The Honoring

The rabbit jumped out of its hole in an animated and excited manner. The sun, round and solid, was on its way down. It had been a good week, and as in all good weeks, the rabbit had eaten a lot this week, and today was the special day. It was the day when all the rabbits would come out of their little holes to meet up once a week. The rabbit hopped as quickly as its little legs could take it to the place where Bunnykind would meet on this special day. For some strange reason, even on this special day, not a single other rabbit could be found. Bunnykind was very spread out and it was rare for the rabbit to see more than a few other rabbits in a particular day, but the rabbit recalled that on other special days, as they were honoring the Great Rabbits, it had seen a lot more other rabbits. Strange. The rabbit hopped and hopped in order to find the other rabbits, but it saw no one, as they had all left. Hours passed, as the rabbit traveled through the Great Forest. The special day, as the rabbit remembered, was supposed to honor the legacy of the Great Rabbits and to select a new one, all of which gave their very lives to protect Bunnykind. While in the Great Forest, the rabbit suddenly realized that it was lost. Thus, its legs gave way and it fell down, fast. A loud thumping sound accompanied the rabbits's fall, after which, the rabbit began to sleep. A few hours later, the Clever Fox walked by and deliberately picked the rabbit up, carefully picking it up and making not a single noise.

The rabbit slowly stirred, in the Clever Foxes' firm paws. The rabbit looked around and saw the other rabbits gathered in the area. That was probably why they couldn't be found in the gathering spot! The rabbit noted with a hint of sadness that one of his friends was not in the audience, the rabbit hadn't seen his friend since that special day two weeks ago. He was a true friend, and never cared if other rabbits thought it was plump. It was a story of true determination and eventual success, for his friend had joined the realm of Great Rabbits last week. The rabbit thought back to the Great Rabbits. The rabbit's friend became one, and perhaps the rabbit would become one too. It filled the rabbit with pride, Bunnykind would honor - 

The Clever Fox smiled at his reflection in the newly formed crimson puddle. Its teeth were as sharp as ever. The Clever Fox was full for now. Now it was time to clean up, and when the Clever Fox finished naught but the bones would remain. Afterwards, the Clever Fox purred and gracefully waltzed off into the night. It would be back in precisely one week. 

As the rest of the stars came into view, the rabbits that had survived the day dodged the bones of their kin as they fled into the night and ran back to their separate holes.