The Rabbit's Creed Death Warren

By Maverick Manning

When death claims a warren, five rabbits must learn how to survive the harsh, dangerous world and create a new home for themselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890612052

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Prelude

Chapter 1: The Falling of Home

Chapter 2: Green Is Better Than Gold

Chapter 3: The Barn Cats

Chapter 4: Survivor Fife

Chapter 5: The First Sign

Chapter 6: Chores of Survivor Fife

Chapter 7: Riddle Me This

Chapter 8: The Strangers in the Chambers

Chapter 9: I'm Your Friend

Chapter 10: Survivor Fife Leaf Forge Rabbits

Chapter 11: Secrets and Battles

Chapter 12: Never Step in the Nevermore Tunnels

Chapter 13: Moonduster's Decision

Chapter 14: Disciple to Moonduster

Chapter 15: The Pillar of Clouds

Chapter 16: Breaking In to Breaking Out

Chapter 17: The King of the Barn

Chapter 18: The Only Good Thing

Chapter 19: The Camp's Fight with the King

Chapter 20: Deep Wounds

Chapter 21: Home

Epilogue

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The Rabbit's Creed Death Warren

Maverick Manning

Copyright © 2024 Maverick Manning

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2024

ISBN 979-8-89061-204-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89061-205-2 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Words from the Author

Government—there are several types of government. You can be a monarchy that rules its own country, like King Arthur or Alexander the Third (who was the king of Russia). Democracy is probably said to be the greatest type, for you need citizens' votes and a supreme court. It was invented by the Athenians in ancient Greece to choose who would serve the people.

What you are about to read is about types of government; rabbits are something close to a little on the monarchy. But different warrens have different types of government, so keep an open mind on what would make a good leader, a noble leader, or a dictator.

You decide.

I am Mr. Vulpine. Enjoy!

Prelude

Long ago, the first rabbit was named Hopkin. The Great Spirit who created him gives gifts to each animal, and Hopkin was given the gift of hearing. All the rabbits use this gift as a way to hear danger before it comes. If a rabbit hears men, they run; if the rabbits hear an eagle flapping, they hide, for they are one of the many creatures with a strong sense of hearing.

Hopkin ran from the weasels, foxes, and any other animals who would do harm to them. However, with great hearing come problems. The problems require a set of rules for all rabbits in the future as their population grows every day. If there is no set of rules, rabbits won't survive a day alone or in a warren.

So like all the animals, Hopkin wrote down a creed, set in areas, stating all rabbits' ways of living:

All rabbits have a head chief in their warren, and that chief can choose captains (around four and under) to lead sections of their burrows and set their outside watches.

All rabbits must roam together, eat together, and sing together; for alone, one is dead, but in many, we live (are living).

Males can have mates (up to seven) to bring forth the next generation of a greater warren.

Never trust foxes, for they are full of deceptions (especially to the litters), and the lies and fake smiles will do one or another harm.

A rabbit must never lower his ears; if he does, the predators will chase him, and they will kill him.

Chapter 1

The Falling of Home

Dawn broke the night's horizon as a new day crawled up. The wind blew gently in the fresh smell of green grass and dandelions. Birds started to sing on the new day, and all nocturnal animals returned to the dark holes from which they had come. The rabbits in their burrows started to come out. First, it was one, then two, then four, and then eight. They all sniffed the air and turned their long ears while turning their heads around.

One of the rabbits that were surveying the area put his head in the hole and shouted, Clear! And with that, herds of rabbits came pouring out into the outside lands. Some were brown, less were white, and some were gray, but most rabbits were spotted with black or brown on their white fur. There was one rabbit that came out last.

Picpick, a brown rabbit with one black spot on his right blue eye (around three weeks old), sniffed the air, stuck his head in the hole, and called, Hawkeye, come out now. The watchers said it is clear!

With that, a shy, small, fluffy, light gray rabbit with white covering his front paws (like when humans wear white socks on their feet) peeked out. Hawkeye was both excited and in awe at seeing the world above his head for the first time.

The open field was freshly green, and the dandelions spread wide in the tall grass. A fresh stream ran through the meadow. The rabbits roamed there daily. They drank from the stream and filled themselves up with clovers and lilies. The food was endless, the water never stopped for a second, and the dandelions and grass covered them for protection against predators. All other warrens envy the rabbits of the Dandelion Warren.

Hawkeye looked all around him; he saw the old oak where the chief and the five wise white magi talked about their daily business. White animals are said to control rain, but it takes a group of white animals (usually around twelve or one with experience) to control the rain season.

Come on, cousin. If you wait too long, the dusk class will be here before we have time to enjoy this morning, said Picpick as they both started to run to the stream where two other friends were waiting for them (Carrottop and Rosepeddles). Carrottop is a male rabbit (one week younger than Picpick). He is a bright white rabbit with brown spots all over him. Rosepeddles is a female rabbit (the same age as Carrottop). She is white with black spots that resemble rose petals.

Hello, guys, said Rosepeddles as Picpick and Hawkeye stopped in front of Carrottop and her.

Hey, guys, ready to start the morning? said Picpick.

All agreed and started playing tail tag, riddles, and predator and prey (like a human game of hide-and-seek). Hawkeye could always find them all when it was his turn to be the predator, but he was terrible at hiding. Hawkeye had the special gift of seeing things from far distances. He could see a small fruit fly on top of the highest tree if given the chance.

Hours passed, and the small, happy group of young rabbits had now turned to depression. It's dusk lesson time, isn't it? said Carrottop.

Yes, all three of them replied, and they all hopped together to the lesson group.

