《Skin Under Fine Fur》


 Undulating Yet Unmoving

    A thunderstorm bled out of the clouds, reaching into the ocean, and a wall of water was visible on the horizon. Captain Malev told Justin everything would be alright, none of the cargo would be lost, and that he had ¡°done this many times before.¡± The ship he had stowed away on, the Finnoey Glimt, was small, and Justin was part of a measly three person crew, which technically would have been two had Justin not boarded, in lieu of an easier method to cross the Norwegian sea, headed to the docks of Haugesund off the coast. The waves had started to pick up an hour ago, and were getting rougher every time Justin stared into the sea from the railing.


    ¡°Hey! Are you gonna help, or are you just gonna look at the pretty water?¡± The second crew mate, Kellen, called out. He was cleaning the deck of loose materials so as they wouldn¡¯t get blown away, while Justin¡¯s backpack sat at his feet. The air blew a large gust of wind, making Justin¡¯s hair fly to the side.


    ¡°We have some time, right?¡± Justin asked.


    Kellen bolstered a short laugh, ¡°When you joined us you said you could help out if we needed it. I don¡¯t care how far in advance it is, start cleaning.¡±


    Justin waltzed around the deck, picking up thick ropes and some metal equipment he didn¡¯t know the uses for.


    ¡°Where do these go?¡± His hands were full.


    Kellen looked up, confused and annoyed, ¡°You know where they go? Inside!¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Justin began making his way past Kellon.


    ¡°Hey. Batten down the hatches. It¡¯s gonna be a rough one.¡±


    Justin piled the gear in the small maintenance room near the captain¡¯s quarters.


    ¡°So, he didn¡¯t tell you where they all go?¡± A gruff old voice coming out of a white beard peaked from behind the door. It was Malev. Justin gave a short sigh, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll put em in their places.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll help. Just show me where things go.¡±


    ¡°Kellen needs to learn how to show people the ropes.¡± Melav joked.


    ¡°Oh, he did,¡± Justin put another metal handle hinge away that he been lying about on the floor, ¡°just didn¡¯t show me what to do with them.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll get it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try and get it together tomorrow so I don¡¯t annoy him that much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not apart of this crew. You don¡¯t need to show him so much respect necessarily.¡± Melav gave a slight grin, ¡°Just do what you can do.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°But... we gotta be up a lot of the night for that storm. Make sure nothing blows off. It should be here in... about a few hours. I¡¯d say maybe we should take naps so we don¡¯t fall asleep when we can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, grandpa.¡± Kellen stood in the doorway with neatly wound ropes in a stack in his arms, ¡°Maybe you need a nap,¡± He set the stack on top of a large bin, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Malev laughed, making his way to his seat within the main piloting cabin, ¡°Trust me, I was like you when I was young!¡± The tiniest bit of sprinkling began on the nearly 180 degrees of windows around them, ¡°You two stay awake if you want to. I need to take a quick snooze.¡± Malev laid back in front of the navigation panel, put his hat over his face, and crossed his arms, ¡°Wake me up when it¡¯s 9, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yep...¡± Kellen walked passed him back out through the cabin to the main deck, ¡°Justin, wanna help me tighten the load? The straps are ready. It¡¯ll be faster if you helped.¡±


    Justin woke on his flat mattress; he had been out for three hours. The distant thunder had ended up lulling him to sleep. He looked at the clock, 8:00 P.M. The overhead light made his eyes hurt.


    ¡°Wake up Sleeping Beauty.¡± Kellen sat across the crew cabin, and the windows were dark. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you were able to sleep though a bit of this. It¡¯s been pretty bumpy.¡± Justin had gotten more used to his arrogant tone by now, and he ignored him.


    On cue, a smack against the boat hit, jolting them, and the rain rattled loudly through the ceiling, making nothing but noise.


    ¡°Hey, I think you left something out there?¡±


    His backpack. ¡°Shit!¡± Justin bolted up and hurried for the locked door, fiddling with it.


    ¡°Hey, whoa, you¡¯re not going out there, bud! It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s got everything in there! I¡¯m so stupid!¡± Justin ran out onto the deck, feeling the heavy drops in almost in pitch darkness, the waves making a deafening sound.


    ¡°HEY! GET BACK IN HERE!¡±


    The ship rocked to the left as Justin touched the far edge, attempting to find his belongings with his feet. The metal had no friction, and the diamond floor plates beneath were slippery.


    ¡°IT¡¯S SOAKED ANYWAY!¡± Kellen yelled again, ¡°GET IN HERE, YOU¡¯RE GONNA HURT YOURSELF!!¡±


    Smack! The ship was sent to the right, and he lost his balance. Twisting deeper to the left, it was on the verge of capsizing. Justin managed to get some air before slamming his back into the port bow and flailing and flipping over the edge. With his life flashing, Justin had fallen overboard, with his face towards the sky.

 Pelted

    The moment he hit the surface of the water, the surface changed. Snapping into place, the ocean turned to earth, and the rainy sky now covered itself with brown and green cracks from the trees overhead. The hard tension of what was once sea under him turned into a soft powder as he landed deep within a snow bank. The surrounding snow fell over top of his body. Surprised, he scrambled upwards, grasping at air, and wiping the snow from his face. Turning all around, he looked, bewildered, yet in awe. Surely, he must have died, he thought. No, a fall into the water from a height like that wouldn¡¯t kill him, unless he had hit rocks, of which there were none. Small divots littered the wet ground as he stepped away from the snow. Leaning himself against a tree, Justin still attempted to take in what just occurred¡ªsome sort of... shift or rift. The soggy moss collecting on the bark gave him a sense of realness. Was this real?


    A loud metal clatter and then a boom sounded, followed by faint talking, yelling, from the west. Where the sound came from, there were only trees, followed by a large hill that took place of the horizon with its height. A wave of faint thumping sounds followed the noise, and quickly, they became closer. Wracking, his brain tried to think, but all that came was more clouded confusion. Dashing forward, he found a suitable tree truck to hide behind, and the thumping grew. Off in the distance, he could hear the leaves on the grass being stepped on, crunching.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look this way!¡± A voice cried.


    Justin¡¯s body froze, tightening itself more against its safe haven. His heart worked harder, his blood pressure rising; it were as if his blood would boil. The noises lowered from a crowd to a single body, and his hearing focused on that which he couldn¡¯t see. Even if he wanted to see, his eyes were shut tightly.


    ¡°Come out, and we¡¯ll do you no injury!¡± A different voice yelled, and it was closer to his hiding spot. ¡°This castle hasn¡¯t taken any life for some time, but I¡¯ll assure you we¡¯re perfectly capable!¡± The voice threatened, their bow drawn, pointing it here and there before settling on the direction Justin was. Their voice inched nearer, ¡°It¡¯s just you! And... me...¡±


    Their voice grew more docile.


    * * *


    The large, light brown rabbit stopped in their tracks, suddenly setting their bow down onto the ground gently. Their glossy leather chest plate softly reflected the grey colors of the sky.


    ¡°Hey... I... sense that you¡¯re afraid. It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ve... set my weapon on the ground. Please, come out. Show yourself.¡± The rabbit waited, with no response. ¡°I, uh... understand you shouldn¡¯t be a threat.¡±


    Sense I¡¯m afraid? What does he mean?


    Quietly, they tiptoed on wet grass, masking their sounds as they peered around the trunk. Out of the corner of their eye, the human saw them. Immediatedly, the rabbit leapt, landing straight ahead of them, ten steps distance between them. Justin cowered.


    * * *


    Justin¡¯s eyes were slits, quickly opening to look at the figure before him, only to close them again, screaming. Amidst the noise, the rabbit belted out reassurances, now kneeling before them.


    ¡°I need you to relax! I don¡¯t have any weapons!¡± More screaming and kicking ensued, similar to a toddler. The rabbit reached towards a failing leg, ¡°I need you... To. Relax.¡± He repeated, in a bold, strong voice. Grabbing hold of their ankle, and after more distress, Justin began to feel something within him. As though he had been injected with anesthesia, his nerves became weaker in a matter of seconds. Steadily, like rolling down a hill unable to stop, the more tired his muscles became. He slumped, his breathing deep; his eyes closed.


    ¡°Do you feel better...?¡± Silence. ¡°Hey...¡± Lifting his head slightly, it dropped. ¡°...Oops. I guess I hit you a little too hard.¡± Sitting a moment, embarrassed and looking around, the rabbit decided, muttering to himself, ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s, uh, get you inside.¡±


    The room Justin had been placed in was filled with autumn colors. Browns, reds, and tans. A large mahogany bed with darkened gold sheets sat in the center. The same color encompassed the curtains hung along the vanity windows to the right. Moving counter-clockwise, a full body mirror, a large dresser, the room¡¯s entryway, and a bench topped with tan cushions touched the wall. To the left of the bed was a side table with a candle stick sitting atop it. The marble floor echoed the light around the room; the walls were an earthy brown. Near the mirror, the rabbit sat in a chair upholstered with red cushions. with a glass of water upon another smaller side table.


    Justin opened his eyes, and for a fraction of a moment he was the most thankful he had ever been; the nightmare had passed. Sunset light shone on face. It blinded him, and after the moment of rejoice had gone, he came back to what was now reality.


    The floppy eared rabbit had his snout poked into a book when he noticed Justin''s motions, a book titled "THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND SENSES OF SENSING: FROM BETA TO OMICRON, AND ITS EFFECTS".


    "Oh, I¡¯m so sorry," The rabbit stood up and swished the thick curtains closed, allowing Justin the adjust to the shade that was now replacing the sun. "I hope it wasn''t the sun that woke you up."


    Justin only stared once his vision regained. He had no control over his actions earlier, and now he was constricted by the large, heavy sheet covering him. He didn''t care to repeat what had happened before, quickly overpowering his urge to make more, ultimately pointless, bursts of emotion, replacing it with his now widened eyes.


