In a desperate attempt to find their mother and save their father, they’ll have to navigate a splintered society at the mercy of those who want to intimidate and control them. They must uncover a past that those in power want to keep buried, while others are eager for redemption.
As they unravel the mystery of their mother’s disappearance, they will unlock a world beyond their wildest imagination. But a darkness emerges that will ensure the realm of Bunovia will never be the same again
Chapter 1
Carrot’s Birthday
Have you ever imagined a world where bunnies were just that little bit smarter than your regular garden variety? Well, there’s no longer any need to imagine. Welcome to the realm of Bunovia.
Carrot is a particularly adventurous bunny, too adventurous by far, some would say, especially his older sister Sox, who’s never quite been able to temper his energetic personality. On the other hand, Pebbles, his oldest sister, had learned to ignore him – a fine art she’d perfected over the years. Truth be told, she enjoyed seeing Sox’s reactions to his antics; she considered it a form of entertainment only big sisters can enjoy.
However, this was no ordinary day, for it was also Carrot’s birthday. He’d just finished getting ready for school and was sitting impatiently on a small stool opposite his two sisters, fidgeting.
Pebbles was relaxing, stretched out across the floor, her front paws tucked up behind her head, while Sox quietly enjoyed a breakfast of fresh cabbage leaves.
They were in the largest of the rooms in their small warren. It was a communal space and the first room you came to when arriving through the entrance tunnel. It was sparse but for a few small stools, some soft sitting material and two tables; one of which was used for family mealtimes, and the other was covered in cloth sacks holding various nick-nacks. It’d become a dumping ground for anything they couldn’t be bothered to put away since their father became unwell and their mother unexpectedly left. All the furniture was wooden and well-aged. It had the appearance of having been handed down for generations; nothing looked new.
Leading off the main room were four smaller ones, the first two being the sleeping rooms for the siblings – the larger of which Pebbles and Sox shared – while Carrot had the smallest to himself. The third was their parents’ bedroom, and the fourth was for storage. Not that you could fit any more objects into it, hence the cloth sacks building up on the table, waiting to eventually be sorted out by Mother or Father.
Carrot, being the youngest, is the smallest – about half the size of Pebbles, who’s an inch taller than Sox. What he lacks in size he makes up for in features; his eyes are particularly large and the deepest black, which seems
to go on forever. With his coat a deep glossy orange, it was clear from the moment he was born what his parents were going to name him.
Pebbles looks quite different to her younger brother; she has a black coat with a distinctive white stripe that runs all the way down the middle of her face until it finally merges with her fluffy white tummy. Above her eyes are two pebble-shaped spots, hence her name.
Sox, on the other hand, has a similar black coat, except her white stripe circles her neck like a scarf, and her four paws are white, like she’s wearing socks.
After a minute of awkward silence, Pebbles softly whispered an instruction. “Better head to school now, Carrot.”
He cut a frustrated figure at this suggestion. Had they forgotten it was his birthday!? “It’s just school!” he retorted.
A further two minutes of silence passed before Carrot decided he’d try harder to get his sister’s attention. “But I didn’t tell you what happened on the way home yesterday, did I?” he coaxed, using a voice purveying a mixture of danger and excitement.
“No. What happened?” asked Pebbles.
“Well, I travelled back with Laurel to his warren, but as we approached, a deep growl emanated from bushes behind it, like a rumbling belly but a thousand times louder. Laurel hopped off in a panic, but I went closer
to investigate.” Carrot paused, waiting for a reaction. Silence. He continued, “Suddenly, from behind the bush, a giant, ferocious canidog leapt out, drool dripping from its sharp jagged teeth, eyes wide and pure white like the moon.” Canidogs are mythical creatures written about by ancient explorers, an animal that was said to be so fierce it could devour a bunny whole. The last ever reported sighting was in an area called the Outlands, just before an event called the Great Separation.
“It leapt straight at me!” cried an excited and gesticulating Carrot.
“Uh huh,” muttered Pebbles.
With one giant hop, Carrot landed next to Sox, who was still desperately trying to finish her breakfast.
“His jaws were this wide!” he cried while stretching his paws to their fullest extent.
Sox sprang up in surprise, pieces of vegetable flying everywhere.
Pebbles glanced up briefly. “That’s nice, but I was only asking about leaving for school,” she said with a hint of a giggle.
Carrot was undeterred. “I suddenly felt a cold chill flowing through the air; the hairs on my neck stood up. I could feel a presence behind me but couldn’t take my eyes off the canidog.” Carrot slowly circled his sister, lowering his voice. “Just as it was about to gobble me up, it diverted its gaze to another presence. The moment it
did, it turned into stone! I was frozen. My eyes closed tight with the hairs on my neck now tugging at my skin to break free. By the time I gained the courage to look, the figure had its back to me and was drifting silently away into the distance.”
