Rise of the Guardians

Lucky Rabbit

Chapter Ten: Lucky Surprise

Jack was watching the sun rise up in the air, the summer heat in full swing as he glared at the skies. Despite it being closer to fall, summer had yet to give up.

"I should just leave! But no, I'm stuck here," The Guardian of Fun crossed his arms with a huff. "I said I'd protect the children so these trolls are just going to have to deal with me!"

He jumped nimbly, caught by the wind as he flew upward and breezed on by to land close to his pond. He tapped at the ground with a frown. He'd been trying to get to Bunny's Warren but Bunny wasn't responding to his requests.

"Come on, man! What's so important that you're ignoring me?"

Deep in the warren, Bunny was quietly working on the paints. His eggs were growing normally and he could soon start to harvest. He hummed as he crafted his paints before looking up, feeling something down his spine.

"Jack." Distracted as he continued his work, he thumped his foot and there was a thud close by.

"Gee, thanks so much, Bunny. That was awesome." Jack rubbed his pants. "At least it's so much cooler in here."

"Well, it's spring."

"Been busy, I see. I've been wanting to round you and Faustine up on the trolls. I've made traps for them all around the towns and some of them seem to be dissuaded. But I didn't realize it but they're not full-blown idiots."

"I know, Faustine told me."

"And you didn't want to talk to me or North about it?"

"I was going to but I'm a little busy."

"Easter's not until seven months."

"Almost six," Bunny corrected him. "And no, that's not it at all."

"Six months? Darn, when it's summer, I lose track of time. It's so frustrating! I want to have fun but I can't! And if I leave for the winters elsewhere, I risk trouble for the kids."

Jack frowned suddenly. "Wait, what do you mean by 'that's not it at all'?"

"I can't say it yet."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Where is Faustine?"

"She's sunbathing."

Sure enough, Faustine was sprawled out on her back, all four limbs stretched out as she snoozed in the sun without so much a care in the world.

"I wish I could sleep like that," Jack said wistfully. "So much as without a care… is she fatter?"'

"SHHHH!" Bunny's ears went back. "Don't call her that or she gets really upset."

"Why? What have you been feeding her?"

"She's been eating a lot of carrots lately. Even some snap peas too."

"Why?" Jack asked pointedly.

Bunny tugged him back. "Look, mate, it's like this…"

There came a large beacon of light as Faustine's parents landed in the Warren.

"How the hell did they get in here?" Bunny got very fidgety. "Faustine's going to claw her mother's eyes out."

"That doesn't explain.."

"Faustine? It's Mommy and Daddy," Anabella sat under the rock, looking up. "Let's talk."

"Err…" She growled as she dropped down and turned, arms crossed.

She watched her mother's ears go back as her father's eyes widened and one ear fell to the side.

"What?" She asked crossly.

"No, no, no, don't tell her, let find out on her…" Bunny begged.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!?"

Faustine stared at her mother, incredulously. "I only gained a little weight."

"In how much time?!"

"Um…. Two weeks?" Faustine gave a tiny smile. It then faded quickly. "Wait.. Was this what you were trying to hint at, E? How'd it happen!?"

Her mother smacked her face, angry beyond a doubt. "You never, ever listen to me!"

"Ana," Erik said very softly.

"First you go off your rocker and then, this?! You.. You actually mated with this.. This… RABBIT?!"

"I really love the way you say that," Bunny muttered darkly.

"You are coming home and we are going to deal with this," Her mother gestured at her daughter.

Erik was watching Anabella with slit eyes.

"I am not going anywhere! I love him! He's my soul mate! I won him, fair and square.." She looked at him, suddenly skeptical. "Right?"

"No, I just wanted to breed with you."

He waited as her eyes went big.

"Kit. I'm joking!"

"Oh, okay. Phew…"

Jack was snickering behind Bunny.

"Do you know what you're going to have? Bunnies.." Her mother's voice dragged out the last word in terror. "You are a cat! What if you eat them?"

"MOTHER! I would never do that! I happen to have a more open mind and am obviously more accepting of other kinds! You've never liked anyone else but the cats!"

She faltered. "Am I really pregnant?" She patted her belly. "How can I be sure?"

"Have any cravings?" Bunny asked, running his hand through his hair on his scalp.

"Yea! Carrots!"

"Gotten a little bit bigger in a fast time?" He asked next.

"Uh huh."

"You going to listen next time when someone explains to you how this all works?"

"No."

He smirked at her. "Cute."

She then bounded on her heels, giddy. "I'm going to be a mommy!" She started to prance on all fours, hopping like a frenzied kitten. "I'm going to have babies! Babies!"

Her mother's teeth gritted as she turned to Bunny. "You… bunny! How could you? Do you know what you are to us? FOOD!"

"I'm not food, Mrs. Bobtail. I'm the Easter Bunny," Bunny warned her. "A Guardian. I protect all that is hope and your daughter just happens to have a lot of it."

Faustine was now dancing between the Warrior eggs.

Jack scratched his head. "How does she get them to dance with her?"

"She just has a way with the eggs. The small ones all gather around her when she tries to paint. I think it's all the effort and planning she puts into it."

"Faustine! Faustine, please! See the reasoning in this," Anabella tried to get her daughter's attention. "Look, why don't we go home and just take it easy? When you've had them, you can just give them to him and forget…"

Faustine stilled automatically. "Mom. I think you know what happens when we mate. It's for life, no if ands or buts! I would never leave him."

"Then you have a choice. Either stay with your kind or be rejected!" Her mother hissed.

"Anabella!" Erik cried out.

Faustine's ears fell to the side. "Why are you so against this?"

"Because it's unnatural! It's not done!" Anabella pointed to her. "You've rejected everything feline about you! Mating with a rabbit? Eating carrots? Having BUNNIES?" Anabella lifted her head. "It's us or him, Faustine."