    "Again, I''m sorry for earlier. I didn''t mean to scare you more." The rabbit continued, grabbing a nearby stool and stepping a few paces until he was almost touching the bedside."I think we should introduce ourselves. The name''s Adius, 24th patrolman of Orycto proper." Justin still looked through the rabbit, as if he wasn''t there at all; he wished his vision was lost again by the light from earlier. "Yeah, I, um..." The rabbit''s hands fidgeted slightly, "hit you a little too hard with Empathy." They paused, "We don''t get to use it often on people here in the castle."


    Finally, Justin spoke, in a serious yet dropped voice, "What the fuck did you do to me? What am I doing here? Take me back." He demanded.


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    Adius didn''t need to sense anything to know there was terror-filled confusion in his questions, quivering with anxiety.


    "Please, don''t worry. It''s safe here." Adius'' voice sounded like that of a cello, rich and unruffled, "I helped you calm down, but I let your transmitters go a little too long." He gave a slight, almost soulless chuckle, "We are part of a race that... has the ability to change the chemicals that get released in your body. I understand you were scared, but we''re only able to perform it with touch."


    "That doesn''t explain what you did to me?" Justin sounded impatient.


    "I touched you and made your brain release melatonin. I accidentally let too much loose, and you fell asleep. We call it Empathy."


    "Oookay?" Justin''s face was very clearly confused, "What do you mean you can sense me?"


    "All bucks in the castle can sense emotions."


    "You can... sense what I''m feeling right now?"


    "It''s clear to me I don''t have to. I can look at your face."


    Justin''s face flushed slightly, a mixture of embarrassment and being the center of attention.


    "Here, you must be thirsty." Adius got up and retrieved the water. "Drink this. It''s water."


    Justin didn¡¯t hear him. His mind was peaks and valleys of anxiety. He knows what I''m feeling every second? Can he read my mind, too?


    "All of us patrolmen went to the front gate after we all felt a disturbance... Something felt like it hit us all."


    Justin muttered, "Betazoid from Star Trek, and now the Force... okay..."


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°E- Nothing... Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask for your name?¡± Adius¡¯ eyes looked up with his head tilted down, hands under his chin with elbows planted onto his knees. ¡°Of course, I can ask you when I come back. I need to leave the room for a second... Here, I can give you more time to calm down and we can finish introductions.¡±


    The rabbit stood, walking over to the full body mirror, and peered while fixing his facial fur. He wore a white, long sleeve shirt with brass-buttoned cuffs, dark brown cotton breeches with a set of string suspenders, and a large, thin, dirty brass ring wrapped around the base of his right ear, almost as if it were a wedding ring. Adius¡¯ bare feet made loud pattering noises as he walked to the door before opening it.


    ¡°Justin.¡± The human called out.


    Adius looked back, ¡°Justin...?¡± He gave a slight smirk, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Wait here, please, take time to calm down. We¡¯re not in a rush, and if you get out of bed... please don¡¯t knock anything over.¡±


    Justin looked about awkwardly, replying stiffly, ¡°Sure... yeah...¡±


    Adius let out a stifled chuckle that only caught one breath. Closing the door with a sound that reverberated around the room, Justin fell back onto his satin pillow, sinking far down, becoming encompassed in it on both sides.


    * * *


    Adius followed the corridors he had always known, twisting occasionally, and down some stairways, until he reached the throne room he had been told to meet the queen, adorned with opulent windows on both side walls and a high dome ceiling. Coming through a small side entrance into the large open hall, two guards stood on either side of an empty decedent chair with red padded cushions and gold frame. He approached the guard on the left.


    ¡°Where is Her Grace?¡±


    ¡°Her Grace will arrive when she is ready.¡± The guard said sternly.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± A loud voice broke to the right of Adius. Walking into the chamber with a serious, quick gait, Her Grace showed herself. Her fur was cream colored, and she wore her gracious shining blue gown as usual. The gown matched her eyes, a piercing blue.


    Her Grace looked to her left as she walked forward, ¡°Adius...¡± She acknowledged.


    Adius backed up, so that he would stand center to the front of the throne, and his ruler sat and got comfortable.


    ¡°Do you understand why I called you here?¡± Her Grace continued.


    ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± Adius was more than just nervous. He¡¯d been called before his ruler three times in his life; this was the fourth.


    ¡°Well?¡± Her voice became aggravated.


    ¡°The man I walked past you carrying earlier, Your Grace.¡±


    She gave an anticipated smile, ¡°Yes.¡± She stared at him for a moment, ¡°Do you remember the previous time we attempted to help others out of the kindness of our hearts?¡±


    ¡°The Trader Wars happened, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°And you dare to disturb our peace... allowing them to come into this castle with open arms? Would you prefer more deaths to your fellow comrades, Adius?¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, I can explain. He was... genuinely afraid. He needed help.¡±


    ¡°And you sensed it?¡±


    ¡°I did, Your Grace. Please. I feel he has no where to go.¡±


    ¡°To be transparent with you, Adius, I¡¯m afraid, too. I¡¯m afraid of the integrity of our sovereignty with you inviting others into this nation without prior notice.¡± Her eyes stared into Adius¡¯. ¡°We are not a refuge for immigrants, Adius, especially not for wild animals.¡±


    The phrase ¡°wild animal¡± used for Justin, even if he had just met him, made Adius¡¯ blood boil.


    ¡°Your Grace, with all due respect, I just want to help someone. I understand lives were lost, but this is one person we are talking about, not an orchestrated group of a few dozen. I assure you he can¡¯t be a spy because his emotions don¡¯t fall in line with being a spy. From what I¡¯ve sensed so far, he isn¡¯t cold and depraved, he¡¯s afraid and-... and lost, and-¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡±


    Adius became disheartened after what he heard next.

 Antipathy

    Adius returned to the room, dropping a paper brochure onto the dresser, and stopped at the foot of the bed, leaning against it and letting out a disappointed sigh with his head in his hand. Raising his face up, he turned to Justin, who sat staring, looking content in not wanting to ask or say anything with what little he knew.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m alright...¡± Adius spoke dully, before letting out a chuckle like the one before. ¡°It¡¯s nothing about you, trust me... Speaking of... why don¡¯t we finish introductions?¡± The same stool moved to the same spot where Adius had sat before. Through the window, it was now dark, and the candles around the room were still lit, just as they had been when Justin arrived. Justin had been left by himself for 45 minutes, and his body ached badly, though he sat up out of respect.


    Justin seethed, ¡°Ah, my back!¡± He let out, hushed.


    ¡°Your back hurts?¡± Of course, Adius could sense they were in pain now, ¡°I can help you, just like I did before!¡± Justin shot him an anxious look, ¡°I can block your pain receptors... All I have to do is touch you.¡± Adius¡¯ face had no trace of humor. He was serious.


    ¡°...How?¡±


    ¡°How? It¡¯s... complicated. There has been research on it, though. There¡¯s plenty of information.¡± He realized he gotten slightly sidetracked, ¡°What do you say?¡±


    ¡°...Sure.¡± Justin still felt all the anxiety in the world.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to grab hold of your arm, alright?¡± Justin tried his best to relax, though he found his muscles didn¡¯t want him to. After a moment, he did feel the pain subside, and then turn nonexistent.


    ¡°Wow... Thanks...¡± Justin whispered in astonishment. ¡°What else can you do?¡±


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s complex, but... I can try to summarize. Empathy lets us manipulate chemical production, neurotransmitters, and receptors in the brain. Chemicals like... melatonin, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and along with that, we can affect the nervous and musculatory systems. I¡¯d describe is as like... a flow, or a liquid. We can use it on command. It doesn¡¯t always happen when... coming into contact with someone. We just need to focus on what we want the flow to ¡°be¡± when we use it.¡±


    ¡°I... guess I get it... How long does it last?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s similar to setting a timer. It can last anywhere from 30 minutes to... generally accepted, 10 hours. I gave you 10 hours worth.¡±


    Justin gave a shy grin, ¡°Thank you...¡±


    Adius sighed, ¡°I suppose I should tell you what happened... our majesty, Her Grace, was speaking with me, and... she¡¯s replaced my position in the watchmen division because of me bringing you here. She wants me to watch over you until further notice.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. There¡¯s nothing I can do now. Her say is final.¡± Adius looked at the brochure on the dresser before going to pick itup, ¡°Speaking of watching you... I guess I should feed you, too. Here¡¯s the daily menu. It¡¯s past dinnertime, but I can bring a food cart up here.¡±


    ¡°Man, right off the bat a lot of these look good. Crusted tilapia, broccoli cheddar soup, sirloin steak? You guys really eat this?¡±


    Adius gave a chuckle, ¡°We¡¯ve been self-sustainable for years now.¡±


    Picking an item, Adius went to work fetching the meal, heading downstairs as he promised, and in a few minutes time it was delivered, with Justin shoveling the meal into his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoy it!¡± Adius watched Justin seemingly ravage his food.


    ¡°Sorry, I eat fast, but it is really good.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll be staying here for tonight, or up to a few days depending on when I can find you another room. This is my quarters.¡±


    Justin¡¯s chewing slowed to a stop, smiling awkwardly, ¡°And there¡¯s only one bed,¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Adius returned the smile, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, as long as you don¡¯t snore.¡±


    The rabbit laughed once again, ¡°No, I don¡¯t snore, I assure you, but yes, there should be a spare room I can put you in soon.¡±


    ¡°Good... I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I don¡¯t mind your company, but I like privacy.¡±


    ¡°I understand. If you¡¯re finished, I¡¯ll take your dishes to the washroom.¡±


    After ten minutes, the rabbit returned.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s snuff the candles and get to bed I¡¯d say... put on my nightwear.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had some.¡± Justin joked.


