Trapped
Balm finally regained use of his senses a while after he was placed into a cage and the bars shut behind him. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about Zenthlay. He had seen the man raise that long black stick and then it set off the grandest noise he had ever heard. It made him go deaf for quite a while, but the thing that pained him most of all, was that he had seen Zenthlay collapse after that explosion. He assumed that she was now dead and just sat in the same spot of the cage, staring blankly at the wire. The evil shining wires were the only things hindering him from freedom, and they seemed so cold and dead. Balm spent the next hour or so beating himself up inside. Couldn't he have done something to help Zenthlay? Of course he could of, but he was too much of a stinking coward. "I hate myself," he sulked, and hit his paw against the wires in frustration.
Three rabbits stared at Balm, whispering in hushed voices to each other. Then a young doe stepped forward, and tapped him on the shoulder with her forepaw.
Balm jumped in surprise. "For Frith's sake!" he squealed, thinking that it was the man again. He gasped in surprise when he saw it was rabbits. Well more or less. "Did the man catch you all too?" he asked them, cocking his head. They seemed a little too well fed though, and just didn't look like wild rabbits, especially the one with the lopped ears.
The doe seemed to consider Balm for a moment and then grinned. "Hi, they call me Stardust," the blue-coloured rabbit smiled. Her ears were extremely long, and even touched the ground, giving her face a delicate, gentle look - even more so than the usual rabbit. "Frith?" she asked, squinting her eyes at Balm. She looked around at the two others there, "No, there isn't a Frith here," she told him, thinking that Frith was the name of a rabbit Balm was looking for. "But there are Cloves and also an Arwen. And no, the man didn't catch us," Stardust spoke to Balm, sitting back on her haunches. "We've always lived here."
Balm stared at Stardust like she was an alien. They didn't know about Frith and for that case not El-ahrairah either. It took a while to register in his brain. And they actually lived with man? He had never heard of such a thing so utterly insane. It just wasn't right. Balm's gaze rested on her ears, which were clearly the most distinguishing feature on her. They were so big. "Well umm...what happened to your ears?" he asked, thinking that perhaps the man had done something to them.
Stardust chuckled goodheartedly. "Nothing at all, that's how they are, and so are theirs," she said, pointing to the two other rabbits in the cage. They both nodded their heads when Stardust pointed them out, their ears crinkling up a bit when they did so. "The longer out ears, the better," she informed Balm, cocking her head at him. "That's what I figure from those shows we go to."
"Uhh...okay," Balm replied to Stardust, feeling very much confused. They didn't even sound like rabbits anymore to him. Suddenly the vision of his sister popped into his head. Zenthaly! Was she okay? What had happened? Where was she? A million questions rushed through his mind. He had to ask them about her. "You didn't happen to see another rabbit that looked well kind of like me, did you?" Balm asked Stardust, with a little hope in his voice. She wasn't lost to him yet.
Stardust grabbed her long ear and began to lick it. When she was finished she turned to Balm to answer his question. "Well I'm not sure, you see," she answered him. "He did come in with a rabbit slung over his shoulder, but I'm not sure if it would have been her or not," the doe answered, crinkling her eyes with sympathy for Balm. She had just been trying to spare his feelings, as she was pretty much certain the farmer had Zenthlay. And that wasn't good at all.
Balm's eyes welled up with tears as Stardust told him the farmer had her. "How can I get out of this cage thing then?" he asked, "I need to find her." He wouldn't be able to live with knowing that he possibly would have been able to help her, and hadn't. She could still be alive, for all he knew. He clenched his paws tightly, fighting back tears.
"Hey big fella, take it easy," Stardust tried to comfort him, but she really wasn't much good at it.
One of the lopped eared bucks hopped over to Stardust and Balm. He had been keeping quite a keen eye on the environment, and heard some noise. "Man, he's coming!" he spoke to the two of them, but mostly Balm.
Stardust hopped away from Balm, and huddled in a group with the other two lop-eared rabbits, close to the cage door.
"But-" Balm began with his paw outstretched, and then dropped it when he saw the man enter into the room. Balm felt so sad and alone. Why did Zenthlay have to go and leave him like that? It wasn't fair at all. The young buck watched as the man fished into a bag nearby, and then opened the cage.
The three hutch rabbits' noses sniffed a mile-a-minute as they rushed up to greet the man. One of them even pranced around the cage, as the man poured some pellets into the hard, ceramic dish. Immediately they were all feeding, and Balm just stared at them, forlornly.
