~ Legend ~ Rustle. Rustle. The leaves of the maple where I rest shift in the summer breeze. I roll over, hoping to warm my silky belly fur in the beams of golden sunshine dancing across the trees. I casually glance around the sunlight-dappled grove before closing my eyes again. I decide it’s time to get up. Maybe I’ll visit Lueur. She and Petrichor always enjoy it when I visit. My thoughts drift to memories of Lueur teaching me how to teleport, and pulling me out of gopher holes when I miscalculate. Snap! I hear a twig crack and my mind is pulled back to the present. I scamper down the rough bark and call, “Ammil! I know you’re there!” Ammil pops her head out from behind a blossoming poplar a few yards away and snuffles in amusement. I toss my head and feel the weight of my long, slender antlers resting above my temples. “You haven’t seen Ignis, have you?” I question her. “No, but I hear they’re causing trouble at Evermoore again.” She twitches her furry ears in disapproval. I can’t help but agree. “Someday they’ll have to face the consequences, but for now…” I trail off. We both know how that sentence ends. Dux will protect them as long as he can, and with his high status, Ignis won’t be punished any time soon. “But, anyway, I forgot to tell you the good news!” Ammil gave a little hop of excitement, her amber fur swishing. “Imber just gave birth to her litter of kits!” “Really?” I can’t believe my ears. “Hers is the first litter in centuries, isn’t it?” “Yes, around three,” Ammil agreed, “And Solis is so excited his fur is glowing. You know how he is. In fact, we should go see them right now!” We teleport through the void to the meadows where Imber and Solis have made their home as I try in vain to contain my glee. “You’re here!” Solis greets us as we arrive and takes us across the field to Imber’s nest. I peek inside and squeak with joy. My heart soars like an eagle and I feel a sudden rush of protectiveness as three tiny bodies snuggle into Imber’s soft belly fur. “Aren’t they the sweetest?” Imber coos. It isn’t a real question; the furry kits resting in the folds of her nest will never be anything but adorable. “Have you named them?” I inquire. “Well,” she licks a lightly spotted golden kit, ”This one is Lux, and this one is Spes. But the silver one still needs a name.” I pause and think, my mind whirling, but Ammil beats me to it. “Luna!” “What a beautiful name,” Solis sighs. “ I love it.” I agree as the fluffy silver kit squeaks in approval. I am so ecstatic it takes me a few seconds to recognize the soft crackling sound filling the air. Ears quivering, I glance in the direction of the disturbance. I am relieved to find nothing out of the ordinary, just tall, soft grass and the occasional grasshopper or sparrow. The tranquil woods lining the meadow are undisturbed as well, birch and alder standing out against a somewhat hazy blue and white sky. I turn away, a hint of misguided relief playing at the edges of my mind. Soon, the husky scent of smoke begins to fill the air. I hope against hope we will be able to save our home. It may be impossible. But hope is my only weapon against fire. Now I know why humans like to say ‘it was all a blur.’ I can barely think as Ammil and I rush Imber, Solis and the babies to a sheltered pecan grove near Dux’s residence and far from the site of the blaze. Forgetting in my panic my teleportation abilities, I race through the trees on nimble paws toward Dux’s favorite sequoia, clinging to the slim possibility he is nearby instead of in council or visiting Ignis. If Dux can’t help defeat the fire, no one can. Upon arrival at the sequoia, I find Dux lounging lazily in the crook of a large, thick bough. Ignis rests beside him, snoozing in the sunlight. Amid the chaos in my brain, their calm seems unreal. “Dux!... Ignis!...” I pant. Dux rises and hops down the tree trunk as I continue. “Fire!… At Sunplains!” Ignis raises her head in alarm. “Are the kits alright?” “They’re fine, Ammil is with them, but the fire’s spreading fast.” I begin to regain my composure. Dux and Ignis share a look. Then Dux’s gaze snaps back to me and his eyes darken. “We need to go now. Our homeland is in danger.” I silently agree even as I shrink at the thought of facing a raging firestorm. ᶜᵒⁿᵗⁱⁿᵘᵉᵈ ⁱⁿ ᴺᵒᵗᵉˢ & ᶜʳᵉᵈⁱᵗˢ
ᴸᵉᵍᵉⁿᵈ, ᶜᵒⁿᵗⁱⁿᵘᵉᵈ We weave around burning trees and brush with Dux in the lead, finally finding a vantage point behind the flaming wall, and I feel a sickening rush in my stomach as I recognize three tiny shapes outlined against the inferno. Imber’s kittens. Dux yells and launches himself across the burning terrain separating us from the kits and Imber slides forward to receive Spes as Dux passes her along. Dux returns with Lux moments later. “What about Luna?” I stare past Dux to find Luna behind a new patch of flames that has sprung up a few branch-lengths away. I turn back to my companions to find my desperation reflected in their eyes. My only comfort is that things can’t get any worse now. As if to prove me wrong, a terrible rumbling in the air heralds the approach of an airborne monster of a machine with humans peering out from its interior. Ignis tenses beside me, and I assume it is their reaction to the appearance of humans. Then I turn to them, but instead of looking up at the sky, they are staring forward with a look of determination in their eyes. “Ignis, no!” They glance toward me and I see regret play across their face. They must know they might not make it back if they do this. “I have to do it,” they murmur. And I know they do. But that doesn’t make it any easier. I watch, helpless, as they bunch their muscles and bound over knots of flames before gathering strength to leap over the final obstacle, a roaring fire encircling Luna, slowly closing in. They clear the barrier and land next to Luna, picking her up by the scruff. A sudden gust of wind makes the flames flare higher and close in on Ignis as they fling Luna through the air toward Dux and I. Dux is so devastated I have to lead him slowly away from the fire. The humans’ stares weigh heavily on my back. By the time we teleport away, I can barely smell the smoke. I am filled with deep sorrow over the death of Ignis. If only teleportation weren’t tainted by heat. Imber asks no questions when I despondently nudge her kittens toward her. Ammil quietly moves to my side, supporting me when I slump over from exhaustion. My only consolation is that Ignis died saving the future of our race. A glimmer of amusement ripples through my shoulders as I ruminate on the irony that the humans from whom we must conceal ourselves saved most of our homeland from destruction. Their glimpses of us will keep the legend of the Jackalope alive for years to come. 丅ᕼᗴ ᗴᑎᗪ!
