A/N: I would have updated this sooner but I problems arose, sorry.
"Bonnie, I swear, if you do not go right now, I'll throw you out of a tree myself," Freddy had growled to him moments after Mike had, uneasily, informed them that the Lapinian had just walked off- despite the fact that separating had already been established as being a bad idea. Bonnie snarled as the brown Bear's hand landed on the smallest Bear's shoulder, preventing him from following the other Rabbit. "Go."
"Why?" he demanded hotly, shoving his bucket towards his fellow Lacatran. Spring promptly dropped the branches he was holding in order to catch the bucket, as Bonnie didn't bother waiting to see if his brother actually had a hold of it before letting go. "He's just a useless Lapinian."
"Because you're being an asshole," Freddy growled, his stare unwavering. "You can't blame a kid for something his father did."
"He's a Lapinian, he's not a kid," Bonnie snorted, crossing his arms. "Everyone knows-"
"I don't care about Lapinian standards, Rabbit," Freddy cut him off as calmly as he could. "I don't know what goes on on that planet and neither do you, but it's no secret they have toxic ideologies." Freddy leaned closer to Bonnie, as if to tell him something no one else was supposed to hear, and added, "And frankly speaking, I already don't trust that kid out on his own. We're in a place that none of us know, he's not adapted to, where anything could be lurking around the corner, our rules don't apply, and he's just a teenager. If anything happens to him because you're being an asshole, then you're to blame." The bear's voice dropped into a growl. "And I don't take kindly to murder."
What could he possibly say to that? The Bear was threatening him... and Bonnie had a feeling that Freddy would not hesitate to deliver on the threat.
The Rabbit scowled. "Fine," he spat, backing away from the Bear. He himself was a colonist and the Bear was an Ursian, but Ursius for all of its scientific advancement was still a force to be reckoned with head-on. It would be best to not risk the Bear's anger- that might be a fight Bonnie can't win.
"Good," Freddy spoke pleasantly, straightening up. "Now go."
Bonnie made his displeasure clear as he glared at Freddy, then he turned and angrily walked in the direction Mike had gestured in.
"Let him go alone, Spring."
Great, and now they're separating me from my brother. Wonderful.
He growled and angrily kicked at the ground, wincing slightly as his bare foot smacked against a tree root. "Damn Bear," he muttered, red eyes on the ground in front of him.
Evidently the Lapinian hadn't been concerned whatsoever with covering his tracks; his footprints were clear in the strange soil, even through the layer of grass. It didn't take any tracking skills whatsoever to follow.
"Damn Lapinian," he added bitterly, glaring up ahead. "Spoiled, ungrateful little-"
He stumbled over a root and hissed to himself. Pay attention, Bonnie. He took a deep, calming breath in through his nose and let it out, shoving his anger aside. It'll do no good to trip and break your neck. His ear twitched as he heard something from up ahead. It sounded like a voice, though he couldn't make out the words from that distance. The Lapinian. I'll drag his ass back to camp and let the Bears dress him down or whatever.
With that in mind, Bonnie continued walking ahead, following the footsteps. It didn't take long to find his quarry; the blue Rabbit came into view and Bonnie paused, raising a brow at the scene before him.
He's just standing there, doing nothing.
The smaller blue Rabbit was just staring at his bandaged hands. Bonnie wasn't sure exactly why the Rabbit's hands were bandaged but he couldn't be bothered to care. He opened his mouth, about to bark out a command to the Lapinian, but his voice died as the Rabbit jerked into action and unwrapped the bandages.
Even from that distance, the dried blood was clear and stark against the Rabbit's bright blue fur.
As the makeshift bandages fell to the ground, the Lapinian stepped closer to the vine strung up between two trees. Bonnie furrowed his brow, scowling in confusion. He was hesitant to call out.
What is the idiot doing now?
He watched the Lapinian reach his hand out to the vine. It was odd; he didn't look like he was about to grab it, his fingers straight and splayed as he laid his hand on the vine. Silently, Bonnie started circling around the Rabbit, his eyes trained on the other's hand. A strange feeling twisted in his stomach.
What are you doing...
He watched the Lapinian slide his hand over the vine, his hand curling into a fist as he rested his forearm on it. Bonnie couldn't even begin to comprehend what the Rabbit was trying to do. Is he trying to break it? Then the Lapinian pressed down on the vine. It didn't budge and Bonnie's frown deepened. For someone always looking for logic and answers he sure doesn't make any damn sense.
