《Lucky Comet》


 The Hole

    Comet stared longingly at the faded blue farmhouse partly hidden by trees and the wire of his cage. He¡¯d been waiting for what seemed like forever to be let out. The Old Man wouldn¡¯t let him come and go as he pleased for some reason.


    Finally, the farmhouse door opened with a creak and the Old Man began hobbling down the short flight of stairs with Felicity following close behind him.


    As the Old Man fumbled with the latch, Felicity looked on with concern as usual. He always seemed to think he would drop dead at any moment. He was old, even for human standards according to Mossy. Comet tried putting the thought out of his mind, he had outlived her after all.


    The Old Man opened the raised cage and stroked Comet. His hands were boney but warm and gentle. He picked Comet up and bent down until he suddenly tensed, and gasped, dropping him to the ground.


    Comet sat wide eyed and frozen for a moment, not understanding what just happened. He cautiously hopped to test if his legs had been injured.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Called Felicity, racing over to him. Comet dashed out of her way.


    ¡°Yeah, just my back playing up.¡± He said.


    ¡°This is exactly why you¡¯re too old to have pets anymore.¡± She said.


    ¡°Comet is mine and I can decide whether or not I want to keep him.¡±


    Comet grunted, this was the same argument they¡¯d had since Mossy and Stone had died a couple of months ago. He hopped away, letting them argue about retirement homes and grandchildren.


    He always examined the perimeters of the yard in the morning like Stone and Mossy had taught him. Nothing within the yard ever changed, from the garden to the wire fence around it but Stone always said to check, just in case.


    He hopped to the old stone bench, made his way under his cage then moved towards the wire fence. The morning sun bathed the vast fields beyond it while the treeline in the distance cast long shadows.


    Staring at the distant treeline reminded him of all the stories that Mossy and Stone used to tell him about their former lives out there, living in Eden Valley.


    They had been with him for longer than he could remember, then, one morning, the Old Man found them dead in their cage, both afflicted by the same disease.


    Life had been a lot more interesting when they had them around but now all he had was the Old Man and Felicity. Though only the Old Man actually cared if he was alive or not.


    Comet¡¯s long black and tan ears flicked at some sudden noises and saw that the Old Man had sat down on the old wooden chair on the verandah. Felicity had finally gone inside, it was like being watched by a hawk when she was around.


    He sniffed the cool morning air and continued his journey along the fence line until some foreign scent made him tense up.


    He sat up and checked his surroundings. When he didn¡¯t see anything racing out to kill him, he tentatively moved along the fence until he saw a hole, dug straight out under it directly from the fields.


    A million possibilities raced through his mind. He had heard foxes dug holes, though this hole seemed a bit small for the beasts described by Mossy and Stone. Rabbits dug holes, but wild rabbits were scared of humans.


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    As he stared at it, he jumped at the sound of the backdoor clattering shut.


    ¡°Here you go Dad.¡± Felicity said, handing the Old Man a cup of coffee.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said.


    ¡°Hey, look what Comet¡¯s done, he¡¯s dug a big hole under the fence.¡± She said, after coming closer to get a better look. Comet dashed for cover under the stone bench.


    ¡°Comet¡¯s never done that beforea€|¡± Said the Old Man. He put down his coffee and slowly stood up to see what she was going on about.


    ¡°If he wants to escape so badly, I think we should let him.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, I can fill it back in. Comet wouldn¡¯t survive out there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, I¡¯ll do it. I just don¡¯t understand why you keep a rodent around which just eats, sleeps and digs holes all day.¡±


    Comet sniffed indignantly. He was not a rodent, he had no relation to mice who were always stealing his food in the night. As much as he was pleased to hear the Old Man defend him, he couldn¡¯t focus on the conversation. Something under the bench caught his attention.


    He had nosed around the area, until something softer than grass caught his nose. He sneezed and shook his head. It was a white tuft of fur. Foxes had red and white fur. He felt sick to his stomach.


    He crouched as low down as he possibly could, every part of him ready for a fox to come and attack at any moment. When it became clear a fox wasn¡¯t coming anytime soon, he grew restless, and realised he couldn¡¯t stay there all day.


    As he left the safety of cover, he wished he had the tracking skills of Mossy or Stone, they¡¯d be able to know if the intruder was still here or not. Hopefully he could find whatever it was then the humans could deal with it before they went inside.


    After haphazardly retracing his steps, he came back to the shed. If there was any place for a large predator to hide, this was it. The door still appeared to be locked but the old, mouldy wooden boards at the base of the shed had worn away over the years, leaving big enough spaces for a determined creature to get inside it. The Old Man had said he¡¯d get around to fixing it, though as usual, it hadn¡¯t happened.


    Comet wasn¡¯t eager to go inside. He hadn¡¯t been in there since he¡¯d attempted to find more grain and nearly got crushed by flower pots.


    He came as close to the shed as he dared. ¡°Hello?¡± He called. The shed was dead silent. He couldn¡¯t see anything inside either when he tried to peek through one of the broken boards.


    There was only one way to get a better idea of what was in there. He dared to stick his nose close to the gap in the boards. It was a dank, musty smell that overpowered everything else. Then he heard a slight noise, like movement across a dusty cement floor. A moment later, a flash of sharp pain raked his nose.


    He jumped back in terror. Blood dripped down his nose and after checking it with his paw, he realised he¡¯d got a good cut across it. A fox must be in there after all. He raced away, catching the attention of the Old Man and Felicity who were still sitting and talking on the verandah.


    He hobbled out of his chair and called to Comet who obediently came to him. The Old Man picked him up and saw the blood on his nose.


    ¡°Something in there hurt him. It might be the same thing that dug up the yard.¡± He said. Comet didn¡¯t mind being carried, it was sort of fun to see the yard from this perspective.


    Before Felicity could argue, the Old Man suddenly put Comet in her arms.


    ¡°Hold him, I¡¯m going to check out the shed.¡±


    Felicity snorted with frustration and so did Comet. Felicity held him in a suffocating grip until she dumped him on the stone bench.


    After fiddling with the stubborn, rusty latch, the Old Man finally managed to open the creaky shed door. Two flashes of fur raced towards him. Caught off guard, he fell on his back as the intruders bolted away.


    Felicity screamed and frantically rushed towards the Old Man.


    When Comet recovered from his fright, he could see Felicity was propping up the Old Man and trying to use her jacket to stop the bleeding from his arm.


    Comet jumped down from the stone bench to the Old Man. At least he was breathing. He desperately wished he had hands instead of paws. There was nothing he could do to help.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright¡± He muttered, rubbing his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m still going to call an ambulance.¡±


    ¡°Can you help me get up?¡± He asked. Felicity hesitated for a moment before using all her strength to help him to his feet. He leant on her for support as they walked towards the house.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Comet.¡± Said the Old Man, seeing Comet anxiously looking up at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s that rabbit''s fault this even happened!¡± She yelled and kicked in his direction.


    Comet quickly got out of their way and looked on from a safe distance. It wasn¡¯t his fault He wasn¡¯t the one who startled him. He sat tensely, frustrated he couldn¡¯t help.


    Then there was a rustle in the rose bushes behind him. If he couldn¡¯t heal the Old Man, maybe he could drive away the intruders.

 The Intruders

    The light became weaker as he pushed his way through the dense rose bush. He got the sense he was being watched through the dim light and shadows.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re in here.¡± He said nervously as he carefully navigated the thick undergrowth. Even with his skinny body, it was difficult to get through without being pricked by thorns.


    He sniffed around, the intruders smelled strange and foreign. Yet, somehow familiar. They smelled almost like rabbits but that didn¡¯t make sense. No wild rabbits had ever come near the farm before. Mossy and Stone said they always stayed clear of humans.


    Suddenly, Comet was pushed to the ground. He screamed and struggled to scrabble away from his attacker. The attacker didn¡¯t put up a fight, and Comet quickly turned to run away, only to find he was cornered in the dense bush.


    His attacker wasn¡¯t a fox, but a dark grey rabbit, and a much smaller one than him. It stared at him with curiosity rather than aggression. Comet relaxed a little, perhaps it was lost.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can understand me, but you need to leave this yard. You hurt my owner¡­| and one of you scratched my nose.¡± He said nervously. The rabbit came closer to him and snorted with amusement.


    ¡°We¡¯re not leaving and you can¡¯t make us.¡± He said, indicating to a strange silver necklace he was wearing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you. I just want you to leave.¡± He said, trying to keep his voice level.


    ¡°Try and make me.¡± He said tauntingly.


    Comet ignored the challenge. ¡°Why were you even here? To steal my grain?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We¡®re not here for thata€| though it was nice to have it while we were stuck in that shed.¡± He said smugly. Comet grunted with frustration.


    ¡°I thought you wild rabbits were scared of humans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a wild rabbit.¡± He said haughtily. ¡°We¡¯re valley rabbits, and we¡¯re not scared of any human.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you and your friends meet my owners?¡± He asked as looked for a way out of the bush.


    The strange rabbit blocked him. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll stop messing with you, we¡¯re here for you. Do you really think we¡¯d be dumb enough to come to a human colony just to eat grain?¡±


    He was silent for a moment, tilting his head. How would these rabbits know anything about him?


    ¡°Blue! Leave the hare alone.¡± Said a voice from deeper in the rose bush. ¡°The humans are going inside. Let¡¯s talk by the log.¡± The bush rustled slightly. ¡°Well, if you want to know more, follow me.¡± Said Blue with a mischievous glint in his eye before dashing through the rose bush.


    By the time Comet got out, he was covered in scratches and his fur was a mess. The intruders were already sitting by the hollow log.


    Blue snickered when he saw Comet coming over but the rabbit with white fur and black markings nudged him. They both looked at Comet for an uncomfortably long moment.


    ¡°My name is Bone, and that¡¯s Blue.¡± He said finally, ¡°He¡¯d like to apologise for scratching your nose.¡±


    ¡°I would?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Said the rabbit sternly.


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that. Got a bit carried away.¡± Said Blue dismissively. ¡°So what silly human name did you get given?¡±


    ¡°Comet and I care more about my owner being alright than my nose.¡± He said gruffly. Glancing around, he noticed the Old Man was no longer in the yard.


    Blue seemed somewhat surprised, his ears flicking. ¡°That¡¯s not such a bad name and we didn¡¯t plan to injure the human, we just wanted to get away before he hurt us.¡±


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    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t hurt you even though Felicity might want toa€| Anyway, you said you were here for me, why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it simple, we want you to come with us to Eden Valley.¡±


    ¡°Eden Valley?¡± Asked Comet, his eyes wide. ¡°The place where rabbits fight to the death and have to survive disease, poisonous plants and deadly animals?¡±


    ¡°You must be thinking of wild rabbits, we¡¯re far more civilised than that¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°Why do you choose to live with humans?¡± Asked Blue. ¡°They¡¯re more dangerous than anything in the valley and you¡¯re a hare, you can live wherever you want.¡±


    ¡°They adopted me when I was small and they¡¯ve always protected me. Besides, what makes you so sure I am a hare? I think I would have been told if I was.¡±


    ¡°We were sent here to collect a hare and from what we heard, there¡¯s no one else here who it could bea€|. Unless, there¡¯s other rabbits here we should know about.¡± Said Bone before quickly scanning the yard.


    ¡°There were two other rabbits here, but they died a month ago.¡± Said Comet, his voice heavy. ¡°But I don''t think I¡¯m the hare you¡¯re looking for, I was told hares are brown and live alone, they wouldn¡¯t let a human raise them.¡±


    Blue and Bone looked at each other as they considered his words.


    ¡°No, this is definitely the right place.¡± Said Bone firmly. ¡°So you must be the hare. They did warn us you had been raised like a bunny so it makes sense you wouldn¡¯t know what you really are.¡±


    ¡°But I know what I am, I¡¯m a Belgian hare.¡±


    ¡°So you are a hare! You thought you could trick us into thinking you weren¡¯t. We know how to deal with your hare tricks.¡± Said Blue triumphantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not tricking you, a Belgian hare is a type of rabbit.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t make any sense.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°I know, but human names rarely make sense.¡± Said Comet, less confidently now. ¡°You should go back to the valley, the humans could be back at any moment.¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t go back empty pawed, you need to come with us. If there¡¯s been a mistake, the Magia can sort it out but at least they can¡¯t say we didn¡¯t follow their orders.¡± Said Bone firmly.


    ¡°The Magia? The last I heard was that they are an evil group of rabbits trying to ruin the valley.¡±


    ¡°Ruin? No, they¡¯re trying to save it, and they need a hare to help them. We can explain on the way.¡± Said Blue, who nudged Comet. He didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Can¡¯t they just come here? I can¡¯t just leave, my owner will miss me.¡± He looked around desperately. When he actually needed Felicity, she was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°We can¡¯t have a whole Council of rabbits come out into human territory. This mission is risky enough with just us two.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°Yes, and your owners won¡¯t miss you anyway, we heard that woman yell at you, she wants you gone. I wouldn¡¯t stay around to risk what might happen.¡± Said Blue with a shrug.


    ¡°The Old Man wouldn¡¯t let her get rid of me.¡± He said stubbornly. He tried to crush the overwhelming fear in his stomach.


    ¡°What happens when he dies?¡± Asked Blue. The question made Comet sick, he couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°You should really come to the valley before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you could leave, and come back and check on me in a few days. I¡¯d have decided by then.¡± He said hopefully.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time, the Magia is waiting for you and the humans would have filled in that hole again.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°I¡¯m not waiting out here in the fields for days again to redig it.¡± Added Blue.


    ¡°So you''ve been here watching me for days then? He asked, completely stunned.


    ¡°Sort of, we had to get a good idea of you and your owner''s routine.¡± Said Bone calmly, clearly not considering this an invasion of privacy.


    ¡°And from doing that, I know we should be leaving soon¡± Said Blue. He looked at the farmhouse.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but don¡¯t care if the Magia sent you. I don¡¯t have any reason to trust them or you. You can¡¯t just expect me to believe I¡¯ve been a hare my whole life and leave everything I¡¯ve known. I know my owner will protect me until he dies, I can¡¯t say the same about you.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°I understand that you¡¯ve been told lies about the Magia but you have to trust us. We will not let anything hurt you.¡± Began Stone.


    ¡°You scratched my nose.¡± Pointed out Comet.


    ¡°I said I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t trust us, maybe you¡¯ll trust the old hare of the valley. He¡¯ll teach you about being a hare and most importantly, about the powers of fortune.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°A hare lives in the valley? You should have told me that before. I didn¡¯t think hares lived near rabbits.¡±


    ¡°They usually don¡¯t, but this one works with the Magia. He¡¯s getting old though which is why the Magia wants you to come and be trained by him.¡±


    ¡°But will he be able to tell me if I¡¯m really a hare or not?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Said Bone.


    Comet sighed. It would be difficult to go back to normal life without knowing the truth at least. He looked out to the vast expanse of fields and the distant tree line, so foreign and dangerous. Yet somehow rabbits survived out there and he¡¯d always been curious about Mossy and Stone¡¯s old life, they¡¯d never told him much.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go¡­|¡± He said reluctantly


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shouted Blue and Bone.


    ¡°But, only on the condition that I can come back here if I don¡¯t like it in the valley¡± He said.


    Blue and Bone looked at each other.


    ¡°You¡¯re a hare. I¡¯m sure the Magia will listen to you and let you leave whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°And if you¡¯re not a hare, they¡¯ll probably want you gone anyway.¡± Said Blue. Bone glared at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then, before the sun burns our fur off.¡± Said Blue, ignoring Bone and started hoping towards the hole.


    Now he mentioned it, Comet¡¯s could feel the heat coming off his shiny black fur. He trailed along after them.

 The Journey

    Comet kept glancing back as waited for Blue and Bone to squeeze through the hole. He half-expected Felicity to burst out at any second and yell at him. At least once he left, she wouldn¡¯t bother him anymore.


    ¡°Hurry up.¡± Said Blue, startling Comet. He edged towards the hole, took a deep breath and darted through. On the other side, he nearly collided with Bone.


    ¡°Watch it.¡± Snapped Bone. ¡°The most dangerous part of the valley is the journey there so slow down.¡±


    Comet¡¯s spirits lifted as he saw the farmhouse door was still shut. He was free. He jumped with excitement.


    ¡°Did you even listen to me? We don¡¯t want to draw attention to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s justa€|  this is all so new to me,¡± Comet apologised, his excitement barely contained.


    ¡°Let him have fun, there¡¯s no sign of any danger yet.¡± Said Blue.


    Bone sighed. ¡°Just be careful. This whole area is outside of Magia control and there¡¯s almost nowhere for us to hide.¡±


    Just then, the looming shadow of a bird swooped over them, Comet instinctively ducked.


    ¡°Maybe you have a point after all.¡± He muttered.


    They cautiously hopped across the field, bathed in sunlight, with clusters of trees and bushes offering occasional cover.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break for a moment, there¡¯s some great looking grass near that thicket,¡± Suggested Blue.


    Bone shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯ta€¡±¡°


    ¡°Please?¡± Begged Comet. He¡¯d never travelled so far in his life and his whole body was exhausted.


    ¡°Fine, but just for a little bit.¡± Said Bone begrudgingly.


    The grass was good but not as good as his grain. ¡°What sort of food do you have in the valley?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°Oh, we have much better stuff than this, fruits, vegetables and all sorts of grasses.¡± Assured Blue.


    ¡°It is one of the few perks of being a Seeker.¡± Said Bone. Comet gave him a questioning look.


    ¡°It¡¯s a role for rabbits that do missions for the Magia.¡± Explained Blue. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty hard job and you don¡¯t get much credit for it.¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡± Bone cut in, suddenly on high alert.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s true.¡± Said Bone defensively.


    ¡°Quiet, I think we¡¯re being watched.¡± He whispered, eyes fixed on the thicket. ¡°We need to go.¡±


    They backed away from the thicket nervously. Bone¡¯s fear was contagious.


    Once they felt safe, Comet spoke up. ¡°So, what was that about? You were really scaring me back there.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Rabbits.¡± Said Bone, glancing back.


    ¡°How do you know-?¡± Comet started to ask but stopped as he noticed movement in the thicket. Strange rabbits emerged, their eyes locked on the trio with anticipation.


    ¡°Are they friends of yours?¡¯ Asked Comet hopefully.


    ¡°I wish..|¡± Said Bone, his voice tense.


    ¡°They don¡¯t look like wild rabbits though.¡± Said Blue then gasped. ¡°Could they be the traitors?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but we can¡¯t fight them on our own, we¡¯ll report back to the Magia. For now, run.¡± Bone urged in a hushed tone. Comet barely heard him, but Blue was already spiriting towards the treeline.


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    The strange rabbits surged forwards in pursuit. Bone caught up to Blue but Comet, with his long legs, quickly overtook both of them.


    They didn¡¯t stop until they reached the treeline where the thick shrubbery forced them to slow down. They struggled for breath, all of them uneasy and tense as they expected their pursuers to appear at any moment.


    Blue disappeared into the shrubbery then reappeared moments later. ¡°They¡¯ve given up.¡± He said. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Finally.¡± Said Comet, collapsing with exhaustion.


    ¡°You can rest once we get to the valley. We¡¯re too close to a wild rabbit warren so we need to keep moving.¡± Said Bone, nudging Comet up.


    ¡°Those rabbits seemed pretty wild to me.¡± Said Comet, staggering to his paws.


    ¡°Those rabbits that just chased us are former valley rabbits. The Magia has been trying to find the traitors base for a while now. I think that thicket must be it.¡±


    ¡°The Magia will definitely be happy with us today, found the hare and now this.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m even a hare.¡± Corrected Comet.


    ¡°You better be, I¡¯m not keen on going through that again.¡± Grumbled Blue.


    ¡°We mightn¡¯t have a choice if the Magia decides to drive them out.¡± Said Bone. Blue groaned.


    ¡°At least wild rabbits won¡¯t be much of a problem for us, they¡¯re cowards and would flee at the sight of us.¡± He said.


    ¡°Not necessarily when they are fighting to defend their own territory, which is why I don¡¯t want anyone attacking them.¡± He said, glaring at them both. Comet didn¡¯t know why he was looking at him. He couldn¡¯t even fight a mouse.


    ¡°I think we might have to.¡± Said Blue in a low whisper, looking to the left.


    Partly hidden in the bush was a little brown rabbit with large black eyes and a triangular nose. It looked skinny and skittish.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go a different way.¡± Said Bone.


    They followed him, only to see another brown rabbit, then another, then another. No matter where they went, some big beady eyes were staring back at them.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. There¡¯s no way out of this without a fight.¡± Said Blue and screamed as he charged forwards.


    ¡°Wait no!¡± Shouted Bone, but it was too late, Blue was already fully engaged with fighting a wild rabbit and the rest were quickly joining the attack.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight them, just run! I¡¯ll catch up!¡± He said before dashing into the bush to try and back up Blue.


    Comet pushed his way through the bushes, ignoring the scratches and cuts until he finally came to a grassy clearing surrounding a large tree. His sides heaved with exhaustion.


    Maybe he couldn¡¯t survive out here after all but when he looked for the farmhouse, all he could see were dense trees and bushes.


    Blue and Bone called from up ahead. He sighed. If they made him travel much further, he was going to go back home even if it meant facing dozens of crazy rabbits.


    He trudged through the undergrowth until he saw clear open skies. Blue and Bone were sitting on a small hill.


    ¡°It¡¯s just over this hill.¡± Said Bone, gesturing to him.


    Comet slowly made his way to them. When he got up the hill, he half expected to find another pursuer but instead, he saw the whole of the valley.


    The valley was vast,  with a large river following from end to end, sparkling in the hot morning sun. Trees, shrubbery, flowers and long grass dotted the landscape with birds flying around. In the distance, he could see little human homes and a road with cars travelling along it like mice.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Asked Bone.


    ¡°It looks beautiful..¡± He said with awe.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to stay?¡± Asked Blue hopefully.


    ¡°I have to see if the rabbits here are going to kill me first.¡± He said.


    ¡°Follow me then.. and watch your step.¡± Said Bone, leaping down the hillside.


    Comet scrambled after them, trying not to tumble down the valley¡¯s steep slope. He was very relieved when they finally reached a narrow ridge, providing a gentler path.


    ¡°Which colony are we heading to?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°So you know about the colonies then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mossy and Stone, the rabbits that used to live with me actually come from Iron Colony. Did you know them?¡± He asked hopefully.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t recall any Iron Colony rabbit by those names. They must have been around before the Magia made travel easy between the colonies.¡± Explained Bone.


    ¡°We¡¯re from Porcelain Colony, when we get closer to it, I¡¯ll point it out to you.¡± Said Blue excitedly.


    Comet looked out to the valley now he felt comfortable enough to look beyond the path. They neared a bleak expanse of withered dead trees dotted along dark gravely ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s Porcelain Colony.¡± Said Blue proudly.


    ¡°Really?¡± He said, with more disgust than he intended.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Besides, you¡¯re going to Silver Colony, over there.¡± Said Bone, gesturing towards a marshland that circled around a large lake. It was at the end of the valley, hitting a sheer rock cliff face.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we go to the nice meadow across the river?¡± Asked Comet hopefully.


    ¡°Silver Colony is where the Magia wants to meet you.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°The whole south of the valley is off limits anyway, even for Seekers like us.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°Why?¡± Asked Comet. It looked so much nicer than the north.


    ¡°It¡¯s because their leaders hate the Magia. They might even start a war because they hate them so much.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°Blue.¡± Said Bone sternly.


    ¡°What? He should know if he¡¯s going to stay here.¡± Said Blue defensively.


    ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t ask.¡± Said Comet nervously. If a war started, he¡¯d be heading straight back to the farmhouse.

 The Valley

    Comet slowed down as he spotted large brown and grey rabbits hopping into burrows. Some were just sitting there, staring up at them.


    Blue, distracted, bumped into Comet with a thud. Comet gasped, losing his footing and tumbling down the slope. Blue could only watch while Bone leapt down.


    Comet¡¯s mind raced with fear until he finally crashed into a bush. He blinked against the light, his head hurt as he tried working at where he was.


    Blue and Bone hurried down to him. ¡°Why did you stop like that?¡± Demanded Bone.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see them, they were staring right at us.¡± Said Comet, indicating to the stationary rabbits.


    ¡°I saw them, they¡¯re just Watchers. Their role is to watch the borders.¡± Said Bone then glared at Blue. ¡°You¡¯re lucky he didn¡¯t break his neck.¡±


    ¡°It was an accident.¡± He said defensively.


    Comet just groaned as he sat up to stretch his aching legs and clear his head.


    ¡°Hey, there they are!¡± Shouted someone nearby. Comet backed away and hid behind the bush while Blue and Bone talked to the approaching rabbit.


    ¡°So, you''re the hare? Not very impressive.¡± Said the black and white Dutch rabbit. Comet lept in fear and spun around to face him.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°I wanted to see if the rumours about a hare coming were true but hare¡¯s are supposed to be powerful. You aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± He said, shaking himself off. ¡°If I really am a hare, I¡¯m going to get trained.¡±


    The rabbit was silent for a moment. ¡°Do you even know what the Magia wants you for?¡±


    ¡°Well they want the old here to train me.¡± As he spoke, he realised he¡¯d forgotten to ask what exactly he¡¯d be training for.


    He snorted with amusement. ¡°They haven¡¯t told you anything, have they?¡±


    ¡°What have they told you then?¡± He asked.


    Blue and Bone came back and glared at the Dutch rabbit. ¡°Time to return to your post.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°I will.¡± He said, barely even glancing at them. He turned back to Comet. ¡°My name is Arrow by the way, we¡¯ll probably see each other again.¡± He said and hopped away.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you chase him off, he was going to tell me something.¡±


    ¡°It would have been nothing useful, he¡¯s been a pain ever since we got chosen to do this mission over him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just ignore him, I¡¯m surprised the Magia still lets him be a Seeker when he¡¯s so annoying.¡±


    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking.¡± Muttered Bone with amusement.


    ¡°I¡¯m only a Seeker because you convinced me to be.¡± Said Blue, playfully shouldering him.


    As they led Comet away from the bush, the terrain gradually shifted from stones to a mix of grass and mud. They passed by some stationary Watchers who acknowledged them with nods.


    ¡°Now, we¡¯re officially in Silver Colony.¡± Announced Bone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, you said this hare would train me but you never said what I¡¯d be trained to do.¡±


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    ¡°The Magia knows more about that than us but you¡¯ll probably be learning how to use the powers of the colonies.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°He means you¡¯ll learn how to use the magic powers from each of the colony''s special resources, like silver, porcelain and iron.¡± Said Blue excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky, I wish I could do that.¡±


    ¡°Is he serious?¡± Asked Comet, staring at Bone.


    ¡°It¡¯s not magic, it¡¯s spiritual but yes, he¡¯s pretty much right. Don¡¯t ask me how it works, ask the Magia.¡± He said. ¡°We just need to get to that large rock.¡±


    Comet could see it in the distance and despite his exhaustion and muddy ground, he picked up his pace. As they got further into the marshlands, the ground became softer and damper. It felt like they were sinking as long grass ticked their stomach.


    ¡°The Magia really chose to live here over any other colony?¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°No, they live on the opposite end of the valley, in Diamond Colony. They wanted to meet you here because the hare is too old to travel from his cave.¡± Said Bone. He looked towards the imposing silver cliff face. If there was a cave back there, Comet couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°Once you¡¯re fully trained, you probably could live wherever you want. Well, except for the colonies in the south.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°Perhaps they won¡¯t be enemies by then.¡± Suggested Bone.


    ¡°I hope so. I¡¯ve always wanted to visit Gold Colony.¡± Said Blue.


    They were almost at the rock now and Comet was starting to get nervous. Mossy and Stone had rarely spoken about the Magia, but when they did, they never had anything good to say.


    ¡°What should I do when I meet the Magia?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Just be polite and answer their questions. They¡¯re quite serious but they¡¯ll tell you everything you need to know and help you settle in.¡± Bone said.


    Comet decided the only way to find out for sure what they were really like was to meet them for himself.


    He stopped abruptly at the sight of the largest rabbit he¡¯d ever seen standing by the rock. The caramel-coloured rabbit was almost twice as big as Bone and Blue.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± He asked nervously.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Lock, one of the smaller Silver Colony rabbits.¡± Said Blue mischievously, seeing Comet¡¯s distress.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they may look intimidating but they are very peaceful as long as you respect them. Their main concerns are eating and keeping their colony safe.¡± Said Bone reassuringly, then gave Blue a look.


    They approached the rabbit by the rock.


    ¡°Greeting Lock, we have found the hare.¡± Said Bone. Lock nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you underground, the Magia is waiting for you.¡± He said. His deep voice didn¡¯t help to ease Comet¡¯s fears.


    The tunnel¡¯s entrance was large and Comet feared the rock would crush them under the earth. He shook his head. The rabbits had been living here for a long time and that hadn¡¯t happeneda€| yet.


    Still, the idea of going down the deep dark tunnel into the unknown wasn¡¯t very enticing.


    ¡°Are you sure they can¡¯t meet us out here?¡± He whispered to Blue.


    Lock spoke up before Blue could reply ¡°No, they want to meet you underground, it¡¯s where they spend most of their time anyway.¡± He said, then turned to Bone, ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s the one the Magia sent for?¡±


    ¡°Of course he is, do you think we¡¯d risk going to a human colony just to get the wrong hare? He¡¯ll get used to going underground.¡± Assured Blue, then looked at Comet who nodded nervously.


    Lock just grunted again and led the way into the tunnel with Blue at the rear making sure Comet didn¡¯t change his mind at the last minute.


    Taking a deep breath, Comet steeping into the tunnel. The darkness and strange smell of unfamiliar rabbits was almost overwhelming. Blue was the only thing that was stopping him from darting back out again.


    He was skittish and kept bumping into Bone who finally had enough.


    ¡°Would you stop that already!¡± He snapped.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He muttered.


    Blue suddenly made a sound and leapt at Comet who screamed and lurched forward, slamming into Bone. He rounded on him and swiped a paw across his face.


    After he realised what happened, Bone gasped, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realise it was you Comet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, just another scratch to add to the one Blue gave me.¡± He muttered as he rubbed his nose.


    They heard Blue snickering loudly. ¡°That was hilarious.¡±


    ¡°No it wasn¡¯t!¡± Bellowed Bone, realising it was Blue¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Keep it down, we want the Magia to meet you before the whole colony does.¡± Said Lock, looking at Bone who snorted with indignation.


    ¡°They probably already saw him falling down the valley.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°Only because of you.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Shh, I¡¯ll deal with him later.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Asked Blue defensively. ¡°I was just having fun.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t be quiet, I¡¯ll tell the Magia to deal with your stupidity.¡± He said. Finally, Blue shut up.


    The rabbits kept silent as they navigated the dark labyrinth of tunnels and corridors. The tunnels were quite large which made it a little less claustrophobic but it was still unnerving. Lock seemed to have no problem though, confidently navigating in the dark.


    Despite the suffocating darkness, he got occasional glimpses of light trickling out from slits along the base of the tunnel. It made it a little easier not to trip over his own paws. He just hoped that wherever they were going would have more light.

 The Magia

    After turning down yet another corner, they came to a dimly lit archway. There was just enough light to see the two large rabbits that guarded the entrance.


    With Lock¡¯s help, they managed to roll the heavy stone away, letting blinding light pour into the tunnel. Comet had to turn away to shield his eyes.


