The sun was starting to rise as the little, light-furred hare rushed from her den through the tall grass. There were predators around who would love a quick bite from her and make her their next meal. So far she had no fatal encounters and she wanted to keep it that way. At this time of day, it was usually clear. It was her best shot at gathering supplies before the predators came out.
When she moved, she remained close to the ground. There were too many stories of careless hares trying to get a good look at their surroundings before being carried off by a hawk. Once she got out of the tall grass and was near a tree, she stopped to catch her breath. Sometimes it was hard being a hare.
Kahina was a young hare who was still adjusting to her newfound independence. At first, the freedom of being away from her family was blissful, but her parent's warnings had always been in the back of her mind. Then she saw how cruel the world was with her own eyes. She shuttered as she rested under the tree. It was dangerous regardless if you were in a group or all alone. The plan was to carry as many berries back with her to her den and wait until after midday to do some more exploring. When the sun was at its highest, that was when she saw the most predators. Then they would slowly leave the area once they got enough to eat.
After her short rest, Kahina got up and started gathering up some berries, humming to herself as she did so, enjoying the peace while she could.
Zail was taking a small break from the colony to stretch his legs and see some sights. Since joining the colony he rarely left, but this was a special occasion! He remembered some flowers blooming around this time in this area and he wanted to bring back some starters to the colony so they could have a couple of new types to grow.
As he looked for the flowers, he noticed a white and gray hare doing some gathering. He watched silently as she worked. She seemed to be humming some sort of melody as she did so. Her focus was completely on the task at hand that she did not hear him approach.
“Excuse me?” he greeted, giving her a wave.
Kahina was about to taste one of the berries, to make sure they were ripe enough when she heard the other hare. Startled, she jumped a little way in the air, dropping her precious berries. She was surprised to see a fellow hare and not something scarier. Quickly she started picking up her berries, but she kept her eyes on him.
“Is there something you need?” She asked.
Zail started to help the poor rabbit pick up the berries. He hoped she wasn't too upset with him. “Well, I am looking for some flowers to bring back to my home. They grew somewhere around here and I was wondering if you had seen them by chance?” He explained. Once he picked up the berries, he held them out for her.
Kahina took the berries from him and eyed him carefully. It had been a long time since she had seen a fellow hare. He seemed nice enough though.
“Yea I know where those flowers are. If you help me store some berries I can show you where the flowers grow. But we have to be careful and moved quickly. Do you think you can handle that?” Kahina asked.
Zail nodded his head. He started to help her gather the berries. They worked quickly. When they had enough, she pointed in the direction of her den.
“Stay close and remain hidden,” she said before making her way out of the forest. Zail was in awe of how swiftly she moved but soon made an effort to stay close. He wondered if this was her day-to-day life. It seemed like a lifetime ago when he felt like he could be in danger from predators. Even before he joined the colony, he had his trusty leopard with him to scare off anything that would want to harm him. He couldn't help but wonder if this hare would benefit from finding her own large companion or even joining the colony? Later he would see about bringing it up.
They made it through the field with no rest. She stopped at her den entrance and jumped down.
“It's safe you can follow me,” Kahina called up to him.
That was all the invite he needed to hop down.
“Nice place you have down here,” Zail said as he glanced around. It was larger than he thought it would be. Much more room than a single hare would need. He wondered if she had a family around somewhere.
“You can just set the berries down over here. That should be enough for me for a while. Thank you for your assistance!” Kahina said. “We can rest for a little while and once it is midday we should be in the clear to make it to the flowers. As long as we don't linger there, we shouldn't be in much danger.”
“You know a lot about the dangers of this area,” Zail noted.
“Better to be safe than sorry. I've seen what the predators do to us smaller animals. I want to make sure I do my best to make sure I don't end up as their next meal.” She explained. “So do you want to share why you are willing to put yourself in danger for some flowers? Do they taste good or something?”
“You know, I've never actually tried it?” Zail answered with a laugh. “I wanted to find them so I could bring them back to my colony. We have some flowers already and I thought it would be nice to add some more variation.”
Kahina stared at the other hare dumbfounded. He must live a completely different life than her if he was willing to put himself in danger just for the sake of decoration. From time to time she thought about sprucing up her living area, but then she reminded herself that anytime spent in the open was a new chance to be killed.
“What is your colony like?” She asked curiously.
“Peaceful and relaxing. Everyone I've met has been friendly. Best of all there are so many hares! No scary predators around. If you're interested I can show it to you? I bet it would beat living out here in fear every day.” He said with a grin. She didn't smile in return, instead, her brow furrowed. “Ah, I didn't mean it as an insult. I know sometimes it's better to live alone.”
Kahina looked back at him, a little flustered.
“Oh no. I wasn't insulted. I was just thinking about it. Your offer is tempting, but I'll have to think about it. After I settled here, I haven't been much of a traveler.” She explained. The offer was tempting, she just didn't know if it would be the right place for her? What if she hated it and when she came back other hares took over her area. It was an important choice to make.
“Well, you should think about it while we travel to get my flowers. If you decide not to, it's not a problem. I plan on hopping this way again and if I do, I'll stop by and see if you've changed your mind.” He replied. She nodded her head.
It wasn't long until Kahina decided that they were in the clear. She jumped out of her den, with Zail close behind her. The flowers weren't too far, but she still approached with caution. When Zail saw the flowers he grinned with joy.
“They are just how I remember them! Thank you so much-” He paused when he realized he did not know the name of his bunny guide. “Oh, we never introduced ourselves. My name is Zail. What would you like me to call you?”
“Kahina.” She said before grabbing some flowers for herself. Her den could use some fresh colors. They quickly gathered the flowers they wanted and then returned to the den. “If you would like, you can stay here tonight and leave in the morning.” She offered once they were back safely.
He nodded his head. It would give her time to think about his offer and truthfully he could use the time to rest his paws. They spent time getting to know each other and trading stories.
The next day Zail was up and ready to go.
“So Kahina, are you going to go with me?” He asked, watching her with interest. If she went with him, he was certain she would love the colony and feel like it was the perfect home.
“I'm sorry Zail, I just don't think I'm ready to leave my home. Your colony sounds wonderful- but this is where I belong.” She said, looking away. He would be looking at her with his sad blue eyes and she didn't know if she could handle that right now. “You are more than welcome to come back here anytime. Maybe I'll change my mind at some point, but I don't want to commit to anything right now.”
“I understand,” Zail responded slowly. She looked at him and he gave her a pleasant smile. He bowed toward her. “Thank you for sharing your den with me and gathering flowers with me. And I promise you I'll be back. There are plenty more flowers for me to bring back.” He gathered his belongings and gave her a final wave goodbye.
Kahina watched him leave her den and sighed with relief. She was glad he didn't take her answer negatively. His offer was still on her mind though. Luckily now she had time to think about it without having Zail distract her.
(WC: 1,665)