    ¡°Yes, um... I suppose you can sleep however you want. I won¡¯t mind, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Uh, alright.¡±


    With Adius stepping into bed, and Justin finding himself comfortable, flipping over to his side, they laid, backs facing one another.


    Two hours passed with no progress made. Justin¡¯s eyes felt drowsy, but he was no longer comfortable, keeping his eyes shut for minutes at a time, unable to relax. Now, his side hurt, and he focused on it, wanting to turn around yet not wanting to feel awkward or embarrassed, and while waves of relaxation did hit him from tiem to time, they never lasted, and he would be once again tensed up. His eyes kept scanning the dark room, unable to see anything, yet it was for the internal satisfaction of mere sensory input. Feeling as if he should reach out, he was too shy. He didn¡¯t want to wake Adius in the instance he could become upset. He had said they would have a big day tomorrow, exploring places and getting to know others, but it would be a tired one at this rate.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Hey,¡± A voice above a whisper said behind him, ¡°turn around.¡±


    Shuffling, Justin did as he was told, wriggling his body to his right.


    ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± Adius continued.


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°I felt so... do you want help?¡±


    Justin thought of him using his power on him earlier, Empathy. Surely, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have it applied to him again.


    Justin sighed, ¡°...Sure.¡±


    From underneath his pillow, Adius revealed his hand, resting it against the bed, letting gravity do the work. ¡°Take my hand.¡±


    Justin felt the warmth of their grip, a mixture of their body heat and their fur that covered it.


    ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    For Justin, a brief moment went by before he would be able to remember anything and waking up the next day, but for Adius, he felt something rather extraordinary. In lieu of them sleeping, their emotions and thoughts became nothing, and in time, the emotions they did experience collided, as if they were a conglomerate spherical mass of an element, suspended in a void while morphing and changing within him. Of course, it was forbidden to use Empathy on any other rabbits inside of the castle, and he held on to this moment, not just mentally, but physically, keeping his contact with Justin until he felt the need to finally break away. And the ball of emotions faded from his own mind, and he drifted off to sleep himself.


    For once in his life, Justin awoke feeling refreshed, looking around the bedroom and wanting to jump onto his feet, however Adius was gone. As if on cue, Adius himself stepped though the now open door to the room, eyes locking onto Justin.


    ¡°How long have you been up?¡± Justin asked.


    ¡°Thirty minutes. I just finished bathing; I suggest you bathe, too. I don¡¯t want you looking mangy when we head downstairs.¡± He smirked, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people you could meet. I don¡¯t want them to get the wrong impression of either of us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Justin smiled back, ¡°I¡¯ll have to put my old clothes back on, though.¡±


    ¡°I can find you some scent to put on.¡±


    Adius walked to the bed, making the comforter and organizing the pillows, before showing Justin the washroom he had just come from, and after some time, Justin took the same route as the rabbit had back to the room.


    ¡°Are you ready? We have a bit of walking to do today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m used to walking,¡± Justin joked.


    ¡°Come on then.¡±


    Making their way through a stone and marble floored corridor, every corner of every wall seemed like a carved pillar, not with meaning, but all with great detail nonetheless. On occasion, some walls had large etchings of lively rabbits in them, jumping around in fun games and activities; others had groups of bucks with bows, and with others does helping their community within the castle. Each one of these carvings the two passed, Justin admired them, fixated on them while walking, almost bumping into Adius at one point. Even the stairways had carvings around tunnels, with flowers and ornamentation snaking their way down, comprising the full lengths of some sets, wrapping around the corners of the entry and exit-ways, spiraling. All the while, Justin felt conscious of the dirt on his shoes making a mess down the washed and polished floor throughout. Adius told Justin not to worry, but he still felt like he was making unnecessary work for invisible people whom he would never meet.


    Circling a third, more grand stairway, the duo stopped in what appeared to be a lounging area. Many large ornate rugs hugged the glossy floor, filled with reds, greens, browns, and yellows. Along every wall were rows of candles affixed, as well as candles on eight structural square pillars across the space, surrounded by numerous tables, chairs, couches, and other light sources, clumped together in groups. The ceiling was decorated with paint and more elaborate depictions¡ªmore cryptic depictions which Justin couldn¡¯t even begin to understand. Pictures of hordes of rabbits among other animals, driving many of them away, seemingly as some sort of grim reminder of how this place came to be the way it is.


    Two handfuls of rabbits were inside of the lounge, one scattered, and another grouped, talking amongst each other. Two more white colored bucks stood on the far end along the right corner, blocking a door and having a one-on-one conversation.


    ¡°This is the grand lounge area. Personally, I can see you coming here a lot in the future.¡± Adius lightly nudged Justin, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to some of the bucks in here.¡± From then on, names were tossed into the air as they both went around the room casually, Jaks, Besil, Lukas, Schreider, all of them greeting with visual ecstasy at Justin¡¯s presence... until they reached the black one. The black, tall, armed rabbit that Justin saw across the floor immediately when he stepped off of the final stair. The one with the scar across its nose, stretching past the left corner of their mouth and piercing their jawline, and their greyed ear tips standing out among the background. They finally approached him.


    ¡°Justin, this is Oden. Oden, Justin.¡± Oden gave a very unamused glance.


    With the biggest smile he had given thus far, Justin gestured, ¡°Hi.¡± he said, awkwardly quick. Oden¡¯s eyes shifted to Adius¡¯ face, still cold and serious, expression unchanging.


    ¡°May I... speak with you for a moment?¡± He continued staring at Adius, ¡°In private?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Adius himself gave a massive smile, following Oden behind one of the pillars holding the room.


    In one motion, Oden grabbed Adius, pinning him against the pillar and drawing his knife to his neck, ¡°How dare you incite violence in this kingdom!¡± His voice was a whispering yell, ¡°After what happened before, and you bring this- thing in?!¡±


    Adius gave a mocking smirk, ¡°And you chose?¡±


    ¡°Do not play games with me, Adius! You know as well as I do we do not need more!¡±


    Adius dismissed, ¡°I knew you would behave like this, Oden.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t get them out of here, I won¡¯t hesitate... It¡¯s either one... or many.¡± He paused for a moment, ¡°I know they¡¯re trouble.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, sir, with all due respect.¡± Adius¡¯ tone flattened.


    ¡°And neither do you! You don¡¯t believe me... I know it... But you¡¯ll find out... Once there¡¯s more blood shed.¡±


    ¡°Hey!! What¡¯s going on here?!¡± The two rabbits nestled near the door came rushing over.


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Oden very quickly withdrew his blade, ¡°Absolutely nothing.¡±


    One of the bucks stared at the black one, as if attempting to challenge Oden on who could be the most serious, ¡°You cannot be abusing your seniority, Oden! Your seniority means nothing if you¡¯re threatening other members! If I see anything like that again I¡¯m reporting you!¡±


    ¡°Me, too!¡± The other white rabbit beside him added.


    ¡°Me, three.¡± Adius interrupted, giving yet another mocking smile, ¡°And I¡¯m tempted to report you for using Empathy on me.¡±


    Oden jutted his gaze between all three, before becoming more enraged, ¡°Get away from me!¡± Storming past Justin without so much as a glance and heading for the stairs, others tipped their heads up, following him with their eyes, before he disappeared up the grand staircase.


    ¡°Thanks, Hayl, Venith. You looked over just in time.¡± Adius joked again.


    ¡°Sorry... we were caught up in our conversation...¡± Hayl said.


    ¡°If we were on duty we would¡¯ve just went straight to the report book.¡± Venith added.


    Adius shot Venith and annoyed look, ¡°You could¡¯ve done it just now?¡±


    ¡°Eh, we¡¯re not on the clock. We know he won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Adius turned to Justin, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about that...¡¯ He wiped at his shirt, ¡°We call Oden ¡®Odd-en¡¯ sometimes for things like what just happened. Sometimes he gets a little... over-stimulated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, really. I just don¡¯t want to see people get hurt I guess, in front of me.¡± Justin admitted.


    ¡°Neither do any of us, not anymore. That¡¯s perfectly understandable, and it¡¯s unprofessional what he did threatening me... and you. He¡¯s... overprotective of people he cares about.¡± The rabbit looked Justin in the face, ¡°I¡¯ll try and make sure we don¡¯t cross paths with him again.¡± His face gave a short burst of being ashamed, then moved back in line with more seriousness, ¡°Knowing him, he probably went up to is room to think about things ...He does that a lot.¡±

 Curiosity, For Better or Worse

    Adius desperately wanted to change the subject, ¡°So, I suppose now would be the best time for us to move some more?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Justin also wanted to stretch his legs, ¡°Where do you recommend?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the library. It¡¯s near my room in case you need anything, and it¡¯s another spot to relax.¡± He subtly used a looser definition of relax, given what had happened. ¡°I know you wanted to learn about things, right?¡±


    ¡°Alright, yeah, sounds fine to me.¡±


    Leading Justin back towards Adius¡¯ quarters, they came upon the library, a relatively small room filled from floor to ceiling with bookshelves. More clusters of tables and benches were scattered around the room, with rustic-looking chandeliers lighting the space with a warm glow, that did indeed feel rather comfortable as Adius had said. Justin could see all of this, and he hadn¡¯t even stepped inside yet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to pick out some books. If you need anything, I¡¯ll head back to my room. You remember the path, turn right, second door on the left...¡±


    ¡°Go straight to the corner, on the left. Yeah, I know, thanks.¡±


    Justin watched as Adius disappeared, then looked back through the open entrance to the cozy space. With a few paces, he was in, and immediately he noticed a front desk to his right, with a black rabbit attending it. The area where the rabbit¡¯s whiskers were was greyed, and the whiskers themselves drooped more than one in their prime. Above their nose sat a thin frame of glasses, small and gold, and their ears were pitched like tents, bent at their midsections. He was looking intently at his desk, staring down papers, squinting, then he muttered to himself, ¡°No, no, no,¡± before picking up a quill to his right and striking something out with purpose, ¡°It¡¯s late. I don¡¯t care what he thinks. Rules are rules...¡± Justin heard his intent-filled and grainy voice once again.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    The rabbit looked up, a small frown on his face, yet he quickly lightened up, ¡°Ah, hello! You must be the new one...¡± He closed his notebook, setting it aside, and he exhumed interest ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, um... I was looking for books about this... Empathy thing you guys have? I¡¯d like to learn about it?¡±


    ¡°See that bookshelf to the left where you came in?¡± They pointed, ¡°That¡¯s the educational section. It¡¯ll have what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Saying thanks, Justin scowered the shelf, looking past many subjects. Anatomy books, military books, culinary tutorials, all thickly-bound heavy works of pages. From sporting books to gardening, there was a lot of information that Justin wasn¡¯t interested in, though he was still curious. Pulling out a few miscellaneous books while searching, he noticed that most of the authors were female.


