Wolf at the Door

I could hear them through the white fields snarling and salivating to my scent when I finally rushed through to the abandoned building. Wood planks were nailed across the doorway to keep any of the larger animals away.

I was covered in mud and stained in the decomposing grass when I finally found the location. For a moment I felt tranquility from the constant running. I hid in the shadows inside until they left, they tried their hardest to find me. I could hear them growling and the mucus from their lips pooling down the sharp edges of their teeth.

"I saw the bloody rabbit, I know I did.."

"Easy Murphy... Don't want him taking in our scent"

"I'm going to rip him up like a chew-toy!"

"Mother would be proud to know we brought him home alive. I don't smell him here though, we need to act quick and go through the other end of the houses"

I glanced from the darkness, took short unobtrusive breaths so they wouldn't find me. It was a close call, they paced for a while but then they left. My heartbeat felt like it imitated a firework bursting.

Now here I am stuck in a dark room in my own self-made prison. That's when I finally had a chance to look around the room and notice the red ribbon spray painted on the ceiling. The symbol of the Rebel Warriors. I immediately started pushing books and knocking on walls looking for a secret passageway. Finally I stood on the end of a rickety wooden floor piece and heard a faint thud. A string with a knob attached to the end fell from the ceiling down to my sights.

I pulled it carefully. The small stepping ladder extended from above. I walked inside and I saw their white eyes staring at me from the darkness and the spears they held protruding from the shadows. They observed me and vetted me with their eyes. They didn't say a word to me but I knew they've allowed me to enter. This must be the right place. I finally found myself with a chance out of this hell hole. I could finally save the rest of my family from the monsters that captured them.

I continued on to the dimly-lit hallway of the attic when I saw red letters spelled on the walls, "tread lightly, ears down!" they said. I reminisced about the first time I heard that phrase and it gave me shivers. Months ago, a courageous rabbit once saved my life before he died, he taught me about survival and spoke of this location. He'd tell me to tread lightly and use my animal instincts to survive. Rabbits have exceptional hearing and flexible necks, eyes set high on their heads for a reason. "Use your strong hind leg muscles" he'd say, with your evasive tactics and speed, most hares could outrun their predators.

I walked a few inches until I heard a few dozen simultaneous footsteps tapping on the wooden floor. They sounded like bees buzzing in clusters in their hive. Then I see the dozen silhouettes in the end of the room, all staring at me quietly. 

I froze. 

One grey pair of eyes got closer into a circle of scarce light that revealed his features, an old tattered rabbit with broken whiskers and a blind eye.

"Names Oswald. It's good to see another young hungry spirit. Don't mind the suspicion we haven't had one of our kind in a few weeks. We were beginning to think we were going extinct in these woods. The other rabbits don't take kind to the winter around here, it can be brutal".

"I didn't think the Rebels were still around..." I said.

The old heroic rabbit gave me an assuring smile. "Please treat this place like a home and get to meeting your brethren. We'll re-introduce in a few hours."

He stepped away into another room with a couple of the other animals marching behind him. I have heard folklore about his bravery, it was an honor being in his company. 

The few other rabbits that remained greeted me and others came by to offer condolences for my family being captured. It seemed they knew of my story too. Word traveled as quick as the jackrabbit in these woods.

They were a welcoming bunch though. I sat on en empty bench to relax while absorbing all of it, it was a long journey to get here. I felt like I was always inches from death in the woods and prairies, I just needed to close my eyes for a moment.

Before my eyes gave in to the exhaustion, a beautiful black short-haired hare walked up to me and grabbed my hand. Her warmth was inviting to me after the cold winter.

"I know it can be overwhelming here young rabbit, but we are glad you found this place. I guess our stories are reaching far and wide, and our songs are offering a future, I hope"

"Thank you for taking me in"

"It's Beth. You can call me Beth, young rabbit and what do they call you?

"I'm...I'm.. " I stammer. I can't seem to remember my name in that moment.

