Post by Ahiga on Jan 22, 2009 23:36:51 GMT -5
Characters: Hemlock (Male Rabbit), Allegro (Male Dog)
Setting: Burrowed Meadow
What beautiful meadow on a beautiful summer's evening would be complete without a few rabbits? Well, this one is partially complete, for it doesn't have a few. Basking in the setting sun's gentle glow a single buck grazes, moving steadily but slowly over the grass. He'll nibble for a while, then hop a few times before setting to work again on the grass again. This is a nice little field the loner has wandered onto, from all he can tell. Some scent of elil, but no more than other places. Deep, well-used burrows already dug. There is one thing sorely lacking, though. Rabbits. There's some scent of them, and of hares too.. a bit odd. He's only been here for a day or so, and hasn't thoroughly searched the warren, but he still finds it strange that he hasn't run into anyone. This was a fair-sized warren once, and the field's emptiness, even on an evening like this, seems quite unusual. Hemlock has decided that he's only a visitor here, unless something entices him to stay. As nice a place as it
is, he won't stay long if there are no does living in it.
A dog in the countryside with the backdrop of an evening sky. Now that sounds picturesque in itself. All Allegro really needs to complete the postcard-worthy scene is a dusty cowboy to lope behind after a hard day's work. But of course, humans have long ago abandoned this area, leaving farm animals to themselves. The shepherd mix walks alone, lacking the perk in his step that any household dog would have. He's hungry and his careful steps are those of a scavenger on the prowl, looking for an opportunity. Any opportunity. And ... lo. His ears lift at the hobble of movement in the meadow, and his head rises for a better view. A .. BUNNY! Hot dog! His brows lift, then his head lowers again as he creeps forward. OK, so he's not the best hunter in the world, and he's not exactly hidden in the grasses, but a dog's gotta try.
Of course, no rabbit in it's right mind spends time in the open without being on his guard. Well, Hemlock might not be -totally- in his right mind, but he's not stupid. The buck can't afford to become too absorbed in his meal without giving proper attention to his surroundings. His ears are perked, his nose twitching, senses tuned to the meadow in the closest thing to relaxation as one of his kind can get while above ground. At least until something startles him -- a scent, to be precise. He immediately perks up, then sits up on his hind legs and looks around alertly. It's not hard to spot the dog, who's still at a distance, and for a moment he freezes and stares, his mind racing to the rabbit hole that is nearest. With a feeling of trepidation he realizes that by far the closest run, and quite probably his best shot for survival, is between himself and the canine. He'd figured he was close enough to it to be able to dart to it fairly easily if anything approached, and indeed it is, but running towards the dog is quite contrary to his instinct to flee it, his instinct to dash to the nearest hole checked by fear. For the moment he's held fast in a frail moment of hesitation.
Spotted! Allegro's largely aware that the buck's eyes are on him. So much for stealth. He'll need to practice that. He pauses with one paw lifted, as if somehow motionlessness will have him blending in the grasses that don't evenly match his coat. No such luck. A second ticks by, and the instinctive decision is made as a growl rumbles from his throat. His lifted paw is lowered in the first step of a run towards the risen prey, and his ears fall back against his head as he streamlines himself. And that's all well and good, but such measures have no effect on the unevenness of the ground. There are holes everywhere around here! Holes that Allegro notes belatedly and near trips upon in his mad dash towards the fluffy morsel. But though the dog does not trip, he does lose momentum at a near stumble over a near hidden den hole. Durn! The word is written all over his face, but he corrects himself quickly and lets out his frustration, and elation of the hunt, with barks that he has trouble controlling.
When the dog takes action, Hemlock's fight-or-flight instincts kick into high gear, forcing him to do the same. Knowing that it might be his only chance of survival and that his time to consider the options is dissolving, he pushes himself forward in a hopping run and accelerates to a dash towards the hole (and the dog). Running -from- a predator is stressful enough. This is most definitely worse.
Woah woah ... huh? The rabbit's coming ... towards him? Allegro's ears lift for a moment at this realization before a whoop is hollered out between barks. How lucky can a dog get? Finding a suicidal rabbit right here in the middle of a field with absolutely no one around to snatch it from him! The thought of that spurs him on faster, but he has quite a bit of distance left to devour before he's within striking range, and he's sadly unaware of that escape hole that lies between them. The yards quickly lesson, and the closer that he gets to his willing prey, the wider his eyes seem to grow. "Whoop! C'mon lil' bunny! I got what you're lookin' for right here!" hollered with a flash of teeth.
