An Exciting Forest Adventure!

Deep in the forests of Holimoli there lived three rabbits, Roy, Leopold, and Juxter. They were best friends. Roy was the oldest and had a white tail. Leopold was the funniest and had a brown tail. Juxter was the smartest and had lost his tail in a fight with Roy.

The morning sun was shining like a spotlight through the green summer trees, so it was time to get going! “What are we doing today?” cried Roy excitedly. As the oldest, he was responsible for organizing the day’s adventures. He would take input from his friends and then discard it in favor of his own ideas. The wind whispered through the forest, and the smells of the dryadic woodland swirled into the clearing, bringing with them the promise of a beautiful day.

Leopold bounced up and down and said “HEHEHE!!!!” His eyes twinkled. His brown tail bobbed.

Juxter looked up at the sky, as he always did when slightly uncomfortable. It was rabbit instinct. Dangers lurked in the sky. He said, “We could gather nuts today. We’re running low.”

Roy laughed. “But we did that yesterday!!” Roy’s tail bobbed in warning.

No we didn’t, Juxter thought, but instead said, “It could be fun. Plus we need nuts.”

“I have an idea,” Roy continued, cutting through Leopold’s laughs and Juxter’s discomfort. “Let’s go on an adventure!!” Adventures were Roy’s favorite.

“HEHEHEEEEE!!!!” wheezed Leopold. He loved adventures too.

“Sure!” answered Juxter. He was an expert in following Roy, who always got his way and always went CRAZY if he didn’t. As the smartest, Juxter knew what battles were worth fighting for. He would gather nuts on his own time.

“Haha,” Leopold laughed, winded from his earlier laughter. He would be laughing the rest of the day. Oh Leopold. Everyone loved him. Even Juxter and Roy!

Juxter had to remind himself that yes he did love Leopold, and Roy too. It’s okay though. Everything’s okay. Time for an adventure!! “Ok let’s go.”

“Okay friends! Today is the day for another daily adventure!” Roy hopped up and down, bobbed his white tail in excited hoppy circles. “Let’s head for the meadow!!” Leopold guffawed like the worst thing on earth. Juxter suppressed an intense crackling ball of black rage and shoved it deep into his gut. There it would linger for another 30 minutes.

A rustling from the nearby shrubs cut off the three rabbits’ energetic plans. They huddled together, startled, but it was only Pickadillo, the great stag, the guardian of the smaller forest folk. “HMMMM HMMMMM HMMMM,” rumbled Pickadillo, his great antlers swaying ponderously. His dark eyes were deep pools of intelligence. Everybody respected Pickadillo.

“Greetings, Pickadillo!” greeted Roy in greeting. Juxter nodded politely and Leopold tittered.

“What are we fine young gentlerabbits up to this morning HMMMMMM HMM HMMM?” asked the wise Pickadillo, whose voice had dropped into an unintelligible register for no reason. His eyes lingered on Roy for a moment.

“ADVENTURE,” screamed Roy with barely a moment’s pause and louder than a hawk’s deafening war cry. “MEADOW.” He could not contain himself and Leopold picked up on Roy’s enthusiasm and convulsed with howls. Juxter stared ahead.

“You boys be careful out there,” warned Pickadillo in the no-nonsense tone that had earned him his place as great stag. “The meadow is dangerous.”

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INTERMISSION
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Roy, Leopold and Juxter were uncomfortable with the lazy foreshadowing so they aborted the previous scene and packed their sacks of carrots and grains. They formed a single file line at the edge of the Holimoli Forest. Roy was in front. As the adventure captain, he was responsible for calling breaks and planning their route. The journey would proceed and halt by his orders. Juxter, the sharp-eyed scout, was in the rear. He would watch for dangerous predators like foxes and hawks and snakes and alert the group of any alarming activity. Crossing the meadow was always a risk and Juxter’s job was important. In the middle was Leopold.

“That’s the spirit!” announced Roy from the front, responding to nothing. He was in such a good mood! The sky was a beautiful clear blue. Not a cloud up there! The sun warmed their faces, a comfortable yellow glow. His white tail bobbed happily. Leopold chuckled quietly and munched on a carrot. The meadow grasses were soft and green and they passed through the comfortable terrain with ease.

Juxter’s mind wandered. He was thinking of Belli, and her pretty black tail. Why did she have to leave? His mood darkened. Not even the warm meadow breeze, a rabbit’s delight, could pull him from his brooding.

Roy suddenly stopped. “Something up ahead!!!” he shouted. He spun around with the speed of a DRILL, eyes narrowed in smoldering irritation. “Juxter where were you on that? I’m not the scout. That’s your job. We agreed. We must respect one another. We need to be better about this. Let’s be more efficient in the future, k? K.”

Leopold giggled sheepishly. He always laughed when something unexpected happened. Roy’s scolding brought Juxter back to the present. “What? You’re in front, how could I—“

“NOPE NOPE NONE OF THAT NOW. Just apologize.” Roy’s face turned beet red. It almost exploded with beet juice. They had not packed any beets because they didn’t know if they could eat beets but that did not prevent the narrator from describing Roy’s face this way.

Juxter fantasized about crushing Roy’s face into crushed beet leavings, but said “Sorry Roy. Won’t happen again.” His jaw clenched and nearly shattered. How could he look for enemies if he was in the back? This whole thing was planned wrong. Roy had no brain. But that was okay. They were on an adventure and these things happened! Roll with the punches was the rabbits’ motto. He thought again of Belli. She would not have come into the meadow.

Leopold laughed and laughed AND LAUGHED. His bushy brown tail shook with glee. Juxter’s fists shook with exactly what you think they shook with (not glee). What was his problem? He was just a rabbit. Back to work, guys, what did Roy spot up there? Juxter had a sinking feeling in his gut and glanced skyward instinctively. Still clear but that could change, especially out here in the meadow. His dread mounted. “Roy maybe—

“Let’s see what we have up ahead,” Roy said, forcing the fable back on the rails here. They approached slowly, with rabbit-like caution. It was a large boulder, cracked and ancient, pressed into the meadow like a silent guardian. On top of the boulder sat a large toad with eyes the color of wisdom.

“Greetings sir Toad!” Roy introduced himself and his two companions, stepping forward to indicate leadership. Toads were known to be unpredictable sorts and it was always prudent to treat them with respect. The three rabbits bowed low, except for Leopold and Juxter who didn’t. Juxter could not stomach these pretentious toads and Leopold was too busy stifling his laughter at the situation.

The toad sat on the boulder, unmoving. His scaly dark skin rippled and flashed in the bright light. He blinked and cleared his throat. “Three rabbits!!!” bellowed the toad. His voice was a horrific blend of a bad mushroom trip and a worse mushroom trip. He puffed himself up, preparing for a lengthy proclamation.

At that moment a circling hawk swooped down like a torpedo and picked off the toad with the skill of a professional assassin. Sudden death erupted with a gurgling sound but was soon lost, drowned out by the uncaring wind and the hawk’s terrific battle shriek.

The three rabbits scattered like dead leaves. Another hawk zeroed in on the hapless adventurers and totally destroyed Roy.

Juxter cursed and screamed in fright. In desperation he scampered playfully towards the safety of Holimoli Forest. He had no chance. A hawk ripped him apart. Leopold was wiped out moments later, wasted by a fleet of angry red foxes that emerged from the tall meadow grasses. The end.