[Meta] Long Time Coming

[Hopscotch Shop]

Mishap had lead the ragtag band of wood-be rescuers deeper into the swamp. She personally wasn't sure they'd ever be able to make it out on their own again, but maybe if they'd paid close enough attention they could do it. Maybe. But really, that wasn't her problem. She just wanted the giants away from her own burrow, and this had seemed like the easiest way.

"Okay. The elders' burrow is just up ahead. Good luck I guess, hope I don't see you any time soon." With that, she turned tail and vanished into the brush. Well, as much as a very white rabbit could vanish into very green and brown swamp.


@bughnrahk @Alanna the Pirate Queen @Zakiax @Ellanoire

Mishap has lead the rescuers to the elders' burrow! You may choose how to proceed!

 

[bughnrahk]

The untimely appearance of another rabbit splashing through the muck dragged Goldfinch's attention from the dwarf. She perked up, rising onto her haunches to catch sight of a sodden buck ambling toward them. She offered him a bright smile, the most she could do before the group was off. Goldfinch watched the strange white rabbit carefully as she led them through the thick of the swamp. Maybe she should have paid more attention to her surroundings, but she'd always been keen on other rabbits.


Clearly, that rabbit wanted nothing to do with them. Goldfinch's chest squeezed tight at the notion, but she understood, even if she didn't care for the sentiment. She'd be frightened to if she was surrounded by four rabbits more than twice her size.


With room to breathe, Goldfinch turned back to the newcomer and offered in hushed tones, "I'm Goldfinch! Thank-you for joining us."


She turned to the others, her face furrowed with concern. "I think it would be better if we made sure those rabbits knew we were here before we hopped down their burrow. That other doe was frightened of us and surprising the elders might not be a good choice."

WC: 197

@Alanna the Pirate Queen @Zakiax @Ellanoire

 

[Ellanoire]

Thornapple did his best to follow the little white rabbit through what was a veritble maze of swamp. He was beginning to wonder just how wise this whole adventure was... Her sudden departure didn't do much to ease his rising fear. He took a deep breath. Nothing to do about that right now, he supposed.

He decided it best to follow Goldfinch's lead and greet their new companion. "I'm Thornapple." He tried to keep his voice down. "We're looking for my brother. And some other rabbits." Important not to seem too selfish, after all.

Listening to Goldfinch, he couldn't help but agree. "She didn't seem too pleased that we showed up, I expect these elders won't be either. I think it's wise to not surprise them ..." He was very curious about these elders, however. Would they be normal sized? Or tiny, like the rabbit who had lead them here. "Do you think we should just drum on the top of the burrow? Or would that be too startling?"


@bughnrahk @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen

wc: 168

 

[Zakiax]

Another rabbit had join them, and Spotted Luck wondered just how long the other had been follow them. She hadn't noticed it at all until the other made his appearance. Had she been too focused on the small tiny rabbit in front of them to notice?

The doe shook her head trying to focus on the way that the small white bun was showing them. Trying to keep note of potential landmarks that could help them get back home once this was all over with.

"I'm Spotted Luck" She introduced herself to the newcomer.

The doe nodded at the other's words. "Indeed, we should be cautious." she spoke, before taking a long pause thinking. "Perhaps we should just say 'hello' into the burrow, or would that sound too rude?" she wondered out loud. Drumming would work too, but if these were small ones like the one who lead them here she wondered if that would be the right thing to do.

WC: 158
@bughnrahk @Ellanoire @Alanna the Pirate Queen

 

[Alanna the Pirate Queen]

Rumpus attempted to quickly shake off the water, though the algae and mud would have to be dealt with later as the group barely took the time to acknowledge his presence before they were on the move again. He took that as a good sign though... they didn't chase him off! His ears perked as the various buns introduced themselves, "Nice to meet you... G..." he trailed off as his brain panicked. He was so horrible with names, honestly, he barely remembered his own. There was... Gold... Goldsomething and somethingApple and... Spotted Luck! Rumpus managed to at least remember the last one. Barreling onwards he blurted, "I'mSpottedApple... no no... I mean... oh sorry, I'm all flustered... I'm Rumpus".

