Rise of the Guardians

Lucky Rabbit

Chapter Eleven: Lucky Wait

It was two more weeks into the pregnancy. She was already showing, even more so, and she was feeling very self-conscious about it.

Bunny waited outside of the cat scratcher, waiting a little impatiently. He was told she'd be right out and that was about a half hour ago.

"Kit!" He shouted, still standing outside.

"I'm coming.." She hedged at the top of the stairs. She slowly made her way outside, keeping her eyes on the ground as she finally left the home.

He goggled at her and the make-shift dress she'd made. "Faustine. Take that off! You have fur for a reason!"

She winced and slowly undid. "I'm so fat."

"You're with child… children," Bunny corrected. He rubbed her belly. "What'd you expect?"

"I don't know but what if I don't lose the weight afterwards?" She ended on a wail. He covered his ears at the shrill howl.

"You will be fine," Bunny reiterated gently. "I promise."

Her eyes were huge. "Still love me, right?"

Bunny pulled her tightly to him. "Of course." He smiled as she rested on him with a sigh.

"All right, let's get back." He watched her tap her bell and they left the Cat Haven.

She found herself nesting in her cat bed before she fell asleep, already worn out.

Bunny watched her for a moment before leaving the Warren. He found Jack watching the night sky about to rise.

"Waiting for Sandy?"

"Yea.. It's too bad that he's so busy. I bet he could be of some help. Try to see the dreams of the trolls or something. See where they're coming from, what they really want.."

"I think they've made it pretty obvious. They want to hunt humans. From what North's read in his library, that's what they used to do. But they were stupider then and easier to deal with. That's how they were tricked into their own realm."

Jack sighed with Bunny.

"So how'd they get smarter?" Jack asked next.

"Evolution?"

"Good idea," Jack mused on it. "Or something else?"

"No, I think they've just gotten smarter. You know how humans started, cavemen to technological."

"Yea, but that took millions of years."

"I'm sure it's not that long."

"Just about," Jack protested.

"Mate, don't piss me off."

"We're having an conversation," Jack said pointedly.

He then switched topics. "Can you tell how many bunnies and or kittens you're going to have?"

"Not a clue."

"So you're all going for the surprise?"

"We don't have ultrasounds!"

"Always can go into a hospital. Just hang around adults, they won't notice you at all."

Rabbit glared at Jack as Jack grinned at him.

"You're an idiot," Bunny started to walk off.

"Do you think I can hang out with North for a while? I'm really missing winter," Jack jumped and balanced on his staff, having landed in front of Bunny.

"I don't see why not." Bunny walked around him.

"And you're not worried about the trolls?"

"We've been keeping a vigilance. North's got the best views so he'll know the first sign of trouble."

"Great! Keep me updated on the babies, won't you?" Jack grinned and then jumped up high to catch a wind where he disappeared as he flew off.

Bunny returned to the Warren and could smell Faustine. He found her plucking grass and flowers with a concentrated look.

"Faustine, what are you doing?" Bunny asked warily.

"I'm making my nest," She turned away, bent over as her buttocks waved in front of him. He closed his eyes and sought control.

"I wasn't aware that cats nest."

"No, but bunnies do," Faustine answered. "I seem to have some of those qualities, like eating carrots.. By the way, do you have any?" She perked up as she looked up at him, having spun on her heel to do so.

"There are plenty left," Bunny said soothingly. "Don't you think you should eat something a little more substantial? You are carrying a few and we want to be sure that they're born strong."

Her ears went back. "You don't think I'm doing it right?"

"What, no! It's just that you need to eat more…"

"I can't hunt!"

He sighed. "I can get you chicken."

"But I don't want chicken!" She turned green.

"All right, what do you want?"

"Umm….carrot cake!"

He groaned. "Faustine, something else! You need meat!" He paused at that. "Never thought I'd say that."

"Fine. I want a bird."

"Chicken it is."

"No, I want a bird! I don't want a chicken! I want of those tiny, adorable, little morsel of sweetness and crunch, you know, the colorful one that's all red and with a white chest?"

"How am I going to get you that?"

"Well, if you'd let me hunt, I could get it!"

"I just don't want you too far from the Warren or Cat Haven."

"You're being overprotective!"

"Of course I am! Nothing's going to ever happen to you or our children! Ever!" Bunny said, unbelievably fierce and stern, standing over her with raised shoulders.

Her ears went to the side. "Oh, okay." She turned and bounded off with the scent of fear hitting his nose as she disappeared from sight.

"Ah, crikey, mate. I think I pushed it." Bunny sat down and tried to figure out how to apologize. He gritted his teeth and disappeared into one of his rabbit holes.

He found Faustine later, wrapped in the blankets. She was asleep as he carefully dropped the bird close to her.

Her nose trembled as she woke up quickly. "Bird!" She took it in her hands, about to take a big bite. "Wait.. It's not a dream?"

She looked around wildly, not seeing any sign of Bunny. He'd duck under the cat bed, putting his fingers in his ears as he hummed tunelessly.

"E?" She tapped his head, holding the dead bird behind her. "I thought…"

"I'm sorry. I made you afraid."

"It's not often I see you so intense," Faustine admitted.

He straightened up and pushed his forehead against her, eyes closed tightly. When they opened, the green had darkened as they glimmered brightly. "I just… don't want to lose you. You still don't know how to defend yourself and I want to teach you but you're in no state to do so and I have to keep you close or else I will go crazy."

"I'll be fine," Faustine promised. Her stomach grumbled. "Can I eat now?"

