The Orphan Slave Rabbit Girl... Wait- Boy?!

Childhood Friends

My dad was gone long before I was ever born, he left my mom when she was pregnant with me. After I was born, my mom ended up dying from blood loss. There was nobody that wanted to help a single mother who was rejected by her mate.

People say I'm cursed because my father left and my mother died. All because of me. I honestly started believing them, it made sense. My father left once he found out my mother was pregnant with me, so it's my fault. My mother died from blood loss after she gave birth to me, so it's my fault. Everything is my fault.

The only reason I was able to survive, barely clinging onto life, is because a wolf couple in my pack decided to take me in. You see, they had a son of their own so they were able to sympathize with me despite the fact I'm a bunny. They didn't do much to interfere with my life but they did give me food and the proper care a child would need, just minus the affection part. Of course they weren't affectionate towards me, I'm not even their son so I don't blame them. I just appreciate the fact they took care of me.

Since they helped take care of me, I easily became friends with their son. His name was Angel Domikens. His name was perfect for him, because his smile was as bright as the sun, making me think of a real angel. Halo, wings, and all. Even though he obviously didn't have an actual halo and wings, the rays of the sun made it appear like there was a shiny little circle of light right above his pretty blond head.

We used to play games in the woods behind Angel's house, catching bugs and sorting them into different jars to see how many unique types we could catch. Sorting them was a bit complicated due to the fact that we only had our paws and mouths, but it was still a fun game nonetheless. And I got to see a hint of Angel's competitive nature, and of course Angel intended to win. It was like he was made for these games, a pro at doing everything. I always looked up to him, chasing after him in order to keep up as he went from doing one thing to the next with so much excitement.

Despite the fact that I was a bunny, and he, a wolf, he didn't seem to have a care in the world. Well, during that time we were both children so it's not like either of us had reasons to care about politics.

But that all changed as we got older.

Angel got his shifting abilities around his 5th birthday. Most people don't get it until they're around 12 or 13, but it seems like he was an early bloomer. Unlike me.

His human form was just as awe-inspiring, if not more so, than his wolf form. He started getting more of an attitude after he got his shifting abilities, becoming harsh towards me. I can't even begin to tell you how much it hurt for him to push me away. Politics started to matter more now that he had the knowledge he was supposed to be the next alpha of our pack.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Regardless of your species, we tend to have a leader (Alpha) and an outcastunt (Omega) of the pack to keep things running smoothly. Usually, the next alpha is chosen if one of their parents was the previous alpha, or if they are an early-bloomer in the world of shifting.

Being an early-bloomer is seen as something that only a powerful person would be able to do, and they tend to be good leaders as well. Due to Angel's competitive nature and attitude, along with the fact he's such an early-bloomer, he easily got chosen to be the next alpha of the pack. He started getting intense training at such a young age, which changed something about him. The look in those red eyes held nothing more than contempt towards me, despite all the happiness and laughter we had from back when we were merely toddlers. Why did he have to be an early-bloomer? A five-year-old shouldn't have to worry about politics and deal with the hammering of knowledge into his brain at such a young age. Why couldn't they wait until he was at least a teen to do this? Why.

I can keep asking myself why, but I'll never have the answers. All I can do is reminisce about the old days as we grow further apart. He leaves me behind, abandoning me in the dust. His parents are busy as well, making sure he's getting proper training from the professionals and helping him practice to get better even in the comfort of their own home. I realized as a child that I didn't belong in that home, I wasn't welcome there anymore.

So I left.

Not having anywhere to go, I still lived in our small yet respectable village. I knew some basic hunting skills even as a small rabbit such as myself, but the hunting skills were more for self-defense purposes to be honest. I craved things like greens more than meat, it never felt right to me to eat meat anyways especially with our society being full of shifters. It's normalized to eat meat as long as it's a regular animal (which yes, still exist) and not a shifter, but it still feels wrong to me. It's bordering on cannibalism, at least in my eyes.

As I fended for myself without a proper home, taking shelter under trees whenever it rained, I started to feel lonely. My bond with Angel was the only real bond I ever had, he was my only friend. And now, it's possible I'll never get to see him ever again. He abandoned me, rejecting me and leaving me all alone. All because he has better things to do. I know it's not entirely his fault, it's how our society is structured. But it still hurts to just... be left behind like that.

Once I reach my teenage years, I overhear the news of Angel finally starting the final stages of his intense training to become the next Alpha. It makes sense for their to be gossip about it, and this is really the only way I can get any news since I'm unable to watch television. I've tried to watch television by sneakily peering into other people's houses through their windows, but it's hard to reach that high up as a bunny. Also, I tend to get in trouble and called a "creep" for it so I've stopped doing it out of a mixture of fear and guilt. It's not like I ever asked for permission, and it's also not these people's jobs to take care of me. I just wish some people were a little nicer.

I feel proud of Angel for making it this far, but I can't help but also feel a tinge of jealousy and sadness eating away at my insides. I can't help it, even if the memories are vague now there was a certain time where I could call him my friend. But now, I'm just some orphan beggar rabbit with no chance of ever being friends with someone as amazing as him.

As I'm getting lost in thought, I start to question myself. I haven't learned how to shift yet even though I'm getting close to my teenage years. Usually most people shift around now or by the time they turn 13, but I show no signs of it like other children normally would.

And it seems like I'm not the only one who's noticing this, either. Other people in the village are giving me a look that sends shivers down my spine.

Those eyes.