Another World Story

Day Twelve:The Rabbit

---

Day Twelve: The Rabbit

"It's you?" John couldn't help but raise his voice in surprise.

He had thought that a native of this world had saved him. Well, it was indeed a native, but...

John looked at the small figure sitting on one of the clay chairs, casually sipping something from its wooden mug. It was no bigger than a foot, with almost golden-brown fur and a white spot on its forehead. Its big blue eyes were fixed on him as it sipped from the mug using its front legs, while its hind legs swayed on the edge of the chair. Unlike fantasy creatures, it wore no clothes. But its actions were far from normal.

John didn’t bother speculating further about the rabbit’s actions. Instead, he stared at its blue eyes as rage slowly boiled inside him.

"You're the rabbit that stole my food supply! It was also you who brought those b*stards to my home base!" John said, pointing at the rabbit. His expression shifted from surprise to rage as he thought about what the rabbit had caused, especially the last incident where he almost died.

"..." Seeing John's expression, the rabbit remained unfazed and continued sipping from the mug. Its nonchalant demeanor only fueled John's anger.

"I almost died because of you! If you hadn't brought those wolves to my home base, I would've still been sleeping soundly!"

"...Sips!"

"You need to compensate me!"

"...Sips!!"

"I-"

"...Sips!!!!"

"F...!"

"Sips!!!!"

"!*$!&*^$!"

What kind of freaking rabbit are you?!

John almost pulled his hair out in frustration!

Every time he spoke, the rabbit would sip louder and louder from its mug. It was as if it were mocking him. John could swear he saw the corner of that little bugger’s mouth curl up behind the mug. It was making fun of him.

"Haa... forget it!"

Seeing that his rage had hit a thick wall, John could only sigh in defeat. He was no longer in the mood to shout; he didn’t even like shouting in the first place.

Taking a look at the rabbit, which seemed to be enjoying his reaction, John lay back down on the bed, exhausted.

At that moment, he heard a voice. It was quite gender-neutral and high-pitched.

"...It was indeed my actions that implicated you in the matter regarding those Night Wolves. I apologize for that." The rabbit began, bowing its small head slightly. It then looked at John and continued, " I didn’t expect any Humans to be living in this forest. The first time I met you was when you chased after me. I thought you were only camping on the periphery of the forest and had already left. I didn’t expect..."

John glanced at it from the corner of his eyes as he listened.

So, those wolves were called Night Wolves. Quite a fitting name for their features, he thought.

John continued to listen, but one piece of information caught his attention.

Periphery? I was at the periphery before? John wanted to ask about it, but the rabbit continued speaking.

I'll ask later.

As for the talking rabbit? John had read plenty of novels about talking animals. He wasn’t too surprised. More like, it was only natural.

The rabbit didn’t finish its explanation, but John understood what it meant.

"You didn’t expect me to stay?" John asked.

"Yes," the rabbit nodded before shaking its small head. "But not only did you stay, you ventured deeper and deeper into this forest. Your actions caught the attention of countless beasts. Sooner or later, whether you decide to go deeper or stay put, those beasts would still come looking for you. Well, it’s not like I’m justifying my actions of bringing those wolves. It was purely coincidental."

John nodded as he heard the rabbit’s words. He had already caught the attention of those nocturnal monsters. If he camped near the area he had previously traveled, he was sure he would die when night fell. That was why he had always stayed near the shallow river; it was a place those beasts didn’t dare approach.

But how did those wolves manage to get near the shallow river?

"...Those wolves aren't like the monsters that live deep in the forest." The rabbit suddenly said, as if sensing his confusion. "The waters in this forest—be it rivers, lakes, ponds—no matter how shallow, are areas that the monsters living deep in the forest don’t dare go near. As for the reason why? You'll know when you stay here long enough. But among those living deep in the forest, only the Night Wolves can traverse every area unhindered."

"How? Are they some kind of special monsters?" John couldn’t help but ask. If they were the only ones that could roam freely in the forest, weren’t they the rulers of it?

Hearing his words, the rabbit sipped from its mug once more before speaking.

"Special? Well, you could say that. After all, they are the only monsters in this forest, or perhaps in this continent, that does not fear death."

Does not fear death? Are they some kind of suicide squad? But now that he thought about it, those wolves didn’t back down at all while fighting him despite their severe injuries. A normal wolf would have run away when the explosion happened. Wolves are smart enough to realize that continuing to fight would only result in losses. But those Night Wolves... they were indeed fearless.

