Magic bunny

The growling of my stomach echoed in the cave like an embarrassing symphony of failure. I could practically feel Ren's smirk without even looking at her.

My arms were crossed, my legs tucked up under me, and I refused to meet her smug gaze.

"We'll starve at this rate," I muttered.

"You're the one with functioning magic," Ren quipped, her voice raspy yet annoyingly light-hearted.

I shot her a glare. "I'm not about to waste my ice magic trying to conjure food, especially since you drained yourself half to death teleporting us here."

Ren shrugged, entirely too relaxed for someone on the verge of collapse. "Suit yourself. I'll just keep enjoying the show."

"What show?" I snapped.

She grinned, gesturing vaguely at me. "The Princess, starving, sulking, and stubbornly refusing to do anything about it. It's pretty entertaining."

I was halfway through planning her demise when a sudden rustling sound drew both our attentions to the far end of the cave.

Out of nowhere, a small, fluffy creature hopped into view. It had sleek white fur, ears that flopped slightly as it moved, and big, round eyes that sparkled with what could only be described as annoying innocence.

"A bunny?" I blinked, momentarily thrown.

Ren sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing. "Not just any bunny."

I glanced at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That," she said, pointing dramatically at the creature, "is a magical bunny. They're absurdly fast and can teleport short distances."

"So?"

"So," Ren said, exasperated, "they're also delicious. If we catch it, we eat."

I looked back at the bunny, which was now nibbling on a patch of moss with a complete lack of concern for the starving people mere metres away.

"You're joking," I said flatly.

"Dead serious," Ren replied. "It's our best shot at food."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, letting out a long-suffering sigh. "Let me get this straight. You want me to chase a magical teleporting bunny, catch it, and kill it… with my magic."

"Exactly," Ren said, nodding as if this were the most reasonable suggestion in the world.

"You're insane."

"Do you have a better idea?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. The bunny's ears twitched, as if mocking me, and my stomach growled again, louder this time.

"Fine," I hissed, pushing myself to my feet. "But if this goes wrong, I'm blaming you."

Ren grinned, leaning back against the cave wall. "Go get 'em, Princess."

I glared at her before turning my focus to the bunny. It still hadn't noticed us—or at least, it didn't seem to care. Slowly, I summoned a small swirl of frost in my palm, preparing to strike.

"Wait!" Ren hissed.

I froze. "What now?"

"You can't just blast it from here. It'll sense the magic and teleport away."

I rolled my eyes. "And how, exactly, do you suggest I approach this?"

Ren gestured towards the bunny. "Sneak up on it. Get close, and then—bam! Ice spike."

"Sneak up on it?" I repeated, incredulous. "It's a bunny. With magic. How do you expect me to sneak up on something that can teleport?"

"Carefully," she said, completely unhelpful.

I let out an exasperated sigh but crouched low, inching towards the bunny with all the grace I could muster.

"Lower," Ren whispered.

I shot her a look. "If I go any lower, I'll be crawling on my stomach."

"Do it."

Grumbling under my breath, I dropped into an awkward crawl, feeling utterly ridiculous. The bunny twitched its nose, still blissfully unaware or maybe just unimpressed.

"Okay, now slowly…" Ren coached from behind me, her voice entirely too amused.

"I know how to sneak," I hissed.

"Clearly."

Ignoring her, I crept closer, my palms growing colder as I prepared to unleash a blast of ice magic. I was maybe a metre away when the bunny's ears perked up, its tiny body tensing.

"Now!" Ren shouted.

I hurled the ice magic, but the bunny vanished in a blink, reappearing several metres away.

"Brilliant," I muttered, straightening up.

"You hesitated," Ren said, shaking her head like a disappointed teacher.

"I did not!"

"You absolutely did."

Before I could retort, the bunny darted to the other side of the cave, its little legs moving at an impossible speed.

"Great," I muttered. "Now it's taunting us."

"Keep trying," Ren said, waving a hand. "You'll get it eventually."

"Why don't you do it, then?" I snapped, rounding on her.

Ren raised an eyebrow, gesturing to herself. "Do I look like I'm in any condition to chase a bunny?"

"You look perfectly capable of being annoying, that's for sure."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Princess."

I let out a frustrated growl, turning back to the bunny, which had resumed nibbling as though nothing had happened. Summoning more ice, I crouched low again, determined to succeed this time.

The next few minutes were a blur of chaos. I lunged, missed, slipped on the icy ground, and nearly froze my own foot off. The bunny zipped around the cave like a miniature lightning bolt, and Ren's constant commentary didn't help.

"Too slow!"

"Watch your aim!"

"Did you just trip over your own magic?"

By the time I managed to corner the infernal creature, my hair was a mess, my knees were scraped, and my patience was hanging by a thread.

"End of the line," I muttered, summoning a sharp icicle in my hand.

The bunny twitched, readying itself to teleport, but this time, I was faster. With a flick of my wrist, the icicle shot forward, pinning the creature to the ground.

There was a brief silence as I stood there, panting, staring at the now-motionless bunny.

"Well," Ren said finally, her tone laced with amusement. "That was… impressive."

I turned to glare at her. "Not. A. Word."

Her lips twitched, but she wisely said nothing.

Dragging the bunny back towards her, I dropped it unceremoniously on the ground. Of I course I was going to caught it I'm Xyra Eldarion.

"Now," I said, brushing my hands off, "how do we cook it?"