Thunk.
Outside, a redwing was crying out its song, the sound echoing across the village and lilting in through the open window letting in the early light. Aside from the birds, it was a quiet morn, and Sis had been lost in a pleasant dream that she couldn't quite remember. If she went back to sleep, the warm embrace of sleep, she knew she might be able to recall what it was, and -
Thunk.
The young rabbit sat up straight in bed. She wrinkled her nose, then pulled the wool blanket from herself before grabbing her folded dress off the bottom of her bed, slipping it over herself. She also grabbed her pink bow and secured it around her ears, giving it a light tug. The house was empty, and the old wooden door was hanging slightly open, its hinges creaking as it swung lightly in the wind.
Sis made her way out of the house, letting the door swing shut behind her. She looked around.
Thunk.
She started, before shaking her head in annoyance. There was a flash of blue over by the line of trees which girded the yard, and walking over, she descried her younger brother standing with a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. Squinting, he lifted it and took aim at a makeshift target which already had a few arrows sticking out of its surface. He pulled the arrow back, his little arm shaking.
``Bit early.''
Skippy gasped. The arrow flung loose with a snap, then sailed clear over the target and into the bushes beyond. He turned, frowning. ``You made me miss.''
``And you woke me up.'' Sis crossed her arms. ``So that makes us even.''
The younger rabbit shrugged, reaching back into his quiver and pulling another arrow. He lined up the shot, then let it go. This time, it flew forward straight into the target - or rather, the edge of the target.
Skippy grinned. ``I hit it!''
``Not bad,'' Sis said. ``Let me try.'' The younger rabbit immediately pulled the bow away from Sis' outstretched hand. ``Hey!''
``Nuh-uh.'' Skippy took a step back. ``This is the bow that Robin Hood gave me.''
Sis rolled her eyes. ``What, is he your boyfriend or something?''
The younger rabbit gasped. ``What?'' He looked down, averting his eyes. ``N-no, I just - '' He frowned. ``I just like this bow, that's all.''
Her eyes softened. ``I'm not gonna break it. Promise.''
Skippy paused. He looked down at the bow, then back up at his sister. He shakily handed the bow over. Sis grabbed it, and he clutched at his ears.
``Arrow, please.''
The younger rabbit nodded, then pulled an arrow out of his quiver and handed it over. The arrows barely qualified as such; they had been filed down to a blunted point, with the fletching conspicuously absent. Sis wondered if these were just twigs that had been scavenged from the yard. But she knew that it was the best they could do; iron-tipped arrows would have cost a fortune for the rabbit family.
She looked curiously at the arrow in her hand, then tried to nock it to the bowstring, fumbling with it as Skippy watched and groaned.
``You're not even holding it right.''
``Shush.'' Sis glowered, loosely gripping the arrow. She brought the bow up. The arrow wobbled in her grip. Determined, she closed one eye and bit her lip - which would surely do something for her accuracy - and then let go.
The bowstring flew forward with a snap, the arrow vanished. Sis looked at the target expectantly, but the arrow was nowhere to be seen.
Skippy erupted in hysterics.
``What?'' Sis sneered at him. He continued laughing, then fell back onto his haunches. Tears were brimming in his eyes as he rolled onto his side. ``What's so funny?!''
``T-the ar-row d-didn't...g-go anywhere,'' he stuttered between fits of laughter, tears flowing from his eyes as he rolled in the grass.
Her eyes widened. She looked down, and sure enough the arrow was sitting harmlessly on the ground only a couple of feet in front of where she was standing. She trembled. ``W-well, archery is s-stupid anyway!'' She lifted the bow as if to throw it down, and Skippy quickly got to his feet with his arms outstretched. She hesitated, then passed him the bow before turning and storming off.
``Where are you going?'' the younger rabbit called.
Sis didn't answer.
The redwing could still be heard somewhere in the offing, along with the susurrus of countless other birds. Mottled patches of sunlight illuminated the dirt path ahead of her. Though the morning's frost had dissipated, there was a lingering chill in the air that would pervade the rest of the day. It seemed like summer had lasted forever, but the days were slowly growing shorter. A layer of dry brown leaves covered the path and they crackled under her bare feet.