Cator's eyes seemed to be trained on his arm. Whatever he was seeing didn't seem to please him as he frowned and added more pressure, his brow creasing in what Bonnie could only describe as frustration. The vine did move somewhat with the added pressure, but it didn't bend far and it definitely didn't seem to be on the verge of-
That was when he saw the blood.
For a moment he was absolutely floored. This was Bandi Cator, son of one of the most powerful and privileged Lapinians on the Lapinian home planet. There was no doubt that everything he wanted, he got. What in the world was he hurting himself for?
Hurting himself. Those words felt heavy, but there was no other way to describe what he was seeing. The Lapinian was hurting himself and he seemed frustrated about something- but still he didn't pull his arm away. In fact, he was adding more pressure, causing the vine to only cut deeper.
Is he trying to disable himself or something?!
Before Bonnie even knew what he was doing, he had bounded over to the Lapinian and grabbed the Rabbit's wrist, preventing him from adding any more pressure.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" he demanded, watching the smaller Rabbit jerk to attention, wide green eyes snapping up to Bonnie's red. He seemed legitimately shocked, as though he hadn't expected anyone to follow and catch him, and it was the first time Bonnie had seen any emotion other than anger or irritation from the Rabbit.
"Wha- let go of me!" the Lapinian's demand was somewhat ruined by the squeak in his voice and the wave of panic in his eyes. However, the Rabbit took in a sudden sharp breath and Bonnie could practically see the walls fly up, pulling all emotion out of those eyes.
Bonnie didn't like this. Suddenly, he could see what the Bears had seen- someone who was a danger to themselves.
"No," he growled, pulling the Lapinian's arm away from the vine. He barely glanced at the deep cut the blue Animal had inflicted upon himself. "What the hell is this about, Lapinian?!"
"It's nothing. I was just testing something," the blue Rabbit answered shortly, trying to yank his arm away from Bonnie's grip. It was almost pathetic; Bonnie didn't even need to tighten his grip to keep his hold on the Rabbit's wrist. "Let go of me."
"What were you testing?" he questioned, eyes narrowing. I don't believe you.
"I-I was just seeing how much pressure it took before the vine would cut," the Rabbit explained calmly, but the initial stutter was all Bonnie needed to know that it was a lie.
"Then you wouldn't have let this happen," he hissed, lifting the Rabbit's arm to emphasize the bleeding cut. "That's too deep to have been testing an initial cut- and don't think I don't see the cuts on your hands. You already knew how much pressure it took, so stop lying to me."
It was almost humorous, he realized, of him to demand the Lapinian to be honest with him. Him, who pretty much said from the beginning that the blue Rabbit would be better off to them all dead.
The Lapinian's eyes narrowed at Bonnie. "It doesn't matter," he stated flatly, but now Bonnie wasn't buying it. The air around them was charged but he was pretty damn sure the negativity wasn't spawned from his own dislike of the other Rabbit.
He stared at the Rabbit, at those dull eyes and the slight furrow in his brow that gave away his unhappiness. He really looked at him for perhaps the first time since they woke up on that planet, looking at how the other Rabbit stared back, eyes cold and dead.
They were nothing at all like what he'd seen two minutes before, when the Lapinian had thought he was alone and before he could really register Bonnie's presence. It's a guise.
But for what?
Bonnie's eyes flicked over to the cut on the other Rabbit's arm. He wasn't even trying to stop the bleeding, and he clearly didn't care about the dried blood on his palms. The larger male looked back at the younger, frown deepening. The other was tense- very tense- and wasn't backing down, even as he tried, and failed, to pull his arm away from Bonnie's grip.
"Are you depressed?"
It slipped out before he could even think about it. The other Rabbit stilled, eyes widening slightly. It wasn't an oh shit expression- it was more of a wait, what? expression, as though the Rabbit had never even once considered it and had no idea where Bonnie had gotten the idea in the first place.
"What?" the Lapinian laughed uneasily, humorlessly, as he stared at Bonnie. "I'm Lapinian, I have nothing to be depressed about."
