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None of the trees looked familiar. Jason kept walking, desperately looking for some landmark, some familiar feature of the forest that would tell him which way home was. He had been playing hide and seek with Fitzie in the forest behind his house, and he had wandered farther than he normally would alone. Now he was lost. He kept walking, yowling occasionally in case someone was nearby.

"Fitzie? Mom? Dad!"

No one answered. Jason continued to wander. He wished he had paid attention to which way he was walking. Suddenly, he saw something white flash behind a patch of ferns.

"Mom?"

He hurried toward them, pushing through and fell into a hole hidden in the middle of the patch. He yowled in surprise as he slid down the steep dirt slope into an earthen tunnel. He turned and peered back up the way he'd come. He could climb out easily enough. He was starting back up the slope when a soft voice surprised him from behind.

"Are you lost, Little One?"

Jason whipped back around to see a white rabbit with pink eyes standing just in the light from the entrance, her stark white fur standing out brightly against the dark tunnel. Jason regarded her curiously. He had seen rabbits before, but only dead ones, after his parents had caught them and brought them home to eat. Seeing this one alive and so close peaked his interest. He turned back and stepped toward her.

"I am lost. I was playing in the woods, and I went too far. Do you know the way back?"

"I may know the way. Why don't you come with me, and we'll figure out how to get you where you belong," she replied soothingly.

Jason ambled up to the rabbit who put a gentle hand on his back, guiding him down the tunnel. She was an adult and easily twice his size though still much smaller than his own parents.

"What's your name, Little One?"

"Jason."

"I'm Evelyn. Come this way. You can rest before we take you back."

Jason let her usher him down the tunnel. At the end was a heavy wooden door. She opened it, and Jason was surprised to see the interior of a house, complete with wood floors, and pale pink painted drywall. The rabbit paused to lock the door behind them before she ushered him down a flight of stairs that ended in an entryway with another flight of stairs going down and a short hall to a few other rooms.

"This is where you live?" Jason asked.

"It is."

"I didn't know rabbits had houses. I thought they just lived in holes."

"No, we have houses, just like you do. Only we have to hide them."

"Why's that?"

"So that predators don't find them."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

"You can rest in the living room. This way."

She ushered him down the hall and into a large room containing a dining table as well as a sofa and a pair of armchairs. Inside, there were several rabbits. Jason counted nine more in total: a smaller male adult, who was white with dark brown splotches, and eight little rabbits of various sizes, one of the biggest white and the rest with various combinations of white and dark brown.

"This is my family, Jason."

"Hi," he mewed.

The rabbits turned to look at him in surprise.

"Mom?" one of the little ones yelped. "Why do you have a cat with you?"

"He fell down the hole, Daisy. I couldn't let him wander back out after finding it. He might have led others back here."

"Huh?" Jason didn't quite understand what she'd just said, but somehow it worried him.

The rabbit gently--but firmly--took his arms from behind. "Okay, Kids, I want you to get a good look at him. Get a good sniff and remember his smell. You need to know what to look out for."

The smaller rabbits crept over and began to crowd in, noses twitching and ears erect. They looked nervous, but as so many of them pressed in, Jason began to feel afraid himself. He tried to pull away from the adult rabbit holding him, but she grasped him tighter.

"Make sure you get a good look at his claws. That's the most dangerous part of a cat. If they get those into you, you're finished."

The smaller rabbits poked at his claws while their mother held him tight. Jason let out a little cry of distress as he tried to pull away, and the smaller rabbits jumped back in surprise and fear, all except one. She stayed close, studying him intently.

"Don't worry, Kids. I have him," the adult rabbit soothed.

The others slowly crept closer until they were crowded around Jason again. They sniffed, poked, and prodded him. He held still, knowing he couldn't get away from the stronger adult rabbit. He tried not to be afraid. These were rabbits, prey. He was a cat.

"Alright, I think you've gotten a good look," their mother concluded. "Go to your rooms, and I'll let you know when you can come back out."

They obediently filed out of the room, leaving Jason with the adult rabbits, all except one, the one who hadn't been afraid of his cry.

"What are you going to do with him, Mom?" the little rabbit asked.

"Go to your room, Ellie."

Ellie shook her head, "I want to know what you're going to do."

"Obviously, we can't let him go knowing where our house is. And even if we could, he's a cat. He might try to eat one of you one day. I can't let that happen."

Ellie cocked her head to one side, "Then what are you going to do?"

"We're going to have to kill him, Ellie. Please go to your room. You shouldn't watch this."

