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 Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:18 pm
 A few days had passed and her nose was good as new again, but the feeling in the warren was still uncomfortable after the unfortunate arrival of the hlessil. All the rumours and scared rabbits made her restless. U'tuhlroo was foraging a bit further from the warren than she should have, working off some excess energy by digging up nutritious roots. She was very aware of her surroundings, and jumped at the slightest noise. It would be no good to run into the cursed ones, and meeting owsla this far from the warren would be just as bad.
She had approached one of the owsla earlier to see if she could find out where the different groups of hlessi had gone. To make sure she wouldn't risk running into one of them, she told herself. After a passable “doe in distress” act the buck took pity of her and told her what areas to stay away from to be safe from the frightening hlessi. Good thing he didn't know her that well. She had no intention to stray near the filthy hlessil in th scrapes, but she worried about their own rabbits out there. Somewhere a kitten was toughing it out far from his marli.
With her mouth full of roots the brown doe started to make her way back towards the warren, but she strayed a bit from the shortest path there. An idea had started to take shape.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:03 pm
 Panic and fear flooded her senses for a moment. Scrambling out of her branched off burrow, she came to the split and looked down the other end. Ivy couldn't see them, it was still after Fu Inle' and there wasn't any light spilling into the tunnel, but she could hear them. They were both breathing, both still well.
Deeply shaken, she headed out into the night air. This was nerve wrecking, just waiting for the black rabbit to either visit, or go away altogether. Disturbed by her dream, and finding the waking no more pleasant, she sat on her hunches outside their temporary burrow and focused on breathing slowly. She nosed the crisp air tentatively and found no signs of elil, save for that hint of disease that clung to her fur. She groomed herself fervently, as if it would be this time that she would be rid of that mark for good.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:49 am
It was fairly easy to find the area where the doe had taken up residence with the exiled young ones. What in Frith's name had that stupid outskirter been thinking? The best course of action would probably be to just drop some of the roots near their shelter and then run as if the black rabbit was at her heels. He might as well be, after all.
U'tuhlroo could see the opening of a freshly dug burrow ahead, but before she had the time to decide how close she dared to venture a rabbit poked her head out. Oh, great... She'd most likely be spotted or scented any time now. The brown doe was not aware of Ivy's internal turmoil and not sure if she would be welcomed or chased away. She put the roots down, deciding that it was safest to stop sneaking around.
"Oi! Marli!" She called, since she didn't know the doe's name. "Forgive me if I don't greet you properly."
She could scent the disease from here, but not as strongly as it had been when she first smelled the band of hlessi. She was actually not far from bolting in the opposite direction and there was no way she would touch noses with this female in a proper and polite greeting. The sane thing to do was to run, but U'tuhlroo stayed.
((OOC: So this should take place after Love will find a way, right?))
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:26 am
She started when another called out to her. Her hind foot was poised over the earth to warn the little ones when she finally caught hold of herself. Another doe, surely from the warren if she'd called her marli and knew of the two under her care. Her ears flicked as she scented the other, smelling nothing other than warm rabbit. She didn't dare approach, and as it was her heart still raced from the fright.
"Marli suits, though you can call me Ivy if you wish. And it's better that you don't, I won't fault you that. Did your warren send you?"
Slowly settling down next to the mouth of the burrow, she sat and watched the other. Ivy didn't know what to make of it, and the harder she sniffed, the more she thought she could smell flay-rah. She didn't seem dangerous, but you could never be too careful, and she made sure to sit between the doe and the entrance hole.
"And have you a name? I don't mean to seem rude, but trouble has been plentiful as of late."
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 9:09 am
"Ivy," U'tuhlroo repeated, but didn't answer the other question. It wasn't clear if she hadn't heard, didn't understand or if she simply ignored the question. She rose on her haunches in an alert but not aggressive stance.
"Oh, I'm U'tuhlroo," she said when Ivy asked, and had apparently warmed up to the other doe enough to volunteer some more information, "Been out foraging. But apparently I took a wrong turn on my way back to the warren. There are good foraging grounds in that direction," she indicated the direction with on of her front paws, "but a lot of warren rabbits go there so you probably shouldn't. If there are any Owsla around they might take offence. Better to go that way. There's decent flay, but it's not convenient for us warren rabbits to go there very often. You shouldn't meet anyone."
She paused, watching the other doe. Her ears kept moving, betraying her nervousness.
"It might be better if no one knew I've met you," she finally said, "It is still dangerous for me to be here and some people might not believe me if I told them I happened upon your scrape by mistake."