The dog's barking and whooping makes Hemlock falter in his path a little, but he quickly corrects it, pushing himself to run as fast as his body will allow. His powerful back legs propel him in long, swift leaps, and with each of them the rabbit feels more afraid. The dog is getting quite uncomfortably close.. but he's almost there! Fifteen yards away, then ten, then five. Then, quite suddenly, down he goes, right past a tussock of grass an into the earth, out of sight.
Twenty yards! Fifteen. Ten! Allegro can just ... taste the mouth-watering meat already. He can nearly feel the warmth of the blood as it bleeds through his teeth. His stomach growls a protest at the tantalizing images in his mind, and the loud thudding in his ears isn't the rhythmic drum of his paws but instead the rapid racing of his heart. Yards. Feet....gone! Allegro's paws come to sliding stop at the entrance den and scratch and dig, causing dirt to fly out behind him as he barks down into the hole. "Goldurnit! C'mon bunny! I ain't gonna hurtcha. Jus' gonna chew on ya a bit!" There's no way he's getting that morsel now, but barking and yelling seems to make him feel just a little bit better about missing out a meal that was practically inches in front of him.
Hemlock doesn't stop once he's past the mouth of the run -- he keeps going, down and away as fast as he can from the maddened dog. Once safe in the depths of the warren, he stops to perk his ears towards the muted shouts and barking, shaking himself out a bit and grooming to relax himself as he recovers from the dash, feeling immensely relieved and a little elated at the fact that he not only escaped, but probably ruined the dog's day to boot!
Allegro stays out there for a good five minutes, digging and barking and shouting out threats before he seems to lose his mojo. This isn't getting him anywhere, and he needs to find something to eat. As his jubilance finally begins to ebb, the realization of his responsibilities come flooding back. He needs to find food, and not only for himself anymore. His little ... makeshift stolen pack might be just as hungry as he is. And so, he snorts down into the hole before backing off. "Yeah, yeah, you'n me are gonna have our day, bunny. This ain't over!" he shouts over his shoulder as he trots off. There has to be easier prey to be found somewhere around here.
Setting: Burrowed Meadow
What beautiful meadow on a beautiful summer's evening would be complete without a few rabbits? Well, this one is partially complete, for it doesn't have a few. Basking in the setting sun's gentle glow a single buck grazes, moving steadily but slowly over the grass. He'll nibble for a while, then hop a few times before setting to work again on the grass again. This is a nice little field the loner has wandered onto, from all he can tell. Some scent of elil, but no more than other places. Deep, well-used burrows already dug. There is one thing sorely lacking, though. Rabbits. There's some scent of them, and of hares too.. a bit odd. He's only been here for a day or so, and hasn't thoroughly searched the warren, but he still finds it strange that he hasn't run into anyone. This was a fair-sized warren once, and the field's emptiness, even on an evening like this, seems quite unusual. Hemlock has decided that he's only a visitor here, unless something entices him to stay. As nice a place as it
is, he won't stay long if there are no does living in it.
A dog in the countryside with the backdrop of an evening sky. Now that sounds picturesque in itself. All Allegro really needs to complete the postcard-worthy scene is a dusty cowboy to lope behind after a hard day's work. But of course, humans have long ago abandoned this area, leaving farm animals to themselves. The shepherd mix walks alone, lacking the perk in his step that any household dog would have. He's hungry and his careful steps are those of a scavenger on the prowl, looking for an opportunity. Any opportunity. And ... lo. His ears lift at the hobble of movement in the meadow, and his head rises for a better view. A .. BUNNY! Hot dog! His brows lift, then his head lowers again as he creeps forward. OK, so he's not the best hunter in the world, and he's not exactly hidden in the grasses, but a dog's gotta try.
