Welcome to Gaia! ::

Drift had been drifting, as was his way since leaving his home burrow. Having no clear goals or plan in life, he just sort of went where the winds lead him. Slowly he realized he was not having to push grass aside as he traveled though, and looked down to see he was on a sort of trail. Other small creatures had been through here, frequently enough to at least tamp the grasses down somewhat. Pausing, he sat up, scenting the air and flicking his ears. Living a nomadic bun life had taught him caution if nothing else.

There were some soft sounds in the distance, and as he approached he saw a sort of clearing under high interwoven vines. Moving silently, he had unwittingly slipped right past the Red Guard, for they were few and new to the job he would soon learn. He moved closer, watching what looked like a group of bunnies throwing colorful berry bits at each other and ...giggling? They were capering about, completely unworried about dangers or intruders, playing like kits.

"Hello!" The greeting nearly startled the pellets out of him, and he whirled to see a doe sitting placidly in the entrance of a burrow he hadn't noticed in his distraction. So maybe they weren't ALL unaware. She looked him over, not moving, but clearly not concerned. "Are you visiting today?"

"I uh... erm...yes?" Drift, caught off guard, had no idea what to say. Feeling a little guilty he had just snuck in unannounced, he tried to explain. "I was uh just... I heard a noise and wanted to you know, see what was happening? You can never be too careful!" He wanted to kick himself for sounding like such a dummy. It felt like her soft gray eyes were staring right into his soul!

"I see. We love visitors, even the sneaky kind." There was amusement in her voice, was she smiling? "I am Fivespot, and this is the Arbor." She stood now, and he couldn't help noticing her colorful dyed shoulder fur as she casually stretched. It was quite a nice job, he had not seen many rabbits with colored fur in his past.

"I'm called Drift." He responded simply, not sure what else to do to explain himself, and increasingly aware this doe was really throwing him off his game.

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Drift shook his head, what was with these bunnies? But... he had to admit they looked like they were having so much fun. It was clear that Fivespot cared deeply for the group playing around, and he suddenly very much wanted someone to care about him that way? That was a weird feeling to have, but he had been mostly alone and wandering a while now... maybe it was ok to stay and visit a little while.

"Doesn't anyone keep a lookout or do anything other than playing though?" He didn't mean it offensively, and she seemed to know what he meant. Patting the burrow entrance that was her recent handiwork with a paw, she smiled at him.

"I am one of the founders, I can tell you we DO get some work done... sometimes." They both chuckled, then she gestured across the clearing to another burrow with a bunny sitting alertly outside of it.
"There is a group here called the Red Guards... I think you should talk to Caper, he would love to meet you I think!" She smiled knowingly and started in that direction, "Here I will show you."

Drift looked at the bunnies now flopped on the ground giggling over their berry fight, and the member of this Red Guard sitting by the burrow looking on, and realized they must be the sort of caretakers or guardians that kept watch so the others could have this carefree life. He liked that and kind of liked Fivespot too... so he hopped after her to go find out more about this strange warren he had stumbled upon.

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