The Hare was pissed off. He rounded on his future self.
'Ok, that's it. You've been hinting at the dangers in the forest for days now, but you clam up when anyone asks you a direct question. Well I've had it - we just escaped getting eaten by zombies in an ice field surrounded by fog and if we're heading into more danger, I want to know about it!'
Fierce Bad Rabbit stepped forward with an intimidating growl. 'Boss, you want I should ...'
Future Hare held up a hand. 'It's ok Fierce, Hare Junior deserves answers.'
This enraged The Hare further. 'And stop calling me junior or kid, I'm only five years younger than you and we don't age you fu...'
Cottontail slapped Hare round the face. 'Shut up, we're too close to ...'
She stopped as she felt Goldie's blade against her throat. 'Hare's a bit of a mong, luv, but you don't get to lay hands on him, understood?'
Jessica looked around in panic as she saw the Rabbitz tensing up, while The Gingerbread Man and Pegasus stepped up beside Goldie. The winged stallion scuffed his front hoof and snorted, directing his gaze at Fierce. 'Yo, better step off son or this'll get real, real fast.'
'Stop it, all of you! We can't afford to fight among ourselves. Har ... uh Future Hare, you said you heard gunfire. Someone's after us, right? Just a few miles behind? Goldie, stand down.'
Cottontail breathed out as the knife withdrew from her throat and Future Hare turned towards Jessica. The others relaxed as the older version of The Hare spoke up. 'Jessica's right. We need to move but we also need to be quiet. You see those trees ... well they're not trees. We have about a thousand yards of Ents to get through before we can breathe again. They're asleep now but if we don't move silently, we're all dead, capice?'
SC chimed in. 'This era's Hare is quite correct and it is imperative our two groups leave immediately. Not only are we being pursued on the ground, but Griffin and I are almost certain there is an airship following us. Pegasus, Icarus, we must move swiftly and if all is well, we will await you on the other side of the forest.'
'Agreed,' nodded Future Hare. 'Go now. Straight up, over the tree-line and don't stop until you're in the South Domain. We'll head to the Babbling Brook and meet you there. Do you know it?'
SC nodded. 'It's just past the trees, leading into the river.'
As the animals were helped onto Pegasus's back by George, The Golden Goose who was being flown by Icarus, called quietly back. 'Hares, don't forget my old cottage is mid way through. Head towards the glade - if you need them, you know where my weapons cache is.'
*
20 fraught filled minutes later, both Hares, the Rabbitz with Wiley, Cottontail and Goldie and The Gingerbread Man had successfully navigated the lines of sleeping Ents and were able to move more rapidly and talk, though they did so in whispers.
'It's so quiet,' mused The Hare.
His older self nodded. 'Nothing good lives here anymore - all the people have fled and even the wildlife has gone. I daresay there's not a single animal left in these parts.'
But he was wrong ... a single animal was currently watching their movements from among the trees. The four legged creature had observed them from the moment they had escaped the zombies, overheard the remark about the Goose's cottage and was silently tracking them.
It was true, the forest had emptied - only the toughest could survive in this environment and the observer had proved his prowess time and time again and what's more, he had recognized one of the interlopers. 'Hare,' he muttered and moved silently to follow.