Rise of the Guardians

Lucky Rabbit

Chapter Fifteen: Lucky Test

Faustine was trying to be very serious but it was very difficult when all of her children wanted to be the first to see the world.

"I'm the oldest! I should be first!"

"I was last, I should go!"

"Momma, take me please! I'm your little Princess!"

Faustine sighed. "I can only take one. And the one to decide this is your father.." She turned away, speaking softly. "Because I can't decide!"

"WHAT?!" Bunny glared. "Fine but I get to be left with the rest complaining all day long."

"Just let them tie you up, that makes them happy."

Bunny smirked, remembering coming back to the Warren to see Jack tied up sharply to a tree, both indignant and embarrassed to have been bested by children.

"Well?" Faustine said loudly, breaking into his thoughts.

"Hop."

"Really?"

"Yea, she's the only one that hasn't complained. Even Hitch is fighting for it," Bunny pointed to see Hitch being wrestled by Axel.

"Me! No, me!"

Bunny sighed. "Hop!"

Hop had been watching the two with interest but perked up when she was called. She bounded up to her parents, grinning. "I get to go?!"

"Yep! Go with your mother and stay by her side! Do not leave her side!" He added as Hop tore off, Faustine running to catch up with her enthusiastic daughter.

Out and about, they were walking in a slightly downcast day. The sun was trying to shine as the wind moved, a bite to its touch.

"Where do I start?" Hop danced around her mother eagerly. "What do I say?" "Well, you don't have to say anything to bring good luck. If it's a powerful spell, though, you do need to say something to make it form. Luck, however, is supposed to be random at best."

Hop was watching people. "There's so many different kinds! Why do they look so different?"

"They're made of different places, different traits. But I treat them all the same. They all deserve good luck."

"What about the bad people?"

"Okay, well, maybe not them… but we're not supposed to have preferences.."

"I like the children! Look at how tiny that one is!" They passed by a woman pushing a baby carriage. "So cute!"

Hop tapped the carriage with a beam.

"What'd you do?" Faustine watched with worry. "You can't do that to babies! They can't do anything with luck!"

"The mom is holding the carriage. She'll get the luck, right?"

"Honey, I'm not sure that's going to work. You touched an inanimate object. You need to touch.."

Hop poked at a rough looking guy stomping past them. He stalled, shook himself and then started to walk with a light step.

"Hey! I lightened up his mood!"

Faustine ruffled her hair. "Yes, you did!"

"What else can I do?"

Faustine grinned as she started from lesson one, how to know who needs luck and how much they need it.

Spending the entire day with her little bunny was wonderful. She never had so much devoted attention but Hop was very serious about learning about being a being of luck and bringing joy in that fashion.

She was very good at lightening moods and breaking dark clouds of depression. She was instinctive and quick to pinpoint and sensitive. Faustine was prancing around eagerly back in the Warren while Hop had rejoined her siblings to brag about her talents.

"She already knows her talent! She's sooo good! You should've seen her, she was so wonderful, so bright-eyed, and sensitive!"

"What's her specialty?"

"Ever seen anyone in a bad mood or depressed? She can make them happy or remind them of the lucky times that they had! Oh, it was so beautiful!"

Bunny watched Faustine prance on all fours, very proud and delighted in her bunny.

"MOOOMMMMYY!"

Faustine stalled. "Uh oh…"

"I want to be next!" Thump's eyes were huge and pleading.

Axel was on his knees, paws clasped together. "Pretty please! I will never ask for anything again!"

"I want to! I want to!" Princessa wailed. "I never get any attention!"

"What? You get it all the time because you can't shut up!" Axel hissed.

"What?" Princessa burst into tears. "I can toooo!"

Bunny sighed.

"You decide," Faustine whispered loudly.

"WHAT? No! You do it this time!"

"I can't make a decision! How could I say no to all of these little cutie pies?"

Bunny whacked his face, dragging down his paw in defeat. "Fine. Axel."

"Yea!"

"NO FAIR!"

The next morning, Faustine took Axel to Bergess rather than Pleasant Hill. She watched as he ran back and forth between people, sniffing furiously. He sat down and scratched his ears furiously. "Geez! It's getting cold! I want to go home!"

"Axel, you can't."

"There are too many people! It's so hard to…" Axel suddenly perked up. "Hey…." He breathed and then tore off across the street while Faustine screamed as cars flew by the foolish kitten.

She was glad that mortals couldn't hear her as her hand held her chest while her heart beat furiously. She barely made it across to find Axel tap a very shy girl who had been trying to approach a bunch of other girls who were playing with jump rope.

The girl blinked as she suddenly took a deep breath and approached the group. Her voice was wavering as she asked, "Can I play with you?"

"Hey, you're that new kid in school!"

"Yea, we have the same classes!"

"Sure, come on. More the merrier!"

The other girls surrounded the shy girl as she beamed, thanking her luck that she was courageous enough to reach out to others.

Axel lowered his head as he tapped his bell and then bounded around his mother. "I did it! I did it!" He sang off-key as she scruffed him. "Ow!"

"You ran across the street without looking and into traffic! You can get very injured, let alone perish in such a stupid action! Even I knew better when I was younger!"

"She was about to leave without trying! I had to help her!"