    Desperate, he turned to the bottom row of the shelf, where many thinner, frankly depressing looking books sat. Finally, he found one: ¡°Emotions And Empathy: What We Know¡± by Fuedeus F. Jack. It was an old book with outdated information, it seemed to Justin. Skimming through pages and skipping through paragraphs, it was a published paper, stating more about the basics of psychology than this supposed sixth sense that these bucks possessed. A few minutes of reading a whole lot about nothing gave Justin an idea. He needed to get his hands on that book Adius was reading. It was thicker and looked like it had useful information in it, right? Heading back to the room, however, Adius was gone, but his book still sat on the table.


    Adius roamed the halls, letting Justin explore for himself. He had changed his mind. He decided maybe it would be best if he wasn¡¯t cooped in his room waiting for Justin to return, in favor of actually doing things. I don¡¯t need to babysit him, he thought, He¡¯s an adult. He can handle himself, surely. The halls were unusually quiet today, but he did hear something nonetheless, Oden. From around a turn, Oden was speaking with someone; Adius stood still, listening.


    ¡°What do you care about them being here, anyway?¡± It was Vale by the sound of it. Adius considered them an acquaintance, but Oden spoke with them much more often.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to take any risks! Do you want more people killed?¡±


    ¡°That was years ago, Oden. It should be fine now...¡± Another rabbit spoke, a doe, Jaklyn. She had a distinct voice, but again, Adius barely knew her. She and Vale lived on the opposite side of the castle grounds.


    ¡°Do you two not care about our safety? I haven¡¯t stayed in the brigade for all these years to kill, alright?¡± Oden¡¯s voice rose up.


    ¡°And you won¡¯t.¡± Vale continued, ¡°I think you¡¯re getting too worked up about this. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m worried alright! Worried no one¡¯ll believe me when that thing ends up doing something to us! They¡¯re a menace!¡±


    ¡°Oden, you¡¯re paranoid... Look, honestly... I think this is a new low for you. They¡¯ve done nothing wrong. They¡¯ve only been here for, what, a day?¡± Vale said, his voice subdued at first, then becoming suspicious.


    ¡°You¡¯re not concerned one bit are you? You¡¯re with me for a reason! We¡¯re supposed to keep ourselves out of danger! Stop it before it happens!¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, we appreciate the commitment,¡± Vale dismissed, ¡°But I think it¡¯s time Lyn and I got to our activities we had planned for the day, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Her voice was also quiet now, almost sensual.


    ¡°Does no one take their job seriously around here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we do... Just not as serious as you, Oden.¡± Vale chuckled.


    Now I really need to make sure Justin doesn¡¯t cross paths with him. Adius thought about the possibility of Justin being hurt with how emphatic Oden was behaving. Usually, Oden was collected, but this new thorn in his side was the one that hurt the most, and he made it apparent. Adius agreed with the two of them, that this was abnormal for Oden, and it sounded as though he wanted Justin to be made an example of.


    Bringing things up to Her Grace would most likely be ignored. She was notoriously difficult to ask about trivial things like mere paranoia and suspicion instead of factual matters, and when it was important to her, she went in with full force, neutralizing the problem. Of course, on that day 20 years ago, the method was the same, and has only gotten more strict since. Many bucks bent the rules every day, and it was a bad habit, even for Adius. Can I blame myself? He thought. While it was true nothing significant has happened in all of that time, ever since they were driven away, to Oden, it was like waiting for an inevitable volcano to erupt, as if it were past due.


    ¡°Hello again.¡± Adius smirked, now staring at Justin as he walked through the door. Justin was laying on the bed with his eyes closed, and he instantly heaved himself up after hearing their voice.


    ¡°I was just resting my eyes.¡± Justin lyingly admitted.


    ¡°Did you find anything in the library?¡±


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    ¡°Nothing that I was really looking for, no... but I did look through your book if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He pointed to it, sitting on the side table.


    ¡°That old thing? It¡¯s fine.¡± Adius picked up the book, the pages flopping about inside of the hard end covers, ¡°It needs to be rebound soon, anyway.¡± The tan rabbit took a glace at Justin, ¡°May as well use it up until then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just skimmed through it. It¡¯s interesting, I just couldn¡¯t focus much on it with it being a text book.¡±


    Adius gave a quick chuckle, ¡°Then clearly it wasn¡¯t interesting, was it?¡± Adius stepped from the side table and chair over to the bed, and sat on the edge beside Justin, ¡°You know, I have an idea. In a few days, we¡¯re having our bi-annual Orycto fair. Do you want to come? There¡¯s sports, games, food, it¡¯s fun! You came at a good time.¡±


    Justin hesitated for a moment, not sure whether to go to such a foreign event he knew nothing about. He made up his mind quickly, fuck it, ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Great! I just don¡¯t want you to be cooped in this room. That¡¯s not a good way to spend your time here.¡± Adius got up and pulled the curtains to the windows closed.


    ¡°Yeah... Yeah I agree. I¡¯m... kind of more of an outdoor person.¡± Justin looked at a small decorative wooden clock perched on top of the dresser, ¡°It¡¯s about noon. Should we get lunch?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh... yes, but...¡± Adius stammered. He hoped Oden would be in the second dining hall, in the west wing of the castle, and he thought of leaving Justin in the room, ¡°Never mind,¡± He said quickly, ¡°I¡¯ll come down with you.¡±


    Taking the same path as they had before, Justin still tried to memorize the pattern. They diverged, however, at the second staircase, turning left instead of right, which led way to a broader corridor with more of the same murals depicting playing kids and young adults. Other rabbits walked with or against them, with those coming back holding small bits of food in their hands. Surprisingly to Justin, not one batted an eye at him, and he felt this could be the best place he could have resided as a stranger in a strange land. Turning right at the end of the corridor, a larger room presented itself, not too dissimilar from the lounging room, but it was much more packed. Long tables stretched from one end to the other. On the left wall was a great lit fireplace, and the right was barricaded by a single sill, draped in white cloths, with the kitchen further behind it taking up another third of the room. Platters of food sat, with bucks and does alike forming in front of them, all equally boistering away.


    Perfect, thank you! Adius had just scanned the room looking for Oden, but he was nowhere to be found. The two continued, making their way around the parameter and into the line that was formed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a buffet?¡±


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t put all of our food in the middle of a table and eat like savages.¡± Adius joked, ¡°We have order. It¡¯s not so easy to feed everyone here. Besides, all of the food is freshly made.¡± Adius looked out into the room and casually waved to someone he knew, before the rabbit started towards him.


    ¡°Hey, Adius, haven¡¯t talked in a while!¡± Their coat was a dirty grey with white patches; their ears stuck up like antennae. He gestured to Justin, ¡°This the new guy?¡± Word had obviously spread around rapidly, and to Justin everyone called him ¡®the new guy.¡¯


    ¡°Yes! This is Justin.¡±


    Justin gave a quick wave and an awkward smile, ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to like it here. Don¡¯t let anyone intimidate you. We don¡¯t bite.¡± The grey buck said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your name is?¡±


    ¡°Wyver! Nice to meet you.¡± He thoroughly took Justin¡¯s hand and shook it with a tight grip.


    ¡°Heh... Same...¡±


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t mind if I call you ¡®Tin¡¯ do you?¡±


    Justin hesitated, ¡°...No?¡±


    ¡°Great, oh, Adius, you competing in archery this year?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Adius ruffled the back of his head, ¡°I haven¡¯t been practicing as much as I should have for it.¡±


    ¡°Aw, that¡¯s a shame. Well, I won¡¯t bother you two more. I already ate; I was about to head back upstairs. Hope to talk to you again, Tin! You seem cool!¡± Wyver turned around and bounded, before spinning back towards Adius, ¡°Hey! Look for me out on the field!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I will!¡± Adius gave another quick wave.


    ¡°Who was that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just... one of my old friends. I¡¯ve known him since I was around five.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know a lot of people around here.¡± Adius remarked. ¡°Hey look, we¡¯re almost to the food.¡±


    Indeed, they were. Justin¡¯s eyes locked onto the upcoming plates and trays of food, and he was more amazed than before! Juicy sirloin steak, sliced sunfish, meatballs and gravy, he could have sworn these rabbits were carnivores! The meats however paled in comparison to the excess of vegetables to go along with them. Dishes of salads and dressings, tossed squash, carrots, and zucchini, three giant pots of stews¡ªthese people knew how to eat! Justin grabbed everything he could want, filling his plate to the point of no space left. Adius was somewhat wide-eyed. The two had set at a table, and when Justin was finished, he went back for seconds.


    ¡°You must have been hungry!¡± Adius teased.


    ¡°I was, actually. I didn¡¯t want to bother you about it.¡±


    ¡°What? You wouldn¡¯t bother me! I have nothing else to do but to look after you! Just let me know!¡± Adius finished his first helping.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re sure you can¡¯t get your job back?¡± Justin thought of being ¡°looked after,¡± and how juvenile it sounded.


