Somewhere deep in the woods on a bitter cold evening, there is a cave where a dozen wild rabbits were peacefully sleeping. Most of them were cottontails except for one rabbit named Blanc. She was different among them. Her ancestors were similar to that of Alice in Wonderland's White Rabbit, only smaller and endearing. For Blanc, her whole life has been a nightmare, for their breed had been hunted down by humans for generations who had been dying for their luxurious meat and their snowy white coats that were used for winter clothing. Blanc's charming yet careless nature had led her to dig her own rabbit hole - her own grave.
Blanc's ears perked up when she heard an indistinct sound, her head turned toward the only opening of their cave. Careful not to wake the rest up, she silently hopped her way out. Blanc gasped in awe as feather-like snowflakes danced with the wind. What once used to be lush green grounds with pine trees were now covered with fluffy, white cotton snow beds. The once indistinctive sound became audible, which turned out to be a heartfelt melodious tone. Unconsciously, Blanc sank herself to the longing voice filled with such heavy emotion.
Not realizing that Blanc was nearing the cliff, she came to a sudden halt as her senses returned. The rabbit scanned around and found herself facing the back of a creature ten times her size, its fur black as the sea at night. Raising its head up to the moonlight, ears set back as it howled. Out of all the animals wandering through the cold winter night, Blanc could've bumped into a friendly animal, but alas, why did it have to be a wolf?
A flash of terror hit the white bunny as she hurriedly hid behind the bushes, trying to blend herself. No matter how frightened she was, her eyes were locked at the creature's performance. Enthralled by the wolf's singing, she skipped a step and snapped a twig. Blanc mentally cursed, her breathing at an abnormally rapid rate. The howl was interrupted, ears and tail twitched with alertness. The wolf's head pointed at the exact direction where the white bunny hid.
"Come out, little bunny, I won't hurt you." A deep yet husky voice called. Despite the darkness of the night, the predator's sapphire orbs illuminated, piercing into Blanc's huge, obsidian ones.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you! I'll take my leave-" Blanc's teeth jittered, "Wait, how do you know that I'm a rabbit?"
"I can sense you," The wolf frankly answered, "But I never bothered attacking you right then because I'm not interested in your kind. I prefer deer meat." Convinced by his statement, the rabbit took a deep breath and came out of her hiding place. At the dark, the wolf watched Blanc approach him, "What are you doing at this hour? It's dangerous out here."
Blanc stood up, trying to maintain eye contact but struggled to balance herself. "Well, I can hardly get a shut-eye. Plus, your voice whisked me away."
"I apologize for that." The wolf heaved a sigh, "For now, you must leave. The wolves nearby might sense you."
"I want to stay and listen to you."
The canine lowered his head, facing the rabbit. "I won't allow that, little bunny. I'm warning you-" His words were interrupted when Blanc's ears set aback, obsidian eyes had enlarged similar to that of a puppy begging for food from its owner. The wolf grimaced, for it had sunk into him that this rabbit was acting all cute and never in his entire life had he given in to something like that. The wolf huffed exasperatedly as he gestured to the rabbit to sit between his forelegs and lean onto his chest. To Blanc, this was the coziest thing she ever tried.
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Winter Nights
RomanceBlanc's night has turned from nightmare to a dream come true when she meets the one who owned the melancholic voice. Story and Art by Sechan Tamura