"So, you're still hanging around Threar," Nangeer-hain teased Nildroo gently. Her light brown eyes were sparkling with affection, showing that her words were not meant to be impolite. Nildroo rolled her eyes and nudged her friend's rump, feigning anger. Threar sat a little ways way, bumping the strands of grass with his nose. He had discovered that, despite the rumours running along the burrow, Nildroo did indeed have friends. It was like a sigh of relief to know that she wasn't going to be seen as his responsibility. Her friends were two pleasant young things. One was Nangeer-hain, a doe of a soft brown colour who liked to speak her mind but knew when to stop. The other was Pathun, a sweet grey-brown doe with almost blue eyes. She was quiet and clumsy, but her heart was the largest Threar had ever seen.

Nildroo looked over her shoulder to Threar, who responded by flicking his ears and hopping closer. He glanced over to the rest of the rabbits enjoying their morning silflay. A few does chewed with rapid, jagged movements, eyes following their kittens nervously. The outskirters were easy to point out. Their characteristically small, thin frames almost seemed to disappear into the earth below them. The majority of rabbits about were Owsla, joking around in large groups and mock fighting, sniffing at does. Threar could make out a few young bucks that were puffing their chests out in pride. They enjoyed the freedom they had.

Something bumped into Threar, and when he turned, he relaxed. It was only Pathun. She stuttered a string of apologies and then lowered her head to silflay. Quiet and clumsy indeed.

With the four of them finally together, a silence washed over them. A hushed conversation started between Pathun and Nildroo, but apart from that, it was still.

This was something Threar liked. It wasn't often that he got to relax, not between Nildroo's mouth that could spill words as fast as a butterfly flapped its wings and his duties as an Owsla captain. And talk of his 'budding relationship' with Nildroo was growing. Eanmayth was the most repelled by that rumour, and even now Threar hadn't managed to convince him otherwise. He glanced over to Nildroo and allowed himself to focus on her. She was like an annoying younger sister and he really couldn't imagine her in any other way. But she was aesthetically pleasing, even if her personality wasn't desirable.

Nangeer-hain looked up and her gaze darted towards the run closest to them. Nildroo looked up as well and gave a soft hum of puzzlement. Nangeer-hain seemed to flinch as her attention was brought back to her friend. "Sorry, sorry. I've got to go talk to someone," She said quickly, running off and into the burrow.

Nildroo seemed displeased by this, and glared after her friend and then went back to munching loudly. Pathun peered over the grass to Threar and, without looking away, spoke up in her tiny voice. "It's about mating season, isn't it?" Her tone was clipped and strained and suggested that Threar should go with her statement.

"Er, yes. I think Nangeer-hain has finally been swooned," Was his uncertain reply. Pathun nodded her head in appreciation.

Nildroo ripped the grass loudly and her eyes blazed. Threar knew that look; her silent fuming wasn't inconspicuous in the slightest. "And she's with one of them?" She hissed through her gritted teeth. Pathun sighed softly. "Probably."

Pathun scooted over to Threar's side and lowered her voice. "Nangeer-hain got really close to a bunch of bucks who weren't too nice to Nildroo," She explained.

Nildroo's angry melted into regret and she looked up to her friends. Her glassy eyes stared into Threar's soul. "I'm sorry. I just- Nangeer-hain's not in the wrong here."

The little doe's sorrow was almost depressing to see. The buck watched her closely, head tipping to the left and ears flopping to the side. Nildroo quickly looked up and scowled. "Stop it," She snapped defensively. And it was at that moment that it all clicked for Threar. Her anger masked the insecurity she carried around. He nudged Pathun gently. "Hey, could you give us a moment?"

Pathun blinked, but nodded. She looked between her two friends and watched Threar for a heartbeat with an uncertain expression before leaving.

Threar nudged the side of Nildroo's head, his twitching whiskers tickling her ears. This coaxed the doe to bring her disheartened eyes to her friend. "What do you want?" She complained loudly.

Threar narrowed his eyes. "Listen, your mood has really become an issue and Frith knows how hard we've all tried to settle it and yet you still dump your temper on us. So, I suggest you take my advice to get over yourself or shut up and listen to us."

Nildroo opened her mouth to speak – eyes wide and fearful – but was interrupted by Threar. "Why do you insist on ignoring our help? Why can't you just try to get along?"

The doe's eyes were growing misty when she finally cut him off. "I can't," She insisted urgently. "I can't because no one wants to get along with me, and I don't want to get along with them."

Her breathing was shaking, and Threar faltered. He frowned and took a step back. "Why not?"

"Life isn't as great as I thought."

Nildroo wasn't very old, just a few months out of her mother's care. And for as long as she could remember the stories she had heard about what life in the warren was like had charmed the young doe. Her mother would speak in a bright but gentle whisper, eyes sparkling with delight. She spoke of the warm days where the crickets chirped their song of the summer,

"Do you want to know why the Owsla doesn't like me?" Nildroo shot back. "It's because I questioned them. I asked what made them think that they deserved the cowslips and clovers. I asked why they were allowed to tell us what to do. I was just so sick of them pushing us around!"

Threar was taken aback by her rant. It made him think and then suddenly he understood why she was so angry at the world. Nildroo blinked her tears away and her voice drifted to silence. Threar took this as his chance to speak up.

He chanced it and lowered his voice to a soothing pitch. "I know how you feel. They don't like me either."

"No, they don't, but that's the difference between me and you. You're hated but respected. I'm neither."

And with that simple sentence, Threar knew she was right. Nildroo didn't look angry anymore. She looked fragile and saddened. Her soulful eyes locked with Threar's and he knew her weakness. She was afraid of how he would react; she was internally pussyfooting with her emotions. She took another shaking breath. "I don't care if my children grow up to be in the Owsla, but if they're like me, I don't want them to feel like they're a lower class. Do you know what I mean?"

Threar closed his eyes and nodded his head once. "Yes. I do."