Lucky Comet

The Intruders

The light became weaker as he pushed his way through the dense rose bush. He got the sense he was being watched through the dim light and shadows.

"I know you're in here." He said nervously as he carefully navigated the thick undergrowth. Even with his skinny body, it was difficult to get through without being pricked by thorns.

He sniffed around, the intruders smelled strange and foreign. Yet, somehow familiar. They smelled almost like rabbits but that didn't make sense. No wild rabbits had ever come near the farm before. Mossy and Stone said they always stayed clear of humans.

Suddenly, Comet was pushed to the ground. He screamed and struggled to scrabble away from his attacker. The attacker didn't put up a fight, and Comet quickly turned to run away, only to find he was cornered in the dense bush.

His attacker wasn't a fox, but a dark grey rabbit, and a much smaller one than him. It stared at him with curiosity rather than aggression. Comet relaxed a little, perhaps it was lost.

"I don't know if you can understand me, but you need to leave this yard. You hurt my owner...¦ and one of you scratched my nose." He said nervously. The rabbit came closer to him and snorted with amusement.

"We're not leaving and you can't make us." He said, indicating to a strange silver necklace he was wearing.

"I don't want to hurt you. I just want you to leave." He said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Try and make me." He said tauntingly.

Comet ignored the challenge. "Why were you even here? To steal my grain?" He asked.

"We're not here for that… though it was nice to have it while we were stuck in that shed." He said smugly. Comet grunted with frustration.

"I thought you wild rabbits were scared of humans."

"I'm not a wild rabbit." He said haughtily. "We're valley rabbits, and we're not scared of any human."

"Then why don't you and your friends meet my owners?" He asked as looked for a way out of the bush.

The strange rabbit blocked him. "Ok, I'll stop messing with you, we're here for you. Do you really think we'd be dumb enough to come to a human colony just to eat grain?"

He was silent for a moment, tilting his head. How would these rabbits know anything about him?

"Blue! Leave the hare alone." Said a voice from deeper in the rose bush. "The humans are going inside. Let's talk by the log." The bush rustled slightly. "Well, if you want to know more, follow me." Said Blue with a mischievous glint in his eye before dashing through the rose bush.

By the time Comet got out, he was covered in scratches and his fur was a mess. The intruders were already sitting by the hollow log.

Blue snickered when he saw Comet coming over but the rabbit with white fur and black markings nudged him. They both looked at Comet for an uncomfortably long moment.

"My name is Bone, and that's Blue." He said finally, "He'd like to apologise for scratching your nose."

"I would?"

"Yes." Said the rabbit sternly.

"Oh, sorry about that. Got a bit carried away." Said Blue dismissively. "So what silly human name did you get given?"

"Comet and I care more about my owner being alright than my nose." He said gruffly. Glancing around, he noticed the Old Man was no longer in the yard.

Blue seemed somewhat surprised, his ears flicking. "That's not such a bad name and we didn't plan to injure the human, we just wanted to get away before he hurt us."