    Struggling to adjust to the light, Comet stumbled into the chamber. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw he was in a large dome-like room. Several rabbits at a table made of hardened dirt and mud. It was lit by strange pin-pricks of light.


    Comet stared at the table of rabbits. They were much smaller than the Silver Colony rabbits with large black eyes all staring back at him. They could almost be mistaken for wild rabbits if it wasn¡¯t for their various fur colours.


    One of them has a large medallion, so he figured that he must be the one in charge. His unreadable expression made Comet more nervous than he already was.


    ¡°We¡¯re glad you¡¯re finally here, my name is Magia Janu and this is the Silver Magia Council.¡± He said, with surprising warmth.


    ¡°We appreciate the effort it took to get him here.¡± He continued, looking at Blue and Bone. ¡°Though we did tell you not to attack him.¡±


    ¡°Sorrya€|¡± Muttered Blue sheepishly.


    ¡°The Healer will fix up your nose, Comet, but first, I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions about why you¡¯ve been brought here.


    He nodded nervously. They knew his name without even giving it to them.


    ¡°The valley is divided into six colonies, each one has a respective precious resource. We alone can use the powers of fortune, the power to access the energy and abilities of these resources through our medallions.¡± He explained, indicating to the shiny, silver stone around his neck. ¡°However, the energy of a hare is what gives our medallions their power, and with Orion ageing, our medallions are getting weaker and will eventually lose their power altogether.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to stay here, to charge your magic stones?¡± He asked, completely bewildered.


    ¡°They are not just stones, they are precious and have been carved with the symbolic plant of each colony giving them a direct connection to the power of the land. If this power dies the valley would descend into chaos, leaving us vulnerable to dangers from within the valley and beyond it.¡±


    Comet was silent for a moment as he took it all in.


    ¡°So, I really am a hare?¡±


    ¡°Of course you are, Orion spotted you and brought you to our attention. We¡¯ve been waiting for months to bring you here. We know it might take a while to adjust to life here, but we promise you, living here offers so much more than you ever had with humans.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t just live with humans, I lived with Mossy and Stone, they lived in the valley a long time ago, they didn¡¯t trust you and seemed to believe you were harming the valley..| they wouldn¡¯t have thought that for no reason.¡± He said. Trying to look as confident as he could.


    Janu didn¡¯t seem to be offended and said with a shrug, ¡°They were probably like most of the other traitors, they hate our powers because they don¡¯t understand it and don¡¯t like that we¡¯re trying to unify the valley.¡±


    ¡°So after I¡¯m trained, I''ll be able to use these powers of fortune or whatever they¡¯re calleda€| and then I¡¯ll be expected to stay in the valleya€| forevera€| and do what?¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯d have to undergo the trial and initiation, then your energy will be part of the valley. As long as you don¡¯t break our laws, you¡¯ll be free to do whatever you want. Every rabbit will give you unconditional respect, loyalty and friendship. You¡¯ll never have to worry about being threatened or driven out like you did with your humans. Seems like a pretty good deal, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± He admitted, ¡°But I did love my owner, he mightn¡¯t be able to protect me anymore but I feel like I would be betraying him by staying here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if a human can really feel betrayed by a rabbit but to be fair we¡¯ll give you a couple of days to decide if you want to stay or not but you will have to decide, you can¡¯t live in both worlds.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Blue, Bone, take him to the healer''s burrow.¡±


    They nodded and the three of them left the bright dome room. The stone door was rolled back into place, plunging them back into darkness.


    They eventually came to a spacious area. It was still dark, but he could sense the change in the air, then he noticed a slit of light.


    Bone pushed through what seemed to be a cloth barrier and they entered another illuminated room. Comet was surprised to see small human-like furniture in the burrow. There was shelving, bedding, tables and various tools as well as jars and pots.


    It was almost humorous until he saw a huge scarred albino rabbit emerge from behind a desk.


    ¡°Hey, Ruby.¡± Said Blue. ¡°We actually managed to find the hare.¡±


    ¡°Give me some space.¡± She said, shooing him away.


    Comet was frozen with fear as she examined him for injuries.


    ¡°Hold still.¡± She said, retrieving bottles from a shelf and applying a substance to her paw.


    Before Comet could object, she dabbed the paste on his nose. He instinctively reached to wipe it off.


    "Don''t touch it, or it won''t heal properly," Ruby warned.


    "It stinks," Comet complained, his nose wrinkling.


    ¡°It will smell worse if you get an infection. Now, stay still while I treat your other wounds.¡± She said, applying the paste to his minor scrapes.


    After getting over the initial smell, Comet could feel the paste soothing his wounds. He was impressed that valley rabbits were able to create medicine like this.


    ¡°Go and rest in the bedding by the back wall.¡± Ruby instructed.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t feel tired.¡± He said.


    ¡°At least lie down, so I can check the others.¡± She said, turning to Blue and Bone.


    After quickly examining them, she was satisfied. ¡°You two seem to be in a much better shape than the hare.¡±


    ¡°Well he did fall down the valley.¡± Said Blue sheepishly.


    ¡°That could have been useful information, Comet, how are your legs?¡±


    ¡°Uh, they¡¯re fine.¡± He said stretching them.


    ¡°Good, then go and rest.¡± She said then turned back to Blue and Bone. ¡°You two can go rest in your burrows.¡±


    ¡°Finally, now the Magia should give us a few days off.¡± Said Blue heading towards the exit.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± Muttered Bone who followed after him.


    Left alone, Comet tensed up. Despite her role as a Healer, he wasn''t sure he could trust her. The silence was uncomfortable until he asked, "How did you get all this stuff?"


    ¡°The medicine comes from plants in the valley and sometimes human gardens. Crafters made or handed down everything else," she explained without looking up. "You really should be resting."


    Comet tried to relax, but the sticky, smelly paste and his restless thoughts kept him on edge.


    "Noticing his discomfort, she offered, "If you''d like, I can show you where everything is stored."


    ¡°Sure,¡± Comet agreed, it was better than nothing.


    She showed him how the bottles, herbs and pastes were well organised on the shelves and cubby holes. There seemed to be a place for everything and a product for any injury or illness.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that if I decide to stay here, I have a better chance of surviving at least,¡± Comet said, half joking.


    ¡±You haven¡¯t decided to stay?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No, I want to see if I like it here first.¡±


    ¡°I know the valley isn¡¯t as predictable and safe as life with a human is. There¡¯s always an element of luck if any of us will survive, but I try to do my best to ensure luck will be on our side.¡±


    ¡°I hope luck is on my side too.¡± Muttered Comet.


    ¡°It is, we¡¯ve been waiting for you because the valley needs you¡­ which is why you need to rest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired though.¡± He said truthfully.


    ¡°Eat this, it will calm your nerves.¡± She said, giving him a bundle of plants. He sniffed it, it didn¡¯t smell dangerous. He looked at her, he could see she didn¡¯t want to kill him so he ate it.


    Settling onto the bedding crafted from long grass and feathers, Comet found it unexpectedly cosy, even if it wasn¡¯t straw.


    In time, the herbs quieted his nervous mind and he was finally able to sleep and rest his exhausted body.

 The Hare

    Comet awoke up to the sound of rabbits coming into the burrow, talking hurriedly.


    There was a young rabbit stumbling along beside an older rabbit. His ear was torn and bloody, blood dripped into his eyes.


    Ruby quickly got into action, ordering the rabbit to sit down while grabbing various supplies. She got the older rabbit to press some cloth onto his ear while she cleared his face of blood.


    ¡°Is that the hare?¡± Asked the strange rabbit, letting go of the cloth a bit.


    ¡°Be quiet Spruce and keep pressing the cloth.¡± Said Ruby,.


    Comet considered offering to help until he realised he would have no idea what he was doing.


    After the bleeding had stopped, she ordered Spruce to remove the cloth slowly and she quickly covered the wound in some thick paste.


    ¡°I think it would be good if he stayed here for a day to avoid the wound being irritated and opened again.¡± She said. ¡°How did it happen?¡±


    ¡°Wild rabbits attacked our group while I was taking the Learners to the upper garden. The wild rabbits had completely ruined it. They¡¯ve never come to the garden before and even the Watchers couldn''t stop them.¡± He explained, his eyes wide with concern. ¡°Luckily, Pine was the only one injured.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call that lucky.¡± Pine said, scrunching up his nose.


    ¡°Be grateful you¡¯re alive.¡± Said Ruby coldly. ¡°It is a shame that the upper garden was destroyed, there were important herbs there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. Generations of gardeners cultivated that garden. The lower garden doesn¡¯t have enough produce, especially in this heat.¡± Said Spruce.


    ¡°SilverSkull and the Magia will drive the wild rabbits out so we can fix it though, right?¡± Asked Pine.


    ¡°I hope so, I just find the wild rabbits'' aggression concerning. The garden is far away from their territory.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°I better go, the other Learners will be waiting for me.¡±


    After he left, Pine looked at Comet.


    ¡°Do you think you can heal my ear?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What? How am I supposed to do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought you might be able to¡­ since you¡¯re a hare.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t trained yet.¡± He said. Though the idea of being able to heal injuries sounded pretty exciting.


    ¡°Leave him alone, both of you are meant to be resting. Besides, I doubt hare¡¯s have healing powers, I¡¯ve never heard of Orion having the ability.


    ¡°Do you know what powers hare¡¯s do have then?¡± Asked Comet hopefully.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Orion will explain it to you.¡± She said, more focused on mixing herbs than what he was saying.


    ¡°Have you met him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, only a couple of times, now be quiet and let me concentrate.¡± She said.


    ¡±I heard that he''s super old and lives alone in that creepy cave. The Magia hardly lets any rabbit see him because they¡¯re worried that another colony might try kidnapping him.¡± Explain Pine excitedly.


    Comet eagerly started asking questions.


    Ruby sighed. ¡°Comet, you seem to be doing fine now. Go and find Magia Janu. He¡¯ll be somewhere in the warren but check the treasury first.¡±


    Pine and Ruby watched Comet with expectation. He didn''t want to admit his cluelessness about navigating the warren or even locating the treasury.


    "Alright," he said, approaching the exit. Peering under the cloth, he was met with complete darkness. He sighed, realising he was lost without a guide. "I''m sorry, I have no idea where I''m going... Why isn''t the colony fully lit?"


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    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough Diamond stones to go around.¡± She said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter though, we can navigate the warren just from memory and smell.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that¡± maybe you can take me to him?¡± He asked hopefully.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take you to him¡± but Pine, don¡¯t touch anything and just rest, I don¡¯t want your wound reopening.¡± Said said. Pine snorted as they left the burrow.


    ¡±As we go, I want you to use all your senses to sense and memorise the route we¡¯re going. Once you¡¯ve done it a couple of times, you won¡¯t even have to think about it.¡±


    ¡±Alright.¡± He said nervously.


    Comet was silent as Ruby navigated through the winding tunnels of the warren. He tried his best to remember each turn and twist in the tunnel and each burrow Ruby pointed out.


    When they got to the treasury, she told him to wait. He got a slight glimpse into a bright room before she disappeared. A moment later, she appeared with Magia Janu.


    ¡±Ruby says you¡¯ve recovered so it¡¯s time to begin your training.¡±


    ¡±Really?¡±


    ¡±There isn¡¯t any time to lose.¡± He said and after a quick goodbye to Ruby they parted ways.


    Finally, natural light filtered down into the warren which they followed up to the surface. He was relieved to be above ground and his head hurt from concentrating, he wasn¡¯t sure how much he even remembered.


    Then he realised it was already afternoon, his usual feeding time. He looked up the valley, trying to get a glimpse of the farmhouse but down here, he couldn¡¯t even see the treeline. The Old Man would know he was missing soon if he didn¡¯t already know.


    For a moment, he considered running straight back up the valley until he remembered the wild rabbits and rebels that had tried to kill him. Hopefully, the Old Man wouldn¡¯t be too worried about him.


    ¡°Comet, Can you come over here?¡± Called Janu. He sat under a bush with a rabbit much larger than himself beside him.


    Comet cautiously approached him. That couldn¡¯t be Orion, he didn¡¯t look like a hare. He held himself with an air of authority and was ticked dark grey fur with strange white markings on his face.


    ¡°Comet, this is SilverSkull. He is the leader of the North Silver Colony.¡± Said


    ¡°Soon to be leader of both colonies.¡± He said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to introduce you to the north, it will give them hope.¡±


    ¡°Orion has to show us he really can use the power of fortune first.¡± Said Janu.


    They headed towards a large willow tree in front of the cliff side. Comet suddenly lurched forwards, as his front paw slipped into a puddle. He growled with annoyance as he pulled it out, staring at it covered in mud.


    ¡°How do rabbits live here?¡± He muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy when you¡¯re used to it and have big paws.¡± Said SilverSkull. ¡°Just pay attention to where you¡¯re going.¡±


    Comet didn''t think that was a necessary comment. He just hoped that the muggy weather would help dry his paw. He tried avoiding stepping in the muddy parts of the marsh the best could.


    They finally got close enough to the willow tree to see a large cave peeking behind it. He started getting more nervous than he already was. The fears of Spruce and Pine echoed in his mind.


    Part of him really couldn¡¯t accept that he was a hare and he was scared of what one would be like. If Orion expected him to be a powerful and wise hare, he was going to be disappointed.


    At least he would finally get to see what the powers of fortune were and if they were even real.


    They reached the mouth of the cave and stopped, the darkness loomed over him. He could see nothing.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got the hare, can we come in?¡± Asked Janu.


    ¡°Come.¡± He said, in an old creaky voice.


    Janu and SilverSkull moved forwards, leaving Comet with no choice but to enter. He took a deep breath and slowly crept in, taking tentative steps.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Janu called. He seemed more annoyed than nervous.


    ¡°Keep going.¡± Said the voice.


    He could still see only darkness.


    As Comet kept going, he noticed the cave was being illuminated, with various odd artefacts sparkling and casting long shadows. The ethereal glow gave the cave a surreal ghostly feel. Comet got disoriented and bumped into something with fur.


    He moved back a couple of steps. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t see you. I was distracted.¡± He stared wide eyed at the silhouette of the hare before him, he was taller than him but before he could see him fully, he slipped back into the shadows.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see more soon.¡± He said.


    He continued to move along, touching objects, lighting them up one by one. They were even larger and brighter than the diamond stones in the warren. They reflected perfectly off the strategically placed artefacts.


    Now with the brighter light, he could see they were various human objects and more importantly could see the hare better. He was bigger than him, with bigger ears, bigger eyes and brown scraggly fur unlike this shiny black and tan fur. He did have the same build as him and a similar face though, so he resembled him more than any other rabbit.


    ¡°Introduce yourself¡± Muttered Janu, nudging him.


    ¡°Yes, uh, my name is Comet.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you to use the powers of fortune but first, I¡¯ll need you two to leave.¡± Janu and SilverSkull were visibly surprised.


    ¡°Leave? We need to see if he has power.¡± Said Janu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    SilverSkull shifted awkwardly.


    ¡°Of course we do.¡± Said Janu. ¡°We just want to be able to see it with our own eyes.¡±


    ¡°You will, in a little while.¡±


    ¡°How long is a little while exactly? I want to introduce him to the colony.¡± Said SilverSkull.


    ¡°Come back tomorrow morning.¡± He said. Janu and SilverSkull didn¡¯t argue anymore and left.


    Comet was uneasy being left alone here though at least if he failed, there were two less witnesses.

 The Decision

    Orion began mixing some strange substances on a large, flat stone. Comet waited for him to say something but as the silence stretched on he wondered if he even remembered he was there.


    ¡±I¡¯m ready to learn magic now.¡± He said nervously. He wasn¡¯t sure what to expect.


    ¡°Do you believe in luck?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never really thought about it before.¡± He admitted though he had no idea how luck had anything to do with magic.


    ¡°Luck is the force of nature, always influencing us and the world around us and with the right resources, we can access it.¡± He said. He placed down a dish of strange paste. ¡°Eat this.¡±


    He sniffed it and scrunched up his nose. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s made of symbolic plant of each colony, it¡¯s the first step to connect you to the valley. You¡¯ll need it to use the powers of fortune.¡± He said.


    Comet held his breath. He didn¡¯t want to offend him so he quickly lapped up the strange green paste. He kept sticking his tongue out, the taste was strong on his mouth. There wasn¡¯t any water in the cave that he could see.


    ¡±I don¡¯t feel any different.¡± He admitted.


    ¡°Good, it would only make you sick if the valley can sense you¡¯re bad luck.¡± He explained. ¡°I know this is a lot to take in at once but the tensions in the valley are rising, and as the Magia is eager to remind me, I¡¯m getting very old. I can¡¯t be the one who brings balance and order anymore. We¡¯ll begin simple, the power of silver. Come.¡± He moved into the middle of the cave and Comet followed him. He wanted to ask him so many questions but he kept them to himself.


    ¡°When you look into this mirror, what do you see?¡± He asked, indicating towards a rusty handheld mirror. There were black spots covering the glass but he could see himself and the cave around him.


    ¡°Myself.¡± He said. ¡°How¡¯d you even get all this stuff down here?¡±


    ¡°Humans used to live in the valley, floods and battles brought these into this cave. Now, focus on something other than yourself.¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Anything you can imagine then press your paw on the mirror.


    He focused on the first thing that he thought of, the Old Man. The mirror was cool to the touch.


    ¡°Now, focus on bringing what you imagine onto it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± He said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, you have luck on your side, just focus on the thing you¡¯re imagining and imagine seeing it in the mirror. Close your eyes if you have to.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He said uncertainty.


    When he opened his eyes, he still only saw himself in the mirror. He sighed. Orion must have been testing to see how gullible he was.


    ¡°Can you tell how to actually use magic or the power of fortune as you call it?¡± Asked Comet.


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    ¡±I already did.¡± Said Orion and calmly placed his paw against the mirror.


    A moment later, the image of a crow flying through the blue sky appeared on the old mirror face. Comet recoiled backwards.


    He stared at it even as the image faded away. ¡°You just need to have faith it¡¯ll work.¡± Orion explained.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll try again.¡± Comet said then paused. ¡°So it won¡¯t actually bring what I imagine into the cave?¡±


    ¡±No, it¡¯s only a vision of your memory.¡± He said, nodding towards the mirror.


    Comet took a deep breath as he approached the mirror and placed his paw against the cold metal again.


    He closed his eyes, and focused on his former owner. He was starting to fear it wasn¡¯t working again until he felt a strange energy surge through him, he opened his eyes a crack and could see the Old Man within the Silver Mirror. It was like he was really there.


    He exclaimed with shock and fear but the vision quickly faded.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± He asked, worried Orion had missed it.


    ¡°Yes but even if I wasn¡¯t here, I could still sense when energy is being used. With more practice, you can even see where resources are in the valley.¡± He explained. ¡°I take it that you miss your owner?¡±


    ¡±Yes¡­¡± He said sadly but he didn¡¯t want to cut the training short, ¡°So, what can other resources do?¡± He asked.


    ¡±Silver can do more than that but I¡¯ll show you an example of what copper can do.¡± He said, picking up a copper stone and giving it to Comet.


    The stone was cold and smooth in his paw. Comet looked at it sceptically. Suddenly it lit up and sent a sharp shock into his paw and through his body. He jolted and dropped the stone.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± He demanded angrily, seeing Orion holding his paw to a glowing medallion around his neck.


    ¡°I was just showing you what copper stones can do. You should be grateful to even have the opportunity of seeing one, they¡¯re very rare in this colony.¡±


    ¡°Next time, maybe give me a warning. I thought you were trying to kill me.¡± He said nervously as he looked at himself in the mirror. His shiny sleek black and tan fur was now spiked up. It would take ages to set it back right.


    ¡°If I wanted to kill you, I would have already. I don¡¯t want to overwhelm you by teaching you all the resources at once so I¡¯ll focus on silver. That way, you can show the Magia Council and SilverSkull that you can use at least one of the powers of fortune. If you do that though, they won¡¯t let you leave, you know that, right?¡±


    ¡±They said they would give me a choice.¡± Said Comet, shocked.


    ¡±They won¡¯t give you a choice once they know. So if you want to go back to your humans, I would keep this a secret.¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted me to stay too?¡±


    ¡±I do but I will not force you to stay.¡± He said. ¡°Once you are initiated, you will have to care for the wellbeing of all the valley.¡±


    Comet was silent. Something inside told him, he could never go back to living like a pet rabbit after finding out he was a hare and could use magic. He finally found the companionship of rabbits he¡¯d been missing so deeply since Mossy and Stone had died. Yet he couldn¡¯t get rid of fear that the Old Man was missing him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s right for me to stay when my owner might still need me.¡± He said.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you to decide if you have fulfilled your purpose with your humans.¡± He said.


    ¡±I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever served them any purpose.¡± He said honestly.


    ¡°Everything has a purpose. You served it by providing comfort and joy to your human and to your two rabbit friends, I will have served my purpose once I train you.¡±


    Comet was initially surprised he knew Mossy and Stone then remembered he¡¯d been watching them.


    Comet thought more about it¡­ he had served his purpose at the farm. His friends were dead and in a way, Felicity was right, he was a burden for the Old Man now. He deserved to rest and be free from responsibility in his old age. Despite her flaws, Felicity would take care of the Old Man. Comet realised they might both be happier if they embraced their newfound freedom and places in life.


    Comet was quiet for a long time. Orion patiently waited from the shadows. ¡°Before I agree to stay here and train with you, would I have to live in this cave?¡±


    ¡±Of course not.¡± He said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡±


    ¡°And all I have to do here is give power to the Magia¡¯s medallions, and then I can do what I want?¡±


    ¡±There will be a trial first, and being younger, you¡¯ll be expected to be more active in the valley, using your powers to bring balance and order.¡±


    ¡±I think I might be able to do that.¡± He said.


    ¡°Do you want to do that though?¡±


    ¡±Yes, yes I do.¡± He said, holding his head high.


    ¡±Good. SilverSkull and Janu will want to see what you can do tomorrow morning.¡±


    Orion nodded slowly and bent his head down to Comets. ¡°Welcome to Eden Valley.¡±

 The Crow

    Comet woke up confused and disoriented until he remembered where he was. He¡¯d been training late then had to rest in a little nook in the back of the cave. The crow feathers and long, dried grass made for comfy bedding.


    He instinctively knew it was dawn but lay in his bedding for a while. He was so used to having to wait for the Old Man to free him that it was strange to know that he was now free to come and go as he pleased.


    Getting restless, he left to find Orion. He wanted to train a little more before SilverSkull and Janu came.


    Eventually, he found Orion¡¯s resting place where he seemed to be sleeping soundly. He half considered waking him up, but he didn¡¯t want to be rude and make him angry with him.


    He wandered away, considering going back to the warren until his eyes caught on the silver mirror, glinting in the dawn light. He could train on his own. Hopefully Orion wouldn¡¯t mind.


    He approached the mirror, putting his paw on it and wondered what to focus on. He focused on the starry sky which was quickly becoming brighter as sunrise approached.


    A vision of stars appeared in the mirror. The surge of energy filled him with excitement but he forced himself to focus. The stars lingered for a while until he felt tired.


    He couldn¡¯t help but still feel it wasn¡¯t enough. He decided to try sensing different pieces of silver as Orion had mentioned.


    Eyes closed, he envisioned the mirror. He saw nothing but blackness and the only thing he felt was cold.


    A faint flutter broke the silence and he opened his eyes. As they adjusted to the light, he saw a black shape coming closer and closer, flying right towards him.


    ¡°Orion!¡± He called, looking to the back of the cave but he got no response. He turned back to see a huge black bird coming right for him, claws razor sharp and aimed for him.


    He raced down the cave.


    ¡°Orion, there''s an eagle in the cave, we have to get out!¡± He called, racing to his sleeping place. Orion hadn¡¯t stirred at all.


    The bird had settled down, preening its feathers. Looking at it now, it seemed more like a raven or crow which had no interest in him. Still, he didn¡¯t want to stay here with it.


    He considered trying to sneak past the bird himself but the Magia Council would not be happy with him if he left Orion with a potentially dangerous bird.


    As the bird shook its head, he saw silver around its neck. Mossy and Stone had told him stories about crows and how they loved to steal shiny things. He couldn¡¯t let it steal Orions resources.


    ¡°Give that back.¡± He said, daring to go closer to it. It just hopped back a couple of steps, unphased though clearly looking for something.


    He racked his brains for a solution. He could light up the mirror, but it was too close to the crow for him to put his paw on it. He wished he had a medallion like Orion, then he could use it from a distance.


    But since he didn¡¯t have a medallion, he dared to go closer to some silver, all in a big stack, he focused hard and lit it up. The crow squawked and fluttered back, clearly upset but it wasn¡¯t enough.


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    Comet sighed with disappointment. Doing that had drained a lot of his energy. At this rate, the bird would fly off before Orion even saw what was happening.


    Suddenly an idea came to him. The bird mightn¡¯t be scared of a hare, but what about a predator.


    He projected an image of a white furred creature across the silver, making a huge collective image, it crept slowly then and pounced. But despite not having a sound, the sudden movement was enough to get the crow to squawk deafeningly and flutter out of the cave. For a moment, Comet thought he¡¯d won until he saw it lingering at the mouth of the cave, cawing unhappily.


    Orion then appeared out of nowhere, ¡°It¡¯s ok Nightwing.¡± He said, heading towards the bird, ignoring Comet. Comet watched on and hurried over to him.


    ¡°What are you doing? The bird stole something from you.¡± He said, not angrily, just utterly confused. The crow seemed offended by him.


    ¡°Sorry about that Nightwing, I just wanted to test him, don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Can you please explain what¡¯s going on?¡± He said, with exasperation.


    ¡°Nightwing is a friend of mine. He helps with things since these days I¡¯m mostly confined to this cave.¡±


    ¡°So you can talk to him?¡± He asked skeptically.


    ¡°Yes, as he wears a diamond pendant, the power of clarity.¡± He explained. ¡°You need to be wearing a diamond to be able to communicate though. Would you like to?¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± He said, the thought of talking to a bird unnerved him. ¡°But now it looks like I did all that for nothing.¡±


    ¡°You mastered vision projection. That is not nothing. I¡¯m a heavy sleeper but I did hear you. I just decided not to intervene.¡±


    ¡°You could have saved me some stress if you did.¡± He mumbled unhappily though he couldn¡¯t deny it was his best vision projection yet.


    ¡°You know how a cat looks perfectly, I¡¯m impressed.¡± Said Orion, ignoring his comment.


    ¡°My owner used to have one, she dieda€|¡± he said, the thought making him sad. He didn¡¯t really know her but it just reminded him of how everyone he was close to died.


    ¡°Well the Magia will be happy with you, which is good, because Nightwing came here to tell us they are coming.¡±


    As Orion said goodbye to the bird, Comet thought about what showing his powers meant. If Orion was right, they wouldn¡¯t be giving him the choice to leave afterwards. He still didn¡¯t know if he should trust the Magia or not but he knew in his heart that staying here was his purpose now.


    ¡°Just keep calm. You know what to do.¡± Said Orion as they watched Magia Janu and SilverSkull approach the cave.


    Comet nodded silently as they arrived.


    ¡°So, can he use the power of fortune?¡± Asked Janu. Orion said nothing. He wanted Comet to answer for himself.


    ¡±Yes. I can.¡± He said, after a brief pause.


    ¡°Show us what you can do.¡± He said.


    Comet nodded and hopped back into the cave.


    ¡°This place always gives me the creeps.¡± SilverSkull muttered once they got to the heart of the cave.


    ¡°Scared of a place in your own colony.¡± Said Orion with amusement. SilverSkull just muttered under his breath.


    Comet sat in front of the large mirror. Janu and SilverSkull crowded beside him. He couldn¡¯t concentrate.


    ¡°Give him some space.¡± Said Orion then leant down to Comet, and said in a whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, focus on what you know, remember you survived an encounter with a dangerous bird.¡±


    He snorted half heartedly with amusement. If he was going to do this, he might as well show them something impressive.


    He focused on the image of Nightwing flying into the cave, trying to get the details right as he pressed his paw to the mirror. Once he opened them, the bird was there just as he imagined.


    They nodded happily. ¡°That¡¯s very impressive. I¡¯m glad bringing you here wasn¡¯t a waste of time after all.¡± Said Janu.


    ¡°What else does he know?¡± Asked SilverSkull.


    ¡±That¡¯s about it.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take time to fully train him in all the powers of fortune.¡± Added Orion.


    ¡±I know, which is why he needs to continue training for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡±The whole day?¡± Asked Comet. He had wanted to see more of the colony now it was daylight.


    ¡±Yes, the whole day. There¡¯s no time to waste.¡± Said Janu.


    ¡±Wait a minute, let¡¯s give him a break to introduce him to the colony. There¡¯s so many rumours flying around about him, I want the colony to know the truth.¡± Said SilverSkull.


    ¡°Fine but not for long.¡± Said Janu, undeterred.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± Said Comet to Orion.


    ¡°Have fun. It¡¯s harder to train when you¡¯re tense.¡± Said Orion.


    Comet nodded. He could hardly believe that the old hare was so much nicer than he thought he would be. Maybe luck really was on his side.

 The Island

    As the sun rose, the lake and the small island at its centre became clearer, though the sun''s reflection off the water was dazzlingly bright.


    Through the glare, Comet could just make out rabbits coming closer and closer, clearly curious but keeping their distance as they went about whatever it was they were doing.


    ¡°You can rest and eat while we assemble the colony, it always takes awhile to make them part from their roles even for a short while.¡± Said SilverSkull.


    ¡±You might as well get to know some rabbits, it will be a good way to get the colony to support you.¡± Said Janu.


    ¡±I do know some rabbits. Blue and Bone. Do you know where they are?¡±


    ¡±They will be eating with the Watchers over there.¡± He said, raising his paw towards a shadowy group of rabbits. ¡°Be friendly but don¡¯t tell them about your training.¡±


    ¡±Why not? I thought they couldn¡¯t use powers of fortune.¡±


    ¡±They can¡¯t¡­ But your training is none of their business. It¡¯s important you keep it to yourself, understand?¡± He said so seriously that Comet just nodded compliantly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡±Good. The assembly should start soon. You¡¯ll see everyone heading towards the fortress on the island.¡± Said Janu and he and SilverSkull went on towards the warren.


    Now he couldn¡¯t talk about his training, Comet wondered what exactly he could tell Blue and Bone about. He just hoped that Blue would want to talk about himself more.


    Comet shyly approached the group and there was a long awkward silence as the Silver Colony rabbits just stared at him.


    ¡±What are you all looking at?¡± Asked Blue, sticking his head up from over the large rabbits. He had a clump of grass in his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, there you are Comet, what have you been up to?¡±


    ¡±Nothing much,¡± He said nervously. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Guarding the border, they need the extra eyes to check for wild rabbits.¡± He said self-importantly.


    ¡±What about the rabbits in the thicket? Did you tell the Magia about them?¡±


    ¡±Yes, Bone did.¡± He said, pointing to the black and white rabbit who was quietly listening to the conversation. ¡°They¡¯re planning to send us there to drive out the rebels. That¡¯s going to be a tough mission.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about what we saw yesterday.¡± Said Bone. ¡°I think the rebels may have something to do with the increased activity of wild rabbits.¡±


    Blue shook his head. ¡°What do you think they did, herded them all there or something.¡±


    ¡±Well, maybe.¡± Said Bone though he sounded less certain. ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence.¡±


    ¡±Whatever the case, it¡¯ll be good to finally get rid of them, the Magia had been trying so hard to stop their movement growing.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°If they¡¯re beyond the valley, what¡¯s wrong with just leaving them alone?¡± Asked Comet, thinking of Mossy and Stone.


