Rise of the Guardians

Lucky Rabbit

Chapter Four: Lucky Strike

Faustine was so excited. Her home was finally finished and while the grass still had to fill out, she was absolutely delighted. She looked into each, already decorated room with glee. It was fashioned a lot after her parents' home but over time, she'd be able to personalize it better.

Her favorite room, however, was her bedroom. It was massive, with big, wide windows that brought in a great amount of light, all focused on the massive cat bed, complete with a just as massive pillow and a soft, wooly blanket. She took her time kneading on it with delight, purring loudly. It was the best thing for her but what bothered her slightly was that it was a little too big.

"Made for two," She hunched down sadly in her front yard. She had decorated her opening and path with the various Easter eggs she 'found', all of them hollowed out and carefully preserved with its outer beauty. "And no one to share it with."

There was a sound of a bell ringing in the distance as a smaller portal opened and her parents walked out.

"Oh, honey, Thank the Maneki-Neko that you are in one piece!" Anabella threw her arms around her tightly. "Oh, I missed you so much! Why didn't you visit?"

"I've been busy, Mom," Faustine tried to pull away. "Dad, can't you help?"

Her mother's nose was going into hyper drive. "Why do you smell like a rabbit!?"

"Umm.. Want a tour?"

"Erik!"

"I'm sure there's a good explanation."

"I really don't want to talk about this." Faustine began to hurry into her home. "Can you please drop it?"

"Oh, god, it's your infatuation with the Easter Bunny, isn't it? I told you and told you that we do not mingle with that kind! We hunt that!"

"I don't hunt! And it's not an infatuation! Why do you always belittle my feelings?" Mother and daughter stood, forehead to forehead.

Erik gently pulled Anabella away. "It's all right, Faustine. We'll drop the subject."

"No, we will not! I forbid you to interact with that.. That.. Rabbit!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Faustine shouted. "I love him and that's that!"

"That is not that! I have found you a perfect mate, he's kind, sweet, handsome, and fierce.."

"I don't want whatever you picked up, Mom. I want to do things my way, on my own. Why do you think I made this? It's for me, it's my home!"

"It's big," Erik said, behind the arguing women. He was outright ignored as he looked at the Easter eggs with curiosity.

"You will not! You will do it my way! Just as I have done with my mother, I did quite well, by the way.."

"You wouldn't even give Dad a chance at first!"

"That's nothing like this. This! This!" Anabella pulled up an egg. "This is a foolish, idiotic notion that should be flung out of your head!" She dropped it and slammed her heel angrily into the egg.

Faustine screamed. "Don't!"

Her mother began to slam into the others as Faustine screamed in rage and lunged. Her claws were extended as she forcibly moved her mother, both hissing and scratching before Erik used his luck source to create movement between them, dividing them harshly.

"That's enough, Anabella." He spoke with finality.

"No!"

Faustine was gathering the broken shells, sobbing in pain. "My beautiful keepsakes…"

She looked at her mother in anguish. "How could you be so cruel? You're a terrible mother!" She shouted and then left her Cat Haven, sobbing.

She landed, to her surprise, in Bunny's Warren. It hadn't been intentional but she must've wanted to arrive. She found the same hollow tree from before and hid herself, crying to herself.

It took Bunny time to realize she was in his home again. He watched her from a distance, expecting her to pop out in joy at seeing him. He inched closer and eventually picked up the sound of crying and the deep scent of pain and anger.

He sat a couple of meters away, listening to her quietly. He found that he didn't like that she seemed to be hurting. After all, underneath his rough disposition was a good guy. He bit his lip and tried to think if he had done something to make her cry.

But he only remembered that he seemed to bring out a righteous anger and that she never kept to that.

Bunny sighed before he put himself at the entrance. "Hey, Kit, what's wrong?"

Her eyes were blood-shot already with puffy eyelids. She tried to talk, her lip trembling furiously as she curled into a tighter coil and sobbed.

He rubbed his head, feeling awkward. He had two choices, he realized. He could just walk away and let her sob her soul out or go in and comfort her.

He had to be careful, he grumbled to himself. He inched into the hollow tree, his body taking up the rest of the space as he finally managed to sit on his buttocks.

She moved automatically, curling into his lap as she cried softly. He never felt so awkward but he silently stroked her hair as he wondered just what in the Hell he was doing.

Bunny finally leaned back against the warm bark and fell asleep shortly after she did. He awoke to very soft snoring, his ear flicking as he felt a familiar presence.

"Please don't find me, please don't find me, please don't…"

"What give, Bunny? I wait an hour for you to show and you sleeping in a.. tree?" North huddled down, surprised. "Who's that?"

"Shhhh… It's… a long story."

"Long story?" North laughed boisterously. "She likes you, what's so long about it?"

"I said shhh!" Bunny hissed.

"Umm…" Faustine's eyelids twitched as she rolled off his lap and her face hit the ground. "Ow!"

She looked up with startle. "Oh, sweet Haven, it's Santa Claws!"

"Is me!" North beamed.

She then slowly looked behind her. "Umm… was I in your…?"

"No." He pushed past her, walking away hurriedly.

"He was holding you, such sweetness! You make good couple!"

"North!"

"Really?!" Faustine automatically perked up. "You think so?"

