’I am so tired,’ Chaos-Two thought, staring at Nibbles the rabbit.

Their fur was dirty and their hands would probably never smell of anything but banana. It was nearly its own trial to get this damned rabbit to Pegasus, but they'd be damned if they didn't bring it home now. They'd put too much effort into this tiny, insignificant creature.

’Khavur?’, they asked tiredly, ’Is the pen set up?’

They had a game plan. Herd the rabbit towards the pen before coaxing it inside with treats.

’Do you think some kind of funnel would help? Like something that would force Nibbles to go into a certain area?’, they asked, rubbing their face.

They conjured yet another damn banana and peeled it, trying to get the rabbit to follow them, occasionally leaving pieces behind so it didn't feel like following them was a waste of time.

@Khavur

It had been a long journey.

The Wind Hopper never got close to Chaos-Two; any time the creature drew near, it would bolt back away. So far, it hadn't left entirely--the promise of tidbits of food had drawn it on. The creature was, it seemed, a bit of a little pig for food.

It wasn't following Chaos-Two; it was following the food, and it was clear that without it, it would have simply scurried off and made a life for itself in the wild. Even now it seemed to lose interest periodically, wandering off to investigate this plant or that bit of terrain, or to flee at the noise of a strange creature. Still, it was here now--in Pegasus--and it sat up, nose in the wind and eyes dropping half-shut as it took in this new and beautiful cave.

Meadows? Brooks? Distant treeline? It was perfect for the Hopper--it could even smell its own kind on the wind. A few rocking hops took it in that direction, whiskers quivering.

Chaos-Two watched the rabbit and bit their lip, hoping that their continued offers of banana would keep the rabbit close. They could lead it into the pen their sibling had set up and keep it there until they could figure out the spell they needed (though it wasn't so much as figuring it out as it was actually having the energy to perform it).

"Come on, Nibbles," they said softly, "I promise that you can meet some friends soon. Just a little further, I promise."

They summoned another banana and left a trail of pieces leading through one of the fields of Pegasus, towards the small pen they were going to keep the little bunny in for the time being. They'd make sure to feed him and everything and treat him the best they possibly could. As an apology for hesitating so long.

Whoops khavur won't be joining this thread-

It was clear that the Hopper was excited to be among its own kind. It could smell them. It could hear, feel, the vibrations of their digging in the earth. And as far as food--well, it had sweet grass as far as the eye could see.

But it was wide open space, and for the moment, the scent of bananas still led it on. A few hops took it after Chaos-Two, further toward the pen.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two sighed softly as the rabbit followed, happy it seemed to be trusting just enough to follow. Or maybe it was just hungry, they didn't know.

"Alright, Nibbles," they said, voice quiet, "Why don't we give this a shot, huh? It can't be that complicated. Just... link, right?"

They hoped so.

There was a connection, similar to the feeling that was born when Khavur and Maximus connected for the first time. Their eyes widened and they stared, waiting with baited breath for Nibbles to react, to do something.

But Nibbles kept eating the banana, looking exactly the same, as if nothing had happened. The only difference was that Chaos-Two could suddenly taste banana too, and their senses were amplified.

Ever so slowly, they reached out, their hand shaking as they squeezed their eyes shut, unable to believe it. They held it there, scared to advance, waiting for something to happen.

Soft fur touched the palm of their hand and their eyes flew open, watching in amazement as Nibble nuzzled up against their hand, remaining underneath it as they continued to munch on a piece of soft banana. The rabbit seemed content to remain there, feeling safe under their companion's large knife hand, at least for the time being.

"... You are the cutest thing I've ever laid eyes on," Chaos-Two sniffed, almost tearing up as they scooched closer, almost scared to touch the tiny little thing of who's life they'd held in their hands only days before.

Nibbles looked up at Chaos-Two, nose twitching gently as he looked up at the valkhound. He seemed to humor Chaos-Two and pressed into their hand as they gently stroked baby-soft fur, calmer now that he could very clearly feel no malicious intent towards him. And underneath it all was a sense of debt towards Chaos-Two, a sense of thanks for saving his life.

Ever so gently Chaos-Two picked up Nibbles, stroking him gently as he cuddled the tiny little rabbit, pleased as punch as the rodent seemed happy to snuggle up close and be pet.

But there was still that longing, that loneliness.

"You want to go find some friends," Chaos-Two said softly, gently stroking soft ears, "Alright. It's okay if I visit though, right? We're friends too, I think."

The rabbit made a soft noise and pressed into Chaos-Two's hands before hopping down and shaking itself off, eating one last piece of banana before turning to his companion, peering at them for a moment. An affirmation before he was gone, running off into the forests and fields of Pegasus to find a family of their own.

"... Bye Nibbles," they said softly, waving gently, "I'll see you later..."

Chaos-Two lingered for a moment and smiled, holding their hands clasped together as they headed towards Draco, off to tell Vargas of their trial and hopefully their little companion.

Exit