A canon-divergence fic that began when Heather awoke on her first night at Cloud Mountain to see a stranger roaming the halls. Updates each Wednesday.
It was supper, but Heather was too nervous to eat much. She waited until Emma had left, saying that she had to go work with the doctors, and Picket hobbled morosely to their room. Then Heather stood, taking the first step in the foolish plan she’d been thinking about since that morning.
She navigated the Savory Den, avoiding the rabbits with unfriendly gazes, and found the table she’d been looking for. The flock of bucks Kyle often sat with had just left, so her timing was perfect.
“I want to talk.”
Kyle smiled easily. “What is it you want to say?”
"Does your offer still stand?”
“Offering my help in having some fun? Of course, I promise.”
She took a deep breath, psyching herself up. “I saw the cloaked rabbit come down the steps to Lighthall last night, and I want your help.”
Kyle raised his eyebrows. “Are you it wasn’t just a dream?”
Heather nodded. “I’m sure. I want to see where he goes. Please, meet me by the steps tonight.”
“You want to follow a rabbit who clearly doesn’t want to be followed into the crazy labyrinth that is the Deep Belows?”
Heather flushed, realizing that he was basically describing what she’d already done, and how stupid it sounded out loud. “Yes.”
He whistled. “You’re either the bravest rabbit I’ve met, or the stupidest.”
“You promised. Are you going to keep your word?”
“Who do you think I am? Of course!”
Heather grinned.
“I still think it’s stupid,” he added.
“I can live with that.” She smiled again, ducking away and immediately feeling foolish. It was late in the evening now. Heather had joined Picket in their room. Now she lay in her bed, feeling tense. She didn’t know if she’d made the right decision, but if she abandoned her plan and went to sleep, Kyle would be alone, wondering why she’d abandoned him. Picket was breathing evenly now, with that familiar low snore of his. She got up, moving carefully, and felt around until she put a hand on her cloak, draping it over her shoulders. In her pockets were several lumps: a nubby candle and a tinder pack found in the back of one of the dresser drawers. Heather eased toward the door, reaching out a hand for the knob. She bumped into the foot of her bed with a thunk and froze. Picket’s breathing never faltered. Carefully opening and closing the door, she breathed a sigh of relief, then adjusted her cloak and set off down the hallway. It was equally silent as the night before, but seemed darker. The stone was cold against the fur of her feet. Heather reached the end of the hall and peered around the corner, seeing no one. The sound of trickling water grew as she padded toward the steps to Lighthall. Still seeing no one, she paused in front of the steps, looking around. “What’re you doing out so late?” Heather jumped at the words, then turned, smoothing her ears in embarrassment as Kyle stepped out of a shadowed corridor. He smirked at her reaction, then motioned her into the corridor. “Okay,” he whispered. “According to you, the stranger came down these steps, so we should see him from here if he comes again.” She opened her mouth to reply, but he waved a hand to cut her off. “Quiet,” he whispered. Heather looked askance at him. Hadn’t he just called out for no reason than to startle her? She shook her head, trying to find a comfortable sitting position on the cool stone. Kyle leaned against the wall, managing to look completely at ease. Heather watched the stairs, uncomfortable. She hadn’t really planned this out. It was awkward, being so close to a relative stranger, and there was no guarantee that anything exciting would happen all night. When was she planning to sleep? This was a terrible idea. Nothing happened. Only the sound of water and the slow shift of light on the stairs marked the progression of time. Kyle groaned. “This is so boring.” “Quiet, remember?” Heather reminded him. “There’s no one down here anyway. It’s all empty guest rooms and storage.” She glared at him. “Why’d you tell me to be quiet, then?” He shrugged. “It was just a joke.” “You said you’d work with me, so please, stay focused.” “I am working with you, Heather, but I didn’t picture us doing some boring stakeout. Let’s go explore some tunnels or something.” She sighed. “I want to keep going a little longer.” “Okay. Here, what about a compromise?” He snapped his fingers. “When the moonlight is halfway down the stairs, we give up and go exploring.” Heather nodded slowly, looking at the stairs. The light only lit the top quarter of the steps, and she could remember now that it had only been on the top few steps when they’d arrived. “That works.” She sighed. They lapsed back into silence. Heather found it easier to wait now that she had a clear idea of when the time would end. She passed the time by thinking of her story idea: the rabbits who ascended to the moon. In the story, would the cloaked rabbit be the rabbit who lived on the moon, like her father’s stories? Who was he, really? If she believed Kyle’s story, it could be Lord Rake. She could also imagine the black rabbit doing something so strange, from what she’d seen of him, but he didn’t fit her image of who the cloaked rabbit was. It was silly, but he hadn’t seemed hostile to her. The light was almost halfway. Kyle sighed, flopping into a new position, and resumed staring at the stairs. Heather’s thoughts drifted to the other mysteries of Cloud Mountain: the hidden images of Lighthall, the strange animosity toward herself and Picket, and of course Cloud Mountain itself, with its winding, branching passages. Last night, the moonlight had made it feel dreamlike, magical, like something out of a story. Yesterday with Emma, it had been sunlit and welcoming, but tonight was darker. She shivered, clutching her cloak tighter. It was also chilly, sitting on the cold stone. “Okay,” Kyle said, standing and stretching. “Time for the fun part.” He brought out a candle and efficiently lit it with his tinder pack. Holding it up, he grinned at Heather, the light making strange shadows on his face. “Are you sure no one will see the light?” He laughed. “Relax, Heather. I told you, no one’s ever down here at night.” She lit her own candle, less efficiently. “Where do we go?” “I was thinking we could explore this passage first,” Kyle said, shrugging. “Not the one I remember the cloaked rabbit taking?” “Nah. I’d really rather not run into any other rabbits down here. I don’t need the trouble that would come with being caught down here with you.” She folded her arms. “Well, we’ve been here for hours, so the cloaked rabbit’s not here anyway, and unless Jupiter’s heir really is down that way, there’s probably not anyone else anyway.” “Heather!” Kyle looked hurt. “I can’t believe you don’t trust me. The true heir really is somewhere down here. If you insist, I suppose we can go that way, but the expert really should go first.” He bowed theatrically, motioning for her to take the lead. She raised her eyebrows at him, then walked toward the tunnel she remembered, feeling exposed until she made it into the entrance. Raising her candle, she admired the way the small light flickered on the smooth stone walls. Heather smiled to herself. Tonight, she was the one with the light in her hand. Taking a deep breath, Heather entered the labyrinth of Cloud Mountain for the second time.
A/N Sorry for the late update! I'm currently really busy, but next week I can probably do two chapters. I'm really excited to move forward. And yes, chapter titles now, because they're fun. This is the chapter that really kicks off the story I want to tell, and I was really excited to post it!
Feedback is always appreciated :)