Aberrant: Dead Rising - [Interlude] Master [Complete]

[Dawn OOC]

June 14, 2007

The trail had been hard, but the tiny creature doggedly working its way northwest didn’t tire or become discouraged. It forded rivers, mostly by pulling itself along the bottom; it climbed high rocks without fear or hesitation. It knew its goal, and it hopped along tirelessly.

The bush ahead of it shook, and a large dog lunged out, his wild eyes fastened on his meal. He charged the small bunny, sure he’d soon be enjoying a fresh, hot meal-

Suddenly, the dog tried to reverse course as every instinct it possessed told him that something was wrong. His paws skidded on the grass; the image of the dog cowering back from the rabbit was comical – save for the whine of terror that bubbled up from the dog. He ended up on his belly, nose-to-nose with the creature. For a long second, the two predators were locked in place: the dog fixated with dread and the rabbit compelled to stillness by unknown factors. Neither blinked as they worked through the signals coming from the other one.

The rabbit moved, hopping forward. The dog trembled but was frozen in place as the rabbit climbed over him, treating him as little more than an obstacle to be crossed. Even after it was gone, the dog lay still, fixated and trembling in fear.

Night fell and found the miniature form still working its way forward. It didn’t feel, so it didn’t feel relief when it reached its goal. But the compulsion that had driven it was gone, and that was something like relief. The rocky ground it had reached was still hot from the daylight sun, and the stink of death was heavy in the cooling air. As it crouched at the feet of its master, it knew peace for the first time since its death.

Its master bent down and picked it up with gentle hands. “What happened to you, little one?” its master asked in a gentle tone. The rabbit had no answer it could give but it didn’t care. It was home. With a sigh, it relaxed into the arms of its master and rested.