    ¡°Grace¡¯s orders...¡±


    ¡°Wait, so how much power does she have, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Uh, she inherited it from her father, King Jesper, His Grace, and her bloodline has been under control for...¡± Adius thought for a moment, ¡°Around 500 years.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Justin wasn¡¯t sure if he should be excited about the abrupt history lesson. ¡°So, what¡¯s it been like under her rule compared to the king?¡±


    Adius¡¯ face scrunched, ¡°It¡¯s... alright... She can be difficult to work with, to be quite honest.¡± He admitted.


    ¡°And the king was never like that?¡±


    ¡°I was only 3 years old when Her Grace came into power.¡±


    Justin gave an acknowledging nod. Finishing his second plate, Justin and Adius were back in their room. Adius gave Justin his general daily routine. After lunch, he usually found himself studying, whether through a book or through physical exercise. Outside, on the south side of the castle, there was a community pond to swim in, an archery practice field, handball, a sport that sounded similar to badminton, and...


    ¡°Pole vaulting?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Adius said confidently, ¡°I¡¯m not much of a fan of it, though, myself.¡±


    ¡°Man, you guys must be well built if pole vaulting is a casual sport.¡±


    Adius laughed, ¡°You could say that,¡± He gave a large grin, ¡°I would argue my legs aren¡¯t very muscular, not compared to others who have a knack for it.¡± Justin unintentionally took a split second glance at Adius¡¯ biceps loosely outlined in his dress shirt. He hadn¡¯t noticed them before. ¡°Well... it¡¯s up to you what you¡¯d want to do for the afternoon, evening.¡± They continued.


    ¡°Um, I think I¡¯ll just... continue reading.¡± Justin picked up ¡°THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND SENSES OF SENSING¡± book again, its weight making Justin¡¯s knuckles turn white from holding it with one hand.


    ¡°Suit yourself. Speaking of archery, I may go outside and practice some. I don¡¯t want to disappoint Wyver if he asks me for some competition!¡± Adius left the room, leaving Justin to his own devices.

 Equity

    Justin laid in bed, not being able to sleep once again. He had insisted to Adius that he didn¡¯t need any help, and that he could absolutely fall asleep on his own. He had never had any issues before. He had been kept awake from the noises on the floor below him, wrapping up for the day as they, too, wanted rest, putting objects away and preparing for the next day. Now, the sounds were over, and it had been dead silent for what felt like several hours.


    It wasn¡¯t his fondness of the past which kept him thinking, but the opposite¡ªthe barrage of his new life happening to him, and his anxiety from it. A constant battle inside of him fought, the two ideas, trying not to worry about everything that was taking place around him, and the fact that what was happening was lucid and livid, pushing its way back into slot #1 in his brain as the other attempted to win in the footrace, ultimately falling short again, as it had the previous twenty-five times. Staring at the black wall in from of him, he looked at the door. Though he could not make it out, a tiny sliver of light could make itself bigger at any point if it wanted, as if it were inevitable, baking a warm glow into the darkness, forcing itself into the bedroom, as if light itself was looking for a place to hide. This was a new confliction, one that didn¡¯t have any basis, as with many thoughts within the brain at any given time, popping in and retreating. Yet some stuck.


    Adius was sound asleep. Justin could feel it.


    Noon broke the next day, and Justin decided he would return to the library to escape. Looking at the numerous works, he had finally found one to ease his mind: A book of poetry. Justin was never a person who indulged in poems, nevertheless he picked it, turning to a page that interested him.


    In His wake I do wonder


    Why every man asunder


    Every woman and child, too,


    That begs for reverence of someone who


    Tries but doth not succeed.


    Causing unfortunate calamity


    Amongst the people, he must decide


    Who will live and who will die,


    For he will never cease to put forth


    A bade in seeing their lives come apart.


    For he has no shame, no understanding, nor


    Faith in ones¡¯ own people, he shall awake


    A new group, one of more confidence


    And one with less defiance


    Towards him, so that he shall not have


    To murder them in risk of becoming deprave.


    Under one¡¯s own life, common man wonder


    How he who he raised under


    Could possibly cause a stir like none other


    Truly, this causes the biggest blunder


    Of them all.


    It was surely thought-provoking. He could only wonder if it was based on true events? Flipping to the next page, there was another, this time shorter poem.


    In a dream, I do lay


    For my dream, I do say


    Was well underway


    To put my mind at bay.


    And so I rest,


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    My mind, by behest,


    Was put to the test


    In doing what it does best.


    The collection was titled: Rusk S. Kairne: A Life¡¯s Work. Instead of checking out the book, however, Justin considered keeping it on the shelf, coming back to it to look into if he needed.


    ¡°Oh, that is a good read,¡± The black rabbit behind the desk said, ¡°Very informative!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name?¡± Justin had never asked the librarian.


    ¡°Burian, Burian Laringer, and yours?¡±


    ¡°Justin.¡±


    ¡°Ah, nice to meet you Justin. I would shake your hand, but mine are full¡± Joan joked, papers scattered in front of him on his desk.


    ¡°You own this library?¡±


    ¡°I operate it, yes. My father owns it but I will end up inheriting it. My brother used to sit behind this desk, but sadly he passed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was very sad... I never intended to be surrounded by books all of my life. I get too engrossed in my work, but I feel I should do it for my father. He¡¯s too old to run this place; he would be sad to see his work go to waste.¡±


    ¡°These are all his books?¡±


    Yes. He was an avid reader. He enjoyed collecting, as you can see.¡± Joan looked from side to side marveling at the shelves. ¡°Unfortunately... My father will pass soon, too. He¡¯s holding on, always has...¡± Joan picked up a stamp beside him and marked a paper. ¡°Late.¡± Justin chuckled. ¡°Sometimes it amazes me how many book around here are late.¡±


    ¡°I guess they can¡¯t put ¡®em down!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± The two laughed.


    ¡°Well, nice meeting you,¡± Justin said.


    ¡°Yes, you too. I appreciate you listening to my rambling.¡± Joan smiled, with Justin giving a narrow smile back.


    Adius¡¯ body sprung up forcefully, flying without wings as he lauched himself higher, again and again, like he had done so many times before. His weight formed an arc, barely grazing the crossbar, and immediately, he understood he would need to do it again. Turning to his back, he spread out wide, allowing gravity to bring down his disappointment in himself as he hit the landing area with a thud. Sinking, Adius laid on the padding, thinking about what he and Justin were going to do. What to actually do in this day-to-day boredom without his duties, without Justin¡¯s whatever-he-had back home, and he sighed.


    Adius looked to his left, watching Wyver run at a peculiar angle¡ªup. He sat up, now seeing Wyver run normally around the large track encompassing the various sports activities. His friend had always been an athletic prowess, putting himself outside as if by an uncontrollable force every day, no matter if he had had his duties recently or not, and it showed. Adius was self conscious about how much stronger Wyver was than himself, but it didn¡¯t matter now, now that he couldn¡¯t put his strength to good use day after day, at least, not like he used to.


    The mat beneath him began to burn under the sun, and he rolled off. His streak of touching the crossbar was now at 5, and he needed to break it if he wanted to subtly show off to his friend at the upcoming fair, showing him in a ¡®Hey, I can do it, too¡¯ sort of way. His friend always took small jabs at him, boosting their own ego with claims and boasting about their personal goals they had completed recently. ¡®I ran five miles in ten minutes.¡¯ He remembered him specifically saying, and while it may have been impressive, two people were able to play the game. If he wanted to prove something to Wyver, he could afford no mistakes. His goal? Ten trials with no crossbar contact. As Adius walked to the beginning, his vaulters pole in hand, he had to admit, having an exercising addiction didn¡¯t sound so bad. Lining up, looking forward to the exhilaration of the swing and row, Adius took another breath and started again.

 Watchful Eye

    Justin and Adius woke up bright and early for the day of the Orycto fair, in order to get the most out of it. Adius had mentioned many types of carnival games would go on throughout the day, food stands, and the grandstands of course, holding all the major events where folks could come and go at their leisure. Since Adius participated quite late in the day, they had agreed to amble around before needing to get ready. Justin gladly took in all the event had to offer, especially considering all of the food was free.


    After the hours of games and laughs, the two took their seats in the crowd, gazing onto the current badminton match at hand. To Justin, it may not have been as exciting as tennis, but it was good enough, and slowly he became more intrigued, watching the players dart, dive, and smash the birdies into the court. The whiffs and claps of the rackets could be heard from the stands, but it wasn¡¯t long before the cheering of the people overpowered them. The points racked up, and the referees counted with their megaphones. Through the saves made, Justin actually found himself cheering just as everyone else! And he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Eventually, however, it was time for Adius to leave Justin behind, following downstairs to the field, as the managers made way for the pole vaulting event, clearing the nets. Four judges took their places, The chief judge decides the starting height of the crossbar, a senior judge controls the time limit for each participant, as well as observes the runway during the performance, and the final judges, along with the senior judge, grade on style of takeoff, performance, height, and landing. Each vaulter would run three trials, and at the end their tallies would be added and averaged. If a vaulter were to touch the crossbar, they would be allowed an extra trial. If they were to do so again, they would be disqualified. If the crossbar were to be knocked off by a vaulter: Disqualified...


    The disqualification exceptions continued for some minutes, despite Justin¡¯s dismay...


    At last, it began, and as Justin could make out, Wyver was first, and clearly, he was focused. All three of his trials were completed hastily¡ªappearing perfect. Justin was quite frankly astonished, though the participants on the field didn¡¯t seem deterred. The score was made: 9.1/10. ¡®Surely, no one can beat that,¡¯ Justin thought, but Wyver was furious, showing his anger towards the judges, and stomping off of the field disappearing, as if he had trudged back to his bedroom. Next was a rabbit Justin didn¡¯t know. They were peppered black and white, looking confident in what they were about to do. In some minutes, their trials were finished as well, with an 8.6 out of 10. Their face was much more disappointment than anger as they sat on a bench off to the side.


