Chapter 18: Inexplicably Lost
The scent of foxes was overwhelming. It took all Jill had to prevent her from running away to parts unknown. She knew it would be like this, but she was still unprepared. There were far too many foxes around her and many of them she didn't know at all. She placed one paw in front of the other, desperately hoping she could make it through the day without incident.
Vivian's tail happened to be right in front of her – taunting her to grab it. Jill resisted the urge so far but her resolve was waning. She seized the tail in front of her, using it as an anchor for her waning sanity.
"Excuse me, can you let go of my tail?"
Oh no, somehow that tail wasn't Vivian's, she also didn't recognize any of her surroundings. She sniffed the air for familiar scents, but the smell of foxes permeated the air.
"Hello?" The vixen snapped her claws.
She dropped the vixen's tail. "I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt me. I'm lost." Jill bowed after speaking at a rapid-fire pace.
"Can you repeat that?" the vixen grumbled.
Jill repeated but slowly this time.
"You bunnies are supposed to be terrifying! What a disappointment. Say, can you do me a favor?"
Jill curled up into a ball.
"I like the way you smell. Can you scent mark somethings for me?"
"Excuse me?" Jill mumbled.
"Please? I know it sounds weird, I'm not weird, am I?"
"Fine." Jill didn't want to do this but was too afraid to say no. The vixen didn't display any malice but Jill felt if she declined, the vixen would force her to do what she wanted anyway.
"Yay!" the vixen exclaimed. "Follow me!"
Reluctantly, Jill followed the vixen. She placed one paw in front of the other while desperately trying not to latch on to that fluffy tail wagging in front of her. Even though she knew it wasn't Vivian, it still gave off a calming sensation when she latched on to it before.
"Say, what's your name?" Jill asked, hoping to distract herself from her immediate surroundings.
"Clarice. I'm so happy that you agreed to this! Do you know how enticing your scent is?"
"No." She shook her head.
They encountered more foxes along the way that made Jill shiver with fright. Thankfully, beyond a few pleasantries, they paid them no mind. Jill finally gave in to her desires and latched on to Clarice's tail. Clarice didn't seem to mind and before she knew it, they arrived at their destination. The entire journey was a blur.
She saw they were in a bedroom filled with expensive blankets.
"We're here!" Clarice dived into the pile of blankets. "Can you please mark these?"
Jill moaned with pleasure as the soft fabric made contact with her fur. She instinctively marked the blanket by rubbing her chin across.
Clarice sniffed the freshly-marked blanket, relishing in its scent. "This smells wonderful. Can I hold you like a stuffed animal next?"
"What? No!" Jill said. Even though she was afraid of foxes, this request went too far. She felt that this level of intimacy should only be for her mate and not some random vixen she just met and was afraid of. "I've done what you wanted. Can you help me get home?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you mind staying for a while?" Clarice sniffed the air continuously.
"Why did I ever agree to this?" Jill muttered under her breath.
"I'll take you home? Can we still be friends? Maybe, you can visit sometime?"
Eager to get out of this vixen's burrow, she replied, "Fine." She tried not to sound too annoyed with the vixen for she was truly lost.
Clarice enveloped her in an unwelcome hug in her jubilation. "Thank you so much!"
They finally left for her home supposedly. There were so many twists and turns as well as the overwhelming scent of foxes. It wasn't that the foxes were dangerous towards her, but there was always the chance they could be. One mere bunny without any training was no match for a fox. The only thing she could do was hope that nothing went wrong.
After half an hour she lost track of how many tunnels they've been through and still couldn't smell any familiar scents.
"How much longer?" Jill asked.
"Almost there."
She focused on moving – hoping that it would end soon. Every step she took seemed to bring her no closer to home, but she was too afraid to ask how close they were again. Her patience dwindled as she moved through the motions. There wasn't a familiar scent despite them getting close supposedly. Was Clarice leading her astray? Despite her misgivings, she feared that if she complained, she wouldn't see her littermates or her mate again.
After what seemed like forever, Clarice said, "We've arrived, I think. Do you want me to wait out here?"
This was her new home or should be, but she feared that it might not be. "Please follow me inside," she said. At least, along the way, Clarice didn't display any hostile intentions towards her. If something went wrong, she hoped that Clarice could help her.
They were inside now but she still didn't smell anything reassuring. The scent of foxes became even stronger.
"Way to go, I see that you've already made a new friend."
Jill turned her head towards the voice. She saw some fox she didn't even know. "Friend?" she stuttered.
