The sun slowly crested the horizon, casting its warm beams upon the most unlikely duo. Its rays softly warming the ears of the wild fox, he twitched, slowly blinking as the warmth roused him. He glanced at the bunny wrapped in his arms, they had fallen asleep on the branch wrapped together to keep warm through the night.
Had last night been real, he thought as he studied her still sleeping figure, had he really made friends with this bunny. Had he really saved her, she moaned in displeasure as his movement had hindered her own warmth and she buried her face into his chest fur.
He gained a strange enjoyment from this intimacy, though not the kind one that one would associate with mating. No, more of a feeling one gets when embraced by a family member or a longtime lover. He enjoyed it for its own sake as he had never felt such intimacy before, his own family dying when he was very young. This was a very pleasing feeling, making it all the stranger that he was sharing it with a prey.
He gently nudged the sleeping bunny with his snout in an attempt to wake her. She roused slowly and looked up at him with a short glance of confusion before it was replaced with a warm smile.
"You know, for a fox, you're alright," she said as they untangled themselves and brushed off.
He looked at her again as she ran her paws through her fur. He wondered how such a thing could exist in the form of a rabbit.
"And you are not so dumb for a bunny" he replied as he stared at the ground below. The flood had passed and left the ground, horribly muddy, he was sure they would sink. He eased his way passed her as he grabbed for the trunk of the tree. Using his claws, he slid steadily downward his companion watching with interest.
He landed on the ground below and felt his toes sink into the soft mud. He let go of the tree to see how far he would sink and the mud gave way beneath him, he sunk a few inches stopping as the mud began to swallow his knees, he looked up at his bunny friend and gave a sign of affirmation and motioned her to join him.
"I can't climb down," she called to him as she looked over the side of the branch at the ground so far below her. The fox looked up at her and walked slowly toward a spot below her.
"Jump," he called up to her "I will catch you" he promised. She hesitantly looked down again and saw the fox with open arms. Perhaps he meant it, if he had wanted her dead, she would be dead at this point. She jumped, he watched her fall and leaned to make sure he would catch her, she landed in his arms a bit harder than he expected and he almost dropped her. He held on tight however and even though he sunk a bit more he stopped her before she hit the ground.
He placed her on the ground next to him and looked at their surroundings, from what he had to guess they were a league or so off the predators path to the Hole. He planned to travel parallel to it and reach the Watering Hole by the rising of the full moon, roughly three days from then.
"Now we head towards the sun," he said, pointing with his paw, between them and their goal, however, was the now raging river before them. The bunny looked at the raging stream and back at him, her ears drooped in disappointment.
"We will never get across now," she said, looking up at him, he glanced at her and smirked and started walking along the riverbank.
"Ah, but you see bunny, I know a way across," he called back to her as she sped to catch up. She hopped alongside him looking at him curiously.
"Well, where is it," she asked after they had walked a little ways. He pointed ahead at a group of trees growing along the stream near a narrow part of it.
"It's right in those trees," he said and led them into it. As they entered the trees what they were hiding became clear. Among the trees hidden from prying eyes was a small rope bridge that would cross the stream easily even in the flood season. The bunny watched him as he walked towards the bridge and pushed on it with his foot to make sure it would still hold.
"Why did you not say this before," she called after him as she ran up behind "we could have crossed last night". He looked at her and shook his head.
"You had me on a leash last night bunny," he said "I did not want to help. I only wanted to get away," he stepped out onto the bridge at waved at her to do the same. She stepped out after him, walking close behind as they crossed the bridge.
"Well, if we are friends now, perhaps you could call me by what I am called," she said to him as they crossed the bridge.
"I do not remember what you are called," he said back, he suddenly felt the bridge rock behind him and he latched onto the sides. He looked behind him to see his companion had vanished, he frantically searched the water beneath him for any signs of her. He prepared himself to jump into the water when he heard a small cough in front of him. He turned to see his friend standing in front of him at the end of the bridge.
"Well, allow me to reintroduce myself," she said, taking a small bow, "I am Hops". He smiled at her exuberant display, thinking back on what she had called him, he made his way to the other side of the bridge.
