he inspected the pathways, assessing his options. Having decided he was going to make another burrow, he just needed to pick the perfect place in which to put it. The pesky bugs rarely ventured this far from the cool waters of the pond. Then again, was it dumb to pick a place this far away from the main source of water?

Igetis-rah sighed and stopped in his tracks. He was standing near the entranceway to the hillside, far enough away from the open air to be bothered by bugs or mosquitoes, but close enough to still hear if anything stirred outside. "Looks as good a place as any, I suppose," the buck mumbled to himself before he shook out his pelt to rid himself of any built-up tension. It was far easier to get a good pace for digging when one's body wasn't tense and one's mind was clear. The buck took in a deep breath of the familiar, damp earthy scent of the tunnels before plunging his front paws into the dirt.

One paw after the other hit the carefully crafted wall of his tunnel and little by little, a small shape took place. Igetis-rah smiled to himself as his mind drifted to one of the first times he had begun to dig. He didn't like to linger on his memories, but every so often he did enjoy a stroll through parts of his past. It had been a little bit after he had lost his mother when he found the mole family. They had helped him through his first winter in Deerbarrow Warren. It hadn't been easy, but somehow they had managed to help him become a great digger. Miss, the mother mole, had even told him to slow down at some point because she didn't want him to outshine her eldest son. That'd be far too embarrassing for a mole, she had once told him.

The buck chuckled at the memory, remembering the little ball of fluff they called a son. He missed them and couldn't wait to pay them a visit once his new burrow was settled. "Ouch," he said as his paw hit a rock. His emerald eyes fixated on its rough edges and his eyebrows narrowed. "How rude of you," Igetis-rah sneered in it's direction, sticking his tongue out at it. He then carefully picked it up in his jaws and set it aside, deciding to inspect it later in the sunlight. He continued to hollow out a decent-sized burrow that would be just big enough for himself to spend the night. It had been a while since he had first started his journey and he had lost track of time. Yawning, the lone rabbit stepped back to admire his work. "This should suffice for tonight," he decided.

Igetis-rah worked hard for a little while longer to bring the excess dirt out of the entryway of the tunnel before he took a well-deserved stretch. Sure enough, the sun had dipped below the horizon and the stars were fully visible. A wave of tiredness hit the speckled buck like a giant tsunami storm. I'll certainly be sore in the morning, he thought glumly as he gathered the last bit of strength to bring his exhausted self into the pathway to his new home. Just before he entered, however, a familiar sight caught a glimpse of the moonlight. It was one of the rock's jagged edges sparkling apologetically at him. "Okay, you can sleep with me, rock," Igetis-rah spoke to the rock in a more stern voice than he meant to and he shook his weary head before continuing. "But just this once." Then, the buck gingerly picked up his new-found friend in his jaws before entering the new burrow and nestled into the freshly dug bed, the shiny rock held lightly in his paws. "Goodnight," he yawned sleepily before lying his head down and fell asleep.

[Ladyskittels]

Igetis-rah opened his eyes after a short nap and stretched out lazily, his paws pushing lightly against the walls of his small burrow. He let his hind nails dig lightly against the dirt clumps of the wall and twitched his tail out of boredom. Turning his head to the side, his emerald eyes rested upon the rock he had come across in the first time he started digging out this temporary burrow. As it was looking to be more of a summer home for him at this point, Igetis-rah decided he should probably make more room in the off chance another rabbit- or hopper, as his kind were affectionately called by the neighboring deer- showed up. This current burrow was barely big enough to house Igetis-rah, let alone whatever other rabbits might be out there. And Frith help them if the new bun happened to have a litter due soon. This was nowhere near the acceptable size to house a whole family of rambunctious baby bunnies plus their mother and him.

"Well, rock, looks like we're gonna be digging today," Igetis-rah mumbled to his companion rock lazily. "I know it will come in handy for when we have more rabbits staying here. But it's so comfy, I don't want to get up..." The buck huffed a breath of annoyance before hoisting himself to his feet and rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes with his front paws.

