Don't Be Afraid (+ story)

WARNING, THE STORY MAY BE A BIT BRUTAL! You have been warned.

Don't Be Afraid

The cold breeze blew gently through Swift's fur as she stepped out of her burrow. The rabbit sniffed the air cautiously. No scent of danger. She took a careful step out onto the snow. It crunched quietly under her weight as she hopped carefully away from the safety of her burrow.

The stars shone brightly above her as she searched the frozen wasteland for food and the snow glistened beautifully in the moonlight. Food was extremely scarce this winter and Swift had to travel further every time in search of something to eat. The poor creature was no more than skin and bones. She was desperate to find something to eat – if not, she would surely die soon.

Suddenly, she thought she heard pawsteps close by. She stopped in her tracks and listened carefully. Silence greeted her sharp ears. The rabbit sniffed cautiously and tried to identify a possible scent of danger, however, the wind was against her.

Without warning, a shadow suddenly pounced at her out from the darkness. Swift's reflexes were quick, and she managed to dodge it before it could sink its fangs into her flesh. Immediately, the rabbit took off running. Fast. Faster. Behind her, she could hear the predator breathing heavily, getting closer.

Swift knew she couldn't keep running for long. Her strength was fading. She had to hide somewhere. Anywhere. Suddenly, she glimpsed a small cavity in the rocks, just big and deep enough for her to stay out of reach from her restless pursuer. She quickly slipped into the small hole and crouched there in the dark, her little heart racing.

Whatever had chased her now stood at the entrance of the hole. Swift immediately recognized by its scent that it was a fox. It crouched down and peered into the cavity. Its bright blue eyes met Swift's, and it called, “Come out, come out, bunny! No use hiding!”

Swift's heart was pounding. She pressed herself closer to the wall of the cave. “It's no use, cottontail. Stay in there and rot if you like!” the fox called. Just like her, the fox was thin. His orange fur was dull and had lost it's glossyness and his ribs were dangerously visible through his skin. “I'm not leaving, you know, bunny. I'm gonna wait right here till you come out! I haven't eaten for days, let alone seen any other prey. Don't think I'm just going to leave this last chance of getting something to eat.”

Although Swift was terrified, she managed to choke out, “I'm just as desperate to continue living. If you think I'm going to come out and let you kill me, you're wrong!” This angered the fox. He sat down in front of the entrance and declared, “Well, then you can die in there. I'm not leaving. And have fun digging your way out of the rock, ha! You're trapped, cottontail!”

On hearing these words, Swift couldn't hold back her tears. She was going to die. The fox had the upper paw. There was no way out of this mess. She started sobbing quietly. “You crying, eh?” the fox asked. “Why do you care?” Swift sobbed. “I don't,” the fox responded, “but I can end your pain and give you a quick death.” “No,” Swift retorted. Even if this might seem like the end, she wasn't going to give up that easily. She was still alive, and with life, there is hope.

“I'm getting bored, cottontail,” the fox said, pawing restlessly at the snow. “Why do you always call me 'cottontail'? I have a name. It's Swift,” the rabbit asserted. The fox rolled his eyes. “Well, Swift, your name fits well,” the fox commented. “My name is Zev.” Swift didn't respond. She just crouched silently in the hole.

“The stars are beautiful tonight,” Zev remarked. He lifted his head to the sky and gazed at the moon. “I love stars. What about you, cottontail? You like stars?” he asked. “Why are you talking to me like that, fox?” Swift demanded. “I don't know. I guess I don't have anything better to do. Besides, why not? I've never talked to a bunny before,” he explained. He lay down in the snow, head facing the hole.

“You want to kill me, so why are you trying to have a conversation with me? Leave me alone,” Swift mumbled. “Not very open-minded, are you, cottontail?” Zev laughed. The moonlight reflected beautifully in his eyes, and they shone like two diamonds. Zev waited for a reaction from her, but Swift remained silent.

“You got a family, Swift?” Zev asked. “Ha! Just so you can go kill them too, that's why you ask, right?” Swift remarked. “No, I'm just wondering,” the fox protested. “Well, either way, they're dead,” Swift snapped. Immediately, tears came to her eyes at the thought of her parents and siblings. How they screamed when the wolf sank its fangs into their throats. The sound of their fragile bones breaking under the crushing bite. The blood. The pain. And there was nothing she could do. Swift broke down in tears.

“There there, cottontail. I know how horrible that must be. My parents died too,” Zev said and hid his face behind his tail, as if wiping tears away. “This winter has already brought so much destruction. Sometimes I wonder why life is so unfair,” he complained. “This is a cruel world,” Swift sobbed. “Indeed it is, cottontail.”

They continued laying there in silence, both of them waiting for something to happen. The snow started falling. “What's your happiest memory, eh, Swift?” Zev asked. “Last summer. When I played with my siblings in the clover field. It was so wonderful. I wish I could go back to that time,” Swift answered. Tears came to her eyes again. “Crying again, are we? Now now, that'll do no good. It won't change anything,” Zev pointed out.

“My happiest memory was my first successful hunt,” Zev remembered, smiling at the thought. “That's not very pleasant,” Swift commented. “I was just a pup and I managed to catch a mouse all by myself. I was so proud!” the fox recounted. “That's horrible. Killing,” Swift repeated. “No it aint. How else to survive?” Zev asked. “And actually you kill too! Have you ever thought about the fact that you killed innocent plants that weren't even capable of defending themselves?” he remarked.

