Chapter Five:

Memories

and

Making Up

"Take that back dingo ass!"

"Never, ya stupid bloke!"

The next few minutes were filled up by the two young rabbits wrestling on the ground, both trying to get a good kick or punch on the other. The smaller of the two was trying hard but failing to get the upper hand on his opponent, and was currently being pinned to the dusty ground. His pelt was a blue-gray color with dark gray tattoo markings on his arms, legs, and forehead. His eyes were a sharp emerald green that were currently glaring daggers at the bigger pooka above him as he thrashed around, trying to get free. The captor smirked down at her prisoner and kept her grip tight. She was around the same age as her playmate, but slightly bigger. Her fur was a beautiful cream color with light brown patches dappled throughout it. Her eyes were aqua blue that sparkled with mischief.

The two pookas continued their bantering until they were pulled apart by the gray bunny's father, and he didn't look happy.

"E. Aster Bunnymund! What is the meanin' of this behavior!" the older pooka exclaimed.

Bunnymund glared and pointed at the other rabbit. "Bellezza was making fun o' me again!"

"I was not!" the female squeaked indignantly, "I was only sayin' the truth!"

"You said tha' I looked funny when I get scared!"

"That's 'cause you turn into a tiny bunny ya galah!"

Bunnymund's eyes burned with rage. He flattend his ears against his head and looked to the ground when he recieved a warning look from his father.

"Bellezza, you know it's not nice to tease your friends."

"But, I wasn't really teasing him," the bunny explained innocently. "I think that he looks cute as a tiny little bunny when he gets scared."

The green-eyed pooka's cheeks turned pink under his fur. "Who ya callin' cute, sheila!"

"That's enough, Aster." his father told him. However, the small spat was quickly forgotton when both little pookas ran off to find their mothers who were working in the fields.

Bunnymund had been orphaned at a very young age, or at least that's what everyone told him. He couldn't remember if he had parents, or even a family before he was found and adopted by his new father and mother. His father was the head of the clan of pookas and also the Easter Bunny. The little pooka was the youngest of three kits. He was immidietly accepted by his new siblings. However, the two oldest, Oliver and Sienna, never let him play games with them. They always would tell him that he was "too small" and he "would probably get hurt."

He and Bellezza met a week after he had first arrived in his new home. Oliver, acting like a mean older brother, had spooked the poor pooka with a cruel prank. The older rabbit had laughed even harder when Bunnymund shrank down half his size, making him look like a tiny, fluffy newborn kit. (1) Ashamed, Bunnymund had run off to the gardens to be alone. As he was hiding among the bushels of spring flowers, he nearly jumped three feet in the air when he heard a soft voice ask, "Are you alright?"

The female bunny was looking at him from behind a patch of tulips. She looked like she was about his age, but slightly bigger. Considering of course that Bunnymund just happend to be a little on the scrawny side. Her pelt was as light as fresh cream, with small flecks of brown markings all over her. Her blue eyes looked at him in curiosity.

"Y-yeah...I'm fine. Is this your garden?"

She smiled before hopping toward him. "No. Well, kind of. Each family in the clan owns their own garden, the leader of course gettin' the biggest one. Say, aren't you Leader Noah's new kit?"

Bunnymund nodded. "I'm E. Aster Bunnymund. But, my mum and dad call me Aster."

"What does the E. stand for?"

"Edward, or at least that's what me Mum tells me."

"Well, I'm Bellezza. My parents told me it means beauty in Italian. But all my friends call me Belle."

The two pookas became best friends that day and were inseperable ever since. As they got older, they both came to find out that their parents had actually arranged for them to become mates when they became adults, ever since the first day they had met. The two of them made "yuck" faces at each other whenever the subject would come up. They were best friends, they couldn't become mates. It would be too weird.

Later that night, Bunnymund's family was relaxing in their home after dinner. The rabbit knew that asking to play with Oliver and Sienna would be like a suicidal mission, so he went off to look for his father. He found him in his outdoor workshop just off of the kitchen. He was sitting at one of his stone tables painting rows upon rows of egglets. Easter had come and gone only a few days ago, but the responsibilities of the Easter Bunny never took a vacation. Bunnymund hopped over to his father, crawled up onto his lap and snuggled up comfortably under his chin. He loved times like these when he could be alone with the older rabbit. His father smiled and tussled the hair on his son's head before going back to painting the eggs.