He turned to his companion and nudged it with his pink nose. "You have to wake up too. I need to move you to a safer spot so I can expand the burrow." Igetis-rah picked up the rock and brought it out to a safe corridor tucked away from the spot where the construction would be taking place momentarily. "Don't look at me like that, I'll come back for you."

Igetis-rah groaned, realizing how much of an idiot he sounded like if any other sane creature overheard him. He turned and made his way back to the burrow, getting started on digging right away. I need to make new friends. Badly. The buck thought to himself, feeling both frustrated and annoyed with himself. Why did I allow myself to get so attached to that stupid thing??? The question swam around in his brain as he hollowed out the burrow more and more. As hard as he tried to clear it from his mind, the more it seemed to stick around like a pesky fly that flew around and around a wounded animal. Frustration and anger welled within him, now more frustrated with the annoying thought.

He was digging faster, moving more dirt than he had since the day that Miss, the mother mole, had told him to slow down. Her calming voice made it's way into his mind's ear. "You're going to hurt yourself dear. You wouldn't want to end up with a torn muscle or worse..."

Igetis-rah sighed and stopped bringing up dirt, opting instead to look around the burrow to assess what else needed doing. He felt his heart pounding in his chest and took a small break to let his body recover. When it finally returned to normal, the buck got back to work at a slower pace. He hummed a familiar tune under his breath, the one mother mole used to sing to them at night when he was little. It seemed to calm his mind and allowed him to finish his work without him realizing how much time had passed. When it was done he smiled proudly. "If only mother mole could see this. She would be so proud," he mused to himself as he took in the lovely sight of the expanded burrow. "This is the perfect little summer home now. Complete with two places to sleep in case there's a mother bun with babies," he said to no one in particular.

Swelling with pride, he fetched his rock and brought it back to the burrow. "Welcome home, Igetis-rah," the buck said in a higher-pitched voice, mimicking the tone of mother mole. He smiled happily before nestling back down into his bed of grasses and rolled onto his back, legs sprawled contentedly in the air.

[Ladyskittels]

"Digging, digging, digging..." Myrtia hummed to herself as she happily scooped out pawfuls of earth. With each stroke, the tunnel she was busily working on widening took a bit more shape and she became happier and happier. The doe barely noticed all of the dirt accumulating on her normally light grey and white coat, now which resembled more of a light brown color.

She was one of the better diggers in the warren because of her strength, although the only downside was how little stamina she possessed; she grew winded with barely any work done at all. It was around now that she could feel her body reach that threshold and she knew she would not last much longer. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breaths came shallower and shallower until the doe felt lightheaded.

"Why don't you take a break from digging and help Siopi keep watch above ground, Myrtia?" Bittersweet's motherly voice called from behind the grey doe. "I can take over from here, and then Siopi can take a turn and we'll all go for a swim in the pond. How does that sound?"

Myrtia nodded excitedly as the fawn doe drew nearer. As soon as Bittersweet had switched places, the grey and white doe had vanished to join Siopi above ground to keep watch.

Bittersweet sighed and got to work; although Myrtia was the best at moving dirt around, she was not all that versed in the art of digging properly because she let the dirt gather in sloppy piles all over. Every time they let her dig someone needed to come in and clean up after her. Not that Bittersweet minded too much, but she didn't like being alone in the tunnels while she worked.

To pass the time, the fawn colored doe hummed a tune of her own she had heard from gathering supplies- the birds that shared their warren carried wondrous melodies from far away, that always calmed her. She timed her digging to the beat of the melody, closing her eyes every once in a while and pretending she was in a peaceful meadow filled with birds all singing their songs. The thought made her smile, and soon she had redistributed all of Myrtia's work.

"Now I can get to work for real," the doe breathed softly, pushing a tuft of her fur that had wandered too close to her eye. "Should be done in no time."

Bittersweet liked to stay positive when it came to working, especially on repetitive tasks such as this. It helped boost her morale to celebrate even the smallest of victories such as correcting Myrtia's attempt at digging. After a while, footsteps could be heard in the tunnel. Bittersweet turned her head, and to her relief she saw Siopi making his way through the tunnel.