It was a short walk into town from their woodland abode, the thatch-roof houses spread out across the field in a haphazard fashion. The roads were little more than mud, worn deep with boot and wain-tracks. The houses were all in a state of disrepair, with cracked and sometimes missing sections of daub, wool blankets propped up on the inside to keep out the cold during the winter or the flies during the summer. Rats scurried in the streets.
Sis was just old enough to remember a time before it was like this. Nottingham was never a prosperous town, but things had been better under King Richard - before he left overseas for some war that her mother refused to elaborate on, before his younger brother's regency. It had grown even worse once the prince had made Nottingham Castle his personal abode. She had never seen the lion in person, but she had heard things about him: How he always wore his garish robe everywhere he went; how he was cowardly and had no mane; how the only thing which interested him was extorting as much gold out of his subjects as he possibly could.
She had even heard that he was known to suck his own thumb, of all things.
Although it was early in the morning, the town of Nottingham was already beginning to show signs of life. People flocked about, merchants - what few of them there were - hawked their wares, and a single troubadour was playing in the open courtyard in front of the parish.
The young rabbit looked around, wondering where her mother and younger siblings would have gone at this time of morning. From what she could see, she wasn't standing outside any of the stalls, nor was she anywhere else in the square. And it wasn't Sonedaei. If it had been, she would be sitting in the pews with her family, listening to Friar Tuck preach about esoteric things beyond her understanding, daydreaming about Robin Hood barging in to save her from the depths of divine boredom.
She smiled to herself as she thought of that rogue. Charming, eternally handsome, and noble; perhaps more so than any king. He lived the life of an outlaw, but as far as Sis was concerned he was a true knight in shining armour - just without the armour. She then imagined him seeing her pitiful attempt at shooting a bow, and she flushed anew with furious embarrassment.
The square was a menagerie of other animals, a bustle of garbed arms and legs, tunics and aprons that she laboriously wended her way through, most of them paying no mind to the small prosaic bunny underneath them.
As she continued to meander through the crowd, glancing every which way to see if she could catch a glimpse of someone she recognised, it occurred to her that she wasn't entirely sure of what she was going to do that day. She needed to be away from Skippy, she knew that much; otherwise he would take every opportunity to poke fun at her.
It also occurred to her that somehow she had ended up someplace she had never seen before. In her various adventures with her small group of friends, she thought they'd been over every nook and cranny of the dilapidated town. They had even ventured far into the woods, cavorting over the hillocks, leaping over brooks and rivulets, swimming in ponds that were sequestered deep in the copses and glades. But this place was unfamiliar to her.
In her attempts to get away from the droves of people, she had inadvertently taken a turn, then another turn, finding herself in an alleyway behind a row of antiquated houses. The sun was just above above the rooftops, casting an auburn light which fell short of the ground, leaving the rabbit half draped in shadow. A cold zephyr passed through, ruffling her fur. Overhead, a row of shirts on a clothesline billowed lightly in the wind. Then, that moment passed into silence, leaving behind a still absence that permeated around and within her. She shivered.
The young rabbit turned to leave, and then grunted as she bumped face first into something. She looked up, then gasped as she descried a tall, hooded wolf towering above her. He tilted his head, peering at her curiously.
``Y-you're one of the Sheriff's men...''
The large wolf continued to look at her, his expression unreadable. Silently, he reached toward her face with his large hands. She gasped, closing her eyes shut as she trembled, then shuddered as she felt his hands on her head. Something tightened around her ears. A moment later, the hands were gone. She cracked open an eye and peered up at him. He was still staring at her, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.
``Sorry,'' he said, ``your bow was coming loose.'' His voice was a low timbre and held a strange, tremulous vibrato that was almost like the sound of two millstones rolling over one another.
She blinked, reaching up and lightly touching her bow. ``Oh,'' she said quietly. ``Er, thank you, I think.''
He grinned slowly, revealing his large, pointed teeth. ``Don't mention it, little rabbit.''
