A Rabbit's Tale: Beginings
By Todd Fan
Dislcaimer: "Well, here we go again with the timid little rabbit routine. It's shameful but, eh, it's a living"
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This was inspired by the start of Lion King 3 (the meerkat bit), as you will see in some moments of the fic. I just wanted to write a fic showing Dylan's life before he arrived in the Village. This will me a multi-story fic, rather than multi-chapter, as each section is so gosh darn long. Lots of proper rabbit behaviour in here, as well as nods to Richard Adams' Watership Down (book or film, take your pick). Enough drivel, on with the fic!
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The European Rabbit. Oryctolagus cuniculus. Or, if you really want, 'Fluffy Wuffy Bunny Wunnies'. The beloved symbol of Easter and all that is nice and happy. Also considered to some as a pest. However one sees them, they are still the same creatures, and have been for years. The rabbit was introduced in Britian thanks to Spain, and the species has gone relatively unchanged. But sometimes, a lack of change is a very dull thing indeed.
"Yesterday, All my troubles seemed so far away, Now it looks as though they're here to stay, Oh I believe in yesterday, Suddenly..." (1)
"DYLAN!", a greying rabbit popped his head out of a tunnel, glaring at the young rabbit sitting leaning on a hill.
Dylan blinked inocently at the older rabbit, putting down the reeds he'd tied to a bark. He'd been trying for months to make a decent guitar....and he still hadn't cracked it.
“Yes, Merv?", he asked.
"Don't 'yes, Merv' me", said Merv, "you're SUPPOSED to be on digging duty"
He gave Dylan a sweet smile.
"So, young buck, tell me exactly WHY you're NOT digging?!!!!"
Dylan cleared his throat.
"The others told me to, like, take a break", he said with a shrug.
Merv muttered something under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"There is no such thing as 'taking a break' for our species", he pointed out.
"Well, I don't know", smiled Dylan, "I had it really going on for a minute there. I think they should, like, totally re-think the rule on that one"
"We can't take a break!", snapped Merv, "We're rabbits, feared by no one and eaten by all!"
"Yeah, I was thinking about that", said Dylan, "you know, a few martial arts classes and we wouldn't have to be worried about the predators"
Merv crossed his arms.
"You think too much", he said simply, "now get to digging"
"But..", started Dylan.
"NOW!!!", snapped Merv.
"Okay, okay", muttered Dylan, hopping into a hole, "like, don't have a fit".
Merv shook his head with a sad sigh.
"Take a job in the Owsla, you'll be respected", he muttered, "great advice, Dad". (2)
With a snort, he hopped back underground, where a group of rabbits were busy contructing a new tunnel.
"Dig, dig, dig", muttered a black-coloured doe, "no one tells us what we're digging FOR do they?"
"Shhhh, Cinder", whispered another doe next to her, "you'll get us in trouble...again"
"Just saying, is all", muttered Cinder, "don't be so panicky, Bebe".
"Why are we talking and not digging?", asked Merv, narrowing his eyes at them.
"Neh, go choke on a tree root", sneered Cinder, "we're digging as we speak, no rush"
"The chief rabbit wants this done by tomorrow", said Merv, "he won't be pleased to see it unfinished".
"What does he care?", asked Cinder, "he lives in his burrow away from the rest of the warren. He won't even USE this tunnel"
"That's besides the point", said Merv, "and another thi......"
He paused as a rumble sounded from above.
"CAVE IN!!!!", shouted Bebe.
A few seconds later, the roof fell in, covering the rabbits with dirt and leaving one exposed tunnel.
"Okay, what happened?", asked Merv, trying to get control of the situation.
A group of rabbits pointed silently at the cause of the cave in. Dylan blinked from where he was stood under the one bit of tunnel still existing, a large hole in it.
"What?", asked Dylan with a shrug, "it's a skylight"
The remaining pieces of earth holding up the 'skylight' crumbled around him.
"Bummer, dude", he said, looking around him.
"Dylan!", moaned Bebe, "we spent all day digging this"
"Typical", muttered another rabbit, "that guy's a living hurricane"
"This is the twelth tunnel he's demolished since he was put onto digging duty", said another.
"Well, we'll just have to start again tomorrow", sighed Merv, "I'm going to get my ears chewed off for this one, the chief rabbit won't be pleased"
"Thanks alot, Dim-un", said Bebe shoving past Dylan, "we probably won't be allowed to Silflay tonight" (3)
The other rabbits muttered in agreement, heading off down various tunnels.