If bunnies could blush, Rumpus would definitely be glowing. He tried to compose himself as they approached the mini-buns, as he called them in his head, elder's burrow. Everyone seemed so nervous about entering the burrow for fear of scaring the minis, so Rumpus tried to think of the least scary thing he could think of. Drumming would definitely be scary, it would scare him in his own burrow if someone tried to do that to get his attention. A simple hulloo wouldn't bother him, but he wasn't a tiny bunny. Maybe if he heard something nice like... "What about a song?" he asked and then launched into one without really giving the others a moment to react, "Haroo hoorah, hillay hallie, sweet summer sings, sweet and carefree, chackoo chooka, chickchay chickichee, come dance to my tune, sings the golden chickadee..." It was a common song taught to young buns where he was from, but his complete lack of social grace meant he had no concept of how anyone could react negatively to singing.

wc: 290
@bughnrahk @Zakiax @Ellanoire

 

[Hopscotch Shop]

The singing certainly got someone's attention. The group could hear clear scrabbling in the burrow below, even above the constant sound of rain. Then a small face poked out, eyes glaring, then large. "INVADERS! GIANTS! THE MONSTERS HAVE COME!"

The little face withdrew. For a few moments, everything was perfectly silent, except for the drip drip drip of the trees. Then the little face emerged from the burrow once more.

"Are you here to invade, or have you come for the prisoners?" The very small rabbit looked pointedly from one rabbit to the next, apparently willing to stand her ground this time.

@bughnrahk @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen @Ellanoire

 

[bughnrahk]

Goldfinch nodded along with Spotted Luck's suggestion. "Thumping about might give the wrong impression, a polite hello might be the best way to-"

Before she finished her sentence, Rumpus had introduced himself, and Goldfinch found herself smiling brightly at him. What a darling rabbit! She was just about to reassure him, that being a bit flustered was completely understandable especially under the circumstances, when he broke out into a delightful diddy. A cheery tune that put Goldfinch in mind of boisterous kits and warm days, a pleasant reprieve from the constant rain drenching her coat. And... well... they had said a cheery hello might be the best course of action? A song like that couldn't possibly be mistaken for harmful intentions!

Goldfinch started at the shout of INVADERS instinctively huddling closer to the other rabbits, her ears pinned back with worry.

"Oh dear," she muttered. "We might not have left the best first impression..."

When the kit-sized rabbit reappeared, Goldfinch swallowed hard and tiptoed a little closer to the den. "We're hear to collect our friends," she began. "We're definitely not here to invade or... or cause any other sort of trouble! We're all very friendly."

At least, everyone seemed plenty friendly! She quite liked Thornapple and Spotted Luck from the bit of time they'd spent together, and Rumpus seemed like an absolute delight!

wc: 220
twc: 417
@Ellanoire @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen

 

[Ellanoire]

Thornapple had been quite prepared to heed Goldfinch's advice, and call a nice gentle greet down the burrow. And then Rumpus happened. Thornapple couldn't help but gawk at their newest companion for a moment, as he burst into song. Well, so much for that plan. But done was done, after all.

And then the shouting started. What was wrong with these tiny rabbits? Why did they think the totally normal rabbits were monsters? Thornapple was already getting quite fed up with this swamp. He nodded gratefully to Goldfinch. "We're only here for our friends and family. We believe they set off into Luremire some time ago, we'd just like to make sure they're okay." Thornapple tried to put in a friendly smile, but it was getting a little challenging.


@bughnrahk @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen

wc: 129
twc: 297

 

[Hopscotch Shop]

The small rabbit seemed to accept that these interlopers were not here to attack. She nodded along, appearing to listen. "It's taken a lot of work to feed all the invaders who tromped in here. Some of them had even been banished. You lot need to take them all out of our home. Once and for all. And don't come back." She spared a quick glare for each of the rabbits. Then she thumped her feet, and shouted again. "Bring 'em up. Someone's finally come for them."

Just like that, multiple rabbits emerged from the burrow. Had it really been that easy?

@bughnrahk @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen @Ellanoire

@Ellanoire @DarkHeartedSorrow @Naberius @stormflower @Absolutiones @Zakiax @HeavenlySnow

Shale, Eathshatter, Shiver, Hemlock, Antheia, Abraxas, Sage, Buggy Bog, Fading Bark, LeafFall and Panic Grass have been released to the custody of the rescue party! For the last year they've been the 'guests' of the elders in this part of Luremire. They weren't treated too poorly, but they were not permitted to leave. Your rabbit may feel however they like about this experience. They would have had limited access to the surrounding swamp, and possibly may even have befriended some of the local dwarf rabbit population. Your rabbit is now aware the existence of Luremire, that the dwarf rabbits here consider themselves superior to larger rabbits (even though some of them seem to have standard sized babies...) and that they HATE the elders of north Luremire. During this time, the non-banished rabbits likely learned from the merle rabbits that they had been banished due to their coats. It seems that from time to time Luremire experiences the strange illness those rabbits brought with them, and it seems to be linked to their strange coats. The above rabbits are now welcome to participate in this rp!