"Your turn already?" She asked, in a slight daze from her imaginary trip to the meadow. The buck, unable to vocalize his response, nodded kindly. "Alright. I've been working on widening this part here, and Myrtia did this part." Bittersweet showed him before she disappeared down the tunnel to look after Myrtia.

Siopi nodded again, making sure she got out of the tunnel without a problem. He had noticed a root had been unearthed near the entrance and decided before they left for the day he would chew it off so it wouldn't cause injury. He took a steadying breath before he busied himself with digging.

He always liked the simple act of digging; it was repetitive enough to let his mind wander, yet stimulating enough to the senses so that it wasn't completely mindless work. He also enjoyed watching the progress grow slowly as the tunnels took shape. Siopi let his mind wander around from the cloudy skies and changing weather to pondering the meaning of life in general. Being so young himself, he didn't truly understand it all. But then again, in his mind, it wasn't meant for just one mind to comprehend it all. He didn't let himself think about it too often as it was a source of frustration and, quite frankly, was a rabbit hole he wasn't willing to go down yet.

Instead, Siopi changed the subject back to reality and his digging, forcing himself to focus on the act of plunging one paw after the other into the dirt as he dug.

[Ladyskittels]

Aching with hunger, Igetis-rah woke from his restful sleep, his shining rock still tucked between his paws. "Good morning," he whispered hoarsely to his companion as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. His stomach growled loudly, making the black and white buck grimace. When was the last time I ate? he mused, his mind feeling sluggish from his small rest and lack of food. He stood and stretched out his legs which were tight and sore from the day's worth of digging he had finished hours earlier. The buck could hear the soothing chirping noises of crickets, getting louder as he ambled through the narrow pathway to the entrance. He paused at the mouth of the entrance, scanning the starry horizon for any sign of Elil.

Igetis-rah strained his outstretched ears as he craned his neck to hear more, but came short when the chirping crickets and the occasional buzz of mosquitoes met his ears. His emerald eyes could see nothing larger than a field mouse or two that were nibbling greedily on the succulent summer grasses. He watched them, his eyes seemingly greener with envy. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, watching and listening, the buck made a bold stride out of the safety of his tunnels and headed toward a thick patch of daffodil flowers. The sweet aroma met his nostrils and made his otherwise dry mouth water. They smell delicious! He thought excitedly as he practically dove into the patch of flowers and cramming every last bit that he could into his mouth.

Chewing feverishly, he barely tasted the flowers. Igetis-rah's mind was occupied on filling his belly as fast as he possibly could and then he planned on following it with a long and peaceful slumber in his burrow to give his muscles a chance to recover from their hard work. As he ate, he continued to scan the horizon. Every once in a while the buck paused his chewing just enough to check for any sign of coyote calls. He didn't want to be caught with his guard down by a hungry coyote. No thank you. His heart pounded in his chest as his spotted ears picked up the soft, yet distinctive hoot of an owl carried on the breeze of the night.

Instinctively, the rabbit froze, his eyes now working overtime in order to pinpoint the location of the threat. There were no trees near where he stood on the hillside. "Perhaps hiding in a shrub?" He mouthed, causing the half eaten mouthful of daffodils to fall silently to the ground. He craned his neck to peek cautiously above the tall patch of grass and daffodils, searching frantically for any sign of shrub. The male's pink nose twitched nervously as he realized there were no shrubs near him. He came to the sudden realization that he was now alone out in the open of a relatively unknown part of his territory. Do I dare bolt for cover? Or will I be spotted? He thought, his survival instincts wanting him to both flee and stay put until he made sure the sky above was clear of danger.