    ¡±They aren¡¯t going to leave us alone, they want revenge. Who knows what they¡¯re willing to do to achieve that.¡± Said Bone.


    Comet stared wide eyed. ¡°But why would they do that? Is it because they hate magic?¡±


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    ¡±For some maybe, but most of them are rabbits who have a problem with the way the Magia runs the colonies and have been secretly trying to infiltrate the colonies to get more rabbits to join them.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°Yeah, one of them tried convincing me but I¡¯m not great with secrecy and I may have accidentally said something../ and that rabbit got executed.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°What?!¡± Said Comet in shock.


    ¡°Hey, I do feel kind of bad¡­ but that¡¯s just what the Magia does to rabbits that deserve it.¡± He said.


    ¡°Oh right¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe once you master the powers of fortune you can help us fight them.¡± Said Bone. ¡°Unless you still want to go back to the humans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ decided to stay.¡± He said reluctantly. ¡°But I still miss home.¡±


    ¡°You just need to make yourself at home here. The best way to do that is to meet new rabbits.¡± Said Blue and head butted him towards the group of silver rabbits who were quietly eating and listening.


    ¡°Hello, it¡¯s time I introduce you to Comet, as you can see, he¡¯s a hare. I found him and freed him from human slavery.¡± He said.


    ¡°We did.¡± Grumbled Bone, joining them.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t in slavery! You don¡¯t have to introduce me to the colony, the Magia is going to do that at an assembly.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Welcome to the valley, I don¡¯t mean to be nosy like a Porcelain Colony rabbit but we¡¯ve heard rumours that you¡¯re going to create the Master-Medallion.¡± Said a rabbit, with a silver key around his neck.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, this is the first I¡¯ve heard of such a thing.¡± Said Comet awkwardly.


    ¡°I told you not to ask him, Key.¡± Replied another rabbit.


    ¡°The Master-Medallion is a mythical relic that was destroyed long ago, some rabbits think that once it¡¯s created the valley will be united and rabbits will have magic once again,¡± Explained Blue. ¡°But It¡¯s totally made up of course.¡± He added quickly.


    ¡°Even without that, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a great successor to Orion.¡± Said Key, evidently embarrassed.


    Before he could ask more questions, a silver rabbit approached, ¡°The Magia is holding an assembly, the reserve Watchers and Seekers are invited to come. The rest of you will have to go to your appointed posts.¡±


    Some of the rabbits who couldn¡¯t come grumbled while Comet, Blue, Bone and some others began to head towards the lake


    The island was clearly visible now and there was an odd circular ruined stone structure in the centre of it. The island itself seemed fairly small and was mostly covered with long grass and sandy soil.


    ¡°How are we supposed to get the island?¡± Asked Comet. He could see rabbits on the island already.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t make you swim like the Silver Colony rabbits.¡± Said Blue, with a laugh.


    Comet thought he was joking until he saw rabbits swimming and splashing around in the water.


    As they got closer, he could see they were young rabbits, following an older one. Two of them bumped into each other suddenly as one stopped to look at him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± One complained and they started arguing.


    ¡°You two stop that!¡± Said the older rabbit, turning around to see that half her group had stopped following her and Comet was staring at them, not hiding his shock.


    They all stopped and stared at him, making Comet retreat shyly.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve just never seen rabbits swim before. It doesn¡¯t look fun.¡±


    ¡°The rest of the colonies might think we¡¯re crazy for it but they don¡¯t have access to calm water like we do. Swimming is great, it keeps us strong and healthy.¡±


    ¡°Even rabbits so young?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they need to learn young. I teach all the learners to swim. My name is Brook by the way.¡±


    ¡°My name is Comet.¡±


    ¡°Well Comet, if you stay here, you should learn to swim, it¡¯s a great skill.¡± She said. Comet wanted to turn down her offer politely and looked around for Blue and Bone but they must have already gotten to the island since they weren¡¯t around anymore.


    ¡°He has more important things to worry about to learn than swimming.¡± Said Janu who had joined him. ¡°He¡¯ll go across the log.¡±


    They parted ways and Comet thanked him for not making him swim.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to learn to swim to live here, I¡¯ve lived here for some time now, never swam. No point in it.¡± He explained and he stopped at a large log, half submerged in water going from the bank to the island.


    It was wet and muddy from rabbits travelling across it.


    The Janu went first and quickly reached the other side.


    ¡°Come on, you¡¯re holding the others up.¡± He called out.


    He looked back to see other Magia rabbits, kits, senior rabbits and rabbits from other colonies waiting behind him.


    He groaned and tentatively took a step onto the log. It was more stable than he thought so he started moving along faster, feeling the pressure of the rabbits behind him.


    He kept going then suddenly his body lurched, and he flailed wildly but he ended up plunging into the freezing cold water. He struggled to keep his head above the water and kept swallowing water.


    Brook saw him and she rushed over with her students back into the water and helped support him.


    ¡°Use your legs, keep calm.¡± She said. Her words were a murky blur as he struggled to keep his head above the water. He would have gone in circles had Brook not been there to lead him to the island.


    Brook tried to help heave him up the bank, while some Silver rabbits on the island hauled him fully out of the water and dragged him up the bank.


    He was completely unconscious as SilverSkull and Janu came over in a panic, ordering a couple of rabbits to get Ruby.

 The Assembly

    He spluttered and coughed, the world a daze around him.


    Many eyes were staring at him.


    ¡°Make way.¡± Commanded Ruby, pushing past them.


    After a quick examination, she turned to the anxious crowd. ¡°Everyone calm down, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°He better be.¡± Said SilverSkull, who had been impatiently waiting for Ruby to arrive.


    ¡°Just give him room to breathe,¡± She said.


    Comet was barely aware of his surroundings, his whole body aching and shivering, his fur completely drenched in freezing water.


    ¡°Can you get up?¡± Asked Ruby.


    ¡°I think so.¡± He said, staggering up. The movement made his head hurt.


    He saw the learners snickering, Brook told them to stop it.


    ¡°If you feel up to it, you should move around, you need to warm up.¡±


    That sounded like the last thing he wanted to do. He shook his head which made water trickle unpleasantly down his back,


    Instinctively, he shook himself with a jump, splashing Ruby and the other nearby rabbits.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re ready to meet the assembly now.¡± Said Janu, drying himself off.


    ¡°Wait, I think he should come to the warren, he probably has some healing herbs and rest.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve brought nearly the whole colony here for nothing then?¡± He demanded, looking furious.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, I can stay but I can fix my fur first?¡±


    ¡°You can fix it on the way to the fortress.¡± He said


    Comet stared up at the ruined building, it seemed so much bigger up closer. He guessed the rabbits would have to sit right at the edge of the island to even see anything on the top of it.


    He entered the side of it and was amazed to find himself inside the towered column of stone. It had a sort of ceiling with a large hole in the side, letting sunlight shine through into a pool of water below.


    Ruined stairs wound around the inside of the fortress and disappeared at the top.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Said Janu, nodding to SilverSkull who went ahead first.


    Despite SilverSkull¡¯s large size, he got up the stairs with relative ease and more importantly didn¡¯t fall to the ground below.


    Comet wasn¡¯t afraid of heights, but after nearly drowning, his nerves were a bit rattled.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Janu said impatiently.


    Comet then made his way up the stairs, one slow step at a time, he refused to be rushed and just focused on the stair in front of him, fearing if he looked anywhere else he would slip.


    Finally, he got to the top of the fortress. He felt so high above everything else around him. It was beautiful though not quite as expansive as the view from the top of the valley.


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    He went to the edge of the fortress without hesitation to see more then, tensed back when he saw the many eyes of the rabbits, divided into groups based on age and colony type. The Magia sat in their own group up the front. He could see Blue, Bone and even Pine. The familiar faces made him more comfortable.


    Janu and SilverSkull sat either side of him. He took a sharp breath inwards.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming here, we are here to introduce you formally to the hare and put an end to any rumours about him. Comet has been brought here to be the successor of Orion when he dies. He will allow the power of our precious resources to continue and be used by us to protect you in these unstable times.¡± He said. The crowd responded polite, yet somewhat anxious cheers.


    ¡±Now, Comet, are you ready to officially join us, and learn more about your role and power or do you want to abandon all that to go back to live with humans?¡± Asked Janu, loud enough for all the rabbits down below to hear. He was trying to pressure him into saying yes. Comet could see what Orion meant by him not having a choice anymore. It didn¡¯t bother him. He¡¯d already made the choice in his heart.


    ¡±I¡¯m ready to stay in the valley.¡± He said. The rabbits cheered happily.


    ¡±Good, now place your paw here.¡± He said, removing his necklace and holding out a shiny diamond emblem for him.


    He approached it and put his paw near it but then withdrew, ¡°What does it do?¡± He asked. He didn¡¯t think it would electrocute him like the copper stone but he didn¡¯t want to risk it.


    ¡±It shows that you are going to stay in the valley and will remain loyal to the Diamond Magia, the most important Magia in the valley.¡±


    ¡±Is that really necessary, I won¡¯t leave.¡± He said.


    ¡°Promises are important, it¡¯s a visual and spiritual sign that you are going to keep it.¡± He said.


    He nodded his head. He wanted the rabbits to trust and respect him so he stretched out his paw, and touched the emblem.


    It glowed brilliantly with a thousand colours. His promise was now bound to the ancient item.


    Janu then presented a small, gleaming pendant in the shape of a crow.


    ¡°This will offer you protection.¡± He said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve decided to stay, you¡¯ll be able to see me defeat RiverCharm and unite Silver Colony.¡± Said SilverSkull.


    The rabbits cheered excitedly.


    ¡°Wait, I thought we were trying to avoid a war.¡± Said Comet, his voice drowned out by the sound of the cheering.


    ¡±It will just be him and RiverCharm fighting here in this fortress. It¡¯s an ancient trial for the title of leader but this will be the first trial since the Silver Colony civil war, I¡¯ll explain more after the assembly.¡± He said then he and Janu addressed the crowd and ended the assembly.


    Comet followed SilverSkull closely down the stairs of the fortress.


    ¡°So this civil war, what happened?¡±


    ¡°When the Magia moved in, some rabbits weren¡¯t too happy about it, especially their use of magic, they decided to fight a war over it, it was brutal that the Magia had to let them occupy the south of Silver Colony. The original leader of the movement is dead but his son, RiverCharm is their leader now and it is nearly impossible to make any deals with him. Hopefully he has enough sense not to back out of the trial, if he does, the Magia will surely launch another campaign to unite Silver Colony.¡± He explained sombrely.


    Comet sensed his anxiety and began worrying about the possibility of war himself. He was so wrapped up in thought it was a shock to find himself being surrounded by rabbits who all wanted to talk to him.


    Blue was not helping by encouraging them, Pine went up to him. ¡°Hey, remember me?¡± He asked.


    ¡±Yes.¡± He said more rudely than he expected. Pine recoiled. ¡°Sorry, I just want to get off this island.¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ll show you across the log.¡± Pine offered.


    ¡±Is there any other way?¡± He asked hopefully.


    ¡±You could swim.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just use the log.¡±


    Pine lead him through the crowd, where Blue and Bone approached him.


    ¡°Hey where are you going?¡± Blue asked.


    ¡±Away from this crowd.¡±


    ¡±We should probably go too. The Watchers will be waiting for us.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Grumbled Blue.


    As they neared the log, Brook came up to them. ¡°You really should consider swimming lessons.¡± She insisted, visibly concerned about him.


    ¡±That¡¯s the last thing I want to do after nearly dying.¡± He said.


    ¡±Learning to swim will prevent that from happening in the future. There will be other times when you have to come to the island.¡±


    I¡¯ll think about it, but not right now.¡± He said and cautiously began the journey across the log behind Bone.


    He was aware rabbits were watching him but fought the urge to bolt ahead. Despite how tense he felt, he made it across without incident. Blue and the others went on ahead of them.


    As he watched Blue and Bone head up the valley to join the Watchers, he wondered what he should do. He couldn¡¯t see Janu or SilverSkull anywhere but he knew they would say to keep training. Part of him just wanted to go to the Healers burrow and sleep but it didn¡¯t feel right when he had so much to learn.

 The Water

    When Comet entered the cave, he found Orion sitting there, almost like he was waiting for him to arrive.


    ¡°Now you have a silver pendant, you¡¯ll now be able to do more advanced techniques.¡± He said, then got up and carried a silver dish in his mouth to a spot where water dripped from the cave ceiling.


    The water dripped down in a steady, almost mesmerising rhythm. He looked at Orion, waiting for him to say something.


    ¡±I¡¯ll show you this one thing while we wait.¡± He said mysteriously then pulled a ruined silver fork from his collection. ¡°Close your eyes, keep your paw to it, focus on its energy, weight, and shape.¡±


    Comet wasn¡¯t sure how this involved his pendant but complied anyway and focused on the qualities of the fork. It was cool and heavy.


    It was peaceful, focusing while the water dripped in the background. So peaceful, he almost fell asleep until he heard Orion shuffle around.


    He woke up with a start, embarrassed.


    ¡°The dish is full.¡± He said. Then put his paw to his pendant. Suddenly, the water became an image of the fortress and island.


    ¡±Wait, so that whole thing was just a waste of time then.¡± He asked, astonished. He felt ridiculous.


    ¡±No, but now I want you to project an image into the water.¡± He said.


    He snorted. What trick was he pulling now? But he placed his paw into the water, sending ripples across the surface. The water was icy cold and he quickly pulled his paw out.


    ¡°How? I can¡¯t exactly touch it.¡± He said impatiently.


    Orion placed his paw to his own pendant and Comet saw it light up, a moment later, an image of Comet¡¯s grumpy face was projected in the water. Comet wasn¡¯t amused.


    ¡°I thought this was meant to be serious.¡± He said.


    ¡°It is but you need to have a calm, focused mind to access the energy of any precious resource.¡± He said. ¡°Place your paw to your pendant and focus on the dish, just like you did with that fork.¡± He explained.


    Comet did as he was told, he was excited to find that his pendant emitted a glow as he sought out the form of the dish, trying to tap into intros energy. After some trial and error, he managed to do it and projected a faint image of the island on it.


    ¡°Impressive to truly master Silver, you won¡¯t need to use your eyes, you will only have to sense and you can find any piece of silver in the valley. You¡¯ll even be able to tell how far away it is and if it¡¯s above or below ground.¡± He explained.


    ¡±Let me try.¡± Said Comet and closed his eyes, facing to the back of the cave. For a while, he just sat there trying to remember every little detail about the fork he was searching for while holding his pendant. He suddenly felt a tug towards a certain place.


    He moved on uncertain legs, feeling almost like he had no control over them. He could sense it to his right then he suddenly felt the presence of lots of other silver around it. He shook his head. It was overwhelming. It made it almost impossible to track the fork.


    Then he felt chills across his body then blackness, a moment later, he could see again but he was looking out of a tiny crack between two silver objects. He gasped as he was just as suddenly jolted back to viewing what was really in front of him.


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    ¡°What just happened?¡± He asked, scared and confused.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Orion asked.


    Comet didn¡¯t answer, he scanned the room, stopping once he saw two familiar objects. He went up to them and pushed them aside, where he found the fork, laying on its side.


    He stared at it with confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I thought I was meant to see the fork, instead, it was like I was seeing through it. I could see everything that was around it.¡± He explained.


    ¡±I¡¯m sorry. I had wanted to teach you to master silver sensing before silver hopping. Silver hopping is powerful but can be very unsettling if you¡¯re not expecting it.¡±


    ¡±So, can I silver ¡°hop¡± through any piece of silver? As long as I focus on it?¡±


    ¡±Yes, if you want to, which is why it¡¯s a power you must use wisely.¡± He said.


    ¡±And anyone who can use a pendant could do that then?¡± He asked nervously. Suddenly, the collection of silver made him uneasy. Could one of the Magia be watching him right now?


    ¡±Not here, my cave is protected by Iron stones, it counteracts the power of silver.¡± He said, then indicated to small stones embedded along the walls at even intervals.


    ¡°How many resources are there?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Silver, Gold, Copper, Iron, Porcelain and Diamond. Each with their own set of powers and opposing resource. I¡¯ll teach you what you need but first, you need to do more work with silver. You don¡¯t want to be silver hopping when you''re trying to seek or track. When you see through silver, you go into a sort of trance and you have no way of defending yourself.¡±


    They kept training until evening, where Orion decided it was time for a break and insisted Comet go and eat with the rabbits.


    Reluctantly, Comet agreed and left the cave. He expected to see a lot of rabbits but he saw hardly any. It was a very hot day so perhaps they were underground.


    As he searched for good grass, he found himself back near the shore of the island. He heard splashing and could see that Brook was teaching her class to swim. They swam around the island, out of view.


    Comet considered what it would be like to swim, not just flail around helplessly. He had made up his mind to stay here and it would help him fit in if he could swim.


    Cautiously, he placed a paw into the water, it was refreshingly cool. His long legs allowed him to wade into the shallower parts, his body submerged yet touching the lakebed.


    Once he had gotten used to the water, he dared to venture deeper but when he couldn¡¯t feel the lakebed under his paws anymore, he panicked and splashed back to shore.


    Brook and her class came around the opposite side of the island.


    ¡±Are you alright?¡± She called, coming over to him.


    ¡±Yes, I was just trying to get cool.¡± He said and began trying to climb up the muddy bank.


    ¡±I think he was trying to swim.¡± Said one of her students with a laugh.


    ¡±Shouldn¡¯t you be happy I¡¯m trying to learn your culture?¡± He said, frustrated.


    ¡±Oh, I am.¡± Said Brook. ¡°But it¡¯s not a good idea to swim on your own as a beginner.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I''ll join your class then.¡± He said.


    ¡°You¡¯re too old to be in our class.¡± Complained a student.


    ¡±I¡¯m not that much older than you.¡± He said defensively.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be a great swimmer, just good enough to swim to the island.¡± Said Brook. ¡°Follow us.¡±


    Feeling the pressure, he agreed and travelled back out.


    ¡±I can¡¯t feel the lakebed anymore.¡± He said, stopping.


    ¡±You were supposed to be swimming, not walking.¡± Said Brook. ¡°Just move your legs calmly, in a steady motion and keep your head out of the water.¡±


    He was tense and took a deep breath before plunging into the deep water, frantically moving his legs.


    ¡±Remember, you don¡¯t have to fight the water, just go along with it.¡± Said Brook. She and her students swam so effortlessly and gracefully.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how they did it but his exhaustion forced him to slow down, and gently swim. It was like the water was carrying his body.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m doing it.¡± He said proudly.


    ¡±Great, now you should probably stop swimming in circles, you¡¯ll wear yourself out. Keep your eyes on the island.¡± Said Brook.


    The students snickered and Comet swam towards the island quickly, fuelled by embarrassment. Brook offered to help him up the bank but he refused.


    After several attempts, he managed to haul himself out and panted heavily. He was proud of his stubborn determination.


    Then he heard the students calling out to each other and saw they were looking up the valley. There was a group of rabbits racing down the valley, too far away to see who they were. Brook and her students swam back to the mainland and Comet quickly tried to follow them.

 The Promise

    By the time he got to the other side, he could see that a wild rabbit was being chased by Blue and Bone along with some other Watchers.


    They were coming right at him and he narrowly got out of the way in time. They chased the wild rabbit right to the lake. It tried to get away but they fought it and it slipped, falling into the lake.


    He watched in horror as the wild rabbit flailed in the water then slowly disappeared into the water. It never resurfaced. Comet felt sick to his stomach.


    ¡±That was the last wild rabbit, I¡¯ll tell Janu¡± Said Key. ¡°The rest of you must wash yourself, wild rabbits carry all sorts of diseases and get any wounds cleaned out by Ruby.¡±


    After they did that, Comet went up to Blue, ¡°What happened up there?¡±


    ¡±The wild rabbits attacked us and the Magia decided it was the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out so that we can attack the rebels tomorrow.¡± Said Bone, injured and very distressed, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea, it¡¯s so hard to fight in those bushes. It was chaos, I don¡¯t even know how many were injured or killed.¡±


    ¡±It¡¯s just a good thing wild rabbits can¡¯t swim.¡± Said Blue. He limping and his eye was swollen shut.


    ¡±You should definitely see Ruby.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±I am but I¡¯m not doing that bad, it looks worse than it is.¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Said Bone.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯ll be crowded down there, just relax.¡± He said and hobbled away.


    Bone shook his head. ¡°See what I mean? We aren¡¯t going to be ready for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I could try changing Magia Janu¡¯s mind, I am a hare and I¡¯ve agreed to stay here, so he should listen to me.¡±


    ¡±You really think so?¡±


    ¡±Definitely.¡± He said confidently. ¡°I just need to tell Orion I won¡¯t be back for training.¡±


    ¡±What¡¯s your training like?¡±


    ¡±Oh, I¡¯m not supposed to tell you.¡± Said Comet sheepishly.


    ¡±I understand.¡±


    ¡±But maybe I could ask Orion to give you permission to see. It¡¯s his cave, he should be able to decide who can come in.¡± He said and hopped towards the cave.


    ¡±I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Called Bone but Comet had already made up his mind and didn¡¯t hear him.


    He went back to Orion¡¯s cave.


    ¡°That was a long lunch.¡± He said.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry, Brook taught me how to swim and then this wild rabbit came into the valley and I just lost track of timea€| but I guess you already knew that, didn¡¯t you?¡± He said, looking down at his silver pendant.


    ¡°I do not spy through rabbits pendants, Nightwing gives me the information.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to leave again, I promised Bone I would talk to Master Janu and ask him to stop the battle against the rebels tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have promised that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°The Magia will not change their mind, not even for a hare. Once they want to do something, they will do it.¡±


    ¡°The fighting rabbits are all injured and exhausted from their battle with wild rabbits, can¡¯t they see that would be a bad idea.¡± He said.


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    ¡°They must have some reason in mind, don¡¯t bother them Comet, please, I¡¯ve tired myself in the past and it only causes problems.¡±


    Comet wasn¡¯t entirely convinced but didn¡¯t want to argue. ¡°Alright, but what if I fought then, I would just need to learn some more offensive powers of fortune.¡±


    Orion was silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not training you to kill rabbits.¡±


    ¡±I don¡¯t want to kill rabbits. I just want to have a way to protect myself and others. You can see I¡¯m not very physically strong.¡±


    ¡±You¡¯re very tall and fast though.¡± Said Orion.


    ¡°That¡¯s good for running away, not fighting.¡± He insisted. ¡°Besides, the Magia wants me to learn all the powers of fortune.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°They do and you will learn but copper is one of the most dangerous resources. l teach you how to use Diamond if you like.¡±


    Comet perked up.


    ¡°It can be used to project sound and communicate with others from long distances.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that going to help me defend myself?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re clever, it can.¡± He gave Comet a diamond stone and then went to the back of the cave. Suddenly, it was like his voice came from the stone itself, in a strange sort of echo.


    ¡±Is that all it can do?¡±


    ¡±Of course not. How else do you think I can talk to Nightwing?¡± He said.


    ¡±So¡­ I can talk to other species?¡± He asked wide eyed.


    ¡±Only if they¡¯re wearing a diamond stone.¡± He said. ¡°When communicating through Diamond stones, especially with other species, you have to be very clear with your words and intention, otherwise the sound will become a jumbled mess. Now you try.¡±


    They went back and forth communicating with each other through the stone. It was fairly easy in the quiet cave with no other noises or distractions.


    Orion then bashed something with his back foot, holding the diamond stone, it echoed through the room and seemed to shake the items in the room. Comet cowered and put his paws over his ears.


    When the deafening sound stopped, Comet sat up.


    ¡±Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°You need to be able to communicate no matter the noise around you and you said you wanted to learn more offensive powers.¡±


    Comet realised what he meant and was excited. This could be a powerful way to drive away an attacker.


    ¡±Let me try it.¡± He said. With one paw, he held the diamond stone, while he dragged his claws across a piece of silver. It  made such a loud, high pitched  sound that one of the mirrors cracked. He was sure rabbits beyond the cave could hear him. He worried he¡¯d made Orion go deaf and looked at him apologetically.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I guess I still have some work to do before I can learn to use copper.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do but you will get there eventually.¡± He said. ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    They continued practising and Comet found himself getting quite confident with his ability to use diamond.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m doing well?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Fairly well, but you still need to practise communicating to other species, like I told you before, Nightwing won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for that.¡± He said. ¡°What if I communicated with another rabbit, like Bone, that would be a good challenge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Janu told you, but we¡¯re not supposed to share our training with others.¡± He said.


    ¡°He did tell me that, but Bone is trustworthy and he can¡¯t even use the powers of fortune anyway though I did hear rabbits used to be able to use it.¡±


    ¡°But not anymore, and the Magia thinks the only way to keep the colony orderly is to not remind them of that. They think seeing magic training will only make them jealous that they can''t use the powers of fortune.¡±


    Comet hadn¡¯t considered that, it sort of made sense. ¡°But Bone doesn¡¯t seem like the jealous type. I told him I would ask you if he could come into the cave.¡±


    ¡°Well my answer is no, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand. If he comes, he could get in serious trouble with the Magia.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so scared of them. I was told I was here because once you die, the Magia won¡¯t have any power. They should be scared of you, you can take away their power at any moment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple¡­ I made a promise to the Magia when I was initiated by them through the Diamond emblem.¡±


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I came to the valley as a younger hare, the rabbits were struggling to survive against the ever growing number of predators and wild rabbits that competed against them. I tried helping them but I was only one hare in a big valley. Then the Magia came from a faraway valley, and arrived at Diamond Colony. They found me and we ended up discussing what to do about the valley. We both knew of the powers of fortune, only they couldn¡¯t use it because they were not tied to the valley and were spiritually opposed to training. I then agreed to power their medallions as long as they helped bring order to the valley which they did, but I haven¡¯t always agreed with their methods or views on how the colonies should be run.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret helping them?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°Sometimes¡­ I do believe that rabbits of the valley need to have magic to survive but I think things need to change and I believe they will very soon.¡± He said mysteriously. ¡°Anyway, all you need to remember is that for now, no rabbit can be involved in your training. It¡¯s for their own good.¡± He looked at Comet seriously.


    ¡°Fine, Bone¡¯s going to be disappointed though.¡± He said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. I¡¯ll get Nightwing to help you finish your diamond training.¡± He pressed his paw to his diamond necklace and then let go.


    ¡°Did you say anything?¡±


    ¡°I did, through my mind.¡± He said.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve got to teach me that,¡±


    ¡°I will, but first you need to talk to Nightwing.¡± He said. Just then, Nightwing fluttered in. Comet tried not to cower.

 The Truth

    Talking to a bird was not as terrifying as Comet had feared and for the rest of the afternoon, they trained.


    Comet stayed the night in the cave but awoke to the sound of frantic movement. He got out of his bedding, expecting to see Nightwing but instead saw Bone, looking around anxiously.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Comet whispered.


    ¡°Looking for you.¡± He said. ¡°The Magia has started the battle, we aren¡¯t ready. You said you¡¯d change their mind.¡±


    ¡°I did but Orion wouldn¡¯t let me, I can help though. I can use my powers.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but hurry. I¡¯m supposed to be at the battle right now.¡± He said, looking over his shoulder.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Said Orion, his voice startling them.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± Said Bone, bowing. ¡°I came looking for help.¡±


    ¡°I know.  I¡¯m sorry the Magia has done this but Comet will come.¡± He said. He then removed Comet¡¯s necklace and placed a diamond pendant on it next to his diamond one and placed it back on him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, very grateful that Orion had decided that he was worthy of it.


    ¡°You should carry precious stones in case you want to use their power from a distance.¡± He said, then he placed a sash made of densely woven grass around him, on the side was a small pouch.


    ¡°Hopefully it isn¡¯t too heavy for you.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, thank you.¡± He said.


    ¡°Ok let¡¯s go-¡° Began Bone who¡¯d been pacing anxiously until he saw Magia Janu with some other Magia council members.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fight in the battle against the rebels. We¡¯re leaving now.¡± He said, trying to get past him. Janu put his paw out to block him.


    ¡°You have your training to complete. While you¡­¡± He said, turning to terrified Bone, ¡°need to go and join the others, I can¡¯t trust any of you, you¡¯re all traitors in my mind.¡±


    Bone quickly bolted out of the cave.


    ¡°He¡¯s not a traitor, he just could see that the colony wasn¡¯t ready for another big battle so soon. Why did you think it was a good idea?¡± Demanded Comet. He could sense Orion was giving him a disapproving look but he didn¡¯t care, he wanted answers.


    ¡°RiverCharm sent a messenger to say that he has now decided to reject the trial and joined Gold Colony¡¯s Golden Alliance. We need to get rid of the rebels so we don¡¯t have to fight two enemies at once.¡±


    ¡°But couldn¡¯t you have waited to be more prepared, a lot of rabbits were injured yesterday and a lot of them will die today.¡±


    ¡°Just less potential traitors in my mind, Silver Colony has been full of the most disloyal and selfish rabbits we¡¯ve had the displeasure of governing.¡±


    ¡°You want them to die?¡± He asked, in horror.


    ¡°Not all of them, but enough to make them easier to manage.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± Growled Comet.


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell us what to do, did you know the reason RiverCharm rejected the trial is because you¡¯re here!¡± He said.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± He looked at Orion who sighed.


    ¡°RiverCharm hates magic and was hoping that once I die, magic would die with it but now they know you¡¯re here, they know that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s those traitorous rabbits that told them. Anyway, that¡¯s why you need to stay here, so no other rabbits see you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not staying here for the rest of my life like Orion.¡± He said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡± He said.


    Comet and Janu growled at each other, ready to attack.


    ¡°What if you recreated the Master-Medallion, that could solve your problems.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, giving every rabbit in the colony the powers of fortune would be a disaster. The Diamond Magia himself is against the idea.¡±


    ¡°The power of Master-Medallion can only be used by those who have been initiated. It will be a powerful weapon against the Golden Alliance.¡±


    Janu thought for a moment. ¡°Hmm, but do you need to be a hare to use the master-medallion?¡±


    ¡°No, in the past, it was protected by a special group of rabbits who included the healers, leaders and masters of every colony. But it would need a lot of energy to activate it, the power of a hare would be very useful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll discuss your idea with the Diamond Magia, if he were to agree to it, we would have to re-create it. Comet would be the one to do that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would trust me enough.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, which is why I¡¯ll send other rabbits with you.¡±


    ¡°He still needs to complete his trial.¡± Said Orion, it was the first time Comet had seen him look uncertain about something.


    ¡°Fighting in the battle can be the trial.¡± Said Janu. ¡°You seemed happy enough to go let him fight.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do Comet? You know you¡¯ve only learnt two resources and you would have to travel across the valley to recreate the Master-Medallion.¡±


    ¡°I can do it. I know how to use Diamond, you can talk to me.¡± He said. He was eager to explore the valley, and would do just about anything to make sure he wouldn¡¯t be confined to the cave.