Her eyes widened, and she gulped. ``R-right, well...I suppose I should be going.''
The wolf nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall. He turned away, looking down the alley in the other direction. His tail flicked.
Sis hesitated, watching him for a moment.
His eyes were a dull amber, the colour of a waning sunset. His accoutrements were a similar colour, and completely unfurnished aside from a burgundy hood which sat atop his shoulders. A couple of wiry ears poked out from under the hood, one bent at a strange angle. His fur - what portions of it weren't covered by his clothing - seemed to be well kept, and had a faint sheen that, in the slanted light, almost looked gold. His clothes hung loosely to his form, suggesting a skinny phys -
``You don't have to gaze upon me with such alacrity.''
Her ears flattened against her head. ``Sorry.'' Then, she said, ``I was just looking at your bow, actually.''
He gazed at her for a moment, squinting as he reached up and patted the top of his head. ``I'm not wearing - oh, you mean this.'' He chuckled softly, grabbing the weapon that was slung around his back.
Despite her nerves, Sis couldn't help but giggle at the display. ``Yes, that.''
His ear twitched. ``Did you want to hold it or something?'' He looked at his bow which was almost twice her size, then back at her, raising an eyebrow.
The small rabbit felt shy all of the sudden, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. ``Erm, I was just wondering if you're any good with it.''
``What?'' He snickered, standing up straighter at the question. ``That's an odd thing to ask.''
Sis clasped her hands around her mouth. I'm an idiot. She stood there, trembling and averting her eyes. ``S-sorry.''
``But yes, I am decent with the bow.'' He sighed, smirking. ``I'm no Robin Hood, of course.''
She blinked, surprised at his change of tone. She couldn't help but smile at the mention of Robin Hood. ``Ooh, well no one's better than Robin Hood.''
He chuckled. ``I'm sure there's at least one person better than him.''
``Nuh-uh!'' She felt a slight childish indignation.
``Probably is.''
Her nose wrinkled. Her foot thumped against the ground. ``Probably isn't.''
``Probably is.''
``Shut up!''
The large wolf laughed, his eyes glinting as he flashed another toothy grin at her. ``You like him that much?''
She blushed suddenly. ``No...''
``Hey,'' he said, smiling as he met her gaze, ``I'm just teasing you.'' She broke eye contact, fidgeting with her sleeves. ``Anyway, the offer still stands.'' He held out his bow slightly toward her. ``Just don't run off with it.''
Sis blinked, unsure of what to do. She hesitated, then grasped the large bow into her hands. ``Oh!'' Her knees buckled as she stumbled. After a moment she righted herself, though her arms were shaking helplessly. ``It's h-heavy.'' She struggled with the bow in her hands.
He grinned. ``It's not heavy, you're just small.'' Sis harrumphed then stuck her tongue out at him. The large wolf reached down with a single hand and gently took the bow from her with ease. ``I'm sure a short bow would better suit you.''
She gave a sigh of relief as the weight left her hands, and she quickly wiped her palms on the side of her dress. ``You think so?''
``Oh sure. And you know, I bet you'd be a natural.''
At this, her ears fell again. She thought of earlier, of how the arrow had fallen harmlessly into the dirt, of Skippy's laughter, of how she was never going to live it down. The young rabbit reddened, looking down at her feet in embarrassment.
The wolf tilted his head. ``Are you okay?'' he asked, his voice softening.
Sis hesitated. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him just how badly she had failed earlier, but her mother had told her, on multiple occasions, that `honesty is the best policy'. She opened her mouth, then shut it. After a moment's consideration, she said, ``I tried to shoot a bow earlier, but it didn't go well.''
The mirth slowly returned to the older wolf's face, his eyes squinting. ``Well that's nothing to be ashamed about, little rabbit. No one gets it on their first try.''
``But I wanted to,'' she complained, her voice laced with irritation. ``And now my brother thinks I'm stupid.''
The wolf laughed suddenly, the sound harsh and grating. ``That bad, huh?'' Sis blushed again, feeling the heat rise up her neck as she trembled in embarrassment. ``Hey,'' he said, ruffling the fur on top of her head, ``you'll get better.''
