Traversing the terrain was a task that always felt monumental to Hutch. Mounds of dirt felt like hills, hills felt like mountains and mountains... well, he had yet to even see one of those large pillars of rock closer than thousands of miles away in the distance, but there was no doubt it would have been akin to climbing to the Heavens themselves for the sweet rabbit. 

After all, his legs were very, very small. 

This day of his journey had not been quite as difficult as climbing a mountain, yet by the time the sun started to fall, his body ached so very much. From the moment dawn began he'd been hopping deeper and deeper into the forest, eating berries and leaves from shrubbery in passing. Hutch had tripped over tree roots, hidden under rocks from serpents so large they could've swallowed six of him in one gulp, then spent far too long dozing off in an abandoned bird's nest for a well-deserved rest. 

Kicking his hind legs, scratching with his front paws, he dug deeper and deeper into the earth until a small hole tunnelled under a tree. As darkness descended upon the forest and its beauty faded, giving way to nocturnal predators, he rushed headfirst into his home for the night, bum getting stuck a little in the narrow passageway, until he burst forth into the dark, damp and root clustered burrow. 

This day had been like every other he had lived since that fever dream which ignited his desire for a companion; he awoke, he travelled, he ate, and he travelled some more until night took place of day. Then he slumbered lightly, needing to listen for potential predators sticking their snouts or claws into his burrow. 

He wouldn't let himself be an easy snack. 

Yet, just like every other day, with the aching of his body and exhaustion that lurked just under his ever-positive outlook worsening, he had made very little progress towards his goal. No matter what animal, creature or plant he came across on this journey, none of them were what he dreamed of. 

In fact, none of them acted as though they understood his attempts at communication. Hutch brought them twigs, pretty rocks, fresh berries or healing plants. Yet, they never accepted them. They never offered him anything in return. They simply... ignored him, ran away or tried to hurt him. 

Still, there's always tomorrow! Maybe I'll meet something I've never seen before. 

With this thought in mind, he munched on a piece of bark to settle his stomach, then crouched low, snuggling into his own fur. He was very tired, and so closed his stinging eyes. 

I'll bring them the prettiest flowers. And the yummiest foods. And if the day is cold, I'll lay on their feet to keep them warm. My fur is the toastiest thing ever, after all! And then... then... we will travel together. Build a home... snuggle together when winter comes... find babies to raise together... that sounds...

He was asleep. That night, Hutch had a most incredible and beautiful dream where his every desire came true. What a wonderful dream, indeed. 

***

DON'T EAT MEEEE! 

Hoping to manifest his desire to live by screaming it in his mind, Hutch continued to zip between trees. His agile little body leapt over felled tree trunks, ducked under thorny plant stems and narrowly avoided slipping into ponds as he attempted to escape his pursuer. 

Today's predator was a hybrid between reptile and wild cat, its fur replaced with tough scales and rounded tail instead long with a thin tip. A tip that was incredibly dangerous, as the new cut on Hutch's hind leg could prove. 

He wasn't bleeding too badly, but each time he put pressure on the limb the pain nearly tempted him into pausing. Then the hybrid would pounce, large paws landing mere inches behind, reminding him that a single moment of hesitation could be his last. 

For a good portion of the day, Hutch was hunted. It was only when he found an old, abandoned burrow he barely squeezed into that he found a moment of respite. The hybrid continued to try and make a meal of the rabbit, snout and claws scratching away at the burrow entrance. But it was incredibly small and tightly compacted, and eventually, it stopped. 

An eye with a vertical pupil peered at him, irritated growls pulling from the cat until it huffed a breath. Thump, thump, thump followed as it slowly wandered further away, fed up with spending so much energy with no reward. But from experience, Hutch knew that these types of animals sometimes hid up trees, waiting for the poor unsuspecting animals to think it safe to leave its hiding place. 

Then... they were food. He'd witnessed it countless times. 

But not me. I'm too smart to be food.

