Starbasin

Eitan found himself in the dark night as he ran away from the rabbit burrow. He knew Rhizome wasn’t from the warren that killed his family. Even if he was, Rhizo would never have participated in what happened. Mune probably hadn’t, wouldn’t. And the vision wasn’t really in his control. At least, that’s how Eitan thought those visions worked. Maybe the smaller tricks were, but not the big one, the one about his death.

He wanted to feel the anger. The confusing time spent with Rhizo had dulled things. Familiar smells of where he grew up. Rhizo was new to all of this; Eitan was sure of it. But, had the rabbit sensed some vulnerability, like with the wolf? Was all of this a trick? No. Rhizo didn’t have a goal in mind. Unless it wasn’t Rhizome’s trick. That made his blood feel cold. A terrible chill as the moon started to brighten the forest.

The anger returned. “I don’t want to hurt him. Or Mune. But, I don’t want to forget what happened.” Rhizome might have the potential to be a trickster, but he was a warren rabbit until they met. A useless, unskilled rabbit who ate grass and had little interests. Like the one he abducted to learn Lapine. The same one his mother executed in front of him for begging.

Absently, in his thoughts, Eitan had begun following a trail of rabbit scents. a route run over and over recently. He was walking away from the warren, so he didn’t give it too much thought. The path went slightly uphill, and he wasn’t listening for the sound of the stream. It would have been easy to spot if he hadn’t been so distracted. Although, this particular run had been chosen because it was difficult to see where it suddenly dropped off into a small cliff.

His forepaw suddenly missed the ground as he walked, and Eitan wasn’t able to pull back and regain his balance. Stunned, he fell down the cliff, smacking against it once on the way down and splashing into the swift water.

He broke through the surface into an oddly calm meadow. One just outside the warren he grew up in. The whole place was warm and cool at the same time, like a summer’s night. The stream was gone, he wasn’t even wet.

“Please forgive this intrusion, but we need to talk,” came the soft voice of Death in his ear.

“Who— I mean, where are we?” Eitan demanded, looking around, trying to find the source of the voice.

“This is your between. I had not expected a warren.” Slowly, two red eyes opened in the shadows of the sky, forming an ambiguous black shape.

“I’m dying? No. Not like this.” Eitan crouched on the ground. What had the rabbit said? “Please, I have accepted I will die well before my time, but I want to live however little I can.”

Shadow-like paws, wet with blood emerged from the shadow, followed by the rest of a black furred weasel which contained those two red eyes. “I cannot save that which will die, nor can I kill that which is living. Do not worry, it is not your time. This is simply a place where only the two of us can be.”

“Hurry up then, I need to go back.” Eitan briefly wondered if he could attack death, but figured if it was possible, it would have been done before. “I need to stop myself from drowning in the stream!”

“Time is different here. We can talk for days between the slowing beats of your heart. There is all the time in the world to convince me to let someone live.” Death settled on the ground. “It cannot work. And this time, it is not needed.”

“You let Rhizome live. Will you let me as well?”

“That…” He said, “I am drawn to those who are fated to die. When it is their time, I am there. It was your time but I found him. He was in between but he was not dead. He was dying but it was not his time. I was not compelled to take him.” Death closed his eyes a moment. “I think I could have taken him, had I tried. Told Fate that she had missed something and just collected his soul. It was not the first time such a mistake has been made, but those are mostly with the truly insignificant. And yet, he had saved two lives. It was not an oversight. It was a mistake.”

“You choose to let him live?”

“No,” Death corrected. “I did nothing. He might have died from his fever. I would have taken him then.”

“But you asked him for his story.”

“He offered. I…” Death hesitated again. To the weasel, it seemed out of actual confusion or concern. “I guess I gave him a reason to live. That might be an issue.”

“Might?” Eitan cried. “You may have done the one thing you’re forbidden from doing and you’re not sure if it’s an issue?”

“That is why we must talk here.” Death’s eyes narrowed. “Here, we cannot be overheard, not by Fate, not by Lord Sun himself. I need to ask if my actions will become a problem for Fate’s plan. Which means my attention will not be here. But, you can be.”

Eitan blinked. “Wait, you’re asking me for a favor?”

“I cannot keep Rhizome alive, but you can. I need you to keep him safe until I can return.” Death absently groomed some of the blood off his forepaw. “And, I wanted to warn you that I won’t be able to so much as warn you if something were to happen.”

“And, if I agree? Will it save me this Winter when there are no bugs to eat? If you are so bound by your position, what can you offer?”

“That is not what you want,” Death said. “Ask.”

“Can I still avenge my mother?”