"Gee, sorry, guys", sighed Dylan, his ears drooping, "I didn't mean to"
Cinder paused as she past him and gave him an affectionate nudge.
"Awww, don't listen to those losers, Dyl", she said, "they just don't like the boat being rocked a bit. Me, on the other hand, I love it. Nothing like shaking up the bunnies higher on the social ladder"
"That's easy for you to say", pointed out Dylan, following her along a tunnel, "you're a seer. You don't have to worry about you position being jostled" (4)
"If being a seer was THAT important, I'd have a nice, big burrow", said Cinder then smirked, "and about five of those sweet bucks from the west side of the warren to feed me carrots...wearing nothing but smiles"
"You see that happening in the future?", teased Dylan, arching a brow.
"Well, no", admitted Cinder, "but, hey, a doe can dream, can't she? And I don't even WANT to know what YOU dream about. But I assume it's good, you dream an awful lot"
Dylan rolled his eyes, chuckling. Though from seperate litters, he and Cinder had been born during the same week, so the pair had grown up together, and got used to each others 'little quirks'.
"Yeah, and Merv doesn't like it one bit", muttered Dylan, frowning slightly, "I'm telling you, Cind, sometimes, I just want to leave the whole warren-thing all together"
Cinder nodded.
"I hear you", she said, "Scurry, Sniff, Flinch. Scurry, Sniff, Flinch. I mean, it gets old fast. But leaving the warren? A lone rabbit without a warren might as well wear a big, flashing sign saying 'Eat me'"
"I guess", shrugged Dylan, "still, I get sick of all this heirarchy stuff. One heirarchy for the buck, one for the does. I mean, do we really NEED them?"
"Bu if me don't", said Cinder, mimicking Merv, "the world we know will crumble around us!!!"
"IT WILL"
Cinder blinked calmly, turning around to smile at Merv.
"Suuuuuuure it will", she smirked, "it'll happen any day now"
"Just go to the chief rabbit, Seer", said Merv, "he's all panicky about the wrecked tunnel"
Cinder rolled her eyes as she walked along another tunnel.
"Okay, fine", she said, 'but if he starts crying, I'm outta there. See you later, Dylan"
"And YOU", said Merv, rounding on Dylan, "the amount of damage you caused today is unbelieveable. But, your mother pleaded your case in front of the Owsla and we've agreed that digging isn't your thing"
He sighed.
"And, so, you're being put on sentry duty", he shook his head, "Frith help us all" (5)
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About an hour later, Merv was finally sure he'd drummed into Dylan the importance of being a sentry. Of course, Dylan had switched off from the older rabbit's ranting when he'd started repeating himself. He just smiled and nodded from time to time.
"Remember", said Merv, "The sentry is the warren's first warning against predators".
"Yup", Dylan nodded.
"Now", said Merv patiently, "the secret to being a good sentry: You sit here and look around, got it?".
"Mmmmm?", asked Dylan sleepily.
"I SAID HAVE YOU GOT IT?!!!", screamed Merv into his ear.
"Got it, got it", sighed Dylan with a wince, "chill out, dude"
Merv ignored his comment.
"And when you see danger yoooooouu?...."
Dylan rolled his eyes.
"I stamp my foot on the ground and scurry for cover", he said boredly.
Merv patted Dylan on the back.
"You got it!", he said, heading back for the hole, "you'll be relieved in three hours"
He paused at the entrance.
"And Dylan?, this is your LAST chance".
"Oh, goodie", muttered Dylan as Merv vanished inside, "okay, Dylan, you can do this. It's easy"
He glanced around, straining his ears to hear anything.
"Nope, no predators", he smiled, "see? No worries"
...And then there was a worry. Two does popped their heads out of the hole, obviously twins.
"Hello, Dylan", they giggled in unison.
Dylan backed up slightly, the twins frightened him, but he gave them a pleasant smile anyway.
"Oh..err.. hi Razzle, hi Dazzle"
"We heard about the cave in", said Razzle...or was it Dazzle?.
"Yeah", said her twin, "everyone was whining about it in the main burrow. You gave the chief rabbit a breakdown"
Dylan shrugged, hoping that was enough to convey his lack of intrest in the matter and get rid of the does at the same time. It did not.
"So, now you're on sentry duty", smirked one of them, "you know what happens if you screw this one up right?"
