Chandeliers hung from the roof, giving the place a soft, warm light, while the ivy vines covered the walls, its luscious green reminded me of the forest we had trudged through. The ground was decorated with carts, cushions, sandboxes, wheels, and many more. The entire place resembled the malls in our territory, but a lot more welcoming and pleasant.

My mouth hung wide, but I managed to add, "This is... This is gorgeous, Auri."

"Thank you." Auri's ears were erect with pride. "I made this for the council, back when I was pitching to them about the project. It's kind of a snapshot of what I want to create: an underground city for wererabbits. And other wereanimals, of course."

She pointed to the sandboxes. "You can burrow," —she gestured to the wheels— "exercise," —cushions sprawled over a small section— "relax," —a row of carts populated the center— "shop," —she motioned towards the chairs and tables at the corner— "and chat. You can basically do whatever you do up on the surface, but underground, away from the forces of nature, away from a place we're told we're bound to be in. No rain, no snow, no scorching sun, and a lot more space. It's going to be a place of freedom."

I took my time enjoying the view before turning to Auri. The rabbit was staring at the place with a wistful look, her ears drooping lower by the second.

"Did you do this all by yourself?" I asked.

"I did all the burrowing myself, but I got the cafe owners that you've met to build the carts and chairs and cushions and stuff. I got a few gym-rats to build the wheel and sandpits for me. And I did the rest of the decorations."

"That's so impressive. You... had a goal, and then you just went for it, and- and created this. It's so..." I did not know what else to say other than, "Impressive."

"Thank you." Even in her rabbit form, I could tell that she was beaming from ear to ear. "I've always wanted to create a place where I can be the most comfortable, and I thought, why not do it for the whole burrow, you know? They've been nothing but family to me."

She patted the ground a few times with her paws before continuing, "To be honest, I'm actually not from here. I was from another werekingdom, somewhere further in the south. I moved to this burrow about six years ago, right when I turned eighteen. So I'm very grateful to the people here; they gave me a home when I most needed it."

"Oh." I knelt down and rested my head on my front paws. "Why... did you leave your previous werekingdom?"

"Just tired of it, I guess." Auri shrugged. "My parents have seventy children. I'm the second youngest. Because of that, I've been ignored my entire life. Nothing I say or do has an impact on anything. It's frustrating. Like, it really sucks when even your parents don't remember your name, you know?

"And so I decided to leave that life behind. I mean, I wasn't in a good headspace when I left, so it wasn't the best decision I've ever made, but I'm still glad I did. Here, whatever I do, matters. Everyone seems to like me around, and they appreciate my help. Like, I worked hard on making this and creating the pitch, and they rewarded me with a position in the government. My own burrowing team! It's like, after so many years, I finally have a voice, and people are finally listening to me. Best of all, I can make things happen for people. For myself."

She turned her head towards me. "You know what I mean?"

The happiness in Auri's eyes made my heart flutter. I felt my tail shake behind me. If anyone from the pack saw my tail shaking like that for a wererabbit, my father would have commanded for it to be cut off. But we were underground and alone, and so it could shake as much as it wanted.

"I'm glad they're appreciating you for who you are here, Auri," I said. "I can't say I completely understand your situation, but I know what it's like being ignored at home. My father's favorite child was my older brother, and it did sometimes feel like he's forgotten about me."

"I'm sorry, Bodie."

"Oh, it's okay, I'm used to it. I think I actually prefer to be ignored," I added, shuddering at the fact that my father was now hoping for me to take over his position.

Auri laughed. "You have such an easy-going vibe; I like that a lot."

"Oh, well, you... you are easy to talk to too..."

Another giggle escaped her lips. Her laughter was so light and airy, it was like her angelic voice had sprouted wings and flown to my heart.

"And I know you're sent here to tell me to stop this project," she said, turning back to admire her masterpiece. "I won't shoot the messenger, Bodie, so I'm not gonna be mad at you or anything. In fact, I don't think I could get mad at you for anything. But I hope you can understand where I'm coming from, at least, and help me fight for this."

I turned my gaze back towards the cave. I could talk to my father about this. It would be a daunting task, but as his potential heir, I was the only one who could do it. And as usual, it was difficult saying no to Auri.

"I'll try my best," I relented. "Your ideas are cool, and this place is really nice."

She beamed. "Thank you."

"Everything about your territory is quite nice, actually. It's so... different from ours."

Auri let out a chuckle. "Yeah, everything is super small and short compared to you."

"I don't mean that. I mean, you're right, but I was referring to... the atmosphere. The people. Everyone seems so relaxed. You interact with one another so freely, as if there's no hierarchy."

"Hierarchy?" Auri tilted her head; her ears folded to the side as well. "What do you mean by hierarchy?"

"Like a rank. Alpha, betas, gammas, omegas... Wait, you guys don't have that?"

"I don't know what those terms mean." Auri frowned. "If you mean leaders, we do have them. The leaders of each government division form the council, and the council decides on important decisions together."

"You don't have an Alpha, the one person who commands everybody?"

"One person? Why would you just let one person be in charge? That must be so stressful. There are so many things to think about when it comes to governing the territory, how can it all fall to one person?"

"Well, the Alpha does delegate jobs to the betas..." I mumbled, but Auri had a point. I had never thought about how it might not be ideal to have the responsibility all fall onto one person. All on me, potentially...

I gulped. "But you're right. Actually, there's a chance I'm gonna be our pack's next Alpha, and I'm already dreading the stress."

"You are?" Auri perked up. "Wait, that's super awesome!"

"It's not that awesome. I'm not cut out for the job at all. My pack is gonna suffer."

"What? I think you're great, Bodie! You listen!" Auri hopped closer to me. Her nose was now a hair away from mine. "And I trust you! I trusted you so much that I spilled so much of my dating history to you. I've never opened up so fast to anybody like this before."

I blinked. "Really?"

Auri nodded vigorously. "You just give off such a trustworthy vibe, you know?"

I did not know what that meant, but I was moved. "Thank you. That's reassuring to know."

Auri gave me one last grin before laying her soft, furry head on my cheeks.

My tail's wagging speed increased ten folds, and my heart was beating out of my chest, but I kept my head firm and unmoving as Auri curled into a small, golden ball.

Just yesterday, I had never seen a wererabbit. And today, one was snuggling up on me.

I wished I could stay here all day.

After all, I wasn't sure how I could go back. My clothes were ripped to shreds.