Typical Disclaimer: I own nothing but the stories in my head. All characters alluded to in this belong to their respective owners and I wrote this for fun, not profit, etc., etc.
Enjoy!
The Story of the Uba-rabbit
He had always been told not to wander far. The world was a dangerous place. Owls preyed at night, hawks by day; enemies were everywhere. The young buck rabbit glanced back at the burrow where his brothers and sisters were napping.
"I'll be back before they wake up, and maybe I'll bring back some sweet-grass for them, too," he thought, smugly.
Of all his siblings, he was the most daring. He had wandered farther and farther from home with each excursion. Nothing had happened yet, and he was becoming more and more confident that the stories told by the elders were just used to keep young ones well behaved.
He sat up and sniffed the air. Ripened fruit fallen from trees tempted him from the direction the sun slept. The smell of humans from the opposite direction made his heart thump with excitement.
"What do they really look like, I wonder?" he thought, taking a short hop in that direction.
He had heard humans foraging nearby since the beginning of the hot season. Whenever they came near everyone ran for the burrows. Once in a while an unfortunate buck or doe wouldn't make it to the burrow in time. Their disappearance marked by a pointed stick or the sound of rocks flying through the air and the smell of blood.
He took a few more short hops in the direction of the human smells, and then made his decision. He would see what these humans looked like and even steal some good food from them. That would be a story worth telling during the approaching cold season.
Stopping in the shade of a low shrub, the rabbit sniffed the air again, checking for anything that may be a danger. He was very close to the edge of the forested area and the scents were hard to separate. Something was definitely close by.
Peeking out from between the thick foliage cautiously, he saw a large creature with hardly any fur walking out of the thicket. It only walked on its hind legs and was holding what looked like a dead bird in its front paws. They couldn't really be called paws, though. While they bore a slight similarity to the forepaws of the large lumbering bears, they had no pads or fur. What little the rabbit could see of its claws made the buck wonder how this furless creature defended itself.
Another creature like the first emerged from the same area. It grunted and waved its forelegs at the first creature. The first creature bobbed its head and they both walked off in the direction of the human place.
"Those things must have been humans," he thought. "If I wait a short time, I can follow their scent to their burrow."
The buck rabbit was so intent on listening to the movements of the large creatures ahead; he didn't notice the pair of canine eyes watching him.
PAIN! PAIN! PAIN!
His brain screamed out as the musky scent of wolf filled his nostrils. Kicking and scratching the rabbit instinctively tried to fend off his attacker. He succeeded in loosening the wolf's hold on his leg. His leg was throbbing and it hurt to move, but he couldn't stop now. With one final hard kick directed at the wolf's head, he dashed away.
When he finally stopped, he was under a thick scrub bush next to a small creek. The young buck sat there paralyzed, too terrified to move. When he realized the wolf had not pursued him, he relaxed a little but was still on his guard.
"The elders were right, it isn't safe out in the world." He thought miserably. "I'll just wait here until things calm down and then I'm going home."
An overwhelming thirst woke the young rabbit. He had fallen asleep under the bush. He was nearly knocked unconscious again when he tried to move his throbbing leg. The water was so close! So close!
"Noises, a human!" He froze. This human was smaller than the others he had seen earlier. What little fur it had was the color of the sun. "Maybe it won't see me. NO! It saw me!"
The rabbit's eyes widened when he saw the human's forepaw extend toward him. He would of screamed if he had had the strength. It didn't hurt though. The human's forepaw was warm and soothing against his fur.
After petting him for a moment, it gently lifted him and held him close to its body. The rabbit relaxed a little, somehow knowing that this human didn't want to hurt him. Gentle movement and caressing relaxed him even more and he resigned his fate to the yellow-furred human. Yellow-fur raised up on its hind legs and took him into the large human burrow.
Yellow-fur presented him to another human. This other human had dark fur and smelled faintly of milk.
"This must be the smaller human's doe. He thought as he was examined. "They both have the same gentle touch."
Soon, Yellow-fur brought him a small pool of water to drink, and Yellow's-doe was feeding him some of the most delicious grain he had tasted in a long time.
Yellow's-doe wiped the blood from his injured leg and wrapped smooth sticks around it. He couldn't move his leg now, but it did feel better.
Feeling refreshed, the rabbit looked around the human's burrow. It was dry and warm and carried the scent of other humans he had not yet seen. It was a very large burrow, but it was appropriate. Humans are larger than rabbits so they would need a larger burrow.
Yellow-fur held him and began the gentle movement again. It was very comfortable and he felt safe.
