Finally the elder brought Sandpaw to a small hill. The hill had a large tree, an apple tree that had fresh fruit on it, which held an overlook. From the hill Sandpaw could see back miles to the town, and down upon the farmland that was on this side of the town.

Below the hill was one of the farms, and from where he could see it was one of the largest. There was a plantation style building on the farm, one that tug on his memory that still didn’t come to his head. It felt familiar, but wrong.

The farm held a combination of orchards and crops. Sandpaw was examining them when the elder spoke up. “The farmer… he focuses on specialty foods. The other farms can make massive harvests of grain, beans, or whatever else. But why would we want that? The farmer makes foods filled with mana, and it strengthens us.”

“So that’s why you’re here? For mana-rich food?” Sandpaw asked in wonder. “I think that makes sense, is that then what makes evolution possible.”

“In part, yes. A combination of what you do and what you eat. If you do the right things you can unlock your cards, and we’ll be able to train you properly.” She smiled down at him. “Come on in, I'll introduce you to the gang.”

Sandpaw followed the elder across the grass to one section of the large apple tree. The roots of the tree were old and gnarled, and she led him to one extra large knot of wood. By knocking on it, Sandpaw heard it was hollow, and was unsurprised when he found that a bunny had opened it from the other side.

The burrow within the tree was large, taking up most of the room inside the tree’s root ball. With a tree so large, the space was nearly five feet tall and twice as wide. The elder bunny led him to the center, pushing the door closed behind them. “Alright, everybun, form up.”

Four more rabbits gathered there, along with the elder they were all bipedal just like elder Ben had been. “You are all evolved? Does that mean you are all elders?” Sandpaw asked with awe.

“Not quite.” One of the new rabbits said. His fur was brown, as were both his eyes and nose. His ears dropped like sand paws did, and he seemed a little drawn in. “You see, to be a part of the advanced squad we need to all be evolved rabbits. We all evolved in the humanization path, which means we are becoming more like humans.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“Yeah, I think he could asume that.” Another bun said, her fur a striking bluish gray. She had her ears back, and looked a little uncomfortable with his presence. “Look, kid, whatcha need to know is that this base is seperate from the Warren. We have our own rules, and our own heirchy, got it?”

Sandpaw nodded. “I… think so.” A part of him understood, telling him that this was a small specialized social group that had different dynamics than the larger rabbit society. He tried to grasp onto that thought but once more it fell away. “But what are your names?”

“Oh, how silly of me. I am Lt. Fleta Flopsy.” The elder said, or was that Lutennent. “You have met Dizzy and Joshua.” She gestured at the gray rabbit and then the brown one. “The others are Marian and King.”

Marian was a red furred rabbit who’s fur was long and soft. He wondered what a bed made of her fur would be like. King, on the other hand, looked a bit wild. His eyes were yellow with odd red pupils, and his fur was a dirty brown that let him blend into the earth well.

“Each of them can train you in different aspects of stealth and destruction. Dizzy sneaks the best while King runs the quickest, Josh is our smartest while Marian has learned how to distract the hounds and humans.” Fleta grinned “and of course, I keep them all in line.

Sandpaw nodded. “I have a lot to learn it seems. But the elder says I have a limited time to get that carrot. How long will training take?” Sandpaw asked, a little concerned.

“He also told you to listen to me, so it’ll take as long as I believe it needs to. But don’t worry, I think I can get you to do it within a week. At least on your own.” She smiled cruelly. “You’ll be begging to stop, but you’ll be happy in the end.”

“On my own?” Sandpaw asked dubiously. “Why am I doing this on my own?”

“For two reasons. First, it is tradition. Ever since my great grand uncle founded this organization we’ve always had tests that tested dedication on one’s own and left space to escape from danger. And second, it’s because despite how much easier teamwork makes a heist, it also makes it infinitely harder. We simply don’t have the time to get you used to working in a team.”

“Oh, okay.” Sandpaw said. That night, he got some of the best rest he’d gotten since he’d been born. Sure, it was a little weird not sleeping with others like he’d done for the entirety of his short life, but the human style beds were so incredibly comfortable. By the end of the night he didn’t care how soft Marian was, he wasn’t going back to nesting if he could help it.

The next morning started with training, this would be the most intense week of his life, and it started with a bang. Sandpaw began by learning as much as he could about his instructors, and gaining a sense of what it meant to be good at what they did. For that first day alone he didn’t leave the , but he had a feeling that was going to change. Soon he’d be going up against real challenges, and he’d find his way into the squad.