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 Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:05 pm
 The soft unfamiliar sounds of other lapine feet through neighboring burrows brought the young buck out of his heavy sleep. He jolted up, with his ears laid back, as he became aware of his surroundings. For several moments he was disoriented, unsure of where he was until memory of the recent events in his life came back to him. The buck was not a native of his warren, in fact he was a very new member. He had been chased off the farm he was born on by a dog and became lost. He was still recovering his energy from days of wandering in search of the farm. Once he remembered where he was, the black-and-white furred buck yawned and stretched. A powerful hind foot came up and scratched at behind his long ear then he cleaned his face with his forepaws. His stomach growled and he decided to go up to the surface to—what did the others call it—silay? Some crisp, nice cabbage leaves would be wonderfully pleasant, but if it was the only option, sweet grass. The dark, warm burrows and tunnels were comfortable and in spite of not knowing many rabbits in the warren, their scents were reassuring. He wasn’t alone anymore. The buck went casually down tunnels, taking his time. It was early evening outside, he could feel it, and he was in no rush—he had nothing else to do. He could hear another rabbit coming towards him, through the tunnel. Wanting to be polite, the young buck called out a friendly greeting. “Hello there, is it nice outside?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:09 pm
"It's nice enough." the deep voice of a much larger buck re-assured lightly. The voice belonged to a certain owsla member by the name of Brambleberry, a young grayish-brown with darker tips and small black markings behind pale green eyes. The rabbit at the top of the burrow wasn't older than the other by much, but he had an air about him that could make him seem twice his season. "It has been a little rainy lately, but it's only cloudy today."
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:11 pm
“Blech! I hate rain, makes me smell like a half-drowned rat.” The black and white buck laughed easily and then smiled, “Oh, hey, don’t I know you? You’re one of the rabbits from the other day, right? My name is Tangleweed.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:13 pm
"Better that than a homba." Brambleberry answered. When Tangleweed asked if he knew him, Brambleberry came part-way down the run to get a good smell of him. "Yes, I do believe we've met. Your that spotty little néanalt one of the other owsla members found the other day, aren't you?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:15 pm
“Uh…” Tangleweed said sheepishly, not quite sure how he was supposed to react to what the other buck had said to him. He hadn’t understood hardly a word of what the other said to him!! This is how it had been since his arrival—all of the rabbits around him spoke a strange tongue with words he’d never in his life heard.
“Um…I’ve got spots, yes…”
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:18 pm
Brambleberry cocked his head, both ears tipping to the side as he tried to figure the other rabbit out. Tangleweed seemed to be a bit on the slow side. Well that, or...
"I thought I overheard you saying something about a farm before. You grew up around men, isn't that right...? Hm. Tell me, do you even know what a 'homba' is?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:20 pm
Tangleweed nodded his head. “I did grow up on a farm. My mother, litter-mates, and I lived outside of the hutches though, not like the other rabbits. My mother hated hutches.”
At the vocabulary question Tangleweed hesitated. An awkward glance to the side and he laughed—since he knew that it was unlikely he would get the right answer, he gave a teasing answer “…A homba is an animal?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:22 pm
"Elil. A homba is a 'fox'. You do know what a 'fox' is, right?" Brambleberry asked, sitting back on his haunches as he made a face something akin to a raised brow. It was getting uncomfortable to be standing on the slope of a burrow, but he would endure it. He didn't want to appear rude by going back up the run. "You don't know anything of rabbit language, do you?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:23 pm
“Do you know what a pitchfork is?” Tangleweed countered gamely, intentionally asking about farm equipment, “Yes, I know what a fox is.”
The black and white buck got up from his haunches, “I was going to go eat, would you like to come with me? I’m hungry.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:28 pm
Brambleberry had to admit that he didn't know what a 'pitchfork' was, but he didn't have to admit it out loud. He merely let the subject drop and moved out of the tunnel.
"I probably shouldn't." the taupe coloured rabbit said in reply, "As part of my duty as owsla I'm supposed to make sure that all of the hlessi---rogue rabbits who don't really belong to the warren---can all get up for silflay---that is, to eat outside." The brown buck then paused, knitting his brows together, "I don't know if anyone told you, but there was a plight of illness in the warren a little while back and we lost quite a number of our friends and family. It was all due to just a few rabbits, but it affected many. That's why hlessi are being rather firmly watched and kept away from the rest of the warren, until rah says differently."
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:30 pm
Tangleweed recalled his brief meeting with the ‘rah’—the chief rabbit who allowed him a burrow to stay in for the time being. It was an unnerving experience to say the least. The rah had been quite brusque with him, not harsh or unkind, just stern.
“I suppose that explains Bracken a few days ago?” He asked, “I’m sorry about what happened. I… know what it is like to lose friends. I can wait to eat until sunrise, if that’ll be easier for everyone.”
Tangleweed was curious as to whether the other buck would be keeping tabs on him.
“I’m sorry, forgive me, but I don’t think I ever caught your name.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:32 pm
"It's Brambleberry." the officer said, shrugging his shoulders and flexing his legs as he stretched casually. Then he sat up on his hind feet and swiveled his ears forward and then back, listening. "And always address Chief Bracken as 'rah'." Brambleberry corrected.
"If you mean the way that Bracken-rah carried himself or treated you, he greets all new-comers the same way. He's a firm but responsible leader. But I suppose that in light of recent events he has been a little curt... Either way it's fine if you eat now. My duty is just to see if the black rabbit has taken anyone during the night."
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:35 pm
“Bracken-RAH, Bracken-RAH.” Tangleweed muttered quietly to himself. He was determined to become like the others in the warren, even if he was only with them temporarily. He went over the words that the buck had said to him; silflay, hlessi, homba, owsla.
More inquiries stemmed from the other buck’s words, and he couldn’t help letting them escape his tongue.
“Brambleberry, which black rabbit are you talking about? I’ve seen a few.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:37 pm
If the term 'jaw-drop' were applicable to a rabbit, Brambleberry would have done so right in that very moment. Stunned, the larger buck bristled and shook himself in disbelief. Next thing he knew, Tangleweed would be telling him that he didn't know who El-ahrairah or lord Frith were etiher.
Turning around to face the English Spot, Brambleberry looked the other (demi-domesticated) rabbit square in the face. "The black rabbit of Inle'. Don't tell me that you've never heard of the black rabbit before."
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:39 pm
Not having the slightest idea what Brambleberry was talking about, Tangleweed laughed, “Oh, yeah, that black rabbit. I thought you were talking about someone in this warren! Guess I must be more tired than I thought.”
Obviously this was something he SHOULD know.
The way the other reacted, it must be vital knowledge. The black and white buck could sense that the sable-colored buck already thought he was an idiot; Tangleweed wouldn’t let his opinions of him get any worse.
Tangleweed took care to make note of this, he’d have to find out who this black rabbit was on his own, later.
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