“If you’re worried, I can take the herbs back to the warren, or Twitch’s,” Sylvia offered.
“I’m okay,” Russet lied.
The cliff where the foxes died wasn’t far from the owls’ nest. The forest between had sparse underbrush with the occasional jagged rock breaking the rhythm of the trees. Lord Sun shone brightly through the bare branches of the canopy, creating shifting patches of light and shadow. The day remained cold, even as the thin layer of snow began to melt into the wet leaves underneath. I noticed how my breath hung in the air as we traveled. Russet only noticed the divinorum in Sylvia’s pack.
“I know you can handle the stress,” she said as we stopped for a short rest. “I just thought if it wasn’t here, it’d be easier for you.”
“Please stay,” he said.
“We don’t know if we’ll actually need the Seerleaf,” she offered. “Maybe we won’t have to make it.”
I coughed and hoped to get his mind on something else. “We’re almost where the foxes died. If their ghosts are killing rabbits, they might actually be there. If they are, I’m the decoy. Chimera wants me alive; you can always save me after.”
It didn’t work. Twitch was about to try something else when Sylvia gave Russet a nudge and asked, “If we can’t beat them, why are we going?”
Russet shook his head. His ears flicked between us before he sighed and sat up. “The warren still exists. They attack every fourth day. Visions are internally consistent; each seer has rules. Basil and Hue have different rules, with the interaction between them being a third set. But we can understand how it works. Even if we only have a general idea, we can use those rules to stop them. Throw them back over the cliff or something. And if it’s anything like what was in the central chamber, I should be able to smell some details. If I can’t, we’ll have to make the divinorum into Seerleaf and come back tomorrow.”
Twitch almost asked why, but Russet added, “Seerleaf needs a full night to prepare. Even if I start now, it won’t be ready until morning. This is our best chance to see this place when it’s not a fourth day.”
“There’s one other concern,” I said with a shudder. “Konal might be stronger there. If it’s the source, then I’ll need you to keep an ear pointed at me.”
“You three are so dramatic,” Sylvia objected. “You’re not getting possessed, Russet is going to be okay no matter what we find, and Twitch isn’t starving this winter.”
“Okay, okay,” I said. “Russet, are you ready?”
“No,” he responded, “but let’s get going.”
Some bounds later, we arrived. What originally appeared as a clearing was the top of a ridge where the ground dropped off beyond. Past the rocky edge, we looked at the middle of the trees. It reminded me of being carried off by a hawk, possibly because the whole cliff had a faint sound of falling. I shook my head and batted at my ears. It wasn’t a real noise, but my senses trying to understand what was there.
I poked my nose over the edge. The fall was long and ended in a bed of jagged rocks frosted with snow. To my right, past Twitch taking a similar look, the impression of falling got louder. Or more intense. When I turned toward Russet, there was a shadow of a fox falling off the cliff. Startled, I looked back, there was nothing. My eyes thought there might be the slightest shimmer in the air, but it wasn’t real either.
“To your right. Can you see that, Twitch?” I asked.
“Blighted Twilight and Darkness,” he gasped. “That weasel just—he was right there.”
“I saw a fox.” I gulped. “I think it was Bremen, fox-Bremen.”
Russet grunted, but stayed almost a bound from the edge with Sylvia. “We’re in the right place. Although, I smell it more than see it. No wonder Hue terrified the warren, if one of her visions could do this after so long.”
We watched as Russet sniffed, following some invisible trail toward where the impression of falling seemed strongest. Almost the exact place where I thought I saw the fox fall. Sylvia stayed close to him, and Twitch and I tensed, unsure if Russet would be okay.
Sylvia asked, “Are you sure it’s her vision? What can you smell?”
“I think so.” Russet crept closer to the edge. “It’s strong. Smells like falling; wet leaves dropping from trees, rain, a hawk diving. Feathers and rushing wind. How can it smell like rushing wind?”
“Stay with us,” Sylvia said. “I can smell it too, but I can also see something. Can you look?”
