Saber and Dash

“Well, aren’t you a beauty!” Saber exclaimed, eyeing his prize. Reaching down, he plucked an enormous glowing mushroom from the dirt.

He stopped a moment to admire the pretty ombré effect of purple to blue, before tucking it away with the others in his basket. Twilight Mushrooms were a delicacy and hard to find, often leading Saber into the deepest parts of the jungle.

Today’s journey had taken him particularly far, into an area he had never been before. Seemed like the mushroom gods were not smiling on him today! Of course, he didn’t really mind. These little hunting expeditions were always the highlight of his week. Saber enjoyed his own company quite a lot, usually preferring it if he was honest, and often caught himself conversing with himself about nonsensical things. “Good job, Saber, you still got it” he chuckled, patting the basket at his hip.

As he hopped down from a rock, a small startled squeak emanated from the nearby foliage. Saber froze, ears flicking forward with alarm. Nothing jumped out or seemed amiss, so he cautiously crept toward the sound. He brushed aside some fluffy hanging willow branches, and found the source of the tiny squeaks. There, bundled in a cozy yellow blanket, was… a bunny? “But wait, no, bunnies don’t have antlers” Saber thought, and with a gasp realized “oh wow, are you a baby… Jackalope?!”

Jackalopes were rare to the point most dragons believed them to be a myth these days, but here was one right before him! His eyes grew wide as he stared in awe. The little Jackalope mirrored the expression, eyes like saucers, taking in the massive dragon looming above him. With a heart-wrenching little whimper, the Jackalope burst into tears, and tried to burrow deeper into the snug blanket. Saber blinked, surprised, and realized what a fright he must be to the poor thing. “Saber, you dolt, he probably thinks you’re going to eat him!” He chastised internally.

Taking a step back he sat down in an attempt to look smaller, letting his ears droop non-threateningly for good measure. “Hey, little one” he cooed softly “I won’t hurt you. Look, see? I eat mushrooms, not bunnies!” He presented the glowing basket of mushrooms. Tiny eyes peered cautiously over the blanket rim, taking in the scene. Saber rummaged in the basket, pulling out one of the tinier specimens he’d collected. He slowly held it out to the little Jackalope. “Here, would you like one? They taste like cotton candy AND they light your way at night so you don’t get lost!”

The tiny face in front of him stared at the pretty mushroom, eyes flicking to the massive dragon and back a few times. Tiny paws reached out, timidly accepting the offering. He clutched it tightly, still staring at Saber uncertainly, but the tears had thankfully subsided. “There you go kiddo, try a little nibble!” 

He snagged a mushroom himself and proceeded to stuff his face. “See? They’re delicious and definitely not poisonous!… probably” he winked mischievously. That earned him a tiny, ADORABLE giggle from his new little friend. His heart melted at the sound. The little guy finally took a small bite, pondering a moment, before devouring the rest in a few quick bites.

“WOW, guess you were hungry huh? Just… how long have you been out here anyway? And where is your family?” The Jackalope looked up at him, tears beginning to well up again. Saber knew that didn’t mean anything good, and his heart broke. “Can I pick you up, little one? Is that ok?” Between sniffles, the bunny nodded. Saber scooped him up into a gentle hug.

Suddenly, in a blur, the bunny was sitting on his head looking at him upside down, eyes full of curiosity. Saber glanced down at the yellow blanket still clutched in his paw. “Oh. My. You are FAST, aren’t you?” He laughed, surprised. The little guy was practically buzzing with excitement atop his head. He hopped down and raced around him in a blur before popping up again on his shoulder. “Well look at you! You’re covered in lightning bolt patterns, how cool!! Is that why you are so fast?"

"Hm… I can’t just keep calling you Jackalope or bunny…I think maybe Dash would suit you? What do you think?” The little Jackalope positively beamed at him before continuing his zoomies. “Haha, what have you gotten yourself into this time, Saber?” He mused to himself “You just came for mushrooms but ended up adopting a son!” 

Dash zipped down the path and stopped by a mushroom nearly as big as himself, making tiny indignant squeaks as he attempted to uproot it. Saber smiled. Maybe some company wasn’t such a bad thing after all.