Bunny Down

"Ow! Quit poking me!" Astro says.

"If you would stop with your silly games, then I wouldn't have to," Midna says.

Astro looks to his side, where the child just was, "Where'd the rabbit go?"

Midna frantically looks around, "I don't know, you're the one who had him last."

"Oh, now I'm his guardian angel?"

Midna points her spear at Astro again, who stops talking and puts his hands up. Midna puts the spear down, and it becomes a form of bright light, before disappearing. The golden halo above her head flashes and she turns to walk into the forest. Astro straightens his black tie before following Midna.

The child is stopped along a trail, sniffing at bright orange berries sprouting from a bush. Midna approaches him, "Ah there you are, young one. Stay with me until we find your mother, hm?"

The kid looks up at her and continues along the path. Astro walks past Midna, "Better keep up, Angel."

Midna glares at him and quickly catches up.

Midna and Astro follow behind the bunny-child as they navigate the path through the forest. The child stops at a berry bush for the fourth time.

"Enough with the berries! They're all the same!" Midna says.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where's your patience and understanding?" Astro says.

Midna turns to Astro, "What? Now a demon is going to give me a lector about "patience" and "understanding?" Hah!"

"Hey, I never said anything about a lector. I just thought...you know…"

"Know what?"

"Uh...angels are supposed to be y'know...kind...forgiving...angelic…"

"Like you know anything about those things,"

"I don't like what you're hinting at. I have plenty of good qualities,"

"Like what? Not sinning on Sundays?"

"Well yeah...I understand boundaries…"

Astro and Midna continue arguing, and the child continues down the path. He only gets about five feet down, before he's being caught in a net. A wolf, who's been hiding in the tree, cheers for his new meal.

Midna and Astro stop arguing, and Midna runs over to the child.

"No, no, no! You have to let him go,"

"I simply cannot do that, Miss,"

"But you have to, I'm returning this child to his mother,"

The wolf jumps down and sits in front of Midna, "But I have to eat, don't I?"

Midna pauses, "Well...yes…"

"And you wouldn't want a poor creature to starve, would you?"

Midna slumps, "No...but…"

Astro comes over and puts a hand on Midna's shoulder, "I got this."

Midna steps back in defeat. The wolf stands up, alarmed by the demon, "A-a demon,"

Astro stands up straight and puts his hands behind his back, "Yes. And I am very angry,"

"Pl-please don't hurt me. Take the child! I-I'm not hungry anymore."

Astro nods, "I will take your offering...this time…"

The wolf runs away, and Astro frees the kid from the net. Midna comes over to make sure the child is okay, "Does that happen a lot?"

"It's either sheer terror or absolute disgust."

Midna looks down, And I'm one of them

The child walks over to Astro for comfort, and Astro picks him up, putting the kid on his shoulders. The bunny grabs Astro's black and red horns for stability.

Midna smiles, but quickly drops it when Astro turns to her, "Enough with these...silly games…"

Astro continues down the path and Midna follows, right beside him.

As they pass a certain area of bushes, the child gets excited, pulling at Astro's black hair, "Fine, fine. I'll put you down."

Astro sets the bunny on the ground and rubs his head.

"Great. More bushes." Midna says.

"Let him explore."

Midna stays silent, and they watch as the kid walks through the bushes.

Midna and Astro follow and stop right in front of the shrubs. Just behind the hedge is an area of flat grass. They crouch down as a larger bunny-person comes out from the other side. Midna rests a hand on Astro's shoulder, "His mother…"

The bunny woman hops up to the child and starts to sniff him. The kid recognizes her and tries to hug her, but she backs away.

"Uh oh," Astro says.

"Uh oh? What's uh oh? Why isn't she hugging him?" Says Midna.

"Remember what I said about people's reactions to demons?"

The kid's bunny ears lower, and he whimpers at the mother, but she hisses. She turns around and calls out. Four more bunny people come out from the trees.

"Bodyguards. Bunny-guards?" Astro says.

"Shh!" Says Midna.

The four new bunny people hop over to the child, while the mother backs away. They all sniff him and hiss. They crowd around and trap him.

"Oh, they're totally gonna kill him." Says Astro.

"No, they wouldn't kill a child. Would they?" Says Midna.

Astro pats her hand for comfort.

One bunny person pulls out a large stick, and the rest follow. Squeaks come from the child as the bunnies start hitting him.

Midna looks away, resting her forehead on Astro's shoulder, "Oh, I can't watch!"

Astro keeps watching and makes a face for each tiny noise that comes from the child.

The noises stop, and bunnies stop hitting him and walk back into the forest. Midna looks up and gasps at the lifeless body of the child, "Oh no, I...it's all my fault…"

Midna turns away and starts to cry. Astro pauses before putting an arm around her shoulders, "You were just doing your job. Who would have thought such adorable creatures could be so cruel?"

Midna wipes away her tears and looks up at Astro, "You really think I did the right thing?"

"Of course, and maybe if you didn't have a demon tagging along the kid would be fine. But honestly, it's too hard to tell,"

Midna sniffles and wipes away the rest of her tears, "You're right. I did my best."

"That's the spirit! Now let's get out of here before any more bunnies get killed."