    Through all of this, it was as if the crowd couldn¡¯t get enough. Waves of cheering erupted during each vaulter¡¯s entrance, then silence, then swelled again for the landing. For everyone, it seemed like the enjoyment came from the stunts themselves, and not from how well or bad each opponent did. There was no rooting, apart from a few instances of onlookers screaming the rabbits¡¯ names from time to time, and it was likewise that way for Justin. All he wanted to see was Adius¡¯ performance, and hoping they would be satisfied of it.


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    Subliminally, Justin had begun to scan the crowd around him, curious, as if he couldn¡¯t help but do so. He looked to his left. An almost sea of clashing earthly colors was there. Black blacks to greyish whites, and browns of darks and lights. He looked to his right, and almost immediately something caught his eye. He saw the black rabbit, Oden, the one who had threatened him and others in his presence, sitting there, as still as a statue.


    And they were staring straight at him.


    Oden stared at his mark. The previous days had been spent thinking, plotting ways to get rid of this potential threat among his people. They were all naive. This infection amidst their body, their home, couldn¡¯t be neglected; he felt like the only white blood cell looking to attack it. He needed to be bold¡ªsomething they couldn¡¯t escape from, only to end up ostracizing them, no. It wasn¡¯t good enough¡ªof course, it wasn¡¯t about notability. For years he attempted to please Her Grace, but nothing had been good enough for even a simple thank you. He would show her. Despite giving her only the highest of respects, it was never equal in return. He ignored what everyone had been telling him, fixated on this desire, this foreseeable goal against this unarmed nuance, waiting for the perfect time to cross the line, and he understood¡ªhe knew, exactly how he would make it happen. To rid this person of their voice and to bellow out his own in declaration only towards one doe. All he needed was what he had been wasting. Time.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Justin as startled by Adius¡¯ voice, ¡°Did you see me?! I got an 8.8! That¡¯s good enough for me!¡±


    Justin broke his vision from Oden, looking up from his seat at the tawny rabbit, ¡°Yeah! Yeah, I saw you! You did good!¡±


    Adius smiled, feeling accomplished, ¡°Come on, the fair¡¯s ending. It¡¯s getting darker out, we¡¯d better head up to the room.¡±


    Justin nodded in agreement.

 Misconceive

    Justin looked at the glow inside of the dark bedroom, as he faced away from Adius. Out of habit, Adius recommended sleeping rather early, 9 P.M. Justin didn¡¯t mind. He had kept trying to empty his brain of the paranoia pertaining to the scarred rabbit, and though Adius had told him to ignore it or to forget, he couldn¡¯t shake the loose feeling that something terrible could happen. Justin had always been anxious over smaller issues, and he knew he needed to force himself to quit thinking about it. He rolled over to his left.


    ¡°Adius,¡± He beckoned with his voice. The rabbit stirred, a questioned noise coming from him, ¡°How did you become a watchman?¡±


    Adius turned, ¡°If you need help getting to sleep...¡± He started.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Justin insisted, ¡°I¡¯m just curious. I¡¯m just... trying to think of things to go to sleep.¡±


    Adius sighed and recalled, ¡°Alright, well...¡± He hesitated, almost telling Justin to simply clear their head and sleep, but he didn¡¯t have the strength this time of night, and let it go.


    ¡°When bucks are young... when they¡¯re around 12 years old, we go through some training exercises, a trial, to see if we¡¯re fit to become a watchman... you haven¡¯t been outside around the east out edge, but there¡¯s a wide lane set up for the test. There¡¯s a lot of things we need to pass, and if we do pass, when we turn 18, we get the job automatically. To be honest, it¡¯s not as luxurious as it seems; it¡¯s... quite boring. Eight hour shifts; we walk around the perimeter of the castle... guarding... not much. At least, not anymore. There were threats, a long while ago, but they haven¡¯t been near us in... oh, a few years it feels¡ªof course, you came along, but... those who originally attacked us haven¡¯t been back. That¡¯s a whole ¡®nother thing that I won¡¯t get into.¡±


    ¡°Do you get paid for this work?¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t. It¡¯s completely voluntary. All of us take the opportunity because we don¡¯t have many other things to fill our days besides the usual entertainment, so we see it as sort of a way to help our community.¡± His voice sounded bland despite the subject, as if he didn¡¯t want to be reminded of the repetitiveness and exhaustion of pure boredom.


    ¡°Well, what about Burian? Did he not pass?¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge, he didn¡¯t pass on purpose. He didn¡¯t want to become a watchman, and some bucks actually don¡¯t mind working in the castle in a doe¡¯s position.¡±


    ¡°I see... maybe some men think it¡¯s more worth their time to be busy rather than stand around?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly a good way to put it...¡±


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    Not an hour more, and Adius was now asleep. Justin was thankful that he slept silently, but it gave way a non-interrupting stream of thoughts, questions that he had asked himself before, but not to this absurdity. How would he get out of here, out of this world? What lies before him; should he be worried about what could come? Why have his problems before him grew into this mountain that he felt unable to climb? It was as if Justin¡¯s river of unanswers was being sucked out of him by a vacuum, leaving him dry. Like an empty well, even if he wanted a drink, he would not be able to get one. Closing his eyes, he could only see the inside of his eyelids, and it made him all the more restless and uncomfortable. The projector shown to him inside of his mind, showed the unknown with flashes of color.


    Oden sat within the grand lounge, alone in the very early morning. The quietness was just broken by the sound of the clock on the opposite wall, ticking. Oden¡¯s relaxation surprised even himself. He had never gotten a moment like this before in a long time, actually feeling at ease. Lying his head low with his eyes shut, something broke his peace. It appeared Lyn had had the same idea, coming to join him.


    ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± Lyn started.


    ¡°I was,¡± Oden replied in a serious, hushed tone, ¡°You woke me up.¡± Even the act of breaking his state of mind made Oden upset. ¡°I was thinking.¡±


    Lyn smirked, ¡°Well if you were thinking in you¡¯re sleep,¡± She sat down beside him, ¡°It¡¯s called dreaming.¡±


    Oden scoffed, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any dreams.¡±


    Lyn paused, ¡°You¡¯ve been more hostile lately...¡± Lyn admitted, hearing the upset in Oden¡¯s voice, ¡°I know you dream of being a good watchman.¡±


    ¡°If I do it every day, it¡¯s not really a dream, is it?¡±


    Lyn¡¯s concern was glaring, ¡°Maybe you should relax a little, during work¡ªstop being so... by-the-book?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t relax during work, that¡¯s why I¡¯m relaxing right now! And you interrupted it! Can I at least once get some peace and quiet without someone breaking it?!¡± He shot up to is feet, pointing at his accuser, ¡°I¡¯ve done more work than any of you! And for not a ¡®thank you¡¯ or anything, especially by Grace!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get what you deserve! You¡¯re a hard worker!¡±


    ¡°How long? Is what I¡¯ve been doing not good enough for anyone? Bunch of... naive idlers! I¡¯m not like you!¡± Oden walked strongly towards the staircase.


    ¡°Wait! I didn¡¯t mean... Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Bed!¡±


    Lyn listened, as his feet trudged up the steps.

 All He Wanted

    Justin had been summoned in front of Her Grace, and he didn¡¯t know why. Of course, all he had heard of her were bits and pieces, none of them being particularly good, and how she could be very demanding. He found himself unnerved by this authoritarian, this disciplinary rule-maker as he walked to where he had been directed. Stepping into the hall, he saw the blue velvet lined throne, empty, with two guards, one for each side. A matching, long azure rug stretched prominently along the width of the room, coming to the center where the throne sat, and pushing away from it, forming a ¡®T¡¯ shape. Banners hung from the walls with fine, seemingly intricate symbols lining their edges. Justin more-so was eluded, not knowing the story or meaning they were trying to tell anyone who came into this place¡ªAdius hadn¡¯t bothered to mention them. Stepping in front of the throne where the blue ended as if he were stepping up to home plate, he showed confidence, shrouding his nerves through his face. One of the guards spoke.


    ¡°Tell the truth!¡± He said dignantly. His brown fur glistened under the sunlight shining through the ceiling as it was passing over himself and the other. The guards wore hats akin to military captains, their short brims keeping the light from blinding them.


    The truth? Justin had been telling the truth since he¡¯d arrived! There wasn¡¯t a reason to lie!


    ¡°You will address her as ¡®Your Grace¡¯ when she is speaking to you!¡± The second one stated. This rabbit was spotted, black and white. Matching both of their caps, azure uniforms were fitted for their bodies, however there were strangely no badges to be seen, no medals of honor to show for their positions.


    They didn¡¯t demand anything of him further. Now, standing casually, not even knowing whether to show respect through bowing when she entered, Justin¡¯s insecurities grew, and it added a third confusion to the list. The tone shifted when Her Grace did finally enter. The guards saluted her as she made her way to her cushioned velvet chair, and she had timed it. The sun didn¡¯t hit her face.


    Her Grace smirked, ¡°Justin,¡± Her posh accent came out, and she relaxed as she sat back, ¡°I assume you were told why you were to come here?¡±


    Noticing her gestures, Justin subtly relaxed as well, ¡°I wasn¡¯t notified, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± She muttered, before making her voice clear again, ¡°I summoned you here to simply question you on how your... stay is coming along, whether there has been any, mishandling of you, shall we say?¡±


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    ¡°No mishandling, Your Grace. I appreciate your generosity!¡± Justin wanted to be on her good side.


    ¡°Excellent. Has Adius been treating you well?¡±


    ¡°He has, Your Grace.¡±


    She nodded slowly, and out of curiosity due to his differences, she asked, ¡°Tell me, has there been any hostility towards you?¡± Justin truthfully yet shamelessly mentioned Oden¡¯s subdued aggressions, and her smile went away, ¡°I understand... Oden has always been a painfully loyal one for our community. Sometimes it seems that words can hurt more than any weapon could. Inside.¡± She admitted.


