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Chapter Two: Home?
Iris began the slow, agonizing process of removing blood and dirt from her pelt. She hated the taste but she wouldn't risk attracting more predators. The day had become night by the time Iris was finished. Then sleep overwhelmed her and Iris sheltered in the hollow tree for another night.
Once again, darkness smothered her like she had plunged to the bottom of a frigid lake. She clawed to push herself up when she realized her hind legs were frozen to their place. The doe thrashed harder. She heard voices and footsteps approaching her. They'll help me, Iris thought. Iris twisted and turned violently. They came closer still. Suddenly a claw ran down her back.
Something prodded her side. Iris gasped as she awoke from her suffocating dream. A large buck stood over her and a scrawny one blocked the entrance. Iris scrambled to her feet and trembled in fear. The past day rushed upon her. Just as that happened, sunlight streamed through the entrance and struck Iris. The scrawny buck gave a gasp as her marring wounds were revealed but the larger buck stepped forward.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Iris attempted to speak but the only thing that choked out was a frightened gurgle. She swallowed and said, "Iris."
"I suppose you have no warren?" the buck inquired. Iris simply nodded and sat up awkwardly to keep weight off her injured fore leg. He noticed how she was trembling.
"Don't fret. You are among friends. I'm Nightshade and this is Hayfur," Nightshade said soothingly. Iris relaxed slightly. "You should come to our warren. It's perfectly safe from predators," he added. Then the two bucks headed out with the new found doe trailing behind. They both had battle scars and a strange x-shaped scar on their foreheads.
Iris observed how they talked quietly to each other and listened to the bits of their conversation floated back on the wind.
"Neabri-rah won't like this torn-up mess…"
"But he said to bring all he rabbits we could…"
"I guess a doe is a doe, injured or not…"
Iris trained her ears on their words but the breeze suddenly reversed causing the wind to distort their voices. Then a well hidden burrow entrance was soon revealed in the hill-side. A guard rabbit stood in their path. He took a quick glance at the trio then stepped aside smoothly.
Iris looked around but never strayed from the bucks' sides. They went deeper and deeper until they found a normal burrow. The two bucks stood on either side of it and nudged her in. A strangely large, battle scarred buck turned to meet her.
"Hello, newcomer. What brings you here?" he said in a rather kind way.
"I wa-want to j-join your warren," Iris stuttered in fear. The rabbit nodded slowly.
"Then you may call me Neabri-rah," the buck explained.
"Rah?" Iris asked. She was unfamiliar with regular marren terms.
"It means I rule here. Neabri said patiently. "Now if you going to stay here, you'll need your mark…" Iris took a scared step back. Hayfur and a guard rabbit blocked her way out. Neabri advanced, his muscles bunched to spring. The doe cowered as he raised his claws. The leader struck out twice, cutting an x into her forehead. Pain lanced mercilessly through the doe.
"Hayfur, show her to her burrow." Neabri's kind tone returned. Hayfur nodded and turned around. He headed down the hallway to an empty burrow except for a doe sitting in the back. Iris nodded timidly and walked in. Hayfur watched her settle then left without another word.
"Hello. I'm Foxglove." the other doe tried to be kind but was too busy washing blood from a wound on her head. Iris saw the wretched crimson liquid dribble down her reopened x cut. Then the doe felt blood from her own wound. Iris began to wash fervently. She couldn't stand he smell of it.
"I'm Iris," she replied. "What do you know about this place?" Iris wasn't so sure she wanted to stay after all.
"Well, you can't leave. I have already tried that." Foxglove said bitterly. "I was about to walk out when a guard stopped me and reopened my wound which I had only gotten yesterday. Apparently, they need all the does they can get." Iris looked horrified. How could she possibly leave now?
Suddenly Hayfur poked his head in. "Time for silfay."
"What's that?" Iris asked Foxglove, following her as she stood up.
"It's when we go out to eat." The doe sounded excited. She happily hopped out the burrow with Iris timidly following. Foxglove went up a hole not far from their burrow. A guard glanced at them and gave a nod. The younger doe followed her elder into the open field.
It was a few minutes into eating when a guard came up to Foxglove.
"Miss Foxglove, Darkseed has chosen you to be his mate. You should be honored, he is a veteran of our burrows, the Quicksand Burrows." The guard said as a gray and black buck came up to Foxglove and nudged her affectionately. The doe seemed crushed as she was led to Darkseed's burrow.
"Wait," Iris called to the guard as he began to leave. "Doesn't Foxglove get to choose who her mate will be?" Iris asked worriedly.
"No, Miss Iris." The guard replied. "Oh yes, and someone has chosen you to be his mate. Um, Hayfur, I believe his name was." Iris gave a silent gasp as the guard returned to his post. A straw colored buck came up to the stunned doe and brushed against her kindly. Iris stepped away from him.
I must escape this place, Iris thought desperately. She took another uncertain step back. The doe was trembling as she turned around and ran.
Then three tough bucks stepped in front of her from nowhere. Iris skidded to a stop and knocked one of them down. He quickly scrambled to his paws in an undignified manner and shoved the doe to her feet. Iris could feel waves of anger coming off them.
"You belong to the Quicksand Burrows. Need I remind you of-" He tenderly ran his paw over her forehead-wound. "-of your mark?" With the twist of a paw, the wound was reopened. Iris whimpered but besides that, she hardly reacted to the blood and pain. The rabbit gruffly shoved Iris back to the warren. Once inside, she was presented to Hayfur who promptly placed himself between the entrance of his burrow and his new mate.
He settled comfortably and inquired calmly, "So, Iris, tell me about yourself. I'd like to know you better." Iris narrowed her eyes and studied the buck. He wasn't that strong but was strong enough to repress Iris. She accepted that fact but stayed ready for any chance to escape.
"My past is not pleasant," Iris warned harshly.
"Nor is mine," Hayfur retorted.
"A weasel attacked my family and took their lives. He soon caught me and gave me terrible injuries. I killed it from pure luck then crawled into a burnt out tree to recover." She winced at the memory. Hayfur's expression was cleverly unreadable. "I soon heard the Black Rabbit's call." The buck sat up with a gasp.
"I told him no. No, I would live and we would meet later. Then he left and I cleaned myself. You found me the next morning." Iris finished with a bitter grimace. Hayfur nodded silently, still in awe of the rabbit that defied the Black Rabbit's call.
Hayfur coughed slightly. "My past meets the Black Rabbit many times. When I was three months old, I watched the Black Rabbit walk away with my father. Then when I was six months old, a farm cat destroyed my mother and siblings. I saw the Black Rabbit leave with them. I was then found quickly by a Quicksand Burrows patrol and I joined. Now you may return to silfay. Return to my burrow everyday after your afternoon meal okay?" Iris blinked and left the burrow promptly to eat.
again, i started this one like a few years ago. the next chapter will sound much more fluent.