Rabbits

You are right here in your story. Don't skip ahead.
Massie Burnson, The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner, p. 32
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR PRINCE LANDER & THE DRAGON WAR ARE AHEAD; CAUTION IS ADVISED.

Rabbits are a race of intelligent, sentient, and anthropomorphic creatures that make up most of the population of good folk in the whole of Natalia.

An adult male rabbit is called a buck.
An adult female rabbit is called a doe.
A juvenile of either gender is called a youngling.

History[]

Ancient history[]

Flint and Fay departed Immovable Mountain by crossing a large divide using seven large stones. A hook of wind aided them at the sixth stone, while on the seventh stone they paused to consider turning back or continuing forward. They chose to make the final jump, concluding an event that becomes known as the Leaping.
Flint and Fay's company, known afterwards as the Leapers, took up residence in the area known as the Blue Moss Hills. Here they discover the plant later known as Firstflower, which greatly benefits both the minds and bodies of rabbitkind.
The Leapers established their first civilization in the Blue Moss Hills, with Flint being chosen as king. This peaceful period ended with the appearance of Firstfoe, a menace that threatened to bring an end to rabbitkind.
Flint comes into possession of his Stone Sword through uncertain means, while Fay comes into possession of the Stone Book of Fay. Flint used the sword to fight Firstfoe, while the book contains various information including references to "the Citadel of Dreams."
After Firstfoe's defeat Flint—-perhaps affected by the negative influence of the starsword—-fell. A number of rabbits, if not the entire population, then departed from the Blue Moss Hills. At least one group eventually made its way to the lands that would eventually be called Natalia.
The main group of rabbits, known in later times as the Trekkers and including the royal line of Flint and Fay, made their way through the Mistenlands. A number of them became separate from the royal party and were presumed dead, but banded together and formed their own group.
The royal heirs and those who managed to stay with eventually arrived at Golden Coast.

Golden Coast[]

After arriving on Golden Coast, the rabbits prospered, with various landed families in particular benefiting from the discovery of gold in the region. Coal was also mined in the area, though it was regarded as menial labor following Hanfar's Second Rush.
The descendants of those lost in the Mistenlands, known afterwards as Dead Trekkers or Drekkers, at last reached the coast as well. The diverged rabbit cultures failed to fully reconcile, and the Drekkers were often relegated to undesirable work.
Fleck Blackstar was born to master miner Jon Blackstar and his wife; she died some time later.
The Invasion of Golden Coast, an attack by an unknown hostile force (possibly made up of wolves) brought terror and violence to Golden Coast.
In uncertain order...
- The only son of King Gerrard, last ruler of Golden Coast, died; Gerrard subsequently named Whitson as his successor. He entrusted Whitson with a number of treasures, including the Stone Sword and Book, the Crown of Flames, the Ruling Stone, and the Green Ember. This also thwarted the ambitions of Lord Grimble, who had hoped to be made king.
- Whitson proposed fleeing the coast on a fleet of ships, and faced opposition from Rangel and support from Seddle.
Whitson led many of the rabbits away from Golden Coast in ships, while King Gerrard and a group of old bucks - including Whitson's father Lord Whit and Fleck's father Jon - remained on Golden Coast, giving their lives in order to cover the escape of their loved ones.
Following a long sea voyage - during which a number of rabbits, including Seddle, perished - Whitson's party arrived in the land of Natalia.

Rabbits in Natalia[]

See: Natalia.

Physical characteristics[]

Rabbits are slender creatures that stand and walk upright; the only instance in which they may transition to moving on four legs is when running.^[1] They are covered in fur that may vary in color, including white, black, brown, gray, gold, and red. All rabbits possess long ears, rounded muzzles, large, bright eyes, and powerful hind legs. They also wear clothes, usually simple but durable outfits - dresses for does and tunics; vests and trousers for bucks. Many, especially royalty, also wear jewelry, capes, and other additional garments.

Sociocultural characteristics[]

Rabbit society is based upon family, with the ancient rabbits Flint and Fay being looked upon as the father and mother of rabbitkind. Rabbits are also divided into family units, with a married male and female constituting a husband and wife. The emphasis on family extends to relationships with other rabbits as well, with family designations often being applied to respected/beloved associates, as follows:

Older bucks respected as leaders, if they have no title or rank, are sometimes referred to as "father," as when the Commandant addressed Whittle Longtreader as "Father Tunneler". Older bucks may also be addressed as "uncle", as seen with Caldwell.
Older does may be addressed as "aunt" or "aunty," as in the case of Jone Wissel, or by the more respectful term of "mother," as with Saramack and Maggie Weaver.
Rabbits may refer to friends or comrades of similar age as "brother" or "sister" depending on their gender.
Older bucks have been known to address younger bucks as "son," as in the case of Helmer and Picket Longtreader. A somewhat more derisive term occasionally used for younger bucks is "bucky."

Rabbits at times may use more formal terms of address, referring to an adult buck as "Master" and an adult doe as "Mistress". This is often combined with the rabbit's surname or their trade; the two are sometimes identical, as with Hame Smith. Rabbit surnames often reflect their chosen trade, or may be a shared family name passed down from generation to generation. In the case of married couples, the wife often - if not always - takes their husband's surname.

Another common naming device among rabbits is a son having the same name as his father, but with "son" attached to the end, either as their given name or surname. Examples of this include Whitson Mariner, named after his father Lord Whit, and Massie Burnson, who's surname is derived from the name of his father. When a settlement is named after a rabbit, it has been seen that one of two suffixes is applied to the end. For bucks, it is "-ston" (like Jonston, a proposed name for Kingston) while for does, it is "-ton" (as in Seddleton).

Rabbit culture includes an emphasis on writing and storytelling. In addition to their history, they have a mythology that includes such concepts as magic, wizards, and gods. The latter was referenced by Grimble Halfdragon, Picket Longtreader, and Kylen.

Notable members[]

References[]

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Gallery[]

Take a look at our gallery for Rabbits.

This article has received The Green Ember of excellence.

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