We all tensed as Russet crawled to the edge and looked over. He took his time, ears flat back. “I don’t smell the foxes. I can tell they fell here, but they don’t seem to be here now. Maybe Hue is inside? No, she’s somewhere... she’s there, but not inside. She is the vision, a trap for them, made from her life. It needs me.” He shuddered. “Sil, I can’t back away.”
With deliberate care, Sylvia bit Russet’s foreleg and tugged, turning him away from the sight. When there was enough space, I got between Russet and the edge of the cliff. Closing my eyes as another image of a falling fox-Bremen tried to get me to jump, I used my back to push him to safety.
“We have to go down the cliff.” Russet whimpered, but remained still. “The divinorum went over. It didn’t hit the ground.”
“It’s still in my pack,” Sylvia insisted. “Stay with us. You’re stronger than this.”
“The vision felt like home.” He pulled his ears over his eyes and curled up on the cold ground. “A home I haven’t seen since—since before we met. Even after all this time…”
“You are not the same rabbit you were.” She gently groomed his ears, reassuring him that he wasn’t alone. “Can we use the Seerleaf against it?”
“No—Yes, but without the foxes within, it won’t stop them. It’s her death, a final desperate use of her abilities to hold the foxes.” He winced. “Let me look again; I think I can see more.”
Russet took a deep breath and uncovered his eyes. He wiped away tears and got to his feet with a slow, deliberate motion. One tap with his paw asked us to wait.
Twitch and I watched; with two taps, we agreed to let him face his demons. Not knowing the code, Sylvia stayed close and hopped with him back to the edge. He sniffed and looked, taking in what he could.
“There’s no way out. The bodies landed, but they didn’t. Not the foxes; not Hue.” His voice sounded haunted, far away, like he was having a vision. “It must’ve been Basil; a different set of rules to interfere with hers. She’s lost in her own trap. Even if I use the Seerleaf to give her an exit, she might not be able to find her way out.”
He sighed. “We’re not going to fix this today. I’m going to back away now.”
Instead, Russet dropped to his stomach. Sylvia lunged to grab his foreleg in her teeth. He shushed her and whispered, “Someone’s down there. I think they saw me.”
Despite seeing another fox-Bremen fall over the edge, I managed to look. A bit to our right, along the base of the cliff, a light shape—definitely a rabbit—poked its head out of what had to be a cave. It perked its ears up, glanced our way, then ducked back under shelter.
Sylvia had forced herself to look as well. “That was Cinnamon.”
“What?”
“We’ve got to get down there,” she insisted. “If the king’s daughter is alive, we have to get her back to the warren.”
“She’d know about the foxes,” Twitch added. “But if she hasn’t returned, then the foxes must have some kind of hold on her as well.”
“I guess we’ll have to ask her?” I offered.
Sylvia flicked her ears. “We need to get around this cliff . Russet can you move?”
He nodded. “I can. Bremen, Twitch, we’ll meet you down there. We’ll go to the right until we can climb down.”
“Meet them down there?” Sylvia asked. “How are they getting down?”
That got a trickster-grin. I turned and looked over the edge again. It was almost a straight drop without ledges.
Acrobatics and climbing are common among rabbits. Within our domains, we know and practice every trick and escape route. We learn to jump over a stream with only a single rock in the center or how to climb up and down the outcroppings near Foxvale. Making new routes in areas we’re not familiar with isn’t common, but that’s about familiarity, not ability.
The cliff had rocks large enough to push off of that might support my weight. And only a bound or two away, an oak grew close enough to the cliff that one might make the jump. I stood there, eyes following possible routes, one spot to another, dismissing routes that fell too far. Looking for the right one.
“Twitch, do you see it?”
“Oak to the second rock? Not bad.” He pondered, “Can I get a boost to the tree?”
Sylvia was about to ask but we’d already begun. It was only one bound to where the cliff was closest to the oak. I ducked, and when Twitch stepped on my shoulders, I gave him a firm toss forward. Then I leapt the gap.
Weasels can climb trees. Twitch hit the bark and skittered down like it was solid ground. Rabbits are not so lucky. My hind legs dug in and slowed my descent.
