The King's Remorse

Wild Rabbit Chase

"Well... have you seen the rabbits that live up here?" A slight smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"The really c-c-colorful ones?" I bounce on my paws.

"Yeah. Too many eyes and a pair of antennae. Those."

"What a-about them?"

"Catch one, and I'll think about it."

"That's all? No hidden catches?" Phoenix narrows his eyes at the Midnight Wolf.

"Exactly as I said: catch one of the rabbits, and I'll think about it."

"And you'll actually consider it?" Phoenix's voice trembles ever so slightly.

"I will."

"D-do they go r-really quickly?" Imagine if I could really chase something. Something that can go even half as quickly as I can!

"Yeah, they do." A smile tugs at Arcane's mouth.

"Yay! I-I-I'll catch o-one!"

"You've got it, Clap?" Phoenix looks unsure.

"Y-yeah. 'Course I-I-I do; running i-is what I-I c-can do.?

It isn't hard to find one of the rabbit-like creatures; they're everywhere. The hard part is sneaking up on them. Their countless eyes don't miss a thing. I'm still a couple hundred feet away when they bolt yet again.

I eagerly give chase, accelerating in a few strides until I hear the clap sound. Whoah! The rabbits can keep up! My eyes never stray from my rabbit of choice, not even when it goes into a series of zigzags and sharp turns. My claws dig into the rock as I force myself faster. Come on, Clap! You've gotta catch the rabbit so Arcane can bring back Ky.

The rabbit suddenly slows for a fraction of a second to make a sudden U-turn. My tail swings out to the side as I follow the rabbit's path. I keep my gaze locked onto my prey; if I look away, even for a second, I'll lose sight of the rabbit.

My muscles burn. I've never run this much, never stayed going as fast as I can for more than a few seconds. Until now, that is.

I force myself to take longer and faster strides- the rabbit is so close that I can almost taste it, whatever the metaphor means. Brook told it to me once, though I never got it. Just before I can reach out and trip the rabbit, it disappears down its burrow. I slow my strides gradually; I can't just put on the brakes like I can on dirt unless I want to tear up my paw pads on the rock.

I could've sworn that burrow wasn't there a minute ago. I frown at the hole the rabbit had disappeared down.

I walk back to where Arcane, Brook, and the rest of the group are sitting. My sides heave for breath, and my legs feel like noodles. My heart pounds in my chest, beating at a million miles an hour.

"S-sorry..." My voice trails off as I pause for breath.

"You didn't catch a rabbit?" Phoenix frowns. His flames start to crackle.

"Y-yeah..."

"Why not?"

"T-... T—too... Too fast." The air burns in my throat with each breath.

"Too fast? I thought you could break the speed of sound."

"R-r-rabbits... Rabbits fast. T-too." I sit down.

I really shouldn't've run that fast. But then I wouldn't've caught the rabbit, though I didn't even catch it to begin with. Next time. I'll catch the rabbit next time. But I won't try again until I've had a bunch of time to recover. Next time, for sure.