The man put his hand in the cage and tried to push Balm towards the dish. "Go on an' eat," he told him, but Balm wouldn't budge. He dug his nails into the pine shavings that covered the wood floor, and held on hard. The whole time a voice was screaming in his head. GET OUT! GET OUT! THE DOOR IS OPEN! But Balm merely remained where he was, refusing to move a muscle.
The man shrugged, and closed the cage. He silently left the room, as Balm remained where he was. The frightened buck felt disgusted with these man rabbits. How could they? Treating him like he was one of there own... "Do you actually LIKE him?" Balm asked the two does and buck, incredulously. He still didn't move from that spot. He was afraid that if he did even though the man was gone, he would still get him somehow.
Cloves lifted his head out of the food dish, his mouth full of flay. "Yeah, why not? He feeds us and takes care of us. We don't have anything to worry about either," he rationalized to the buck. "You know, you're actually lucky to be here rather than in the wild, its better. You'll see in time," he told Balm, not even giving the buck a chance to ask him any other questions.
"Well..." Balm twisted himself around looking for Stardust again. She seemed much more accepting than Cloves. His shoulders sagged when he saw she was ravenously devouring the pellets in the bowl. The well-built brown buck turned back to speak to Cloves, figuring that he would have to do. "What if I want to leave?" Balm asked, as he stared at the spot where Cloves was. Or at least had been. The buck had scampered over to the food dish when Balm was thinking and was indulging himself once more. Balm sighed, as his ears dropped against the side of his head. He wasn't about to go eating that man poison. It just didn't look natural.
The hutch rabbits totally ignored their new companion as he lollopped over to the walls of the hutch. All across was chicken wire, which was supported by slender pine wood. Balm pushed his nose against the wire, and sprung back in surprise when it cut into his nose slightly. "What do I do?" Balm wondered to himself out loud. "Zenthlay would know," he continued to speak his mind, not caring if the others were listening. His gaze never leaving the wire that trapped him in the cage, he thought, "That's it! What would Zenthlay do?!" Balm grinned, trying to place himself in his sister's paws. His face beamed as he thwacked himself across the face with a forepaw. "Ow!" he squealed, and then hit himself again.
Stardust raised an eyebrow as she heard Balm squeal, but the other two kept eating. She shook her head, gazing curiously at him. Just what was he doing? Beating himself up?
Balm's entire face lit up. There, he almost felt like Zenthlay was here again! And all he had to do was keep hitting himself! That's what she would have doneā¦
Balm finally regained use of his senses a while after he was placed into a cage and the bars shut behind him. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about Zenthlay. He had seen the man raise that long black stick and then it set off the grandest noise he had ever heard. It made him go deaf for quite a while, but the thing that pained him most of all, was that he had seen Zenthlay collapse after that explosion. He assumed that she was now dead and just sat in the same spot of the cage, staring blankly at the wire. The evil shining wires were the only things hindering him from freedom, and they seemed so cold and dead. Balm spent the next hour or so beating himself up inside. Couldn't he have done something to help Zenthlay? Of course he could of, but he was too much of a stinking coward. "I hate myself," he sulked, and hit his paw against the wires in frustration.
Three rabbits stared at Balm, whispering in hushed voices to each other. Then a young doe stepped forward, and tapped him on the shoulder with her forepaw.
Balm jumped in surprise. "For Frith's sake!" he squealed, thinking that it was the man again. He gasped in surprise when he saw it was rabbits. Well more or less. "Did the man catch you all too?" he asked them, cocking his head. They seemed a little too well fed though, and just didn't look like wild rabbits, especially the one with the lopped ears.
The doe seemed to consider Balm for a moment and then grinned. "Hi, they call me Stardust," the blue-coloured rabbit smiled. Her ears were extremely long, and even touched the ground, giving her face a delicate, gentle look - even more so than the usual rabbit. "Frith?" she asked, squinting her eyes at Balm. She looked around at the two others there, "No, there isn't a Frith here," she told him, thinking that Frith was the name of a rabbit Balm was looking for. "But there are Cloves and also an Arwen. And no, the man didn't catch us," Stardust spoke to Balm, sitting back on her haunches. "We've always lived here."
Balm stared at Stardust like she was an alien. They didn't know about Frith and for that case not El-ahrairah either. It took a while to register in his brain. And they actually lived with man? He had never heard of such a thing so utterly insane. It just wasn't right. Balm's gaze rested on her ears, which were clearly the most distinguishing feature on her. They were so big. "Well umm...what happened to your ears?" he asked, thinking that perhaps the man had done something to them.
Stardust chuckled goodheartedly. "Nothing at all, that's how they are, and so are theirs," she said, pointing to the two other rabbits in the cage. They both nodded their heads when Stardust pointed them out, their ears crinkling up a bit when they did so. "The longer out ears, the better," she informed Balm, cocking her head at him. "That's what I figure from those shows we go to."
