The moment he hit the surface of the water, the surface changed. Snapping into place, the ocean turned to earth, and the rainy sky now covered itself with brown and green cracks from the trees overhead. The hard tension of what was once sea under him turned into a soft powder as he landed deep within a snow bank. The surrounding snow fell over top of his body. Surprised, he scrambled upwards, grasping at air, and wiping the snow from his face. Turning all around, he looked, bewildered, yet in awe. Surely, he must have died, he thought. No, a fall into the water from a height like that wouldn’t kill him, unless he had hit rocks, of which there were none. Small divots littered the wet ground as he stepped away from the snow. Leaning himself against a tree, Justin still attempted to take in what just occurred—some sort of... shift or rift. The soggy moss collecting on the bark gave him a sense of realness. Was this real?

  A loud metal clatter and then a boom sounded, followed by faint talking, yelling, from the west. Where the sound came from, there were only trees, followed by a large hill that took place of the horizon with its height. A wave of faint thumping sounds followed the noise, and quickly, they became closer. Wracking, his brain tried to think, but all that came was more clouded confusion. Dashing forward, he found a suitable tree truck to hide behind, and the thumping grew. Off in the distance, he could hear the leaves on the grass being stepped on, crunching.

  “I’ll look this way!” A voice cried.

  Justin’s body froze, tightening itself more against its safe haven. His heart worked harder, his blood pressure rising; it were as if his blood would boil. The noises lowered from a crowd to a single body, and his hearing focused on that which he couldn’t see. Even if he wanted to see, his eyes were shut tightly.

  “Come out, and we’ll do you no injury!” A different voice yelled, and it was closer to his hiding spot. “This castle hasn’t taken any life for some time, but I’ll assure you we’re perfectly capable!” The voice threatened, their bow drawn, pointing it here and there before settling on the direction Justin was. Their voice inched nearer, “It’s just you! And... me...”

  Their voice grew more docile.

* * *

  The large, light brown rabbit stopped in their tracks, suddenly setting their bow down onto the ground gently. Their glossy leather chest plate softly reflected the grey colors of the sky.

  “Hey... I... sense that you’re afraid. It’s alright, I’ve... set my weapon on the ground. Please, come out. Show yourself.” The rabbit waited, with no response. “I, uh... understand you shouldn’t be a threat.”

  Sense I’m afraid? What does he mean?

  Quietly, they tiptoed on wet grass, masking their sounds as they peered around the trunk. Out of the corner of their eye, the human saw them. Immediatedly, the rabbit leapt, landing straight ahead of them, ten steps distance between them. Justin cowered.

* * *

  Justin’s eyes were slits, quickly opening to look at the figure before him, only to close them again, screaming. Amidst the noise, the rabbit belted out reassurances, now kneeling before them.

  “I need you to relax! I don’t have any weapons!” More screaming and kicking ensued, similar to a toddler. The rabbit reached towards a failing leg, “I need you... To. Relax.” He repeated, in a bold, strong voice. Grabbing hold of their ankle, and after more distress, Justin began to feel something within him. As though he had been injected with anesthesia, his nerves became weaker in a matter of seconds. Steadily, like rolling down a hill unable to stop, the more tired his muscles became. He slumped, his breathing deep; his eyes closed.

  “Do you feel better...?” Silence. “Hey...” Lifting his head slightly, it dropped. “...Oops. I guess I hit you a little too hard.” Sitting a moment, embarrassed and looking around, the rabbit decided, muttering to himself, “Alright then, let’s, uh, get you inside.”

  The room Justin had been placed in was filled with autumn colors. Browns, reds, and tans. A large mahogany bed with darkened gold sheets sat in the center. The same color encompassed the curtains hung along the vanity windows to the right. Moving counter-clockwise, a full body mirror, a large dresser, the room’s entryway, and a bench topped with tan cushions touched the wall. To the left of the bed was a side table with a candle stick sitting atop it. The marble floor echoed the light around the room; the walls were an earthy brown. Near the mirror, the rabbit sat in a chair upholstered with red cushions. with a glass of water upon another smaller side table.

  Justin opened his eyes, and for a fraction of a moment he was the most thankful he had ever been; the nightmare had passed. Sunset light shone on face. It blinded him, and after the moment of rejoice had gone, he came back to what was now reality.

  The floppy eared rabbit had his snout poked into a book when he noticed Justin's motions, a book titled "THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND SENSES OF SENSING: FROM BETA TO OMICRON, AND ITS EFFECTS".

  "Oh, I’m so sorry," The rabbit stood up and swished the thick curtains closed, allowing Justin the adjust to the shade that was now replacing the sun. "I hope it wasn't the sun that woke you up."

  Justin only stared once his vision regained. He had no control over his actions earlier, and now he was constricted by the large, heavy sheet covering him. He didn't care to repeat what had happened before, quickly overpowering his urge to make more, ultimately pointless, bursts of emotion, replacing it with his now widened eyes.

  "Again, I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to scare you more." The rabbit continued, grabbing a nearby stool and stepping a few paces until he was almost touching the bedside."I think we should introduce ourselves. The name's Adius, 24th patrolman of Orycto proper." Justin still looked through the rabbit, as if he wasn't there at all; he wished his vision was lost again by the light from earlier. "Yeah, I, um..." The rabbit's hands fidgeted slightly, "hit you a little too hard with Empathy." They paused, "We don't get to use it often on people here in the castle."

