~ 240 years ago ~
Soft footsteps tread the snow covered ground. The small child hummed softly as she made her way home, her large brown eyes blinking occasionally to get rid of the snowflakes getting caught on her eyelashes.
Her coat was a bit too big but was all her father could afford. Her tiny hands held tightly onto the few coins she was able to get for her old baby clothes. She sniffed, rubbing her nose and shivering. She tried to quicken her pace, the combination of the setting sun and the snow covered pine trees casting eerie shadows along the ground frightened her.
A small sound caught her attention and she stopped, looking around. "Hello?" She called out. She saw something move and gasped, backing away when the bushed shook.
A small brown squirrel jumped out from between the branches before bounding up the trunk of a tree. She watched it go before looking at the parted leaves of the bush. Something was quivering underneath all the underbrush. Something small.
She carefully walked forward and moved the leaves away. Her eyes widened when she saw a tiny, little hare shivering in the snow. The rabbit had messy grayish-blue fur with long ears folded back. He sneezed suddenly and she realized that was the sound she heard.
"Aww..you're all alone. Come here bunny.." She gently scooped up the little ball of fur, unbuttoning her jacket and holding him close to her body to warm him up. "There there. It's alright..I'll take care of you."
She buttoned up her jacket and proceeded home, rushing through her front door and shaking off the snow from her shoulders.
"Papa! I'm home!" She called. She held the little rabbit close, glad that he had stopped shaking, and made her way to her father's workshops.
"In here Lucy." She pushed open the door and immediately soft glowing light fell upon her. She watched her father tap away at a block of wood, wondering what he would create this time. "Papa, look what I found in the snow."
The man sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly underneath his lenses as he set sown his tools. "Lucy, if it's another pinecone-" He stopped when he saw his only daughter held out her hands. He untied his apron, setting it down and wiping away the sawdust from his hands as he knelt down to get a closer look.
"Lucy, that little rabbit won't feed many-"
"No Papa!" He reeled back when she suddenly hugged the rabbit close to her again, and away from her father. "I want to keep him..please?"
The man sighed again, standing up and looking at her with sad eyes. "Lucy, we have no way of providing for something as big as a rabbit. We are barely providing for ourselves as it is. I'm sorry sweetheart."
Lucy stared up in disbelief at her father, eyes almost watering up. "But Papa! He'll die out there! He would have tonight if I never came along. Please Papa let me keep him." She held up the rabbit for him to see and in all honesty, he saw nothing special about it. The thing was scrawny, shaggy fur different shades of gray-blue and white with big green eyes that seemed to plead him.
He tried to speak before the clock rang 11 o' clock. He checked his pocket watch to make sure and found it was indeed late. He groaned in realization and looked sown at his daughter, her brown eyes sad.
"The rabbit can stay tonight Lucy, is that clear? He stays the night and then out he goes." The child's expression suddenly glowed in elation as she jumped up and down. She hugged her father tightly, carefully not to squeeze bunny by accident. "Oh thank you Papa!"
He chuckled, running a hand through her hair before kissing the top of her head. "Alright let's go. It's late and you have school in the morning young lady."
Lucy grinned before running out of her father's workshop, her rabbit still in arms. She quickly changed into her night clothes and sat in bed, helping the rabbit try to stand up again. She had picked a few carrots from her window garden and held one out to him, giggling as he munched on them one at a time.
A yawn escaped her and her eyes drooped. Lucy crawled under the covers and blew out the candle by her bedside, laying her head down on the pillow. She was fast asleep by the time her father came in to check on her, smiling from the doorway. He came in quietly and sat down on the end of the bed, leaning over and kissing his daughter's cheek. He pulled up more of the covers before finally feeling something work into his lap, he looked sown and saw the small hair had climbed onto his leg and was now laying on him, breathing calmly. He smiled at the sight, gently running a finger through the hare's fur.
"You really are a lucky little rabbit. Had my Lucy not come along..well, you probably would not have eaten those carrots now would you?" Bunny lifted his head into the petting and Mr. Bail could have sworn that he was smiling. "Oh..what's the harm of letting Lucy have a little pet bunny. You aren't that much trouble anyway."
~ Present Day ~
The grass was warm and soft under his stomach, the sunlight warming the rest if his fur. It was the rare moments like these in the Warren that he took for gratitude to relax. However, the past few days have been holding difficulty.
It was three days before Easter and he had been having the same dream for almost a month now.
He would be just a hare, shivering and near death in the snow until those big brown eyes came into view. He shook his head, scratching behind his ear before standing up and stretching. He automatically knew something was wrong when the air shifted.
He sniffed curiously, ears twitching as he listened. The feeling of unease grew when he saw the sky light up with The Northern Lights.
Something was most definitely wrong...