₊˚𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮 ⋆

Friendly but polite, his voice somehow suits him.

“I–uh…” your words fade as you notice a pair of red eyes just a meter behind him.

You had already figured out the presence of another bunny just by the scent marks all over the land, but it doesn’t make those eyes any less unsettling.

“I’m looking for shelter. I’m… not from this area and I’m nearing ovulation,” your voice turns uncertain the more you explain, not proud to air your miscalculations with something that could mean life or death for a creature like you.

You simply thought you had one more week until you would be at your most vulnerable. But the change of season had you moving uphill to a cooler environment, the spring heat unbearable already for your organism.

The leopard looks around briefly, his purple eyes scanning the area with the expertise of a skilled predator. “Do you have an owner? You shouldn’t be knocking on stranger's doors, especially if you’re about to ovulate.”

Your ears flatten against your head, “I don’t have one.”

“Caleb?”

The bunny behind him murmurs his name, drawing his—and your—attention back to her. Her fur seems impeccable, most likely due to having him to groom her.

She shakes her head once, those red eyes silently saying something to him that cause his stance to change.

“Sorry, but I can’t take you in. I already have a bunny to take care of,” he begins to close the door, your heart speeding up upon realizing you’re on your own. “Good luck.”

It’s the last thing he says before clicking the door shut.

—

Caleb felt bad for closing the door on your face.

He couldn’t help but picture his bunny being the one in need instead, alone and defenseless. But the guilt only lasted for a minute.

She, too, had been preparing herself for the past week to enter ovulation, making him wonder how you made it past the front yard when his entire land reeks of her scent.

He kept thinking about you even as she pawed at him with her legs hinged and leaning forward, ready for him to ease in. But he chose not to voice out the questions that plagued him, wanting his bunny to have the relief she needed.

Later, he thought.

And only once she had finally passed out—two hours later and satisfied in the comfort of his nest—Caleb noticed the unknown scent coming from outside.

—

His steps are light and quiet as he walks past the lush garden, an amenity he built for his bunny, and heads to the back of his property—right where the woods border his land.

The more he walks, the stronger the scent becomes, zesty but with hints of metal, which increase the chances of encountering another predator wandering nearby.

Eventually, he spots movement out of the corner of his eye.

There you are, wriggling on a moss bed, roughly a hundred meters away from his home and out on the open woods, rubbing yourself raw.

But it’s not like you planned to stop there, you just couldn’t make it past his land. The itch became unbearable, a stinging burn between your legs that only seemed to subdue against the damp grass, providing relief to your tender folds.

“Hey!” He makes it to your side, his paw gently holding your hips as an attempt to get you to stop. “You’ve been here all this time?” he scoffs when you nod. “Are you insane!? These woods are infested with predators. The river is only a five minute walk from here, and jaguars are not as nice as I am.”

However, your brain freezes once the word ‘jaguars’ makes it past his lips.

He’s mumbling to himself when he hears you faintly repeat the word, pausing to observe the damage on your skin with a frown.

“Yes, jaguars. And panthers, leopards, bears, want me to keep going?” he can’t believe how little you seem to care. “You’d be the easiest midday snack for—”

“Please, help me.”

The tone in which your plea leaves your lips has his tail stiffening. He’s starting to entertain thoughts he shouldn’t, not because he doesn’t want to but because it would be taking advantage of your situation.

“Uh… I might have a soothing balm, but it’s all the way over there,” he cocks his head towards his house, a tiny colorful dot across the open field.

But you’re shaking your head no even before he’s done explaining, bringing his paw to your core and letting out a faint hiss when it makes contact with your heated flesh.

“Help me here, Caleb. With this.”

You’re making it hard for him to resist temptation, allowing the graze of his touch on your skin to send a pulse of primal instinct through his body, already pondering the possibility.

And then it’s gone.

“No, that’s—no.”

Your face falls, his rejection not sitting well with your vulnerable state. Your body moves so it can get away from his, the ache in your chest greater than the burn between your legs.

“Bunny, come here,” Caleb quickly regrets his words. “You’re hurt, and I don’t want to make it worse,” he feels the need to explain himself, hating to see you so… dejected.

He understands the mix of emotions you’re going through, the need for comfort which he turned down without a second thought. He should have known better, he’s not new to thin-skinned bunnies after all.

So when you drag yourself back closer to him, your soft nose nuzzling his fur, he doesn’t push you away this time.

“You’re nice,” you whisper, the comfort and protection of a bigger being a privilege you’ve deeply missed. “Is that why you protect that bunny?”