That was exactly what Bonnie would have said, but his eyes flicked over to the deep cut on the blue Rabbit's arm once again. He raised a brow at the younger, as if inviting him to explain. The green eyes followed his gaze, a strange look crossing the Rabbit's features.
Realization followed.
"Wha- n-no, you're misunderstanding!" The Lapinian gave him a sudden smile that was way too wide to be even slightly real. "Really, you, uh, you just- I wasn't- it's not what you're thinking-"
"I think it's exactly what I'm thinking." Bonnie scowled at the smaller. "Drop the smile, it's not fooling anyone."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Like hell," Bonnie growled, lifting his arm yet again. "You're an idiot if you think I'm gonna fall for that when you're bleeding from a cut you made on purpose."
The blue Rabbit didn't seem to know how to respond. He was silent for several seconds before he repeated, "You're misunderstanding. It's not what you think." Before Bonnie could say anything, he added, "Can you please let go? You're hurting me."
It was bit out, as though it pained him just to admit it. You're hurting me.
Blinking, Bonnie realized his grip had steadily tightened around the other's wrist. He hadn't even realized how close he was to crushing the other's wrist, and as he did he promptly released him. He watched the other stumble a few steps back, rubbing his wrist with a small frown.
It would bruise, Bonnie knew. How am I gonna explain that to the protective asshole back at camp?
The silence between the two Rabbits was tense; Cator wasn't offering an explanation and Bonnie wasn't offering an apology. It stretched on, green eyes watching him warily. Then, without warning, the smaller Rabbit turned and walked out into the trees.
Bonnie blinked, somewhat shocked as he watched the younger walk away. "What the- hey, get back here!" he demanded, hurrying to follow the Rabbit. "Freddy wants you back at camp, you-"
"Stop following me," Cator huffed, glaring over his shoulder at him. "Do you not understand the concept of being alone?"
"Oh, yeah, I totally trust you to be out on your own," Bonnie snarked, tossing a gesture back in the direction of the vine. He didn't glance back; he didn't want to see the red still clinging to it. "Weren't you and the others the ones insisting that this place isn't safe, anyway?"
"Whatever, just leave me alone, Lacatran."
"No."
He heard the Rabbit huff in frustration, and then he suddenly took off in a run. Bonnie blinked, more than a little surprised as the Rabbit disappeared from sight, but then he rolled his eyes; he knew he could easily catch up to the other, but what was the point in wasting energy running when he could just follow the other's footprints?
"You are aware that I can track, right?" he called ahead, listening to his voice echo around the trees. There was no response. A glance at the ground as he walked confirmed that the other hadn't bothered to try and cover his tracks yet again. He sighed and followed the footprints.
I can't believe this.
He didn't feel guilty, of course; there was nothing he did, Freddy had made sure of that. Besides, someone didn't just hurt themselves because of one person they knew for less than a day. There was no way Bonnie or his brother were the reason for the Rabbit's actions.
Then what is his reason? Damn Lapinian...
His eyes were on his surroundings and the ground, following the rushed footsteps almost leisurely. The Rabbit didn't feel too concerned, as the other didn't seem to have a death wish.
Yeah. He just cut himself is all. And could have easily disabled himself, the idiot, what the hell was he thinking...
Bonnie paused, raising a brow as something new entered his sight. He stopped walking and frowned, peering over the unexpected development. It was a drop-off, about eight feet down. At the bottom of the drop the grass was in disarray, and a glance at Bonnie's own feet showed that grass and dirt had been pulled away to reveal stone.
The Lapinian had slipped and fallen down.
He was silent for a moment before snorting. Wow, weren't watching where you were going, huh? he mused as he knelt down, observing the wall of the drop. It was made of jagged stone that could easily cut flesh if grabbed improperly, but it was climbable. Already Bonnie could see several potential hand and footholds.
However, Bonnie was a Lacatran and he had little patience for climbing down when he already knew how to land safely, so rather than begin a safe climb down he just leapt. When his feet hit the ground, though, grass and dirt was kicked up as his feet went straight through, and he stumbled as his feet hit something very solid.
Catching himself before he could fall, Bonnie kicked dirt and grass away from his feet. He frowned; hardly three inches of dirt covered stone.
Odd, he thought to himself, shaking the dirt off of his feet before he started following the footprints again. These were less hurried; the other Rabbit was walking again. How are these trees growing?