"And I am Wild," he said as he stepped onto the ground on the other side. Hops smiled up at him as he led the way from the river.
Leaving the river behind they made their way up passed the plains on the far bank until they reached the cliffs.
"So what is your family like," Wild asked as he looked for a way up the cliff face in front of them, Hops looked up from the cactus she was poking to answer.
"Oh, very kind," she said "and large. I am one of many of my parent's children. We are like the stars there are so many" Wild chuckled as he felt for a ledge. "Though I have lost many siblings" she continued with a more mournful tone "mostly to birds. And foxes". Wild stopped and looked down, he felt guilty, why he himself had tried to eat her a mere two days ago. And yet as he looked at her in her quite reflective state he realized he hated to see her like this, and he was glad she had beaten him.
He went back to his task and found a good grip that would allow him to climb. He walked up to Hops and crouched down next to her.
"Do you think we could eat this," she said, pointing at the cactus he glanced at it and carefully touched one of the many spikes sticking from it.
"We should wait and find something when we get to the top, I found a way up, but I will need the rope," he said and she handed him the rope, he wrapped it around his shoulder and began his ascent. He reached for the ledge and pulled himself up and to the next one. He continued his rise with Hops watched him from the ground below. He pulled himself to the top and stopped to catch his breath and look around. He was greeted by more sprawling plains with a herd of mammoths walking off in the distance. He looked down to see Hops staring up at him, he smiled and threw the rope down to her.
She grabbed the rope and started walking up the cliff-side as he pulled her up. He grunted as he pulled on the rope with all his strength and helped her over the top. He stopped for a minute, lying down in the grass, he caught his breath as his friend sat next to him. She bent down and looked into his face, studying him as he stared at the sky, he stared back at her and tilted his head.
"Why are you helping me," she asked, he got up on his elbows and looked into her eyes.
"I don't know," he said "I suppose it gives me something to do," he rolled over and started to get up. He looked over the land in front of them and turned back to her.
"We have a long way to walk," he said "We should get moving," he got up and started walking towards the fields, checking behind him to see her chasing after him.
He slowed down slightly to let her catch up, but when he looked over his shoulder he saw she had frozen. She wasn't moving a muscle except for her nose that was twitching at a speed that made it hard to see.
He looked up and saw it, a giant hawk was slowly circling them and was bearing in on her. He watched as it started to zone it on Hops and move towards her. There was only one thing he could do, he ran. He ran and hopped, he shouted and flapped his arms he did everything to get the hawk's attention. It worked and the hawk shifted and dived quickly for him, he watched it streak toward him and just as it grabbed for him he leaped away from it. It missed his head and scratched his leg trying to latch on.
He snarled and swiped at it at it tumbled to the ground, it reared up and began to peck at him swiping with its own talons. As he dodged a swipe he tripped and landed on his back, he looked up to see the hawk sweep down at him and he closed his eyes at it flew it at him. Instead of feeling the pain of its talons gouging into his brain, he heard it squawk in pain and fall to the ground. He opened his eyes to see it sprawled on the ground next to him, its head split open and its brains spilled out onto the dirt.
He looked over and saw Hops standing there with an empty sling and a determined expression plastered on her face. He grinned at her and got up, brushing off his leather clothing, he looked at the hawk and his stomach growled.
"You wouldn't mind if I ate him would you," he said to Hops who shrugged. She put away her sling and pulled out a knife that she tossed to Wild.
He caught it and grabbed the bird by the legs and started walking. They walked together through the plains as the sun rose in the sky above, they stopped only when the heat became too much to continue.
They stopped and bed down in the tall grass away from the glaring sun. Wild began to cut into the bird now and eat some of the meat he sliced off, he savored the flavor. He hadn't had meat in a very long time, he cut into the breast of the bird and cut away at the best of the meat.
He glanced up and saw his rabbit companion watching him with a sort of morbid curiosity. He put another piece in his mouth and stared back at her slowing his chewing and doing his best to hide his teeth.
"I can eat somewhere else if you want me to," he said after he swallowed, she shook her head quickly.
"No, I'm fine, it's just interesting," she said as she crept forward sniffing the air. The slight hint of blood lingered in the air as he ate, he was watched closely by his companion the whole time, she followed each one of his movements. When he finished, he got up and started to head out, turning to say back to his friend.
