Snowbunnies (2) : Winter seems to bring out the cutest of all rodents; this isn’t the first time that small, white rabbits have infested Destiny City. They’re small, rarely larger than a guinea pig, and have large eyes and wiggling noses. They are always pure white and seem to show up whenever there’s snow. They aren't menacing or evil, they're just everywhere. They seem strangely domesticated; they are sweet, curious, and friendly creatures that will eat anything you give them. They always seem cold to the touch, and when they shake, little snowflakes sprinkle off of them.
While they seem to be social creatures who seem to appreciate anything warm and will cuddle up to steal body heat, they are too skittish and fast to be kept for pets. They can show up just about anywhere, either alone or--often--in pairs. They tend to wander off on their own without any trouble, but if you surprise them or try to catch or hurt them, they may bite. Their little teeth are enough to break skin, but after one bite they run away. The bite itself isn’t bad, but the effects are a bit unpleasant: for roughly two days after the bite, the injury is cold and the victim will feel random, cold, shooting pains. Their core body temperature will drop and they will often be sent into random fits of shivering. No medicine seems to help, and no amount of blankets or hot baths can soothe the chill. You're just going to have to deal with it and hope it gets better…
Most experiences with the bunnies are perfectly pleasant, you just have to worry about them burrowing. There are holes peppering Destiny City, and with the fresh fallen snow it can be impossible to tell where they are hiding. The holes range from small holes to several feet deep, so can be a minor inconvenience to a potential hazard. On the bright side, sometimes you wind up covered in bunnies looking for warmth from their sudden guest. On the other hand, there are a rising number of trips to the hospital for twists and sprains. The bunnies always leave with the snow, so best to enjoy them--or avoid them--for as long as you can.
Graceful was never a word that had been used to describe Halia. Not by a longshot. So for her to end up facedown in the snow? That was pretty on par for her. As was the utter burning embarrassment.
Halia had been enjoying the day, going for a walk in the park, and watching the odd little bunnies with fascination. She was so caught up, in fact, that she hadn't even bothered to think about any potential bunny holes that had been burrowed. Stepping down, she yelped as her foot went down into a hole and she went careening forward, faceplanting into the snow. She sighed as she allowed herself to just lay there for a moment, then froze as she felt something climb on top of her. Of course. It was a bunny. With her luck, it would probably have been the one who made the hole that caused her to faceplant.
She turned her head to try and peer over her shoulder, just as another one climbed up to settle on her back beside the other. A puff of air escaped her as she looked at the two adorable little creatures sourly. "Hope you're comfy. Thanks. Thanks ever so much. Both of you. Really. So thoughtful to use me as a cushion." Sarcasm wasn't something she often used, normally far too subdued and shy, but her voice positively dripped with it as she shot the fuzzy little creatures another look, unable to bring herself to get up and disturb them. Well, that and the fact she was pretty sure her boot was wedged in the hole.
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 9:21 pm
Pippa was taking to this new country and city with the same amount of enthusiasm as she approached most things and barrelled forward even after the odd snowman and weird pumpkin thing.
Classes were over so she had a lot of free time to be out in the snow while Freddy was handling some things for the holidays coming up, he was better at planning than she was so she decided to just go out and pick up things to send home maybe as well.
Walking through the snow, she heard someone fall before she ended up seeing them. To be far it was a bit hard with the rabbits on them, their white fur blending in with the snow nearby.
"Cute... but are you alright?" Hurrying over and looking down at the girl and the rabbits, they looked up at her from their cozy spot and didn't seem to care much about the new guest.
Reaching down to pet one of the things, she nudged it slightly to get it off the downed girl. "Oh weird... they're not warm?" So were they like the snowman? They didn't seem problematic so far at least besides picking the wrong place to sit.
Oh god, of course someone would find her laying like that. Halia was thankful that she was face first in the snow, glad that it would hide just how embarrassed she was. She lifted up just enough to turn and look at the girl who approached her, giving her an awkward smile. "I...think I'm alright. But I think my boot is wedged in the rabbit hole pretty good." She tried to move her leg and winced as it caused tension to be put on her ankle in an unfriendly direction.
"They're not warm?" She peered over her shoulder again at the little creatures now sprawled against her side. Her thick coat kept her, thankfully, from feeling the cold of the snow against her body, so she hadn't noticed the chilly nature of the bunnies. She moved her hand slowly to reach over and run her finger down the fur of one of them, eyes widening in surprise at just how cold to the touch it was. "Huh...how strange....they're definitely not as skittish as normal rabbits either." They didn't feel like anything chaos related, though she wasn't entirely sure she would be able to tell while she wasn't transformed anyways, but they seemed entirely too docile to be youma. Her stomach dropped as she thought back to the gargoyles from halloween, remembering that those things hadn't felt like youma either. Were these like the gargoyles, then? Some new weird magical anomaly?
