Starbasin

The burrow was small; a single hollowed out kettle that lay along a single underground run dug from one side of a small hill to another. The area was barely large enough for the three animals to rest. Eitan found himself between the new rabbit and Rhizome in a surprisingly comfortable huddle.

Eitan was the first to speak. “The last warren I was in seemed larger.”

“The warren rabbits prefer if I keep my distance. This is only my personal burrow.” The rabbit they rescued seemed calm about the weasel’s presence. He didn’t shy away from the weasel’s touch, making sure to keep a paw on Eitan.

“You seem oddly okay with Eitan being in here,” Rhizo said. “I’m Rhizome, but Rhizo is easier for most.”

The other rabbit sighed. “I’m Mune, the seer of Hazelford. I’m good at reading intentions, so I can tell he— you don’t mean any harm. I don’t mean to talk past you, Eitan.”

“And what can you tell me of my intentions, seer?” Eitan asked.

“You grew up in a place like this. You’re desperately telling yourself that this isn’t home, and that you can’t get too comfortable, because then we’d be a danger to you.” Mune grunted. “Sorry. Once I start observing, it can be difficult to stop. The more intense, the less control I have, and not a lot of rabbits want to hear the secrets they hide from themselves. Or when they’re going to die. Most of my proper visions are of deaths.”

“Brambledeep’s seer only has visions when she looks at the sky.” Rhizo stumbled over his words. “Do you require something else that would let you control it?”

“Touch,” Eitan said. “Right? It’s why you insisted that I be in the middle here? Instead of having Rhizo as an extra body between us?”

“Yes. It’s a little more complicated than that, but basically correct. And why I’m all the way out here. Even brushing past another rabbit in a run can trigger a vision,” Mune said. “I almost never have visions of myself. So, when I saw my own death, I thought… I don’t know. Visions can’t be changed.”

“What triggered it?” Eitan asked.

“I swatted a fly off my nose. I guess that was enough,” Mune said. “That wolf should have killed me. I don’t know what purpose my death would have had, but it was supposed to happen. I know that was the right place. I know it was the right wolf. I spoke the right words. You were not supposed to be there.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve changed a vision. I think that’s why we were led to you.” Rhizome paused. “I asked Death for help. We’ve talked a few times, since I almost died. I was concerned about what changing a vision might mean.”

“Well, Rhizome, Eitan, thank you for saving my life.” His ears flicked in the darkness. “I’ve never had a vision not happen before. Sometimes, it’s incomplete and I misinterpret it. But to actually not happen the way I saw it… I saw myself alone with the wolf. And he didn’t recoil when I spoke, he struck.”

“Is that how you knew what to say? It was absolutely brilliant. You should have seen it from where we were,” Eitan said.

“What did you guys do?” Mune asked. “I mean, that wolf was terrified. I guess if one ran into a bear they could get that scared, but I’ve never seen it.”

Rhizo said, “We convinced him I was a powerful seer. I pretended I was speaking Lapine and that he could understand me because he was starting to think like a rabbit. I was threatening to use a seer chant to make him show me his belly.”

“He didn’t believe it until you asked him to kill you and spare us. It was a shock and left him open to the possibility.” Eitan leaned a little against Rhizo. “I can’t believe you managed to come up with a second seer chant.”

“Yeah, but it took you stopping it before he believed it. You sounded so afraid of me.” Rhizo winced. “We’re lucky the wolf knew nothing about visions. Mune, seers don’t normally chant, right? ”

“I’ve never met one that chanted, but I guess it could work that way for an individual seer?” The rabbit thought, “But, how did you change my vision? Is that a seer-trick you learned?”

“What? No. I’m nothing special. I think, maybe, that I’m too insignificant to be seen in visions. Too trivial.” Rhizo whimpered.

Eitan grunted. “You just pulled off a fantastic trick that would make any rabbit, weasel, or animal jealous. Death wanted to hear what you’d do.”

“I didn’t, you two were the ones who made him believe. I just came up with a stupid plan. Both of you made it work,” Rhizo objected. “It’s not like you’d really show your belly to me as a sign of trust.”

Eitan felt the embarrassment well up. “That’s not what I meant. You came up with a workable plan. No matter how ridiculous it was. And it worked. Even if we had to do it, you scared a wolf. Your plan saved a rabbit’s life.”

“It’s okay,” Mune said. “You can explain the rest later. I didn’t mean to make things uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine,” Rhizo and Eitan said in unison.

“I only mean that it’s a lot to take in. The wolf can’t get us here, but the fear lingers. It’s really okay.” Mune took his paw off of Eitan and edged away a little in the burrow. “I shouldn’t poke this. It can wait.”

“No.” Eitan nudged against the seer. “What do you mean?”

Mune gurgled a moment and winced. “You fear that the act you showed to the wolf wasn’t. You fear that you have lost your soul and that Rhizome may have it. You worry that you will never take another life, yet what’s worse is that you are no longer sure that’s a bad thing.”

“That’s just your match-making social guessing.” Eitan growled. “What do you see of my fate?”

Rhizo bit Eitan on the scruff of the neck. “Stop it! You’re upsetting our host.”

Mune let out a cry of distress and collapsed. “The weasel is to have attacked Brambledeep. While Rhizome hides away in shame, the kit with one white paw will die. You are to have done this, torn out his throat before the watch catch you. Your last words are— you wish to avenge your mother. The warren watch doesn’t care, a stinging Pepperpuff will have stunned you, blind you long enough for one to have broken your back.” The vision ended and he added, “I’m sorry, it will happen many days ago. Your death cannot be changed.”

“Mune, hey, focus.” Rhizome tried to push around Eitan, but the kettle was too full with the three of them. “When did that happen?”

“Last full moon.” He hesitated. “It should have already happened. You’re not dead… Are you?”

“No!” Eitan almost shouted. “Rhizome stamped instead of hiding. The kit isn’t dead, I never touched him.” He winced in shame. Some part of him had hoped Rhizo had made it up. But, there’s no way Mune had guessed those details. “Rhizome saved my life. Saved me from a humiliating and pointless death.”

“Are you okay?” Rhizome asked.

Eitan shivered and thought. Rhizome had been telling the truth. The warren had the wrong vision and had he gone back, they would have been unprepared. Yet, how different would the outcome have been? Eitan would probably still have been killed. Maybe it would have been a different rabbit. Yet, what of his promise to his mother? He didn’t want to kill every rabbit. He probably never wanted that. But, maybe he should try to find those actually responsible.

Rhizo nudged the weasel lightly. Mune tried to keep a small distance, concerned another vision might be too intrusive.

“My last words were supposed to be about avenging my mother.” Eitan whimpered. The anger came back; he had no idea who took his home, took his family. He grunted. Death would know, Rhizome could find out. But, not now, not here.

Mune tensed. “E— Eitan?”

“I need some air,” Eitan grumbled and bolted out of the kettle.