Beauty and The Beasts: Rain

12. Better Late Than Never

     Normally Rain would have been glad she got a reaction from the tiger, but couldn't appreciate it now.  Third had found a small fur from her den and covered himself before returning to the two beasts.  After Third returned, Rain began speaking.

      "I'm going to return to the city," Rain spoke decisively, albeit a bit tiredly.  Both beasts present handled their surprise differently.  Winston's expression barely changed. Third's eyebrows almost flew off his face in a comical manner.  Both had thought they would need to convince Rain to return and did not expect her decision.  The two males looked at Rain worriedly.

     Before either male could speak, Rain continued, "I'm going to shed soon.  I think it would be best to be closer to safety for now.  I will find a new den another time."  Rain also had other worries, but did not want to voice them.  She wanted a safe place to think, plan, and allow herself to recover mentally.

     Winston nodded and accepted Rain's decision without a word.  Third could barely contain his excitement.  "We were going to go back after checking on you.  We can all go together!  You still have to tell me how you got your second mark!"  Speaking quickly, Third couldn't wait to have his sister back.  His other siblings didn't like having him around and he had been bored.

     Rain usually liked her brother's overly enthusiastic nature, but she was too drained to humor him.  Nodding her head she turned her attention to Winston.  She didn't want to take the lead and deferred to him to determine their next course of action.

     Winston was used to leading and had no problem taking Rain's cue.  Looking up at the sky, he determined they should be able to make it to a village just after nightfall.  "Do you want to take anything with you?"  Questioned Winston.

     Rain shook her head.  Luggage would slow them down and she did not have anything worth taking.  "Then we will go now.  There is a village of rabbit beasts along the way," said Winston.

     The three proceed to shift.  Winston glanced at Rain, who shook her head and moved forward.   She may have conceded a lot today, but she would not allow him to carry her.  She was more than physically fit enough to handle the trip and she still had some pride left.

     The group of three made their way to the village of unsuspecting rabbits.  They encountered no troubles along the way and made it by nightfall.  Rain's territory was located three days southeast of the city.  Winston could make it in one day, but Rain and Third would only be able to push themselves for two days at the most.  They were not in a hurry and did not need to sacrifice their energy or health.

     The three predators did not receive a warm welcome from the rabbit village.  In fact, there appeared to be no beasts at all.  Of course, they could smell them, but rabbits built their dens underground.  Rabbit communal areas and dens all had various tunnels interconnecting, making it difficult from predators to pursue them once they were below ground.

     Winston and Third sniffed the air, while Rain assessed it with her tongue.  Determining the area to be safe enough, Winston approached a well hidden burrow and shifted.  "Bring out your clan leader.  Tell him the Tiger King is here," commanded Winston.

      Winston didn't speak loudly, but he did not have to.  Rabbits had exceptionally good hearing, and he knew a sentry would be posted as a lookout.  The poor rabbit that was unlucky enough to be stationed tonight shivered in the burrow.  Moving deeper inside the tunnel, the rabbit let out a series of thunks with a hind foot and waited.

      While listening to the series of resounding thunks, Third decided to join in.  Rain watched her brother before sighing out a hiss.  Wondering how much confusion he caused for the rabbits, Rain snickered inside.  Third had a way with causing unintentional mayhem.

     Soon a bunch of grunting, clucking, and growling sounds were heard.  Out of the burrow, came a older rabbit beast and two younger ones in the beast forms.  The elder's hair and long beard were as white as snow with patches of tan throughout.  He stood half a head shorter than Rain in her mating form.

     The nervous elder glanced at the three predators, wondering if today was the day he would die.  He had elected a successor just in case.  He swore the beasts in front of him looked hungry.

     Growl.  Jumping at the sound, the poor elder knew he should've eaten the extra bite of hay.  He should have enjoyed his last meal and hugged his adorable female cub more.  Now he was going to be food and eventually fertilizer.  He had to buy enough time for his clan to escape and make sure the female was returned unharmed.

     So lost in his misunderstanding, the elder of the rabbit clan did not realize the female they needed to retrieve was not there.  Resigning himself to his death, the elder asked, "Why has the Tiger King allied himself with a feral?  Where is our injured female?"

     Winston had no idea what the elder was carrying on about. His expression remained neutral and he could smell the rabbits' fear.  He glanced accusingly at the leopard behind him.  Third would not meet his eyes.

     Third couldn't help his stomach.  He only ate a couple of fowl they caught on the way.  He hasn't eaten a proper meal since yesterday.  He wasn't going to eat the rabbits.  He turned to Rain, dark gold orbs pleading.

     Rain looked back and forth between Third, Winston, and the elder.  Resigning herself, Rain knew she was in the best position to fix whatever misunderstanding the rabbit elder had.  The elder looked like he had one foot in the grave and Winston's stoic expression and intimidating presence wasn't helping.

     Rain figured the feral they were referring to was her, and so she shifted.  She wasn't certain about the injured female the elder mentioned, but figured she'd find out soon.  A lack of reaction from the rabbits surprised her, but she opened her mouth to speak anyway.  "The Tiger King is requesting for shelter.  Does the rabbit clan not provide shelter for females?  I am not injured as the elder claims."

     Furrowing his bushy, white brows, the lamenting elder came back to life.  "Of course we shelter females.  Only feral clans do not offer protection to females, besides their mates.  Are you responsible for taking our female?  Are you her mate?" accused the elder, who spontaneously grew a spine.

     Understanding sparked in the three visiting beasts.  The rabbits believed Rain was a male snake that stole away one of their females.  Winston scowled, inwardly chiding the rabbits for not using their senses properly.  Rain blinked off her surprise.  Third rolled on the ground, laughing his tail off.