"Foxes, and Rabbits, and big bad Wolves" Part Two
Arthur burst through the underbrush of the small clearing where the berry bushes stood, and stopped to catch his breath. He collapsed in exhaustion having run through very thick underbrush in order to get away from Iain. Repeated encounters with fox had taught him that if he could find small places he could fit through, chances were the fox wouldn't be able to follow, after all the older boy fox was much taller and bigger than Arthur was.
After regaining some composure, Arthur walked steadily over to the bushes to check their progress. They were somewhat bigger than they were when Arthur first found them, a sign that his work in taking care of them was paying off. He smiled down at the bushes as he bent down and began picking the weeds like he always did. He was so busy he didn't notice the bushes behind him being pushed aside and Iain walking into the clearing.
Iain blinked in surprise at what the rabbit was doing, and after some thought realized that with had to be what Arthur had been doing recently. It certainly explained why he hadn't seen the rabbit in other parts of the forest he would normally visit, this must have taken up a good portion of the Bunnies energy and time, but with the impending threat of wolves, wandering in a secluded clearing was not the best way to protect oneself.
He frowned at this thought and walked forward to the point that he was standing right behind Arthur. The rabbit had not even noticed. Iain's frown deepened. If he was so absorbed in his work that he wouldn't notice Iain when he wasn't even trying to sneak up on him, then he was putting himself at serious risk.
"What are ye doing brat?" Iain said rather sternly.
Arthur jumped at his voice and spun around at him. He stared at Iain with a nervous look of fear for a moment before suddenly glaring at the fox.
Before Iain could blink Arthur in expectantly tackled Iain's legs. Caught off guard by the sudden onslaught the fox clumsily fell to the ground where Arthur suddenly climbed up onto his chest and began pounding his small fists into his abdomen. Iain felt the punch, that was for sure, but they were far from doing much damage to his person. It was enough to anger the fox though, here he was trying to help the little rodent and he outright attacks him!
Iain pushed Arthur off of him and onto the ground before picking himself up and yelling, "What the hell was that fer?!"
"You're not having it!" Arthur screamed as he continued punching Iain's legs.
"Whit?" Iain asked ignoring the tiny hits.
"These are my berries! I'm the one who's been taking care of them, so go away!"
"I aint here fer yer dumb berries!" Iain argued.
"Don't lie! I know you would if I let you! Everyone says foxes are nothing but thieves and liars!"
This received a pause on Iain's part as his face became pale and hurt. His face quickly distorted into anger though, as he kicked the rabbit hard sending the little creature flailing to the ground, before pouncing on him and pinning him down.
Arthur struggled to get out of Iain's grip as both of the foxes hands pinned down his small arms. Iain glared down at him teeth bared as he tightened his grip. Arthur cried out in pain as his arms were squeezed and tried to glare back at the fox only for it break with a sniffle and tears of fear and pain trickling from his eyes.
"Ya selfish little rat!" Iain screamed at him, ignoring the whimpers. "Ya have no idea how lucky ye are already brat! Yer little and innocent and no one judges ye! Ya can live peacefully and safely without bein suspected of a thing! I hate that!" He huffed temporarily before continuing. "I hate seein yer face, don't ever come anywhere near me again, or I'll gub ya! Ye understand?! I dun ever wanna see you again!" He picked Arthur up, only to push him back down.
By this time Arthur was a series of waterworks, tears pouring from his eyes. Despite this he still attempted to stand and pushed to glare at the fox, but his fear and anxiety made it come out as a pathetic pout.
Iain turned his back on the rabbit and tore through the underbrush screaming, "I can't wait for the wolves to eat ye!"
Meanwhile, not far away, a small feral rabbit dashed through the woods. Unlike Arthur this creature was one hundred percent rabbit whereas Arthur was a creature that was mostly human with a rabbits traits.
The rabbit dashed through the underbrush. His burrow was just ahead, his heart raced faster and faster as he neared hoping to make it. Suddenly a dark slim shadow shot from inside a bush and pounced upon the rabbit. A small cry was heard before silence engulfed the air. The only sound heard was the sound of a creature tearing at the flesh of the rabbit, it's blood dripping from the teeth of a man as he sat hunched over the corpse in his hand. As he finished picking the carcass he discarded it into the bushes and began messily wiping the blood from his mouth.
This part of the forest was filled with small easy to catch prey just perfect for a wolf much like himself. But he hungered for larger game. He adored the taste of rabbit, but the chore of hunting several of the feral creatures down in order to get his fill was hexing. He also wanted cooked meat. It was considered a delicacy among his kind to find meat that had been heated, with the melted fat deliciously dripping down the side
He needed another kind of rabbit. And as he sniffed the air, he felt sure he knew in just what directions he could find one…
((Hope that was dramatic enough for you all. Yes I know its not as long as the last chapter, but I honestly just wanted to screw with you guys a little by giving you a cliff hanger. I'm also thinking of going with the same formula that a fellow writer uses in which she posts several different stories, all taking place in the same universe, together under a uniform title. Well I'll decide once I'm done with this story and seeing what kind of feedback I get back from it before making a final decision. ))