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Snowbunnies (1) : 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.
There were certain times of year when you needed to look out for more interesting things than normal in Destiny City. The annual Star Festival tended to bring out some unique oddities (the demon chickens from this most recent summer, Cryptomelane personally could have done without—not unless they wanted to become youma in service to the Negaverse or something). Halloween was definitely stranger in town than it had ever been at the compound with Brother Horace and the others. And the time surrounding all of the assorted winter holidays tended to be……well.
All these times of year had their own unique characters, Cryptomelane thought as he made his way through one of the city parks with Ympe on his shoulder. Lucette needed the evening to do some of her end-of-semester work, so while he had, as Preston, stopped by to gift her coffee and some tiny cakes (all the better to study with), he hadn’t hung around long. She needed to work, so he needed to avoid distracting her. They could return to patrolling together when she was out of the tight-crunch period, and in the meantime, Cryptomelane had his trusted friend and companion to accompany him.
Which was honestly going to merit a reward for Ympe sooner or later. Every time they moved too close to one of the garland-bedecked lamp-posts, or the evergreen trees with the little non-denominational ornaments and colorful, sparkly beads woven among their branches, Ympe tapped his little fingers together and clacked his teeth. The former behavior was adorable. The latter, on the other hand, usually got Cryptomelane to stop and check if anything had fallen off that Ympe could take and add to his collection, back in Cryptomelane’s office. As yet, they’d had no luck, and Ympe was being very patient about not trying to climb anything to steal the tree-toppers, and not trying to rip loose any of the sparkly beads that he liked so well.
The question of what kind of reward to give him nagged at the back of Cryptomelane’s mind……well. At least it did until he felt an Order aura flare into existence somewhere nearby. More powerful than himself, yes, but perhaps, he could take them by surprise. As he called his flail to hand, Cryptomelane held one finger up to his lips, giving Ympe the universal sign for “be quiet.” He moved carefully as he stepped off the path and into the snow-covered grass. Too much of a chance for that stuff to crunch beneath his shoes if he weren’t careful. Sure, whoever he found attached to the other aura would feel him coming, but aura senses could be imprecise, so perhaps they wouldn’t think him quite so close.
Yet, something drew his attention as he moved toward whichever warrior of Order he found on the other side. With a furrowed brow, Cryptomelane wrinkled his nose down at……footprints? In the snow?
Distinctly not human (or humanoid alien) footprints, either. Aside from being far too small, they came in sets of four, some larger and more oblong than the others. All of them had smudged the snow somewhat, as though whatever had left them were moving with some speed. Distantly, Cryptomelane thought of the rabbits that had sometimes made trouble for the gardens at the compound, and soon enough, that made sense.
Following the Order aura led him to a clearing, full of little white rabbits. And there, among them, a floral-themed uniform and long hair in a sunset ombré, both of which he recognized but neither of which he’d seen around town for some time.
He called to her softly, trying not to startle either the Knight before him or the rabbits: “……Sonora?”
Noir xx Songbird