Of course, no rabbit in it's right mind spends time in the open without being on his guard. Well, Hemlock might not be -totally- in his right mind, but he's not stupid. The buck can't afford to become too absorbed in his meal without giving proper attention to his surroundings. His ears are perked, his nose twitching, senses tuned to the meadow in the closest thing to relaxation as one of his kind can get while above ground. At least until something startles him -- a scent, to be precise. He immediately perks up, then sits up on his hind legs and looks around alertly. It's not hard to spot the dog, who's still at a distance, and for a moment he freezes and stares, his mind racing to the rabbit hole that is nearest. With a feeling of trepidation he realizes that by far the closest run, and quite probably his best shot for survival, is between himself and the canine. He'd figured he was close enough to it to be able to dart to it fairly easily if anything approached, and indeed it is, but running towards the dog is quite contrary to his instinct to flee it, his instinct to dash to the nearest hole checked by fear. For the moment he's held fast in a frail moment of hesitation.
Spotted! Allegro's largely aware that the buck's eyes are on him. So much for stealth. He'll need to practice that. He pauses with one paw lifted, as if somehow motionlessness will have him blending in the grasses that don't evenly match his coat. No such luck. A second ticks by, and the instinctive decision is made as a growl rumbles from his throat. His lifted paw is lowered in the first step of a run towards the risen prey, and his ears fall back against his head as he streamlines himself. And that's all well and good, but such measures have no effect on the unevenness of the ground. There are holes everywhere around here! Holes that Allegro notes belatedly and near trips upon in his mad dash towards the fluffy morsel. But though the dog does not trip, he does lose momentum at a near stumble over a near hidden den hole. Durn! The word is written all over his face, but he corrects himself quickly and lets out his frustration, and elation of the hunt, with barks that he has trouble controlling.
When the dog takes action, Hemlock's fight-or-flight instincts kick into high gear, forcing him to do the same. Knowing that it might be his only chance of survival and that his time to consider the options is dissolving, he pushes himself forward in a hopping run and accelerates to a dash towards the hole (and the dog). Running -from- a predator is stressful enough. This is most definitely worse.
Woah woah ... huh? The rabbit's coming ... towards him? Allegro's ears lift for a moment at this realization before a whoop is hollered out between barks. How lucky can a dog get? Finding a suicidal rabbit right here in the middle of a field with absolutely no one around to snatch it from him! The thought of that spurs him on faster, but he has quite a bit of distance left to devour before he's within striking range, and he's sadly unaware of that escape hole that lies between them. The yards quickly lesson, and the closer that he gets to his willing prey, the wider his eyes seem to grow. "Whoop! C'mon lil' bunny! I got what you're lookin' for right here!" hollered with a flash of teeth.
The dog's barking and whooping makes Hemlock falter in his path a little, but he quickly corrects it, pushing himself to run as fast as his body will allow. His powerful back legs propel him in long, swift leaps, and with each of them the rabbit feels more afraid. The dog is getting quite uncomfortably close.. but he's almost there! Fifteen yards away, then ten, then five. Then, quite suddenly, down he goes, right past a tussock of grass an into the earth, out of sight.
Twenty yards! Fifteen. Ten! Allegro can just ... taste the mouth-watering meat already. He can nearly feel the warmth of the blood as it bleeds through his teeth. His stomach growls a protest at the tantalizing images in his mind, and the loud thudding in his ears isn't the rhythmic drum of his paws but instead the rapid racing of his heart. Yards. Feet....gone! Allegro's paws come to sliding stop at the entrance den and scratch and dig, causing dirt to fly out behind him as he barks down into the hole. "Goldurnit! C'mon bunny! I ain't gonna hurtcha. Jus' gonna chew on ya a bit!" There's no way he's getting that morsel now, but barking and yelling seems to make him feel just a little bit better about missing out a meal that was practically inches in front of him.
Hemlock doesn't stop once he's past the mouth of the run -- he keeps going, down and away as fast as he can from the maddened dog. Once safe in the depths of the warren, he stops to perk his ears towards the muted shouts and barking, shaking himself out a bit and grooming to relax himself as he recovers from the dash, feeling immensely relieved and a little elated at the fact that he not only escaped, but probably ruined the dog's day to boot!
Allegro stays out there for a good five minutes, digging and barking and shouting out threats before he seems to lose his mojo. This isn't getting him anywhere, and he needs to find something to eat. As his jubilance finally begins to ebb, the realization of his responsibilities come flooding back. He needs to find food, and not only for himself anymore. His little ... makeshift stolen pack might be just as hungry as he is. And so, he snorts down into the hole before backing off. "Yeah, yeah, you'n me are gonna have our day, bunny. This ain't over!" he shouts over his shoulder as he trots off. There has to be easier prey to be found somewhere around here.