"Its okay, you don't have to tell me. Walk this way and follow me".

She took me to a cold dark room with blankets in a corner and bits of carrots and clovers in cardboard boxes. Young bunnies are snoring with their long ears tucked to the sides of their heads. There was also a pregnant doe there taking a nap. It was almost soothing listening to their peaceful breathing. 

She took me to explore another room in the hut. Then I saw the skulls I heard tales of, the famous Wolf's skull they called "Big Mother" displayed like a trophy against the wall. She was the alpha that tore through over a dozen in my village, it hung over the wall with a stark reminder they weren't immortal. A dagger pierced through it's cranium, her remains violated with spray paint, a red ribbon with words beneath it.

"Here lies a reminder that beast can be conquered"

I've heard stories of the strength of that Grey Wolf. I heard she was almost larger than a Mackenzie Valley Wolf or a Timber.

"You know a dozen died to get that skull, right?" said Beth.

"But, the stories say it was one brave rabbit - Oswald"

"Stories were made-up to inspire the others. This was a work of many, most died ripped apart by the enemy. We succeeded with our strength in numbers"

I just stared at the skull for what felt like the longest seconds of my life.

"Anyways, Make yourself at home and get some rest. We need healthy rabbits here" Beth guided me back to the other room to relax.

I collapsed besides some of the other rabbits and their warmth helped me drift to sleep.

Peter. Peter. Rabbit-Eater

Had a pet and always beat her

He'd twist her ears into tight knots...

And stuffed the rest into his socks...

Thumping of hairy feet woke me up from my slumber and the small bunnies sang their eerie nursery rhymes joyfully as they played.

"Hey rug rats, shut your trap and let an old rabbit sleep... " An old rabbit snapped. He had freckles of white on its fur, he appeared to be frail with bandages around his legs and patches of naked skin.

"What're you looking at, mate? Never seen an eastern cottontail around these parts?"

"Uh.."

"Eh? Cats got your tongue? What's your name anyways, boy. I ain't never seen ya here before?" He said in a raspy voice.

"It's Patrick"

"We don't need more mouths to feed here. Speak up son. what's your name?."

"Its Patrick! I'm here to fight, old man. I'm not here to make friends. Just need to save my family..."

"Eh, so you're a fighter, are ya? You ain't look so tough to me. Lousy punk. They'll make soup out of you", he muttered before closing his eyes and dozing off again.

I yawned and knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. I switched my attention back to the decor in the room, scratches on the walls indicating a tally of sorts, rags of blood to tend to the wounded and propaganda posters with children's toys.

"Hey shy guy, when you're ready we have a briefing in 10 minutes" Beth said walking into the room, her voice was a relief from all of the strangeness of this place.

I stood up and followed her over through another long dark hallway and I could see a large rabbit standing in the center with a black beret.

We passed through another room that seemed peculiar to me. There were cages with a few ferrets slack jawed and jittery. Beth caught me staring and quickly shut the door.

"Hey I never got your name earlier"

"It's Patrick"

A gigantic Flemish Giant towered over the end of the wall, he looked as charismatic as the way he spoke, with a deep powerful voice. The room was full of rabbits, Guinea pigs, ferrets, and mice of different families.

"Marcus I want you to take charge of this area and teach the new rabbits to use their hearing and mind their blind spots. We will succeed to capture this area with minimal casualties".

"Yes captain."

The captain brought his attention back to the crowd waiting for his speech.

"Welcome all. I see a few new faces in this room. I'd like to remind you all of the most fundamental advantage we share. While the wolves have their packs, we share a much substantial family, a mammalian order. We are strong individually but stronger in numbers. I know a few of you have seen hardships out in the prairies. Many of you are tired of falling prey, watching your families destroyed by the canines. I'm here to offer you all a solution from your basic instincts of running away. I'm here to offer you a way to destroy the Wolves and alas give them something to fear."