Death offered knowledge. “Thistle is dead. Saving your life didn’t condemn her, but the warren did come to see her as a traitor. You likely should avenge her as well.”

“What?” Eitan winced. The rabbit that spared his life, snuck him to freedom with his mother, had died for her actions. If nothing else helped him understand how he felt about rabbits, that made it clear. Though he had not thought of finding her again, he wanted to hurt those who had killed her. He regretted he could not help her while she was alive.

“Your destination and Rhizome’s are the same. Find the basin of stars and you will be able to correct the wrongs done by your family’s death. Or, at least, you will have the chance to. I do not know what will happen. Perhaps, Fate will insist that those saved must die. I will do my best not to allow that, but understand there are forces greater than Death that must have their say. Regardless, if you wish to avenge your family, it is where you must go.”

“Why tell me before I agree?”

“You have already decided to protect Rhizome,” Death said. “Just as he leapt into the stream to try to push you to shore.”

“Rhizome is still in the burrow,” Eitan objected. “If he jumped in after me, we’d just die together.”

“Are you so sure?”

Eitan frowned. He still thought of Rhizome as a warren rabbit. Yet, the rabbit had faced a wolf to save another. Actually, Rhizo had faced him first. Was a stream so different? Rhizo didn’t believe in enemies. Could that extend to a weasel that had almost gutted the rabbit? Had those words been honest?

“I guess not. But, he doesn’t know anything about medicine. Even if he gets me out of the river, can he get me breathing again?” Eitan sighed and settled on the ground. “I want to live. I want to live through the winter.”

“For what it’s worth, I am sorry,” Death said. “If anyone can change the world, it is someone who can surprise Fate.”

Eitan wasn’t sure what to say or think. Rhizo was fallible, but what did that mean for the world? “He said you were a rabbit.”

The red eyes narrowed and Death leaned forward. His stained paws bled on the ground, leaving thin trails. “I am the Black Rabbit, the Midnight Crow, the Bloodied Weasel, the Fox with One Red Paw. So many names for me. All of you see what you need.”

“Of course, sir. But he knew, didn’t he?” Eitan said, “None of those are who you really are.”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps it was merely the first hint at the trickster he will become.”

A pain in his chest caused Eitan to puke up water onto the earth of the field.

“When Rhizome is ready, it is okay for you to speak outside this place,” Death instructed. “I am of the same stuff as Fate and the others, they can know my words much easier than yours.”

A second pain caused Eitan to spit up more water.

Eitan gasped. “He’s so dangerous. How is that possible?”

“He’s just likable. There is no supernatural power at work. Except, he did not follow what was supposed to happen. I will ask about that as well.”

Another round of water spewed from Eitan’s mouth.

“Be careful, I will return as soon as I can, but I go to a place where time isn’t as simple as it is here.”

The field started to fade.

“His hold over you isn’t supernatural. That isn’t why you exposed your belly to his claws.”

“No!” Eitan screamed, flailing as sensation returned to his limbs. The pain in his lungs was there. He felt heavy and sluggish. Only living could hurt this much.

“Eitan, stop. Please. You’ll hurt Mune.”

Panic faded. Eitan was next to the stream. He had been dragged onto the grass just past the streambed and the seer was backing away with small cuts on his face and forelegs. The seer whimpered but did not speak.

Death had been right. Rhizome was soaked, and sounded like he had swallowed some water himself. The rabbit let out a wet cough.

This was no trick. At least, it wasn’t Rhizome’s trick.

“Why didn’t you let me die? Your life would be simpler.”

Rhizo flicked an ear. His eyes darted nervously. “I don’t know.”

Mune grunted. “You were so worried when he left. You jumped into the water even though you have never swam before. You almost drowned yourself and somehow dragged him out of the river. You insisted I get him breathing again. Without any idea of why?” The seer shook with frustration. “Despite all rational explanations, you are friends. Close friends. I don’t need a vision to see that.”

“Friends.” Eitan mused over that thought. “You really pulled me out of the stream?”

Rhizome nodded.

Even if it was a ploy of some kind, there’s no way he arranged it with Death. Maybe Fate wasn’t done with using them for her amusement? Eitan shuddered and not from the cold. His pride flared. “Don’t think I owe you for this.”

“Of course not. I’m your prisoner,” Rhizo said. “Come on, let’s get you back to the burrow so you can recover. We can figure out the rest tomorrow. Sound good?”

Eitan nodded. If there was no other supernatural power at work, then Rhizome was simply home. Or family. The next day, he would have to ask Rhizome to stop using the word prisoner. Eitan answered a very different question than the one Rhizo thought he asked. “Lead the way, I’ll follow.”