Quote:
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.
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.
I can’t believe I’m doing this, Cuan thought as she paused to adjust the carrot held precariously between her teeth. I can’t believe I let Esfir talk me into this…
For her charge had seen some incredibly tiny bunnies in the park and had tried to approach, only for the silly things to run away. So she had begged for Cuan to go and take food and make sure the bunnies weren’t in trouble. She had appealed to Cuan’s sense of ethics is what she’d done. Sneaky little kid. She was going to be amazing when she made it to full senshi powers. But still! No amount of pride in her charge could make up for how blasted silly she felt right now.
Making her way deeper into the dark park, Cuan thought she saw a cluster of white that was moving. Creeping closer, she smiled inwardly. Success! Tiny, pure white buns. So tiny, in fact, that Cuan was a little shocked. Surely rabbits were bigger than this? She wasn’t terribly large herself and they dwarfed her! Well, good thing this damn carrot is a big one then. They can share. Dropping the vegetable, her lips pulled back in distaste before she nosed the carrot down the little hill towards the bunnies.
“Eat up, you little weirdos,” she called softly. She’d gone to a lot of trouble after all. She didn't want them to run away on her. To her pleasure, rather than running away, the group ran towards the carrot and began nibbling happily. Which allowed Cuan to get closer to them. As she sat a miniscule distance from them, her tail lashed lazily. Were they escaped pets? She was fairly certain she would have seen or heard something if someone was missing a lot of rabbits!
As she puzzled over the bunnies, Cuan took her eyes off of them for a moment. That was apparently enough time for them to notice her and swarm towards her. The next thing she knew, the little lykoi was positively drowning in fluffy bunny bodies as they sniffed and snuggled close. They weren’t frightened of her at all and seemed perfectly happy to cuddle. Well, Cuan couldn’t say she objected either. They were pretty cute, with their enormous eyes and tiny, wiggly noses…
“You are odd little ones,” she murmured to the bunnies, blinking a little as one especially cute specimen got all up in her face, nose twitching to inspect her. Holding herself still, she found herself rather enjoying the attention and batted a gentle paw at one of the bunnies, wanting to see if she could coax it into playing. She so seldom had anyone her size to play with, after all. She succeeded in startling them and as one jumped, tiny snowflakes drifted from its body.
Well, that explained the white and cold of them…
But they didn’t run away and she was careful to move slowly, trying to mimic their bouncing gait. After a few minutes, they came back and resumed trying to cuddle. Sighing, Cuan let them. They didn’t seem terribly interested in games, only in being rather sweet and dim. She could spare them a little more cuddletime before she went home.
And at least she would be able to reassure Esfir that the bunnies were in no danger.
Word Count = 555