I shoved off the tree before I fell, twisting mid-jump to the cliff, gripping the packed dirt with all four paws. Not enough of a grip to jump, but after a few rabbit-lengths, I hit the rock Twitch had seen.
It held, and I jumped back to the tree, the lowest branch bending under my weight, as Twitch watched me from the ground. From there, the branch dropped me off at the half-slope of rubble at the bottom of the cliff, and a few awkward hops got me on solid ground.
“You lost your bandage,” Twitch said.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yeah, my shoulder’s healing faster than it should.” I gave a wave as Russet and Sylvia headed off. “I think I’m still me, but please be careful.”
The cave entrance was big enough for a bear, if a small one. There was definitely the smell of both foxes and rabbits. Even without Russet’s nose, I could tell Fig and Basil were common visitors, as well as the three foxes. Intermingled, but without blood.
“Are you sure it’s Cinnamon?”
Twitch sniffed. “It’s her.”
The cave was huge, lit by diffuse light from the day outside. The inside was part natural, with spires and pillars, and part dug, with several old burrows along the sides. There was an opening in the back to a second, less-used chamber. Twitch tracked the scent there, where long shadows played in the dim light, making formless shapes on the rough walls and the high jagged ceiling.
“Cinnamon,” Twitch called into the darker backroom. “It’s Twitch. Come out.”
No response. I listened, but couldn’t even hear her breathing.
“Were you the one who helped me?” With a little flourish, I pawed the storyteller code on the ground.
She took a shallow breath and whispered, “I can’t help you now. It’s not safe here.” She was curled tight against the back wall, blending into the myriad rocks and rubble.
“We know,” Twitch said. “We have to get you out of here.”
“I can’t leave.” She tried to say more, but her voice caught in her throat. She tensely gripped the floor, claws leaving scratches.
“Because of Chimera’s control?” I asked, hopping up to her. I nudged her with my nose. “We’ll find a way to stop them. We’re working on a plan.”
“There’s no way to stop them. They won’t let me tell the warren. You have to make them leave, before–” Once again, she choked on the words.
“Come with us,” Twitch said. “The control should fade if we hide you.”
“If I could have left, I would have.”
“You came to my aid two nights ago. You got Talus to let go of me.”
“You were the only rabbit there.” She shook, forcing the words out. “She killed me in the dream; she’s wherever I am.”
A stamp from the entrance caused Twitch and I to startle. I bolted to the opening between the two chambers. Basil was standing in the entrance to the cave. His ears flicked lazily.
“Good to see you again, Bremen.” His voice was colder than the winter air. “I told you that your path would lead you to me. Come out to the main chamber. It must be crowded back there.”
“You don’t have to do this.” Reluctantly, I hopped a little closer. Maybe I could distract him long enough for Twitch to get Cinnamon away, but there was no way Twitch could sneak past.
Basil grunted and hopped right up to me; he rose up to cuff me but thought better of it. He shouted past me, “Cinnamon, watch the entrance!”
I tensed as she hopped around us and took up a guard’s position. I let my body give a single shudder before pushing the concern aside. They wouldn’t kill me; I had to focus on getting Twitch out.
“The control the foxes have, it uses you as a focus,” I observed. “You’re not like the others, are you?”
He growled. “Your guesses are pathetic. You have no idea why you’re right.”
“Perhaps.” I took a half-hop away from him. “I still don’t know your role. Are they destroying the warren, or are you?”
“Ignorant. You and Twitch.” Basil gave a wide smile, showing his teeth like a predator. “So rude of guests to hide. I told Fang that. And Talus. They thought it’d be easier to stay hidden. It upset me that it was.”
“How do you know Twitch?” I asked, edging a little further away. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but maybe I could get him upset enough to ignore when Twitch fled.
Basil turned up his nose. “Cinnamon told me about him. A weasel that helped the warren. A predator who grew up with rabbits. She tried very hard not to talk. That was not fun.” He moped, an insincere whine in his voice. “She did not hold out very long at all.”
