"You can't be serious."

"Why do we have to leave?"

"Indeed. 'Tis a lovely little spot we have here!"

Twelve rabbits sat in a circle inside their little makeshift burrow. Most of them were arguing while others kept silent.

Clock lifted his paw to silence the others. "Listen, there's a good explanation for moving. One, we can access the gate anywhere, if that's what you're worried about, so we don't have to get upset over never finding the gate again. Two, this whole exploration was about experiencing other lives. If we stay all by ourselves, how do you think we'll be able to socialize?"

A greenish rabbit pricked her big ears. "Socialize? With who, other rabbits?"

"Of course! If we came here to hang out with each other we could've just stayed in the Forest! We're in the Valley, guys. We need to find out what the native life is like. And we can only do that if we find natives." Clock looked around at his group.

Skokey looked around, pointing his ears forward. "I'm sure we look nothing like the natives as far as our fur goes."

Clock lowered his ears and seemed to study the others for the first time. He was right, they looked very strange compared to regular rabbits.

Fenqua nodded, "So how do we know they won't try to kill us?"

Clock thought for a moment, scratching something in the soft dirt below him. "If we come across a good warren, they'll be friendly to us. Not all are, though, you're right. But most are very hospitible, to a point."

"To a point." Zilant repeated, unmoved.

"Well, we don't have to live in their warren! We can make our own not too far away and be neighbors."

"That sounds okay." Danielle smiled at him.

Clock smiled back, "So there you go. We find another warren, build our own, and be peaceful neighbors. That way we can experience the true life of a rabbit."

There was a little more chatter. Skokey seemed to be having a hard time convincing Fenqua, who was tucking the two kittens underneath her warm fur. But finally, the doe agreed. The group decided to move.

***

The twelve rabbits were well away from their last burrow, and quickly moving east. They travelled through tall grasses, vast fields, giant trees, or any combination of the three. They stopped frequently to eat and rest, some weren't as fit as others, along with the twins needing plenty of rest. But even with all these stops, they made good time.

"I'm a little... homesick... already..." Xylia said softly to the tan buck next to her. Vessel nodded once. "Being a... rabbit... so different..." Vessel looked at her. "I know... I've already... said this." Vessel flashed a smirk and looked infront of him again.

"Have you ever seen rabbits in the Forest?" Fulu asked.

Zilant shook his head slightly, "Can't say I have."

"I wonder why... We have frogs and birds and stuff... Why not rabbits?"

He smiled at her, "Maybe because they don't wanna leave the Valley. Maybe it's a haven here, just like the Forest."

"I haven't seen any danger yet." Noted Fenqua, sniffing the air. "Is there any?"

"Don't know." Skokey said, looking around. "But we should still be careful. It's gonna be harder to defend ourselves without antlers..." He looked up, waving his ears around his antlerless head.

Fenqua chuckled, "Who said you needed antlers to fight..."

"So where are we going?" Danielle glanced at Clock next to her.

"Not sure. But, we just keep going east. We'll find something."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Danielle, I'm sure." He shot a look at her and smiled.

Danielle puffed out her chest jokingly, "I don't think you know where you're going." She said in a stuffy voice.

"Oh well, hmyes." Clock returned in his own stuffy voice. "You forget I know everything." He added a British accent to it as well.

The two laughed and continued to lead the group. Clock's ears suddenly perked. He craned his neck, soon standing on his back legs. "I think... we've found them..."

Danielle looked up at him, and stood up herself. She saw a faint amount of movement up ahead, followed by another standing rabbit. "Woah..."

The rabbit in the distance seemed to make a thumping noise and dashed away. He didn't look frightened, according to Clock. They decided to follow him, but to also keep their pace. They didn't want to seem hostile.

After a few minutes, they made their way to where they saw the first rabbit. He seemed to return, with two others. The three brown bucks stood across from the other twelve.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" The front buck said.

Clock stepped forward. "I am Clock. I come from a far away place."

"Are you a rogue?" He came closer to inspect him.

"Would I be doing any wrong if I was?" Clock said, patiently waiting for the brown rabbit to finish his inspection.

"No... No, I suppose not." He eyed Clock.