"We are friends, aren't we?" Clarice asked.
The last thing she wanted was to enrage the foxes near her. She tried to nod convincingly. "Where are my littermates?"
The fox gave helpful instructions on where to find every single one of them. She found Judy after walking past three doors. Of course, Clarice tagged along.
"Judy! I'm so glad I found you." Jill barged into a room where Judy was chatting with two foxes.
"Oh, we'll have to continue this conversation later. Follow me, Jill." Judy led the way out of the room. "Everything's going to be okay."
After a few steps, Judy noticed that Clarice was tagging along even as they got to their designated private space. "Who are you, and why are you following us?" Outside of a few select rooms, everything else was communal property.
"I'm her new friend. I helped her find her way home."
"I want to talk to her alone." Judy opened the door to their designated private room. Thankfully, Clarice left them alone. "Nick, why are you here and why do you have a shock collar on?"
"Jill, are you okay?" Nick said.
"No, I'm not." Jill gave a recount of what happened earlier. Somehow, she lost track of Vivian and ended up following the tail of another vixen. "I don't even know how that happened."
"Definitely one of my mother's plots. I don't believe that she can accidentally lose track of where you are."
"And don't think you're going to dodge my questions," Judy said. "What happened, Nick?"
"You're going to find out anyway." Nick sighed. He told them what happened concerning Jewel and how he didn't feel safe if she didn't have the means to shock him.
Judy used her paw to cover Nick's mouth before she started speaking, "This is what's going to happen. We're going to have Jewel live away from you. One of us will make sure she doesn't pull anything. You need time away from her. Do you realize how insane your plan sounds? I think you need therapy."
"She's not going to harm herself, is she?"
"Even though she's manipulative, I don't think she will. We also won't let her. Among the three of us, someone will be watching her every minute of the day. I'm going to find her now and tell her the arrangement. Keep an eye on Jill meanwhile." Judy left the room, leaving Jill with Nick.
"I'm not a burden, am I?" Jill asked. "We're in Foxhaven and foxes still make me uneasy."
What made things worse was that Nick was silent. He didn't say anything at all.
"I knew it… I'll just go."
"Look… let me tell you how I feel." Nick stopped her before she was able to leave the room. "I know this is hard on you and I should've been there for you. What's the use in denying that my heart thinks of Jewel even though it's unfair to everyone else? You try so hard to accommodate me, and I should do the same because I don't want to lose you. Please give me one more chance."
"This was harder than I thought it would be. I'm terrified every single moment, Nick. Maybe, I'm better off finding another place to live and hope that Bunnyburrow doesn't find me. On some level, I know that this is all in my mind, but it doesn't make it any better."
"I'm here for you, Jewel. Every step of the way. If you ever need anything, just ask."
"Of course, you are! You never cared about me, now leave me alone! Don't follow me." Jill left the room they were in. Her mate certainly didn't care about her. Why would he? He had three other rabbits that weren't afraid of foxes. She didn't know where she was going. She just wanted to be away from him.
It didn't help that she was unfamiliar with her new surroundings. The entire place was a labyrinth. After failing to find the exit for ten minutes, she summoned up the courage to ask a nearby fox for directions. "Can you tell me how to leave this place? I'm new here."
"Of course, three tunnels to the left. One tunnel upwards. Followed by two tunnels to the right and you should find a door."
"Thank you."
She followed the directions as best as she could. After she passed by two tunnels, she heard Janna shouting in a frantic tone, "Jill, can we talk, please?" Once Janna was close to her, only then did she gasp for breath. "What happened? Nick is worried and he doesn't want to upset you further. He's convinced he did something wrong and he doesn't know what."
"He doesn't even care about me. Why else would he refer to me as Jewel? It's always about her! Regardless of what she does. I'm sure he only pretends to love me to save face."
"I won't excuse what he did or apologize for it, but do you think that every moment you've spent with him is fake? Please think things through. You're stressed because you're surrounded by foxes. Come, let's get some fresh air. I'll notify our security detail to keep watch."
"Security detail?"
Jill learned that Foxhaven decided they were important mammals and assigned a couple of foxes to watch over them. It was to protect them from Bunnyburrow.
They headed outside – which was a small improvement. The air was a bit cleaner but she could still smell the scent of foxes. It certainly didn't help that multiple foxes were out enjoying the night sky. She walked beside Janna as they strolled in a park.
