Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 3 of Wonder Bunny: Lance's Story! I hope you guys are excited to see where this is going, because I sure am! Either this Chapter or the next will include a very important moment in Lance's life, one which has impacted him severely and drastically altered him. His personality will be a bit different until that moment happens, though, just a bit of a warning. Like, he's a lot more friendly and caring than his adult counterpart. Oh, I'm getting excited jitters just thinking about writing it! Finally, something I can do well! Ahem, sorry, got a bit excited. I am way too excited to write violence. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!
A lone tree sat atop a hill, the setting sun casting long shadows that moved with the leafy branches. At its base sat two young Foxes, both Todds, that were almost close enough for their fur to touch. Not quite there, but close. Sleep currently held its sway over them, and the older shifted slightly in that subcosncious field of thought that demanded warmth, for that brought comfort and safety to his troubled dreams. His head came down and ended up resting on the younger's shoulder, the two now touching. Several minutes passed.
A third Fox, this one female, paused as she came to the top of the hill. She brought a paw to her muzzle to stiffle her laughter, though was unsuccessful. The older Todd's ear twitched and his eyes slowly opened, raising his head as he yawned. He shook his head, waking the younger Todd at his side.
"Ugh, what time is it?" The younger Todd asked, looking around.
"I dunno, maybe...five? Five thirty, perhaps?" The older Todd answered uncertainly, shaking his head once more. He froze as he realized his and the younger's positions, then cleared his throat and shifted over a bit, averting his gaze. The two Todds' ears twitched as laughter reached them, turning their heads to see a young Vixen laughing. They both flushed as they realized she had clearly seen their positions, the older standing up quickly. "L-Laura!"
"Mother's gonna hear about this!" The Vixen, Laura, teased playfully, Lance flushing.
"No, don't tell her!" Lance shouted in panic, knowing that their mother wouldn't see it as an accident no matter what he said. He panicked further when his sister giggled and said something he didn't really mean. "I-if you tell her, I'll hate you forever!" There was stunned silence for a long moment. None of them could really believe he'd said it, least of all Lance, and he felt horror dawn as his sister's eyes began to grow wet with tears. She turned and ran before he could apologize, Lance opening his mouth to call for her. He hesitantly closed it, knowing she wouldn't hear him.
Lance stiffened when he felt a paw on his shoulder, turning to see Nick staring at him.
"She'll realize you didn't mean it later. Don't worry." The seven year old Todd said comfortingly, Lance sighing.
"I know. I shouldn't have said it, though." Lance said, Nick shrugging.
"No, but you panicked. I mean, that doesn't necessarily mean it was okay, but it makes it easier to understand. Besides, you can just apologize later, when we go home." The younger Todd said, Lance smiling thankfully at his friend.
"Yeah. You're right." He said, pulling the Todd into a thankful and brief hug. "You're my best friend, you know that?"
"Of course I know that, Lance. You only mention it at least once a day." Nick joked, Lance chuckling as he playfully cuffed the younger Todd upside the head. It wasn't a hard hit, and Nick playfully returned it. They both laughed at their own antics; joyful and loud, their laughter would seem odd for Todds that preferred to remain quiet outside of being alone together.
After a while they quieted down, deciding to sit back down beside each other and simply do as they pleased. It wasn't often they got to come to the hill, so they considered it a rather special place. To them, it represented a chance to be themselves aay from their parents' and their attempts to make them more outgoing. To them it gave them a chance to just have peace and silence or hecticness and fun at their choosing. It was as close to perfection as they could imagine.
"Hey Nick, can I ask you a question? No joking." Lance asked, Nick blinking in surprise at him. The younger Todd had never heard such a request from his friend before, and he found it a little worrying.
"Of course, Lance. What is it?" Nick asked, Lance sighing.
"Alright, well, before I ask, I just want to say that this isn't serious. It's just my imagination going, you know how it is." Nick made a face, knowing full well how Lance's imagination could be at times. "Hypothetically, and if it was considered okay, what would you say if I told you I considered you more than a friend?" Lance asked, Nick blinking in surprise.
"That's...kinda weird, even for you, Lance." Nick remarked, Lance sighing.
"Yeah, I know. Just humor me, though, if you will." He said, Nick pausing as he considered the question.
"Well, since we're being hypothetical, I guess I might think it odd, but I would probably still consider you a friend. I mean, other than that, you're still the same Todd, right?" Nick said, gesturing to Lance.
"Right. Other than that, still the same Todd I've always been." Lance agreed, chuckling. "Well, let it be known that, while a weird thought, it shall remain just one of those weird hypotheticals I'm always thinking up."
"Well that's good. I mean, could you imagine what would happen if everybody else found out about that? Especially your family?" Nick asked with a huff, Lance chuckling.
"Yeah, let's not even bring that up. I think mother would probably pass out from the shock, at best." Lance said, letting out a little blast of air as he imagined what would most likely happen.
"Agreed. Father might react slightly better, but not by much. He always was a bit more accepting of others." Nick said, Lance chuckling. It was true, and probably why Lance's parents occasionally had arguments. It didn't matter what it was, Lance's father always seemed to be rather okay with it. Lance remembered when his father had told him about a friend of his who had admitted to liking other males. While most mammals who found out had reacted as expected, his father had defended him, saying that the mammal was still the same he'd always been, just with a different attraction. He didn't win anyone over, but the friend had been appreciative of his support.
Lance was similar, in that regard. He didn't quite see what made somebody liking somebody else of the same sex wrong, aside from the fact they couldn't have kits. Perhaps he just didn't understand it, though. After all, he was still a kit himself, so he knew he still had much to learn in regards to how the world worked. Perhaps that was one of the things he needed to experience to understand what made it wrong.
"You ever wonder what the world would be like if that was okay, though? Like, would it really be bad, or would it stay the same but with mammals who are in relationships with those of the same sex?" Lance mused, Nick frowning in consideration.
"I...I don't know." He answered after a moment, making a face briefly. "Anyway, what's bringing these thoughts on? I mean, I know you think up weird things sometimes, but..." Nick trailed off, though the implications of what he meant were clear. Lance shrugged.
"Well, not really anything. Just crossed my mind one day, and I've just been mulling it over. Gives me something to do when I'm bored and you're doing something." Lance said, Nick humming in acceptance of the answer. "Though I'm right there with you that it's a weird thing to think about. Not uncomfortable, really, just odd." Nick hummed once more, and Lance took that as a sign that he had nothing more to add. They fell silent, just sitting there for a long moment.
Eventually they both stood, stretching as the sun began to dip beyond the horizon. They would have to be home soon. Lance's parents would worry if they got home after dark, and they'd probably get scolded as well. A bit more time admiring the view wasn't worth the punishment, tempting as it was.
They turned and began to descend the hill, both freezing as their eyes rested on dark smoke in the direction of town. It appeared to be close to the poor side of town, where they lived, and they sent worried glances towards each other. They nodded, then turned and began running.
And that does it for Chapter 3 of Wonder Bunny: Lance's Story! It's my shortest one so far, but it conveys the right amount of plot so I'm happy with it. Next Chapter will show just what gave Lance PTSD, despite the fact it hasn't really been shown yet. It's also kinda bad, since I just pulled an Elfen Lied on Lance and his sister. If you've seen that show, you likely know what I mean. If not, look up Kanae's death in the English Dub. You'll know then. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I will see you guys...next update. Word Count: 1,620