    Orion still looked a bit conflicted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be back after the trial and you¡¯ll have another day or two to train him so more.¡± Said Janu.


    ¡°Fine, this battle will be your trial. I will watch your progress through your silver pendant.¡± Said Orion.


    Comet was glad to be free of the secrecy of the cave and headed to slope of the valley, figuring the battle would be near the thicket where they found the rebels.


    Despite his determination, ascending the valley ended up being more time consuming than he had planned, as he was forced to stick to flat paths made by other rabbits.


    Finally, he got to the top, and halted to survey the chaos: rabbits were engaged in a frenzied battle. The rabbits didn¡¯t pay any attention to him. The large silver colony rabbits struggled against the relentless swarm of wild rabbits.


    He was shocked. Why were there still wild rabbits? Where were the rebels?


    He decided to try finding the thicket, haphazardly travelling through the chaos while trying to peer through the foliage.


    He heard a resulting sound and saw a group of wild rabbits coming towards him. He panicked until he remembered that he had a way to defend himself now. Just as a rabbit lunged at him, he scraped the diamond stone, emitting a piercing sound that sent them all fleeing in terror.


    The nearby rabbits stopped their fighting as well, disoriented by the sound. Some silver colony rabbits recovered quickly and were able to take the opportunity to counterattack but others were too affected to defend themselves against the wild rabbits attack.


    Comet snorted in annoyance, what good was this power if it hurt his allies?


    He didn¡¯t want to stand around being useless though so he strategically used his diamond pendant to startle the rabbits and give the silver rabbits a chance to retreat and regroup. He kept heading towards the general direction to the thicket until he felt a tug of energy from silver.


    He focused on it and was drawn towards a bush where he saw Bone hiding, bleeding heavily.


    ¡°Bone, get up.¡± Said Comet, nudging him.


    ¡°Do you know where Blue is?¡± He said.


    ¡°Uh, give me a moment.¡± He said. Through the chaos of dozens of silver pendants, Comet managed to find the one worn by Blue.


    ¡°He¡¯s nearby.¡± He said. ¡°Come on.¡±


    Bone used all his strength to get up and limp along but they didn¡¯t get far until they were ambushed by a group of wild rabbits. Without thinking, he activated his pendant and the bright light and deafening sound was enough to send them fleeing.


    He shoved Bone ahead of him, directing him to keep going straight ahead while he stayed behind to make sure they didn¡¯t come back.


    When he was satisfied they had gone, he raced ahead, he couldn¡¯t see Bone anymore and frantically pushed forwards until he came to a familiar clearing.


    He saw Bone lying motionless alongside Blue, who rested next to him.


    ¡°Blue, Blue!¡± Cried Comet, shaking him gently.


    ¡°I¡¯m alive, my poor brother isn¡¯t.¡± He said, briefly opening his eyes before closing them again.


    Bone was still and lifeless. Comet breathed heavily. There was nothing he could do. He felt so helpless, so useless.


    He couldn¡¯t miraculously heal them despite all his training. There wasn¡¯t the time to search for the right herbs and finding Ruby would take too long.

 The Discovery

    Comet decided to stay with them, to protect Blue from any other attack.


    There was rustling in the bushes and he expected wild rabbits, instead he saw what looked like valley rabbits.


    ¡°We can¡¯t let you go, hare.¡± One growled. Comet was taken off guard as one suddenly lunged at him, aiming for his neck. He gasped and used his pendant to create a bright light followed by his high pitch squeal. They backed away, frustrated, trying to get close to him.


    ¡°Go away, I don¡¯t want to fight you rebels. I¡¯m protecting my friends.¡±


    ¡°One of your so called friends got one of our allies executed by the Magia.¡± Said the mysterious rabbit, glaring at Blue.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Cricket, unofficial leader of the so called rebel group. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard a lot about us.¡±


    ¡°Actually, not really, all I know is that you hate how the Magia runs the colonies and honestly, I think I¡¯m starting to agree with you.¡±


    They looked at each other sceptically. ¡°Really? Or is this just a hare trick?¡±


    ¡°I am starting to think they are not as wise or benevolent as they portray themselves to be.¡±


    ¡°Then you would be willing to join us then? In destroying them all and the leaders of the colonies.¡±


    ¡°Why the leaders of the colonies as well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, without them, the Magia could never have gotten power in the valley. They need to pay for not stopping them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± Said Comet, trying to get more distance from them.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to destroy them, then you are still brainwashed.¡± He snarled.


    Then he saw rabbits circling around his other side, they were approaching Blue and Bone.


    To divert their attention, he bolted through the underbrush and the rebels gave chase. Comet kept going until he reached the main fray of the battle, where the rebels quickly found themselves outnumbered.


    Cricket gave Comet one last furious look before dashing back into the bushes, heading into the fields. Comet didn¡¯t think any of the fighting rabbits here had even made it to the thicket but he didn¡¯t have time to worry about that.


    He raced back through the bushes and roused Blue around, relieved to see he was still alive. He gathered what leaves and grasses he could see and tried his best to cover Blue¡¯s injuries.


    He had to get Blue out of here before the rebels or wild rabbits came again. Poor Bone would have to stay here but he covered his body with some leaves and sticks, to protect it from predators.


    He remembered briefly seeing Mossy and Stones dead bodies as they were taken out of their cage. He was in a separate cage to them so he didn¡¯t see what happened. They hadn¡¯t been feeling that well that afternoon and in the morning, they were dead.


    Seeing Bone now filled him with the same terrible cold emptiness he had felt then.


    ¡°Come on, Blue. It¡¯s getting late, we have to go.¡± Said Comet quietly.


    Blue nodded and allowed Comet to help support his weight as they made the long journey back down the valley.


    When they got there, they found themselves joining a large crowd, made up of survivors and worried family members. SilverSkull was there, badly injured but was trying to take control of the situation and work out who was here and who was missing.


    Once Blue was safely with the other survivors being treated by Ruby¡¯s makeshift healing team, Comet¡¯s sadness turned to anger. Janu and the Magia were nowhere to be seen.


    Would they admit they had no regard for the lives of the Silver Colony rabbits, and viewed them all as potential traitors.


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    He was almost glad he didn¡¯t see them, if he had, he would have caused a lot of trouble by accusing them. He went to Orion¡¯s, the only place that was quiet and calm right now.


    He found Orion, he had a sympathetic knowing look in his eyes. They said nothing to each other and Comet tried lying down to sleep but his mind was full of terrifying imagery.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡± He sighed, coming to Orion.


    ¡°We could train, it might take your mind off thingsa€| I¡¯m very sorry that you experienced such loss.¡±


    ¡°Bone was one of the rabbits who dieda€| it was all the Magia¡¯s fault. They wanted this to happen.¡±


    ¡°I knowa€| and because of my mistakes and cowardice, the valley has suffered, you have a chance to fix that error and end the Magia¡¯s control. If you create the Master-Medallion, every rabbit would have the power of fortune themselves.¡±


    ¡°You said they would need to be initiated.¡±


    ¡°Yes, by you, you¡¯ve already been initiated.¡±


    ¡°By that gross plant stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes but as a hare, you were able to use all the resources, rabbits from the valley will only be able to use the one from the colony they are tied to.¡± He explained.


    That gave him some hope at least, but it was too late for the ones who had died. He wondered where their spirits were now.


    ¡°I feel like Bone died for nothing, the rebels are still out there and the wild rabbits came back. I don¡¯t think the Magia will even apologise for what they¡¯ve done. They don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°You can make sure he didn¡¯t die for nothing. I know you can change the valley for the better. Now, as I said before, we should start our training again.¡±


    ¡°But I failed the trial, the rebels are still there.¡± He said.


    ¡°You survived and more so, you defended Blue and helped him see his brother again before he died. You used your powers in difficult situations and in creative ways. I couldn¡¯t have asked for more.¡±


    Comet wasn¡¯t quiet sure if that was true but he accepted the compliment. ¡°What are you going to teach me?¡±


    ¡°A little bit of everything.¡± He said.


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s a bit sudden.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, after what happened this morning, I¡¯m convinced the Magia will have no choice but to recreate the Master-Medallion and they could send you away at any moment. You need to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°Well I think we should start with the more offensive resources like iron and copper.¡±


    ¡°I think we should start with porcelain and gold.¡±


    ¡°Are they powerful?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, just not in the way you¡¯re thinking off. Porcelain especially, possesses the power to manipulate and see memories from anything.¡±


    ¡°Even living creatures?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, it can and is an easily abused power. It''s only weakness is diamond, it¡¯s good to remember that.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Said Comet. He definitely didn¡¯t want his memory read.


    ¡°The way to use porcelain is similar to Gold, the power of illusions and emotions. I would show you but I don¡¯t have any gold here, Gold Colony hasn¡¯t traded with Silver Colony for many years.¡± Orion explained. ¡°Anyway, are you ready to dive into the past?¡±


    Orion¡¯s enthusiasm couldn¡¯t help but make Comet feel a little better. ¡°I guess so. But what if I can''t do it?"


    "You get to know the basics and then you can learn while creating the Master-Medallion," Assured Orion. He gave Comet a porcelain stone. ¡°Now, focus on this key. Feel its form and energy. You need a strong will to be able to use porcelain.¡±


    Comet closed his eyes, feeling the cool touch of the porcelain stone with one paw and the key with the other. He took a deep breath and reached out with his senses. The key began to glow faintly, and images flickered in Comet''s mind¡­ a human hand, the key falling from it and landing into a gutter.¡±


    ¡°I see something, it¡¯s fuzzy though.¡± Comet said.


    "Old memories are always fuzzy, now keep going.¡±


    The memory shifted, and Comet saw the key being swept away, eventually into the river flowing through the valley where a blurry image of a rabbit appeared to find it on the riverbed and take it.


    "I wonder if the owner misses the key.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he did, but then we gave it a new purpose.¡± Said Orion. ¡°Now, I¡¯d love to focus on just teaching you porcelain but, I think it¡¯s time to move onto Iron, the power of heat and fire. In a way, copper and iron are used in a similar way.¡±


    Comet wasn¡¯t entirely sure how exactly they would use iron in this cave without hurting themselves until he saw Orion drag out a large terracotta pot, filled with dry plants.


    ¡°Inside, is an Iron stone. Copper and Iron are the only two resources that require you to have a pendant to use, otherwise the power will hurt you too.¡± He said, then added an Iron pendant to Orion¡¯s necklace.


    "Concentrate on the iron''s energy, the raw power of heat and fire," Orion instructed. "Imagine the energy flowing from the metal into the kindling."


    After a moment of hesitation, he willed the iron''s power to ignite. A small spark leapt from the iron to the plants, and in an instant, they were ablaze, the fire illuminating the room.


    "Excellent! Now, control it," said Orion, seeing the fire getting larger.


    But as Comet tried to, the flames grew wilder, some managing to escape the dish. As Comet¡¯s panic grew, the iron responded by making the fire bigger. It got dangerously close to the ceiling of the cave.


    "Orion!" Comet shouted. Orion was already prepared, and smothered the flames with water then pressed his paw to his copper pendant. The fire completely ceased and steam rose.


    ¡°This is why you always have a copper stone next to an iron one, so that if iron gets out of control, you can use copper to redirect its energy.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, I almost burnt down your cave.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I should have given you more time to focus and calm your mind, Iron feeds on your energy.¡± He explained.


    They spent the rest of the afternoon training, Orion doing his best to stuff as much knowledge into Comet¡¯s head as possible. As the sun began to set, Comet was given the assignment to meditate on what he¡¯d learnt to today, instead, he fell into a deep sleep.


    Orion was relieved to see he had found some peace.

 The Tunnel

    Comet was planning to spend the rest of the day in the cave, he wanted to train and stay away from chaos in the warren until Janu appeared.


    ¡°Orion!¡± He called.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Said Orion.


    ¡°I¡¯ve contacted the Diamond Magia and after a day of discussion, he¡¯s agreed that your plan to re-create the Master-Medallion is a good one. I¡¯ve come to take Comet to discuss it more with him.¡± He said.


    ¡°Already¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready.¡± He said.


    ¡°Remember, you can contact me and Nightwing will be following you along the way. You¡¯ll be fine. I want to give you something to help you with your journey.¡± He said. He then disappeared and then pulled out a woven satchel.


    ¡°If you put this on, you¡¯ll be able to take a lot of stones with you.¡± He explained.


    ¡°And food and herbs.¡± Added Janu.


    ¡°Where exactly do I have to go to make this Master-Medallion.¡±


    ¡°Iron Colony. We¡¯ve given you a week to get there and back.¡± He said.


    That was beyond Porcelain Colony, it seemed so far away but he didn¡¯t complain. This was the only way to bring peace back to the valley.


    ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± Said Comet, bowing to Orion.


    ¡°I only wish we had more time together, but I know you will do what is right.¡± He said.


    He nodded nervously.


    Comet left the cave and was led into the warren. He didn¡¯t ask Janu where they were going. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.


    As they travelled through the warren, he sensed a powerful energy and he realised he was heading to the treasury. He would have been proud of his growing abilities if he wasn¡¯t so anxious. The brilliant light still stunned him as he entered it.


    Inside were the Magia Council, and three rabbits, one of them being Blue.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to finalise the plans to create the Master-Medallion. It may be the only way we can defend the valley against the rebels and wild rabbits and defeat the Golden Alliance. You will travel through Porcelain Colony and then once you arrive at Iron Colony, you will give the Fire Master this diagram and he will forge the medallion for you.¡± He said, putting a piece of engraved wood into Comet¡¯s satchel.


    ¡°What do we need to take to create the Master-Medallion?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡°We? Aren¡¯t you still recovering?¡±


    ¡°A little bit but Ruby said I was good enough to go. I have to do this, for my brother.¡± He said.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Said Comet, happy to have someone he knew come with him.


    ¡°I only wish he wasn¡¯t coming.¡± He said, in a low whisper, looking back at the Dutch rabbit glaring at him.


    ¡°Arrow?¡± Said Comet, suddenly recognising him.


    ¡°Yes, and I''m in charge of this mission, aren¡¯t I?¡± He said, looking at Janu.


    ¡°You are, but there is to be no arguing between you two. You don¡¯t have time for that.¡± He said then turned to Comet again. ¡°Arrow will guide you through Porcelain Colony, Rusty over there will guide you into Iron Colony and Blue is here as the diplomat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m excited to finally meet you, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± Said Rusty shyly.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Said Comet awkwardly. He hoped he heard good things.


    ¡°Here are small satchels for each of you. They include herbs, food and other supplies.¡± Said Janu as the Magia brought them forwards.


    ¡°Now, the Master-Medallion needs to be made up of the most pure and sacred pendant level resource we have from each colony. We have found them and hidden them through here.¡± He continued, and pushed aside a silver plate, revealing a brightly lit tunnel. ¡°Magia Lu will take you through, I need to speak to Comet alone for a moment.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    As they went through, Comet was left to wonder what Janu was going to say to him.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t particularly like us, and I¡¯m sure that Orion has filled your head with all sorts of ideas about what the Master-Medallion should be used for. I¡¯m letting you know that if you don¡¯t bring it back to us, Orion and Silver Colony will be punished.¡±


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need for threats.¡± Said Comet, silently furious.


    ¡°And don¡¯t give the medallion to any other rabbit, not even the rabbits travelling with you. They cannot be fully trusted.¡± He said.


    Comet snorted. The Magia¡¯s paranoia was ridiculous and infuriating.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so upset, I¡¯m about to show you something very few other creatures have ever seen.¡± He said and then led him into the tunnel.


    It was plain, narrow and smelt like the Magia. It wasn¡¯t very impressive until the passageway widened out and revealed a tunnel covered entirely with precious jewels and metals.


    ¡°Amazing, I always thought Gold Colony was the richest.¡± Said Rusty, wide eyed.


    ¡°Silver Colony and Gold Colony were the original colonies, so Silver Colony still has some of its wealth even if most of it is in Diamond Colony now.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen this before?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s out of bounds. Once the rabbits stopped their old spiritual practices, we took it for ourselves. It¡¯s not like they were using it after all. But in a way, you have seen it before from above.¡±


    ¡°Really? How?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve travelled across the log before, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re inside the log that connects the island to the mainland? So we could get to the island from here if we wanted to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can travel the whole way through.¡±


    ¡°Well that would have been nice to know before I nearly drowned.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just have rabbits constantly travelling through it, it would be ruined and more than likely, everything would be stolen.¡± Said Janu. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll find the best resources for you.¡± He found relatively small but beautiful precious resources and placed them into Comet¡¯s bag.


    ¡°I entrust this to you. You will back the Master-Medallion so that the Magia and the hare¡¯s can give its powerful energy. You must all swear not to tell another rabbit and fight to protect it with your lives.¡± He said sternly.


    ¡°We swear.¡± They said. Comet wished he didn¡¯t have to but he didn¡¯t have much of a choice.


    So they left the tunnel and entered back into the treasury.


    ¡±You know the plan. Get to Iron Colony and back before the time for the trial. The Golden Alliance has at least kept to their promise not to attack until then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we even need a week, we should be back in a couple of days if we can travel through Porcelain Colony in one day.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°I want you to go now, in case you do have to stop at Porcelain Colony and in case it takes a couple of days for Iron Colony to forge the Master-Medallion. Not to mention, traitors and rebels might try to slow you down which is why you are to keep this mission completely secret.¡± He said.


    ¡°We understand.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Wild rabbits might also be a problem.¡± Added Rusty quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but I know Diamond Colony has a boat, why can¡¯t we use it to get to Iron Colony?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡°The current is too slow and shallow to get the boat here and upstream again. It would also put you dangerously close to the southern colonies.¡± He said. ¡°Anymore questions?¡±


    They shook their heads.


    ¡°Good, now go quickly. The fate of the valley depends on you.¡± He said.


    They headed out of the warren, with Arrow taking the lead. Comet didn¡¯t mind, at least it was one less thing for him to worry about.


    Dan was approaching, the sky quickly brightening as the colony started emerging from the warren. They moved quickly northeastward, not wanting to attract unwanted attention.


    It was a surprisingly peaceful journey for a while, with the gently flowing river and early morning birds. Then a loud yell broke the tranquillity.


    They looked back to see Rusty had slipped into a muddy patch and heaved himself out. It stained his dark red fur but he managed to keep the strange ruff around his neck clean. It made him look like a lion.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going.¡± Said Arrow.


    Rusty just grunted an acknowledgment, more focused on trying to clean himself.


    ¡±I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be glad to be out of this colony, Comet.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±It¡¯s not that bad once you get used to it.¡± He said honestly. He didn¡¯t feel like talking, he couldn¡¯t tell them that helping the Magia was a mistake.


    ¡±I¡¯ll be glad to have my feet on the dry, solid ground of Porcelain Colony.¡± Said Arrow harshly.


    Nearing the border, Comet noticed the landscape changing, the ground became less damp and more gravely, with more trees and vines. It was easier to travel across.


    ¡°That is the Porcelain Colony border.¡± Said Arrow, nodding further ahead. Comet looked about, with no visual makers, it was difficult to identify. He barely even realised there were any Watchers there until they got closer.


    They were spread so far apart but he guessed since both colonies were both under Magia rule, there wasn¡¯t much need for defence. But as they got closer, he could certainly smell the border. It seemed distinctly foreign, of bark and cool stones.


    Finally, they came to stop in front of a strangely familiar white rabbit who Comet couldn¡¯t quite remember the name of.


    ¡°Hey Minty, we¡¯re just passing through. Magia business.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±Of course.¡± He replied, then looked at Comet. ¡°You¡¯re the crazy hare who fell down the valley. The whole colony will be excited to meet you,¡± He said with a laugh.


    ¡°Great.¡± Said Comet sarcastically.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to stop and socialise, we need to move through as quickly as possible.¡± Said Arrow sternly.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Said Minty, disappointed. ¡°Come through.¡±

 The Thieves

    Entering the new colony was exciting until Comet remembered this was where Blue and Bone had lived. He couldn¡¯t tell what Blue was thinking, but he kept to himself.


    Comet wondered if his family knew what happened to Bone and if they regretted letting him be a Seeker.


    Deeper into the colony, the scenery was very different to Silver Colony. The trees and fallen logs that covered the land appeared lifeless. In a world of black, white and grey, the only colours came from the vines, bushes and tufts of grass that scattered the colony.


    Their journey was progressing smoothly until they were approached by two rabbits, one white and the other blue-grey.


    ¡°Hello, My name is Luxe and this is Cobalt. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°We just want to pass through.¡± Said Comet shyly.


    ¡°Why?¡± Asked Luxe.


    ¡±Well, um...¡± Comet hesitated.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Move aside.¡± Ordered Arrow.


    ¡°Are you on a mission?¡± Asked Luxe


    ¡°Did the Magia send you?¡± Added Cobalt.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Said Arrow, attempting to push past them but Cobalt blocked their path.


    ¡±Did you get Nove¡¯s permission to pass through?¡±


    ¡±No, but a Watcher gave us permission.¡± He said.


    ¡±We¡¯ll let him know then.¡± Said Cobalt.


    ¡±That isn¡¯t necessary!¡± Arrow called but they were already gone.


    Arrow growled with frustration. ¡°Now the whole colony will know we¡¯re here. We have to move faster.¡±


    ¡±They were bound to find us anyway, it''s just over a day''s journey though here isn¡¯t it?¡± Asked Rusty.


    ¡±Yes, but I was hoping sticking to the outskirts of the colony would help us avoid anyone. I just hope those rabbits don¡¯t go telling everyone¡­ but knowing Porcelain Colony rabbits, they probably will.¡±


    ¡±Aren¡¯t you a Porcelain Colony rabbit?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°Yes, of course I am¡­ but a lot of Porcelain rabbits are way too curious and nosy for their own good. Keep watch over your belongings, they don¡¯t quite grasp the concept of personal property.¡±


    ¡°Then we should go to the Magia council here and ask them to send some Watchers or guards out to stop that.¡± Suggested Rusty.


    ¡±That¡¯ll just slow us down. Hurry up.¡± He said and nearly broke out into a sprint. It was difficult to keep up wearing satchel bags.


    Rusty kept pausing and looking around him, like he was waiting for someone to appear any moment.


    Then rabbits did appear, a lot of them. It looked like Luxe and Cobalt had bought the whole of Porcelain Colony to meet them.


    ¡°Hey, go back to your roles.¡± Demanded Arrow but they either didn¡¯t hear or chose to ignore him. They crowded around the group, asking many questions and began rifling through their bags.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch that.¡± Comet snapped.


    ¡±Give that back.¡± Pleaded Blue as a rabbit rummaged through his bag.


    ¡°We have to find the Porcelain Magia or we¡¯ll lose everything.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°But¡ª¡° Began Arrow.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡±Let¡¯s go then.¡± Said Arrow gruffly and they barged through the crowd.


    The rabbits didn¡¯t chase them, they just seemed a bit confused.


    They arrived at the wall of a large grey ruined building, with arches and a broken stained glass window. It looked beautiful in the sunlight. A huge white log lay in front of it, covered with vibrant, intricate patterns.


    They didn¡¯t have time to stop and admire it though as Arrow led them straight through the end of the hollow log and into the warren.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Pushing through the rabbits that had stayed in the warren, they came to the central hall. The domed hall branched into various tunnels, with a large table at the centre of it, surrounded by numerous rabbits.


    Comet felt very claustrophobic and overwhelmed, Blue didn¡¯t seem particularly happy about the situation either. Only Rusty seemed unbothered.


    ¡°Nove! ¡± Called Arrow, finally spotting the rabbit he was looking for.


    ¡°Why are you here? I was told by Janu you were passing through.¡± Said Nove. He wore a pendant emblem around his neck.


    ¡±We were until the colony swarmed us like rats.¡± Said Arrow furiously. ¡°We need some guards to protect us.¡±


    As Arrow and Magia Nove discussed the best rabbits for the job, Comet noticed his satchel was somewhat lighter. He was horrified to find some of his food, herbs and worst of all,  the silver and porcelain resources were gone.


    ¡±Hey, Blue, do you have all your stuff?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± He asked but still checked his satchels. ¡°I can¡¯t believe my own colony would steal from me, they took my food and herbs!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Asked Nove, seeing their distress.


    ¡±They took our stuff, even some of the items we need to create¡ª¡° Began Comet but Nove cut him off and said in a low voice.


    ¡°You need to keep your mission a secret, you never know who¡¯s listening.¡±


    ¡±Sorry.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help get your items back.¡± He said. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    They left the warren and they gathered around the front of the log. The Magia sent out messengers to quickly gather the colony which was still full of energy, unfocused and demanding answers. Comet had no idea how Nove would get them to settle down.


    Nove touched his emblem and a moment later, the crowd calmed down and seemed sort of confused. When Comet noticed they were all wearing glowing porcelain pendants, he worked out what happened. It made him uncomfortable but it did seem to work.


    ¡°These rabbits and hare are on an important mission to help the valley,  they need to travel quickly. Before they can do that, anyone who took something from their bags must return them immediately.¡± He said sternly.


    Items were reluctantly returned to them, but they were only their food and herbs.


    ¡°Sorry about that, our Council has been trying to teach them but it¡¯s harder to change a culture than you might think.¡± Said Nove, shaking his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we¡¯ll be on our way now.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±We can¡¯t leave yet. We don¡¯t have the silver and porcelain.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they would have stolen that¡­ they aren¡¯t usually drawn to those things but I¡¯ll check.¡± He said and then touched his porcelain medallion. He shook his head.


    ¡°All of you may return to your roles.¡± He announced and crowd dispersed.


    ¡°Whoever took it, must have left the valley. Just when you think you¡¯ve gotten rid of all the rebels, you find some more hiding in the colony.¡± He said gravelly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can stay here and eat with the colony while I send my guards and Watchers to find them .¡±


    ¡±If we don¡¯t leave now, we¡¯ll have to stay here overnight. It¡¯ll be too dark to travel.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±That¡¯s alright, that¡¯s why we gave you a week for this mission.¡±


    ¡±We?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡±Yes, the Magia leaders of every colony planned out your mission carefully. We suspected something like this might have happened to slow down your progress.¡± He said.


    Comet nodded. Of course they¡¯d planned it all out.


    ¡°If we have to stay, where will we sleep?¡± Asked Blue flatly. He didn¡¯t have his usual energy at all.


    ¡±We have a spare burrow you can sleep in, but first, you should come and put your belongings into the treasury. The rest of the colony isn¡¯t allowed in there.¡±


    They followed Nove down a separate tunnel from the central warren hub. None of them had guards, except for one which they entered.


    The treasury was filled with porcelain, carefully arranged even if some were cracked or broken. Much of the porcelain was covered with detailed patterns and artwork.


    They removed their satchels and as they were about to leave, Blue spoke up.


    ¡±I¡¯ve heard the colony talking, my family, they¡¯re asking where Bone is, why haven¡¯t you told him that he¡¯s dead?¡±


    ¡±That¡¯s IvoryHeart¡¯s job.¡± Said Nove, unbothered by Blue¡¯s distress.


    ¡±What happened to IvoryFoot? I thought he was the leader?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡±He was until he died of disease.¡± Replied Nove.


    ¡±Seems like the Magia can¡¯t be bothered to tell us anything.¡± Said Blue, storming off.


    ¡±Where are you going?¡± Demanded Nove.


    Blue paused. ¡°I¡¯m telling the colony about Bone.¡±


    He continued down the dim passageway while others were too shocked to do or say anything for a moment.


    ¡±I guess we should go to see how this turns out.¡± Suggested Rusty.


    They found Blue outside the warren, gathering the rabbits who were now having a break for lunch.


    ¡°Sorry for this interruption but I¡¯ve heard you asking where Bone is and I need to let you know¡­ that, that he¡¯s dead!¡± He announced.


    The crowd immediately erupted into chaos, demanding answers.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead because the Magia pushed us to battle the rebels before we were ready. They forced us to keep fighting even after we discovered that the wild rabbits had returned.¡± He yelled, his voice furious and rambling. As he finished, he noticed Nove¡¯s stern glare and recoiled, realising the weight of his words.


    ¡°Sorry, I know you had your reasons, but ¡ª¡° He began.


    ¡°Be quiet and I¡¯ll explain what really happened.¡± He said. He then pressed the porcelain emblem. Confusion swept over the rabbit again. Comet was horrified. How often was he going to manipulate the rabbit''s memories? How much have they already forgotten?


    ¡°Yes, Bone is gone, as are many others. They went to fight the rebels only to be ambushed by wild rabbits. It was too late to retreat. We know it was a risky battle but we had no choice, the Golden Alliance had threatened war with us and we wanted to get rid of another threat before we have to face them.¡± He said then left.


    ¡°Now, next time be careful about what you say.¡± He warned sternly then went back into the warren.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s going to give them something to talk about over lunch.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±You know, it was pretty satisfying getting that all out.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°That¡¯s great¡± Said Comet, though he wasn¡¯t sure if they remembered anything he said, ¡°But we should go and check on IvoryHeart. He was the one who was meant to tell the colony this information.¡± Maybe he could also help reduce the Magia¡¯s influence. Surely, he must be concerned about his colony¡¯s memories being erased on the daily.

 The Conspiracy

    They entered the warren and Comet found he had no idea which of the many tunnels to head down.


    ¡°Do you know where the leader¡¯s burrow is?¡± He asked, turning to Blue.


    ¡°I know where it is, follow me.¡± Interrupted Arrow and began heading towards a tunnel.


    ¡°He was asking me.¡± Complained Blue.


    Comet just shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to be part of their arguing.


    When they neared the end of the tunnel.


    ¡°Are you sure this is the leader¡¯s burrow? There¡¯s no guards.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°They must have moved it somewhere else.¡± Said Blue decidedly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just check and see.¡± Said Arrow.


    They entered the burrow and were surprised to find a miserable looking rabbit inside.


    ¡°IvoryHeart, is that you?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you remember me, haven¡¯t seen you in a long time.¡± He said in a lifeless voice.


    ¡°Last time I saw you, you weren¡¯t lazing around like a Gold Colony rabbit.¡± Snorted Arrow.


    ¡°Arrow. This is our leader.¡± Scolded Blue.


    ¡°The Magia doesn¡¯t seem to think so, they made that pretty clear they don¡¯t need me. I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m even here anymore.¡±


    They were all very shocked by this, even Rusty who¡¯d been silently watching.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just abandon your colony like that.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°What¡¯s it matter to you? You¡¯ve always been an outsider, more loyal to the Magia than the colony.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Seekers are meant to be¡­ you never had problems with Seeker¡¯s before.¡± He said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t when I thought the Magia would use them to protect us and bring order to the valley. They only seem to bring death and disorder instead. I heard that Bone is the latest death.¡± He said.


    ¡°The Magia said that it¡¯s your job to announce that to the colony.¡± Said Blue.


    He sighed. ¡°I know, but the Magia has taken over every part of running the colony. I think they only want me around so I can be blamed for anything bad that happens, including deaths.¡±


    ¡°The Magia didn¡¯t promise no rabbit would die again,¡± Arrow said, his tone edged with aggression. ¡°Since they arrived, the valley has been better protected from threats and had fewer battles than ever before. The only thing causing


    chaos in the valley are the rabbits who refuse to accept them.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t there when they promised us not to change our culture and way of life¡­ and they have. I know they look down on us, they think we¡¯re foolish and weak.¡±


    ¡°What would you know? You¡¯ve been hiding away here.¡± Snapped Arrow. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he declared, pushing past Comet.