After a few moments of silence, Bunnymund asked, "Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Why do ya have to listen to the Man in the Moon? How come he chose you to be a guardian?"

"Well Aster, the thing about Manny is tha' he works in mysterious ways. To som' people he falls silent to 'em. But to others like the guardians, and a select few, he shares words of wisdom and advice. Nobody really knows why we listen to him. I think it's 'cause he's the one who chose us as guardians and turned us into who we are in the first place."

"So, he turned ya into a pooka?" when his father nodded, he asked "Were ya human before you were a pooka? Why'd he choose you to be a guardian?"

"To tell ya the truth, I don't know if I was. All memories of my past life have been lost to me. But, the reason he made me a guardian is 'cause the Easter Bunny brings Hope to children when Spring comes. Spring and Easter represent new beginnings, new life, and the Hope that comes of it. And Hope, Wonder, Memories, Dreams is what needs to be protected of the children of the world. Do you understand?"

"I think so..." the gray bunny trailed off as an unpainted egglet walked over to him. Picking up a paint brush he took the egg in his paws and carefully started painting it his tounge sticking out the side of his mouth in concentration. Noah watched him a small smile on his face. When Bunnymund was done, he held the egg up for his father to inspect. A bright pink egg with a blue ribbon the same shade of Bellezza's eyes decorating it.

"I have to say Aster, you're paintin' skills have been gettin' a lot better. Is that egg for Bellezza?" his father teased.

Bunnymund rolled his eyes. "No. Seriously Dad."

Noah laughed and tussled his hair again. "I'm just kiddin'. But really, your skills are gettin' a lot better. Why, if you keep practicin', you could probably become the next Easter Bunny one day!"

The little rabbit's eyes lit up. "Do ya really think so Dad?"

"I know so Aster." the older rabbit said smiling warmly.

Smoke

That was the first thing that hit Bunnymund's nose as he was shaken awake by his mother. Her eyes were full of pure fear.

"Mum? What's wrong?" he asked sleepily sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Aster, you need to get up. We need to get out of here." without another word, she pulled her youngest son quickly from his room and outside.

Bunnymund started coughing from the smoke that he immidietly breathed in. He stared out ahead in horror. Fires were breaking out everywhere. Pookas were running from their homes trying to escape. The little bunny watched in horror as a group of dark and terrifying creatures he had never seen before came out of nowhere, and started killing his people left and right. Without thinking, Bunnymund broke away from his mother.

"ASTER!" she cried out terrified.

Bunnymund dodged through the rabbits running in every direction. He had to find his father, and more importantly, Bellezza. He finally came upon her home. Smoke and flames were billowing out of the roof and windows. The garden had become a huge torch.

"Bellezza! Where are you!" he called out running along their fence. He stopped as his ears shot up and picked up a close by yell for help. Following it, Bunnymund hopped around the corner and was met with an awful sight.

Bellezza's parents were broken, bloody heaps on the ground. Standing over them was a man, a human, that he had never seen before, holding a struggling Bellezza by the throat. His skin was ashy gray with black, spiky hair. His eyes were pale cold yellow and he was wearing a black cloak that covered his feet.

"Well, well. This must be Noah's son that I've heard so much about. Edward Aster Bunnymund."

"How in bloody hell do ya know who I am?"

"Word gets around my little friend."

Bunnymund's eyes immidietly went to Bellezza. "Let her go."

"That's right, this pretty little thing is destined to be your mate, isn't she?" the man smiled evily and tightend his grip. Bellezza gasped for air and clawed at the hand holding her prisoner.

"I SAID LET HER GO!"

A black sythe suddenly appeared in the man's hand. "Make me, rabbit." The creatures Bunnymund had seen earlier appeared this time in the shape of horses.

Bellezza opened her mouth and bit down hard on the man's hand. After yelling out in pain, he threw the little pooka to the ground. What happend next would forever haunt Bunnymund for as long as he lived. The phantom took his sythe and drove the blade through Bellezza's stomach.

"BELLEZZA!"

The female pooka turned her head toward her friend. The light was slowly dying from those blue eyes. Using the last of her strengh, she whispered. "I love you, Aster." then her eyes turned dark.