  Finally, Justin spoke, in a serious yet dropped voice, "What the fuck did you do to me? What am I doing here? Take me back." He demanded.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Adius didn't need to sense anything to know there was terror-filled confusion in his questions, quivering with anxiety.

  "Please, don't worry. It's safe here." Adius' voice sounded like that of a cello, rich and unruffled, "I helped you calm down, but I let your transmitters go a little too long." He gave a slight, almost soulless chuckle, "We are part of a race that... has the ability to change the chemicals that get released in your body. I understand you were scared, but we're only able to perform it with touch."

  "That doesn't explain what you did to me?" Justin sounded impatient.

  "I touched you and made your brain release melatonin. I accidentally let too much loose, and you fell asleep. We call it Empathy."

  "Oookay?" Justin's face was very clearly confused, "What do you mean you can sense me?"

  "All bucks in the castle can sense emotions."

  "You can... sense what I'm feeling right now?"

  "It's clear to me I don't have to. I can look at your face."

  Justin's face flushed slightly, a mixture of embarrassment and being the center of attention.

  "Here, you must be thirsty." Adius got up and retrieved the water. "Drink this. It's water."

  Justin didn’t hear him. His mind was peaks and valleys of anxiety. He knows what I'm feeling every second? Can he read my mind, too?

  "All of us patrolmen went to the front gate after we all felt a disturbance... Something felt like it hit us all."

  Justin muttered, "Betazoid from Star Trek, and now the Force... okay..."

  “I’m sorry?”

  “E- Nothing... Don’t worry about it.”

  “Can I ask for your name?” Adius’ eyes looked up with his head tilted down, hands under his chin with elbows planted onto his knees. “Of course, I can ask you when I come back. I need to leave the room for a second... Here, I can give you more time to calm down and we can finish introductions.”

  The rabbit stood, walking over to the full body mirror, and peered while fixing his facial fur. He wore a white, long sleeve shirt with brass-buttoned cuffs, dark brown cotton breeches with a set of string suspenders, and a large, thin, dirty brass ring wrapped around the base of his right ear, almost as if it were a wedding ring. Adius’ bare feet made loud pattering noises as he walked to the door before opening it.

  “Justin.” The human called out.

  Adius looked back, “Justin...?” He gave a slight smirk, “I’ll be back soon. Wait here, please, take time to calm down. We’re not in a rush, and if you get out of bed... please don’t knock anything over.”

  Justin looked about awkwardly, replying stiffly, “Sure... yeah...”

  Adius let out a stifled chuckle that only caught one breath. Closing the door with a sound that reverberated around the room, Justin fell back onto his satin pillow, sinking far down, becoming encompassed in it on both sides.

* * *

  Adius followed the corridors he had always known, twisting occasionally, and down some stairways, until he reached the throne room he had been told to meet the queen, adorned with opulent windows on both side walls and a high dome ceiling. Coming through a small side entrance into the large open hall, two guards stood on either side of an empty decedent chair with red padded cushions and gold frame. He approached the guard on the left.

  “Where is Her Grace?”

  “Her Grace will arrive when she is ready.” The guard said sternly.

  “I’m here.” A loud voice broke to the right of Adius. Walking into the chamber with a serious, quick gait, Her Grace showed herself. Her fur was cream colored, and she wore her gracious shining blue gown as usual. The gown matched her eyes, a piercing blue.

  Her Grace looked to her left as she walked forward, “Adius...” She acknowledged.

  Adius backed up, so that he would stand center to the front of the throne, and his ruler sat and got comfortable.

  “Do you understand why I called you here?” Her Grace continued.

  “Yes, Your Grace.” Adius was more than just nervous. He’d been called before his ruler three times in his life; this was the fourth.

  “Well?” Her voice became aggravated.

  “The man I walked past you carrying earlier, Your Grace.”

  She gave an anticipated smile, “Yes.” She stared at him for a moment, “Do you remember the previous time we attempted to help others out of the kindness of our hearts?”

  “The Trader Wars happened, Your Grace.”

  “And you dare to disturb our peace... allowing them to come into this castle with open arms? Would you prefer more deaths to your fellow comrades, Adius?”

  “Your Grace, I can explain. He was... genuinely afraid. He needed help.”

  “And you sensed it?”

  “I did, Your Grace. Please. I feel he has no where to go.”

  “To be transparent with you, Adius, I’m afraid, too. I’m afraid of the integrity of our sovereignty with you inviting others into this nation without prior notice.” Her eyes stared into Adius’. “We are not a refuge for immigrants, Adius, especially not for wild animals.”

  The phrase “wild animal” used for Justin, even if he had just met him, made Adius’ blood boil.

  “Your Grace, with all due respect, I just want to help someone. I understand lives were lost, but this is one person we are talking about, not an orchestrated group of a few dozen. I assure you he can’t be a spy because his emotions don’t fall in line with being a spy. From what I’ve sensed so far, he isn’t cold and depraved, he’s afraid and-... and lost, and-”

  “Silence!”

  Adius became disheartened after what he heard next.