"Oh, yea, cute couple! Cute babies!"

"Ah, crikey, I should've let her be on her own!"

"But you didn't! You didn't!" She pranced around him. "So you DO like me!?"

"I am not having this conversation."

She suddenly faltered, eyes filling with tears.

"Oh, oh, geez, mate, don't cry, kit! Don't cry! I'm not argo at all!"

North was shaking a finger at him with slight reproach.

"It's not that.. I remembered why I was so upset. My mother.." Faustine gave a sob. "Stomped on my beloved keepsakes! We were having an argument and she thought she could forbid me to not see you and then she stomped on my eggs!"

"You have eggs?" North asked in a hushed voice.

"How did you get eggs?!"

"I found those that no one else did! I then hollowed them and made them into cute little decorations on my lawn… but she broke five of them! I work so hard to keep them perfect too!" She was sniffling as she rubbed at her face.

Bunny opened his mouth to yell or to retort or to be angry that she was taking something of his. But he couldn't find anything but sympathy. He put himself next to her. "Hey, hey. How about I make you some personally?"

Her downward gaze slowly lifted, eyes growing huge and soulfully. He hated to admit it but he found that he rather liked that gaze.

"Really?" Her voice came out teeny and full of wonder. "You'd make me some personally?"

She burst onto him, throwing them both to the ground as she hugged him. She then bounded off and danced around, playfully batting at the pretty flowers as she purred loudly.

"I get new eggs! I get new eggs!" She said in a singsong voice. "And it's not even Easter!"

"Doesn't take much to make her happy, heh." Bunny looked embarrassed. He rubbed at his ear as North smirked at him. "Stop staring."

"She is cute," North pointed out. "Sweet thing. She's not a child, right?"

"No, she's fully grown."

Said grown humanoid feline was still prancing around like a kitten, now singing to some of his Warrior eggs. They had spun into their happy faces as Bunny rubbed a hand down his face, dragging his cheek downward.

"Crikey, I need to stop listening to Jack," He told himself. "I got to nip this in the bud!"

"Nip it in the butt?" North began to laugh loudly. "I didn't know you like such things! Cute, Bunny!"

"That's not what I said!" He flushed at North's loud laughter. "Oh, don't make me cheezed off, mate! You don't want to see me angry!"

"Ah ha ha ha!" North laughed loudly.

Faustine bounded next to him, sniffing. "You smell sweet. Do you have cookies?!"

"I sure do!" He pulled out a cloth drawstring bag and opened it. "Here. Is cinnamon!"

She sniffed it and then took a big bite. Her eyes grew huge. "Wow. They're beautiful!"

"Is good, no? My Yetis make them."

"What do your elves do?"

"Pretend they do things."

"North, why are you here?"

"Oh, that's right! Have you noticed anything dangerous around here? Lately, I've been finding strangeness."

"Like trolls?" Faustine offered.

"Yes!" North pointed at her excitedly. "Yes! That! The North Pole is unapproachable but lately there have been trolls in other places. As well as other badness but these are certainly found around where Jack lives. He's been talking about their smells."

"Oh, god, yea!" Faustine sat on her haunches, holding her hands to her nose. "It's awful!"

"You've seen them?"

"They found me. They seemed kind of… hungry."

"Crikey!"

"Almost got me too. Jack helped me out."

"Don't you know how to defend yourself?" Bunny demanded, arms crossed.

"Of course I do.. Kind of.. I can run really fast!"

North shook a finger. "You stay away. Pay attention to your nose, it tells you things! Don't let mind wander."

"Gee, thanks, Grandpa," Faustine said sarcastically.

Bunny snickered and pretended to be serious when North eyed him.

"She good girl. You keep her, Bunny. She makes you happy."

"Stop saying stuff like that! It's hard enough when she does it!"

"She knows better!" North fled from the flustered Easter Bunny.

He settled back on his hindquarters and slowly looked to his right side. She had placed herself there with big, wide, expressive, and hopeful eyes.

"Sooooo… you're going to make me some eggs?" She fluffed up her torso, arms clasped down in her front as she peaked up her shoulders to look coy.

Bunny smirked. "Cute, Kit. Cute." He hopped off as she was given the option to join him and they spent the rest of the afternoon working on designing and painting. She had to watch him a while before she got the hang of it. Nonetheless, while he remained pristine and clean, her paws were streaked in rainbow colors.

She licked at her hands in irritation. "Augh! Why won't it come off!?"

"Because.." He had to stop talking as she looked up at him with a rainbow colored tongue. He covered his face as he chortled. "Your tongue!"

She kept her tongue out. "It tastes funny."

"You have paint on it!"

She shook her head. "I need some water!"

He pointed to a clean, clear stream. She lapped at it and spit out on the side. He was laughing harder, holding his side.

"Oh, it hurts.." He finally slowed down his laughter. "Phew. Haven't laughed like that for a while."

"Great for you, but now I need to get the taste out of my mouth." She bounded out of sight and he heard an audible crunch. He rubbed his side, still chuckling as he let her be.

"Trolls, huh? They've been getting closer to the towns. Wonder what they really want?" Bunny couldn't think of what or why and decided to put it on the backburner to muse on it for a while.