this is a story that i have been working on for a very long time please do not steal! enjoy!
Running From the WORLD
By; E R D
Dedicated to; my darling rabbits may their souls rest in peace
Bun and Bun
CH 1, and so it Begins
The Primroses were in bloom the grass was tall, broken at the tops and in a sun streaked field next to the rushing stream that marked the warren called Dandytuff five rabbits were in the field grassing, two Bucks one Doe and two kittens.
Suddenly Ragwort, one of the five rabbits called out at the top of his voice," THE DOGS, the dogs, they are coming they are coming with their masters, and their masters carry the death sticks!" The rabbits hearing Ragwort's cries all sped into the surrounding forest.
Ragwort was frozen on the spot. The dogs had Ragwort cornered in a seconds. One dog put a strong paw on Ragwort. Ragwort's eyes rolled so the whites showed. He grunted and cuffed the dog that was holding him down he then squealed and sunk his teeth into the dog's paw. The beast yelped and jumped back, Ragwort seizing the opportunity began to race across the field. He was nearly to the trees when the man's death stick delivered a shot. Ragwort squealed and fell to the ground motionless.
The man walked with proud long strides toward the spot where Ragwort lay. He reached down to pick the motionless body up. Suddenly the rabbit sprang up; in mid air he made a nick in the man's hand with his sharp claws. He then hit the ground. And with a gimpy back leg he scrambled into the brush with the others.
Thank the lord Frith that you're all right." said the doe Lilac." We were shure that we lost you there." the buck snowshoe commented."Mr.Frogwart sir your leg there "said the kitten Louluck motioning towards his wounded leg" It looks hurt". Stated Loulucks sibling Bluebell. The rabbits looked at the wounded limb and and gasped. "Oh Ragwort". Lilac breathed.
Bluebell informed Ragwort "Uncle Ragwort you need to come home. Right now." She said with a nod of her head. Snowshoe and Lilac loped over to his sides.
They slowly made their way across the forest with the kittens at their sides. When they neared the warren Lilac told her kittens and snowshoe to go ahead to the warren and ask some rabbits to come help get Ragwort back to the warren. Several rabbits were sprinting towards them Speedfoot, Sandlefoot, and Snowshoe followed by the three rabbits the kittens had sent for Greenvine, Grapevine, and Flowervine, they were all siblings. All in the warren could tell by their names which all contained the word vine.
When they had returned to the warren everyone was fussing over Ragwort's wounds. His mate Bitterroot made a grate business of cleaning his wound out. It hurt him greatly. He tossed and turned in the night.
The next morning Ragwort woke and loped into the sun. He had been grassing, the sun was shining and all was peaceful. The large deer grassed in the same field. It was the field that their warren was in. All of the rabbits were outside the safe warren walls in the sun, the kittens were wrestling, and the does were nursing their young as if they were still in their chambers, and the bucks were grassing to.
But the thing that puzled him the most was that not one rabbit was being a lookout. He saw sandlefoot and began to lop over to him he stopped in his tracks and noticed with rising panic that his leg no longer hurt.
He looked down to the spot where he had been shot no wound no blood just fur. He shot over to Sandlfoot "Something is wrong."He said. The rabbit made no reply. He began to panic and ran from rabbit to rabbit calling out their names. Not one made a notion to reply.
He sat wide-eyed and shivering. Just then a rabbit sprinted up to him it was Speedfoot. "Ragwort!" He cried. "Ragwort something is very wrong." Speedfoot said. Ragwort looked at him and nodded in agreement.
He was about to tell Speedfoot of his leg when an earsplitting buzz began. They saw men with machines that were the source of the buzzing. The machines had teeth that appeared to be very sharp.
Ragwort and Speedfoot ran to the warren holes but they were filled in. They began to dig desperately but the stuff was harder than frozen dirt harder than dried clay.
Ragwort was hit suddenly with a terrible word that he must have herd in a nightmare, pavement. "Pavement." He said." Pavement is filling our holes." He said suddenly. He looked over his shoulder Speedfoot was gone. He ran and ran in the direction of the trees that were still standing. He was still running and then he stopped and realized that he was not moving. He then saw Speedfoot in a pin with more than a dozen other rabbits. "Run!"Speedfoot cried. And run he did. He ran as hard and fast as his legs would allow, leaving his mate, friends, and his beloved warren behind.
Everything began to blur he toderd unsteadily and fell blinked seeing a last glimpse of his surroundings a large cherry tree some fire colored bush and a vast field flowers in full bloom he blinked once twice and fell unconscious
CH, 2 News
Ragwort woke and staggered forward he fell painfully back to the ground. He was then hit with the sensation of piercing pane in his hind quarters he looked to his leg. There was crusty dried blood over the spot where he hurt. His eyes came into focus and he saw with a full heart filled with at the moment both sadness and happiness his beloved Bitterroot asleep.