Anger flared inside me. I shifted my feet a little. Under the fox’s control or not, he enjoyed whatever torture he had done. “Basil–”
“I am not Basil!” He growled, ears forward and prepared to lunge. I didn’t give him the chance.
I planted my forelegs firmly on the ground, and with a twist, kicked him hard with both back feet. A solid kick which would have sent watch members flying or cut deep gashes in a wolf’s side; it should have knocked him into the wall. Twitch ran behind me, using my attack as a distraction.
Basil leaned away from the impact and widened his stance. He moved a little, maybe a paw-height, leaving claw marks as he slid. My back claws scraped his flesh, but there was no blood. Absently, he shoulder-shoved me away and into Twitch with more power than someone of his size should have.
He growled again, and his body grew. Dull digging claws scraped the ground and sharpened into hunting claws. The flat chewing teeth of a rabbit changed as his muzzle grew, replaced by a predator’s maw. His hair darkened into perfectly groomed fur, and his ears shortened to those of a fox. His scent shifted as well, leaving Basil behind and announcing Chimera.
The sparrow was right. They did live in the warren. That was why Cinnamon couldn’t leave. It was how Fig got the scratches on his nose, from Bramble struggling with Fang and Fang smacking into the tree when he chased me. The raccoon was killed because she attacked Fig and faced Fang. Fig and Cinnamon were bitten by Chimera and left alive, like I was.
“You changed them.” Twitch nervously reared up and settled on all fours. “Basil, Fig, and Cinnamon. Basil pierced whatever vision you were trapped in.”
Chimera lunged.
We managed to dodge to either side as sharp teeth nipped at our fur. Chimera didn’t continue, but retreated back to block the entrance with Cinnamon. He snarled, “Don’t you dare break quickly.”
“What happened to you, Chiron?” I looked around before I realized I had asked the question.
“You will call me Chimera!” He growled. “Chiron died long ago. This warren killed him. I will thank them for it. Konal. We will talk later. Without Bremen.”
I shuddered. It wouldn’t matter if I got away; I was becoming Konal. Yet, Cinnamon was still a rabbit. She was struggling with the fox inside. Talus had the least control. It’s why she had trouble attacking Oakbud and why she was here instead of going back to the warren. The foxes could be delayed. There were rules we could use, that I could use against Konal and the dream-vision. Could we use them to escape?
Twitch lunged at Chimera, then drew back, attempting to draw the fox into overextending. He tried one side, then the other, in a shifting weasel dance. It could get a rabbit to hesitate; maybe there was enough of Basil left to affect. Frustrated, Chimera swiped at Twitch and left me an opening.
Unfortunately, Talus’ sharp fangs greeted me as I tried to bolt past Cinnamon. Her change was slower than Chimera’s, but still cut off my escape.
I hopped back and watched Talus as she blocked the entrance. She was keeping an eye on me, but her eyes kept darting back to the weasel and fox in the middle of the den. She was worried about Chimera. No, Chiron. She always thought of him as Chiron. The runt who needed to be protected. The one who stood up for himself despite his size. I had seen it too, the strength of that playful fox. No, Konal had seen it, seen how Fang looked at her, how she looked at Chiron. And I knew that because Konal knew them.
“Stop that cursed dance!” Chimera shouted, nose wrinkled with disgust. “I am not some rabbit you can fascinate with fear!”
Twitch snapped back. “And I’m not some prey you can order around.”
Talus winced at the shout but dared not leave the entrance. Konal knew she wanted to comfort Chiron. Maybe Basil wasn’t present enough in Chimera for Twitch’s tactic to work, but Cinnamon was.
I met Talus’ gaze but hoped to catch Cinnamon’s eye. Hopefully, the bond with the foxes went both ways. If Basil and Fig were aggressive like a fox, perhaps Talus could trust like a rabbit. “It hurts. Seeing someone you love upset. Help him.”
She tensed. Her breathing almost stopped, and she shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Silence!” Chimera interrupted, ignoring Twitch, and headed my way.
Despite Chimera’s aggressive lack of interest, I asked, “And how will you stop me from talking?”
