8| Horned Rabbit

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It's dark. My body feels light as if I am floating in air. My limbs are numb. I didn't bother to move them.

Am I dead?

Feels like I'm dead.

Being dead feels really comfortable though...

......

......

Amidst the darkness, a strange sensation appears at my side.

I disregard it. It's too troublesome to check. Being dead feels nice and I didn't want to ruin it.

......

The sensation returns, my senses begin to react. It feels like something is nudging me. The lightweight feeling turns heavy. A dull ache spreads throughout my body, as if piles of sand had been dumped on top of me, crushing me under its pressure.

I'm... not dead? Well, it was a nice feeling while it lasted. I don't remember how long it's been since I last rested. Feels like its been forever.

The nudging at my side continues. There's definitely something pushing me.

"grmph..."

Slowly, I open my eyes. I'm still on the forest floor, laying front flat in the same spot from when I passed out. The dead body of the carnivorous plant still lay at my right, its leaves are black and brown with decay. In front of me is a blurry stack of bright colored objects.

I blink. My vision sharpens. The objects take on a more recognizable shape.

Are those...fruits? Why is there a stack of fruits in front of me?

I feel the nudging sensation at my side again. I turn to look behind me. The weight on my body is insane, simply moving my neck feels like a chore.

Peeking over my left shoulder, I see a small mass of fur. It's the horned rabbit, the same one from before. It's gently prodding my ribs with its paws. Was this rabbit the one who brought the fruits?

The horned rabbit catches my gaze. For a second I thought it looked relieved, though it might have been my imagination.

"Pefu"

The rabbit stops pushing my sides and walks to the fruit pile. It uses its nose to nudge a fruit towards me. So the horned rabbit was responsible for the fruits. But why?

Well, either way, I'm thankful.

When I woke up, my stomach only felt empty. There was no concern for food and the pain had disappeared. But seeing the fruits caused my hunger to crash in full force.

I gather my strength and attempt to prop myself up. I fight against the weight of my body before ultimately collapsing. I really have no energy left to use. The simple act of trying has left me panting from exhaustion.

The rabbit, seeing my struggle, lowers its head towards the fruit pile. Using its paws, the rabbit picks a fruit from the top of the pile and rolls it nicely between the gaps of its horns. With the fruit resting on top of its head, the rabbit turns towards me with its neck tilted slightly down.

"Pefu"

Oh, I see what the rabbit is doing. I couldn't lift my head off the ground, so I open my mouth as wide as I can. The horned rabbit tilts its head forward and the fruit slides from its horns. When I feel the cold feeling of the fruit touch my tongue, I chomp down.

Oh my god.

Immediately after I bit, my mouth exploded with flavor. The fruit is incredibly succulent, its juices overflowing from my lips. It's delicately sweet, strong enough that its taste shines like a spotlight, yet weak enough that it doesn't overwhelm me. I could almost melt in it. The texture is hard yet also soft, each bite sliced cleanly and effortlessly, similar to an apple. For the first time, ever since I woke up in this forest, I felt as if I was in heaven. Were these tears coming from my eyes?

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