Igetis-rah breathed a sigh of relief, seeing no sign of aerial movement yet hearing another menacing hoot. Without giving it a second thought, he turned on his heel and bolted for the safety of his burrow and curled up next to his friend the rock. He took a few minutes to catch his breath and to let his heart slow to a more even pace before he acknowledged his friend. "That was a close one," he breathed, still slightly out of breath. "I'm glad you don't need to eat, because I don't know if I would've been able to bring any back here for you." Igetis-rah then went on to explain his close encounter with the owl and how he had nearly wound up being someone else's hunting prize before he nuzzled his shining rocky friend with his nose. Why do I keep treating this rock like it's a close friend of mine? The young rabbit thought to himself before pushing it from his mind. Whatever the reason, he was just glad to have something to come home to. Something to talk to. Could this be why the humans kept the coyote look-alikes with them? To have something to talk to and keep them company? Igetis-rah thought as he drifted into a deep sleep, his belly full of food and his mind full of wonder.

[Ladyskittels]

Another day, another meal... Igetis-rah thought as he helped himself to a mouthful of sweet herbs. It was a peaceful morning in the hilly part of his territory where he had been staying for the last few days; the sun was rising in the cloudless sky, birds chirping happily in the trees, bees and insects buzzed around. Even the deer had ventured out far enough to enjoy the sweet aroma and atmosphere the hills had to offer. Igetis-rah chewed on his mouthfull of food as he watched the deer family. The two older-looking females had their heads bent and were grazing while their three babies from last season ran happily around them; splashing in nearby puddles and nipping at each other's tails. They seem like such a happy bunch, Igetis-rah thought as he swallowed his food.

How he longed for company. It was great to be able to live in a place where there was so much life, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel lonely at times. Sure, he had a rock he could talk with if he wanted. It just wasn't the same as when he could have another rabbit or companion to be with. He sighed and tore another bite or food from the patch in front of him. It was times like these where he missed his mother.

He winced as the mere thought of her sent a pang of grief through his tiny heart. He swallowed his food and hopped slowly toward a puddle nearby for a drink. Igetis-rah didn't normally experience grief anymore, but back when he was first orphaned it was hard to function normally. It used to be so bad that it hurt just to breathe. The buck had certainly come a long way in two years of solitude; he was able to at least function for the most part now. He bent his head and drank silently from the small puddle, letting his mind relapse into memory, blissfully unaware of the three fawns bounding happily toward the very puddle he was drinking from.

"OOF!" Igetis-rah uttered as something pushed him forward into the water. He picked his head up and shook the water and mud from the black and white pelt of his face before trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"A-are you okay?" A small and shaky voice said in a near whisper. "I didn't mean to push you, little hopper."

Igetis-rah blinked the remaining water from his eyes. "Hopper?" He asked, taking in the sight of the smallest fawn leaning over the puddle to get a better look at him. "What is that?"

The fawn smiled sheepishly. "That's what mamma says your kind is called," she explained, tilting her head toward the still grazing mothers. "We don't see many of your kind around here. Are you all alone?"

Igetis-rah nodded. "Yes, I've been alone for a while now." He smiled at the young fawn politely before wading out of the puddle. "My name is Igetis-rah," the buck said, water dripping from the fur of his pelt. He barely noticed it, being far more interested in the fawn and more interested in the other larger two who had grown bored once he claimed to be alright and had gone back to their game of romping around together. They seemed to call to their friend, wanting her to come back and join them.

"That's a nice name, hopper." The young doe said pleasantly. "My name is Clara. I'm the youngest in the family... and the clumsiest..." she added, dipping her head in embarrassment.

"It's okay to be clumsy," Igetis-rah replied. "When I was younger I used to be so clumsy I'd trip over my ears... I still can't walk in the sand of the main pond. I trip and fall!" Clara giggled and the oreo colored buck joined in. It was good to laugh at yourself every once in a while.

Then, the two mother does came over and told the fawns it was time to move on. The sun was rising still and the air was hot and humid, threatening to fill with mosquitoes at any moment. Igetis-rah said his goodbyes to the young doe before shaking the rest of the water out of his coat and made his way back to his burrow. What a nice surprise. He smiled all the way back to his nest where he would spend the next few hours until the weather was bearable enough to venture out once more.