Janna motioned for her to sit on a nearby bench. "Do you still want to leave Foxhaven?"
She shook her head. "There's nowhere safe for me to go anyway. I just wish that Nick loved me instead of seeing me as a burden and someone that he has to look after. I'm less like a mate and more like an obligation he has to fulfill."
"What can he do to show that he loves you?"
"I don't even know. Like I can tell that I'm his least favorite, and I don't blame him since I still have this irrational fear towards foxes. Now, it's an even bigger problem since we're in Foxhaven, and not by choice, but for safety reasons. I only complicate things by staying with you all."
"Don't think like that, we would be devasted if we lost you." Janna started grooming Jill's fur.
Jill enjoyed her sister's ministrations. This allowed her to take her mind off the present where foxes surrounded her. Her sister's scent was calming.
After some time, her sister asked, "Are you ready to go back now?"
Once again, she was too afraid to object. "Yes." She nodded. The last thing she wanted was to upset her sister.
Along the way back, Janna asked, "Do you want more of Nick or less of Nick? I think he'll do whatever you want at this point. Say the word, and I'll inform him. It's understandable if you're still upset."
"There's really no choice except for whatever he truly wants. He already forces himself to care for me despite his desires, sometimes. Yes, I enjoy my time with him, but not if he's forcing himself to spend time with me. He won't love me like he does everyone else. I'm just a burden and everything about me doesn't help."
"I understand how you feel."
Jill walked beside Janna. Her heart thumped with anticipation every step, not knowing what she should expect. Nick would probably ignore her and that might be even worse than a false act of love that she didn't notice. Certainly, Nick forced himself to care for her in the past, but how often? Were the other moments genuine love or was she too stupid to notice? A storm of doubt swirled in her mind.
It seemed like Nick wanted to meet with her. She could smell him approaching. She didn't want to confirm that Nick didn't love her thus she turned tail and ran.
Janna stopped her with her paws before she could get far. "It's going to be okay."
"Let go of me." Jill struggled against Janna's grip, but it was no use since she was weaker.
Janna licked her cheek as a response.
Her sister delayed her escape attempt long enough for Nick to close the distance. He had a remorseful expression as he approached. "Please allow me to make it up to you." He got on the floor and begged.
This wasn't how she imagined things would go. What made it worse was that she didn't see any hesitation or reluctance on his part. There wasn't much she could do except give him a chance. She embraced her mate. Her scent was still on his fur with minimal traces from her siblings.
"How about we spend the rest of the day together, just the two of us?"
She was afraid that some point along the way, he'll grow bored. Bored of her and yearning for her siblings instead, but unwilling to voice his own desires. "I can't ask that of you. I'll just be disappointed in the end since you'll be forcing yourself to stay."
"Tell me what you want."
There had to be a way for her to escape an intimate moment without outright rejecting it. It wasn't that she didn't want Nick or his love, but she didn't want to force him to love her. She realized she was hungry. "How about some food?"
Janna leaned towards Nick's ear and whispered some stuff she couldn't hear. "I'll leave you two alone." She walked away.
"I'll take you to the Dancing Blueberry," Nick said.
It happened just like that – Nick was alone with her. She wanted to protest – but that would most certainly annoy him. There was no way she could entertain him long enough before boredom set in. A disaster was waiting to happen and there was no escaping it. An establishment with that name seemed ridiculous.
She followed him as he led the way. They passed by multiple tunnels that she lost her sense of direction. The presence of nearby foxes made her focus her mind on moving only, tuning everything else out. So far, she resisted the urge to latch on to Nick's tail like a lifeline.
A couple turns later, Nick said, "Here we are."
They were in front of a door marked with a … dancing blueberry. The scent in the air was different. It wasn't overwhelming with the scent of foxes. Once she opened the door – she quickly found out why. It was as if patients from an insane asylum received the opportunity to blend in with normal society and they were failing badly. The employees wore carnivorous fruit costumes, akin to something right out of a horror movie.
"Are you sure we're safe here?" Jill whispered.
"Don't tell me you're scared," Nick said. "Relax and enjoy."
Those had to be foxes in those costumes, right? She could tell they were alive by the way they moved, but they didn't talk at all. They didn't smell like foxes either. Her paw touched one of the grapes on the costume. It snarled in response but didn't say a single word.
She desperately wanted to leave, but she couldn't. Nick seemed to be enjoying this – and she supposed that she should too. If she complained now, what kind of a mate was she? This was Foxhaven, not Bunnyburrow where atrocities occurred daily.
