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The field around the warren is soft and lush. Coriander and rosemary scattered in patches that get more dense the further from the warren you get. Most of the rabbits don’t stray too far past the herbs. The world past them is dangerous, says the chief rabbit, a world to never be explored.
The rabbits of the warren fear death. No one ventures past the herbs because of fear that an elil will follow them back. Some rabbits are banished from the warren to never return for many reasons, too old, too odd. They can’t have any threat of death enter their warren. The rabbits here fear death.
Except for Thlaydra.
Thlaydra was small, which was normal for a rabbit of her age, but considered too small to the disappointment of the Owsla. Her father, Chestnut, was a prominent member of the Owsla and insisted that even though she was small, she could be strong in other ways. He did what he could to help his mate and raise their litter.
Chestnut believed that things would work out alright, but things took a turn after his mate, Lilac, had a vision. She bolted from their den screaming about a red storm consuming the warren, that death was coming. Thlaydra and the rest of her litter was asleep when it happened, and when they awoke, Lilac was gone. The litter was strong enough at that point to survive on their own, except for Thlaydra. Still the smallest, and the weakest, Chestnut did what he could to help her, not wanting to lose anyone else.
Chestnut became much closer to Thlaydra than the other kittens in her litter, and because of this he protected her the most, allowing her to stay in the warren even though the chief rabbit believed that death would be upon her.
When Thlaydra’s markings appeared, the warren became fearful. The chief rabbit wanted her gone, but because of her father’s status she was never truly kicked from the warren. Unfortunately, she only got odder as the months went on. The marks grew and became more visible, she became skittish when she used to be energetic, the red storm attacked her dreams as well.
Being an outskirter in her warren had given her a constant threat of being banished, but because of that she never feared death.
She journeyed past the coriander and rosemary and she met travelling Hlessi. They told her stories of El-ahrairah that her warren had never told her. Stories of daring and trickery, of bravery, of death.
They told her of the Black Rabbit of Inlé, surprised that her warren never spoke of them. They told her how the Black Rabbit watches over everyone and how all will join their world eventually. Thlaydra adored these stories and wished to tell them to others, but no one in the warren would listen.
The Owsla grew more and more frustrated with Thlaydra and her father, wanting to get rid of them, but Chestnut was stubborn and refused to leave. Not wanting anymore trouble from the Owsla, he forbid Thlaydra from venturing past the herbs again because if she did, he doubt that he could protect her any longer.
Thlaydra would sneak out at night after a dream of red in hopes that someone would pass by. Someone that she could tell a story to. Someone that she could leave the warren with. Someone that could give her a place to belong like the lost souls that join the Black Rabbit in the end. Some days she wishes that the Black Rabbit would appear and call her away. Thankfully for her, and for another lonely Intuitive doe, that day hasn't happened yet.
➳➳➳
Thlaydra awakens quickly, the red storm chasing her towards her burrow like it does every night. She’s nearly tharn again and it takes her a while to centre herself. She sighs as she exits her burrow, looking towards the rest of the warren.
Still there.
She slowly hops away, looking to the horizon to see Frith just barely shining through the bushes and trees. She’ll only have a short while past the herbs. Her fur brushes up against coriander, changing the scent of the air of the area. After passing the herbs, she hops a little further towards a patch of lavender she found a while back. She hides within it, the smell calming her.
Thlaydra’s ears jolt upright as the sound of rustling catches her attention. She squishes down into the flower patch, nose wiggling as she stares in the direction the noise came from. From a small bush, a tall gangly doe rabbit hops into view. She stops for a moment, looking around before settling on her haunches and cleans her face gently with her paws.
Thlaydra gazes at the other rabbit from behind the lavender. The doe is a dark brown, nearly black. If it were darker, Thlaydra would have insisted that she was looking upon the Black Rabbit. The doe wasn’t completely dark however. Her underbelly was a tad lighter, about a light brownish-grey, and her left ear seems to be tipped white. The doe goes to clean her right ear but stops abruptly, wincing in pain. The tip of her ear is torn and ragged and Thlaydra imagines that it's not pleasant to deal with.
The doe is thin, unnaturally so, and a thick scar wraps around her neck. It's jagged and ugly, but the doe is beautiful. She may not be the Black Rabbit of Inlé, but she looks like death has crossed her.
The doe looks past Thlaydra and quickly hops over towards the rosemary and begins to silflay. Thlaydra can’t help but watch as the peculiar doe moves over to nibble on the coriander as well.
“If you want to join me you can.” The doe says, turning to face the patch of lavender. Her voice is light and a little rough, most likely from the trauma her throat had received. Thlaydra startles and bolts from the flower patch for a second before settling and awkwardly cleaning her ear.
“I- I didn’t want to intrude.”
“You're not intruding on anything. You were her first after all.'' The doe moves over to allow space for Thlaydra, who then tentatively hops over to nibble on the coriander as well. “I’m Nightshade. What's your name?”
“Th- Thlaydra.”
“That's a beautiful name. Lightning is one of my favourite parts of a storm.” Thlaydra stops for a moment.
“Lightning?”
“Why, yes. That is why you were named after it, right?”
Thlaydra stares into Nightshade’s eyes, not quite sure how to respond. Nightshade looks over and her ears twitch a bit. “Oh, how silly of me. I don’t mean to assume anything, it's just that I often don’t hear a name like that around so I assumed your mother liked lightning as well.” Thlaydra looks back at the coriander.
“My dad never told me that's what my name ment,” she looks down at her fur, “sort of ironic now that I think about it.”
The two does silflay and chat for an hour or so, talking about Nightshade’s travels and Thlaydra’s life at the warren. Thlaydra knows that she has to leave soon, not knowing what her dad will say if he finds her. She doesn’t want to leave though, she just wants to talk with Nightshade forever, to go and travel with her, to…
“Life at your Warren doesn’t sound all that fun.” Nightshade says with a piece of rosemary in her mouth. Thlaydra removes herself from her thoughts.
“Well, I’m used to it. I would leave, but I don’t know where I would go.”
“You don’t need to have a destination, you can just wander and see where Frith guides you.” She looks over to Thlaydra. “Do you want to come with me? Be a hlessi?”
Thlaydra’s mind rushes with a sense of hope and fear that almost makes her go tharn again. ‘Yes, yes, please let me go with you! Yes!’
“Right- right now?”
“Only if you want to.”
‘Yes, yes, yes, I want to! I really want to!’
“Thlaydra?” Chestnut calls out back at the warren.
Nightshade stands upright, nose twitching as she looks past the herbs.
“Well, gotta run.” She turns to bolt.
“Wait!” Thlaydra shouts, causing Nightshade to stop, “Yes!”
“Yes?”
“I want to go with you.” The two look at eachother, the air shifting as they wait.
“Thlaydra!” Chestnut calls again, causing Nightshade to bolt, with Thlaydra following close behind.
Thlaydra doesn’t know what her dreams mean for the warren, for her father, but every fibre in her little rabbit body is telling her that this hlessi is the one that is meant to take her away, even if she looks like death.
That's alright.
Thlaydra is not afraid of death.