One-shot collection

Free From Destiny

Part 2 of 3

-Author's Notes-
Yeah, I decided to change it to three parts for extra fluff and development.

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The forest lay still. The winds had died, leaving the air thick with moisture as rain approached.
A crack of thunder filled the sky, earning a curious look from the white rabbit. She hadn't heard thunder before, but her larger, slower friend didn't seem as fazed.
He turned back for a moment, giving her a small glance before continuing. He altered their course by just a few inches as he turned toward the distant sound.
They came upon a strange scene. Or rather, strange for the bunny.
She rounded a tall, slender structure. If she had to guess, it could have been five of her standing on her hind legs.
As they neared, the tortoise turned, rounding the metal contraption with a nonchalant saunter. It was safe.
The bunny neared and gave the mysterious object a sniff. It was certainly metal; something old and rotted, covered in rust and peeling flakes of color similar to mud.
She followed, inspecting the object along the way. There wasn't much else to note other than a pair of wheels on either side. They too were made of metal.
They continued, encountering dozens, even hundreds lined along a seemingly never ending stone path.
The tortoise wasn't as mindful. He lumbered along, taking an occasional glance at the sky to correct course.
Soon, the sky fell black and the stars emerged. For now the tortoise lied still as he huddled into his shell.
The bunny scratched at the ground, making a small dune to lie in. By the time she was done, her friend's shell covered half the sky and he lied still, asleep.
She couldn't keep track of the amount of days that had gone by. They walked, following their shadows and running away from them. They drank as it rained and ate from the green stretching from one horizon to the other.
They encountered canyons of gray rock, structures of metal reaching the heavens, and forests so thick they could eat and drink for the rest of their lives. It was a journey unlike any other.
It took some time for the rabbit to understand her old friend. She noticed his legs shake when he walks and took note of the many stretches or dents in his shell.
They walked and walked despite his age. She didn't know what they were looking for, but he did.
One day, as they rose from another night, she watched him struggle to stand. A minute passed and she approached, catching a scent along his long and wrinkled neck.
He paid her a glance and sighed. His eyes nearly closed before opening with determination. The next attempt to stand was successful and they continued their long walk.
He was old, the rabbit realized. He was frail, slow, and grew increasingly more fatigued as they went on.
She watched him struggle and occasionally wheeze with a heavy heart. She remained silent, barely breathing as his struggles went on.
He was old, she noted. He was dying.
It was the only explanation, really. Every tortoise she met, although limited, never had such drive or conviction.
She watched him a moment longer until he stood. He blinked, slow and tiredly before moving.
Now the world was a backdrop, and her friend the muse. He was green, but not like the trees or grass, or the occasional fruit or vegetable they stumbled across. No, he was unique, he was rare; a one-of-a-kind occurrence in a world where nothing ever happened.
She sniffed, saddened by the way he moved or the noises of struggle he made. She wished she were bigger, perhaps his size to simply nudge him in the right direction.
One day, when the stars fell and the moon, shattered in two, loomed over them, the air changed.
Her friend lifted his head and smelled the air. She did the same, ending it with a curious sigh while his was cathartic.
As if illness hadn't taken hold, he began to move again. He grunted and groaned but he pushed and pushed. His legs shook as they grew tired and he panted, yet something magnetic, or something alluring had brought him here.
They broke off from the black stone path and went into a field of sand. It wasn't like normal sand, it was course and they sunk into it with each step.
Following her friend, the bunny felt his excitement. It was palpable and uplifting as for just a moment, she witnessed his long past youth.
Under the night sky, littered with an ocean of stars, he stopped. His legs finally gave away as he set his shell on the cool sand and he looked up, past the tan horizon to flowing and crashing waves of blue.
The sound was constant, like rain on a bad day. Yet even then it was calming.
The tranquil sight took hold of the tortoise whose eyes grew heavy. His panting died down as he let his legs rest and the environment take hold.
The bunny watched the stars morph and bend in the water for a long moment. She looked up at the moon, a shattered reminder of those who once were, and sighed.
She curled up under the roof of the tortoises shell, content, free, and alive. Soon, the tender breaths of her old friend ceased, going from a calm air to a silent grief.
Their journey had come to an end. She did not know why she followed him, she didn't know why she cared, she only knew that it felt right.