"Since you were kind enough to catch my meal, I will go get yours," he said as he walked out. He walked carefully and silently through the grass sniffing the dirt as he went. He continued like this, sniffing and walking until he found it. He dug down and around to reveal the root he wanted, it was quite a large one and it took him a while to finally pull it out. The root was easily half his size and if cut into slices and dried it would feed his friend through the entire journey easily.
But first, he cut a small slice of it and grinding it into a paste he placed into the cut in his leg to seal the wound. He then placed the root on his back and made his way back. He arrived to find Hops asleep on the ground, as he entered, she shot up and tensed up ready to run or fight. Upon seeing it was him, however, she relaxed and then seeing the root he carried she smiled widely and helped him put it down.
Taking her knife, she quickly cut off a large slice and began nibbling on it. Smiling Wild yawned and curled up to sleep, he was exhausted, he let his eyes close and felt himself drift away.
He kissed her again and rubbed her fur tasting her lips and licking her head. She responded by petting his body and rubbing herself against him. He grabbed her long ears in his paws and nibbled on them, she licked his chest, her eyes full of joy his full of lust. And then he changed, he held her down and snarled, showing his teeth, she looked at him confused and scared as he brought his teeth down. There was a short squeak as his teeth punctuated her soft skin, holding her in his mouth he shook and broke her neck. Then he fed.
Wild leaped up from his sleep, his heart racing in his chest as he got up on his fours. He checked his paws and saw dried blood on them, the same for his snout, he could smell it. His blood ran cold and he darted his eyes around the grass den, hoping against hope that it wasn't true. His eyes fell on the still form of his friend slumped on the floor, he froze. He carefully approached softly whimpering, he stood over her and nudged her softly with his snout. She didn't budge, he brought his head back up and began to panic, he bent back down and nudged, again and again, nothing. In desperation he did something crazy and licked the side of her face, he didn't know why he did but she finally moved. She wiped her face and sat up to see him looking down at her with a face full of fear and concern.
As she looked at him with confusion as he quickly scooped her up in his arms and hugged her. She hesitantly returned the hug even more confused than before.
"I would never hurt you," he whispered as much to himself as to her. She fully returned his embrace and buried her face in his neck to comfort him. When he finally broke, he turned and moved to the door.
"We should go now," he said as he walked out into the night.
The moon was at its highest as they left their den taking with them their conflicting emotions and a few bags of root. Wild walked on in silence leading his friend to her family, a family of creature he was designed to kill.
He kept walking deep in his own thoughts, what was he doing, what did he want. What was he feeling, how had this bunny gotten so close to him in such a short time? He wanted to protect her as a sister, to treat her as a friend, and to know her as his mate. He was lost, he didn't know what was wrong with him and he burned in his gut from worry.
He perked up to a nudge on his arm, he looked down to see her looking up at him. He looked her with the best neutral face, he could muster, he beckoned her to say what she wanted to.
"What is wrong Wild," she asked, he smiled and shook his head.
"I'm fine," he said and kept walking.
"No, you're not," she said "You haven't been this quiet since you were muzzled" she added. He looked down again.
"A muzzle I might add you put on me," he said, she looked down and grabbed one of her ears.
"I'm sorry about that," she said, stroking her ear.
"You did the smart thing bunny" he paused for a second "I would have eaten you" he became quiet again. Hops grabbed his paw and held it, he looked down at his paw and then at her. His face twisted with confusion.
"But we are friends now," she said "what we did before does not matter," he stopped and kneeled down to look into her face gripping her paw tightly. He studied her face, she was different, in all the other rabbits he had seen all he had seen was stupidity and fear. Not in her, no, in her he saw a fierce determination and a cunning mind. Her eyes betrayed a fierce spirit, the spirit of a predator, if only.
"You were not supposed to be a bunny," he said to her and he rose to start walking again, "Let us go friend" he continued "and find your family".
He had figured it out, it was him all along. As always he was doing this for himself, it was his family he was trying to find. He had lost his and now so had she, maybe when they found her family he would find his answers.