Everything passed by in a blur as Bunnymund ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, tears streaming down his face. Somehow, he made his way to the forest on the outer border of his village. He didn't look back as the fires grew bigger and the smoke got thicker. He finally did stop, however, when he heard a dark laugh echo through the forest. "Such a shame about your friend. She was awfully pretty."

"Come out here so I can kill you, you son of a bitch!" Bunnymund screamed. He wanted to rip this man limb from limb until he was nothing left but a bloody pulp.

"Is that the way to talk in front of your family?"

The gray pooka looked in front of him and saw his family tied to a tree beaten and bloody. Oliver and Sienna were both crying and struggling to get free. His mother was sobbimg and looking at her youngest son, her eyes telling him to run away as fast as he could. But Bunnymund couldn't budge. His eyes wandered over to his father. Noah raised his head and looked at him with a heartbroken look on his face.

"Aster," he rasped, "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you."

His father's body started glowing suddenly in a green light. It traveled from his body to Bunnymund's enveloping the small pooka. When the light faded, the pooka had no idea what had just happend. Then he looked to his father to see that he was tapping the ground with one of his feet. Bunnymund's eyes widened as he understood. Noah had given him the powers of the Easter Bunny. Now he was telling him to escape by making a rabbit hole.

He started to shake his head when the dark horses started appearing out of the darkness and surrounding the tree. Noah looked at his son for the last time sternly and tapped his foot. With tears in his eyes, Bunnymund did what he was told. He tumbled down as a rabbit hole opened under his feet. The last thing he heard was the crushing of bones and the screams of his family.

The pooka tumbled head over heels down the tunnel until he came to a stop. Tears filled his eyes as he curled up in a ball and sobbed silently. Yesterday he had been surrounded by his people and loving family. Now...he was all alone.

Jack skated slowly around her pond in Burgess. She hadn't meant to make it snow in the Warren. She just didn't want the pooka to yell at her again. She hated yelling, even if it wasn't directed at her. It made her think back to the recent memories of her past life that she had asked Tooth for a few days ago. She and the kangaroo had been getting along so well since Pitch was defeated, and now she had ruined it by opening her big mouth. She finally slowed and sat down cross-legged on the ice, frost spreading out on the thin surface making it stronger for the winter spirit. Maybe she could do something to make it up for him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice calling her name. Realizing it was Bunnymund, she sprang up quickly from her seat and flew off to the trees on the other side of the pond. She pressed her back against one of the tree trunks and hid.

"Jack? C'mon, Frostitute we need to talk."

A small smile crossed the ice spirit's face. If he had called her that months ago, she would have jumped out and given him an earful for it. Now, it was more said as a sign of endearment than an insult.

"Listen Jack, if you're here I want to tell you I'm not mad at you. I just wanna talk."

After a few moments, the winter spirit slowly came out of her hiding place. Bunnymund was standing on the other side of the pond shifting back and forth on his big feet. Probably trying to keep the blood flowing through them since the Easter Bunny wasn't exactly a big fan of the snow. Jack sat on the ground against the tree and waited for her friend.

When the pooka finally made his way over, he brushed some snow off of a log before sitting down and massaging his feet from the coldness. An awkward silence followed. Finally, Jack sighed, "Bunny...I'm sorry. About everything."

The pooka shook his head. "Kid, I could honestly care less that the egglets are multicolored. If you had somehow squashed 'em that would be a different story," he was quiet for a few moments. "But, I need to apologize for yelling at you the other night. Ya see... somethin' happened a long time ago. Somethin' that I wish never happened."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Bunny. I understand."

"I know, mate. But, what you called me, it was an honest mistake. Ya haven't been part of the team long enough to know everythin' about each of the guardians. I shouldn't have acted so quickly, and I'm sorry. Can ya forgive me?" The pooka sputtered as a blue snowball hit his face. He looked up to see Jack smirking like a bandit.

"Oh you're so dead, sheila!"

"You're going to have to catch me first, Kangaroo!"

Post notes-

(1) The Rise of the Guardians Wiki said that when he goes into his disbelieved state he turns into Baby Bunnymund :D

Btw, Bellezza's name is pronounced Bella-zah.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Ok, I think Bunny's past is the most depressing past I've ever written. It almost made Nighthunter cry :D. WHOO HOO THEY MADE UP! Anyway, review and I'll see ya in chapter six!