A fox dressed in a suit came to greet them. "Sorry about that. That's a science experiment gone wrong. The grapelord is mostly harmless. He does have a tendency to attack apples. Will you be dining in the normal section or the nude one?"
"Is this place safe?" Jill asked.
"Only two employees went missing last year. I think all the customers are still alive. Oh wait, we did hear about one death."
Her fur stood on edge. "Let's get out of here." She grabbed Nick and ran for the exit.
The ground gave under her and she screamed. Pillows were there to break the fall along with a neon sign that said, "No clothes beyond this point." There was no other way out. Heedless of the sign, she opened the door and landed in a river of blood. After she sniffed the air, she realized it was tomatoes instead. Her fur became red that it looked like she was bleeding. A door loomed in front of her. On the other side, a table filled with food awaited. This wasn't how she imagined things would go – eating at a table while wearing clothes drenched in tomato juice.
"Nick?" she shouted.
"Just a minute." His fur was blue – for some reason with the scent of blueberries. It was like he took a bath in blueberry juice. "That was surprising. I didn't imagine that they made a water slide using blueberry juice. Cool." He looked at his surroundings. "We seem to be trapped in an alien hive."
"And you picked this place because?" She tried to avert her eyes from his naked form.
"They advertised it as an experienced out of this world. Plus, it's one of the few places that cater to rabbits, inadvertently though. Since we're very important mammals, this experience is also paid for us."
The only things on the table that was suitable for her to eat were berries and flowers. Flowers were intended for decoration and not for food.
"Have a bite." Nick grabbed a nearby dandelion.
"Don't the hissing egg sacks on the walls disturb you?"
"It would if we were in actual danger. Isn't this place a nice change of pace?"
"Well, it is unique."
She focused on eating and enjoying her time with Nick. There were a few varieties of flowers for her to choose from, but Nick had far more options with various dishes containing insects.
A muffled cry for help came from the wall. The problem was that it sounded realistic.
"And I'm guessing that's fake too?" Jill said.
"I'm sure they've something planned. Keep in mind that mammals who split up in horror movies usually end up dying."
"You're saying we should ignore it?"
"It's your choice."
She continued eating, and so did Nick, but the cry for help didn't cease. The cries for help did grow weaker.
"Doesn't it feel wrong to be eating while someone is crying for help?"
"You might want to make up your mind before it's too late then." Nick smirked.
Nick acted as if this was a game and not real life. It probably was even though it felt so real to her. She knew that if she didn't try to save that mammal, she would have nightmares even though she wasted a few minutes already. The continuous cries spurred her into action with Nick following behind her.
It was surprising that the wall gave way with minimal force. The wall consisted of a gel-like substance. On the other side, there was a gigantic spider floating mid-air. A vixen dangled from its jaws crying for help, as it ascended into the air.
"You don't seem concerned," she quipped.
"Got to give them props for making it so realistic." Nick grinned. "I wonder how much that machine costs."
"Do you know what's going to happen?"
"Not at all." Nick touched the walls, looking for something. "Usually there's a hidden switch or something to a secret door." A couple of minutes passed without any results except his paw getting sticky. "Well, that's disappointing." He licked his paw. "Grape, a hint of blueberry. It seems like we go back to the previous room. There's nothing else we can do here."
She wasn't sure if she should be annoyed with Nick for not acting in-character. Although, the only reason she remained calm was that this was fake. If Nick took this seriously, it was quite plausible that she would've fainted. Something pricked her back and she began to lose consciousness.
"I think someone shot me with a tranquilizer," Jill said.
"Well, that's anti-climactic. I wondered how this would all end. Would you think of this as a dream the next time you wake up?"
Before her consciousness gave out, she saw the carnivorous fruit monsters approaching.
The next time she awoke, she was sleeping with Nick. She took a quick look at her surroundings – and she was back home. Her littermates were sleeping soundly beside her. It didn't help that her fur was still sticky with tomato juice. Nick's fur was no better off, still covered with blueberry juice.
"What happened?" She poked Judy until her sibling woke up.
"You and Nick passed out while having too much fun. A well-meaning fox brought you home. Now, let me sleep."
"Please find me if I suddenly go missing." Her mind couldn't shake that something nefarious might be at work.
The entire experience was surreal and left her questioning what was actually real. She seemed safe for now with her mate by her side. Once she wasn't so tired, she needed a bath but for now, she just wanted to sleep.