He also noticed that he was in his warren he struggled to the entrance hole. All the trees stood tall and proud not one was cut down."It was a dream" he said to himself he smiled and felt relaxed.
His smile disappeared, for at that moment he saw a mob of rabbits squatting in front of a large notice board murmuring nervously. Ragwort struggled over to them. "What is it?" He asked. "Don't know." Replied a rabbit called Cattleslack.
Ragwort focused his attention on the notice board. It read DEMOLITION SITE in big red letters. The rabbits could not make since of the words. But they new it meant trouble. He looked on to the trees. He nearly squealed from fright when he saw the same machines he had seen in that terrible dream, the ones with the sharp teeth. He scrambled back into his warren. "Bitterroot!" He cried. "We must leave!" She sat up with much trouble.
Ragwort looked at her wide eyed, he had not noticed but she was heavily pregnant. "What?" she gasped. "Why." "Last night..." He began. "What do you mean, last night? You were asleep for five Whole days!" She told him her voice uneasy. "Well I don't know how long I was asleep. But I do know that I had a terrible dream. Our warren was destroyed.
These men had terrible machines that cut trees down faster and better than any beaver, when I went to see what the owsla was looking at I saw the terrible machines resting on tree bases, and that was no dream." Bitteroot sat there looking at him hard, her hazel colored eyes not even blinking once.
She looked away closed her now sad eyes. "It's your duty as warren chief to gather the owsla and the owslafa and tell them of your dream and what you plan to do about it." Bitteroot said her eyes now lit up with fire.
At that Ragwort scrambled from his chamber and as swiftly as he could leave to gather the owsla and the owslafa. Bitteroot lay down in the nest of weed, grasses, feathers and flowers she had been constructing for the arrival of her babies. She then began to pull out her soft belly fur and line the nest. It was almost ni-frith when Ragwort returned, all of that time Bitteroot had been laboring hard for in the soft and wide nest six little kittens suckled at her nearly bare belly. He limped over to her and nuzzled her.
He sat up proudly, still looking with pride at his new kittens and Bitteroot. He lay down beside Bitteroot and told her that they had asked Ling when his dream would happen. Bitteroot asked why they had asked Ling for help. "Because Ling once was a house pet, so he knows human time." Ragwort told her. "But why would that help?" She asked. "The owsla went and looked at the notice board again they discovered an noticed paper it had a human date since there is a date it means that they wont start building till a certain date and since we cant read human time we asked ling to read it for us. "He explained. "But how on earth are we going to move the entire warren, how will we move our babies when they haven't even passed ni-frith?" She strained. "Don't worry it is in human time, three weeks." He told her. "So our babes will be old enough to journey." She said relieved. "Yes they would." He replied feeling relieved himself.
This would be a hard journey in his heart he knew that the warren would not stay together some would stay behind and fall to their doom some would brake away from the group. "Yes this will be a journey that all rabbits will remember." He then bowed his head in prayer and said," Great lord Frith guide me and my warren out of this destruction!" With that he put his head down and drifted to sleep hoping he would not encounter another horrid dream.
CH, 3 how El-ahairah Saved Fox
Long ago after the gift giving to animals Fox had wanted revenges on El-ahrairah the prince with one thousand enemies for El-ahairah had tricked him so many times. So fox would trap El-ahrairah then he would be able to prove that El-ahairah was not a better trixter than he was.
He went deep into the Inel caves where El-ahairah went often. Rats scurried in the cave. Fox lit a fire then began to stray from the light it was all in his plan. He knew that El-ahrairah was there watching him. He pretended to fall. Even though El-ahrairah tricked Fox he remained loyal to his friend and enemy Fox. So when Fox fell El-ahairah rushed to help him. Fox waited and when El-ahairah came close then he quickly he caught him with a knotted rope.
Fox laughed and said "I have outsmarted the greatest trixter to walk the earth so I am not only the lord of Foxes but also the best trixter in all the world!" He laughed once more then went back to the fire.
He put the fire out and made his way out of the cave with El-ahairah. He and El-ahairah had been traveling for along time then Fox slumped against the wall he was sweaty and thirsty he drank from his canteen and took no more than a fragment of a sip. For the canteen was nearly empty
He began to think of the way he came in but now he was too deep in the cave to tell which way he 6came from then he had an idea he said to El-ahairah. "El-ahairah will you not lead your new master out of this terrible cave?" "Fox!" El-ahairah began. "Fox you will never be my master!"
"El-ahairah you speak as a very wise rabbit but you are a fool to defy me when you are my prisoner." El-ahairah said nothing Fox angrily walked on.
Days past Fox was now out of water time and time again he had asked El-ahairah to show him out. At one time he was so desperately thirsty and hungry that he thought he would crush the rabbit in his jaws and eat its meat and drink its blood he decided otherwise for El-ahairah was his last hope.