"Wait a moment," He bounded off, disappearing into the distance. He still heard the loud crunch, it was something he always managed to hear, no matter where he was. He mused that he was probably just overly sensitive to the sound of a cat eating.

"Stupid old rabbit fears. I'm six feet tall!"

He spent a great deal of time having to comfort Faustine. While it didn't bring him back to his old days with his first mate, it did remind him of out of it he was, not to mention he questioned everything that he did because half the time, he felt he was doing it all wrong.

The weeks dragged on. Faustine grew bigger, hungrier, and slept a lot more. She always sought some way of contact with Bunny, keeping to his side in her sleep and yet during her awake time, would ignore him.

Bunny visited the others, even the tooth fairy who was excited about the babies. "Oh, I get to collect their teeth!" Tooth had beamed happily as Bunny made a weak smile and then hurried off.

Then came the day that Bunny was literally booted out of his own Warren. He went to visit North who was having a heated conversation, or rather, one-sided argument, with Phil. Bunny had to intercede and it took a long time for there to be understanding.

Bunny made it back to Jack's pond, drained. "Geez, mate, you'd think there'd be some harmony between North and his Yetis."

"What happened?" Jack was resting up in a tree, his leg dangling lazily.

"I still don't understand it, something about the making of the presents. Christmas is getting closer but sometimes North is just too childish for the yetis, who do all the work."

"Yea. How come you're away from the warren?" Jack asked next, swinging down. "You never want to leave your warren."

"Ah, mate, it was either that or get my head bitten clean off."

"Geez, what'd you do to piss her off?"

"Nothing!" Bunny protested loudly. "Besides, I've only been gone since.." He suddenly realized the time. "For nearly ten hours!"

He thumped a leg and disappeared, though Jack nosedived and followed him.

Bunny bounded hard toward the cat bed. "Faustine! I'm sorry I've been.."

"STOP!" She shouted, though she didn't pop her head out like she usually would. "Just, be quiet and calm for me. I need all the concentration in the world right now."

"Why?" Bunny heard it then, little squeaks. He took a wondering step forward and froze at the vicious growl that came from Faustine.

"Don't. You. Dare." She warned him softly, still out of view. "I'll let you know when I'm finished."

"You don't want help?"

"I've managed four so far, I think I can manage more."

"Four?" Bunny's eyes grew big. "I want to see.."

She hissed, sensing his footstep forward.

Bunny dropped to his haunches. "I'll just stay here."

Jack was inching forward slowly, hoping for a look before Bunny dragged him down. The two stepped away to give Faustine privacy.

"So.. Despite being humanoid, she gives birth like an actual cat?"

"My kind did the same," Bunny was fretting.

"You know, I bet North would be happy to be here," Jack offered.

"Are you kidding? He doesn't know how to be quiet!"

"SSHHHHHH!"

Bunny winced and lowered his voice from his mate's hiss.

Bunny sat down to wait while Jack disappeared. Despite's Bunny retort, Jack came back with North as well as Sandy.

His ears went back as he glared in silence.

"What gives? We wait?" North whispered. Both Jack and Sandy, though who knows how Sandy did it, yelled at him to keep quiet or else he couldn't stay.

Eventually, Bunny paced, partially hopping as he chewed on his lip. He pulled his ear to his face and nipped on that, the thoughts and feelings rolling through him. It'd been so long that he had forgotten so much and now suddenly, he wondered if he really knew what he was doing.

"Augh, I can't take it anymore!" Bunny bounded to the cat bed. "Kit, please! Let me know how it's going!"

Her voice was sleepy. "I'm sorry, E. I tried calling.." Her voice was faint. "I'm done."

"Can I come up?"

"Of course, they need your scent."

Bunny jumped up with a light step and looked at the wiggling pile against Faustine. Some of them were feasting already while others slept.

He did a quick headcount. "Five!"

"Not bad for a first litter," Faustine could barely open her eyes. "Three girls and two boys."

The coloring on all of them were dilute and wouldn't fully be until they grew older. But even then, he could tell who was going to look like who.

Faustine spoke with a wide yawn. "First one was that one," Her foot carefully poked at a kitten. "Boy, and with all of your markings. That was the second next to him, another boy. He's got a lot more white on him. Then came these two," Her paw twitched at the sleeping due of bunnies. "Chocolate and fur, girl, she was third, then her sister, who looks just like me," Faustine had a little pride in that. "Came. And last but not least, the last one. A girl, also looks like you."

Bunny circled Faustine, sniffing excitedly at the babies. All of them were rather small but would grow quickly and strongly. He head butted against Faustine, licking her nose with affection. He settled across from her, to watch both her and the babies. The two boys were eating heartedly as the three girls were wrapped around each other.

"Good, no one's getting eaten," North whispered loudly. Bunny looked up to see the three looking in with big eyes.

"Of course not, I had something to eat." Faustine glanced at them. "Don't you dare come closer or else I'll rip your eyes out."

"What did you eat?" Jack asked with a frown.

"I had to clean them. They weren't exactly born like this."

"You.. You ate the placentas?" Jack turned green.

"I'm a cat!" Faustine closed her eyes with a yawn. "I'm so tired.. It's been like fourteen hours."

"Oh, this is so exciting! Why aren't their eyes open?" North asked finally.

"Their ears and eyes won't open until seven to ten days from now," Faustine curled a little around them. "E, I need to sleep. Please get them to leave."

Bunny shooed them all out and then carefully returned to the bed, settling in against Faustine as he held her as she fell into a deep sleep. Lured to sleep by the soft sounds of the infants, both of them rested for the long night.