Erik reached for his mate who shook him off with a growl. "Your family or him."

Faustine looked to Bunny and he felt a sudden fear of losing everything all over again. His gaze was uncertain, worried, and frightened, all in a single moment before Faustine lifted her head and turned to her mother.

"Fine. I pick E."

Anabella broke into a hiss, of anger and pain. "Faustine!"

"He's my family… No," She rubbed her belly. "Our family."

Anabella straightened harshly. "Fine then." She turned and made a portal, disappearing into it.

"Daddy.. You're not mad at me, are you?" Faustine went to him, ears to the side and looking sad.

"No, love. I'm never mad at you. Your mother, on the other hand, is driving me insane. I'll try to repair what I can but in the end, she needs to come around and I just don't know what that'll take."

She nuzzled him affectionately.

"You better keep an eye on her. It's her first litter and she's bound to do a mistake. She needs guidance and I understand you've had experience." Erik lowered his head lightly, making sure that Bunny understood that wasn't a jab at his past but an acknowledgement of his actual experiences.

"I will be fine!" Faustine protested.

"I'm sure you will. You have Mr. Bunny to be sure you'll be all right." He patted his daughter on the head. "Take care, all right? No rough housing or frantic bouts. You need to stay calm and quiet."

"I am calm and quiet!"

"Sure, not excitable at all," He grinned and then left with a wave.

"So I guess this was what you meant by 'that's not it at all', huh?"

Faustine had walked to Bunny's side and tugged him a little helplessly. "We are family, right?"

"Of course he is!" Jack shoved Bunny forward before Bunny could comfort the feline. "See?"

"Jack.." Bunny glared at him, arms wrapped around Faustine lightly.

"So I guess this takes you off troll patrol. Got to worry about the coming Easter and babies! When will they be due?"

"Umm.." Faustine thought on it. " Six weeks? Maybe seven?"

Jack was skeptical. "Umm.. That's pretty quick."

"Oh, it is! But see, how it all happens is I carry for about sixty-five days, give birth, and nurture the children for around eight weeks while they age up to… umm… " She waved a hand. "I know this… right! Aged between four and five."

"Really?" Jack asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Yep! Then the aging slows down drastically and I get to keep my babies forever!"

"You can't keep them forever. Your mo… parents didn't do that."

"I beg to differ. Mom protested the whole entire time that I was gone. That I left! I was ready to leave! She thinks she knows better but…" She ended on a fierce growl.

She then perked up. "I get to nest!" She then began to hop around with joy. "Oh, I know what to use! But I want the babies here! Where it's more comfortable!"

Faustine gave big, soulful eyes to Bunny who looked to Jack, unsure of this new notion. "Yes?"

"Can you go get the bed?" She clasped her paws, fluffed up her chest, and beamed at him. "Pretty please?"

"The.. Cat bed?" Bunny bent down to scratch behind his ear.

"Yes! It's big and comfy and with your scent all over it.." She continued to talk as Bunny flushed and glanced at Jack who was smirking at him.

"Shut up."

"Want help?" Jack offered.

"We'll need more help," Bunny muttered. "Let's go see if North can help."

Bunny found more than North to help but Sandy as well. The four of them went to Faustine's home in a quick jump.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Jack eyed the house. "Why is it a cat scratcher?"

Bunny shrugged.

The four struggled to carry the cat bed. It was heavier than expected, fluffy and well-cushioned.

Jack gritted his teeth. "I'd think it'd be better if Sandy wasn't pretending to carry his end!"

Sandy was walking under the bed, all the taller people holding it just out of his reach. He waved his arms pointedly with a droll look.

"I'm not dropping it any lower," Jack hissed.

"Is easy if we put in my bag!" North suggested.

"Really want to shove it all that way in there and then drag it back out?" Bunny muttered, carrying the girth of the bed. "North, come on, help!"

It took some time before they arrived in his warren. Faustine pranced around them, directing them of where to put it.

"No, too much shade. No, too much sun. No, not enough grass. No, not there, I want E to be able to climb in too!"

Finally, the bed was just right for Faustine as she bounded into. She sniffed, rubbed her face to spread her scent as she began to knead.

"It's amazing how feline she is when she's bipedal and intelligent." Jack was amazed.

"We sure she's smart?" North asked as Bunny glared at him. "Is just a question!"

"She's not stupid. She's very instinctive."

"So was it like rabbits?" Jack asked mischievously. "I've read books about your breed, you know."

"Really? It wasn't like rabbits, mate. It's a feline thing."

"What is?" North whispered loudly to Jack who blinked and shrugged when he couldn't think of the answer.

Sandy's thoughts flew over his head before Jack waved at him. "Slow down! How many times do I have to tell you? I don't understand!"

"Read up on it," Bunny suggested. Jack glared at him as he bent to Sandy.

Sandy thought on it and then proceeded to show an egg, then it becoming a basket of kittens.

"I know that part!" Jack scoffed.

"Oh, you're so silly!" Faustine bounded down and poked at Sandy. "It's a feline thing! When we mate, we often will conceive at the first try."

"And you didn't realize it?"

"Well, it is my first litter!"

"Sooo.. I still don't get it."

"Female cats can put themselves into heat right when they mate."

Jack sighed. "Yea. I was right. I didn't want to really know."

"Then why'd you ask?!" Faustine protested.

"Is gaining a little weight there, kitty," North said with a big grin. "Have a big litter?"

Her ears went back. "Did you just call me fat?"

Bunny poked his head out. "North. One suggestion. Run."

"Run?" North stumbled just out of reach from the swiping claws. "Down, kitty! Down!"

He ran off, disappearing with a shout. "I am sorry!"