Another human approached Yellow's-doe. This human was definitely different from the others. It had scars, deep and old, all over its body. It was even missing an entire forepaw! The scent of this human was strong in the immediate area. Scarred-one belonged in this space with Yellow-fur and Yellow's-doe.
Yellow-fur brought him to Scarred-one. Scarred-one waved its only forepaw above him. The movements seemed to please Yellow-fur; the buck could sense it. Yellow-fur placed him on something soft and comfortable. Feeling secure in his new environment, the rabbit fell asleep.
The rabbit awoke in Yellow-fur's arms again. A human had brought food and was cuddling the tiny human that belonged to Yellow's-doe. Soon, Yellow-fur placed him on the soft place again and went to eat.
Later, the scent of a new human caught his attention and he saw Scarred-one communicating with it. This human looked strong and had an air of authority. Perhaps this was the Chief-human? Rabbits had chief-rabbits, why couldn't humans have chief-humans?
Scarred-one and Chief-human gestured their forepaws at each other. Chief-human was uneasy about something and Scarred-one seemed amused. Finally, like a drop of dew falling from the tip of a leaf, the light tension broke. The rabbit sensed that Chief-human had reluctantly accepted his presence at Scarred-one's place in the burrow.
Being unable to move around was starting to bother the young rabbit. If he couldn't run, hop, and stomp, how could he run from predators or fight the other bucks for the right to mate?
Yellow-fur and Yellow's-doe kept a close watch over him, cleaning his wounds, feeding him and bringing him small pools of water to drink.
The passage of days was difficult for the rabbit to distinguish. While he could see the sunlight alternating with moonlight, he had no idea how long he had been with the humans in their burrow. His leg was healing; he could feel it. He wondered if, when he was able to run, the humans would allow him to return home.
"Will they eat me? No, I don't think so. Predators kill and eat the weak, they don't heal them then eat them." he contemplated.
Then another, more disturbing thought came to him. Would the rabbits of his burrow allow him to return? Rabbits with communicable illnesses were sometimes turned out of the burrow so as not to infect the whole population. What if the other rabbits, thinking he had some sort of disease, refused to accept him back? What would he do? Where could he go?
A light dusting of snow was on the ground. The air was cold and crisp as Yellow-fur carried the rabbit out of the human burrow. The young buck barely recognized the area where Yellow-fur had found him so long ago.
Although not in its full grip, winter was making its mark upon the landscape. Most of the trees were bare and the only green left was on the conifers.
His leg was healed. He was well fed, and almost regretted being brought out of the human burrow. He knew that he could not stay. That burrow was for humans, not for him.
Yellow-fur placed him under the same bush he had been discovered. He sat up on his haunches and looked back at Yellow-fur. Then, sniffing the air, bounded off in the direction of his burrow. His stiff leg loosened as he went along, stopping every so often to test the air.
As he neared the burrow, he could hear rabbits playing. When he came into sight, all the others stopped and stared at him. He stopped, sat down and began to nibble some grass. As if from a signal, all the rabbits continued with their activities as if nothing had happened. One of his siblings approached and sniffed him.
"You smell of humans; where have you been?"
Nudging his brother out of the way, he tore a leaf from some sweet-grass. His brother head-butted him, playfully. He retaliated with a cuff, and the siblings wrestled in the afternoon sun.
Spring had come. The does birthed their new litters, and the rabbits from last year's kindle moved out to their own burrows within the community.
A rabbit with a slightly crooked hind leg glanced back at his burrow.
"This time I won't be gone so long." He said to himself.
Keeping a sharp eye, ear, and nose out for predators, the rabbit made his way toward the human burrow. He was curious to see if the humans had fared well over the cold season.
Silently approaching the human burrow, he saw Yellow-fur digging. His heart leaped with excitement. Forgetting for a moment all his caution, he bounded out of the bushes and ran to Yellow-fur.
He sniffed at Yellow-fur's foot. The same gentle forepaw that had healed his leg again caressed his back. The gesture was comforting. It pleased him to see Yellow-fur in good health after the winter.
The snapping of brush in the distance brought the rabbit to attention. He sat up quickly and bolted one way. Then, faking his direction, he dashed back the way he had come.
"You've been around the humans again, haven't you?" His brother asked. He twitched his ears innocently. Snorting with disappointment and mild amusement, his brother said, "That's the second time you've run off and come back without food. You could have at least brought something to eat back, you know."
With a content wiggle of his nose, the rabbit entered the burrow to hear stories.
He was home.