They walked on through the night the darkness veiling them from the world. Hiding their strange friendship, the friendship of predator and prey. Shielded in the darkness, in his natural world, Wild let his eyes wander. He looked at his companion a creature he should see as food and yet even though a mere three days ago, he had tried to eat her the same thought now made him sick.
He stared as she blindly followed next to him, trusting him. But did she really? She was, after all, no ordinary bunny and while she might trust him, perhaps he had given her reason, what had he done to earn such trust. The more he studied her the more he admired her, both her mind and her body were sharp and sleek. She was attractive he had to admit, had she been a fox he would have made a move a very long time ago. He grinned to himself if she had been a fox he probably would have tried to make her his mate.
He realized something else much to his own amusement, if this bunny were to mate and have a litter that inherited her intellect, then hunting would definitely become much more difficult. Not that it would affect him, he had already decided he would stop hunting rabbits.
He looked at her again and saw she was about to step into a hole in front of her, hidden in the shadows. He reached out to her and pulled her away from it, guiding her gently towards him, he placed her paw on his arm.
"Perhaps you should hold on to me, " he said softly to her and he saw her nod as she grabbed tightly onto his arm.
He looked her up and down again if only she had been born a fox, he thought. Leading her on, he continued to think as her mind busied itself in its own thought.
Would this fox keep his promised, she thought, he had saved her life on two occasions now, was it because he cared or was it something else. She felt the arm, she now clutched to as he led her on, he was much stronger than her if he wanted he could probably eat much of her family without much effort. Was that his plan, was she is leading him straight to a buffet. She shook her head, no one would break the sacred truce and commit blasphemy not even a fox, then they would never be born again.
She again felt his arm, it was strong, but his grip was light if she were to cry out now she was sure he would loosen it further. His face, though she could barely make it out now by the light of the moon was sharp and determined, he stared forward towards his goal. He walked with a quick and confident stride as if daring whatever was in front of him to try and stop him. She found him intriguing and as she looked at him she tried to imagine him as a rabbit, the sight of him with long ears and practically no tail that popped in her head, however, made her softly giggle.
She must admit though he was very attractive, for all the wrong reasons. Rabbits usually chose their mates on who was the one best at avoiding a fight or getting away from danger, for who could settle. He was the opposite for sure, he was built to be aggressive, to charge headlong into danger as he had with the hawk and she found it compelling. If he was a rabbit he would be a fighter, a leader, and quite the catch, she thought, looking him over, yes if he was a rabbit she would try.
They walked on through the night each deep in their own thoughts, though their thoughts were the same. They walked on toward their goal neither knowing what lay waiting for them at the end of their great journey. For as they drew closer and the moon grew fuller with each step they only thought of the next one and what dangers lay for them the next day.
Though Wild wished as he again looked at his friend, that perhaps their journey could be just a bit longer. That he could enjoy the company of this bunny just a few days more, he didn't want it to end. What would he say when it was all over, how would he say goodbye? He stared at the moon as it drifted lazily through the sky, indifferent to the plight of mere mortals and he wanted to ask it to freeze. He wanted the stars and the sun to use their powers to alter the sea of time so he could send another day another hour with her.
Would it be blasphemy to care for her, he thought. Would it be heresy to help her? Would it be a sin to love her? He turned to the moon and received no answer. If it were, then why was he, why had he grown so fond of her in such a short time. Why had the fates found it right to put them together if only to tear them apart? What was the plan, the purpose, he looked again at her and caught her looking up at him, she looked quickly away and he did as well.
What would he think, she wondered, if he knew I was thinking such blasphemous thoughts? He would be disgusted, she knew that, that a prey wanted him, he was a predator after all she was a rabbit, food to him. Helping her was one thing, but to care for her would be ridiculous.
So, on they walked wrestling with the same question, both seeking the same answer. And both ignoring the answer they sought so dearly. They had grown close in their time together, far closer than any predator and prey ever had. Such a thing was unknown and so it was feared by them, their traditions and teachings had never spoken of such a thing. Yet, as they walked each of them slowly tightened their grip on the other and as they walked they grew closer and closer. Their hearts and bodies answering the question in their minds were too afraid of.