“Plants don't have feelings,” Swift argued. “Sure they do, cottontail!” Zev exclaimed. “Just 'cos they can't show it, doesn't mean they don't feel pain just like you do.” “You're weird, Zev,” Swift laughed. “You too, cottontail,” Zev smiled.

The snowflakes danced in the wind as predator and prey continued talking. Zev looked around and realized that the darkness was fading. He glanced at the horizon and saw the sun starting to rise. “It's sunrise already. Look at how beautiful it is! Makes me feel happy that I'm still alive,” Zev proclaimed. “Yeah, you're right. I've never had the time to appreciate that I'm alive. And now I do, when I'm closer than ever to death,” Swift added.

Zev gazed at the horizon and sighed, “We take life for granted, but actually, we should be grateful for every moment.” Swift agreed. She had found a kind of sympathy in the fox, like she had never felt before for an enemy. Even though he was her enemy, she no longer regarded him as a bloodthirsty murderer, but more like a fellow animal struggling to survive, just like her.

“Zev?” “Mhm?” “We might not live to see another sunrise,” the rabbit spoke. “True,” Zev agreed. “What do you think happens after death?” Swift pondered. “Nothing. We're dead, cottontail, what should happen?” was the reply. “So you're saying that this is our only life?” Swift inquired. “I believe it is,” Zev replied. “I can't imagine that. There can't be nothing after death. That would be horrible! I think we could be reborn,” the rabbit argued.

“Believe what you want, cottontail. No one knows the truth,” Zev remarked. Swift sighed. Looking out of the hole, she saw the rays of light embracing the land. The snow glittered like crystals as it reflected the sunlight.

“You know what, Swift? I don't think I could bring myself to kill you anymore, even if you decided to come out.” “Nice try, fox. I'm staying in here,” Swift declared. “I'm not kidding, cottontail. All my life, no one has ever listened to a word I said. No one cared. I had no friends. I've always been the outsider, hated and bullied. Whenever I said something, the others just laughed,” he recounted and hung his head in sadness.

“And I don't know what I did wrong. I tried to make friends, but they wouldn't let me. No one wanted me. No one listened. But you, you're different. You listen to me and talk to me. No one has ever been so kind to me,” Zev added, tears filling his eyes. “Well, I don't really have a choice. I'm stuck here, so I might as well talk to you,” Swift shrugged. “Thank you,” said Zev.

They sat there for a while in silence, then Zev spoke up again, “I can't kill you. You've been too kind to me, I know I couldn't do it. Don't be afraid of me, cottontail. I promise I won't hurt you. I'm your friend now.” “Why should I trust you?” Swift asked. “You're right, you shouldn't. No one trusts me. No one likes me. Not even when I try my best to make friends. I guess I'll just have to spend the rest of my life alone, hated and despised,” Zev cried. Swift felt a bit of guilt sting deep inside of her. Why did she feel empathy for the fox?

“Please don't be afraid, cottontail. I've spent too much of my life being sad, knowing that I'll never have anyone there for me, no one to listen to my thoughts. I know it's weird that I want you to be my friend, since you're a rabbit, but I've never felt this way about anyone else before. After talking to you for so long, I can't imagine that I ever could have killed you. You're so kind to me,” Zev explained. “Please don't be afraid. You can trust me.”

“No. I'm sorry, Zev, but this could be a trap,” Swift said quietly. Zev sighed, “I knew you wouldn't trust me.” He turned around and started walking away, his head and tail held low in sadness. “Goodbye, cottontail. I hope our paths will cross again. Maybe it's not too late for us to become friends,” he still called back.

Swift still sat there between the rocks for a while in silence, thinking. She knew she should have felt relieved, but oddly, she couldn't help feeling a bit sad. Somehow, she had enjoyed his company, even though he had at first almost killed her. She stepped carefully out of the hole. Zev was no longer in sight, but his pawprints were still visible in the snow. Soon, they would be covered by a new layer of snow, gone from sight. It was now or never.

Although all her instincts told her the opposite, Swift felt like she could trust this fox. The way he talked to her made her feel differently about him, like a friend. He seemed like a decent creature after all. Like he had said, it wasn't too late for them to become friends.

So the rabbit hopped along the snowy landscape, following the fox's pawprints. It's wasn't too late. She had to find him again. Swift started running, a sort of happiness inside urging her on. Soon, Zev's slender figure caught her eye amongst the falling snow. The rabbit smiled and darted toward him.

“Zev! Zev!” she called. The fox turned around, surprised. “You... you trust me after all?” Zev cried happily. “It's not too late for us to become friends,” Swift laughed. Zev's eyes shone brightly as a smile spread across his face. Swift smiled back at him. “I told you. No one has ever been so kind to me, cottontail. You have a good heart,” Zev said. The fox went closer to her and hugged her tight.

Suddenly, Zev sunk his fangs into the rabbit's soft throat. Her blood spilled onto the clean white snow. “Why..?” Swift managed to choke out before the life faded from her. Her face was a picture of shock and broken trust, then her body went limp. “I'm sorry, cottontail,” Zev said. “I have no choice if I want to survive.”

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I'm so sorry for this horrible ending. I wanted the end to be surprising and shocking. Because that's what makes a good story. Drama.

Yeah, I do actually write a few short stories, but I never upload them, since they aren't so good. This one isn't good either, but I thought I'd upload it anyway. Sorry that my stories are crap/ boring/ weird/ badly written. Please don't criticise. I know it's bad. I bet hardly anyone is even going to read it.

 I just reread it today, and I actually cried at the end. So decided to refine it and correct a few things to make it better so I could maybe upload it with a drawing.