"You'll be stuck pulling up the grass for the oldies", giggled the other with unhidden delight.
"I really don't think you can get much lower than that", her sister concluded.
"Okay, you harpies!", snapped an older doe, walking over, shooing them off, "go back to your dark deeds elsewhere. Go on, vamoose!"
"Awwww, but, Rosie, we were just having fun..."
"VAMOOSE!"
The twins muttered under their breath, before vanishing under ground. The Rosie gave a nod, then walked over to Dylan, dusting him off.
"You caused quite a stir underground today, Dylan", she said, "the Owsla were not impressed".
"The Owsla are never impressed with me, Mum", pointed out Dylan with a sigh, "...thanks for bailing me out".
"Any time", said Rosie, then shook her head, "out of all my kids, you're the one that causes so much trouble. No wonder you're my favorite".
She beamed happily at him.
"And now, here you are", she said, "my Dylie, on sentry duty".
"There's not much left for me to do, Mum", sighed Dylan, "let's face it, I'm never really going to fit in here".
"Look", said Rosie, "I'm your mother, and I love you and your...."
She paused to count.
"Thirty eight siblings", she said, "and look, your siblings have done fine"
She patted his shoulder.
"You'll find your place in the warren soon enough", she said gently, "just wait and see".
Dylan sighed.
"I'm really starting to doubt there IS a place for me here, Mum".
Rosie shook her head, making that odd clucking sound mothers make while smoothing out the tuft of fur between her son's ears.
"Give it time, Dylan, you'll see".
Dylan sighed, then shook his head.
"Mum, enough of messing with the fur", he chuckled, "I can groom myself, really"
"But you have such nice fur", mused Rosie, then smiled, heading back to the tunnel, "make us proud, Dylan".
Dylan sighed, watching her vanish.
"Okay", he said, sitting on a rock, "back to the watching...scanning the horizon".
He gave a yawn.
"The swaying grass, the gent...le...bre...eze", he trailed off as his ears drooped, his eyes closed and he feel asleep.
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The next thing Dylan was aware of was screaming. Alot of screaming. It was enough screaming to wake a guy up. He sighed uncomfortably, before opening one eye.....and found a rather large eye looking right back at him. He squeaked, backing up to see the eye belonged to a fox.
"Oh good", said the fox in a cultured accent, "you've woken up. I'd hate to kill you while you're sleeping, terribly unsporting, you know"
It turned out the screaming was the other rabbits in the warren. The rabbits who HAD seen the fox, and were now panicking.
"Errr....I really don't think you want to eat me", said Dylan, then made a peace sign, "ever thought of going vegan?"
The fox snarled.
".....I take that as a no", said Dylan, then with a nervous laugh made a dash for the tunnels.
The fox gave a growl, dashing after him, landing amongst the panicking rabbits.
"Which one to pick, which one to pick", he mused, "oh, variety IS the spice of life"
"GET UNDERGOUND NOW!", shouted Merv.
A few seconds later and every rabbit was underground, leaving the fox standing later stupidly in the muddle of a patch of holes.
"Oh.....fiddle!", snapped the fox, "fine, I'll come back later, you just wait and see".
Underground, the rabbits gave Dylan a deathly glare.
"Errr....oops?", tried Dylan with a nervous laugh.
"Ooops?", growled Merv, "OOOPS?!!!!. You brought a FOX right among us! Ooops doesn't even BEGIN to cover the STUPIDITY!".
"Easy, Merv", said Rosie, stepping forwards, "he didn't mean it. You know it's his...condition"
"Condition of what?", snapped Merv, "laziness?. Sorry, Rosie, but he has brought this warren to near disaster since he was old enough to walk! Remember the incident with the buzzard?!!!".
"Look, he's just...different, is all", said Rosie, "I'm sure with time he'll..."
"His time has expired", said Merv, "He's had enough chances to prove himself worthy of being a productive part of the warren. He can just go to work with the elders tomorrow, like the rest of the outcasts".
He looked at the rabbits around him.
"Okay, you lot, back to work, NOW".
Rosie sighed, looking around for her son, not finding him in the tunnel, she poked her head above ground. Sure enough, Dylan was sitting dejectedly on his rock. She watched him sadly, before climbing out and walking over to sit beside him. They sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke.
"You know, looking after the elders won't be so bad", she said, trying to cheer him up, "I mean, I bet they have some GREAT stories to tell".
