Chapter Text
Above all else, it was boring. Day in and day out the routine was the same. Perhaps, the food changed a bit or they gave them something new to chew on but, one truth remained. The constant that seemed to determine time itself here. Nines always drowned.
Everyday it seemed, at what he could only perceive was ni-Frith, determined by the brightness that laid just outside the high windows. That was always when the white coats would come.
Sometimes, Nines caught a glimpse of Frith as the white coats carried him down the hall past rows and rows of other rabbits. They always tried to keep his face pressed into their sides, as if to keep him from seeing much of anything. It did little, all Nines had to do was tilt his head slightly and he could see the whole world, or what little he could call the world.
There above wire cages stacked seemingly to Frith himself, the sun would shine through a small opening to the outside. And when they would bring him back through the same hall Inlé would be shining in Frith's place. The moon in all it's silver magnificence and steady light, waxing and waning. The only testament that time ever passed here and a comfort that the Black Rabbit himself still looked down upon them. Watching and waiting for the day when he was to collect them all from such a wretched place.
They would pass through door after door then, losing sight of any other rabbits as the cages thinned out until only the white walls of the human warren remained. One last door, and Nines would see the pool of water, a great lake surrounded by high metal walls in the middle of the room. Calm and quiet but, reflecting harshly against the white lights that clung to the ceiling.
He used to feel fear when he saw it. An all encompassing thing that made him stiff and unmoving. He would send quiet prayers to Frith himself as the white coats lowered him down into the middle of the water. He no longer feels anything when he sees it.
The white coats lower him into the water once more, muttering amongst themselves. Somehow, despite the chill of the water, the white coats’ paws always felt colder than anything else.
Instincts kick in as soon as his fur is soaked through. Rabbits were never meant to swim.
Nines paddles at the water with his forepaws and kicks with his hind legs, trying to grab onto a solid surface that isn't there. His eyes roll about in their sockets briefly and the whites are visible as he strains to keep his head above the water.
There is never any other noise than his splashing and harsh panting. The humans always look upon him silently. Always in their white coats. Always staring for an eternity it seemed.
Rabbits have no real grasp of time other than the rising and the falling of the sun, or the seasons as they pass. But, Nines always knew intrinsically that he stayed afloat a bit longer each time they brought him here.
He paddles to the edge of the pool, slick metal clicking and scraping as he drags his claws against it. He always spent his last moments scrabbling at the wall, hoping perhaps that the white coats would change their mind and pull him from the water. Of course, man never showed such mercy.
His paws grow heavy and his head dips below the water. With each passing second, he can feel his muscles scream for relief until they lose the ability to move entirely. He can feel water lap against his ears and the sounds become muffled as liquid gathers against his ear drums.
He scratches at the tile one last time, grunting weakly and wheezing. His breaths turn to gags and coughs as he inhales water through his nose and mouth.
Nines sinks beneath the surface, paws stopping their endless churning. His heart thuds in his ears and his eyes slip close against the watery intrusion. He tries to breath in, he always does. He can not stop his lung's desperate attempts for air just as he has no strength left in his paws to keep swimming.
The burn of water in his nose and throat, and fire in his lungs reminds him that he was still of this world. His body settles on the bottom of the pool gently and convulses as it fights for the last scraps of oxygen. He grows tired. So, tired indeed that his heart stops beating altogether.
He goes limp and it is always in this moment, suspended in oblivion, that he can hear the Black Rabbit call his name. For when he calls, you must go.
However, Nines is never given the chance to answer the call. Death eludes him and yet, each time he drowns the Black Rabbit calls for him as if he is an old friend. His eyes shine with a red light that pierces the darkness of his unconscious mind but, he never moves forward to greet him. Always just out of reach, waiting patiently for the day Nines finally dies.
Shocks rupture his oblivion, chasing away death with their arrival. One after the other, jump-starting his heart into a weak putter. He can feel as cold metal is pressed against his fur and his chest rises and falls with the shallowest of breaths. He coughs violently, kicking out his feet and turning onto his stomach as water leaves his lungs with each heave.
Rough hands force Nines back onto his side and a tube is shoved down his throat, pumping air into his lungs. He struggles weakly against the intrusion and whimpers as the burn of water being forced from his lungs grows unbearable. He watches as the white coats move around above him. Like vultures, they hover over him as if he is a dying animal, a piece of carrion ready to be picked apart.
He regains some semblance of strength with each inhale and exhale the contraption forces from him. His heart thumps stronger with each beat but, it is still weak. Too weak to give much life to the rest of his body, so he remains limp even when the tube is painfully removed. He gags around it, teeth grinding weakly against the feeling until finally the wretched thing is gone.
Dry towels drag roughly against his fur, whisking away the water and chasing away the chill. They do not take into account the discomfort they leave behind or the absolute disarray they leave his fur in. It is mechanical, a necessity to keep him alive one more day.
Hands lift him into the air and once more he is pressed face first into a white coat. He doesn't bother to look around or try and catch a glimpse of the window.
He hears the familiar metallic click of a latch being undone before he is placed gently inside a small cage. He has no energy to move and lays on his side. Eyes closed and panting, he is thankful for the small comfort of some soft material beneath him.
“Brother?” Nines ear twitches at the quiet voice and he sighs softly in response.
“I thought you were never coming back.”
Nines opens one eye wide enough to see a small brown rabbit hop towards him. As familiar as the wire bars of the cage, so is the strange circle that protrudes slightly from the rabbit's right temple. It's a tiny unnatural thing that rests just behind his eye and no fur dare grows near it.
“I always… come back...Connor” He speaks between breaths.
“I know.” Connor's ears fall back and he looks down at his paws, “Something felt different this time. Like a…” He looks about, struggling to find the words, “Like an end to a terrible winter or… a calm settling after a thunderstorm.”
Nines chuckles weakly and closes his eyes, “You worry too much.” He shifts slightly, tucking his legs closer to his body, “I'm not done running, yet, little brother.”
Connor presses his forehead against Nines and settles down beside the bigger rabbit, “Maybe, the white coats won't come tomorrow.” He tucks his paws beneath his chin and stares out past the cage bars. It is dark, the harsh lights are turned off and it allows the light of the full moon to trickle in.
Nines snorts, “You say that every time.”
“I have a feeling, this time.” Connor whispers it with such confidence that Nines almost believes that things will be different when the morning arrives. That, somehow, he is free of the pool and free of cheating death. To get his hopes up would be a disservice to himself.
He opens his eyes for a brief moment to look at Inlé, as it shines down upon them. The Black Rabbit would not come for him today nor the next.
“Get some rest, rusatiroo.”