"Uhh...okay," Balm replied to Stardust, feeling very much confused. They didn't even sound like rabbits anymore to him. Suddenly the vision of his sister popped into his head. Zenthaly! Was she okay? What had happened? Where was she? A million questions rushed through his mind. He had to ask them about her. "You didn't happen to see another rabbit that looked well kind of like me, did you?" Balm asked Stardust, with a little hope in his voice. She wasn't lost to him yet.
Stardust grabbed her long ear and began to lick it. When she was finished she turned to Balm to answer his question. "Well I'm not sure, you see," she answered him. "He did come in with a rabbit slung over his shoulder, but I'm not sure if it would have been her or not," the doe answered, crinkling her eyes with sympathy for Balm. She had just been trying to spare his feelings, as she was pretty much certain the farmer had Zenthlay. And that wasn't good at all.
Balm's eyes welled up with tears as Stardust told him the farmer had her. "How can I get out of this cage thing then?" he asked, "I need to find her." He wouldn't be able to live with knowing that he possibly would have been able to help her, and hadn't. She could still be alive, for all he knew. He clenched his paws tightly, fighting back tears.
"Hey big fella, take it easy," Stardust tried to comfort him, but she really wasn't much good at it.
One of the lopped eared bucks hopped over to Stardust and Balm. He had been keeping quite a keen eye on the environment, and heard some noise. "Man, he's coming!" he spoke to the two of them, but mostly Balm.
Stardust hopped away from Balm, and huddled in a group with the other two lop-eared rabbits, close to the cage door.
"But-" Balm began with his paw outstretched, and then dropped it when he saw the man enter into the room. Balm felt so sad and alone. Why did Zenthlay have to go and leave him like that? It wasn't fair at all. The young buck watched as the man fished into a bag nearby, and then opened the cage.
The three hutch rabbits' noses sniffed a mile-a-minute as they rushed up to greet the man. One of them even pranced around the cage, as the man poured some pellets into the hard, ceramic dish. Immediately they were all feeding, and Balm just stared at them, forlornly.
The man put his hand in the cage and tried to push Balm towards the dish. "Go on an' eat," he told him, but Balm wouldn't budge. He dug his nails into the pine shavings that covered the wood floor, and held on hard. The whole time a voice was screaming in his head. GET OUT! GET OUT! THE DOOR IS OPEN! But Balm merely remained where he was, refusing to move a muscle.
The man shrugged, and closed the cage. He silently left the room, as Balm remained where he was. The frightened buck felt disgusted with these man rabbits. How could they? Treating him like he was one of there own... "Do you actually LIKE him?" Balm asked the two does and buck, incredulously. He still didn't move from that spot. He was afraid that if he did even though the man was gone, he would still get him somehow.
Cloves lifted his head out of the food dish, his mouth full of flay. "Yeah, why not? He feeds us and takes care of us. We don't have anything to worry about either," he rationalized to the buck. "You know, you're actually lucky to be here rather than in the wild, its better. You'll see in time," he told Balm, not even giving the buck a chance to ask him any other questions.
"Well..." Balm twisted himself around looking for Stardust again. She seemed much more accepting than Cloves. His shoulders sagged when he saw she was ravenously devouring the pellets in the bowl. The well-built brown buck turned back to speak to Cloves, figuring that he would have to do. "What if I want to leave?" Balm asked, as he stared at the spot where Cloves was. Or at least had been. The buck had scampered over to the food dish when Balm was thinking and was indulging himself once more. Balm sighed, as his ears dropped against the side of his head. He wasn't about to go eating that man poison. It just didn't look natural.
The hutch rabbits totally ignored their new companion as he lollopped over to the walls of the hutch. All across was chicken wire, which was supported by slender pine wood. Balm pushed his nose against the wire, and sprung back in surprise when it cut into his nose slightly. "What do I do?" Balm wondered to himself out loud. "Zenthlay would know," he continued to speak his mind, not caring if the others were listening. His gaze never leaving the wire that trapped him in the cage, he thought, "That's it! What would Zenthlay do?!" Balm grinned, trying to place himself in his sister's paws. His face beamed as he thwacked himself across the face with a forepaw. "Ow!" he squealed, and then hit himself again.
Stardust raised an eyebrow as she heard Balm squeal, but the other two kept eating. She shook her head, gazing curiously at him. Just what was he doing? Beating himself up?
Balm's entire face lit up. There, he almost felt like Zenthlay was here again! And all he had to do was keep hitting himself! That's what she would have doneā¦