After hours of watching fox try to catch a rat El-ahairah said to Fox. "Fox if you release me now I will guide you out of this cave. If not you will stay here and die." Fox then new that he the lord Fox was really El-aharas prisoner so he thought if he released El-aharah he would be releasing himself so after thinking it over Fox granted El-ahairah his freedom and as El-ahairah promised he led Fox out of the cave and into the light.
CH,4 The Last Look
This was the last day Ragwort would see his warren ,the last day he would look at the 6banks on witch he had played as a kitten,the last day to look upon the grassy fields, the last day to find delectable Cowslip along the stream.
At the moment he was sitting by the stream with his kittens and bitterroot. The now 3 week old kittens were wrestling on the green grass.
Bitterroot loped over to him she looked worried and unhappy. "It's OK." Ragwort assured her. "Ragwort you must get the warren together get everyone who is coming." "Right!"Ragwort replied.
He went from burro to burro gathering all the rabbits who wanted to come. Then he pleaded with the rabbits who wanted to
Stay he convinced three rabbits to come but the others refused. Once he gathered the rabbits he began a speech, his speech to the warren it was his blessing and his gift to his rabbits.
There were only a few rabbits that looked bold and exited, the rest looked miserable and uncomfortable and on top of that it was raining, hard. "On this night, "he began."We shall journey to where no other rabbit from this warren has gone before. On this night we shall journey away from Dandytuff to the unknown. May Frith be with us!" He shouted over the rain.
A rabbit approached Ragwort, Ragwort new him to be the most unruly laid back disrespectful scoundrel in the warren, but he knew why his parents were killed by a wolf, as well as his two brothers.
"HEY! The rabbit shouted at Ragwort" That's right I'm talking to you Ragy! Where are we going?" He shouted again at Ragwort. "There he is get em." It was the Owslafa leader his name was Champion he and his crew were tearing after the rood rabbit.
Lancer a member of the Owslafa bit the rabbit on his chest and ripped of some of the fur "Champion, what is the meaning of this!"Ragwort asked sharply." That rabbit is under arrest," Champion said, the rabbit was now keeping still for Lancer had the tip of his right ear clamped in his jaws and another was bearing its teeth ready to bite the rabbit "Why?" Ragwort Asked." For injure, rumoring, and ...murder.
To everyone's surprise Ragwort said gently, "Come here Cattleslaw, that's right is it not?" Cattleslaw nodded solemnly. "Whets this about murder?"
" I...I did dent mean it none of us meant it... it was just a game he did dent see the stream the branch it happen too fast to fast to warn him the others were in bad shape cause we did dent know where we were we did dent see the den the fox den. I escaped fine but my pals they were in bad shape. When the owsafa came it was to late they...they were gone." at this he lay down and cried.
Ragwort looked at him and saw he was only a three to four month old kitten. "Shall we killem' sir." Asked Lancer releasing his ear. "What for, he did nothing." Ragwort said.
"Sir..." Lancer was interrupted by Ragwort. "He stays with me." Ragwort said sternly. "Now what about a last story at our warren?" Ragwort asked his warren. "Please...yes!" His warren agreed. And so each rabbit even the ones that were not leaving all huddled together under an oak tree and listened to a valiant story of El-ahaihah.
CH5, The Story they Told
"This story has been told for a very long time" Lavenda began" It has been passed down for as long as frith can remember El-ahaihah,it is the story of El-ahaihah and the Jolly Rat.
Long ago when there were not so many as rabbits as today El-ahaihah was very lonely he had no companion he wandered and ate his fill but had no accompany of any sort.
One day while grassing he herd a faint "help" he skitted over to where he had heard the cry. There lay a half dead rat it looked up at him and struggled to speak to El-ahaihah. Rabbits did not normally help rats but El-ahaihah wanted at least a companion, so he helped the rat soon it was plump and very fine the rat and El-ahaihah were great friends after that.
They played and talked and El-ahaihah was happy. One particular morning El-ahaihah and the rat who said his name was Dosarel were grassing together El-ahaihah told the rat he was going to go into the bushes to find mushrooms so he left Dosarel to finish up grassing as soon as El-ahaihah left a fox rushed out of the bushes and pounced on the rat.
As the fox was about to consume Dorsarel, Dorsarel had a fenish idea and he said to the thin fox. "Do you really want to eat a scrawny thing like me? I think you deserve a nice big rabbit, don't you?" The fox whined and then smirked.
"theres one over there! in those bushes!" said Dorsarel. the fox said. "what a foolish rat you are! now i shal get to eat a rat and a rabbit!" the fox quicktly snaped one of Dorsarels forlegs and ran to get El-ahaihah. but El-ahaihah had already ran far far away for he had heard the rats evil plan."
levenda finished. when Cattleslaw spoke up. "um...what happened to Dorsarel?" he asked in a squeek. "ah...that my child is what would have happened to any animal the fox caut." Lavenda said solamly. the rabblits were quiet for a bit but Ragwort began to stomp his hind foot on the ground and others joined suit. rabbit claping and as Ragwort looked into the driving rain he said boldly. "we must hurry...the danger is near!"