His eyes were huge. "That's what we're supposed to do, right?"

Faustine sighed. "Yes."

"Then can I go help that gentleman at the bench? He wants to ask that woman's name."

"Fine."

Axel pranced over and tapped the gentleman who finally managed to introduce himself.

Spending time with Axel was tiring. He was very insistent and traveled all over town, following his nose first then instinct.

Faustine collapsed at the Warren, letting out a long sigh.

Bunny appeared, covered in various layers of paint. She started giggling uncontrollably.

"It's not funny!"

"Oh, did you want me to clean you?" She offered, sticking out her tongue expectantly.

He held himself. "Not near the children."

She giggled harder.

He walked to the nearby stream to bathe as she watched him. She walked over when he seemed to have stopped scrubbing hard, the paint finally thinning out of his fur. She settled on the rock and carefully dipped a toe.

She then shuddered and put herself at a farther, and for her, safer distance. "Axel's specialty is friendship. He brings luck to those who want to make friends and finally is able to."

"That's great."

"I think I'll take a break."

"The others won't let you."

"Axel wore me out! He ran all over the town, not to mention kept running into traffic.." She ended on a growl. "Also, I returned home sooner because I picked up the putrid smell of trolls."

"Really? How close were they?"

"Can't tell. It was brought by the wind."

He then blinked. "He ran into traffic? AXEL!"

Axel's head popped out from behind a tree. "Uh oh."

"Get over here!"

"See you!" Axel told his siblings as he tore off, the others giggling as Bunny charged.

"I'll teach you to be reckless! Get over here so we can talk! No! Don't climb the damn tree!"

Faustine stretched as she was soon joined by her other children as they settled against her to rest and wait for dinner.

"So who's next, Mama?" Thump asked, with a hopeful look.

"Oh, please! Let it be me!" Princessa begged.

Hitch rubbed his face against his mother's chin. "I've been on my best behavior! Ask Papa!"

"We have been too!" Thump protested.

"Me especially! I'm your little Princess, remember?"

"All right, Princessa, you can go next."

She gloated at her other siblings with a smirk.

"You won't go unless you stop that."

Princessa hurriedly wiped her face free of the smug look. "Sorry."

Faustine listened to the distant arguing of Bunny versus Axel. Bunny was clearly losing as he couldn't climb the high and incredibly thin branches which Axel was currently resting on, very casual.

"Kit, please get our son."

She eyed him. "Can you start dinner then?"

"Yea!" Hitch danced around him with glee.

"Aww, Mom! He can't do it!" Princessa protested.

"I'll get you and Axel's food ready after I get him."

Bunny was followed by Thump, Hop, and Hitch for their salads.

Princessa dragged herself behind her as Faustine went to the tree. Axel was shimming down the trunk with a whistle as Faustine took him by the scruff.

"Momma!"

"Shush, Axel. You can't run from being disciplined. You need to learn that you need to keep yourself safe, no ifs, ands, or buts."

"But I don't want to be yelled at!"

"It's not a yelling contest, it's just a conversation."

Bunny snatched up Axel who tried to smile at his father's glare. "It's not a conversation, it's me yelling at him for being foolish!"

"I was watching where I was going!"

"Say that without looking guilty and I might believe you," Bunny shook a free finger at him as Axel tried acting cute by batting at the hand. Bunny hefted him higher as he told Faustine. "You get their food and I'll let him go when I'm done talking."

"You mean yelling," Axel muttered as the two disappeared.

Faustine hunted out some birds outside the Warren and returned to the Warren with a full catch. She thought of letting them eat raw but Bunny really didn't approve of that so she cooked it in the hand-made firepit, She de-feathered the birds, stuck them on sticks and roasted them with glee.

She found Princessa rubbing against her legs with a loud purr. "It smells so good!"

"I know, huh? These birdies are my favorite! They're so tasty!"

Bunny was green as he let Axel go who danced around the glowing fire with a hungry look in his eyes. Bunny walked off to see his other children finishing their salads.

He note Hitch pulling out various carrots with a frown.

"These aren't growing that well." Hitch gave a hard sniff. "Papa, I think I shouldn't go with Mama for training."

"Why do you always say things out of the blue?"

"Because I have to get it out of my head."

"Fair enough. Go on, I'm listening."

"I don't think my specialty is luck at all. Grandpa was explaining that Seers are those in the Maneki-Neko meant for different paths. Great Uncle Ai instills love, not luck."

"And what do you instill?"

"Hope. Like you."

Bunny beamed. "Really?"

"Yea!" Hitch sat down at his father's feet. "I don't want to go out and tap on people to give them luck when I'd rather instill hope here. My family needs me more than the world, especially soon."

"Soon?" "Uh huh."

"What's 'soon'?"

"Not sure but it's something that'll change everything."

"I see. Is it bad?"

"Starts out like it but ends up good."

Bunny sighed. "Riddles, I love riddles."

He sat down next to Hitch. "Sure you don't want to go out?"

"Well, can't I go out with you?"

"I suppose so but Faustine is really looking forward to being the one to do so."

"I know, I know but I wanna go with you!" Hitch dropped his small head on his father's arms. "Pretty please?"

"I'll talk to your mother."

Hitch beamed at him, an infectious smile as Bunny grinned back.