    As Blue and Rusty followed Arrow out through the tunnel, Comet hesitated and turned to IvoryHeart.


    ¡°I know you feel you don¡¯t have much power here but I think you might be the only rabbit who might be able to reduce the Magia¡¯s influence. I¡¯ve seen Nove uses the Porcelain Medallion to manipulate the memories of the colony. It doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± He said.


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    ¡°It¡¯s not but I can¡¯t do anything about it. The Magia won¡¯t listen to me and if I tried warning the colony, they¡¯d just erase their memories again.¡± He said.


    ¡° I don¡¯t understand why the Magia can¡¯t see that they¡¯re hurting the colony by what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell them? You¡¯re a hare, they should listen to you.¡±


    ¡°I used to think that¡­ but I¡¯ll try.¡± He said, seeing that IvoryHeart wouldn¡¯t be any help.


    He left and looked for the rest of his group, only to find them talking to Nove. He tensed up, dreading what he might say to them after their conversation with IvoryHeart.


    Nove noticed him and called him over.


    ¡°I was just explaining that we know who stole your items.¡± He said.


    Comet quietly sighed with relief. ¡°Oh, really? Who are they?¡±


    ¡°Luxe and Cobalt but they left the valley and buried their pendants, so there¡¯s no way to track them.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe they were rebels.¡± Said him


    ¡°I knew the whole time¡± Bragged Arrow.


    ¡°If you knew so much, why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Asked Nove.


    ¡°Uh well¡­ I didn¡¯t know for sure, but they were acting suspicious when we came here.¡± He said, awkwardly defending his lie.


    ¡°I guess we can¡¯t create the Master-Medallion if we can¡¯t find them then.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be able to find them, I¡¯ve been beyond the valley many times.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°So have I.¡± Added Blue.


    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t have you wasting time chasing rebels and risk getting injured. I¡¯ll send out a group in the morning, if we can¡¯t find them, you¡¯ll have to go to Iron Colony anyway. I can arrange for Diamond Colony to give some of their best pendants for the medallion.¡±


    ¡°But will they be as good as the ones we had?¡± Asked Rusty.


    ¡°They will be slightly worse quality but by harnessing energy, we should be able to make up for that.¡± He said.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do until then?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°You can eat with the others outside and get some rest.¡± He said.


    ¡°Actually, I need to ask you something¡­¡± Began Comet but when he saw Nove and the others all staring at him, he couldn¡¯t find the courage to ask him about the memory erasing. ¡°Can I sleep inside? I¡¯m really tired.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He said.


    As Comet headed for the burrow, he tried to fight his guilt by telling himself that he would confront Nove about it tomorrow.


    The others grazed peacefully outside, they tried keeping to themselves but that was pretty much impossible, especially with Blue¡¯s family wanting to spend time with him.


    ¡°I think we should go and check the borders, maybe the Watchers saw Luxe and Cobalt try coming back.¡± Suggested Rusty.


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Replied Arrow, eager to get away from the crowd.


    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Asked Blue, seeing they were leaving.


    ¡°Checking the border.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Can I come?¡± He said.


    ¡°Only if you don¡¯t bring half the colony with you.¡± He said then hopped away.


    Blue excused himself, mumbling something about it being official Seeker business and dashed off to join them.


    Arrow led them around the north border, asking Watchers if they had seen Cobalt and Luxe. Finally, one Watcher reported they spotted them up the valley before they disappeared.


    ¡°I wish we go and check up there, they might still be in the area,¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°They could be anywhere by now though and Nove specifically asked us not to go after them.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s wrong with just checking, as long as we don¡¯t chase them, we aren¡¯t going against what Nove said.¡± Suggested Rusty.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Nove doesn¡¯t seem to like us much so we shouldn¡¯t give him more reasons to.¡± Said.


    ¡°You can stay down here and be look out. We won¡¯t go very far, what do you say, Arrow.¡±


    Arrow looked conflicted for a moment. ¡°I guess if we find them, we really are helping the Magia.¡± He said.


    ¡°Excatly, so let¡¯s go.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°Hey, where are you two going?¡± Asked the Watcher.


    ¡°We just want to see if we can spot them up there, we won¡¯t be long.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you wait until morning? This time of evening is when all sorts of creatures come out, some looking for dinner like you.¡± He said.


    ¡°We are not kits, we are Seekers, and we¡¯re not afraid any creature that might be up there.¡± Said Arrow and brushed past the Watcher with Rusty.


    Blue wanted to follow, he hated missing out on things but the thought of facing Nove scared him. He decided to stay where he was, to make sure no other rabbit noticed where they were going.


    After some time, he began to worry about them. It felt like they had been up there for a long time. Had they found them and gotten into a fight? If there were rebels near here, then there might be wild rabbits. He started to panic and decided he had to tell Nove, no matter the consequences.


    He paused when he heard some distant noise from up the valley. He expected to see a hoard of wild rabbits, instead he saw Arrow and Rusty bolting down the valley, being chased by two orange-furred creatures.


    At first, he couldn¡¯t indentify them but instinctively he knew they were dangerously. He dashed for cover in a nearby hollow log, catching a glimpse of fur streaking by. His heart sank as he realised they were foxes.


    Arrow and Rusty dashed around the foxes, trying to put a fight.


    ¡°Want are you doing? Get into the warren. We need the Magia¡¯s power to fight a fox.¡± Called Blue, venturing out of his hiding place.


    Arrow narrowly dodged a snapping jaw.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lead them any closer to the warren.¡± He said.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get Comet, maybe he can help.¡± Said Blue then raced away, hoping that with luck, he would get there before it was too late.

 The Foxes

    Comet woke up to Blue yelling in his face. He half leapt in terror.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°There¡¯s foxes in the colony, you have to do something!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t the Magia?¡± He asked. ¡°Are you sure they¡¯re really foxes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but if you don¡¯t want to help, I¡¯ll get the Magia.¡± He said.


    As Blue raced out of the burrow, Comet started to feel a bit guilty. He was supposed to help bring peace and order to the valley. He knew how to use the powers of fortune now, he just needed to get his satchel from the treasury.


    When he came out to the central warren, everyone was scrambling for their lives and paid no attention to him. He slipped into the treasury, got his satchel then left again undetected.


    He approached a tunnel to the surface and took a deep breath.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Said a voice. He turned around and saw it was Magia Nove. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving this warren. You could get killed out there.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t go and help, who will?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The best way for us to help is by being here in the warren and stopping the foxes from getting in.¡± He said.


    ¡°But what about the rabbits still on the surface? I could help bring them to the warren. I won¡¯t fight the foxes.¡± He said. Janu didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°I need to put Orion¡¯s lessons into practice, otherwise who will know that I can help the valley?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re going to go anyway, I give you my permission¡­ but do not put your life in danger. We need you.¡± He said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Comet replied before dashing through the tunnel.


    On the surface, he saw a fox snapping at Arrow while other rabbits scattered in panic. The fox was more terrifying than Mossy and Stone had described it but they probably weren¡¯t stupid enough to come this close to one.


    Comet struggled to focus with fear flooding through him. He was sure he was going to see Arrow being mauled any moment now.


    With the Diamond Stone in his paw, he energised it then hurled it forcefully towards the fox.


    It emitted a painful noise and blinding light, starling the foxes.


    ¡°Come on!¡± He ordered Arrow who was half dazed. They began running before Arrow came to an abrupt stop.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°There was another fox, I didn¡¯t see where it went.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it left, its red fur should be easy enough to spot.¡±


    ¡±I¡¯m not so sure... I feel like we¡¯re being watched.¡± Arrow muttered. A flash of orange fur briefly appeared in the twilight shadows.


    ¡°Go, I¡¯ll stay here.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He said, sounding more confident than he was.


    Comet quickly dashed through the colony, looking for any stray rabbits.


    He found none until he found some Watchers still at the Silver Colony border.


    ¡°There¡¯s foxes in the colony, go underground.¡±


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    ¡°We would get in serious trouble if we let them get into Silver Colony.¡± Said Minty bravely.


    ¡°Better to be in trouble than dead.¡± Said Comet.


    Suddenly a fox sprung, Comet bolted then turned back to find poor Minty had been pounced on while the other Watchers fled towards the burrow,


    The fox grabbed him and after a short struggle, Minty stopped moving. The other fox came and they squabbled over their prey before heading off to eat in private.


    Comet felt queasy and let the Magia take control, their guards forcing the remaining rabbits on the surface into the warren.


    Their fear quickly turned to anger, the colony demanding how the Magia had let them be attacked. They had promised to protect them.


    Nove was overwhelmed, and held his emblem, a flash and the rabbits were subdued. He¡¯d used the power of gold again.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me using this emblem, but you give me no choice, now listen. The foxes only came because these three disobeyed my orders and left the colony.¡± He said, glaring at Arrow and Blue. Rusty was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°I was trying to find something stolen from us, if I¡¯d known foxes were up there, I never would have known.¡±


    ¡°You went where you shouldn¡¯t have, making you responsible. We will decide what to do with you after getting rid of those foxes. For now, take that one to the old burrows. He might cause trouble out here.¡± He said to the guards.


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t do that to me! I¡¯m on a mission from Master Coney himself. You can¡¯t arrest me without speaking to him.¡± Shouted Arrow, thumping his back feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to him afterwards. He¡¯ll understand.¡± He said. The guards tried touching him and he shoved them off of him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t make me!¡± He growled. ¡°You will pay for this.¡± The rabbits looked on in amazement. They¡¯d never seen anyone challenge Nove¡¯s authority before.


    But with a touch of his emblem, Nove subdued Arrow, who was led away without resistance. Blue cowered with guilt and the whole colony became anxious again.


    ¡±Don¡¯t worry, Comet will find the foxes in the morning and drive them out with some volunteers.¡± He said expectantly.


    After what they just saw, there unsurprisingly wasn¡¯t any.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be some of you who change your mind in the morning.¡± He said, pressing his paw to his medallion again.


    Something about the way he just expected Comet to do as he said, after how he continuously manipulated this colony, made him angry.


    ¡±I¡¯ll only do anything if you let the rabbits here take off their porcelain pendants, so you can¡¯t control them anymore.¡±


    The rabbits murmured amongst each other. They hadn¡¯t figured out how Nove was using the medallion on them yet. Some did as Comet suggested and started taking off their pendants.


    ¡°Put those back on, guards, arrest Comet! Arrest Blue too and Rusty! They are all traitors.¡± He said.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need to manipulate their minds to be a good leader.¡± Said Comet, backing away. He glanced over at Blue, he also had no intentions of obeying him.


    ¡±I am a good leader, I¡¯m just stuck with a bad colony.¡± He said


    ¡°IvoryHeart would never have thought that.¡± Said Blue, furious.


    ¡±Well if IvoryHeart cares about you so much, why isn¡¯t here?¡± Asked Nove.


    ¡±Isn¡¯t he in his burrow?¡±


    ¡±No, in the chaos, he chose to run away, leaving his colony behind.¡±


    The colony was shocked but they still gathered around Blue and Comet, as bravely as they could.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you killed him, that would work out well for you.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°If he¡¯s dead, he¡¯s only got himself to blame.¡± He said. ¡°This colony is lucky to have me.¡±


    Blue¡¯s ear went back, ¡°I¡¯ve only seen you bring bad luck. I know we shouldn¡¯t have left the colony, but you said you can protect it, but you clearly can¡¯t, you¡¯re either too lazy or too selfish to ever put yourself in danger. I¡¯ll show you what a real leader should look like.¡±


    He leapt up at Nove but he was sent flying back by a bolt of copper energy. He was alive at least. Comet could see that he had every pendant on either side of the porcelain emblem. There wasn¡¯t much hope in fighting him, even with their larger numbers.


    ¡°I thought you were meant to be a diplomat¡­¡± Said Nove.


    ¡±I am, but when diplomacy fails, sometimes you have to be creative.¡± Said Blue, breathing hard.


    ¡±Blue, there¡¯s no point in trying.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±This is my colony and I¡¯m going fight for it. For my brother.¡± He said.


    Comet was inspired by his courage. The other Magia¡¯s wouldn¡¯t be happy about this at all but they couldn¡¯t leave Porcelain Colony under Nove¡¯s control.


    While Nove was focused on Blue, Comet raced around the corner and slammed a diamond stone into his porcelain emblem. He cried out in shock and confusion.


    The other rabbits joined the attack and Blue tried to fight but he struggled because of his injury.


    Comet came over to him.


    ¡°The best thing we can do now is get Rusty and Arrow then leave. The sooner we get out of here, the better.¡±


    ¡±Will they be alright?¡± Asked Blue.


    They looked over at the chaos, they couldn¡¯t even see Nove.


    ¡±I think they¡¯ll be fine. Whatever leader they get next has to be better than Nove.¡±


    ¡±It could always be worse.¡± Said a voice close behind them.


    ¡±Rusty?! Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Avoiding the crazy Magia, now let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡±Wait, we have to get Arrow.¡±


    ¡±Do we have to?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡±Yes, he¡¯s carrying stuff we need anyway.¡± He said.


    ¡±I¡¯ll take you to the old burrows, follow me close because I¡¯m not slowing down.¡± Said Blue.


    As they left the chaos of the central burrow, Comet couldn¡¯t help but dread what they might have to face down in the depths of warren.

 The Escape

    They followed Blue into a tunnel. As they headed deeper into the warren, they expected to run into a guard or a Magia but found no one.


    ¡°Stop for a moment, the old borrows are around this corner.¡± Said Blue then peaked his head around.


    ¡°There¡¯s two guards but maybe we can convince them to let Arrow out.¡± He said.


    Rusty just snorted and shook his head. Comet wasn¡¯t so optimistic either but decided to at least give it a try.


    They followed Blue and immediately the guards braced themselves to attack them.


    ¡°Wait, we don¡¯t want to fight you. The Magia isn¡¯t in charge here anymore. We just want to get Arrow out and leave.¡± Explained Blue.


    They couldn¡¯t see Arrow at all, as he was behind a hastily constructed wall of dirt, with only a narrow gap at the top.


    ¡±Our orders were to not let any prisoner out.¡± Said a guard.


    ¡±Did you even hear what I said?¡± Asked Blue, coming closer to them.


    A guard swiped at him, narrowly missing his nose.


    ¡°I knew we¡¯d have to fight them.¡± Said Rusty and attacked the guard.


    While the others were busy fighting, Comet tried digging at the wall and realised the dirt was actually covering a large stone. He needed more help to move it.


    Then he realised, the guards were only attacking because they had been mind controlled by the Magia, but now the Porcelain emblem was damaged, maybe the effects could be undone.


    He tried to reach out to their porcelain pendants with his mind, it was very difficult but he managed to do it, but only for one of them.


    He seemed confused then a look of realisation came over him as he remembered what had happened.


    ¡±Cross, stop!¡± He said to the other guard who was still in a violent fight with Rusty.


    They tried to get him away from Rusty but it was too late, Rusty killed him and he lay motionless.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it was the only way.¡± Said Rusty coldly.


    ¡±He was under the control of the Magia, we weren¡¯t able to think clearly.¡± He said angrily.


    ¡±Let¡¯s not fight again, we just want to free a prisoner and then we¡¯ll leave.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±Arrow?¡± Asked the guard.


    ¡±Yes.¡±


    The guard started digging at the wall and the others helped him move the stone out of the way. All the while Comet felt guilty. If he had better mastery over the resources, Cross would never have been killed.


    Arrow practically burst out of the burrow as soon as they had made a big enough gap for him.


    ¡°We need to leave here now.¡± Said Arrow, taking charge.


    ¡±Wait a minute, we risked our lives trying to free you.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±Thank you.¡± He said quickly, ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡±I told you we should have left him here.¡± Whispered Blue to Comet.


    Arrow glared at him.


    ¡±The fastest way out is the tunnel that leads out to near the Iron Colony border.¡± Said the guard.


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    ¡±That¡¯s where we need to go anyway.¡± Said Arrow.


    Blue thanked the guard for his help and they bolted out the tunnel again.


    It was complete chaos and carnage in the main warren but they didn¡¯t have time to wait and see what would happen.


    When they got to the surface, they didn¡¯t stop running. It was a cloudy night and there was hardly any light. Comet used his silver stone to create some light for them but it didn¡¯t help much, every tree seemed to look the same.


    ¡±I think we should slow down so we know where we¡¯re going.¡± He called but in their panic, they didn¡¯t stop running until they were completely exhausted and were forced to stop.


    ¡±Where are we?¡± Asked Rusty, who seemed to be most exhausted of all.


    ¡±I¡¯m not sure.¡± Said Arrow and began sniffing around the area.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re outside the colony.¡±


    ¡±We ran all the way up the valley?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡±We must have.¡± Said Arrow. ¡°Well we can¡¯t stay here, we need to get to Iron Colony.¡±


    ¡±Can¡¯t that wait until the morning?¡± Asked Rusty.


    ¡±No way, even though the Magia can¡¯t get us out here, there are foxes and rebels.¡±


    Blue and Rusty groaned.


    ¡±Maybe we can find a safe place to sleep here for the night, I can set out some stones to protect it. Also, we know the rabbits who stole our stuff left the valley, so maybe we could find them.¡±


    ¡±Fine.¡± Grumbled Arrow. ¡°It would be better to go to Iron Colony with everything we need to make the medallion.¡±


    They searched for a while and found a secluded hollow tree, with no scent of danger. It was a tight fit with all four of them in there but at least it was cosy. Comet placed out diamond and silver stones which would alert him if they were disturbed during the night.


    Comet woke up to a squawking sound. He jumped with fear at the sight of the huge black bird until he saw the diamond stone around its neck.


    ¡±Nightwing?¡± He asked.


    The bird called back in response. Comet knew he could use the diamond stone to speak to him but it still unnerved him.


    The others woke up and had the same scared reaction as him. Arrow recovered himself the fastest and started shouting at Nightwing.


    ¡±Get out of here. We¡¯re too big for you to eat.¡±


    ¡±Calm down Arrow, he won¡¯t hurt us. He¡¯s Orion¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡±Orion¡¯s friends with a crow? He¡¯s even crazier than I thought.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±Can you speak to him?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡±Well, I can but¡ª¡°


    ¡°Then ask him to find Luxe and Cobalt, it¡¯ll save us the trouble.¡± Said Blue.


    Comet sighed then used his diamond pendant.


    ¡°Nightwing, we need your help to find two rabbits.¡± He said.


    ¡±Sure, what do they look like?¡± He asked, his voice was deep but it had a strange, static sort of quality to it.


    They described them and he flew off.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡±We just have to wait here so he can find us again.¡± Explained Comet.


    ¡±Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Demanded Arrow, who was hidden from sight in a bush.


    He came out, dragging a protesting Rusty with him.


    ¡±Where did you get all this stuff?¡± He demanded. He revealed that inside of his satchel was all sorts of precious resources, even copper stones.


    ¡°That explains why he was struggling to keep up with us.¡± Said Blue, snorting with amusement.


    ¡±I didn¡¯t want the Magia having it.¡± He explained. ¡°I was going to bury it when I had the chance.¡±


    ¡±But I could use some of this stuff.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Yes, and if you have enough silver, we mightn¡¯t even need to get back our stuff from Luxe and Cobalt.¡± Said Arrow.


    Rusty was for words for a moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why we should go to Iron Colony anyway. We all know the Magia isn¡¯t who they say they are, why should we make this medallion for them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that myself.¡± Admitted Comet. ¡°But we¡¯re creating this Master-Medallion to stop a war between the colonies, not for the Magia.¡±


    ¡°The legend says that the Master-Medallion will give rabbits the ability to use magic again.¡± Said Blue. ¡°But I don¡¯t think the Magia would want other rabbits to use magic.¡±


    ¡±They¡¯ll obviously just use it to make themselves more powerful and take over the whole valley.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡±But if we don¡¯t make it, the Golden Alliance will attack this side of the valley.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±I know, we¡¯ll give to Orion.¡± Said Comet. They looked at him sceptically.


    ¡±He doesn¡¯t like the Magia much and the Magia can¡¯t touch him because they need him to power their emblems.¡± He explained excitedly.


    ¡±That could work.¡± Said Arrow thoughtfully.


    ¡±I think the valley was better without any magic, it only brings chaos and destruction.¡± Said Rusty.


    Before they could argue further, Nightwing returned and perched on a low branch.


    ¡±I think I¡¯ve spotted the rabbits you¡¯re looking for but they were moving quickly.¡± He explained.


    ¡±We¡¯ll follow you.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°I think Rusty should give us some of his precious resources to carry, otherwise he¡¯ll be too slow.¡±


    He sighed and reluctantly agreed to let them take some of the items from his bag.


    Comet was excited to have iron and copper stones and pendants now but he knew he¡¯d have to practise a bit before he could use them properly.


    They followed Nightwing into the bushes. They all became tenser as they went deeper and deeper, all very aware that they could run into wild rabbit or rebel here.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Nightwing would take us this way if he saw any wild rabbits.¡± Said Comet, trying to relax the others as well as himself.


    Comet was right to trust Nightwing as they didn¡¯t run into any other creature by the time they left the bushes and found themselves on the edge of the treeline, facing the fields.

 The Rebels

    They could see the thicket in the distance.


    ¡°Is that stupid bird taking us there?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they went to the rebel base¡­ we can¡¯t go there.¡± Said Blue.


    Comet knew he couldn¡¯t fight the rebels, even with his extra resources. He looked up at Nightwing who suddenly fluttered down.


    He hopped along the ground, searching for something.


    The others looked at Comet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep following him.¡± He said.


    ¡°I think it would have been better to go to Iron Colony after all.¡± Muttered Arrow.


    Nightwing cawed and started hopping about in one spot.


    ¡°This is where I last saw them.¡± He said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they could have gotten far.¡±


    They looked at Comet, expecting him to know how to find them.


    ¡°If they¡¯ve hidden their resources somewhere else, it will only send us in the wrong direction if I try sensing them. I think it would be better if you three searched.¡± He said


    Rusty looked uncertain, and kept looking around him, like he was expecting to be attacked but Arrow and Blue got to work, both trying to be the first ones to find them.


    ¡°They were definitely here.¡± Said Blue. ¡°The soil here is disturbed.¡±


    He started digging and Arrow joined, they jumped back when the ground suddenly caved in, real long a small hole.


    ¡°They must be in here¡­ who wants to go first?¡± Asked Blue, half jokingly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°Yes,¡± He said. ¡°You three must make sure they don¡¯t try escaping back out this tunnel.¡±


    It was dark in the tunnel but Arrow was used to navigating unfamiliar places like this. He kept going until he reached a dead end.


    It was a little confusing but he retraced his steps more slowly until he noticed a side tunnel. He had only stepped one paw inside when two rabbits raced towards him and pushed him aside.


    He called out incoherently in anger and raced to the surface after them. He saw Blue was fighting both Cobalt and Luxe while Comet was trying to subdue them with a porcelain stone.


    The porcelain stones calmed their erratic energy and it was enough to allow Arrow and Blue to pin them down.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the stuff you stole from us?¡± Demanded Arrow.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never find it.¡± Said Luxe smugly.


    ¡°Comet will easily be able to find it. He can find anything.¡± Said Arrow. Comet knew that wasn¡¯t true but Luxe and Cobalt needed to believe it.


    ¡°I knew we should have brought it back to the base.¡± Mumbled Cobalt.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°They hate all things magic related so they wouldn¡¯t let us take it in, we found out you were coming up here so we tried digging it up to relocate it but it didn¡¯t really work out.¡± Said Luxe


    ¡°It¡¯s stupid to be against magic, it might be the only thing that can help protect the colonies from the Magia.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Since when did you start hating the Magia?¡±


    ¡°Since they started mind-controlling a colony and showed how little they really think of valley rabbits.¡±


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    ¡°Well, it seems like you¡¯re basically a rebel yourself, you should join us.¡± Said Cobalt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the others would like a hare joining, especially one that uses the resources of power.¡± Said Luxe.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we could convince them to make an exception.¡±


    Comet shook his head. ¡°We have a plan to help the valley, that doesn¡¯t involve destroying the existing colonies.¡±


    ¡°The only way to be free of the Magia and evil leaders is for everybody to live independently and rely on no one.¡± Cobalt explained.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you relying on your group to destroy the current order of the valley? Doesn¡¯t sound very independent.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Once we¡¯ve achieved our goal, we¡¯ll go our separate ways.¡± Said Luxe.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that if we create the Master-Medallion. I have a plan to keep it out of Magia paws and use it to help the valley.¡± Explained Comet.


    ¡°Are you going to give every rabbit the ability to use resources?¡± Asked Cobalt, horrified.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll give it to Orion and he is wise and so he¡¯ll know how to use it to stop the Magia.¡±


    ¡°Give it to a crazy hold hare who works for the Magia, great idea.¡± Said Luxe.


    ¡°He¡¯s against the Magia. He¡¯ll do the right thing, regardless if you think it is or not.¡±


    ¡°I think our views of what is right clearly differ but I¡¯ll tell the others about your plan, to see what they think.¡± Said Cobalt.


    ¡°Fine, you can go.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°What? No way.¡± Growled Arrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s better for us if they tell the rebels about our plan, maybe they can get them on our side.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Said Arrow. ¡°But if you two ever show up in the valley again, I¡¯m sure you know that every single colony has been told to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Arrow, you¡¯re always so serious. We¡¯re smarter than you think.¡± Said Cobalt.


    As they hopped away, Comet tried sensing the stuff stolen from them. After some time, he finally got a faint sense of being tugged in a certain direction and found himself back at the makeshift tunnel.


    ¡°I think our stuff¡¯s in here.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m going to find Rusty, I haven¡¯t seen him since Luxe and Cobalt came out of that tunnel.¡± Said Arrow angrily, heading deeper in the bushes.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be look out.¡± Sighed Blue.


    Using his silver pendant for light, Comet quickly found what he was looking for and stowed it in his satchel.


    Emerging from the tunnel, he saw Blue frozen with fear staring wide eyed. Comet could see he was staring at very sickly, bloated rabbits with swollen eyes and eyes, pus dripping from them.


    ¡°The infection.¡± Said Blue in a hushed whisper.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Arrow and Rusty?¡± Asked Comet quietly. The disturbing rabbits seemed to be wild rabbits. There was no telling what they would do.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He said, still not taking his eyes off the rabbits.


    They started moving backwards, slowly.


    ¡°Arrow, Rusty?!¡± Called out Comet in an urgent whisper.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Demanded Arrow, charging out of the bushes, with a sorry looking Rusty behind him.


    ¡°Be quiet.¡± Said Blue but it was too late, the infected rabbits began chasing after them.


    ¡°Run, run as fast as you can!¡± Said Arrow, now seeing the situation.


    They didn¡¯t need to be told, they were already on the move, desperately trying to get away from the rabbits.


    Comet could see the sickly rabbits were uncoordinated and moved awkwardly, making out running them pretty easy but he set off a diamond stone, just to put some more distance between them.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± Asked Comet, as they continued running.


    ¡°They have the infection. It can¡¯t be cured and it could wipe out multiple colonies if it spreads.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°Of course you¡¯d know that, you¡¯re a rebel spy.¡± Shouted Arrow.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s not true!¡± He replied.


    ¡°Save your breath, focus on not being infected by those rabbits.¡± Said Blue.


    Once they got through the bushes, they travelled at a slower pace but didn¡¯t stop until they could get a clear view of Iron Colony.


    They saw the Iron Watchers who started yelling at the strange rabbits that were charging at them.


    ¡°Let us through, there¡¯s infected rabbits chasing us. If we stay here, we¡¯ll all be infected.¡± Shouted Blue.


    The Watchers were shocked and stared up the valley, they could see the wild rabbits in the distance. Comet and the others used the opportunity to race past them.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the leader of this colony and tell us the truth.¡± Said Arrow, glaring at Rusty.


    ¡°Magia Toboc is the leader.¡± He said.


    ¡°Not the name, where is he?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He said.


    They knew the Watchers were now chasing after them. Comet was getting tired and slowing down and soon the others couldn¡¯t keep going.


    They were surrounded by the Watchers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch them. They could have the infection. You will all be taken to our old burrows.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just call them dungeons like you used to?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s just to make it sound nicer.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to lock us up, we didn¡¯t touch the infected rabbits, we just need to speak to Master Toboc. It¡¯s for an important mission.¡± Said Blue.


    The Watchers looked to their Master for his decision.


    ¡°You still need to be isolated from the rest of the colony, just to be safe. Follow me and don¡¯t try running away.¡± The Watcher Master growled.


    They were taken across the rocky ground, their eyes drawn towards the large stone outcropping with a large tree on it.


    They struggled to travel down through the huge stones and the deep crevices. It was like going through a maze but with uneven ground and scraggly trees and bushes popping up at random places.


    It was exhausting work after their long run and the Watchers kept forcing them to keep a steady pace.


    They weren¡¯t allowed to stop until they got to the heart of the colony. At this time of day, there were only a few rabbits out.


    They briefly looked at them and then went back to what they were doing. Comet was glad not to be swarmed like they were in Porcelain Colony though he wondered how much of their actions there were known here.

 The Capture

    Rusty nodded towards a strange red brick tower in the distance.


    ¡°That¡®s where the Magia lives.¡± He said.


    ¡°Well they''re not taking us that way, are they?¡± Snapped Arrow.


    ¡°Quiet, most of the colony is resting now.¡± Said the Watcher Master.


    They were taken to a shallow burrow.


    ¡°Stay here, I¡¯m going to find Magia Toboc and ask him what to do with you.¡± He said, leaving some Watchers there.


    ¡°What happens if they think we have the infection?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°They¡¯ll exile us.¡± Said Arrow seriously.


    ¡°They can¡¯t exile us, they need us to make the Master-Medallion.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore, we got the stuff back and have it all here. They just need to take it from us and then we¡¯ll be expendable.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°You forgot they need Comet, so stop trying to make us give us, like you have since the beginning, traitor.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Shh¡­ enough with this accusing him of being a traitor or rebel. We¡¯re already in enough trouble with the Magia and there¡¯s ears everywhere here.¡± Said Blue, glancing at the Watchers who were looking at them curiously.


    Arrow snorted.


    A strange rabbit entered the burrow but Comet quickly realised it must be Magia Toboc, since he carried the Iron Emblem around his neck.


    ¡±Welcome to Iron Colony, we heard you were held up in Porcelain Colony.¡±


    ¡±Yes, the emblem diagram was stolen by rebel traitors then foxes came.¡± Said Arrow, neglecting to mention his role in that.


    Comet wasn¡¯t sure how much Toboc knew but they couldn¡¯t waste anymore time being distrusted.


    ¡±Yes, but we¡¯re here now and we¡¯re eager to make up for lost time.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that you encountered infected rabbits, is that true?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Well yes, but we stayed well away from them.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need your satchel until we can be sure. The Fire Master will Master-Medallion with what you have in them.¡± He said.


    They looked at each other uncertainly.


    ¡°We risked a lot this mission, it would be nice to see the end of it.¡±


    ¡°You will, when the Magia uses the Master-Medallion to unite the valley and drive out traitors like you.¡± He said.


    They stared at him, wide eyed and unsure what to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised, I heard what you did in Porcelain Colony. I can¡¯t have you doing that here. Not that it matters, Janu and I have sent some of our Magia Council there to take back control of the colony, the hard part will be fixing the Porcelain Emblem in time.¡±


    ¡°In time for what?¡± Asked Arrow, angrily.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see¡­ Now give me your satchels, or I¡¯ll take them from you.¡± He said, his Iron Emblem glowing.


