7 The Meeting

- Argh. Such an idiot, such an idiot! I was such an idiot!!

The little white rabbit blearily opened its eyes as it admonished itself. Taking stock of its surroundings, it froze.

- Hmm? Where am I? Let's see, the last thing I remembered was... Ah, right! That fight with the tiger! And then... hmm? I don't remember! Think, think, think! Why did I end up here? And how did I lose consciousness?

When trying to recall, its head exploded into a massive migraine.

- Ugh, shit! That hurts!

Trying to push past the pain it tried its best to recall, but when it became on the verge of fainting it decided to stop. Looking around it noticed it was in a dry and tidy cave. Embedded into the rock walls were stones that were glowing a soft aqua blue.

- Were those stones naturally there or were they placed there? Could it be there are people living here?

The rabbit tried to get up to explore, but he collapsed right back down onto the soft white piles of furs.

- Ugh, my body has no strength. Is it related to my memory loss?

"So you're finally awake, hmm?" Came a deep grumbly voice from the depths of the cave. Then blue gas lamps appeared in the dark. But as they approached closer he noticed that they were actually eyes, and they were the eyes of none other than the tiger.

-Shit. Shit. Shit!

"Hmm? Why are you trembling so?"

- Move. Move. Move!

"Ah, that's right. My form must be terrifying you so. One moment."

The glow around the tiger intensified and obscured its form. After dying down, there appeared a man. Muscular and fit with white hair trailing down and intense gas light blue eyes with one eye in the center of his forehead. Also, he was naked

- The fuck!? Since when could animals turn into people!? This place really goes against common sense.

"There that's better. You no longer reek of fear. Now then come along the others wish to meet you." Looking at the rabbit expectantly, but all that was returned was a blank stare.

"Hmm? Can you not move? Ah well, that's to be expected I suppose, considering what you did." He then bent down and gathered the rabbit into his arms.

"You really are tiny aren't you? Well let's be on our way."

- What do you mean tiny!? And what is it that I did? And how long are you planning to be naked!? Hey!

The white rabbit retorted in his mind, as the tiger, now a man, went back the way he came.

...

...

-3 days earlier-

"Tigris is late." Grumbled a creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion.

"I'm sure he has his reasons." Soothed a pale white horse with a glowing horn on its head.

"*Snort* you're too soft on him, Uni."

The unicorn tossed its mane into the air and replied, "And what is so wrong with that?"

The gryphon merely rolled his eyes in response.

These two creatures were at the moment waiting in a clearing that seemed aglow with vitality. The tree trunks were stout and robust. The vegetation was lush and vibrant. Even the grass had a sweet and refreshing scent. Nearby was a crystal clear pond. As beautiful as this place was, the only living things there, besides the trees and plants, was the unicorn and the gryphon. There were no insects, twittering birds, nor little animals scampering around the underbrush. There was also no fish in the pond. It was if this place was sacred and inviolable. The auras of the two creatures fed into this as if making it more so. Though any sense of sacredness was shattered the moment they spoke.

"He sure is taking his sweet time."

"Oh, do shut up Griff."

Silence once again descended upon the pair. Then not too long after, a three-eyed white tiger softly padded into the clearing.

"You're finally here!"

"Good day Griff, Uni. My apologies for the lateness. Will Draco not be attending?"

"You know he never attends these meetings. Too busy counting his gold I bet."

"Good day to you as well, Tigris. Shall we start?"

"Let's." "Mm."

"Very well, the spirits have reported no abnormalities. Though they said they felt a very brief ripple of space in the western forest. It was so brief and with no effects on the surroundings that many believed they were imagining it."

"Whether it happened or not, we should still look into it. Most things that can affect space are very dangerous."

"Indeed."

"And how are the borders, Griff?"

The gryphon immediately grimaced upon hearing that.

"The humans are becoming more bold. They had a recent change of leadership, and that man seems to hold no fear of the forest. The humans living near the border have even ventured inside and started hunting down the little ones!"

Its voice rose and rose until it was finally shouting at the end. Meanwhile its talons were kneading the ground before it until it was all torn up.

"Calm, brother, calm. Death is but a natural part of the cycle of life."

"I wouldn't be so agitated if they put their bodies to proper use, but they are merely harvesting their pelts or the horns and claws and leaving their meat to rot! It's such a waste!!"

After venting and taking a deep calming breath it looked towards the tiger.

"And you, Tigris?"

"Hmm, a pack of caniums had migrated from down south. And in order to assert their dominance they decided to take me down."

"Are they idiots!?"

"Oh, dear."

"The entire pack was about 50 strong, so they probably thought they could overwhelm me with numbers."

"That is quite a big pack to be migrating. I'll have to ask the spirits later if something happened in the south."

"Hmm, please do. What was interesting was that after I was finished with them was that a newborn jade lotus rabbit lapped up some of my blood."

"Oh, that poor thing, it was much too young to die like-"

"No, it survived."

"What!? How is that possible?"

"No idea. I brought it back to my cave to observe it, but at the moment it is still unconscious."

"When it wakes, can you bring it here so that I may examine it?"

"Of course, Uni."

"Hah~ What is the world coming to?" The gryphon sighed.