    ¡°Your Grace, may I ask a question?¡±


    ¡°Granted,¡±


    ¡°Why is Oden so loyal?¡±


    Her Grace paused in thought for a moment, as if whether or not she should say something, ¡°Long ago, there were divisions between us and neighboring kingdoms... well, they were once kingdoms, but they have dwindled to colonies. His father was one of those killed in an attack on our ambassadors. We fought them away and... learned from our mistakes.¡± She said with more solemn in her voice. ¡°They learned not to cross with us.¡±


    Now, it clearly made sense to Justin for the unabashed behavior of the scarred rabbit¡¯s towards everyone around him. His distrust towards who he saw as a menace seemed justified from what Her Grace had told him. And Justin felt, against everything he didn¡¯t like about this rabbit, who was eager to ostracize him, that he should apologize for being a nuisance. Surely, it could help gain more of their trust, and stop this needless hatred against him, the mole in the rabbit¡¯s burrow.


    Word got to Oden of this meeting, and only one thing was on his mind.

 Moving Closer

    Oden made his way into the bedroom, buried under the dusk, only to be seen with every flash of lightning from the uncovered window. The blade in his hand was concealed from the light with its weathered matted sides, walking soundless. In Oden¡¯s thoughts, it didn¡¯t matter what the attention he received was going to be, as long as it was recognition¡ªrecognition for doing the good or bad deed¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t know until after the fact. The voices of everyone had to be blocked out once it was finished, only to focus on Her response, and if it was negative, may his life be over for all he cared. On this night, Justin has easily drifted under, and it was Adius who had not. This certain feeling told Adius he shouldn¡¯t have it easy tonight, and that he should be alert as if he were doing his job. Now, he sensed Oden. He knew they had broken in to enact something; he knew this had been bound to happen, and he lay silent. He guised his stiffened muscles for relaxed ones as he felt Oden creep closer to the side of the bed. Justin¡¯s side.


    Oden had always been strict about the amended rules whilst residing in Orycto, the ones put into effect ever since the War: No unnecessary or unfit use of sensing abilities, No unjust violence, No collaboration with other kingdoms against your Residing... These were ones that came to him before; now his mind was blank. The ever-loving community he had been ingrained in since birth, and they always kept their doors unlocked.


    Adius touched Justin, administering him adenosine, to ensure he wouldn¡¯t wake and putting him into a deeper sleep.


    Oden saw the two motionless, with Adius lying on his right side, and the thing facing the same direction. He couldn¡¯t pin any thought the think, but at last he reached the bedside. I¡¯ll run, he thought, hard and deeply. Oden shortly hesitated. It will be over before it started. He¡¯d come here to do this. He raised one arm quickly over his head, the knife faintly glistening. But as fast as he had ascended, he was stunned.


    Adius had shot around and up, pushing Oden hard with an outstretched hand, dealing them a message to their brain. Oden¡¯s entire body contracted, as if he had touched an electric fence. His heart burst out of his chest as he dropping the blade and stumbled backwards, falling. The scarred rabbit panted from shock and vague pain as he lie on the floor, catching his breath. And the knife hit just as he did, bouncing erratically and clattering. Adius leapt out of bed. Words couldn¡¯t describe how angry they were.


    ¡°ODEN! What-!¡± Adius was stopped by the realization of the sound the weapon had made, hitting the floor as it settled. He quickly looked at Oden. ¡°You tried to-!¡±


    ¡°For the GOOD OF ORYCTO!¡± Oden heaved out, ¡°He¡¯s dangerous! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing! Keeping them here!¡±


    Adius¡¯ face was boiling. ¡°You have no right to rid Justin of life!!¡± Adius began to choke as he said this. ¡°I am going to Her Grace, and I am having you restrained!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use!¡± Oden even still finally caught his breath as he sat up; his intentionous expression all the while locked with Adius¡¯ dread, ¡°She¡¯s on my side! That¡¯s why she took away your duties!¡± He staggered to his feet with purpose, immodesty and indignation, knowing deep down that his business here had failed. And now, he stared at his enemy in the flesh, both of them as one. Oden spoke again, letting his corrupted view spread out into the room.


    ¡°Everyone will be saved when he¡¯s dead!¡±


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    ¡°GET OUT OF HERE!!¡± Adius screamed, and Oden did just as he should have done right as it has failed. He ran.


    Adius crumpled back into his bed, thankful that his handling of the situation has worked, and Justin was still asleep. Not only was he shaken, but now he fought whether to tell Justin of the thought that they could be dead. He sweated, lying on his back, before turning to face his friend, half-curling into a ball beside them. Before long he physically shook after everything had sank in, and he was left to his own devices. An hour later, Justin awoke, Adius staring back at him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Justin asked.


    Adius¡¯ shaking started up again immediately after hearing him, ¡°Not me... but I¡¯m glad you are.¡± He mumbled.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Adius, using all his honestly, told him of the attack. He couldn¡¯t hide this from Justin, and he knew it would break their trust. Adius watched as their heart grew heavy through their skin.


    Despite Justin¡¯s thankfulness, he chose to be left alone in the end, pushing their savior away. Adius felt a sense of guilt, but he knew Justin would come around. More storm clouds rolled in, and each raindrop grew more distinct from one another.


    Justin¡¯s paralyzed dropped far into the mattress, and his eyes widened from the bottom of the deep hole. The opening shown a shifting black mass, who gleefully threw knives down into the pit, some of them piercing his body with their newly smithened sharp metal and their warm handles. Every blade which stuck into him stung and felt warm, and the warmth would grow, not knowing if it was the blades itself or blood. He was not able to look down onto his body. He could only feel as they entered in quick succession. Without warning, Justin screamed, though he didn¡¯t know what for.


    Justin opened his eyes again, and felt Adius wrapped around him, with the quilt swaddling at his waist.


    ¡°Get off!¡± Justin yelled out. He¡¯d been clear before.


    Adius jolted awake himself, ¡°Ah! Sorry! I thought...¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    ¡°I just want to help you!¡±


    Something clicked inside of Justin. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Don¡¯t do that shit! Stop manipulating me!!¡± Adius couldn¡¯t get a word out, ¡°Use your shit to take me home now!!¡± Justin stared for a brief moment before throwing himself down onto the bed facing away.


    Adius sat silent for a while, ¡°I can¡¯t...¡± He admitted, ¡°I can¡¯t take you back...¡± The silence drew out for a few more moments, ¡°I need you to hear me when I say, I want you to be as comfortable as possible... I know...¡± He trailed off, knowing he shouldn¡¯t say their name, ¡°They did what they did, but you¡¯re here! You¡¯re alive! ...I won¡¯t do anything you don¡¯t want me to do. I¡¯ll leave you alone.¡±


    Justin drowned in his pool of self-depreciation while the rabbit stayed true to their word. Adius didn¡¯t sense anything, forcing himself to ignore it.

 In The Corridors

    The presence of everyone had been still ever since that night, and the air now always had a sickly feeling to Justin. To say he was paranoid was an understatement, despite Adius'' assurances that nothing would happen to him anymore. The report had been made, the papers had been filed, and Oden was set to see the judge herself. The contempt of every rabbit towards Oden was now unthinkably high, not that it was much different before the attempt, and even if it had been successful, it would have been on the end of the rope. The disgusted glances and scoffs from his cohorts were justified, and the black rabbit had etayed silent.


    Adius had wanted to cheer Justin up, though the time had been too soon, and he acknowledged their wants to be left alone. He felt enough time had passed now since the trauma. Adius motioned Justin to him, taking him to the North wing of the castle, the one that so for hadn''t been explored. Adius explained that this section was home to their historical collection and appraisement of many people, especially that of Asher the Great. Asher was a warrior in the time of the Collective, the time in which the continent they stood on was founded and conquered by many species at once. Adius explained further that Asher fought for their rights and future generations, and even the presence of the Orycto kingdom at all! He, Adius dare said, was what Her Grace wishes she could be. The center of the archive was dedicated to Asher''s memorial, opening to a large space with marble walls and gold trimmed pillars connecting their edges. Many tapestries and moderate findings encased in glass were about the room, and in the center stood are very large statue with a sunlight shining down upon it. Asher stood proudly, handing his sword up to a point in his colonial style coat; his muzzle, ear tips, and clothing were of a dusty darkened copper finish, the rest of him, the copper gleamed brightly as if it had been polished that morning.


    "I come here to help me calm down." Adius said, "It really helps me appreciate my life."


    Their life? Justin thought. He looked up at the massive colonizer. He couldn''t relate to any of this. His home was that of the big city, not of a rural diplomatic heritage home scape. It was impossible to tell Adius, but Justin wanted to say ''This doesn''t do anything for me; I''m sorry.'' He couldn''t do it. He continued to stare at Asher, and with his heart heavy, he simply nodded to their friend without a word.


    A guard looked into the chamber, surprised to see others in there. He straightened up. "Her Grace orders to lock down the perimeters!" He ordered, "Everyone must come and stay indoors!"


    Lock down? No one had heard anything about it! The two rushed to the center of the castle; Adius lead the way. There was a large gathering and verbal calamity, not everyone in the kingdom, but Adius guessing around 300 persons. Another guard shouted.


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    "Calm down, all of you! In light of recent events, Her Grace has ordered an internal lock down! She has not given a reason at to yet, and we will relay the message when we have received one! In the meantime, no one must leave the castle!" More shouts from the crowd rose up, "All bucks on watchman duties will be brought in!" Adius just so happened to spot Axel, and he did not look happy.


