Homeward Bounding

Quick Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or the world they inhabit. They were created by the fabulous people at Zombie Orpheus for their equally fabulous RPG, Masters of the Metaverse!  Be sure to tune in to Twitch.TV/zombieorpheus every Monday at 6PM PST to see more!

 

He hadn’t wanted to believe that she was gone. Somewhere, deep inside, Snowball had always hoped that Amalia was still up in the heavens just waiting for him to find his way back to her. But that hope was gone now, the blankie proved it. The time had come for him to find her, to do what he had been created to do, to head off into the storm. The dark clouds roiled overhead and Snowball took a final moment to gather himself before it began.

He had been born from a ball of pure white snow, gathered by the hands of Therin. The goddess had shaped him and molded him, from the tips of his ears to the puffs of his tail. She had formed him and breathed life into him with a kiss. From the first moment of awareness he had known love. Not fragile love, not new love, not uncertain love, but strong, steadfast, deep, and ancient love. Love that was so a part of his bones that he couldn’t stand without it, love that was so integral to his heart that it would not beat without it, love that was so much a piece of him that he couldn’t imagine being without it. It was the love of a mother for her child, the love of a parent for their offspring, the love of one brave enough to give life to a part of their soul and send it out into the world.

Snowball had loved Amalia from the moment he was set into her arms. Her smile joined with his and they were bonded. He saw her first tooth break through, witnessed the first stumbling steps across the clouds, shared her first words with her. They spent every moment together, playing, laughing, drinking tea. It was heavenly, until the brother stepped in.

To try and understand the older brother, Trey as he was called, was like trying to catch a hold of a rain drop as it danced away, slipping through the cracks of the hand and disappearing from sight. He was dark, brooding, selfish, insecure, and proud. He was a teenager. Snowball never cared for him. Amalia and Trey never had much time for each other so his concerns were limited. Until the night in the workshop.

Snowball wished he had been paying more attention, wished he had seen the hands reaching for him before it was too late. The next thing he knew, he was being trundled off to Inslow’s workshop. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be in there, knew he should leave as quickly as he could. But the contraptions and half invented somethings were far too appealing to resist. He couldn’t help himself, he started nosing around. And that was what Snowball was doing when Amalia burst in through the door. They rushed to each other and hugged one another tightly, before setting off hand in hand to explore more of the forbidden treasures that awaited them. They had been having such a lovely time, if only they hadn’t been caught.

Flying wasn’t everything he had hoped it would be. As he hurtled towards the earth, Snowball remembered thinking that this was much less elegant that he thought it would be. Of course, the fact that he had been thrown by Trey rather than granted the ability of flight was of little or no concern to him. All that mattered as he fell was that he had always believed flying, whatever the direction, was a coordinated and stylish venture which this decidedly was not. He didn’t even know to be concerned with his landing, which would explain the large lump on his head. Waking up in the bushes, he had been dazed. His thoughts were jumbled and his memories foggy. He couldn’t quite remember where he had come from and how he had ended up where he was. Hearing some voices and seeing some flashes of light, Snowball had headed off in search of…anybody, really. It wasn’t until later, after he had joined up with the group of adventurers he currently called his companions, that he began to have flashes of what he had forgotten.

Bunny. Such a silly word, so small and harmless. But the overwhelming feelings of anger, helplessness, and betrayal that welled up inside of him the moment he heard it were undeniable. She had called him bunny. Amalia. Someone else had called him bunny, someone who wasn’t Amalia. Trey. Just before he had thrown Snowball down to the earth, as Amalia began to wail in the distance, Trey leaned in close and hissed “Stupid bunny!”. That word and Amalia’s cries echoed in Snowball’s ears giving rise to the white hot rage that filled him. How could he have been so foolish? How could he have let it happen? How could he have let Trey do that to Amalia? He had been created to make sure she felt happy, safe, and loved every single day. He had failed.

What must Amalia be going through right now? How must she be feeling? She had left the heavens to come and find him. She was lost in a world that she did not understand and that did not understand her. She was alone with no one to take care of her. She was scared. She needed a friend. She needed someone to give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay. She needed her bunny. She needed Snowball. But how would he be able to explain things to her? How could he make her understand that he hadn’t left her because he wanted to, because he was angry with her, or because he didn’t want to play with her any more? How could he make sure she didn’t think all of this was her fault? And would she even want him back? For a moment, for just a heart beat, Snowball hesitated. Standing at the edge of the storm clouds he froze and looked up at the flashes of lightening and the dark shadows looming within. Maybe Amalia wouldn’t want him as her bunny any more, maybe she would just throw him away again, maybe she wouldn’t be able to forgive him for letting Trey take him away. Maybe Amalia wouldn’t still love him after all of this.

But if he didn’t go after her, who would? Who would listen to her jokes and laugh at them, even the ones that didn’t make sense? Who would find her favorite toys when she lost them? Who would know all the best places to build a fort and burrow deep inside? Who would bring sweets, cakes, and cookies to her? Who would read books to her? Who would sing songs with her and play music for her? Who would chase her across the Sunset Plains until she was laughing so hard she fell down? Who would kiss her boo boos? Who would hug her when she was lonely? Who would snuggle next to her while she fell asleep? Who would keep the monsters away? Who would protect her from the bad dreams? Who would, if not her bunny?

Snowball straightened and pushed his shoulders back. He turned to face the storm, his whiskers quivering. He had failed her once, his own Amalia, he had let someone come between them. He would not allow it to happen again.

He stepped out into the storm.