    Comet started taking off his satchel.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Asked Blue, the others shared his sentiments. They had expected him to fight the Iron Magia.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be burnt alive.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Wise choice.¡±


    ¡°But I also know that you still need me, that Master-Medallion will be useless unless a hare energises it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that, which is why we¡¯ll get you when it¡¯s ready.¡± He said.


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    Arrow and Blue gave him their satchels too. Rusty refused and tried getting past Toboc, only to be knocked off his feet, writhing with pain.


    Toboc removed his satchel and got the Watchers to carry the others. A moment after they left, a stone was rolled in front of the burrow. They were trapped.


    Comet could see that Rusty had been burnt by the Iron emblem. He didn¡¯t have anything that could soothe it other than lick it. Blue tried digging the ground but found it was solid stone underneath, like everything else in the colony.


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan now? After the Magia makes the Master-Medallion, they¡¯ll kill us, I¡¯m sure.¡± Said Blue dramatically.


    ¡°Or exile us, which isn¡¯t much better.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Unless the rebels are able to destroy the Magia, the whole valley is doomed.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°Oh, so you know what the rebels'' plans are then?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t and even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t tell you.¡± He said.


    ¡°There¡¯s still hope for us yet, all we have to do is get the Master-Medallion, give it to Orion and use it against the Magia, remember? It is made of the most precious resources from that tunnel and Janu wanted us to return to him with Master-Medallion before I energised it. I think the Master-Medallion won¡¯t work outside of a place of great power, like that tunnel, which used to be sacred to the colony.¡± Explained Comet.


    ¡°Wow, I remember when I used to be the confident one.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s because I finally found something I¡¯m good at and had to face my fears again and again.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I think that we have also been a pretty good influence.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Certainly not you, at the start of this mission, it was all about getting attention.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°None of that matters now the whole valley could be turned into something completely unrecognisable.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°All we can do is rest, and hope that things work out.¡± Said Rusty, lying down.


    Comet couldn¡¯t sleep. He watched the stone, waiting for it to move and eventually, it did.


    Comet was escorted across the colony, and once he got over a small rise, he was stunned to see a huge pit of fire, burning brightly while rabbits put dead twigs and leaves into it.


    Comet could see other pits of fire coming to life, casting long shadows.


    ¡°They must use iron stones to light them.¡± He muttered.


    As they got closer, he saw the rabbits who¡¯d been feeding the fire head up the north of the valley, into small crevices between the rocks while others went up to the large tree, overhanging a rock.


    ¡°Where is your warren?¡± Asked Comet, curious.


    The Watcher initially seemed surprised that he was talking to him.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a warren, rabbits just live with their own little groups in whatever spaces there are. The ground is mostly too hard to dig. We do have a meeting hall, under the Iron tree.¡± He said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the Fire Master anywhere, I thought he was meant to forge things.¡±


    ¡°He has, we¡¯re approaching him now, so be quiet.¡±


    Comet looked around, trying to identify the Fire Master, only to be taken right to Magia Toboc, wearing a strange headdress.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Fire Master?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Of course, since the old one died, I took his place. The only thing I don¡¯t like about the job is this silly headdress, they insist I wear it. It¡¯ll be good when these traditions finally die out.¡± He said.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Master-Medallion?¡± He asked, ignoring his comment.


    Toboc looked around briefly. ¡°Here.¡± He said, pointing to the edge of the stone fire pit. He saw nothing. Then the medallion flickered and revealed itself.


    ¡°Gold illusion?¡± He questioned. The Medallion looked beautiful, made of the resources from every colony.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a pretty good way to keep it away from anyone who would want to steal it.¡± He said. ¡°But with Orion ageing, we won¡¯t be able to be the Master-Medallion for long as our pendants and emblems lose their power which is why you and Orion will energise it.¡±


    ¡°I know that, I also know this will need to be done in the sacred tunnel in Silver Colony. So you can¡¯t keep me here or my friends.¡±


    Toboc was surprised that he knew that. ¡°Well yes, but you will be escorted by my rabbits, not your traitorous friends.¡±


    ¡°How about a compromise, you let me friends go with me, but we will go to Diamond Colony to get our name cleared.¡±


    Toboc snorted with amusement. ¡°If you go there, Master Coney will come to the same conclusion as me. We leaders are always talking to each other about what¡¯s happening in our colonies, he won¡¯t trust them.¡±


    ¡°Could we at least give it a try? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very safe for us to go through Porcelain Colony right now anyway, with it being in a bit of chaos right now.¡±


    Toboc shook his head. ¡°Fine, you and those other rabbits may go to Diamond Colony. It will be amusing when you find yourself in the same situation as you do here. At least it will save me the trouble of having to kill them myself.¡±


    ¡°Great, thank you so much.¡± Said Comet excitedly.


    ¡°But you will be escorted right to the border, we¡¯re not going to give you the opportunity to try running off and sneak past the Watchers.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s fine.¡± Said Comet confidently. He hadn¡¯t expected they would be able to avoid being seen coming in anyway.


    Arrow, Rusty and Blue were pleasantly surprised to find themselves being released from their prison but they knew there must be some reason for it that benefited the Magia.


    ¡°What did you promise Toboc to get him to change his mind?¡± Asked Arrow when he saw Comet join them in the open burrow. They were forced to stay there until the Watchers arrived.


    ¡°Nothing, I just asked if we could go to Diamond Colony to clear our names¡­ but Toboc thinks Master Coney will want to kill you too and he is making us travel there with Watchers.¡± Said Comet sheepishly.


    ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t exactly fill me with hope and confidence.¡± Snorted Arrow.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought you had some genius plan to escape.¡± Whispered Blue.


    ¡°Look, I know it¡¯s not the greatest situation but going there is better than staying here¡­ the Watchers are coming, don¡¯t say anything and just do what you''re told.¡± Said Comet.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how long that would last with these stubborn rabbits but hopefully long enough to survive this.

 The River

    As they neared Diamond Colony the ground became more even and grassy, it was a nice feeling after walking on rocky surfaces for the past few days..


    Rusty kept looking regularly up the valley, like he was waiting for something or someone.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Asked Comet. He couldn¡¯t see anything up the valley.


    ¡°Oh nothing.¡± He said.


    They saw no rabbits as they got further into the colony, putting them all into silent unease. Despite it being light, the further they got into the colony, it became darker and darker.


    Huge trees blocked out the light and thick, leafy undergrowth covered the ground. Strange insects and plants were in abundance.


    ¡°No wonder no rabbit gets hungry here, there¡¯s so much to eat.¡± Said Blue, eyeing a leafy plant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Said Arrow. ¡°Remember our training? Diamond Colony has lots of plants, but some of them are poisonous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stick to regular grass then.¡± he said, giving the plant a wary glance.


    They kept going until a sound caught Comet¡¯s sharp ears. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s like running water or something.¡± He said, straining his ears. It has been so dry lately, it was strange hearing rushing water.


    The Watchers took them further into the colony and soon the trees started thinning out. They saw this great waterfall pouring down, splitting the colony in two. It was moving fairly fast though it was clear it was nowhere near its full capacity. There seemed to be no way across other than a sort of boat that was tied to a tree further down the river.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we have to swim across that?¡± Said Comet wearily, looking to the Watchers.


    ¡°No, just follow us.¡± The Master said.


    They followed him up through some rocks and stared in amazement as they saw a tunnel of shiny, slick stone on one side and the thin curtain of water pouring down on the other.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t slip.¡± Said the Master Watcher, not sharing their amazement.


    They entered the strange tunnel. It was very unsettling having a wall of water flowing on one side and the slippery stone wall on the other. Comet watched his step carefully. He did not want to fall into the rocky river below.


    They were all quietly relieved when they left the tunnel and found themselves on the south side of Diamond Colony.


    The Watchers lead them to this large tree, it was beautifully decorated even on the outside. Two guards stood in front of the entrance to a burrow.


    ¡°What is your business here?¡± Asked one of the guards.


    ¡°We need to discuss something with Magia Corney.¡± Said Comet..


    ¡°In private.¡± Added Arrow.


    ¡°Hmm, you must be the hare, Master Coney is expecting you. You may come in.¡± Said the guard.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave them with you, in case you haven¡¯t been told, these rabbits have been causing a great deal of problems. Keep an eye on them.¡± Said the Master Watcher. The guards nodded and the Watchers left.


    They were ushered underground into the dimly lit tunnel, it had an unnerving feeling to it.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°So, who¡¯s going to do the talking?¡± Asked Rusty.


    ¡°Obviously me, I¡¯m the diplomat.¡± Said Blue confidently.


    ¡°Yes, let Blue do it.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°No way, Comet came up with the plan so he can do the talking and he¡¯s a hare, so he should be taken more seriously than you.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be taken seriously?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡°Shh, we¡¯re nearly there.¡± Said the guard.


    The tunnel opened into a small burrow where a Magia rabbit lounged, larger than any Comet had seen, adorned with a large Diamond emblem.


    He looked at them, clearly waiting for them to speak first.


    Comet coughed and began, ¡°We have successfully created the Master-Medallion and we need to go Silver Colony to energise it. But because of an¡­ um, incident, we aren¡¯t able to pass through Porcelain Colony. I would like your reassurance and protection for us so that we are not attacked or imprisoned by rabbits.¡±


    Master Coney looked at them blankly then roared with laughter.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen what you¡¯ve done to Porcelain Colony, you almost destroyed it. When Toboc told me that you wanted to come here, I almost refused but I think he¡¯s too cowardly to deal with you himself.¡± He growled.


    Comet backed away, reaching for his satchel. If there was any time to try using the Copper stone, this was it.


    ¡°You will not use those resources against me and you will do exactly what I say, because if you don¡¯t, you will be killed as well.¡±


    ¡°What? But you need me.¡± Said Comet. ¡°Orion said..¡±


    ¡°Orion is a traitor, we now believe he brought you here with the intent to challenge us and keep the valley divided.¡±


    They looked at Master Coney in disbelief, ¡°Orion isn¡¯t a traitor.¡± Said Comet defensively.


    ¡°He lied to you and you¡¯re oblivious to it.¡±


    ¡°Ok, what did he lie to me about then?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say, you¡¯re not as special as you think you are and if you go against us again, we can and will replace you.


    ¡°You can¡¯t, I thought Orion was going to die soon. If you get rid of me, there will be no hare to charge resources.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find a hare, a real hare and train him ourselves. You are nothing but a common bunny rabbit and if you want to be respected by the rest of the valley and have any place with them, you will accept a new team while these traitors stay here.¡±


    Arrow, Rusty and Blue stared at Comet with shock, like he was a complete stranger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Orion taught me hare magic and I know you can¡¯t teach a hare what I know.¡± Said Comet, his mind racing.


    ¡°When we find the right hare, we will teach him what he needs to know. Orion taught you to be rebellious.¡± He said.


    Comet realised he was telling the truth ¡ª he never was a hare. He really  ould be replaced. He wasn¡¯t a hero of the valley after all. If anyone knew¡­ they would lose all respect for him and he¡¯d have no role in the valley.


    But he wasn¡¯t going to let the Magia hold that knowledge over him. He wasn¡¯t going to stay here, living a lie, and doing the Magia¡¯s bidding. He was going to use his powers for good.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with the new team.¡± He said. Blue and Arrow looked quite upset. Rusty seemed to have expected it.


    ¡°Good choice.¡± He said. Then the guards came, ¡°Take these three into the warren.¡± He said. ¡°Now, show me the Master-Medallion, I want to look at it.¡±


    ¡°I was just about to show you.¡± Said Comet. He reached for it from his satchel, looked at it¡¯s shiny glittery surface, it was made in star-like shape, with sharp points.


    He slashed it across Master Coney who howled in pain, as blood poured from his face.


    Everyone was very confused, even the guards.


    ¡°Run, run.¡± Shouted Comet, racing past the guards.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Asked Arrow, emerging from the burrow.


    ¡°To the boat.¡± He said, glancing back to make sure Blue and Rusty were still following them.


    Diamond Colony rabbits and more Magia rabbits were coming out now. They had to hurry.


    Reaching the boat, they leapt into it. Arrow gnawed the tethering rope with Blue¡¯s help. The rabbits of the colony were scrambling down the bank to stop them.


    Finally, the rope snapped, and the boat jolted forwards into the rushing current below the waterfall. They were squeezed together on the boat, desperately trying not to fall off as the water swirled around and buffeted them.


    Once they got beyond the borders of Diamond Colony, and the waters calmed down, they finally had the opportunity to take in what happened.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you did that.¡± Said Rusty, with a mix of shock and respect.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to¡­ but if I¡¯m not a hare, then there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop them.¡± He said.


    ¡±But what about your plan¡­?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡±Orion lied to me, he can¡¯t be trusted with the Master-Medallion. No one can.¡± He said.


    ¡±But, without it, no one will be able to stop the valley going to war and protect the valley from the rebels.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°I say we let the rebels invade and destroy the colonies.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡±You only think that because you¡¯re a rebel yourself.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±Why would I volunteer for this mission if that was the case?¡±


    ¡°To sabotage it, you¡¯ve been unhelpful and troublesome since we started this mission. Admit it.¡± Demanded Arrow.


    ¡°So what if I did? We¡¯re all enemies of the Magia now, so if you hate rebels so much, throw me into the river, I don¡¯t care.¡± He said.


    ¡°We¡¯re not throwing you into the river.¡± Said Comet. ¡°You didn¡¯t even do anything to sabotage the mission, the Magia leaders did most of the work.¡±


    Rusty just turned his back to him and sat down, staring at the water.

 The Rescue

    Arrow started panicking, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to go back to Porcelain Colony and after Comet attacked Master Coney, there¡¯s no way any Magia will let us get anywhere near their colonies without trying to kill us.¡±


    ¡±You just figured that out?¡± Said Rusty sarcastically.


    ¡±Unlike you, some of us actually liked the life of a Seeker and I don¡¯t like the idea of being an Outcast!¡± Yelled Arrow.


    ¡±Be quiet, we don¡¯t want to attract attention out in the open here.¡± Said Blue, they were in the middle of the wide river. The water was low, they could see the steep banks on either side of them. It would be very easy for a rabbit to spot them and they wouldn¡¯t even know.


    Comet noticed the growing heat since they had no shade.


    Blue tried splashing water on himself but slipped and nearly fell overboard. Arrow quickly pulled him back to safety.


    ¡°At this rate we¡¯re going to die of heatstroke before we ever get to Silver Colony.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°Or starvation.¡± Said Arrow, examining his bag. ¡°Our rations have run out.¡±


    ¡°Do you hear that?¡± Asked Comet. They were silent but they could hear shouting and screaming. Like an intense fight was going on.


    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s coming from Gold Colony, maybe they¡¯re fighting with Copper Colony again.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, they¡¯re in an alliance.¡± Said Arrow.


    A moment later, the boat suddenly stopped, they were confused until Comet saw an exposed tree jutting out of the water, their boat was jammed against it.


    ¡°Maybe we can dislodge it by jumping.¡± Suggested Blue. Despite them all trying, the boat remained stuck.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to swim the rest of the way to Silver Colony.¡± Said sarcastically.


    ¡°At least we have shade.¡± Said Blue, looking up at the bridge above them. ¡°And maybe some Watchers will come across and see us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to see us from here, thankfully. We must be right next to Gold Colony territory and we do not want to be stopped by them.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°But what if it¡¯s finally some good luck for us? After all, Orion lied to me so I don¡¯t know how I can trust him with the Master-Medallion.¡± Said Comet. ¡°Seeing what¡¯s happening in Gold Colony might give us some useful information.¡±


    Arrow just grunted, reluctantly accepting his idea.


    Comet used a diamond stone to make a loud sound, someone would hopefully hear it. After a while, some rabbits did finally appear, their heads staring down at them from the bank.


    They heard them shouting and calling to them, it was difficult to hear them but finally, Arrow worked out that they were trying to work out a way to pull them up.


    Arrow tossed the reminder of the rope attached to the boat to them. A few of them tugged it hard and then they heard a loud crack, a moment later water began seeping through the boat rapidly.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Comet called urgently, the rabbits pulled the boat to the bank as it fell to bits. They are forced to scramble up the muddy bank. Once they got to the top, they were able to watch the remains of the boat drift away.


    ¡°You must be the hare that the Magia brought to the valley.¡± Said one of the rabbits excitedly.


    ¡°Uh yeah,¡± Said Comet awkwardly. It was better they thought he was a hare but he knew that once the Master-Medallion was energised, Master Coney would have no problem revealing he isn¡¯t a hare.


    ¡±Sorry for being so rude, my name is Dot and that¡¯s Button.¡± She said, pointing to a grumpy looking grey rabbit. ¡°I¡¯m hoping you¡¯re here to discuss peace with our colony. We have just had a terrible battle with a horde of wild rabbits that came out of nowhere, Copper Colony abandoned us to them.¡±


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    ¡°Or maybe they have come to us while we are vulnerable, we should make them leave.¡± Said another rabbit, who glared at them. It was hard to take them seriously when they were so round and fluffy. Arrow had been worried for no reason.


    ¡±We don¡¯t want to bother you, but we would like to speak to your leader.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ you can, the Seekers with you will not be allowed to come into the leader''s burrow.¡± Said the rabbit. ¡°I¡¯m one year older than you, so that makes my decision final.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Said Dot positively. ¡°I get to take the hare to GoldWhisker then.¡±


    ¡°Go, I¡¯ll keep my eye on the rest of them.¡± Said Button. Some other rabbits came to join Button to keep Arrow, Blue and Rusty going anywhere.


    It was now evening and Comet was led across a lush meadow, with wild flowers, long grass and sparse bushes. It shared some fruit trees with Diamond Colony. The ground was flat and comfortable.


    ¡°This colony is so beautiful.¡± Said Comet. So far, this seemed like the best colony to live in.


    ¡±Yes, it is great isn¡¯t it.¡± Said Dot, ¡°Many say it¡¯s too exposed to the elements but we have a wonderful warren.¡±


    It was obvious where the rabbits travelled, as the grass was very worn down in paths that covered the colony.


    It had a very peaceful quality until Comet saw blood in the grass. He looked out and saw the grass was ripped up and covered in blood.


    ¡±I¡¯m surprised rabbits like you can fight.¡± He said innocently.


    ¡±What do you mean? Of course we can fight.¡± Said Dot angrily. ¡°Our colony defeated those wild rabbits and our brave fighters are currently at our most Southern border, making sure they don¡¯t come back. ¡°


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, it¡¯s just that you don¡¯t look like the rabbits from the other colonies.¡± He said.


    ¡±You mean, fluffier?¡±


    ¡±Uh yeah.¡±


    ¡±It gives us protection from the elements and it gives us some protection. It¡¯s more useful than you think, and it¡¯s also beautiful.¡± She said.


    Comet just nodded.


    They went past a large hollow log, which was colourfully decorated. Rabbits came out of the warren to look at the newcomer though they kept their distance.


    Comet saw a building in the distance and once they got to it, he saw it was a ruined, old cottage.  On the old stone steps sat the fluffiest rabbit he''d ever seen, he couldn¡¯t even see his eyes though he had a sparkly gold emblem around his neck. He had a bandage on his ear and back leg.


    ¡°I am GoldWhisker. What brings you to my colony, hare? Has the Magia already heard of our battle with the wild rabbits?¡± He asked.


    ¡±No, we¡¯re here to try and bring peace to the valley. I don¡¯t like the Magia¡¯s methods and I thought that maybe we could come up with some solution before the Golden Alliance and the Magia go to war.¡±


    ¡±So, you are disobeying the Magia by coming here then?¡±


    ¡°In a way¡­ but the Magia needs something I have, if we work together, we can stop them without destroying the valley.¡± Said Comet.


    GoldWhisker looked serious for a moment. ¡°I like the idea but I don¡¯t know if FlintNose and RiverCharm will agree to working with a magic user. Besides, my rabbits are focused on defending the colony from wild rabbits right now.¡±


    ¡±We¡¯ve been having issues with wild rabbits on the Northside too. They¡¯ve been acting strangely aggressive and coming closer and closer to our colonies.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Magia stop them?¡± He asked scathingly.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re more focused on controlling the colonies than anything else¡­ besides, I don¡¯t think they know that the rebels are somehow working with them.¡±


    ¡±What do rebels have to do with wild rabbits?¡± Asked GoldWhisker.


    ¡±I don¡¯t know, but where the rebels go, wild rabbits are never far behind. They must be trying to use them to destroy the colonies. We even saw wild rabbits with the infection¡­ The wild rabbits you fought didn¡¯t have the infection did they?¡± He asked, stepping back a bit.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t see any with the infection but clearly these rebels are a much worse threat than I realised.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    Comet thought for a moment. ¡°These rabbits are a threat to the whole valley. If we could just get all the colonies to work together, they wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°That is impossible as long as the Magia is in control of the northern colonies and rabbits here will not cooperate with magic users.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not magic, it¡¯s using the energy of resources.¡± Said Comet. ¡°And remember, in the past all rabbits could use what you call magic.¡±


    ¡±Yes, but then a terrible war happened between all the colonies, so terrible that we had to vow to never use magic again and overtime, we forgot how to use magic¡­ the Magia has done a terrible and dangerous thing by bringing back magic to the valley.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know how these rabbits used magic then?¡±


    ¡°Of course not and I don¡¯t want to.¡± He said. ¡°We¡¯ve heard rumours of what the Magia has done, magic is evil.¡±


    ¡°Magic isn¡¯t the problem, the Magia is and the only reason they are a problem is because they are the only ones that can use magic right now.¡± Said Comet then showed GoldWhisker the Master-Medallion. ¡°What I have here could give every rabbit the ability to use magic.¡±

 The Alliance

    GoldWhisker quickly gathered the colony and informed them of his plan.


    ¡±I am going to Copper Colony with the hare. We will bring peace to the valley and we will drive out the wild rabbits and Magia, once and for all.¡± Said GoldWhisker. The colony cheered excitedly.


    Some of the guards looked concerned.


    ¡°But you¡¯re injured.¡± One said, looking at Comet and the Seekers. They didn¡¯t trust them with their injured leader.


    ¡°Two of you come with me then.¡± He said.


    Two volunteered themselves but the others still weren¡¯t very happy about the situation.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get him to agree with you?¡± Asked Arrow as they began travelling across the colony.


    ¡±I showed him the Master-Medallion, he seems to be interested in the idea of using magic to protect his colony.¡± Said Comet.


    Blue and GoldWhisker were talking with each other, which gave Comet some time to think.


    He was excited by the possibility of the Master-Medallion bringing back the power of the rabbits but he was confused how Orion had power when he never used the Master-Medallion. Maybe it was because he was a hare, but that didn¡¯t explain how he could use the precious resources.


    As they continued their journey, Comet and the others collected what grasses and plants they could find to restock their rations. He looked up and couldn¡¯t see Arrow, until he looked back and saw Arrow trailing behind them, going south.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked, going over to him.


    ¡°I was planning to watch the south border, to make sure no wild rabbits try invading.¡±


    ¡°They already have Watchers, I think it¡¯s better that FlintNose meets us all at once.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±Well the thing is¡­ I¡¯ve already met him and he doesn¡¯t really like me so if we can just keep this between you and I, I¡¯ll stay outside Copper Colony.¡± Said Arrow.


    Comet sighed. ¡°How do you expect to get to Silver Colony then? With GoldWhisker and I here, you¡¯ll be fine but what did you do to make him so angry at you?¡± He asked.


    ¡±It¡¯s a long story, but I¡¯ll say that he¡¯s the reason I got stuck working for the Magia.¡± Said Arrow. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t go around the Southern border?¡±


    ¡±You¡¯ll have to spend the night out there with rebels and wild rabbits, it¡¯s much faster to cut straight through Copper Colony.


    He grunted and didn¡¯t respond but he quickened his pace to keep up with the rest of the group. Comet was satisfied with that.


    At last, they reached the border where Copper Watchers stood.


    ¡°We need to speak to FlintNose.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    ¡°Absolutely not¡­ FlintNose wants nothing to do with rabbits from the northern colonies ¡± A Watcher said, glaring at Arrow.


    ¡°But this one is a hare.¡± Said the guard, somewhat fearfully. ¡°All the more reason to not let you in, we don¡¯t need magic users or prophecies of doom around here.¡±


    ¡°As allies, I command you to let them through.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    They hesitated, exchanging glances. ¡°We¡¯ll lead you to FlintNose, you can discuss it with him.¡± Said one reluctantly.


    They went into the flat colony with long grass and thick shrubbery. They saw skinny rabbits, which sort of reminded Comet of himself. Arrow cowered and dashed from shrub to shrub, hoping not to be noticed.


    They went to an old, ruined brick and iron structure, possibly a shed or warehouse, where they were told to stay put. Comet peeked inside, and saw numerous rabbits, working with tools to create what looked like weapons. A guard quickly ushered him away.


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    FlintNose emerged, wearing armour. He was tall, with black fur and piercing eyes. An amusing contrast to white and fluffy GoldWhisker.


    ¡°Why have you brought these Magia rabbits here? You know that any Magia rabbits that step into Copper Colony are meant to be killed.¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡°Settle down, these rabbits are against the Magia. They want to give us a way to fight back, as allies.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    ¡°Really, what plan could they possibly have that I haven¡¯t thought of.¡± Said FlintNose. ¡°My plan is to invade as soon as that ridiculous Silver Colony trail is over if RiverCharm loses.¡±


    ¡±Remember, we promised to not invade for one year if he wins.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that you¡¯d made that promise, the Magia made it seem like you were ready to invade at any moment.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±They would want you to be afraid of us, so that they control you more. We are preparing to fight to protect our colonies, because if we don¡¯t we know it¡¯s only a matter of time before the Magia tries sneaking their way here. They¡¯ll start with nice promises and being helpful but before you know it, you¡¯ve given up every custom of your colony and you¡¯re nothing but a puppet for the Magia.¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡°I know the Magia is a threat, but so are the rebels and wild rabbits. I think the only solution is to give rabbits the ability to use precious resources.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°So, magic? Only hare¡¯s and the Magia can use magic, magic is how they control the valley.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it could also be the way we save it, the Magia is only powerful because there is no one else with the ability to challenge them.¡±


    ¡±Sure, that makes sense but we haven¡¯t had the ability to use the precious resources for generations.¡±


    ¡°He has the Master-Medallion.¡± Said GoldWhisker excitedly. Comet showed it to FlintNose who looked it over.


    ¡±It looks like the real thing. Show me what it can do.¡± He said.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful but until it¡¯s energised in Silver Colony, it can¡¯t do anything special that other resources can¡¯t do.¡± Said Comet, sheepishly. He could see their disappointment.


    ¡°But if you take it to Silver Colony, the Magia will surely take it from you and use it for who knows what.¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡±At the moment, emblems are the most powerful resources but the Master-Medallion will be able to control them. I have a feeling the Magia will use it to completely remotely control every colony.¡± Said GoldWhsiker.


    ¡±Yes, all they would have to do is force everyone to wear the resources, like they already do in Porcelain, Iron and Diamond Colonies.¡± Said Blue.


    Comet thought about what he said about the emblems, and took a closer look at them. They had a plant engraved in them, each unique. It reminded him of what Orion had said about the plants he¡¯d made him eat before he used magic.


    ¡±What do the plants in your emblems represent?¡± He asked.


    ¡±They are our colony''s main plants. They are symbols of pride and the identity of our colonies.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    ¡±I have an idea, I think there must be a connection between eating these plants and having the ability to use precious resources.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Really? What proof do you have? We eat these plants and we have never gotten the ability to use precious resources.¡± Said FlintNose. GoldWhisker nodded in agreement.


    Comet remembered that Orion had mixed the plants together, in some kind of potion, he hadn¡¯t recognised it then, but he realised he mixed it in with a very fine powdered form of the resources.


    He then looked at the Master-Medallion again, on it, it showed each of the colony''s emblem plants, uniting in the middle.


    ¡±We have to mix them together, see, the Medallion shows it. Then after you drink the potion, another rabbit with magic has to unlock their power by using a powerful resource.¡± Said Comet quickly, his memories flooding back to him. Orion had cleverly unlocked his magic without letting him know he was doing it the whole time.


    ¡±We don¡¯t have a rabbit that can use magic though.¡±


    ¡±You have me. Now, who wants to go first?¡± He asked.


    They suddenly heard a rustling from the bush behind them and saw Arrow emerge.


    ¡±No way you¡¯re actually going to teach these rabbits how to use magic?¡± He demanded.


    ¡±Why not? It¡¯s our best chance to protect ourselves against the Magia and other threats, like you¡­ Why are you even here? I said to never come back!¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡±I¡¯m a Seeker now, well, I was, after this, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be one for much longer.¡±


    ¡±Just because you¡¯re against the Magia now doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to welcome you back in.¡±


    ¡±I was never welcome, that¡¯s why I left because at least the Magia didn¡¯t care if I used to be a bunny rabbit.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°You used to live with humans?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡±Yes, until they decided they didn¡¯t want me anymore and I came here and they all treated me like rubbish because of it. So if anyone is going to get magic, it shouldn¡¯t be them.¡± He said breathlessly.


    ¡±Alright, calm down Cookie, we¡¯re sorry for how we treated you. You clearly have what it takes to survive in the valley. Now, show us how to make this potion.¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡±Hey, my name is Arrow now, not Cookie.¡± Said Arrow angrily.


    Blue couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Arrow nudged him to stop it.


    ¡±I¡¯ll try my best to teach magic to anyone who wants to, I can¡¯t guarantee the results but the more rabbits who know how to use magic and train how to use it, the better, so where would be the best place to do this?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡±The rusty burrow.¡± Said FlintNose, nodding to the ruined shed.


    ¡±Good, get as many rabbits as you can.¡± Said Comet. He knew it was only a matter of time before the Magia discovered where he was and forced him to give them the Master-Medallion, but if he could train these rabbits, they would have a much better chance.

 The Training

    They gathered in the ruined shed, the growing group of Copper and Gold Colony rabbits were somewhat tense and confused.


    Comet wasn¡¯t sure what they had been told but he knew part of the challenge will be getting them comfortable with the idea of using the precious resources.


    ¡°I gathered as many rabbits as I could and got as many of the plants that are on the Master-Medallion.¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡±These are the symbolic plants of Copper, Gold and Diamond.¡± Observed Comet.


    ¡±That is all my rabbits could bring back given the amount of time we had.¡± Said FlintNose defensively.


    ¡±What you have here is great.¡± He said. He didn¡¯t have time to teach them every resource anyway.


    ¡±Um, hello everyone. Thank you so much for coming here on such short notice, I know you¡¯re probably a bit confused that you¡¯re being told you need to learn magic, but it¡¯s the only way you have a chance to defend yourself against all the threats facing your colonies right now.¡± Said Comet, speaking quickly.


    ¡°They know all that, now, teach us how to use magic.¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡±I can¡¯t just teach you magic. Each resource has its own power and technique to use it.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s the most powerful one then?¡± He asked.


    ¡±I suppose, given the plants I have, it would be copper.¡± Said Comet nervously. Of all the resources, why did it have to be the one he knew the least how to use?


