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__________________________________ Lagomorphs Copyright © July, 2015, FurryWurry All rights reserved

Chapter 16 -- Sunrise __________________________________

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! It's time for supper! Comon, hurry up, lazy bones! You're lazy, lazy, lazy!"

Jeff groaned, and buried his head under his favorite red pillow. Some noisy kit was dancing next to his bed. He knew who it must be. "Go 'way. Lemme sleep."

"Now! Now! Now! The sun'll be up soon! Time to go!" She jumped up on the bed and started pummeling him with one of the pillows he wasn't clutching. "Up! Up! Up! Gotta go! Go! Go!" she caroled in time with the blows.

"Rargh." He made a feeble swipe in her direction.

With a delighted shriek, Gemma bounded off the bed. "Ca-an't ca-atch me-ee! Na na-na na-na nahh!" he heard fade up the passageway.

"You really should get up. You've been sleeping all night. That can't be good for you." Sky was in the doorway. "'The dew's on the grass as the sky turns blue. Everything is fresh and new.'" He seemed to be quoting something. His nose wiggled. "Not like in here. Comon. You need the fresh air. It'll wake you up and whet your appetite."

"OK, OK," Jeff groaned as he sat up. "Lemme get dressed first. It must be chilly out there. I don't have your fur to keep me warm." There was a thought. Maybe he could get Sky to lend it. While Sky was still wearing it.

"It's just brisk! It'll get your blood flowing! Comon, stop dilly-dallying!"

Dilly-dallying? Just how old was Sky, anyhow?

"Yeah, yeah." Jeff managed to find his clothes and boots where he'd left them and stumbled up the passage after the Rab.

***

From his perch atop the entrance mound, Jeff could see that the warren was surrounded by extensive gardens being tended and eaten by Rabs. Obviously he was seeing only a few of them, though. They were laid out in a large arc, implying there were more gardens in the distance to left and right, closer to entrance mounds he couldn't see.

Most of the plots had a variety of hays and grasses, but a few looked to have more exotic vegetables, including carrots, dark, leafy lettuces and tomatoes. Tomatoes? At this altitude? They weren't in a greenhouse, so how were they keeping them warm? There weren't even cloches. And quite a few were already ripe, which seemed even more unlikely.

The smallest gardens seemed to be growing various herbs. The pre-dawn light was still rather dim, though, so he wasn't entirely sure. Almost everybody was having breakfast in the hay gardens, but some of the adult Rabs were being kept busy by kits trying to raid the smaller plots.

"Would it be OK if I got some tomatoes? Do you want some?" he asked Sky, who had led him up there.

"Help yourself. Nothing for me. I've gotta keep watch. Don't distract me." He was standing as tall as he could, apparently scanning the surrounding trees.

"OK, thanks."

What slight breeze there was was blowing in his face as he wandered into the nearest vegetable plot, looking for some tomatoes that had managed to ripen: beefsteak or cherry, he didn't really care. Most of the pulled weeds had been eaten, it seemed, though a few had been left to dry. He approached the nearest gardener, who looked up with a suspicious scowl.

"Who're you and what're you doing here? This is a Rab garden. You're no Rab."

"I'm Jeff. Sky let me stay in his snugrow for the night. I was hoping I could have a couple of tomatoes for breakfast."

"Sky did, did he?" The gardener glanced up at the watcher. "Wha'd Gran'Sir have to say about that? I'm sure he'd be real happy. Strangers aren't welcome here. Especially if they're not Rabs. Maybe you should think about leaving. Soon."

"I expect I will be," Jeff admitted sadly. "But I was hoping I could have a little something to eat before I go. Maybe a couple of tomatoes?"

"There's plenty of hay. Go have some of that. It'll be better for you and your gut'll thank you, too. Too many tomatoes'll give you the shits."

"I wish I could, but my gut's not like yours. Grass just goes right through me without doing anything at all. I can eat vegetables, though."

"Yeah? Well, maybe these vegetables are for Rabs, and not for the likes of you." The gardener stood up and walked determinedly toward Jeff. "Maybe you should think about leaving right away. Maybe I should help you get started."

