((Private story of how Smudge helps found the Arbor Warren))
Smudge did not know he was going to run away... until he had already done so.
The burrow Smudge was born in was a very drab and boring sort of burrow, in a quiet, drab warren on the edge of Meadowsweet. The rabbits ate, slept, made babies, followed their rules, and that was really all there was to their lives. They were all very similar colors, they all had similar tastes. A smudged nosed little runty kit, the youngest of a very average litter, Smudge felt awkward from a very early age among his fellow rabbits. He wanted to play in the mud, frolic, carve silly images on the burrow walls, and put flowers on his head. Berries fascinated him endlessly, but there were very little around this warren. He was dramatic, creative, easily excitable! Basically, he was a handful, he was 'odd' and drove his family and most other rabbits nuts. They lived their whole lives to not attract attention, and Smudge was very often the center of attention no one wanted to give.
As a young buckling, Smudge was wandering farther than usual from the burrow, following his whims and whatever pretty flowers he saw, when the he came to the edge of their known 'safe zone'. Pausing, he reflected about going back. He didn't relate to any of the other rabbits in the burrow, no one back home would understand just how perfect and lovely that pansy just over there really was. What... if I just keep going?He thought... and decided to go further and further, looking in wonder at all the flowers in bloom in Meadowsweet he had never looked at before.
After wandering all day, Smudge suddenly realized he was very very far from home. He felt confident he could find his way back, but ahead was a lusher, greener place he had not explored before. There were bushes and old trees, even vines. It was the edge of Sunset Acre, which he did not know then. But... did he even want to go back? The little rabbit made a very bold decision then, and decided to follow his fabulous little heart! It's time to find my own place in this world! With that thought, he bolstered his courage and ran forward into the green field and shade of an old bush.
It did not take long for Smudge to realize how very alone, and very small he was. There were no premade cozy burrows, not siblings to keep him warm. The sun fell, and a terrifying hoooo hoooo sound paralyzed him in his tracks. This is bad! He thought, Bunnies should not be out in the dark! In a panic, the buck darted forward, dodging the plants and trees and shrubs. In his mad dash, he spotted a hole that looked like a sort of burrow and catapulted down into it headfirst, heedless what may be in it!
"OWWW~!" Cried a small voice, as he collided with something soft but solid.
"What the???" It was too dark, his eyes took a moment to adjust, and before they could he was kicked upside the head and knocked right over!
That was the day he met Fivespot, and their stories wove together.
536 words
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