Rise of the Guardians

Lucky Rabbit

Chapter Eight: Lucky Move

Faustine was playing with her coin, thinking hard. She flipped it casually before she pocketed into her bell and dragged herself off. She first went to Bunny's Warren.

Bunny was currently making all of his paints for the coming Easter in about a half of a year's time away. He was working diligently, preparing to make the paints in the paint river, which had started to become water again. He was humming to himself when Faustine leaned against his back with a depressed sigh.

"Kit, I'm working."

"I have to go."

"That's great, you go then."

"Aren't you going to ask where I'm going?" Faustine protested.

"You can go anywhere you want to go," Bunny said, not really paying attention.

"So if I go meet some guy, you'd be all right?"

Bunny smirked. "Of course."

She glared at his back. "But! I thought you liked me!"

"I like you but not in that way."

"But you care about me!"

"Like a friend would."

"But…are you really sure that's how you feel?" Her voice was small. "I'm about to go visit family and my mother specifically told me that she had brought me a suitor. Are you absolutely sure that's how you feel about me?"

There was a long, heavy pause before Bunny responded. "Yes."

She pulled off his back and took several steps back. Her eyes glimmered with tears as anger rose. "Fine, then! I'll go find someone who cares more about me!"

She was gone in seconds as Bunny finally stilled, looking at the water with a blank gaze. Nothing was visible on his face or in his eyes as he didn't move a muscle.

Elsewhere, Faustine landed in the Cat Haven of her parents' home.

She had a few siblings over, that from the previous litter that her parents had. The three older sisters that helped raise Faustine, who in a rare occurrence was a single litter.

Audris was a look-a-like of her mother, with her black hair cut short and curled by herself. She was the same size of her mother and her black pattern wasn't the same. All toes and fingers where dipped in black and her bobtail was dipped in black. The rest of her was white. Her eyes were ice blue, the same as her mother.

The second born in the litter was Felicia, a tortoise colored feline of black, graham, and silver, with bright yellow eyes. She was bigger than the eldest and more robust as well.

The third in the litter, Zaida, had been the runt in the group, now fully grown and having caught up with her siblings. She was orange and white, the orange in a diamond shape along her spine, to cover the start of her neck and the bobtail. Her ears were dipped in orange as well as her feet.

Faustine was quickly surrounded by the gushing sisters, licking and petting their 'pet' sister as Faustine sighed.

"You smell like a rabbit! Have you been hunting?" Audris licked her lips. "Bet it was yummy!"

"I.." Faustine started.

"Oh, tell us about the kill!" Zaida hopped hard. "Oh, so exciting!"

"I wasn't hunting! I was with the Easter Bunny."

All three of them stared at her then at each other. "Not this again," Felicia snorted. "You're not a cat at all, are you? Grow up, Faustine! You're supposed to be with your own kind!"

Faustine glared. "I can pick whomever I want to be with!"

"Not on my watch," Her mother said darkly before dragging the young tomcat behind her. He was predominantly white with a brown and black striped pattern along his back, reaching to the insides of his sides. The colors reached down the back of his legs and arms, climbing up to his neck and ending at the top of his neck.

"Honey, this is Daryl." Anabella shoved him forward. "He's been interested in courting you."

Daryl gave a cocky smile. "Lucky day, Faustine. I've heard of you and thought you were the most delightful excitement."

She frowned at the uppity tone.

"And as your parents have described you, you need someone like me to help you better yourself."

Faustine looked to her mother, angry. "You want to change me!?"

"Not change you, just fix a few things. Daryl is in the prime of his life, virile, strong, passionate, and with a lot of luck on his side!"

"More than enough to share," He winked at Faustine.

"I don't want your luck!"

"You couldn't possibly want the rabbit's foot?" Zaida burst out laughing, everyone else laughing at her.

Save for her father was in the background, shaking his head and growing upset.

"Now, come on and spend some time with Daryl. I think you'll get along quite well. You'll be having litters in no time!"

Faustine teared up. "You really don't like me as I am? Why doesn't anyone accept me for me?! Why do I have to be treated like this? Like I don't have feelings, that I have to do what you say?! You never made anyone else do so!"

Her mother snapped. "Well, if you weren't such a difficult kitten, we'd fix all of your self-problems!"

