Star Rabbit's Treachery

Chapter 10

The air in the Whispering Woods had grown heavy, thick with a silence that was more unnerving than any clamor. Branden, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, felt a prickle of unease crawl up his spine. The benevolent spirits, the Sun Deer and the Guardian Owl, had warned him of the King’s growing influence, of the insidious corruption that seeped from the very heart of his domain. They had spoken of a creature, a swift and venomous entity designed to prey on the pure of heart, to shatter their resolve before they could even begin to fight. And now, the woods seemed to hold their breath, anticipating its arrival.

A flash of movement caught Branden’s eye, a blur of white against the emerald tapestry of the undergrowth. It was too fast, too ethereal to be a mere woodland creature. Then, it coalesced, resolving into the form of a rabbit, but no ordinary rabbit. This creature was larger than any he had ever seen, its fur shimmering with an unnatural, starlit luminescence. Its eyes, two chips of obsidian, gleamed with a malice that sent a chill through Branden’s very bones. This, he knew with a certainty that settled like ice in his gut, was the Star Rabbit.