The watcher kept watch, watching for any troubles in and out of the territory. All the young rabbits go to the lesson group every day. Depending on the group the rabbits were in, there were dawn lessons, dusk lessons, and night lessons. Picpick, Hawkeye, Carrottop, and Rosepeddles joined the dusk group, where the rabbit teacher started lecturing them.

The teacher was an old gray rabbit who sat on a flat area and said, Now listen, group. I will teach you about white-furred and black-furred animals.

White-furred animals [such as the white magi] are the ones who resemble life and magic. They show hope in the world we live in, but there is also a necessary way of balancing the whites. The black animals resemble death and are full of mystery. When a black animal comes and says your name, you are supposed to go with them. When you are dying, they will come and collect your soul and then lead them to the afterlife. The black animals are called the reapers. No animal [predator or prey] should kill a reaper, and if they did, they would die in three days.

Excuse me, Alfred Teach, if the reapers collect our souls, what happens when they die? said Hawkeye as he raised his left ear to get his teacher's attention.

That is a good question, young one. You see, there is a theory that says that reapers get reincarnated into a new black body, somewhere far or near. The teacher went on to teach them about what to eat and what not to eat. Some of the other rabbits didn't seem to pay attention while he went on. But Hawkeye noticed a black rabbit hopping by behind the long, sharp blades of grass, heading toward the old oak.

That black is just here for the old doe. That has got to be it, nothing to fear, thought Hawkeye, convincing himself while trying to concentrate on the teacher's lessons.

Soon, he saw one reaper, then two, then five, and then a whole warren of them marching toward the old oak. Everyone began noticing the Black Rabbit Warren. The teacher followed them as the lesson group joined in on the investigation.

The Black Rabbit Warren and the Dandelion Warren members joined in around them as the old chief of Dandelion Warren came out of a hole under the old oak tree. He was Lioneater the Fourth (the big and large brown rabbit with dark gray spots with a stripe through his back) and was a rabbit whose ancestor (Lioneater the First) discovered the Dandelion Land. The only thing that Lioneater ever had was the dandelion all around. The white-furred magi joined him at his side under the old oak.

In front of the reaper rabbits, one stepped forward, sat up, and said, I am Grim, and I speak on behalf of the reaper rabbits here. Grim was a black rabbit with a scar that went across his nose.

The old chief only plucked out a dandelion next to him and said, chewing on the dandelion in his mouth, I thought one of you was going to collect the old rabbit today.

We are, but we are also here to give you a message. Dandelion Warren is an amazing land, but it will come at a cost. We are here to say the names of this warren and collect the souls of the dead and lead them to the afterlife tomorrow.

All the dandelion members screamed in a panic, and some tried to run but were blocked by the black rabbit reapers. You are a chief of sixty-seven, soon will be sixty-six, and then none.

Is there any way to save some of my warrens from this horrible fate, Grim? said Lioneater. He held a frightened concern for his warren and the safety of his members.

There is. Since the rabbits said that I looked like all the past reapers that have been collecting your ancestors' souls, we decided to give you an answer. You have five white rabbits as magi and captains of your warren. Therefore, they will decide on five rabbits who shall live and remain the same. Grim lifted his front-left paw at Lioneater. But you cannot be among them when they make the decision, for your time has come. Lioneater, the fourth and last chief of the Dandelion Warren.

The whole warren went silent. Lioneater turned around and went back to his burrow in the ground, with the white magi with him. Each black rabbit ran under the old oak, and each announced the names of the dandelion members in alphabetical order. Hawkeye felt depressed in his spirit because he realized his first time coming up into the upper world might also be his last.

Picpick put a paw on his little cousin and said, Come on, let's make the most of our lives while we still can.

Hawkeye nodded in agreement, and they both ran to the stream.

Inside the warren, Hawkeye decided to look at the nursery for the last time. It was a big nursery, but it was filled with does and baby rabbits. The does nurse the young baby rabbits with the milk they have in them, while the babies hop around, playing games like tail tag and predator and prey.

What's wrong, my son? A voice came from behind Hawkeye. He turned around and saw his mother, Dripdrop. She was a beautiful rabbit (around a year and three months old). She looked like a white rabbit in front, but she had a big black spot on her back. I thought you would enjoy the upper world, so why have you come back among your young cousins and kin?

Hawkeye sniffed a little and said, Nothing, Mother, it is just that, you know, tomorrow is the end of Dandelion Warren, and I might not be one of the five rabbits the magi will choose. I'm afraid that if I did get picked, everything that I know will be gone in one rising sun. Tears were beginning to form inside the little fluffy rabbit. I don't know if I will like the answer, Mother. I just won't either way. Hawkeye began to cry, lowering his head. His ears fell, droopy.

Hawkeye, look at me. Dripdrop lifted Hawkeye's head with her right paw and wiped a tear with the other. I feel sad that there won't be a tomorrow either, son, but I will be happy when there are five living. If you are picked as one of the five, I will be happy to know that at least, one of my litter is out there living, dreaming, and loving. If five get picked, remember this: our memory lives on—she put a paw on Hawkeye's chest where the heart is located—in here.

Hawkeye burst into tears as he rested his head on his mother. As she embraced Hawkeye, they nuzzled each other.

That night, the fireflies glowed brightly, like glowing lanterns. All the Dandelion Warren members gathered around the old oak tree with the old chief and the five magi under it. Hawkeye sat in between Picpick and Rosepeddles as they watched behind the crowd.

Have you made your decisions, magi?

The five magi did not answer; they only nodded.

"Then let us get this over with.