"What's the point?", sighed Dylan, his ears drooping sadly, "they'll probably get sick of me too".
He looked at the ground for a while, then looked over to his mother.
"I'm leaving the warren in the morning", he said, "I'm going to set out on my own. There's got to be SOMEWHERE I, like, fit in".
"You're leaving", asked Rosie, then shook her head, "but you can't. It's too dangerous".
"I'd rather risk that than be an underling for the rest of my life", said Dylan, "Mum.....stop crying, Mum"
Rosie, however, was going into full-scale crying mode.
"Oh, I remember when you were a little tiny kitten", Rosie sobbed, "all furless, death and blind. COMPLETELY helpless!" (6)
"Mum...that's how all rabbit kittens are when they're born", said Dylan patiently.
"In a nest with fur RIPPED from my own belly!!!"
"Again, normal rabbit thing", said Dylan, rolling his eyes.
Rosie whimpered, then paused.
".....Did I mention you were my favorite?"
"Numerous times", said Dylan with a chuckle.
He sighed, giving Rosie a hug.
"I'll be fine, Mum", he said, "if it makes you feel any better, I'll teach myself self-defense"
"Don't kid", Rosie scalded, then sniffed, hugging her son tightly, "I'm going to miss you SO much, Dylie"
"Mum", gasped Dylan, trying to free his neck, "....crushing...windpipe....can't...breathe"
"Don't care", replied Rosie, "I want to hug my boy out before he leaves".
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The next morning, Dylan rose from his burrow with a yawn. One good thing about this warren life, at least there was no luggage to pack up when you needed to leave. He glanced around before heading outside with a sigh. Rosie and Cinder were already waiting for him. Cinder sighed, walking over to give her life-long friend a hug.
"Look, I know it's against the rules and stuff, but you know how I feel about rules...", she chuckled, "I tuned into the whole seer-thing for you"
Dylan arched a brow.
"If you tell me I'm going to be eaten by something", he said, "I'd really rather not know"
"No, it was weirder than that", frowned Cinder, "all I got was. 'Where the fair music plays, Here you will stay'"
"...That's, like....kriptic and far-out", pointed out Dylan, "haven't you got anything, like, less vauge?"
"Sorry", said Cinder with a shrug, "the ways of the seer are weird and fuzzy. Like a TV with no stations".
She smiled, punching his arm.
"Just don't die out there, 'kay?", she said, then sighed, moving aside so Rosie could throttle her son in a bear-hug again.
"Oh, I'll miss you oh so much", sobbed Rosie.
"I'll miss you too, Mum", sighed Dylan, hugging her back.
Rosie stepped back, trying to smoothe out his fur again.
"Now, if you meet any strange creatures with big teeth, don't talk to them", she said, "and keep your ears clean, and..."
"Mum", chuckled Dylan, "I'm not a kitten anymore. I can deal".
"My little Dylie all grown up!", sniffed Rosie.
"Okay, I'd better be going then", said Dylan, looking at the fields leading away from the warren...the fields which looked suddenly very, very big.
He gave the pair a cheerfull wave before heading off, ready to face whatever the karma gods would throw at him.
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(1) - Yesterday, by the Beatles. If you need to be told who the Beatles are....I'd be frightened.
(2) - The Owsla is from Watership Down. It's kind of the police/council of a rabbit warren. It's their jobs to make sure things run smoothly.
(3) - Another nod to Watership Down. Silflay is Lapine language for going above ground to eat.
(4) - Watership Down. Apparently, every few generations, a warren will contain a rabbit who can see the future. A seer. Fiver, one of the main characters, was a seer, as was Hyzenthlay to an extent.
(5) - Frith is the rabbit God from Watership Down. The sun.
(6) - Yes, baby rabbits are called kittens. It's an odd name for baby herbivores. But there you go. Apparently, a group of rabbits is supposedly called a herd. I think whoever was classifying rabbits was having a laugh.
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And there it is. The next story, when I get around to writing it, will be abut Dylan's travels to the Village (and the creation of his guitar). I dont' know why my fox became camp. I really, really don't. Most of the behaviours are, indeed real ones, though I don't know about caring for the elders, proabably not so. But there IS a social order, two actually, one for the bucks and one for the does. For those that know DeviantART, yes, Cinder IS the gypsy rabbit picture I drew. It's taken me this long to give her a place.