Chimera responded with a swipe on my left side that sent me sprawling across the ground. I got to my feet. Maybe I was wrong about them needing Konal alive. “What is your obsession with this warren? It can’t be worth more than your pack.”
“I will kill all of you if it means destroying the warren.” Chimera glared at me.
I limped over to Twitch. My right hind leg did not want to support my weight. I reminded myself it was Konal’s injury, and that helped.
“Even Talus?” I asked.
Both foxes winced at my question. Talus never understood Chiron’s obsession. With the shame I saw, perhaps none of the foxes had. If he wanted to kill rabbits, he’d have done so already. This was about dominance and fear. Konal didn’t know anything that scared Chiron, but I had an idea.
I sat up tall. I spent my entire life objecting to my father’s ideas that I was a fox. Yet, here, in that moment, it was so easy to hold on to that thought. I faced Chimera as if I was the fox and he was the rabbit. He wasn’t snarling in anger, but chattering in fear. It got him to panic once.
“The rabbit-seer inside you saw a fox inside me. He—I died defending a friend.”
“Silence!”
Chimera and I locked gazes. He was imposing, and my legs felt weak, but the memory of fox-Bremen helped me stand.
“Could you do that for Talus?”
Chimera drew back a paw to swipe me, but hesitated. I spoke the truth and I wasn’t afraid. Striking me wouldn’t give him what he needed.
“Afraid I’m a real fox, Chiron?”
For just a blink of a moment, Chimera’s head dipped, the smallest hint of doubt before he called my bluff. It was enough for Talus to hesitate.
She froze as Twitch lunged to her side. He bounced off the entrance wall and smacked into her flank. She tensed like a rabbit and was knocked off her feet.
Chimera lunged at me, still a little sluggish. One hop to the side and I leapt after Twitch. Talus flailed at me, still prone, but only managed to tangle herself with Chimera as he tried to follow.
Twitch and I fled through the forest, the cliff to our right. It was still too high for Sylvia to have made it down. Fang might already be headed toward them; we hadn’t seen him.
When it became apparent we weren’t followed, Twitch stopped, and I almost tripped over him. He panted. “Aren’t you tired?”
“No.” I turned my head quizzically. Rabbits are not long-distance runners. Yet, I wasn’t even breathing heavily. I felt more excited than afraid. Something inside told me to keep quiet about that, but I fought to get the words out. “I felt Konal’s memories back there.”
“What about your wounds?”
I blinked and brushed my side with a paw. “It doesn’t hurt. Chimera didn’t break the skin.” I shook my head; this couldn’t be happening. “We don’t have time; Fang’s out there.”
“You’re still Bremen, right?”
“I want to protect you. I’m worried Russet or Sylvia will get hurt if Fang finds them first.” I wondered if Basil or Fig felt this way; remembering who they were, yet feeling the instincts of a fox.
“Okay, Bremen.” Twitch emphasized my name. He sniffed. “I don’t smell Russet, it must be a long way around.”
A few bounds further, I spotted a place where the cliff was eroded from drainage. The rocks and dirt were too loose to bound up, but we managed the climb.
“Why aren’t we being followed?” Twitch asked. “Could they be going the other way?”
“Chimera needs to discipline Talus.”
“Why would he waste time doing that? We’re the only ones who know his secret.”
“This is the second time Talus couldn’t control Cinnamon when she was a fox. The first time, Talus could have claimed surprise because of the storyteller signal. However, this time, you scared her like a rabbit.”
Twitch finished my thought. “It’s too big an unknown. Chimera needs to be sure.”
“Chimera hesitated as well,” I said. “He can’t admit that to himself, so he’s going to take it out on her until he convinces himself it didn’t happen.”
At the top, we again sniffed the ground. There was no scent of either of them. Twitch observed, “They would have gone down here if they saw it.”
We headed back along the top of the cliff. Luckily, we caught the scent of Russet and Sylvia quickly. A little closer and I could make out them talking to someone I couldn’t see.
As we approached, Russet looked my way. “Glad to see you, Bremen. Fig was wondering if you were okay.”