The trees around him were tall and still, just like the rest of the forest. However, unlike the rest of the forest, many of the trees in the drop were standing but it looked like just as many were toppled or leaning. He eyed the large root systems clinging desperately to the stone under it.
Alien planets, don't need to know how they work... but... these things aren't gonna come crashing down on me, are they?
Pushing the thought aside, he kept following the footprints. The silence echoed all around, and he had the impression that it was mocking him. What about, he wasn't sure, but it just... felt that way.
Soon enough, he found himself in a clearing. In the center was a... pond? Bonnie wasn't sure, it was rather small and contained with no streams entering or exiting. It didn't concern him, though; standing at the edge, staring thoughtfully into the water, was the Rabbit he had been sent to retrieve.
His stomach twisted at the sight of the blood against the blue fur; the Lapinian hadn't even attempted to take care of it.
Bonnie approached the younger Rabbit, not making any effort to be quiet, but the other didn't give any sign of hearing him anyay. "What are you thinking?" he asked casually, glancing towards the water. He got no answer. "Hey," he started, somewhat irritated at being ignored. Still Cator didn't respond. "Hey, are you deaf?" he huffed, reaching out to grab the other's shoulder. "What are you-"
The moment his fingers touched the blue Rabbit's shoulder, Cator yelped and jumped, clearly startled as he whirled around and lost his balance. Instinctively, Bonnie grabbed his shirt and pulled him away from the pond, scowling.
"Jumpy," he muttered, releasing the blue Rabbit's shirt. "What the hell?"
"Don't sneak up on people!" Cator immediately huffed, sidestepping around Bonnie to walk around the pond. Bonnie briefly glanced at the water. It was clear at the top but seemed to become murky several feet down; he was unable to see the bottom. "Damn Rabbit..."
"What were you thinking?" Bonnie repeated, tearing his eyes away from the pond and following Cator.
"You wouldn't care, I was just looking for a logical explanation," the blue Rabbit muttered, prompting Bonnie to roll his eyes.
"Answer me."
"I did answer you."
"No you didn't," Bonnie growled, following the Rabbit out of the clearing. "What are you thinking?"
There was a moment of silence before Cator bitterly stated, "This place is scientifically incorrect."
Those words only worked to irritate Bonnie further. Should have figured it was about that. Damn Lapinian. When he spoke, however, Bonnie pushed as much told you so as possible into his voice; "Then just stop looking for scientific explanations. If there's none, just accept it."
"I can't just stop," Cator growled, pausing to glare back at him. "Being ignorant isn't a good thing."
"Look," Bonnie started, scowling as the Lapinian turned his back again, "knowing something is and accepting it are different from being ignorant. Being ignorant is not realizing something is the way it is. This place makes no damn sense but we know it is, so just stop." He knew his words fell on deaf ears as the Lapinian suddenly bounded over to a toppled tree. Letting out a breath, Bonnie closed his eyes and ran a hand across his face. Impossible.
"What are you doing?" he questioned, not even attempting to hide his irritation. "You know tree roots aren't going to answer anything, right?" There was no response.
When he opened his eyes, the blue Rabbit was just staring down at the base of the tree, giving no indication he had heard or understood anything the colonist had said. Bonnie's scowl deepened.
"What are you even looking at?" Bonnie demanded, eyes on the Rabbit. "You-"
"We have to get out of here."
The other's sharp tone actually caused Bonnie to pause. He blinked, watching the way the younger Rabbit tensed, the air around him practically screaming his unease. Slowly, the purple Rabbit began approaching the other. "What?"
"I get why this place is the way it is. We have to get out of here right now," Cator repeated, turning his gaze up to Bonnie's. The purple Rabbit was struck by how serious the teen looked, his green eyes slightly wide but his brows drawn together. It was clear that the Lapinian had come to a horrible realization... and it deeply concerned him.
Suddenly, Bonnie had a feeling that he should actually listen to the younger.
His eyes trailed down to the base of the tree where Cator had been staring so intently. He expected the hole. What he didn't expect was for it to keep going, down and down until all of the light was gone, leaving nothing but empty blackness and the rhythmic plink plink of dripping water. In the distance there was a crash... the sound of wood hitting stone.
Every instinct was now screaming get out of here! and the Lapinian seemed to agree, his next words tinged with earnest.
"We're standing in a death trap."