    ¡±Great, show us how it¡¯s done.¡± Said FlintNose. The crowd looked at him with anticipation. Comet pulled out the copper stone and pendant from his satchel.


    He knew it was used in the same way as iron but Orion¡¯s words of warning about it made him weary.


    ¡±I know, get the rabbits to make their own potions. Give each rabbit one of each type of plant, some water, and powdered versions of the resources, then mix it together in a pot, dish, bowl or anything you can find.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±Wait, can you explain that again?¡± Said FlintNose.


    ¡±Just work it out, Arrow, Blue and Rusty can help.¡±


    ¡±What makes you think we know how to make potions?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡±Please, I just need some time to work something out.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±Fine, we¡¯ll try.¡±


    Comet was glad to finally have some space to practise using copper without dozens of eyes on him.


    He placed down the copper stone, and wore the copper pendant. This was a potentially dangerous resource that required control and mental stability.


    He directed his energy to the pendant, he could feel it glow red and heat up before a bolt of light shot across the air and hit the copper stone, which now glowed with the same red heat.


    It seemed powerful but it didn¡¯t really do anything. He decided he would move the copper stone and try again but as he put his paw to the stone, a violent shock coursed through his body and he jumped back with yell.


    ¡±What¡¯s wrong?¡± Asked a rabbit nearby, looking around nervously.


    ¡±Nothing, I won¡¯t do that again.¡± Said Comet.


    Comet figured that the more energy he gave the pendant, the more powerful the copper stone would be. He could already imagine they would be great to place down for defence and perhaps, if something got between the pendant and the stone, whatever got caught between them would be hit with the same energy as well¡­ that might be something to be careful of.


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    ¡°Now you have taken the potion, you should be able to use Copper. This is a very powerful resource, but also dangerous, listen to what I say or you could get seriously hurt.¡± He said.


    He showed them an example and there was a mix of confusion and excitement as they saw the spark of light from the copper pendant hit the stone. He then got a leaf and dropped it on the stone, it shrivelled in the red hot heat.


    ¡°This is what a fully charged stone can do.¡± He said.


    He explained how to channel their energy into the pendant and use it to charge the stone. He did this multiple times so they had a good idea of what he meant.


    He then directed them to the same thing that he had done. It was a tense moment to see if anyone would be able to do it, but soon, many of the rabbits were able to charge their own copper stones. Some had put too much energy into it and accidentally zapped themselves or their neighbouring rabbits, sending some running away with fear. FlintNose and GoldWhisker had to calm them.


    But Comet could also see that there was also a large amount of rabbits that couldn¡¯t do it. He sighed. It could take awhile to teach them all.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡± Complained Blue.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work for me either.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°Or me.¡± Said GoldWhsiker.


    ¡°You just weren¡¯t doing it right obviously.¡± Said FlintNose proudly. With the copper emblem around his neck, he was particularly good at it and it used none of his own energy so there was no fear of him getting exhausted using it.


    Comet was confused, they looked like they had done everything right then he looked at the crowd again and noticed a pattern, the failures were almost all non-copper colony rabbits.


    ¡°I think that maybe only rabbits from Copper Colony can use the power of copper resources.¡±


    ¡°Then why can you use all of them?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s a hare.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    Comet knew that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°Arrow, what colony were you initiated into?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Porcelain Colony, I was only on trial here.¡± He said. He scowled at FlintNose.


    ¡°Did they use the Porcelain emblem for the initiation?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He said. He started to see what Comet was getting at.


    ¡°I think that if you¡¯re initiated into a colony or were born there, you will only be able to use that colony''s power¡­ let¡¯s test this idea.¡±


    He directed the Gold Colony rabbits to use their gold pendants. He explained quickly that gold gave them the power to create illusions if they had a strong will and passion.


    ¡°Try to create an illusion of a leaf.¡± He said. He decided against leaving as a free for all¡­ they would probably end up creating an illusion of a fox or something and create a panic.


    It took awhile but they all eventually were able to do it, they were very excited. Blue, Arrow and Rusty all tried but as Comet expected, they were unable to.


    ¡±I guess there¡¯s no point trying to teach them how to use Diamond resources.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    ¡°No, but you will still need to keep training them and help them master the resources that they can use. We need to go to Silver Colony now.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±You can come back to Gold Colony, the sun is starting to set. You won¡¯t be able to get there before dark.¡± Said GoldWhisker.


    ¡°I¡¯m still eager to go, what do you all think?¡± Asked Comet, looking at Rusty, Arrow and Blue.


    ¡±I think we should go.¡± Said Rusty. ¡°The longer we stay in one place, the easier it will be for the Magia to find us.¡±


    ¡±I was thinking the same thing, actually.¡± Said Comet. Blue and Arrow agreed so they set off, leaving the leaders to work how to go about training their colonies.


    Rusty was very nervous, frequently looking up the valley. Comet couldn¡¯t see anything but Rusty suddenly bolted.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Called Arrow. They chased after him and Comet was the first to catch up with him.


    ¡°What did you see, Rusty?¡± He asked.


    ¡°They could spot me at any moment, we¡¯re moving too slowly.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°What is he talking about?¡± Demanded Arrow.


    ¡°The rebels are out there, they¡¯re going to attack soon.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡±You are a rebel then, there¡¯s no way you could know that¡¯s unless you were. Will you finally admit it?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡°Yes, I am, well I was. Once they find out that I haven¡¯t taken the Master-Medallion, I¡¯ll be in some trouble.¡± He said.


    ¡±Why did you change your mind?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡±You showed me that there were other ways to save the valley without destroying the colony¡¯s. I think it¡¯s clear we have to embrace magic to survive rather than stopping it.¡± Said Rusty.


    ¡°Oh really, how can we trust that you aren¡¯t leading us into a rebel trap right now?¡± Asked Arrow.


    ¡±If he was going to stop us, he would have done it already.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±I think we¡¯re just going to have to trust him, like we have had to do this whole mission.¡± Said Comet. ¡°Lead us to Silver Colony.¡±


    Rusty looked relieved and took them away from the outskirts of Copper Colony, he got them to stay as close to the bushes as possible.


    It was tiring moving so quickly, but they were making good progress. They might even be able to make it there by nightfall. Then they heard rabbits crying out in the distance, ¡°Rebels are invading, get underground.¡±

 The Trick

    They kept running, they could just see South Silver Colony, they were so close. But they could see rabbits chasing after them. They were already so tired from running, they had no energy to fight back.


    ¡°Go and hide in a shrub, I¡¯ll talk to them.¡± Said Rusty. There was no time to protest and they dashed into the nearest shrub.


    Once they were out of sight, Rusty turned around, ¡°I have the Master-Medallion, you don¡¯t need to invade this colony.¡±


    ¡±We need to stop the hare and the Seekers.¡± Said a rebel and the others quickly crowded around them. Everything seemed hazy, if they decided to attack, Comet knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to defend them.


    ¡±They¡¯re powerful fighters, it¡¯s better to get them when it¡¯s daylight. They can¡¯t do anything for the Magia without the Master-Medallion anyway.¡± Said Rusty. ¡°I know you must be exhausted from already fighting Gold Colony today.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s almost as good a diplomat as me.¡± Said Blue, muffled under the bush.


    ¡±Shh.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Those rebels are going to kill Rusty when they find out he lied to them.¡± Said Arrow in a whisper.


    They didn¡¯t say anything else or move until they were sure all the rebels had been driven out. They emerged from the bush to find Copper Colony rabbits trying to make sure everyone was accounted for.


    ¡°You¡¯re right that Rusty won¡¯t last long if we don¡¯t help him.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±What? You¡¯re going to help him? He¡¯s a rebel.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±He risked his life for us, he¡¯s proven he can be trusted.¡± Said Blue. ¡°But I don¡¯t really like our odds against a whole horde of rebels.¡±


    ¡±We¡¯ll give them what they want, the Master-Medallion, but not the one they want.¡± Said Comet proudly. Arrow and Blue looked at each other in confusion.


    ¡°See this gold stone?¡± He asked. He tied a string around it and pressed his paw to it. A moment later, it appeared to be identical to the Master-Medallion.


    ¡°Woah.¡± Said Blue excitedly.


    Arrow held it up by the string, ¡°it doesn¡¯t feel as heavy as the real one.¡±


    ¡°No, but it should do the trick and convince them for a little while.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it convinces them permanently.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°It won¡¯t. The illusion will only last so long before it goes back to normal. But it¡¯ll give the valley and Rusty a little more time.¡± Said Comet.


    They travelled south and reached the edge of Copper Colony. This side of the valley was carved in a series of ramp-like ridges that went up and up. It was exposed red dirt, with some overgrown bushes that spilled from one ridge to the next. It was uncomfortably exposed.


    They made the great leap from one ridge to the next.


    ¡°I can smell wild rabbits.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±I don¡¯t like how close we¡¯re getting to the human burrows.¡±


    ¡±There¡¯s human houses up there?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡±Yes, beyond the road, valley-born rabbits call it the black river.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±Hopefully we don¡¯t have to cross it.¡± Said Blue.


    Finally, they got to the top of the valley, it was fairly flat, with dense bushes, grasses and some trees. They could smell the acidic smell of the black river. The unfamiliar sounds and smells put them all on edge.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know where a rabbit would live in a place like this.¡± Said Blue.


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    ¡±There are tunnels under parts of the road, that might be a good place to start.¡± Said Arrow.


    They let Arrow take the lead and travelled slowly and low to the ground. A car suddenly raced across the road. They all froze in terror.


    Comet recovered himself first. ¡°It¡¯s alright, they never leave the road. We¡¯re safe.¡± He said, reassuring himself as much as Arrow and Blue.


    Arrow kept moving until they reached a patch of long grass. Peering through, they could just see little brown rabbits hopping around. They were entering a drain under the road.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that the rebels are crazy enough to try using wild rabbits to destroy the valley.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°After seeing what I¡¯ve seen, it doesn¡¯t shock me at all, I can¡¯t see Rusty though.¡± He said Arrow.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s approach them, we¡¯re running out of time.¡± Said Comet, his mind was on the Master-Medallion illusion. He didn¡¯t know how long it would last for.


    They slowly emerged from the bushes, the wild rabbits saw them and seemed skittish. The rebels appeared, there seemed to be a lot of them, made up of rabbits from every colony.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come for Rusty¡± Said Comet.


    A rabbit came forward, and Comet remembered his name was Cricket. Some rabbits came out of the drain, dragging Rusty along with them.


    ¡°Did you get your friends to come save you, Rusty?¡± Asked Cricket. Rusty shook his head. He gave them a look that begged them to leave.


    ¡±No, we just don¡¯t want him to be killed by you crazies.¡± Said Arrow.


    Cricket snorted with amusement.


    ¡°I know you want the Master-Medallion, if you let Rusty come with us, we¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see it then.¡± Said Cricket. Comet could sense he was going to grab it as soon as he could so as soon as he got it out of his satchel, he tossed it as far as he could. It landed into a bush and the rebels raced towards it.


    ¡±Hey, that¡¯s mine.¡± Said Cricket. The rebels weren¡¯t very disciplined.


    Comet and the others charged at the rabbits who were still holding Rusty. They attacked them and briefly freed Rusty, who wouldn¡¯t run away with them.


    ¡±What are you doing? You can¡¯t give them the Master-Medallion.¡± He said.


    ¡±It¡¯s ok, we¡¯ll get it back.¡± Lied Blue.


    ¡±It¡¯s too late for that.¡± Said Cricket, he emerged from the bush, the Master-Medallion around his neck. Arrow ears pricked. He heard something in the distance.


    ¡±We can¡¯t let you go back to the valley to help the Magia take over.¡± He said.


    ¡±We aren¡¯t, we¡¯re going to protect the valley from them and from you.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°The colony¡¯s have proven they are too easy to be manipulated and controlled, they need to be destroyed so we can start again, can¡¯t you see that?¡± Asked Cricket.


    ¡±If you don¡¯t give up these plans, then it is you who will be destroyed.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of the Magia or any colony leader, we are willing to risk our lives for this.¡± Said Cricket. He gave a look to the rebels either side of him, they were moving closer.


    Comet pulled out a copper stone and tossed it to the ground, sending a jolt of energy out, scattering the rebels. Cricket shouted orders at them and Comet was separated from Arrow and Blue, who were forced to fight the rebels.


    In the chaos, he lost sight of Rusty then saw him, the guards forcing towards the road. Rusty was fighting back as hard as he could. Comet could hear an ever increasing rumbling sound. He knew what they were trying to do.


    He charged after them, he tried using an iron stone to drive back the rebels that were attacking him. But just as he had nearly caught up to Rusty and his attackers, he was tackled from behind and was pinned to the ground.


    The rebels held Rusty as the car came into view, bearing down on them. At the last moment, they kicked him into the road while they raced away. Rusty didn¡¯t have enough time to run away before the car ran him over and drove away.


    They were all shocked and horrified but they didn¡¯t have time to mourn, the rebels were still intent on attacking them. Comet spun around and pushed his attacker off of him, burning him with an iron stone.


    The stone rolled into thick, dry grass. Soon, the smell of smoke filled the air, causing the rebels to lose their resolve to fight.


    It gave Comet and his friends a much needed break, to race down the valley. Comet didn¡¯t think about where they were going, he just wanted to get as far away from this place as he could.


    They eventually ran into some rabbits. They blindly attacked because they were so on edge.


    ¡°Get some back up, tell these crazy rabbits are trying to get into Silver Colony.¡± Said the rabbit.


    ¡±Silver Colony? Everyone, stop and calm down. They aren¡¯t rebels.¡± Said Comet.


    It took Blue and Arrow a moment to withdraw from the fight and realise they weren¡¯t fighting rebels again.


    ¡±We certainly aren¡¯t rebels. Why did you charge at us and attack us?¡± Asked the rabbit which Comet now realised was a Watcher.


    ¡°We just ran away from some rebels, they killed Rusty.¡± Said Comet, still breathing hard. He looked back and was relieved to find out they hadn¡¯t been followed.


    He couldn¡¯t see up the valley this far away but at least it looked like the fire in the grass hadn¡¯t spread.


    ¡°I see you all look pretty shaken up but you clearly aren¡¯t from this side of the valley. Why are you here?¡± He asked.


    ¡±We need to pass through to north Silver Colony for the trial.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±Hmm, I don¡¯t think RiverCharm is going to the trial.¡± Said one Watcher.


    ¡±What? Then we need to speak to him right away.¡± Said Comet


    ¡±I guess you can talk to him. RiverCharm will be excited to meet the Magia¡¯s hare.¡± Said one Watcher. The other nodded.


    Comet held his tongue and didn¡¯t correct him. It was more important to get in and convince RiverCharm not to give up on the trial.

 The Return

    The Watchers brought them across the border.


    They were brought to a weeping willow, with an old row boat lent against it, beside the dried up river-bed and shallow pool.


    They were about to enter the warren when a light grey and black rabbit emerged abruptly.


    ¡°What are these outsiders doing here? I¡¯ve just organised a patrol to go out to check for wild rabbits, I don¡¯t have time to stop and talk.¡± He blurted, ready for confrontation. Comet was a bit taken aback by attitude and was lost for words.


    ¡°You must be RiverCharm?¡± Said Blue, coming to the rescue. ¡°I¡¯m sure you must be busy, but if you are able to stop for a moment, you might be interested in the Master-Medallion we have here.¡±


    RiverCharm finally looked at them properly.


    ¡±Oh, did the Magia send you here?¡± He asked. ¡°Can I see the Master-Medallion?¡±


    ¡°In a moment, shouldn¡¯t you be going to the north Silver Colony right now?  It¡¯s getting close to midnight.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±I was thinking about going but it doesn¡¯t seem worth my effort, the Magia promised that I would be made the leader of Silver Colony and would have a term of peace if I won, which sounds pretty good, but I¡¯m not stupid enough to believe the Magia would keep their word. All they have done since they got here is lie.¡± Said RiverCharm. ¡°Now, can I see the Master-Medallion.¡±


    ¡±You can if you come to trial. I don¡¯t believe the Magia will keep their word either but with rebels and wild rabbits threatening to invade, the valley rabbits can¡¯t be fighting against each other.¡±


    ¡±That¡¯s great and all but if the Magia ends up in charge of a united Silver Colony, there won¡¯t be any peace in the valley. They will use it to invade Copper and Gold Colony.¡± He said.


    ¡±Who says that the Magia will be in charge? We want a Silver Colony leader who isn¡¯t controlled by the Magia to use a united Silver Colony to help drive out the Magia from the other colony¡¯s.¡± Said Coemt.


    ¡±Ok, that sounds more like it, but how will you make sure the Magia keeps their word when I win?¡±


    ¡±Assuming you will win.¡± Mumbled Arrow.


    ¡±I will win. I¡¯ve been training.¡± Said RiverCharm defensively, striking an attack pose.


    ¡°At the trial, a lot of rabbits will be there to witness it from your colony, Gold Colony and Iron Colony. We will have the numbers and many of those rabbits now know how to do magic.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±Magic? Rabbits can¡¯t do magic.¡± Said RiverCharm.


    ¡±They can, they just didn¡¯t know how. Anyway, the Magia need this Master-Medallion to be energised before it¡¯s any good to them. I can use this as a bargaining chip.¡± Said Comet.


    RiverCharm looked at it then touched it. Comet was anxious.


    ¡±Wow, it¡¯s beautiful. Ok. I¡¯ll do this trial, sounds like it will be interesting regardless of who wins. I¡¯ll have to tell FlintNose though, he really didn¡¯t want me to do the trial. I¡¯ll be there tonight, probably.¡± Said RiverCharm, laughing. ¡°Do you want to stay here in the meantime?¡±


    Comet thought for a moment. They were probably wanted in north Silver Colony but he needed to talk to Orion.


    ¡±We¡¯ll go to north Silver Colony, I need to talk to someone.¡± He said.


    RiverCharm shrugged and hopped away to meet his patrol group.


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    ¡±Master Coney has probably already told all the other Magia leaders to look out for us. We should just stay here.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping that if we show them the Master-Medallion, they should let us in and once we¡¯re in Orion¡¯s cave, they can¡¯t risk attacking us.¡±


    ¡±I hope you¡¯re right.¡± Said Blue.


    They travelled to the wide ditch that divided the colony in two, but the main hurdle was the wall of broken shards and glass. The only way through and across was a little plank of wood with sharp objects either side of it.


    Comet wasn¡¯t exactly confident that the plank would support them as it creaked and groaned but they all managed to get across and squeeze through the dangerous objects.


    The northern Watchers were startled and sounded the alarm then began encircling them, ready to attack.


    ¡°We¡¯re here with the Master-Medallion, back off.¡± Ordered Arrow. Comet showed the Medallion.


    They seemed confused about what to do now, a few of them raced towards the warren, to tell the Magia.


    Comet knew they had to take the opportunity to escape and they made the mad dash to the cave.


    They burst into the cave.


    ¡±Who¡¯s there? What¡¯s happening?¡± Called out Orion. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve come back, Comet.¡±


    He hopped up to Comet with an excitement he didn¡¯t share.


    ¡±I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re alright, Nightwing lost track of you.¡± He said. Comet backed away, not eager to greet him.


    ¡±Look, I need you to be honest, and I want to know the truth, I am not a hare, am I?¡± He asked. Arrow and Blue looked on intensely.


    ¡±How did you know? Master Coney told me to never tell you.¡± He said.


    ¡±So you worked with Master Coney to lie to me from the start then?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡±Yes, but I didn¡¯t have a choice. You know I made a pact with the Magia when I was foolish enough to believe in them. They wanted me to find another hare to replace me, when I couldn¡¯t do that, they decided to take the risk and trick a bunny into thinking he was a hare. I would never have chosen you if I knew what they would do to those rabbits¡­¡± He said, his voice tense.


    ¡±What rabbits?¡±


    ¡±Mossy and Stone, they poisoned them so you would agree to leave, they knew they would stop you coming.¡± He said.


    Comet¡¯s mind raced, all the convenient circumstances now made sense.


    ¡°Who poisoned them?¡± He demanded. ¡°Was it either of you?¡± He glared at Arrow and Blue.


    ¡±No, no, I don¡¯t know who did, but they weren¡¯t Seekers from Porcelain Colony.¡± Said Blue.


    Then Watchers burst into the cave, Orion hopped in front of them.


    ¡±What are you doing in my cave?¡±


    ¡±We know Comet and those other wanted rabbits are in here.¡± Said the Magia rabbit that was leading them.


    ¡±Where¡¯s Janu?¡± Asked Orion.


    ¡±He¡¯s planning for the trial and ceremony.¡± Said the Magia.


    ¡±So are we. You need Comet to energise the Master-Medallion as well. Janu knows that.¡±


    ¡±Very well, he must stay here until the trial starts. Watchers will be guarding the card entrance.¡± Said the Magia who promptly left.


    ¡°Better hope your plan works, otherwise we¡¯ll be killed by the Magia after this is done.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±It has to work.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±What is your plan?¡± Asked Orion.


    ¡±I¡¯m not telling you, you¡¯ll probably find a way to tell Janu.¡± Said Comet.


    Orion looked ashamed then changed the subject, ¡°After the trial, we will have to go to the sacred tunnel where we will have to energise the Master-Medallion while each colony¡¯s emblem is placed into a special spot in the tunnel to channel all their energies to it.¡±


    ¡±How are they going to get all the emblems? They don¡¯t have the Gold and Iron emblems.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°They have not told me, but I¡¯m sure they have something planned.¡± Said Orion.


    ¡±You know, I would not be surprised if they made some sort of chaos that gave them the chance to steal the emblems and take control, while making themselves look like the heroes.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it probably has to do with the rebels and wild rabbits threatening to invade. I always wondered why they didn¡¯t do more to drive them away.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±Then, this whole trial must be a set up. I knew they weren¡¯t going to keep their promise¡­ but luck is on our side. Tonight, will be the end of the Magia, one way or another.¡± Said Comet.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long until they were told to come out of the cave. They were marched across the log to the island.


    They saw a huge crowd of rabbits from every colony. He didn¡¯t see GoldWhisker or FlintNose. He figured they must have stayed in their own colony¡¯s but he did see RiverCharm. He was arguing with SilverSkull.


    Then Janu and Master Coney emerged from the fortress.


    ¡±Everyone, settle down. The trial will begin soon, can the leaders come to the fortress?¡± Said Janu calmly.


    SilverSkull and RiverCharm went through the crowd, RiverCharm stuck his tongue out at SilverSkull who snorted. It was going to be a fierce fight.


    Comet, Arrow and Blue silently positioned themselves amongst the crowd, all with their own silent hopes and fears.


    Comet wished he hadn¡¯t ended up in this situation, that Mossy and Stone had never been murdered and that he was still a blissfully naive bunny rabbit happily living with humans, but all that was over. Now, he just hoped that whatever happened, that his actions tonight will make the valley a better place.

 The Trial

    The moon light shone brightly down onto the fortress. Janu left the fortress wearing the silver emblem and he and the other Magia sat in front of the crowd.


    The Magia had set up flat silver objects like plates to show a close up view of the top of the fortress.


    The leaders entered the circular top of the fortress, facing off each other.


    Even though Comet knew that no matter who won, the Magia had a plan to take control of the colony, he was still eagerly waiting to see who would win.


    For a moment there was no movement until RiverCharm charged forward towards SilverSkull. He gave him a good scratch across the nose.


    SilverSkull grunted angrily but was too slow to react and get a counter attack as RiverCharm retreated. They circled and dodged each other, only managing to scratch off tufts of fur, but it was clear that RiverCharm was the more agile of the two.


    He saw a movement behind him, and he saw to his horror, Master Coney and some rabbits from DiamondColony entering the crowd. He had a scar over his eyes from where he¡¯d scratched him. He cowered down, hoping to blend in with the crowd for a bit. With rabbits from multiple different colonies here, that would be easier.


    SilverSkull then grabbed a clump of RiverCharm fur, holding firm, RiverCharm screamed then violently kicked and twisted away, raking his back feet over SilverSkulls face, forcing him to let go and back off a bit. RiverCharm didn¡¯t stop, he got up quickly, and began lunging, biting and clawing at SilverSkull¡¯s eyes nose and ears.


    RiverCharm tried rounding on SilverSkull, and as soon he managed to get behind him, RiverCharm jumped and momentarily pinned him down by his neck, making a deep wound. SilverSkull seemed to be about to be defeated, then a light in the distance seemed to get RiverCharm¡¯s attention.


    Comet knew it was the Magia using the silver on the fortress and tensed. Maybe he should try counteracting it.


    But it was too late, SilverSkull twisted under RiverCharm, and flung him up into the air,  then jumped back and slammed RiverCharm into the ground as he tried to get his balance.


    RiverCharm screamed, followed by a sickening crack, he flopped to the ground. He was alive, but he couldn¡¯t move his legs.


    ¡°Do you accept defeat?¡± SilverSkull asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He groaned.


    ¡°No!¡± Yelled a rabbit from the crowd. Shouting rang out, the Magia had to restore order.


    ¡°Quiet. SilverSkull has won. The colony is united under us now as per the agreement.¡± Said Janu.


    The rabbits growled and challenged them while healers rushed up to help RiverCharm the silently suffering RiverCharm.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to argue, you should be happy.¡± Said SilverSkull, coming down from the fortress proudly. ¡°We are united, we can go across the border as we please, we don¡¯t have to be divided anymore. Have fun, tear down the border wall!¡± He ordered.


    The already relied up rabbits decided to take up the offer and began heading south. Rabbits from the north were excited to see what the south was like now. Comet was sure they were in for a disappointment and possibly worse, an attack by the rebels and wild rabbits.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how long the illusion of the Master-Medallion would last, but he was sure that they would find out the colony had been united very soon, either from observing the colony or another spy letting them know. The Magia hadn¡¯t even asked where Rusty but as long as they had the Master-Medallion, they probably didn¡¯t care what happened to him.


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    He then heard the voice of Orion and turned around to see he was approaching him with Master Coney. Orion hung his head sadly.


    ¡°You are coming with me, it¡¯s time to energise the Master-Medallion.¡± Said Master Coney, in a low threatening voice.


    ¡°Or what?¡± Challenged Comet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll reveal the truth of your heritage.¡± He said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, in fact, it would be good for the colony to know they can use magic too.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°These rabbits aren¡¯t smart enough to know how to use magic and with you gone, they¡¯ll never know how.¡±


    ¡°Then you underestimate them and me.¡± Said Comet and dashed away.


    ¡°Get him!¡± Ordered Master Coney to the rabbits around him. They were all scared of him so did as he said.


    ¡°Everyone, I have an announcement.¡± Called Comet as loudly as he could. ¡°I want to let you know, I¡¯m not a hare, I never was hare, I was lied to and so were you. You can use magic too. The Copper and Gold Colony rabbits already know how.¡±


    The rabbits stopped their charge when they heard him and asked if he was telling the truth.


    Master Coney wasn¡¯t having that. He used a copper pendant to shoot out a bolt of lighting towards Comet. Comet tried dodging it but it just hit the back of his leg. He shrieked in pain but circled around and shot some of his own lighting towards it.


    The bolt of light was just about to hit Master Coney when it suddenly dissipated. Apparently Copper¡¯s weakness was Porcelain.


    ¡±Everyone, we can destroy the Magia, use your resources against them like I showed you.¡± He said desperately, trying to implore the scared and confused rabbits. No one made any attempts to take him up on his offer.


    ¡±Are you sure you¡¯re not a hare because that¡¯s a crazy thing they would say?¡± Asked SilverSkull mockingly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t defeat us, just come with me, otherwise, your friends will suffer.¡± Said Master Coney. He saw Magia rabbits, forcing Arrow and Blue forward, they looked beat up.


    ¡°We tried to come and help you, but they attacked us.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°Leave them alone.¡± It was Orion speaking. He¡¯d been quietly watching the fight. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± He gave Comet a look, telling him not to argue.


    ¡°Wait, do you hear that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, let¡¯s go.¡± Snapped Master Coney.


    ¡°I hear it too.¡± Said Orion, his ears perked up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not falling for any of your hare tricks.¡± Growled Master Coney but pressed his paw to his silver pendant, using its power to see through the silver the rabbits were wearing.


    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± He said, he didn¡¯t seem surprised or scared, which confirmed that it was part of their plan the whole time.


    Rabbits began racing back to the fortress island where they were. While he was distracted, a couple of the Magia grabbed him and ripped away his satchel and necklace with pendants on it.


    Before he could react, he was forced to go into the fortress with Orion, Master Coney and Janu. The other Magia blocked the entrance from the scared rabbits.


    At least he saw they¡¯d let Arrow and Blue go. Hopefully they¡¯d be alright. They had no magic to defend themselves.


    The inside of the fortress was calm and cool, the full moon reflecting in the shallow pool below. Instead of being lead up the stone staircase, Master Coney lead them to a stone in the fortress wall. With a press of a gold pendant, the stone dissolved into the air and revealed a dark tunnel.


    They entered the narrow tunnel, Comet taking the lead. It felt dangerous, in the tight space, unable to flee. He had to keep himself from panicking, preparing for what was about to happen. With the rebels and wild rabbits attacking, it was probably better to finally energise the Master-Medallion but couldn¡¯t see how he could keep the Master Coney from using it.


    Then, they got to the sparkling tunnel filled with precious resources.


    Janu went to space in the wall, and pressed the silver emblem to it. It fit perfectly. Master Coney placed the Master-Medallion into the floor of the tunnel. Comet was confused until he noticed that intricate symbols surrounded the spot, there was a design of each colony¡¯s plant. This is why they had to come here.


    ¡°Are we ready yet?¡± Asked Janu, he was strangely nervous and twitchy.


    ¡°Not yet, but the other emblems will be in place soon.¡± Said Master Coney.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you let the rebels and wild rabbits attack, to get the emblems from the Gold and Copper Colony¡¯s, isn¡¯t it?¡± Demanded Comet.


    ¡°It was necessary for the ceremony, now be quiet, this is a sacred space or I¡¯ll force you too.¡± Said Master Coney, he held his porcelain pendant out threateningly.


    Comet put a paw to his neck, only to remember he had no precious resources he could use. He was completely defenceless.


    Then he realised, this entire area was filled with precious resources. He didn¡¯t have to even touch them to use them. He wasn¡¯t sure Orion would approve but he wasn¡¯t going to offer much help. He had accepted that the Magia were more powerful than him, he couldn¡¯t do anything to stop their inevitable take over.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, Janu, keep your paw to that emblem no matter what happens and you two, come over here.¡± Ordered Master Coney.


    Orion moved forwards without hesitation. Comet took a deep breath. They needed this Master-Medallion and if his plan worked, Master Coney wouldn¡¯t be the one with it.


    He hopped forwards and put his paw on the Master-Medallion.

 The Confrontation

    Master Coney nodded, pleased with their decision.


    ¡°Focus your energy on the medallion, it will do the rest.¡± Said Orion. Comet wasn¡¯t quite sure what he meant by that but did as he was told. He could sense the pull of the medallion and as soon he directed his energy towards it, he suddenly felt like he was planted to the ground. He couldn¡¯t move his paw away from the medallion. It was like it stuck to it.


    His power was being drained from him, and he couldn¡¯t stop it. It was terrifying. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. He could feel himself getting weaker.


    The medallion was shining with thousands of different colours. It made it difficult to see anything, but he could tell Orion wasn¡¯t doing too well. As he peered through the light, he could see Janu struggling to pull his paw away from the Silver Emblem but was unable to move.