 

[bughnrahk]

Goldfinch's ears perked up with delight and she whipped her gaze between her companions, a smile slowly burgeoning across her face. They'd done it! Rumpus' song hadn't been a disaster after all, a cheerful welcome and some polite words seemed to have done the trick just fine. Goldfinch stepped back as the small rabbit shouted down the burrow and others began to pour out. Almost a dozen rabbits trapped by these tiny strangers.

Goldfinch turned to Thornapple. "Do you see your brother anywhere?"

She was eager to greet the other rabbits, itching to look them over for any signs of distress or malnourished, but from what she could garner, they seemed in decent health. At least these tiny rabbits treated their prisoners decently well.

"Why... why did you take them at all?" Goldfinch asked, ears pinned back. It might be a rude question and she certainly didn't want to start anything, but it might be good to know what started all this ruckus to begin with.

wc: 163
twc: 580

@Ellanoire @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen

 

[Ellanoire]

Thornapple's mouth fell open as a stream of rabbits exited the burrow. After their trek he'd imagined this being a lot harder. As each rabbit passed him his hopes got higher. Surely his brother would be next! ... Maybe after the next rabbit. Surely soon! Within a few moment, he was in a group of rabbits all milling about. He stood up on his hind legs, looking around. His heart fell. His brother simple was not here. How could that be? Thornapple knew he'd been with the adventuring group. He turned to Goldfinch, concerned. "My brother isn't here ... But he should be. I know this is where he went!"

He approached the small rabbit at the mouth of the burrow. "Are there others? I think we're missing some?"




wc: 127
twc: 424

 

[Hopscotch Shop]

The small rabbit was nearly engulfed in the crowd milling around her. She still heard Goldfinch, though. She popped up onto her hind feet, to ensure that she could hear her. "We banished many of these rabbits." She spared a special glare for Shale. "Their very nature was a danger to our way of life. Those spotty coats only bring bad things. And then they came back! With monsters from the outside! What else could we have done?" Her words might have been for Goldfinch, but they also seemed to be rather ... pointed towards a few of the prisoners.

As another of the giants approached, she took a step back. Thornapple towered over her. "These are the only rabbits that came here. Believe me, we don't want to keep on feeding them."



@bughnrahk @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen

 

[Ellanoire]

Shale was excited to be above ground, in the fresh air. It didn't matter that it was raining. She was just glad to be outside. And free, apparently. At this point all Shale wanted to do was get out of here and never come back. She'd been misguided bringing other rabbits into the swamp, that was clear to her now. This was no longer her home.

As she prepared herself to take off out of this place, she noticed a large rabbit confronting one of her captors. Talking about the other. It was the first time in a long time she'd thought of them. As the idea crossed her mind, her ears flattened. She crept forward, and tapped on Thornapple's paw. "We split into two groups ... They went to the north swamp ..."

wc: 132
twc: 556

 

[bughnrahk]

Goldfinch's initial joy was dashed to bittersweet pieces at Thornapple's reaction. They still hadn't found his brother. She cast him an apologetic look and set a paw softly on his side. That must be heartbreaking for him. Her ears perked at the spotted rabbit's approach... and then her words... oh no.

"The north swamp?" Goldfinch repeated, dumbfounded. She didn't want to go any deeper into this murky, muddy place, but she would. Much better to be a little cold and get mud on your coat, than to leave behind a rabbit in need! "Can we get there from here?"

She ducked her head near Thornapple. "At least we know there's a reason he isn't with this group. I'd be more than happy to keep searching for your brother with you."

wc: 130
twc: 710

@Ellanoire @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen

 

[Hopscotch Shop]

It seemed that while the small search party had done some good work, an even larger task lay ahead of them... For now, they helped guide the rescued rabbits back to Sunset Acres, and looked to gather others who might help their cause.

This rp may now be redeemed! This rp may be turned in for BOTH a seasonal roll AND meta points!

@bughnrahk @Zakiax @Alanna the Pirate Queen @Ellanoire ​