"Yea, Mom doesn't want a freak," Audris whispered very loudly to her sisters.

Faustine dropped down, pain etched in her face. "You hate me….you don't want me as your family… because I'm different! Fine! I don't need anyone! Not you, not you, or anyone else! I'll hide away in my niche and live there alone!"

She tore off, sobbing. Audris snorted. "What's her deal?"

"I have had enough!" Erik shouted loudly. "You!" He pointed to Daryl. "Come near my little girl and I'll rip your throat out. -I- DO NOT want to fix her, she's fine that way she is!"

Daryl took off, terrified of the dark look in the father's eyes.

"And the rest of you are such disappointments! You act like you're better but you're nothing more than bitches."

"Erik!" Anabella began.

"No, this ends now! When I fell in love with you, you wouldn't even look at me. You acted like I was nothing but I fought and fought for you and I won you! You fell in love with me because you opened your eyes to see the bigger world, the bigger picture. You have given me five beautiful litters and the most special one, the most important one to me was Faustine. She is so much like me, wanting to be whole and happy and lucky."

His ears went back. "But no. She's not good enough for you. She's never the good daughter or the obedient little sister, no, she's nothing to you. For shame on you! I hope you're happy with how you revealed yourself to her, how you really think of her."

He stormed into the home as the three sisters looked at each other and then to their mother.

"I just want her to find someone more suited for her…" Anabella rubbed her bell. The three sisters left as Anabella went inside to beg for forgiveness from her mate.

Faustine landed in her home, pain etched in every vein. She saw the eggs and raged filled her as she began to slam into them. "Stupid dreams! Stupid hopes! Stupid, unlucky, worthless cat! I'm nothing! Nothing! You hear me!?" She sobbed as she came to the egg that Bunny had personally made for her.

"Why… why can't I be happy? Why must I hurt all the time?" She picked up the egg, asking it in a strained voice. "Am I just unlucky in love? Ist hat why I can make others happy? Just to torment me."

She dropped it as it rolled away from her. The broken shells were lining on the walkway as she sat there.

"I'll just stay here… who wants an unlucky cat."

She took off her collar and stared at the bell. "It's not worth it anymore."

She threw it hard and went to sit at her door's entrance. She sat there as she watched the edges begin to fade. "It'll be better like this. No one will miss me."

She closed her eyes tightly. "Just take the pain away. Please." She begged softly. Tears fell, hot and streaking down her cheeks. "It's not worth it anymore. I can't win so…"

She heard it then, somewhere nearby as a soft ring was heard. "Oh, go away! I don't to ever see you again! You all hate me and can't stand me anyways! When I disappear, no one will miss me! And you can't change my mind!" She shouted at that before faltering to the ground. "No one will miss me."

"Kit." Her eyes looked up, blurry with tears. "What do you want?" She asked, pained. "Go away. I'll leave you alone like you wanted. None of you want me, anyways."

Bunny held up the bell. "Please put it back on."

"No," She spoke coldly. "This is the better way."

"This is suicide and you know it," Bunny spoke sharply.

"What does it matter?" She bit out. She grabbed the collar and threw it. "Just go away and forget about me. It'll be easy."

She went into her home, dragging herself up the stairs. She climbed into the bed.

"A bed made for two… such stupid dreams.." She half-closed her eyes, the pain growing. "Stupid me… for such foolish things."

Bunny's voice broke into her pain. "Please. Put it back on."

"No. Don't you understand, Bunny? I wasn't supposed to be. I'm too different, I don't have any specialty, and no one wants me. I'm alone in this world and left to be alone. And I can't bear that. Loneliness for me is something that kills me slowly and I'd rather die quickly, thank you."

"Put it on," Bunny's voice was ragged. "Please, Kit."

"NO!" It took her last energy to do so.

He climbed into the bed and forcibly put the collar on. She fought angrily, swiping at him and biting him, drawing blood on his arm and chest. He persevered, however, ignoring his own pain to clasp the collar on her and held it there, staring her down.

"Faustine. Listen to me."

She was wiggling angrily, hissing and spitting. It was a side of her he'd never seen, feral and violent, full of pain and anguish, consumed by it all.

