The Children of Destiny

Chapter 5 - Not a Very Good Start

I had only taken a few steps before hearing a strange noise and immediately whipping out my knife. It sounded like hissing, so I assumed it was some sort of snake. I had no idea how wrong I was. I searched the ground frantically to see if I could find the wretched thing, but to no avail. So, I put my knife away and kept walking. The hissing sound came again the moment I took another step forward, even louder this time. So, I backed away and crouched down, remembering something my mother told me.

"If you ever hear hissing, and there seems to be absolutely nothing in sight, there's something underneath you."

I was just starting to realize just how useful my mother's survival tips were when the hissing sound came again and snapped me right back to reality. I used the flat side of my knife to dig a hole in the sand until I hit something hard. I looked closely and saw some sort of tightly packed structure that looked like a den made out of nettles, grass, and heather. I cut into it and found something that looked like a rabbit, so I put away my knife and picked the creature up because I thought it was just a harmless rabbit. The creature looked at me and tipped its head to one side, probably wondering why I'd just scooped it out of its own home without warning.

Suddenly, the rabbit-looking creature parted its jaws angrily to reveal sharp, snake-like fangs. It flared some of its fur in a crest around its head and hissed. I immediately dropped the thing and pulled out my knife. That's when I remembered the last part of the thing my mother taught me:

"That something is almost always a fanged rabbit. Steer clear of those creatures, for they are infamous for being very venomous."

I backed away from the rabbit and cursed under my breath. This thing was basically a cobra if it was deceivingly adorable and way more delicious. The rabbit lunged forward, trying to bite my leg, but I kicked it aside and held it down by its head with my foot as it thrashed and hissed. I was going to just smash the rabbit's head in with my foot, but decided last minute to stab it instead.

This could make a great meal. I thought as I slit the rabbit's throat. I'll have to dispose of its head, though.

Just like normal snakes, fanged rabbits can still bite when dead, so its very important to remove the head before consumption. I chopped off the rabbit's head and tossed it as far as I could. I was NOT planning on keeping that thing as a trophy. I found a few sticks, prepared a fire so I could cook the rabbit and sat down in front of the fire. I stabbed my knife into the rabbit carcass' belly and raised it over the fire.

"I'm sure this'll taste great," I said.

I'd never actually had fanged rabbit because my mother never caught them for me or my siblings. My mother had a distaste for fanged rabbits. She told us it was because of an incident she had as a cub. She said that was how she got the scar across her muzzle.

Anyway, when I saw that the rabbit looked ready to eat, I moved it away from the fire and began removing the fur. When all the fur was gone, I put the rabbit carcass over the fire again just to make sure it was cooked and safe to eat. Finally, I took the rabbit off my knife and bit into the meat.

This actually tastes really good!

I proceeded to eat the whole rabbit. I hadn't expected it to taste so good I'd eat the whole thing in one sitting, which was something because I usually never finished my food and always ended up giving my leftovers to whatever scavenger wanted them. Mostly the vultures and foxenas; an unholy, absolutely terrifying amalgamate of a fox and a hyena; would eat what I threw them, which I was very grateful for because that would keep them away from me.

I was mostly terrified of foxenas because of their calls. They sound almost like the laughing and cries for help of a human, which makes it easier to lure in their prey. So, feeding them made me feel way safer. Anyways, I stayed by the fire for a little while before putting it out and setting out towards Starling tribe territory again.