"We come in peace." Skokey stepped forward.

"Peace, then." The brown rabbit smirked. "You say you're not from around here? I can tell. I've never heard an accent like that before. Or a name like that, for that matter."

"Accent?" Clock stared for a few seconds. "I suppose we do have an accent. And as for names... Well, mine's not the strangest out of all of us..."

"Who are the others?"

"My friends. I've picked them up along the way."

"Were any of them exiled?"

"Not one. Just fellow rabbits searching for a better home."

The brown rabbit turned to the other two and murmered for a few minutes. The twelve looked at each other uneasily. They hoped they weren't intruding. Rabbits had different views, obviously. They didn't know whether they had broken any law or not.

The brown rabbit returned to them. "You are welcome to stay if you wish. But if you want this as your home, you will have to look elsewhere."

Clock smiled, "No no, we wish to be neighbors, actually. If that's alright. Live along side your warren in peace?"

The brown rabbit flicked an ear. "I think you should come with us."

The three rabbits hopped away, followed by the odd twelve. They passed by several other brown rabbits, all of them staring at the outsiders and murmuring among themselves. They soon came to a hole in the ground. Another brown rabbit, a large rabbit, was guarding this entrance. The other rabbit explained why he needed to enter, and was granted permission.

"Wait here, please." He said politely, and vanished into the burrow. After a few moments, he popped back up. "Alright, Clock, you can come in. Your friends will have to wait."

Clock nodded and crawled into the burrow. It was very dark, with many tunnels, but he found his way thanks to the brown rabbit. He came to a dead end with a much older rabbit sitting in the middle.

"Chief Raspberry?" The first rabbit said.

"Yes?" He opened his eyes and looked at the two of them. "Oh, it's you, Grapevine."

Grapevine? Clock lifted an eyebrow, but turned his attention back to the elder rabbit.

"This outsider wishes to... build a neighboring warren, and befriend ours."

"Oh, well..." Raspberry scratched his ear. "That sounds alright to me..."

Grapevine looked at Clock. The striped rabbit stepped forward a little. "Chief? Is there anything wrong with my proposal?"

Raspberry took in a breath and thought for a long moment. "I... I think it will be fine. Go ahead and build your warren. But if you bring any hostility to this place, we have every right to return it."

"Of course, Chief. We will not harm any of your kin."

"Very good." The old rabbit smiled. "Be on your way now, Grapevine..." The Chief said with a yawn.

The two emerged from the burrow. Clock smiled at his little group, which gave them reassurance. Grapevine came up to him, "You'll find a good spot a little ways south of here. Feel free to visit, and... I hope you like it here." He offered a smile.

Clock smiled in return. "Thank you very much, Grapevine." He called his band of twelve and went southward.

"So, what did he say?" Tropa asked Clock.

"He said we could be neighbors. And we'll be friends."

"So, where are we going?"

"To a spot they said we could build our warren. He said it was south."

They came to a clearing surrounded by large trees. It was plenty big enough for just twelve rabbits, and the ground was soft and warm. "This is perfect..." Clock sighed with a smile.

He turned around. "Well, we better get digging!" He smiled to them, and the group went to work and building a good burrow.

***

It was about night time. The sun was close to disappearing, everything was bathed in a red glow. Vessel looked to the horizon, he seemed to be thinking of something. After a while, the sun finally set, the last ray of light disappearing. Vessel closed his eyes and waited for his expected change. But nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked at his paws. They were still brown, they hadn't changed at all.

"I see you've noticed." Clock came up behind him.

How is this right? I thought I had a curse.

"Your 'curse', as you call it, is limited only to the Forest. You said you would save all deer from nightmares, not all rabbits. You have no power here."

... Can I dream?

Clock sighed, "No. Your dream watching is stuck to you no matter where you go. Maybe you should go to the other warren and see what rabbits dream about. It's gotta be a change, right?"

Vessel stood silent for a long time. He finally looked below the horizon, at the little path they made connecting their warren and the northern one. ... I suppose...

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so, here ya go. a little more plot to the story, i guess XD

tried to get everyone in, but Mercutio seems to be trailing off in the back LOL he only got one line XD