“Nice one, Carrot,” laughed Pebbles. “You managed to combine the legend of the canidog with the legend of Bundusa.”
Sox, however, was unimpressed. In fact, she was quite cross, made evident by her front paws resting on her hips. “Stop encouraging him, Pebbles!” she cried.
Pebbles didn’t even bother to look up. “Ignore him,” she sniggered.
Carrot, sensing his sister’s anger, spun a full 360 degrees and produced a smile so cute, with eyes so wide, he knew it would soften her heart no matter how mad she was.
“Oh, Carrot,” she smiled grumpily.
“I really can’t help it,” he replied. “I think I must get my imagination from Mum.”
This made Sox more than a little uneasy. You see, their mother, Flora, had an adventurous streak so strong it was impossible for her to control herself for prolonged periods, and Sox blamed her mother’s current absence on this.
Pebbles sat up. “I know, Carrot; tomorrow, why don’t you go and visit Grandpa Joe? He told me he found what
he thinks is an ancient artifact from the reign of Queen Sherpa. He may even have a present for you.”
Carrot’s ears pricked up as he took a long, deep, excited breath. “Can I, can I!?” he asked Sox. She didn’t want him to go, but as the younger of the sisters, she couldn’t overrule. So, she responded with a reluctant shrug.
Grandpa Joe works up in an area called High Hills as an archaeologist. Except for the mountain ranges, High Hills is the tallest area in the realm of Bunovia. Due to its position, with views that stretch across most of the realm, it has long had a relationship with bunny royalty. Their mother, Flora, used to work with Grandpa Joe until she left. She’s considered the foremost historian in the Meadows, and she researched and documented
whatever artefacts Joe found.
Pebbles was quick to add, “I’m assuming Ms Maple will have covered High Hills in her lessons, and how to find your way there?”
Carrot replied instantly, “Yes, we should be finishing that today.”
“Good,” said Pebbles, very conscious of the displeased gaze emanating from her sister. “Now, how about your present? You didn’t think we’d forget, did you?”
She nodded at Sox to fetch it, which she did – reluctantly – while mumbling under her breath, “Typical Pebbles, always ordering me around.”
As Sox left, Pebbles hopped over to Carrot and placed a paw on each shoulder. “I’m sorry Dad’s too unwell to visit today. Hopefully, he’ll be better soon.”
Their dad – Arti, if you wanted to know his name – was sick, extremely sick, and had been for over seven months. The cause of his sickness was a mystery to them, although the district elders blamed it on Joe’s work at High Hills.
In the first month of his sickness, Flora tried everything she could to help him, but he just continued to become weaker. She wouldn’t talk about it with the children, but she appeared to blame herself for it. Pebbles had spotted Mum late one evening, hurriedly burying something away from the warren, but when confronted, Pebbles was made to promise to leave it alone and not to tell anyone.
Then, one day, Mum left to visit Joe. And since then, nobody had seen her. The first time the siblings realised something was wrong was when Grandpa Joe and Grandma Rose arrived at their warren with overnight bags. They gave no explanation other than saying their mother had gone on a short trip. They wouldn’t disclose anything more, even after Pebbles had noticed the ground had been freshly dug where Mum had buried something weeks before. They simply pleaded ignorance.
During the first few weeks, the arrangement seemed to work ok. Rose tended to Arti while continuing her work
as a warren designer, while Joe had to put his excavation work at High Hills on hold due to the distance. Instead, he focused on little jobs around Meadowfall. Carrot continued at school while Pebbles and Sox, who were now past school age, did various jobs around the district. The big issue was the size of the warren. Pebbles and Sox had to move into Carrot’s room, so Carrot had to sleep in the main reception room, which doubles as the living room and trebles as the kitchen. It didn’t take long for this arrangement to put a strain on all the bunnies, so their grandparents decided to move back to their warren along
with Father, leaving Carrot in the care of his big sisters.
Sox soon returned with the present wrapped up in a small cloth pouch, which Carrot eagerly opened, revealing a strange metal object, silver in colour, thin and rectangular in shape. Carrot gently took it out and examined it.
“Go on, open it,” encouraged Pebbles. “How?” he asked.
She reached over and flicked a little latch at one end, and with a little click, it opened, revealing a small magnifying glass.
“Mum found it last year when digging with Grandpa. She said she was going to give it to you for your birthday.” “Oh,” replied Carrot, now gentry stroking the pouch
as though he were running his paws over his mother’s fur.
Pebbles excitedly added some provenance. “Apparently, they were carried by all the royal explorers. This may even have been owned by Garrid himself! Look!” she urged as she stuck her paw about half an inch below the glass. “Go on, look through it.”
Carrot leaned over. “Wow, Garrid the infamous!” he yelled. “And look, your finger is just so massive. You’re a monster!”
“Right,” said Pebbles, laughing as she quickly returned it to the pouch. “Time for school.”
And with that and a few hugs, an extremely excited Carrot headed out of the warren.
