[Trade] The Quick Little Rabbit

Despite the previous night's autumnal chill, the morning sun was warm on Maahes' back. He blinked away the sleepiness and stretched his short arms out in front of him as he pulled himself to his clawed feet. The dilapidated building he'd spent the night in lacked a roof but he was still small enough that the heavy structure did not creak beneath his every step. Maahes walked carefully toward the edge of the floor and peered down at the streets below. The road, once freshly paved and painted, was marred with years of abuse from whatever came before and what came now. There were deep gouges in the asphalt and large pieces were broken and had fallen away only to be claimed by the weeds that curled at the road's edges. The hatchling was staring mindlessly until a bit of movement caught his attention by a particularly green patch of grass. Fuzzy and brown, a small bunny was picking his way through the remains of the city. Maahes could hear his stomach grumbling and he took a few hurried steps back, hoping the rabbit would not hear him. Unfortunately for him, the clicking of his claws on the floor was far louder than a distant grumbling tummy and the rabbit's long ears twitched.

 

And he was off! 

 

"Hey get back here!" Maahes yelled as he let out a grumble of frustration, his teeth clicking together with an audible snap as he tore down the stairs. Concrete and old rotten wood can only hold so much, even in what was once a prolific sky scraper that held thousands of business people. When he was one floor from the bottom, the stairs gave way and with a yelp the young Acro crashed to the floor below. Luckily the only thing wounded was his pride and he managed, with some difficulty, to pull himself to his feet. The feeling of deja vu gnawed at him, having only recently picked himself up off the floor following a good night's sleep. He trotted to a large gap in the wall that had once housed a large window and peeked out. Rabbit nowhere in sight. 

 

He stomped his feet in frustration, letting out another rebellious screech, as he headed out into the streets. His stomach grumbled even louder this time. If he'd been smarter, older, and maybe wiser he'd have given up on the little brown rabbit altogether. After all he was not built for speed, especially when such a quick little creature already had quite a hefty head start on him. But Maahes still had much to learn and a thick head had protected him in his fall, and it was going to be that same thick headed stubbornness that led him to chase the rabbit. He dropped his nose to the pavement, nostrils twitching to pick up a scent. Rabbit.

 

He set off at a trot, determined not to waste his energy until he saw the little fuzzball. And he chased that scent past the city limits, past an old dilapidated farmstead, and even past a gently ebbing stream. (Though he did stop for a quick drink.) Eventually Maahes reached a forest. It was quiet and trees provided some shelter and shade, the glimpses of sun that passed through the trees dappled his already fawning back with extra spots. There were many more scents. More rabbits. Deer. Squirrels. And something else he didn't recognize. All things that would have made a tasty treat, if he had not been so laser focused on getting his revenge on that rabbit. He bypassed every enticing and tempting scent, chasing only the rabbit. 

 

He stalked quietly through the forest, using shadows and the natural underbrush to his advantage. That is, at least until he spotted it. The bunny was nibbling quietly on some clovers in a small clearing. Maahes could feel himself salivating and he licked his chops as he lowered his head and prepared to give chase. He leaped forward with all the strength he could in his legs and thundered toward the rabbit as fast as those legs would carry him. The rabbit, once again, sped off before he ever get close. He skidded to a halt, grass and dirt flying up around him as he collapsed in the clovers. Maahes could feel his frustration building up further like a tea kettle threatening to overflow with boiling water. He threw back his head, screaming his annoyance, as birds and creature alike fled in all directions. He'd show them!

 

And so it continued. Each time Maahes caught up to the rabbit he'd rush headfirst into the fray and it would disappear in an instant, a flash of brown and gone. And he'd be left kicking dirt, biting branches, and screaming his head off in frustration. And none of it brought any sort of satisfaction or eased the pain of losing his breakfast. That eventually became his lost lunch and was becoming dangerously close to becoming his lost dinner. The sky had begun to darken, pinks and yellows stretching across the once pale blue canvas. The forest was growing darker and the shadows were disappearing as the sun dipped below the distant mountains.

 

But Maahes couldn't give up. 

 

He wouldn't give up.

 

But he would learn, even if it took him all day for one measly, little lesson. He straightened himself out, standing to his full height as he peered into the darkness. The purple sky behind him and darkening trees would help camouflage him. He didn't have to be smarter than rabbits, he just had to be smarter than that rabbit. And so he crouched, stalking through the forest by keeping to the underbrush and hiding the sound of his movement by carefully placing each and every step. And eventually he spotted him, that same little brown rabbit that had plagued him all day. He was munching away at some clover again, and Maahes maneuvered himself toward the next patch. And when the rabbit finished he turned, hopping his way toward waiting fangs. And only when the rabbit could see himself in Maahes' beady eyes did the Acro strike.

 

SNAP!

 

The rabbit was caught, finally, and Maahes had his dinner.