    It only increased Comet¡¯s fear to see the usually so orderly Janu crying out in pain. Master Coney wasn¡¯t giving him any assistance.


    Suddenly, Janu convulsed and slumped to the ground. The Silver Emblem stopped glowing a moment later.


    Orion collapsed a short time later. Comet called out to him desperately and to his relief, he found he could move freely again but his head felt groggy, he couldn¡¯t hop straight. He could feel his connection to the resources that were around him was still there, but weakened.


    He went over to Orion, he could see he was breathing but he couldn¡¯t shake him awake.


    Master Coney ignored the two of them, grabbing the Master-Medallion.


    He was about to put it around his neck when Comet connected to the resources around him, and turned the tunnel into a dazzling array of colours and patterns.


    It was impossible to tell what was real and what wasn¡¯t. He could hear Master-Coney growling with anger, searching frantically for the Master-Medallion. It gave Comet a chance to shove Orion up and drag him towards the exit of the tunnel that led back up to the fortress.


    ¡°Wake up, Orion!¡± He cried. He couldn¡¯t keep up the illusion anymore.


    ¡°You¡¯re too late.¡± Said the Master Coney, with the Master-Medallion around his neck.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d sacrifice the Magia leaders of the Colony¡¯s. Now there is no one to stop the rebels and their fighters from taking over the whole valley.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°The rebels will help to reduce the population of the valley, it will make controlling them easier. I will then use the Medallion to destroy the Annulites and take control of this valley once and for all. There are more of us than you realise, from beyond this valley, who have been waiting a long time for us to make this place suitable for them.¡± Said Master Coney.


    He was approaching Comet, they both knew that Comet had no more energy to try using the resources. But if he couldn¡¯t use magic, maybe he could use something else.


    On the ground, he saw a sharp piece of iron. It wasn''t much, but at least it was something. He looked back, Orion was slowly regaining consciousness.


    He raced towards Master Coney, with the piece of iron in his mouth but as he seemed to just be about to reach him, the was stopped from going any further. It was like he had hit an invisible wall. The iron suddenly glowed red and started melting, he quickly dropped it before it could burn him.


    As it clattered to the ground below, it melted the ground, through the log, finally exposing a small hole to the water which made it sizzle and sear, causing it to harden.


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    Master Coney just snorted with amusement and started directing bolts of light towards him. Comet narrowly dodged them, they blackened the objects around him and shattered the glass.


    He could see pin prick holes in the tunnel, water was starting to trickle in. It gave him an idea.


    He grabbed a shard of glass in his mouth,  and shoved it as hard as he could into the damaged exposed wood. The water started rushing out. Just a little bit more, and the tunnel would be completely flooded.


    ¡±What are you doing?! You¡¯re going to drown us both.¡± Growled Master Coney, charging towards him.


    The movement of the big rabbit caused the already weak structure to begin to crack and twist.


    ¡°Hurry. Comet!¡± Called Orion. He anxiously stood by the exit tunnel. Water was rapidly filling up the tunnel, it was only a matter of time until it was completely destroyed.


    Comet was about to follow Orion, when he saw Master Coney was furiously swimming towards the exit that led to the mainland.


    Even though he could tell Master Coney was not a good swimmer, the medallion was giving him additional energy and endurance.


    If he got to the exit, the whole of the valley wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him, he had to be killed here.


    Struggling against the current, Comet swam towards him. He ripped something off the wall, hoping it would be useful. It was a broken spoon. It had been broken in half, leaving a jagged handle. It would have to be good enough.


    Holding his head as high above the water as he could, he swam towards Master Coney. He tried swimming away but Comet was faster and caught him, pulling him from the flooded exit and tackled him down into the water as he slashed at his neck with the jagged silver.


    Master Coney tried resurfacing but then, the log violently imploded, the weight of the water crushing it all at once. The water forced them apart and sucked them down into the depths of the lake.


    Comet felt the breath was knocked from his lungs as he tried to swim up against the strong current. He was tossed and turned in the violent water and was sure he would be dragged to the bottom and drown but he kept swimming with everything he had.


    The water finally returned to its usually calm state, he could see objects floating around him as he struggled upwards.


    He was almost at the surface but he was exhausted and out of breath, he began choking on the water around him and his strokes became fainter and fainter until he couldn¡¯t go anymore and the light became dark again and he felt himself slipping away.


    On the fortress island, the rabbits were all terrified by the sudden collapse of the log. Arrow and Blue had gathered the rabbits that couldn¡¯t fight and helped get them to the island.


    Then they saw a body rise up, floating just below the surface of the water lifelessly.


    ¡°That¡¯s Comet, someone help him!¡± Called Orion, who could just make out his black and tan fur.


    Brook, who¡¯d been helping keep the younger rabbits safe and calm, jumped into the water. The other confident swimmers jumped in with her.


    They pulled Comet up to a floating plank of wood and dragged him to the surface where Brook began trying to get the water out of him. Ruby was ushered to join her.


    Then he awoke, spluttering water everywhere, his sides heaving as he tried supporting his weight. He sagged to the ground, his eyes were half open and unfocused, he could see blurry shapes and lights coming in and out of view. There was a painful ringing in his ears and the dull thud of rabbits pushing on him. He hated most of all the feeling of water pouring from his nose and down his throat, making him feel like he could barely breathe.


    ¡°Give him some space and let him rest.¡± Said Ruby.


    ¡±Will he live?¡± Asked Orion.


    ¡±He should.¡± Said Ruby. ¡°What was he doing in there?¡±


    ¡±He was fighting Master Coney¡­ where is he?¡± Asked Orion, starting to feel exhausted again, too overwhelmed with fear.


    ¡±I guess he must have died.¡± Said Ruby.


    The rabbits cheered and many instantly became more confident.


    ¡±Don¡¯t get too excited, the rebels and the wild rabbits are still swarming the valley. If they aren¡¯t defeated soon, they¡¯ll overrun every colony.¡± Said Ruby.


    Brook wasn¡¯t listening, she noticed something glowing in the water. It was sinking, but very slowly.


    She jumped back into the water, surprising everyone.


    She emerged, with the Master-Medallion in her mouth.


    ¡±I noticed this¡­ it felt important.¡± She said, unable to explain what drew her to it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Master-Medallion.¡± Gasped Orion. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s powerful magic kept it from sinking as quickly as everything else.¡±


    Brook gave it to him. ¡°Then you can save the valley.¡±


    Orion¡¯s eyes lit up then he shook his head, his face downcast. ¡°I was a coward, I am part of the reason the valley even got into this mess in the first place. I will never be able to forgive myself for helping the Magia. It is Comet who can save the valley.¡±


    ¡±Well if he doesn¡¯t wake up soon, there won¡¯t be much valley left to save.¡± Said Ruby.

 The Invasion

    Comet woke to find rabbits anxiously staring at him. It took him a moment to work out where he was and why he was here.


    ¡±Where¡¯s Master Coney?¡± He asked, jumping up frantically.


    ¡±Settle down, he¡¯s dead.¡± Said Ruby.


    ¡±We have the Master-Medallion. You will need this.¡± Said Orion.


    ¡±You are you feeling?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡±A bit better, but power is still weak. I don¡¯t know if it will ever return to what it used to be.¡± He said sadly. ¡°Anyway, enough about me. With the Master-Medallion, you should be able to drive away the invaders.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still here?¡± He asked. He¡¯d been hoping that since gold and copper colony rabbits can use precious resources now, it would give them an advantage over the rebels.


    ¡°Yes, the colony is close to being overwhelmed by them.¡± Said Ruby.


    ¡±Then I¡¯ll go and help, do you know where Arrow and Blue are?¡± Asked Comet.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only just woken up, so take it easy but last I heard, they were looking to get more precious resources to use.¡± Said Ruby.


    ¡±Then I have a pretty good idea where they might be.¡± Said Comet.


    He said goodbye to the rabbits and to Orion, who wished him luck.


    Taking a deep breath, he plunged back into the water. It was sunrise now which made seeing where he was going easier at least.


    Once he got to the other side, he shook himself off. He travelled cautiously at first, expecting to run into a wild rabbit or rebel but found that at the heart of the colony, it was oddly quiet. He could hear that was busy with activity.


    Hopefully, Blue or Arrow would be in the cave. As he approached the mouth of it, he saw two rabbits, obscured by the shadows.


    They instinctively charged at him but stopped short once they realised who it was.


    ¡±Comet, you¡¯re alive.¡± Said Arrow with relief then looked guilty. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind us taking these resources.¡± They both were carrying satchels, heavy with precious items from the cave.


    ¡±Oh wow, is that the Master-Medallion!¡± Asked Blue, circling him excitedly.


    ¡±Yes, and I¡¯m sure Orion won¡¯t mind, you need everything you can get it seems. But I don¡¯t understand, how are we losing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, really, we should have the advantage. We have the numbers and magic, but the rebels have managed to get wild rabbits to fight for them. They don''t fight like us, they fight without any regards to their own survival. Worst of all, many of them have the infection. Our rabbits aren¡¯t willing to fight them.¡±


    ¡°And rightly so, there¡¯s no point saving the valley from them if we all die from the infection anyway.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ so we¡¯re facing an enemy who fights with reckless abandon, who probably knows they are going to die from infection anyway and we can¡¯t touch them.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±Yes, pretty much.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±I thought you were going to try and give us some inspiration, I guess not.¡± Said Arrow, unimpressed by Comet¡¯s summary.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be inspirational, I¡¯m trying to come up with a plan.¡± Said Comet, deep in thought. ¡°Blue, do you remember the thicket we saw all that time ago when you brought me here?¡±


    ¡±Yes, of course I do.¡± Said Blue. ¡°It¡¯s still full of rebels and wild rabbits if that¡¯s what you want to know.¡±


    ¡±Then we have to destroy it, with their base gone, they won¡¯t have a place to run back and retreat to.¡±


    ¡±That¡¯s a great idea but it¡¯s impossible to get close to it and even if we did, we wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat them, our fighters are losing the strength to keep going as it is.¡± Said.


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    ¡±Then we don¡¯t have any time to lose. You will give your most capable fighters the resources they need, then we will go in a wide arch around the ticket, to approach it from behind. They are likely focused on protecting the front, is that right?¡±


    ¡±Yes, that is right and I see how that could work but I still don¡¯t know, as long as the thicket and tree line still exist, there will always be places for them to hide and grow in numbers to come back again.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±I think you forgot he has the Master-Medallion, he could probably defeat them all on his own.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±Let¡¯s just keep our expectations a little more reasonable¡­¡± Said Comet. ¡°Arrow is right, there is no guarantee that they won¡¯t come back, which is why we have to burn the thicket so that no rabbit can return to it.¡±


    Arrow and Blue looked at each other. Comet felt strangely insecure, he knew the plan was risky, but unless they had a better one, there wasn¡¯t time to plan anything else.


    ¡°That sounds pretty extreme, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s been so dry, the whole valley could go up in flames.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±The river and lake will help protect the valley.¡± Began Arrow, thinking the idea over, ¡°Rabbits will be safe if they go deep underground in the warrens. It¡¯s risky, but if our enemies are going to be reckless, then we have to be too.¡±


    ¡°The rabbits here could keep going to the fortress through the tunnel in the treasury, that¡¯s where we¡¯ve been telling them to go.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±I accidentally destroyed the tunnel, when I was fighting Master Coney¡­ so you might want to tell them to go somewhere else.¡± Said Comet. Hopefully the rabbits down there were alright.


    ¡±Great, we¡¯ll have to let SilverSkull know about the change of plans first.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±SilverSkull?¡± Asked Comet. ¡°You trust him?¡±


    ¡±The Magia all fled but he stayed and fought, the rabbits still look to him as they¡¯re leader too, that¡¯s enough to make me trust him.¡± Said Arrow.


    They headed towards the warren. They could see most of the fighting was on the north most side of the warren. Even though it was easy to slip in through a southern entry point, they knew there was fighting inside and it wasn¡¯t long before they heard it.


    Comet led the way, using the Master-Medallions power to protect them from the rebels and wild rabbits. It was surprisingly easy, the medallion had some much energy of its own, he hardly had to use his. What was difficult was working out how many intruders were down here but as they continued, their numbers decreased, living ones anyway, he tried not to think about the fact they were hopping over their dead bodies.


    They didn¡¯t run into any valley rabbits though which was somewhat concerning. There was no one at the entrance of the treasury, the huge stone still sealed it.


    ¡°Let us in! It¡¯s Arrow. Blue and Comet.¡± Said Arrow in a loud voice. Comet flinched, expecting some rabbits to rush down and attack them.


    A moment later, the stone rolled back ajar, a couple of rabbits peered through to confirm who they were.


    ¡±You said we could get through a tunnel to the fortress. We found a tunnel that was completely caved in.¡± Said SilverSkull.


    ¡±I know, I¡¯m sorry about that. But the heart of the colony is largely free of any intruders. If you go to the surface, you will be able to swim to the fortress.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±That won¡¯t be possible for most of us, the reason we¡¯re stuck here and not on the island already or fighting is because we¡¯re injured.¡± He said grumpily.


    Comets ears dropped with shame. Of course. He should have thought of that.


    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t have to move.¡± Suggested Arrow. ¡°You¡¯ve already get rid of the intruders that could have attacked them and Ruby has given them food, supplies and herbs so that they can support themselves.¡±


    ¡±We will destroy the rebels and wild rabbits once and for all very soon, just stay in there and keep the entrance sealed.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell us that.¡± Said SilverSkull. ¡°But I wish you luck, I see now the Magia never cared about us, they ran off to their secret passageways as soon as things got hard and left me to deal with it. I wish I could do more to help.¡± His tone was much warmer now.


    ¡°If you can keep the rabbits in here until we tell its safe, then you¡¯re doing the best you can to protect the colony.¡± Said ¡°Comet.


    ¡±What exactly are you planning to do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out, there¡¯s no time to explain it now.¡± Said Comet, which wasn¡¯t a lie but he also didn¡¯t want to have to justify his plan to more rabbits than he had to.


    They quickly left the warren and decided it was best to leave the rabbits that were defending the warren where they were. They didn¡¯t want to bring them with them and leave the warren at risk.


    They managed to slip into Porcelain Colony. It was clear that there had been a great deal of fighting there. They couldn¡¯t see any survivors from either side. They head towards the large log.


    ¡°They can¡¯t all be gone.¡± Whispered Blue.


    Arrow nodded.


    They were about to enter the log when a group of Porcelain Colony rabbits emerged. They were startled but quickly recognised who they were.


    ¡±There¡¯s no one left down there, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to do. The colony fell quickly since we haven¡¯t had much freedom since the Magia took back control. Once the Magia left, it quickly turned into chaos.¡± Said the rabbit.


    ¡±So, everyone is dead?¡± Demanded Blue.


    ¡±No, most of them escaped to Iron Colony or travelled over the bridge to Copper Colony. We just came back here to find any rabbit that was left behind.¡± He said, nodding to the rabbits behind him. There were six of them.


    ¡°We have a plan to destroy the rebels base, but we need some help. Would you like to join us?¡± Asked Arrow.


    They looked at each other. ¡°I would be happy too.¡± He said. The other rabbits voiced their agreement except for one.


    ¡±I want to help, but I sprained my paw and I want to see if my family is alive.¡± Said a rabbit, she looked at them desperately.


    ¡±Of course you can go, but please, deliver the colony a message to go underground, to the deepest part of the warren. You¡¯ll soon find out why.¡±


    The rabbit seemed to be confused by the cryptic message but nodded and hopped awkwardly towards Iron Colony, as struggled to put weight on her front right paw.


    Hopefully she¡¯d get to Iron Colony without being attacked and more importantly, before they started the fire.

 The Fire

    They went up the steep slope of the valley and travelled in a wide arch so that they weren¡¯t spotted hopping across the open field.


    The Porcelain Colony rabbits with them carried sticks in their mouths. They¡¯d been confused when Comet told them to gather them when they went through the bushes but they decided to trust him.


    Comet noticed they were getting closer to the farmhouse. It brought a lot of memories back to him but also his resolve, to save the valley.


    Mossy and Stone, the rabbits who¡¯d practically raised him had been exiled by the Magia and then killed by them. Perhaps it would bring them some peace to know that he was about to finish what they started.


    Even so, he couldn¡¯t help but hop towards the wire fence of the backyard, just to see if anything had changed.


    A dog startled them all by jumping up and barking frantically at them.


    ¡°We should get away from here.¡± Suggested Arrow, eyeing the dog nervously.


    ¡±I¡¯ll just take a quick look.¡± Said Comet. The dog was only a small terrier, it couldn¡¯t jump the fence.


    He peered through the wire, and saw two children come out the back down. The girl was holding something in her arms. The sight of the children wasn¡¯t that surprising, they were Felicity¡¯s children and often came to visit the Old Man.


    ¡°Wow, look at all those rabbits.¡± Said the boy excitedly. The thing in the girls arms moved. Comet couldn¡¯t quite make out what it was.


    ¡±I think Cloud wants to see them too.¡± She said and put the creature down. To Comet¡¯s surprise, he saw it was a rabbit. The rabbit hopped past the terrier, who ignored him and kept barking at the rabbits outside the fence who were all getting nervous.


    Once the rabbit got closer, Comet gasped, he knew this rabbit.


    ¡°Is that¡­ you, IvoryHeart?¡± Asked Comet in disbelief.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Don¡¯t tell me the Magia sent you to bring me back.¡± He said, seeing the rabbits in the distance.


    ¡°No, I just wanted to see what had become of my old home, before we destroy the enemies of the valley.¡± He said.


    Arrow and Blue dared to join Comet, recognising IvoryHeart as well.


    ¡±So this is where you went off to?¡± Asked Blue. ¡°You betrayed your colony.¡±


    ¡±I know¡­ but it was made clear to me that Porcelain Colony wasn¡¯t mine anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll come back then, once the Magia are gone?¡± Asked Blue.


    He looked sad and completive for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could be leader again, not after how the colony sees me now. You deserve a new leader, one who is still full of passion and hope. Besides, these human children have given me a name and without them, I would have died out in the wild like I expected¡± He said.


    ¡°Did an Old Man let you stay?¡± Asked Comet hopefully. He felt foolish for asking it but he had to know.


    ¡±Old Man? No, there¡¯s only one man here and a woman. I don¡¯t believe they are old by human standards. The woman did not like me but the children convinced him to let me stay after they found me here, after I came looking for food and shelter.¡±


    Comet sighed. The woman had to be Felicity and the man was probably her husband. At least the house was being taken care of.


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    ¡°Well good luck. At least I know a rabbit is protecting my old home.¡± He said. It was time to go, the others had been patient enough.


    Comet didn''t regret leaving his old home behind. He was too close to victory and when he looked at the rabbits waiting expectantly for him, he knew he¡¯d found the connection and freedom he¡¯d been yearning for.


    ¡°I was wondering if you were going to stay back at the farmhouse.¡± Said Blue, as they hopped away.  ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling a bit guilty about it, you would be safe here with these humans if Bone and I hadn¡¯t convinced you to leave.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to go back. I¡¯ve changed too much to live my old life and by the end of this, I hope we all get to live in a better valley.¡± He said. Blue nodded. It seemed to put him at ease.


    They drew as close to the thicket as they dared then Arrow signalled for them to stop, sensing they were close enough.


    ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± Asked Tabby, one of the Porcelain Colony rabbits with them.


    ¡±I just need one of your Iron stones, Arrow.¡± Said Comet and got one from his satchel.


    He felt the cool touch of it in his paws.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ignite the thicket with this. After it''s caught alight, you will put the sticks into the fire and chase the rebels and wild rabbits into the tree line and set that alight as well. Then you can run to the fortress or go underground to be safe from the fortress.¡± Explained Comet. ¡°I know it¡¯s not an ideal solution¡­ but I think it¡¯s the only way to get rid of them for good.¡±


    ¡±That could work¡­ but what about the Magia?¡± Asked Tabby.


    ¡±Their leaders are dead, they are disorganised and now that rabbits are learning how to use magic again, they should be easy to get rid of once this is done.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this then.¡± Said Tabby.


    They heard some shouting, one the rabbits at the thicket had spotted them. There wasn¡¯t anymore time for discussion.


    Comet used the power of the Master-Medallion to energise the Iron stone. He sprinted towards the thicket and tossed the iron stone into the heart of the thicket.


    Comet dashed away and circled back to the group, a moment later, a slither of smoke started building. From the outside, it didn¡¯t seem like much but it sent wild rabbits and rebels fleeing from the thicket.


    ¡±Don¡¯t let them escape into the fields, head them towards the tree line.¡± Ordered Arrow. The rabbits nodded and surged towards the fleeing rabbits.


    Then, suddenly, the fire erupted, spreading throughout the entire thicket with fierce intensity.


    The children started panicking at the sight of the distant fire. Comet knew they would try putting it out but he wasn¡¯t concerned, the rebels and wild rabbits would be long gone by then. Besides, a fire started by the power of the Master-Medallion wouldn¡¯t be easy to extinguish.


    He followed the others into the tree line which was rapidly catching fire, the dry grass and undergrowth allowed it to spread quickly. Comet and the Porcelain rabbits struggled to race through the tree line before the fire engulfed them too.


    Comet decided to light up the Master-Medallion to help guide himself and the others through the flames and smoke.


    When he finally cleared the tree line, it was a relief to be clear of the choking smoke. He hoped everyone else had been fast enough.


    He wanted to keep running down the valley, but forced himself to stop to use the Master-Medallion to make a high pitched sound, hopefully it would bring the others towards him.


    No one came but with the fire rapidly approaching, he had no choice but to start racing down the valley.


    He heard some screaming and looked to his right to see Blue racing down the valley, his tail on fire.


    He practically rolled down the valley and threw himself into a wet and muddy part of Silver Colony¡¯s swampy marsh. He got out and shook himself off. His tail was singed but not on fire anymore.


    ¡±Have you seen Arrow and the others?¡± He asked.


    ¡°He was heading towards the fortress, I accidentally got split up from them.¡± He said.


    They didn¡¯t even have to discuss it, they both raced towards the fortress, desperate to see if they¡¯d made it.


    Comet stopped short when he saw that the surviving rebels and wild rabbits were trying to swim to the fortress.


    Most were not good swimmers and ended up having to circle back or drowning but a few were getting across.


    Arrow and the Porcelain Colony rabbits had made it through the fire and were doing their best to defeat them.


    But if they didn¡¯t get across to the fortress soon, they would all be killed by the fire. Its heat was quickly evaporating the shallow marsh.


    ¡°Come on, we have to get across.¡± Called Comet, seeing that Arrow and the others were more focused on fighting.


    They seemed surprised to find the fire was closing in on them.


    ¡°None of us can swim.¡± Said Arrow desperately. Blue voiced the same concern. There was no time to get them underground. They would have to get in the water.


    ¡±Just try your best, we will help you.¡± Said Comet. He looked at the rabbits who were on the edge of the island and they agreed.


    Blue took a deep breath and closed his eyes and jumped into the lake and began swimming to the island the best he could.


    Comet jumped in after him, trying his best to support him, he could smell the smoke and feel the heat and the water glowed orange.


    He began to fear that the fire was going to kill them all before they even got to enjoy their freedom.

 The Choice

    Comet and the other surviving rabbits huddled in the fortress. They stayed there for what felt like hours. There was nothing to eat and only a shallow pool to drink from. Comet drifted into sleep, completely exhausted.


    He was shaken awake by SilverSkull. He jumped up, surprised and shook himself off. There was no one else in the fortress.


    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± He asked, panicked.


    ¡±They¡¯re all fine. Brook came and told us it was safe to come to the surface. I would have let you sleep more but the rabbits are asking for you.¡± He said.


    He nodded and stretched, he braced himself for what he would see when he left the fortress. It was afternoon and he sighed when he saw the north of the colony was blackened and charred but in the distance, it seemed like the south of the colony had survived relatively untouched by the fire.


    ¡°I wish I could have found a better solution.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡±You did the best you could¡­ better than I did, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Said SilverSkull. ¡°I still don¡¯t know how to handle the few Magia that are here.¡±


    ¡°They came back?¡±


    ¡±Yes, conveniently when the battle was over.¡± He said.


    Comet decided he needed to see them for himself and he swam across to the mainland. He surprised himself as he realised how easy it was to swim across now, he didn¡¯t even give it a second thought.


    A whole crowd of rabbits from every colony surrounded the small group of Magia rabbits. They looked innocent and harmless but Comet knew that this is what they always did when they didn¡¯t have power.


    ¡°What should we do with them?¡± Asked SilverSkull.


    ¡±I say we get rid of them.¡± Growled Arrow. The other rabbits agreed.


    The Magia cowered in fear, trying to look as vulnerable as possible.


    ¡±Please, there¡¯s only a few of us. We didn¡¯t support Master Coney¡¯s plans and we regret what he did.¡± Said one.


    ¡±Really? Then why didn¡¯t you say anything when the Magia leaders were destroying the colonies.¡± Said Comet.


    ¡°Exactly, I suspect they would be saying something very different to us if Master Coney had won and was wearing the Master-Medallion right now.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡°We can prove ourselves to you. If you let us stay, we can help you recover. We won¡¯t be a burden or cause any trouble.¡± Another one said.


    Comet trust a word they said. He knew the Magia had first gained influence in the valley by initially helping to protect the colony¡¯s from threats and giving them access to more food and resources but once they got enough power, they used those very same things to manipulate and control the colony¡¯s.


    But SilverSkull was the leader of Silver Colony and this was his land, so it was his decision. Comet just hoped he¡¯d learnt his lesson.


    ¡±I think you¡¯ve helped quite enough.¡± Said SilverSkull. ¡°Leave the valley and join the rest of your kind.¡±


    The Magia started to argue but SilverSkull and the other rabbits glared at them and made it very clear they better start moving, or they would make them.


    Comet finally relaxed when he saw they disappear into the burnt tree line though it wasn¡¯t much of a tree line anymore, the bushes were gone and trees were burnt black, completely stripped of their leaves.


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    They were silent for a moment, unsure what to do next.


    ¡±Silver Colony rabbits, it¡¯s time we started redigging our warren. It got partly destroyed in the battle and we need a place to sleep before it gets dark.¡± Said SilverSkull. The Silver Colony rabbits agreed with this plan and began heading towards the warren.


    ¡±I think it¡¯s time we returned to our colony¡¯s.¡± Said a Copper Colony rabbit. The remaining rabbits agreed with this and started parting ways.


    Arrow and Blue didn¡¯t move. They had a sombre look.


    ¡±What¡¯s wrong?¡± Asked Comet. ¡°I know that it will take some time for the valley to recover but I¡¯m hopeful it will be better than before.¡±


    ¡±Oh, it¡¯s not that.¡± Said Blue. ¡°We both just don¡¯t really know what to do with ourselves now¡­ we liked being Seekers and now that Seekers aren¡¯t a role anymore, we don¡¯t really know what to do now.¡±


    ¡°Exactly and Porcelain Colony has changed so much¡­ the only reason I was even allowed to live there in the first place was because of the Magia.  I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anywhere I belong.¡± Said Arrow.


    Comet titled his head for a moment. He knew they didn¡¯t have a place they belonged to, but he always knew that once the Magia was defeated, he would have the freedom to decide.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely a bad thing¡­ I was thinking that with the Master-Medallion, I could help teach rabbits how to use magic again.¡± Said Comet. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t do that all on my own. I could teach you how to use magic and we could travel the valley, helping rabbits.¡±


    ¡±It would also give the colony¡¯s a great way to defend themselves while they¡¯re still vulnerable.¡± Said Arrow. ¡°But I don¡¯t know, what if we can¡¯t learn to use magic?¡±


    ¡±If those Copper and Gold rabbits were able to learn magic in a day, I¡¯m sure you can as well. Blue?¡± He asked, wanting his opinion.


    ¡°I love it! We can recruit new Seekers, made of the most skilled and magically talented rabbits. We will inspire the colony¡¯s and help the leaders keep peace and diplomacy.¡± Said Blue dramatically.


    Comet snorted with amusement. ¡°Let¡¯s just start with learning magic first but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re excited.¡± He said.


    ¡°Can you teach us magic now?¡± Asked Blue.


    ¡±I think it¡¯s getting a bit late for that now.¡± Said Arrow, who looked noticeably tired. He was eager to rest. ¡°We need to find a place to sleep, unless we can convince SilverSkull to sleep in their warren for the night.¡±


    He was right. Comet hadn¡¯t even thought about that. He turned to Orion¡¯s cave. He had forgotten about him.


    ¡±Where¡¯s Orion? Is he alright?¡± Asked Comet anxiously.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive. I think he went back to his cave.¡± Said Arrow.


    ¡±We have to see him. He could give us a place to sleep.¡± Said Comet. The others didn¡¯t argue.


    Once they got to the cave, Comet called out to Orion.


    He couldn¡¯t help but get excited when he finally emerged.


    ¡°Come inside, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± Said Orion. His seriousness made Comet concerned.


    They sat together in the dimly lit cave. It was still hauntingly beautiful. Orion seemed to be lost for words for a moment, before speaking up.


    ¡±I am so grateful for what you have done, you have freed the valley and me, from the control of the Magia. With them gone, I am no longer bound to the valley and I have no reason to stay.¡± He said slowly.


    ¡±Wait, you¡¯re going to leave?¡± Asked Comet, his eyes wide.


    He sighed. ¡°Yes, I know I am old and weak with my energy drained, but I want to travel across the open land again, as a hare should do.¡±


    ¡±I understand¡­ but I hope you don¡¯t feel like you have to leave. I¡¯m sure SilverSkull would let you stay and everyone likes you.¡± Said Comet.


    Orion shook his head. ¡°I know you want me to stay¡­ but you¡¯ll do fine without me, you¡¯ve already done more than I ever did. I know you¡¯ll continue to do great things for the valley. Don¡¯t you have any ideas on how to help the valley now they have magic?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I do have some ideas.¡± Said Comet but then fear got the best of him again. ¡°But what if the leaders come together and decide to ban magic?¡±


    ¡±I think they want to ban magic when it¡¯s the only reason we defeated the Magia, they don¡¯t deserve to be leaders at all.¡± Said Arrow, grunting threateningly.


    ¡°No need to get aggressive, I¡¯m sure the leaders will be happy to embrace magic, and even if they don¡¯t, it should be easy enough to get them to trust us.¡± Said Blue.


    ¡±I see you have good friends, Comet, rabbits that will fight for you and guide you.¡± Said Orion. ¡°I think it¡¯s time I leave, I don¡¯t want to attract the attention of the colony.¡±


    He didn¡¯t move. He looked at Comet, waiting for his approval. Comet felt mixed emotions, he wanted Orion to be happy and knew he would be fine without him, but once he left, it would be like he was dead.


    ¡°I wish you luck.¡± Said Comet finally. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about us.¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t, NightWing will let me know what¡¯s going on down here.¡± He said. Comet perked up, there was a way to keep in touch with him after all.


    ¡±But I understand you will need a place to live now and a place to train rabbits, which is why I give you this cave.¡± He said. ¡°I trust you will take good care of it.¡±


    ¡±I won¡¯t let you down.¡± Promised Comet. This was more than he could have hoped for. They touched noses and Orion left the cave.


    Comet sat at the entrance of the cave, and watched as Orion hopped up the valley and disappeared out of view into the fading light.