picked it up.
She picked it up! I was stunned. If it was going to be this easy we’d have five daggers each by sundown.
Of course, it was not going to be that easy.
The rabbit turned it’s fluffy face to look at Flossie and then snarled at her, revealing not a cute Bugs Bunny overbite, but dozens of triangular fangs. I swear I heard the Jaw’s theme start to play.
Flossie screamed and threw the rabbit. She didn’t just drop it, she launched it. It flew through the air, the first of it’s kind to go airborne I’d be willing to bet. It landed on the grass with a ‘flump’ sound, rolled a couple of times, shook its head and scurried off.
After that, the other rabbits were wary of us and every time we took a step towards one it took a step further away. No matter, we had come prepared with weapons and we had picked up plenty of pebbles on the way. The time had come to see if we had what it took to defeat the rabbits of Flatland.
Short answer: no.
We quickly realised a few things. First, we had to spread out. A couple of near-misses (not the rabbits, each other) made it clear we were more of a danger to ourselves than to the rabbits. It also helped if we were sort of opposite each other so if one person’s shots drove the rabbits away, it would be towards someone else. Although, directly opposite wasn’t a good idea either.
The other thing that became readily apparent was that aiming at a living things was very different to aiming at a wooden post. Not just because they moved—the rabbits sort of ambled about but mainly stayed in the same place unless we got too close—but because the idea of snuffing out their existence made your heart hammer in your chest and sweat break out all over your body.
Still, we all gave it a go, sending stones whizzing across the meadow, hitting nothing but air and turf. All except for Claire. She just stood there with one arm hanging down, the other hand holding onto her elbow. I don’t think she was refusing to try, I think it was more that she was paralysed by indecision and couldn’t bring herself to get on with it, even though she was probably telling herself to do just that.
She looked miserable. And it was pissing me off.
“What?” She had caught me staring at her. “What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing,” I said. “What I said back in town, about nobody having to do anything they don’t want to, I meant it. This isn’t a democracy, you don’t have to follow the majority vote. Nobody’s going to bully you to go along. If you agree to do something, do it. If you don’t, don’t”
“And that’s fine, is it?” she said, angry as ever.
“If you’re happy with being a burden on others, then yes.” I nodded towards the others as they groaned and yelled at every near and not so near miss. “They won’t turn their backs on you or kick you out.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And what about you?”
“Same as you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, neither do I. If I don’t think it’s worth staying with you guys, I’ll leave. I don’t want to waste my days arguing over every little thing and carrying people who don’t even want to try.”
Claire’s mouth shrunk into her face. Her body trembled and I thought she might start crying. But she lowered herself to her knees and picked out some stones from the grass. She stood up again and loaded her sling, spun it and then whipped it down. Before the stone had even landed, she had reloaded and fired off another one. Then another, and another.
She wasn’t aiming—most of the time she was staring at me—but they came out fast and low, peppering the ground around the rabbits, sending them scurrying off.
When her hand was empty, she got down on her knees again and collected more stones. She got up and started firing again. Tears streaked down her face, but she kept at it, getting faster and faster.
Did I feel like a
She picked it up! I was stunned. If it was going to be this easy we’d have five daggers each by sundown.
Of course, it was not going to be that easy.
The rabbit turned it’s fluffy face to look at Flossie and then snarled at her, revealing not a cute Bugs Bunny overbite, but dozens of triangular fangs. I swear I heard the Jaw’s theme start to play.
Flossie screamed and threw the rabbit. She didn’t just drop it, she launched it. It flew through the air, the first of it’s kind to go airborne I’d be willing to bet. It landed on the grass with a ‘flump’ sound, rolled a couple of times, shook its head and scurried off.
After that, the other rabbits were wary of us and every time we took a step towards one it took a step further away. No matter, we had come prepared with weapons and we had picked up plenty of pebbles on the way. The time had come to see if we had what it took to defeat the rabbits of Flatland.
Short answer: no.
We quickly realised a few things. First, we had to spread out. A couple of near-misses (not the rabbits, each other) made it clear we were more of a danger to ourselves than to the rabbits. It also helped if we were sort of opposite each other so if one person’s shots drove the rabbits away, it would be towards someone else. Although, directly opposite wasn’t a good idea either.
The other thing that became readily apparent was that aiming at a living things was very different to aiming at a wooden post. Not just because they moved—the rabbits sort of ambled about but mainly stayed in the same place unless we got too close—but because the idea of snuffing out their existence made your heart hammer in your chest and sweat break out all over your body.
Still, we all gave it a go, sending stones whizzing across the meadow, hitting nothing but air and turf. All except for Claire. She just stood there with one arm hanging down, the other hand holding onto her elbow. I don’t think she was refusing to try, I think it was more that she was paralysed by indecision and couldn’t bring herself to get on with it, even though she was probably telling herself to do just that.
She looked miserable. And it was pissing me off.
“What?” She had caught me staring at her. “What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing,” I said. “What I said back in town, about nobody having to do anything they don’t want to, I meant it. This isn’t a democracy, you don’t have to follow the majority vote. Nobody’s going to bully you to go along. If you agree to do something, do it. If you don’t, don’t”
“And that’s fine, is it?” she said, angry as ever.
“If you’re happy with being a burden on others, then yes.” I nodded towards the others as they groaned and yelled at every near and not so near miss. “They won’t turn their backs on you or kick you out.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And what about you?”
“Same as you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, neither do I. If I don’t think it’s worth staying with you guys, I’ll leave. I don’t want to waste my days arguing over every little thing and carrying people who don’t even want to try.”
Claire’s mouth shrunk into her face. Her body trembled and I thought she might start crying. But she lowered herself to her knees and picked out some stones from the grass. She stood up again and loaded her sling, spun it and then whipped it down. Before the stone had even landed, she had reloaded and fired off another one. Then another, and another.
She wasn’t aiming—most of the time she was staring at me—but they came out fast and low, peppering the ground around the rabbits, sending them scurrying off.
When her hand was empty, she got down on her knees again and collected more stones. She got up and started firing again. Tears streaked down her face, but she kept at it, getting faster and faster.
Did I feel like a
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