Unfortunately, he was forced to stay there until well into the late afternoon. By the time he felt it was safe to emerge, he only had an hour or two to travel as far as possible before he'd have to seek another shelter for the evening. But he was in a lot of pain now that the adrenaline had worn off, his teeth chattering furiously as he forced himself to keep going a while longer. 

It's okay. Just a little more. It's okay. Ooh, a leaf!

Feeling he deserved a treat for being a brave bunny, he buried his face in a collection of wild carrot leaves, munching happily and trying to distract himself from the pain. And after slowly digging a burrow- shallower than normal- he spent a good portion of the night licking his wound free of dirt and debris. 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. 

***

Those words rang in Hutch's head a couple of weeks later as he came across an animal he'd never seen before. It was very small, with a very cute nose he thought was really quite pretty. As he got closer, his nose picked up the animal's scent and realised it was a female. 

Poking his head out from where he'd been hiding in some debris from the previous night's storm, he wondered if this animal was friendly. Just because it was small did not mean it was nice, as he learned after attempting to groom a frog he had tried to befriend once before only to fall very sick for a month afterward. 

Deciding that there was no time for hesitation as for all he knew, the female could fly away at any point, he hopped out into the open. The animal startled before disappearing. Hutch blinked, confused. Her spiky looking back was still there but... where did her pretty face go? 

Worried that perhaps what he thought was her back had actually been a parasite or creature that just ate her, he went to her side. The spikes were very sharp looking and after using his nose to nudge it tentatively, he was shocked when it didn't move. 

Is it... sleeping? No, I just saw it move. Maybe it's her friend and trying to protect her? 

In that case, he just needed to let them both know he meant no harm, right? So, he thought for a moment on what they may like to eat, before going to fetch some of his favourite yummy leaves and berries. But she and her friend didn't seem to like them, continuing to ignore his attempts at friendship. 

Hello? Excuse me? I'm Hutch. My Papa called me that when I first opened my eyes. Then he made me leave. But that's okay! Are you okay? Where did your face go? Are the spikes eating you?

Hm. There wasn't any way for him to know if his voice had been heard. Nothing other than his family seemed to have heard him before, so he presumed she hadn't either. Not wanting to risk losing a potential friend or possible companion, he decided to just wait a bit longer. There was time.

And he sure was glad he did! A while later the animal poked her nose out, sniffing curiously at his paw that was by her head. Slowly, the spikes flattened out a little as she uncurled, making him realise that they really were part of her back!

So cool! Why can't I have spikes? Maybe if we become friends, she'll let me hide in there with her when danger comes. Or maybe I'm too big. 

Realising that Hutch was no predator, the animal appeared a lot more at ease. She got up on her little legs, walked to his small offering of berries and vegetation, nosing at it curiously. His teeth softly grinded together in excitement, wondering if this was the moment he would finally be accepted. 

Only, rather than eating the leaves themselves, she ate the little insects that landed on them. One by one until they were gone, before beginning to walk away. 

She doesn't eat stuff like me. Um. But I can't hunt for animals for her. That's okay! I can bring food, she can clean the bugs off for me and that way, we eat together! Yeah!

He turned to see if the pretty animal might still be hungry, more than happy to go find more insects on leaves or twigs for her, but she was gone. He hopped around, lifting shrubbery with his nose and poking it into long tufts of grass, but he never did find her. 

Oh. Um. Okay. That's okay. Maybe she has a family. Hmhm, then it's good she went home! At least now I know what the spiky things eat, if I find another one. But... she sure was pretty. I'd have liked her to be with me. 

Rain started pattering against his head and ears, no doubt alluding to another stormy night. Not wanting to risk getting sick or have his scent heightened by the water, he returned to his nearby burrow just in time to escape the crashing thunder and bright lightening.  Wind howled loudly, shaking the tree above his burrow and causing ominous creaks to echo in the small space. 

Hutch wasn't sad that the spiky animal had gone home. But he was afraid of the loud sounds and wondered if it would have been less scary, had she stayed by his side just a little longer. 

He didn't get much sleep again that night, making his next day of travel even harder than the last.