"Please!" She was pinned down by him, flat on her back as he looked down at her, tears falling.

His tears were cool, as they splashed lightly on her face as she stilled suddenly.

"Please.. Forgive me," His voice was small, hoarse in pain. "I.. I'm so sorry for what I said. The moment I did, I regretted it. I'm so sorry that I made you feel like this. I don't want you to feel like this at all.. I… want…"

She flushed when he licked at her nose before eyes widening when he kissed her softly, lips pressing against her. She found herself looking into beautiful, dark green eyes, still glittering with tears, a view so close she could make out all the wonderful details.

She pushed up slowly to find herself sort of wrapped around him in how they were resting. She flushed as she tried to talk. He nipped at her chin lightly.

"What.. What made you change your mind?" She asked, weakly. "Why.. .you don't have to because you're obligated or that you don't want to hurt my feelings…"

"It's not an obligation and while I don't want to hurt your feelings, I also…" He struggled to explain. "A long time ago, I had a family. A big one, with many children, sisters and brothers, uncles and aunts, and just so many of us."

"Including my first mate," He added softly, eyes turning pained. "Fearlings took everyone of them but me and left me to be destroyed by my loss of hope."

Bunny's ears fell down. "I swore then and there never to never have any of that again, to protect myself, to not lose anything. I trained to be a fighter, to defend myself because I had failed in all the others."

"And then, you came along. There was always something in the back of my mind, something that seemed familiar and yet brand new. Something I've refused to acknowledge."

"I do care about you, more than I've let on. I could smell it on you, a touch of magic and wonder and hope, so much hope. It drew me to you and I hid myself because I fought and fought not to believe what I was feeling."

He pulled her to the window, the night sky having risen. The moon was full and bright as he pointed. "Manny spoke to me, told me that to have hope is to let go of the past and let the hope of the future happen."

"Really?" Her eyes grew huge as she looked up. The Man in the Moon did not talk to her but left her with the feelings of acceptance of who and what she was.

Bunny looked curious. "What'd he say?"

"Nothing in words but I think he likes me," She was finally smiling.

He wrapped an arm around her. "Come back in."

He thumped a leg on the bed. "Is this really what you sleep in?"

"What do you sleep in?"

"Nothing. Maybe a patch of grass but I can sleep anywhere."

"So you can sleep here!" She bounded up but only made it halfway there, her claws stuck in the sides. "I don't have my strength."

He bent down and hefted her into the bed, sprawling her into the blankets with her butt in the air. He stared at her tail with some interest before climbing in limberly. He felt a little regretful when she corrected herself and sat on her haunches.

"Soo.. Where do we go from here? I'm not going to force you into anything but just so you know, if we're together, I will make sure that no one will ever touch you without me killing them."

She paused. "Oh, and I mate for life so you'd be stuck with me."

"Really?" He thought on it long enough to make her frantic.

"Stop thinking so hard! You don't have to decide now! Just so you know that you have options."

"Really, to someone who can't take a no?"

"I can too!"

"Really?"

She glowered at him. "No."

"See?"

"Oh, shut up!" She pushed at him and slipped on the bedding, falling next to him as her butt was up in the air again.

"I can't really think when you keep doing that," Bunny told her huskily, wrapping himself around her from the side.

She nuzzled against him before licking his chin. "You… need a bath."

"I am clean enough."

"You taste like dirt."

"I live in dirt!"

"Not in my home, you don't!"

He pinned her and tickled her as she burst out laughing.

"All right, all right! You win!" She gasped as he pulled her against him again.

There was a long pause. "Can I ask about your visit?"

"No. I'm never talking to my family again! My mother hates me!"

"I'm sure she doesn't. She's just… very traditional."

"She'd eat you if she could."

"Like to see her try," Bunny muttered darkly.

"E."

"What?"

"That's what I'm going to call you! E."

"E?"

"For Easter."

"Are you sure it's not for my name? It -is- E. Aster Bunnymund."

"Fancy but no. For Easter."

He snickered as he rolled to his back, her head on his chest. His hand rubbed her back as she rest on her front against him.

"Good night," Faustine said sleepily. "I love you."

She yawned and fell asleep in moments.

Bunny looked at her before smiling softly. "Love you too."