THE SLOW RABBIT- PART 2

It’s All About Destiny

All animals in the forest wished to have Destiny. They desired for Destiny, wanted Destiny, and were in awe of Destiny. Destiny was the most beautiful she-rabbit to have ever set foot in the forest kingdom. She had the most beautiful eyes which could enchant the fiercest of predators and enslave them, and so it happened! One fine day a young leopard was on the hunt, and he saw a group of young rabbits playing around and decided to feast on them. He marked his position of attack, and when he leaped for the kill his eyes locked with that of Destiny’s and he stopped. He did not attack, but he followed her all the way to where she lived. He stalked her for days and weeks without her noticing him. He was in love with Destiny.

“Hello Destiny” he said. Destiny was scared and began to run, but he chased her and stopped her. “Please don’t run” he pleaded. “What are you?” Destiny asked still trembling with fear. “I am Leo” the leopard replied. “Are you going to eat me?” asked a shivering Destiny. Leo was in love with her voice, Leo was in love with her ears, Leo was in love with her short tail, and Leo was enchanted by her looks. Those big eyes of Destiny had enslaved Leo, for the first time he was nervous, for the first time he was in love, for the first time he forgot he was a predator, for the first time he felt like time had stopped and he was in love with all that was happening with him. “You are going to eat me, aren’t you?” asked Destiny again, this brought Leo back to the conversation. ”No No” he stuttered and took a step back “I would never do that!” he said. “Then why did you chase me?” asked Destiny still confused. “I did not chase you. I wanted to talk to you”. Now Destiny got curious “Why did you want to talk to me?” she asked. Leo then narrated the whole instance and asked if she could be friends with him? Though Destiny was fearful of him at first, something inside her told her that he would not hurt her. And if he wanted to hurt her, then he could have done that much earlier. Destiny was now getting comfortable in his presence and she was no more fearful of him. “It is getting dark” she said “I need to go home” and she hopped to her village. “Are we friends?” shouted Leo behind Destiny. “I will tell you tomorrow” said Destiny and giggled and hopped to her village. Leo stood there and kept smiling.

“What are you smiling for!!?” screamed Streak. This brought Leo back to the present! This brought Leo back to his senses! “Are you day-dreaming? Just eat me!!” “I don’t eat rabbits” said Leo. “Then what the hell you want from me?” asked Streak. “I don’t want anything from you kid. I want Lightning!” said Leo. Streak could see anger and revenge in Leo’s eyes for Lightning which he did not know why, but it terrified him.

Far away in the forest Lightning was travelling towards Leo’s den with Raven. Now Raven was a crow who was Lightning’s best friend since they were kids. “Can you do me a favor?” asked Lightning to Raven. “Anything for you my friend” said a smiling Raven. Lightning whispered something in Raven’s ears to which Raven was surprised. “Why would you want me to bring him?” retaliated Raven, “Believe me” said Lightning and persuaded him. “But I cannot leave you alone” said Raven. “You have to Raven, it’s my fight!” said Lightning. Raven sighed and turned his head away from Lightning, spread his wings and flew in the other direction while Lightning continued walking towards Leo’s den.

Leo heard those familiar footsteps and jolted towards the entrance to meet his longtime rival, and the one who robbed him of everything. He was filled with anger towards Lightning and excitement of fulfilling his only goal in life, to destroy Lightning. They were now standing face to face years after their last meeting.

Leo said “We meet again. Look to what extent I had to go to find you and get you out from your hiding.”

Lightning replied “So here am I. Now let the kid go, you have me.”

Leo responded back saying “You don’t tell me what I need to do.”

Lightning said “Just tell me what you want?”

Leo circled around Lightning measuring his only rival and enemy in life, and said “I want to race you. I want to prove her that she was wrong.”

Lightning sighed and said “Don’t you know that I lost to a tortoise? Then why do you want to race me?”

Leo laughed and mocked Lightning and said “Whole forest knows that you are a loser, but she never believed that.”

Lightning replied “It does not matter. She is not here”

Leo now visibly angry “She is not here because of you!”

Lightning did not utter a word, he was silent now.

Leo yelled at him “She is dead. Destiny is dead, and it’s all because of you”

Lightning said “I will not race you” and started walking back

Leo replied “I knew you would say this. But there is something that would make you do it”

Lightning turned back and looked at Leo with curiosity.

Leo said “Why don’t you check out my prisoner. I bet that would change your mind”

Lightning followed Leo to his cave. The cave was dark, but some rays of sun found its way through the big and small holes in the cave. At the end of the cave Lightning could see a young rabbit with hands tied on a rock. He went closer to check on the unconscious rabbit, and what he saw next shocked him to his core. He saw a lightning mark on the young rabbit’s back “My Son” he said.

“I am sure I have persuaded you to race me now, Rabbit!” said Leo with a crooked smile on his face” We race tomorrow. Get ready!”

Like wild-fire the news spread in the forest kingdom that Lightning the rabbit was going to race Leo the leopard. Back in the rabbit kingdom the chief got news of the race between Lightning and the leopard that had Streak, the chief summoned all his fellow rabbits and marched towards the den of the leopard. All forest animals big and small, young and old were excited for this race.

“Are you ready?” asked Raven to Freddy. “Well it depends on how swift you fly” said Freddy holding tight onto Raven. “How did a worthless tortoise like you defeat the great Lightning?” asked Raven to Freddy. “Well the fact is that I did” said Freddy. “And now Lightning is racing against Leo” said Raven “Do you think he will win?” “Let’s find out, we are getting late!” said Freddy, and before Freddy could utter another word Raven flew towards the sky with Freddy on his back!

To be continued in the third and last part “Not Fast Enough”