Alrighty! Here we are...hope you guys like it!!!

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Jaidie

Peter clutched his leg groaning and tossing on the ground as a group of rabbits started to gather around him asking if he was okay. He smiled as he looked beyond the crowd of worried rabbits and saw Rexly at a food stand, stuffing whatever food he wanted into a small sack. They locked eyes, but only for a moment before Peter began groaning and tossing, clutching his leg again.

“Are you alright, child?” One doe asked, glancing down at his leg.

Peter shook his head and clenched his teeth. “No,” he moaned, “my leg, I think it’s broken.” He looked up at the doe with watery eyes, then glanced toward Rexly.

Rexly stuffed a few more apples into the sack then nodded. Peter nodded back and Rexly put up three fingers, then began lowering them. One, then another, and then the last one. Rexly darted off down the street, everyone looked toward Rexly.

“Hey,” a buck yelled, “he stole my stuff! Why that little thief!”

Other bucks drew their swords and raised them in the air. “Get the thief and throw him behind Daggler’s bars where he belongs!” They yelled as they ran after Rexly, shouting and cursing.

The does and some of the bucks stayed with Peter. “Are you alright sweetie? Do you need me to get a doctor?” one doe asked, stepping closer.

Peter smiled. “No thanks, I’m suddenly feeling much better. Thanks anyway,” Peter said as he jumped to his feet.

The does gasped, a buck stepped from out of the crowd and pushed the kind doe away as he pointed his sword at Peter. “Yer not hurt, this was all a trick, wasn’t it? To get us away so the thief could steal our food without us even knowing. I bet yer with that scum of a thief, aren’t ye?” The buck spat the word thief like it was deceased of something.

Peter drew his own sword with a smile. He jumped into a fighting stance. “That I am,” he said. He looked past the buck, “Is that Lord Falcowit?”

“What?” the buck said.

“Right there, there he is you see him, right there.” Peter pointed with his sword at the empty blue sky behind the crowd of rabbits. They all turned around.

He smiled as he ran forward and sliced his curved blade across the buck’s leg. The buck cursed and turned around but Peter had already run up a broken cart, grasped the eaves of a large house, and pulled himself up, before the buck even had time to act. Peter stood on the edge of the roof looking down at the angry buck and shocked does. He shook his head making a clicking sound with his mouth.

“Ye get down here ye little brat!” The buck yelled through clenched teeth.

Peter shrugged. “No thanks, I kinda like it up here, you get a better view,” he said smiling wide.

The buck tightened his grip on his sword. “Ye will not get away with this, Daggler will be here soon to throw ye and yer thieving friend behind bars. Ye’ll see.”

Peter laughed, he couldn’t help it as he said, “And what are you going to tell them? Huh, that you were bested by a twelve-year-old boy? Wow! I would love to stay and see that, but I’m afraid I have to be on my way, good evening ladies,” Peter said this last part with a dramatic bow, before sheathing his sword.

Peter ran along the roofline, before jumping off on the other side. He rolled on the ground, then stood and ran off down the street. He sprinted into the forest. He stopped once he reached a large tree and set to work removing the thick brush from its trunk to reveal a small hole. He smiled as he dropped inside, the door closed behind him. He looked around at the small home. There wasn’t much to see except two small hammocks that hung from the rooted ceiling, a makeshift table, two chairs, and a large trunk where Peter saw Rexly putting away all the stolen food, a wide smile on his face.

Peter walked over to him. “Hey, you did a great job back there, Rex,” he said sitting down in one of the makeshift chairs.

Rexly looked at him. “You too Pete, they really thought you had broken your leg or something. That was great!” Rexly said, chuckling softly as he closed the trunk,

Peter smiled. “Nah, it wasn’t that hard. But you did great, your father would be so proud of you.”

Rexly’s smiled faded and he looked away. Peter frowned. “Rex, I didn’t mean to, I just…”

Rexly shook his head and got up. “It doesn’t matter, we should get some sleep.”

Peter sighed as Rexly crawled into his hammock. He hadn’t meant to make Rexly sad but of course, he never meant to and he always did. He crawled into his own hammock. He fingered the straps around his left wrist. Rexly’s father had put the straps there to help support his wrist that had never healed properly. Peter thought of his own family and felt a warm tear run down his cheek. He wiped it away, it didn’t help to cry. He remembered what his Pa had told him many years ago.

“Never give up Peter, never! Keep fighting, keep bearing the flame. Never give up because it will not be so in the Mended Wood.”

Peter closed his eyes and fell asleep thinking of his family and the happy days of before. But every time no matter how happy the dream, one rabbit always made his way in, staring back at him with the bluest eyes and a nasty scar across his face.

“I’ll find you Peter, and when I do, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

“No!” Peter yelled sitting up. It was dark, Rexly slept soundly beside him. He shook his head, just a dream, he told himself. Just a dream.