Your comment makes him stiffen up at the reminder of his bunny asleep back home, but it also brings a sense of ownership, a wicked possession that comes from having the trust of a fragile creature.

His tongue flicks against the fur between your ears out of reflex, soothing.

“You bunnies are too vulnerable,” he murmurs. “How come something so cute could be ripped to shreds within seconds?”

His licks are long and gentle, your once tense muscles relaxing until you’re a ball of fur underneath him. There seems to be a sort of softness in his eyes, affection perhaps for your species, you don’t question it.

“I would love to have someone like you,” the thought makes you smile, your mind making up scenarios of this dangerous-looking leopard dotting on you.

Amused by your change of attitude, Caleb hinges his legs so he can sit comfortably without crushing you, “yeah? how have you made it this far all alone?” His licks drag lower, cleaning up your fur as he moves closer to the tender flesh of your core. “You have a very strong smell. Has any other predator approached you?”

Each lick elicits a flicker of pain that’s quickly followed by relief, the lazy strokes of his tongue taking its time to soothe the swollen flesh.

And it’s even more soothing when he’s holding you down as he eases his tongue inside of you.

“I got you, honey,” he coos when you start to whimper, your legs kicking out of reflex before staying still and allowing him to keep you pinned underneath his weight. “Silly bunny, didn’t you say you wanted my help?”

He’s breathing hot and heavy against your folds, the long licks an unhurried drag similar to a self-grooming session on a slow day. The woods remain as lively as they have always been, birds and insects continuing with their lives around the leopard and the bunny lying on the moss-beds.

All is well, until it isn't.

The slam of a door against wood is heard from the distance, Caleb’s ears flicking with interest. It happens way too quickly for you, barely making out the familiar frame of a bunny and her frantic movements ushering a squirrel away from the front yard. Within seconds, Caleb has rushed over and disappeared behind the bushes right after making you witness the horrifying sight of his jaw closing on the small animal’s middle.

You get closer while your gaze stays locked on the commotion happening in the bushes, Caleb’s growls and the squirrel’s shrieks of pain setting an eerie atmosphere compared to the calm, late spring afternoon.

The breeze is still as warm as it was five minutes ago, the sun shines by the horizon with the sky painted in a mix of oranges and pinks while red bleeds from the squirrel’s torn corpse.

And throughout it all, the bunny—his bunny—stands unfazed.

Her unsettling red eyes set on you with an unreadable look, only now noticing the state of her body: dark red, almost brown, splotches on her white fur. They seem to resemble slashes, superficial wounds on her neck and thighs that weren’t there two hours ago.

Upon noticing your curious gaze on her injuries, a sudden fury boils over her.

“The fuck are you staring at!?”

Caleb surges up from the foliage, having heard his bunny lashing out at you. And in your panic, you can’t even ask what’s her problem because his face, darkened with fresh blood, paints a sight that you’re sure it’ll haunt you until you die.

“Well, what are you two doing out here?” he grins at the sight of his two bunnies, one adorably frightened while the other seems to be on the verge of an anger outburst. “Get inside.”

The stench of iron permeates the air and, against your will and seeking to keep a good amount of distance from him, your tentative steps take you further into his home, backing away from the predator looming closer to you in hopes that he won’t rip you to shreds as well.

Caleb runs his gaze over his bunny, his grin still present once he reaches her side, “since you’re awake… let’s get you cleaned up, too.” His tongue licks at her marks gently. “Come, little one. I can tend to your sore pussy better here.”

The door closes behind him, one arm reached back enough to click it shut and lock it. The image of the squirrel flashes in your mind when the wooden floor whines under his weight, each step forward of his being met with a step back from you.

He leers at your smaller form with a smile, amused at how your fear can be tasted in the air.

“Run and Caleb will catch you, bunny,” he warns, the gleam of mirth in his gaze mocking your dread. His nose nuzzles your neck, breathing you in with a content purr. “She tried to today, you know?” he lets his fangs graze over your skin, giving it a gentle nip that brings a sense of impending doom to your nerves. “When she knows it only gets me going.”

The depth of his growl rumbles through your body, confirming that running is not a possibility, not anymore. It was one when he closed the door on your face and told you to get lost, it was one when you walked to the back of his land and headed to the woods.

But when you chose to stop by the moss-beds to soothe yourself, still in his property, that’s when you sentenced yourself to death row.

Oh, how you wish you had kept walking and never looked back.