Mistake or no mistake, it was bad news to get too close to one of the diseased ones. U'tuhlroo was tense and ready to back off should the doe... Ivy... should Ivy try to get closer.
"You're the one with the kittens," she stated, changing the subject, "I hope they aren't giving you too much trouble."
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:39 am
Her eyes and nose followed as the doe indicated, nodding to show she was listening and understood. A good forging ground away from trouble would do her and the young ones well. She'd have to check it out later to make sure U'tuhlroo's words were true. Though the doe seemed innocent enough, Ivy somehow doubted that she happened here by mistake. Most rabbits didn't silflay at night, and those that did tended to stay close to their warrens and burrows to be on the safe side. She also smelled of this place through and through, no hint of wild to her, so it seemed rather unlikely that this doe could've gotten lost in her own home; even at night.
Not that Ivy could fault her for lying, or even trying to set up a trap if that was indeed what it was. She was a liability after all, and surely there were those at the warren that were worried for the kittens. Like that Thyme buck for example.
Her eyes refocusing on the doe as she spoke, U'tuhlroo seemed almost frightened while asking for secrecy. Ivy held back an ironic smile as she nodded.
"I won't tell anyone, mistakes happen and no one's been hurt. Though I'll tell you the same thing I told the other buck, you should leave quickly. Best not to get caught."
She hesitated for a moment, putting a front paw down and leaning slightly closer to the darker doe, trying to see better without actually approaching. There was something odd here, and she was getting concerned. Still, no ill had come of it yet, and she had been rather jumpy as of late. She sat up again when U'tuhlroo changed the subject, flicking an ear to focus on the burrow behind her, reminded of the two still sleeping soundly. She smiled fondly now, wondering if this doe knew either Mud or Pepper.
"I wouldn't call them trouble, though Mud certainly has a mind to do things his own way."
She chuckled softly, remembering a few of his bolder moments.
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:25 am
Her first impression of Ivy, that the doe seemed to be gifted with common sense, only seemed to be confirmed as she spoke to her. One of her ears twitched slightly as Ivy mentioned another buck, but she didn't say anything about it. Yet. Who would be stupid enough to go down to the diseased rabbits... oh, yeah... Right. Who - besides her - would be stupid enough to risk it? She should probably heed the good advice and not stay longer than she had to, and she twitched again as the doe leaned a bit closer. Still, something possessed her to ask another question.
"Did you have kittens of your own," she asked shyly, "Back then I mean..."
She suddenly thought about Buster, the black and white buck who had charmed her before this mess started, and about how weird she had been feeling lately. When she more or less chewed his ears off for being a Casanova she had been certain that she carried young. Now she wasn't so sure, and she wondered if she should go to him and apologise. Then she started to think about her question and she realised that the doe might not want to talk about her past since her whole warren had been wiped by the disease.
"I'm sorry," she added quickly, "Was that too rude of me to ask? I didn't mean to be nosy."
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:07 am
Her moment of merriment tapered off into a somber mood as she tilted her head at the doe's question. Had they really traveled for only a few days? Not a year? Or a lifetime? was it really only a couple of sunsets ago she had felt the caress of a curious, twitching nose brushing her own? Her ears drooped in thought, now that she finally had time to reflect on her warren. On the zorn that had befallen them. She stood quiet for some time, looking up the side of the Down. Ivy finally responded when U'tuhlroo apologized, bringing her attention back to the doe.
"No... it's alright. It's a fair question to ask the one that's taking care of two of your warren's own. I... it was my second litter, Hainli and I were early this year. The warm weather came early, and we were perhaps a bit overly excited."
A slight smile touched her face as she remembered. Her first litter hadn't been with him, and they were so eager, so happy to be together and enthralled about the thought of having their own kittens. Would they have still had they known what would happen? Would Frith... no. It was over. That life was over.
Her sorrowed eyes finally looked across the way at the younger doe again. How could she possibly explain?
"They had just taken to silflaying on their own. Learning to enjoy clover... We didn't know. If there was any signs, any signs at all of the disease while I still carried... I would've..."
Would she have? Could she, in full consciousness, kill the life inside her and let her body take them back? After meeting them, after touching each of their beautiful faces and seeing them each open their eyes for the first time? Shuddering, she breathed deeply, trying to clear the images in her head.
"I don't always understand Frith's Will, but I can't change what's been. Best I can do now is look after these two as my own until they can go home."