Jeff was starting to agree with the annoyed Rab. Maybe he should leave. But he really was hungry and the handful of energy bars in his pack wouldn't last very long. "Can't we work something out? How about I help with weeding? I couldn't eat them, but..." He started to back away, although more slowly than the Rab was advancing. Nothing good would come from trying to run, he was sure. They all must be much faster than he was.

"Weeding? You want to tear up my breakfast? And not even eat it?" The Rab now was right in Jeff's face. "What kind of help is that?" His nose was twitching and his ears laid back tightly. Obviously he was getting even more provoked and was about to do something Jeff was sure to regret.

At least the Rab was blocking the breeze, Jeff thought. Clouds were building up in the distance and it had gotten colder, even though dawn was almost there.

The gardener took a deep breath, preparing to do something drastic. And paused. His angry frown turned to one of puzzlement as his ears lifted.

"That's all you want? A couple of tomatoes? We've got parsnips, too. Maybe some carrots?"

Jeff blinked. "Uh, just a couple of medium sized tomatoes."

"You're sure? That's not much of a breakfast. How about some lettuce? We've got plenty of Romaine. Here, I can..."

"Nope, really, just two tomatoes. They'll be plenty."

"Ripe or green? One of each, maybe?" The gardener was already headed toward a large tomato plant.

"Ripe, please. Green tomatoes don't agree with me, either." Unless fried. In bacon fat. Which he was sure the Rabs didn't have. His stomach gurgled.

Jeff carried the two large Beefsteak tomatoes back up the mound to where Sky was sitting.

"Grows-'m-High just gave'em to you?" Sky cocked his head. "That's weird. He's usually very protective of the vegetable gardens. Kit raids are the bane of his life."

"Yeah, he did. It was strange. He just suddenly changed his mind. Aren't you supposed to be watching?"

"My shift's done. One of the widdershin Rabs has taken over." He waved vaguely off to the left where Jeff could see more mounds. Entrances to the warren? "I'll be right back. Time to get my own breakfast." It didn't take him long to get an armful of hay and return to sit next to Jeff. Closer than before, Jeff was pleased to notice.

"So why didn't you wake me last night? How'd the talk with Gran'Sir go? Will he let me stay?"

Sky swallowed a mouthful of finely minced stems and grinned. "You and Cloudy were kinda busy the first time I came by. I didn't wanna interrupt."

"Oh." Jeff reddened.

"You getting hot? Our ears get all pink and droopy when we're hot. It seems kinda cool to me, though."

"Uh, not really. What'd Gran'Sir say?" Change the topic, change the topic.

"I would'a told you later but you were sleeping really sound whenever I came back again. I just didn' want to wake you. Anyhow, he said sure, you can stay, but only after you bring back some of the lost Rabs. He doesn' think we'll find any. It does seem unlikely," Sky added sadly.

"If nobody looks, they certainly won't be found. Maybe Runner will show up, too."

"I sure hope so. He mighta run a long way in the wrong direction, I guess." Sky's ears drooped, but not with the heat.

The eastern sky was getting quite bright and the breeze had fallen off to nothing. Jeff could see a mixed group of Rabs gathering to the east of the warren, facing the sunrise.

"What're ..." Jeff started to ask, but Sky shushed him.

"They're about to sing the Sun up. Just listen."

Unfortunately, they were too far away for Jeff to make out most of their words, although Sky quietly hummed along.

Something about the Makers making them all? Putting the sun in the sky? Helping the stars go to bed? Something like that, it seemed. The singing didn't last very long, though, and they soon broke up, heading back toward the gardens and dinner.

Some of the Rabs had already eaten all they wanted and were chasing one another around. Some were jumping in the air, somersaulting, and doing cartwheels, too: it was a good morning to be alive. The rising sun was warm, glinting off glossy fur and athletic bodies.

Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! A tall Rab on a nearby entry mound was stamping his feet loudly. A warning?

Sky jumped up. "Quick, inside! Wolves!" He pointed toward the trees. "Hurry!"