***** The Search *****
All of Thunderfoot's life had been a battle for survival, his instincts driving him from one place to another. He had always had emotions, love for this mate, and now a longing to be with his newly born kits, but something new had formed. It had been a slow growth, a deepening of his understanding of the things around him, until just after the wolf had vanished when his consciousness seemed to come into existence.
He was no longer living by instinct, and instead found himself considering his existence. He wondered of his place in things, and whether he would ever find his way home. Tani'm had noticed it as well, their conversations becoming much more meaningful as he began to grasp the concepts the noises she made represented. He could not speak, not in a traditional sense, but within Tani'm's mind he could make himself known. His voice a ghostly whisper that tickled her consciousness, and gave context to his desires.
In a way, Thunderfoot was a different creature from what he had been when he arrived, and thanks to his new gifts, he knew it.
"This way," his childlike voice repeated within Tani'm's mind.
"Dammit, Thunderfoot, we've already search that area of the forest!"
He stopped and stood tall on his hind legs, the trees of the forest reaching up towards the sky all around them. The flight from the wolf had been confused by the storm that greeted them the moment they came into that strange land, but as he peered around he saw one of the only points of reference he could remember from that night. It was not much, a fallen tree that rested across a tall boulder, a stream burbling a lazy path beneath the arch created by the once majestic spruce that rested against its earthen brace.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never remember the path he had taken to get there, or how long he had ran, but he knew it had not been more than five minutes. Normally that would not be a big deal, but for a jackalope, that's a pretty big area.
"I know you recognize that, but we've already covered this area a few times. It must be somewhere else."
The two and a half foot tall rabbit turned his large black eyes on Tani'm, his whiskers twitching with frustration as he projected his annoyance at her.
"No, it here. It here. Must be here."
While they argued, Thunderfoot could feel the plight of his family back in his homeland. His doe was strong, but her strength was failing as she struggled to find enough food for herself and their kittens. Six lives bound to him heart and soul, the pain of their diminishing bodies felt by Thunderfoot through the unknown distance that separated them.
Again he looked at Tani'm, pleading in his eyes.
"I know, I feel them too, through you, but we've been searching this area for three days and have found nothing."
They studied each other for a few moments, the large buck thinking through the courses they had taken through the forest and struggling to think of what they could have missed. His frustration was only overshadowed by his longing to return to his family, their hearts beating in rhythm with his own, a siren call to bring their father and mate back to them.
Pounding his hind foot on the ground he dislodged a few moist, moss-covered stones as he yelled at Tani'm.
"Must be here!"
"Fine, my friend. But try to remember how hard this is for me. I want you to return home, but I'm basically trying to send my best friend somewhere that I may never see them again. With everything I've been dealing with, this is the last thing I want, but I..." She wiped a tear from her cheek and took a deep breath before she continued, Thunderfoot closing the distance between them and resting his head against her chest. "I want what's best for you, and I know that's not here, no matter how much I wish it were different."
Reaching between his antlers, she caressed the side of his face, a soft and contented chortle filling the air as he whispered, "I'll miss you, too."
They remained like that for several minutes, Tani'm trying to hold onto every moment she had with her furry friend, knowing that he would be leaving the instant they found his path back home.
Pulling back, the rabbit said, "Me sorry, but me keep looking."
With one last caress from her finger, she replied, "I'll help."
The very next moment they took off, each of them trying to find the impossible, a path leading to a world of monstrous beasts and untamed lands.
***** A Hopeful Step *****
It had only been two days since they had revealed themselves to Andrew's parents, and still Karen was nervous. Things were moving so fast, and she had always preferred to take things at a measured pace. Sure, it was Friday and her weekend lay before her, but still she knew that there was much to do.
Karen was looking at her house from the inside of her cooling car, rays from the setting sun casting everything in an orange hue. It wasn't that she thought Andrew's trust was misplaced, or that his parents would betray them, just that she knew it was the first step in a longer, more unexpected journey. No matter what Andrew and Sara thought, experience had taught her that magic never takes you in the direction you had planned for, and she feared the course it had laid for them.
Stepping out from the car, she breathed in the fragrant air, the scent of the forest reminding her of why she had chosen to wait out her next couple of decades in that isolated area.
"Hey, Karen."
Her heart jumped at the unexpected sound of Tani'm's voice. Turning her gaze, she saw the small woman standing at the edge of the forest, her earth and forest toned clothes a casual arrangement of torn jeans and loose tshirt, bare feet completing an ensemble that only she could pull off.