Her voice had lost the shaky edge, but now sounded perhaps a bit defeated. She checked behind her again, looking down the rabbit hole almost to comfort herself that there was still a reason for her to be here. She couldn't see them, or hear them from this far, but the lingering scent of Mud and Pepper could just be sniffed out. It was enough. Ivy sighed and twisted to face the mysterious doe once more, now unsure what to say.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:28 pm
Had she been a rock she might have remained untouched by Ivy's story, but she wasn't and it struck a cord deep inside her, putting her in a peculiar mood. U'tuhlroo desperately wanted to tell someone about her own fears and worries about mates and about being a marli, but she sensed that this was not a good time. No, there were more pressing matters, but she felt the need to say something in response to Ivy's story.
"No rabbit can see the future," U'tuhlroo said, seeking the gaze of the other doe, "Well, perhaps in the stories, but not to regular rabbits. You couldn't possibly know."
The thought of the silent killer sent a shiver down her spine, but Ivy had talked about another rabbit visiting. Knowing more about him was more important than running right now. What if he had touched her? She decided to try to fish some more information from Ivy.
"I hope he didn't bother you too much," she said, trying to sound casual. "Or I'll have to cuff him when I get back. Sometimes I think bucks have nothing else on their mind..."
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:41 am
"I don't know what was on his mind actually... though he did seem rather passionate and wound up over something."
She was a bit shaken now, horrible memories looming in the corner, waiting to overshadow her. Her mind drifted to Thyme, but wouldn't completely focus.
"I suppose he'd have to be to come out here the night of my arrival with that nasty scratch and all. After what I saw Cocklebur do to poor Dewberry, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he lost his sight from it."
What had happened to Dewberry? Her nose twitched as she fought the urge to hop in a tight circle in her anxiety. She really did hope that Bramblebur knew what he was doing, and everyone would pull through just fine. it was starting to feel like this horrible curse was stuck in their fur and would never leave. Shuddering a bit, she pushed back on the negative thoughts. Finally settling back down after a moment to collect herself, Ivy nosed in the doe's direction, contemplating.
"If you could please make sure he's keeping it clean. I couldn't get a good look at it without getting too close. He's lucky your Owsla Captain didn't catch him over here, or he'd have more than his sight to worry about."
She looked at U'tuhlroo meaningfully, hoping the doe would understand. It wouldn't do for another to get thrown out of the warren, especially on her account. She'd have to reconcile when this was all over and actually have a talk with this doe. There was something troubling her to be sure. Not that there wasn't an obvious plenty to be troubled by, but something was tugging at her.
"And... thank you, by the way. For your kind words and concern. It's good to be reminded of it. I suppose we'll all just have to do the best we can, and have no regrets when the Black Rabbit calls."
The mention of the death bringer brought her back to reality, to the situation. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she looked around warily before giving attention to the doe once more.
"I would think it's about time you headed back, before ill happens. It was a pleasure, even in these circumstances, and when this is over, I'd like to see you again U'tuhlroo."
Smiling for the first time in a long while she bobbed her head in farewell, and in thanks.
((sorry if I'm coming off as rushing, Ivy herself would be by now. Nervous thing she is.))
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 8:06 am
Yes! U'tuhlroo had to keep herself from grinning as Ivy told her more about the male that had visited. His name escaped her for the moment, but she knew what he looked like and remembered the sound beating he had got for getting too close to Ivy and talking back to the Captain. It wouldn't be hard to find out the name of the buck that nearly got his eye gouged out by Cocklebur.
"I will," she promised, feeling bad for the almost-lie. She was in no position to tell a buck she hardly knew to take care of his wounds, but she would keep a close eye on him.
She had to be content with this little gem of information, and the way Ivy spoke about him didn't suggest that he had touched her or tried to get frisky... It was a relief, and U'tuhlroo felt she could finally give in to her instincts to leave as soon as possible. She looked down at the pile of roots in front of her, as if she was just now remembering they were still there.
"I'm not touching those again," she said with a frown, "How do I know there's no sickness on the ground? You can have them if you want."
And with that she bowed her head silently in a final greeting and turned away. The pale underside of her tail was the last thing Ivy saw of her as she dashed through the underbrush. U'tuhlroo was relieved to leave, and pleased to know the identity of the other rabbit who had visited. She would keep a close eye on him, but out of respect to Ivy she didn't plan to rat him out. Besides, it would be extremely difficult to explain how she knew he had violated the quarantine.
((And I believe that's the end...))
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