Sara Draconia
Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2025 7:52 am
"Ah nasty bugger then, still cute but back home it's so easy to wrench your ankle in one of their holes if you're not looking." Squatting down, she pet one of the cold little rabbits, they didn't seem like trouble. If anything it kept looking at her pocket where she had some of her snacks.
"Need help getting up? Even with a coat on it's a bit chill innit? Or is this the norm here? I'm still figuring that out." Musing as she pulled some of the chocolate-covered dried oranges from her pocket, she offered one to the rabbit. It didn't seem bothered by the chocolate, something she didn't figure would be good for regular rabbits, but instead, it nibbled on the thing enthusiastically.
Halia gave the girl an apologetic smile, nodding. "Yes please. I can't get my boot free from this angle." She turned awkwardly to try and see the hole that had swallowed her foot, but she really had made quite the spectacular mess of this. As she waited for the girl to help, Halia absently pet one of the bunnies that had wandered over and settled by her face.
"I think it's a pretty normal winter, cold bunnies aside. But I never really thought to pay attention before." The bunny snuggled up under her chin, tucking itself against her chest and she smiled softly. "They're so cute... makes me almost wish I could have one as a pet." Almost. She didn't know the first thing about rabbits, didn't have time for pets, and she also had a feeling these weren't exactly normal rabbits either. Still, they were pretty dang adorable.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:12 am
"Alright, up ya pop." Helping first to dig the girl's foot out before helping them get standing again. The other rabbits just sat and watched, not really paying them much mind.
"Pippa, that's my name. What's yours?" Smiling as she offered her hand to shake theirs. There was still a bit of snow on her glove but that just came with the season and her habit of building snowmen here and there in it all.
"I don't think they'd like being inside near the fire. I wonder if they might melt?"
Halia gave her a grateful smile and stood up, carefully putting weight on her foot. She could tell she had twisted it, but it was more discomfort than pain. Nothing she couldn't handle for now! "I'm Halia, it's lovely to meet you, Pippa." A warm smile was given and she gently scooped one of the little rabbits up, gently stroking from its nose up its head.
"Huh... I don't know. They really seem to like the warmth though." She laughed softly as the bunny in her hands burrowed against her chest, trying to vanish into the folds of her scarf. "Maybe they're just another one of the weird things in the city. Like the gargoyles from halloween..." She mostly was speaking to herself and she shuddered as she remembered that awful experience. Those gargoyles had sucked, though they were decidedly not youma. And from what she could tell, neither were these cute little things. Which was a massive relief to her, if she was being honest. She had enough to worry about.
Turning to Pippa, she carefully held the little rabbit out to her. "Would you like to hold it? This one seems pretty snuggly."
Sara Draconia
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 6:26 pm
Smiling back before tucking the snacks back in her pocket, she was glad to be making another friend already here. She'd met a few in classes so far and was settling in more than her brother but she was sure he'd find his own group of pals soon.
"I like this lil weirdness better than the other stuff Halia." Nodding, she accepted the rabbit and started petting it softly. It was still chilly but the thing curled into her while trying to weasel it's way under her scarf.
"I doubt Freddy would let me keep one, he used to get made about me and the hedgehogs from the field back home." Frowning a bit, she looked at the notification on her apple watch as it dinged.
"Aw cripes, my brother is out of class, I need to go. Are you sure you'll be okay Halia? Oh maybe we can exchange numbers? I don't really know many people here yet and you can tell me more about the weird stuff to watch out for?"
"Other stuff? Oh...yeah me too. I would definitely take snowy bunnies over angry gargoyles any day." She laughed softly as she watched the little bunny try and burrow. She felt relaxed around this girl, finding herself smiling quite easily.
"I've heard hedgehogs can be quite the handful, even if they're really cute. It takes a lot of work to socialize them, from what I've read." She didn't expect the slight feeling of disappointment when the girl said she needed to leave, but was glad at the offer to exchange numbers.
Halia quickly pulled her phone out and offered it to Pippa with the new contact screen up. "I'll be alright. But...I would definitely like to exchange numbers. I don't have too many friends myself, and there's definitely a lot of weird stuff here to look out for." She smiled warmly, a tiny laugh escaping her as another bunny cuddled up to her foot. "Feel free to text me anytime."
The feeling of making a new friend was novel still, and Halia would be smiling the rest of the day. Unless, of course, she fell into another rabbit hole.
