The night of the party....

Ammeline wasn't even sure she wanted to GO to the party. She was having enough trouble with her parents as it was. Not that she was likely to give in, never that, but there was something to be said strategically for not pouring fuel on the fire. On the other hand, there was something to be said for her own sanity in leaving the house to where they couldn't heckle her.

She'd settled for making her way out of the house and into the yard. In her party dress p, a shimmering thing her parents didn't approve of. Her house was big, her yard bigger, so she got a good distance from the house before she picked a bench to sit down on, kicking her heels in the dirt as she tried to decide whether or not to go.

Something hit her in the forehead and she looked up angrily, then down. An acorn. She'd been hit in the head with an acorn. That... didn't make any sense. There were trees at the edge of the property, but the bench was set on a path that went through open grass. As she looked down at the acorn, trying to puzzle it out, something hit her right on the crown of the head. She looked up, glaring...

And saw the jackalope standing near the treeline, next to a pile of acorns. It bounced one up and down with a paw. It took Ammeline a moment to remember the name "Jackalope." It kind of went like this: "That's a rabbit with antlers...that has a name...jabbapope...no, wait, jackalope!"

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

She also had a sneaking villain she'd just thrown in "jabbapope" as padding, and was a little ashamed of herself.

"Stop that!" She said. "Are you sentient? Can you talk?"

The jackalope twitched it's ears at her.

"Okay, so you're like Betty's cat then. Fine. Are you throwing acorns at me for any particular reason?"

More ear twitching, and a gesture into the trees.

"You want me to follow you..."

Ammeline pursed her lips.

"That sounds like a mildly terrible idea. But I'm also kind of bored, and it's something to do instead of deciding to go to the party..."

She looked down from where she'd dropped her bag. The fencing sword went EVERYWHERE with her now. No exceptions. She pulled it out of the bag and strapped it around her waist.

"Alright I'm making a terrible decision. But at least I KNOW that's what I'm doing. I'm making it for my own reasons and knowing fully what I'm getting into. After all, what could this jackalope be leading me to that I can't handle!? Ahahahahahaha!"

As usual, the laugh helped get her brain in order, and she marched confidently off after the creature. It lead her into the forest...and to a tree with an archway growing into the side of it.

"Well I don't know what I was expecting, but I think this is a step to interesting for me."

The jackalope pointed firmly towards the archway.

"No, no I don't think I WILL walk through a magic doorway alone into god knows what."

She glared at the jackalope. The jackalope glared back.

"THEN YOU ARE COWARD, AS WELL AS OATHBREAKER!" The Jackalope intoned with a voice like thunder reverberating between crashing boulders. "AND YOU WILL DIE FOR YOUR CRIMES!"

The rabbit like form disappeared and was replaced with a tall, slender man with pointed ears and blue skin who lunged at her with a gleaming blade.