"So it seems." John said.

"Those Night Wolves... they never stop a hunt until they have caught and killed their prey. I think you know that most, considering you fought against six of them and lived to tell the tale." The rabbit said, its big blue eyes flickering in amazement.

"...That was your fault to begin with." John grumbled. He then shook his head slightly and asked his most pressing question. "By the way, you said I was at the periphery of the forest before? Just how close was I to getting out of the forest?"

The rabbit sipped from its mug as John asked his first question, but when it heard him ask about the exit, it looked at him in bewilderment.

"...Didn’t you enter from that side of the forest?" The rabbit asked, its expression saying, 'What kind of nonsense are you spouting?'

John ignored its expression. "Just speak. I also want to know how far I am from the exit of the forest."

"Fine," the rabbit said, putting down its mug. It looked at him and spoke. "When I first encountered you—that was the time I mistakenly took your food. I thought it was a Potus fruit hidden by another Potus Rabbit. I didn’t know it was yours. You even chased after me. I thought you were a Hunter at that time, so I ran for my life. Only when I had eaten the fruit and saw you leaving did it hit me that the fruit was yours. So, I followed you for a moment. That was when you encountered a lone Night Wolf. I saved you, hoping to return the favor."

We're even now, the rabbit muttered as it continued. "Regarding how close you were to the outside of the forest... hmm, I haven’t gone out much. But if it was that side, perhaps a week of travel towards the north could lead you out? Going in other directions would only take you deeper into the forest. Well, you did head north at first, but when you chased after me..."

Towards the end, the rabbit’s voice grew softer. It was then that John realized.

"Hey, so it was your fault that got me deeper into the forest?" John said, his expression covered in black lines.

"If you hadn’t chased after me..." the rabbit whispered audibly.

"Hadn't chased? You took my food, for god's sake! It was hard finding food in that area of the forest, you know? Plus, why would you even steal other people's food? You must have some kind of power. I’m sure you do. You killed that lone Night Wolf before with just a single rock. Why steal? And what are those Potus Rabbits? Aren’t they your kind? Why steal from them?" John chastised. The rabbit had the power to kill monsters like that Night Wolf with a single rock, yet it stole from others? Jeez!

They aren’t really my kind... the rabbit whispered, but John was too incensed to hear it.

"Haa... Anyway. From this place, how far is the exit?" John asked, his expression showing resignation.

Hearing his question, the rabbit stared at him incredulously.

"From this place?" The rabbit asked, its expression turning solemn.

"...Yeah? Why?" It was the first time John had seen the rabbit’s expression this serious. Just how far was he from the exit? He wondered.

He thought he might need to travel for a few more weeks just to get out, but he didn’t expect what the rabbit would say.

"You can’t get out from this place," the rabbit suddenly said.

...

John was once again staring at the ceiling, his expression blank.

The rabbit had already left the treehouse, saying it would look for some food for them.

"I’ll look for some food. You can stay here for now. There’s a lake at the side of this place, so no monsters can come near. Consider this my payment for implicating you," it had said before hopping away.

John just nodded at the time, his thoughts still lingering from what the rabbit had said.

"I can’t get out from this place..." John muttered.

At first, John thought the rabbit was joking, but as despair crept into his heart, he fell silent.

"So, it’s like that... haha." John laughed hollowly. "I’m already deep inside the forest. Monsters far more terrifying than those Night Wolves lurk everywhere. Whether it’s night or day, I could encounter them just by walking a few meters away from this area... hahaha."

John continued to stare at the ceiling, his gaze losing its glint as despair slowly consumed him. John had seen a few of those monsters that lie deep in the forest. He knew just how terrifying they were. If one of those monsters took an interest in him, he could only surrender to his fate. That was why he had categorized them as monsters, not beasts.

And just as John was about to lose hope, out of the corner of his right eye, he saw something flickering in crimson red.

"...What?" John asked as he turned to the side, but the red flickering light seemed to follow the corner of his right eye. "The f...?"

John quickly rose from his lying position and sat up. He looked at the light at the corner of his eye. John raised his right hand to touch it, and to his surprise, he felt something as he touched the red light. A ripple suddenly occurred from the flickering light before it stopped, and suddenly, a black screen appeared before him.

"...!!"