She looked up at him, her eyes large and twinkling. ``Could you teach me?''
He smiled. ``I can't at the moment.''
``Not now.'' She grinned hopefully. ``But maybe sometime you could show me everything about it. You could teach me how to shoot a short bow, then a long bow, and you could teach me how to shoot a target close up, and a target far away, and how to shoot while running, and how to shoot from horse-back, and how to fire three different arrows at the same time but all hit the same target, or maybe different targets too, and - '' A large hand clasped over her face `` - mmph!''
``Slow down there.'' He chuckled and gently pushed her away from him, her arms reaching out to her sides as she stumbled backwards. ``Already told you, I'm no Robin Hood.''
She regained her balance, then giggled. ``Sorry.''
``But yes, I suppose I could show you some basics; get you started, at least.'' He smiled. Then, after a moment he said, ``Though if I'm spending my time to teach you valuable skills, it'd probably cost you.''
Upon hearing this, Sis' face fell, her lip quivering. ``I...d-don't have any money.''
His eyes widened, his grin quickly fading. ``I'm only joking.''
``A-and...m-mama works s-so hard, and s-she tries, b-but it's still not enough.'' Her voice trembled, and she sniffled as she rubbed at her eyes.
The wolf whined, mentally admonishing himself as he got on his knees. He reached out, gently grabbing her shoulders as she continued to sob. ``Hey,'' he said, frowning, ``it was just a joke. A stupid joke, from a stupid wolf.''
She looked up at him, her eyes watering. ``R-really?''
He quickly nodded, giving her arms a light squeeze. ``I mean it, kid.'' He offered what he hoped was a placating grin. ``Lessons are free.''
``Yay!'' She bounced on her feet, her sadness quickly dissolving as she hopped around in a circle.
The wolf rolled his eyes as he stood back up and dusted off his clothes. ``But only for you; don't go around telling your friends - I have enough on my plate already.''
``I won't tell.'' She smiled at him, then glanced down at her feet shyly. ``Thank you.''
``Also, you'll need a bow. Don't think mine will suit you.'' He chuckled. ``Do you have one?''
She paused. The image of Skippy's bow came briefly to her mind, and she momentarily considered if it was somehow possible to take it and sneak away, for just a little while, and then she could put it back right where she found it. Then she imagined the possibility of him finding it gone, of how confused and upset he'd be - or worse, what if something happened to it while she was practising? True, he was stupid, and annoying. But he was also her little brother, and she didn't want to hurt him. ``No,'' she finally relented, glancing away.
The wolf shrugged. ``That shouldn't be a problem. I'll see if I can get one made. If not, I'll see about stealing one from the barracks.'' He grinned at her and winked.
``Oh!'' She found herself blushing slightly. ``That's, um...very kind of you.''
He smirked, then pointed in the direction behind her. ``Anyhow if you were lost, the town's back that way. For now I need to get back to my patrol.''
The young rabbit nodded, beaming. She asked, ``When do we start?''
``How's tomorrow at noon?''
She groaned petulantly. ``Tomorrow? That's forever away!''
He raised an eyebrow. ``Is it? For me, I'm surprised it is Monedaei again. Well, they say time gets faster as you get older. Seems like there is some truth to it.'' He grinned at her. ``I'm sure you'll survive until tomorrow. Just be glad tomorrow is `forever away'; it won't always be.'' Sis tilted her head at him, blinking her eyes in confusion. He rolled his eyes again. ``Tomorrow at noon?''
She giggled, nodding. ``Tomorrow at noon!''
With that, the young rabbit turned and skipped away, a notable bounce to her gait. She paused, then spun around back to him with a cheerful wave. The wolf chuckled, returning the gesture flippantly as she disappeared around the corner. Once she was gone, he sighed and thumped back against the wall, the mirth leaving his eyes. He had never taught anyone anything before, nevermind teaching a cub something as difficult as shooting a bow.
He just hoped he wouldn't muck it up somehow.