    * * *


    Two days passed. It had all been a sudden drill. Har Grace must have come to the conclusion that, due to someone almost succeeding with murder, there should be a preemptive lock down put into place to huddle up suspects, whether in or external. Needless to say, this did not help relieve the denizens'' concerns on the matter, and all rabbits, whether they knew him or not, consulted Justin in passing. Thankfully for Justin, with it soon coming to his realization, everyone cared for his well-being, and that was enough to ease him. Adius had gone off to fend for himself in the corridors; likewise, bucks also passed him, inquiring about their friend, to which Adius relieved their concerns as well.


    That was, until the perpetrator was within view far away, and they had the misfortune to lock eyes.


    One day before, Oden''s judgement had taken place, having been brought in front of Her Grace to face his consequence, after Oden had very reluctantly confessed. Rumours were told that there were cries behind closed doors.


    Oden forced Adius to stop next to him, pushing his hand against his chest, staring at him with with fury in his eyes and standing as still as a rock.


    "Why do you protect them?" He asked forcefully.


    "Because it''s the right thing to do." He began to turn away.


    "Just because it''s the right thing to do, doesn''t mean you should do it." Oden became gritting.


    "I didn''t get any sympathy growing up-!"


    "Oh, boo-hoo, Adius! You know what I got?!" His voice echoed in the hall, "I got disposed of, after putting everything into everyone''s trust for all my life!" He paused, as if not sure if he should say something, "I needed to sanctify the kingdom, and you, you took that away from me and had my life thrown away!"


    "Oden!!" Adius fumed himself, "Listen to what you''re saying! Drawing blood isn''t the answer! Never! Why do-!"


    "But it''s a sure way to get rid of the problem!"


    Adius was more than surprised. This rabbit who he''d known for so long...The tan rabbit looked straight into their face.


    "Well maybe you never deserved a title." He pushed Oden away, and walked to his destination¡ªaway from them.

 A Disturbance, Awake And In Sleep

    To Adius, everything was hazy and translucent. It slowly became clearer... and he felt... indifferent. He was in his room, and Justin was there, too. Suddenly, they were on some red sheets. Justin went underneath him, and a few moments passed before he exited, smiling. Adius still didn''t feel anything but indifference, and slowly he came to realizing, until he woke up.


    Justin wasn''t next to him. Maybe he had gone out to wash up or to eat an early breakfast. The white curtains faintly shadowed the sun as it hit the floor, and he got up. He was still in his cream nightgown that he always wore and hadn''t wiggled out of it whilst asleep. Thankfully. He felt his face was hot, and he went to the mirror but it wasn''t flushed. Good. He hadn''t felt any particular emotions towards his roommate, though now that he thought about it, it seemed Justin had forgotten about finding a separate bedroom for himself. He sat on his bed and realized further given his dream, Do I actually feel like this? Does he?


    He was quick to tell himself to forget about it.


    Justin had indeed been downstairs getting his breakfast as Adius entered the dining hall. He was seated across the room with three full chairs around him. Since many rabbits had heard of the attack and wanted to know his story, they started chatting. No longer was Justin the ''white flamingo in the pink'', as Justin would say, but his acquaintanceship with others had skyrocketed. But, what was there to tell of it? He was asleep.


    "It looks like you wanted a busy morning today?" Adius joked playfully as he came up alongside their table.


    "Well, I was wide awake and thought I should make the best of it." Justin had just finished his plate.


    A buck interjected, "Yeah, he was telling us about where he comes from! Pretty interesting!" The other two agreed.


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    Adius laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, I won''t hold you guys up. I just wanted to see where Justin had went."


    "You can join us!" Justin offered and motioned, stealing a chair from another table, "Please,"


    "No, I uh... I''m not hungry, but thank you, Justin."


    "You always eat breakfast?"


    "Well there''s a first for everything! Please, I''ll leave you guys alone."


    Adius had told the truth¡ªhe wasn''t hungry. Was it some feeling deep inside him holding it back? Was it a feeling of responsibility for having saved them? A feeling of nervousness in the case had he found something out at that table if he''d stayed? He escaped back to his bedroom, only to think.


    Oden was also left to his own devices. Wondering if he had just done... the job. If no one had gotten in the way and now everyone is against him everyone stomped on him even Her! He was a disgrace. A lowlife of a buck who couldn''t accomplish one fucking simple plan of execution. He, too, sat alone while Jacklyn delivered his meals to his door at his request. He was no longer kindly welcomed in the colony.


    "May I come in?" Jacklyn asked.


    "Yes." Oden was more monotone than he had ever sounded.


    The food cart clattled when it rolled in and around him. Jacklyn was silent watching Oden pick what he wanted. She had cared for him as a friend during all this time, and now it felt as though their relationship was at the end of the rope. And Oden wasn''t pulling her up.


    Against her better judgement, Jacklyn asked a question.


    "Why''d you do it?"


    Oden''s face went into a scowl. How dare she ask- she knew why he did it! She knew. He was silent for a few moments.


    "I wanted to keep-"


    "You wanted to keep yourself safe! Not everyone!"


    Oden wanted to stand up and show her what he meant with the back of his hand! He didn''t. He was deep enough as it was, drowning in external hate, and it would only turn one more person against him for good. He revelled in it. You wanted to keep yourself safe. It was true.


    "Thank you for the food." He thought it sounded much better at the moment.

 Struck

    Adius had had another dream about Justin a few nights ago, though he couldn''t remember the details, and it was very faded. It hadn''t been as... explicit as the first, but it was still intriguing to him nonetheless, and it honestly felt intrusive. Why did he dream of them, of all people, and why now? He chalked it up to possibly a foreign invader, something so outside of his realm that his mind has to come to terms with it in unconsciousness.


    Of course, it wasn''t dissimilar to him using his empathic senses on Justin, he thought.


    Even though things were simmering down inside the kingdom, on the outside, it was yet another overcast day. While Justin socialized and made the best of things, Adius could not for the life of him shake the awkward feeling he had. He cooped himself in his bedroom, not looking forward to when they came back.


    It was superstition that dreams had a prophetic quality to them. He had never believed it, just like luck. You either succeeded or failed based on the work you put into something. Adius looked out the window at the leaves bellowing past it, and it gave him something to do: write. Since he was little he had always had a soft spot for writing poetry. Simple lines with ideas. Sitting at his desk, he jotted what came to his mind.


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    Cannot feel the wind


    Can''t feel the rain or cold


    The trees sway the day away


    There weren''t many words to be told


    He sighed and stared at the most bland poem in existence. He could write better than that. He thought of his immortalized idol, Asher, and rambled up lines.


    A rabbit''s foes and woes are not succumb to


    Greatness of just one of a sum who


    Bring peace to the greater good¡ª


    He stopped as he realized, and he was struck with self discipline. Adius considered why he was wrought with boredom in the first place. It could have been Her Grace relieving him of his duties all those days ago. Or could it have simply been the weather... No.


    How dare he be so neglectful towards himself. With determination, he walked out the door into the gathering with all of the others. He needed to catch up with Justin.


    He couldn''t act like he was little anymore. He needed to act.

 Desire

    Adius excused Justin from his chatter for him, dragging him upstairs, though Justin didn''t mind. Justin took off his new knitted coat he received earlier, having been given to him as a selfless gift by another rabbit, and even though it was a dud gift and didn''t quite fit him, he knew it would have been rude not to accept it.


    Adius'' respectfulness was high on the scale, and he obliged, "Let me get that for you." His shoulder swept past Justin''s, and for a brief moment, as he watched his friend hang up the garment, he felt a very strange feeling in his heart. Something he had trouble explaining.


    Justin sat side by side on the bedsheet, now conducting the same chatting he had been thirty minutes ago. Adius was adamant about wanting to know more, and to bond, as if he had been brainwashed by the denizens of the kingdom who had done the same this whole time. After paragraphs of back and forth, stories of their worlds and small talk of what rest they had to say of their lives, Adius felt the feeling he had once more, only much stronger. It radiated off of him, being an empath, and Justin realized the source of it as his chest tingled again. Adius didn''t need physical contact to transmit. Justin''s face was a look between astonishment and concern.


    "Are you alright?" Adius asked with a hint of nervousness.


    "Yeah, I uh..."


    Adius knew full well what was happening, "Sorry... I... didn''t know I could do that... Unless?"


    Justin looked them in the face, his voice sheepish, "I... don''t know..." Was Adius expecting him to admit that? "Stop." He told him, signalling to tone their empathy down.


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    "...Sorry." Adius thought for a moment to get his mind in order, "Maybe we should talk about something else?"


    "What else is there to talk about?"


    The rabbit needed to calm himself down somehow, "Did I ever tell you about the Trader Wars?"


    Justin admitted no.


    He started, "Well, about twenty years ago, not long after I was born, the other kingdoms around us used to be friendly, and closer in territory to us. Us rabbits were unable to farm at all, so we relied on them to farm for us; in exchange we helped them defend themselves. Our defense mechanisms were generally better than theirs. The two kingdoms in question got along a little too well, and formed a pact. They became more equiped thanks to us, and they started to ween our resources in favor of each other. Eventually, it became so bad that Orycto was starving and some of us were on the verge of death. The queen sent a handful of representatives to one of the kingdoms where the three would meet and explain. According to... sources, a homemade bomb was set off, and it killed most of the bucks. Two of them survived; they made it back, and the queen ordered we would now be an independent kingdom and go about isolationism. We learned to properly grow our own food and it went in the history books."


    Admittedly, Justin felt sorry for them.


    But it wasn''t as sorry as Oden felt towards his self dignity. It felt as though the walls were colliding, but, there was something in his eyes to do now. He was the one who needed to get away, away from this miserable place that never did anything for him, only working him diligently harder, year after year! He would be appreciated elsewhere, another kingdom, even if it was treason under his selfmade code. It didn''t matter anymore. What was the point of staying in place, if they would force you into invisible chains and take your mental stability? If they didn''t care for him, not even Her Grace, then he would form himself a footpath of success¡ªa true desire path.


    On his person, he took what he needed and ran out into the wilderness towards the others.