Jason's stomach lurched in horror, and he vainly tried to pull away. "No! Please don't kill me! I won't lead anyone back here, I promise!" he wailed

"Even if I could believe that. You're still a cat. Cats kill rabbits. We don't usually get the chance to take preventative measures, but when we do, we have an obligation. I'm sorry about this. I know you didn't choose to be a cat, but I didn't choose to be a rabbit. It's just the way things are."

Jason struggled hard to pull away, but he didn't have a chance against the much larger rabbit. He let out a sob of despair.

"I don't think you should kill him, Mom," the small rabbit declared. "He's just a little cat. He can't hurt us, and he's afraid. I think he'll keep his promise."

"Little cats grow into bigger ones, and then he would be a threat. Think if I let him go and then he killed you one day, Ellie. We can't let that happen."

"I-I promise I won't ever hurt her, her or any of you! Please let me go!" Jason cried.

"There's no way I can believe that. You'll eat any rabbit you come across. You won't remember whether it was one of us."

"I, I won't eat any rabbits then! I promise!"

"So what will you do then? Only eat mice? How is it better for me to let you go to kill them instead?"

"I-I, I don't know what I'll do! I, I won't eat meat anymore!"

"You have to eat meat. It's part of your biology. There's no point in arguing this. I'm sorry. Go to your room, Ellie."

"I don't want to," she refused grumpily.

"I don't want you watching while I kill him. You shouldn't have to see that. Go on."

"No!"

"Eli, can you take her?"

The adult male, who had been watching Jason sympathetically from the brown armchair got up and caught the small rabbit. "Come on, Ellie." He lifted her and carried her out of the room.

"No! I don't want to leave! I don't want you to hurt him! Put me down!" Her voice faded as her father carried her away deeper into the house.

"I really am sorry about this," the adult female rabbit apologized. "Relax, and I'll try to make it quick for you."

Still holding his arms tightly, she turned him sideways and reached her mouth down toward his neck. Jason whimpered as she reached her jaws around his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for her jaws to close over his trachea and blood vessels, cutting off his air and the blood flow to his head. His parents had taught him how to quickly kill prey this way, and now he was the one who was going to die. He waited, but she didn't close her jaws. After a few minutes, she pulled away. He opened his eyes, and she was looking down at him disconcertedly.

"I can't do it," she mumbled.

Jason felt a wave of relief, "A-are you going to let me go?"

She shook her head, "I can't do that. I'll have to bring my brother over. He's killed predators before. He should be able to manage it."

Jason's heart sank back into his stomach. He wasn't saved. This was only a reprieve, a delay before his inevitable death at the hands of these rabbits who'd captured him. He whimpered in fear at the thought of the seasoned cat-killer rabbit coming to get him. The rabbit led him back out into the entryway and down the stairs deeper into the house. The other adult rabbit was waiting outside of one of the doors off of the hall at the bottom of the stairs.

"Let them out. I need to put him in there," she murmured.

"I thought you were going to do it yourself," the male rabbit responded.

"I couldn't. Brandon will handle it."

The male rabbit gave Jason a sympathetic glance, "Tell him to go easy. He's just a child."

The female rabbit nodded, and the male rabbit opened the door.

"Alright, everyone out!" he called.

The small rabbits streamed past, heading upstairs until Jason was again left with two adults. The female rabbit pushed him inside and the male closed the door. Jason heard it click behind him. He tried the handle, but it was locked from the outside. Jason sobbed and turned to look around the room. The large room was crammed with eight beds as well as an assortment of toys and clothes. Apparently, it was the children's bedroom. I'll never see my bedroom again. Or Mom and Dad or Dexter or Wendy or Fitzie. Jason wondered what had happened to the ferret. He hoped he hadn't gotten lost as well. Jason slumped on one of the beds, and tucked his head into his arms. He began to cry softly. He was trapped, and he was going to die. He would never see his family or friends again.

Something tugged his tail, "Your tail is really long. What's it like having such a long tail?" a voice piped.

Jason pulled his head out of his arm and looked at the small rabbit in surprise. It was the one who had argued and hadn't wanted to leave. Ellie, they'd called her.

"Are you waiting to watch them kill me?" Jason accused.

"No! I said I don't want them to do that!"

Jason sniffed, "Well, they are going to do it anyway. They are just waiting for a meaner rabbit to come."

"Uncle Brandon isn't mean! He's nice!"

"He's going to kill me. That seems mean enough to me."

The rabbit frowned, "I don't want you to have to die. You seem nice."

"I've eaten rabbit before. Maybe I shouldn't seem nice."

The rabbit frowned again, "Do you want to eat me?"

Jason felt too sick to his stomach to even think about eating, but he wasn't sure he could eat someone after having talked to them anyway. He shook his head.

The rabbit grinned, "You can't be that mean then."

She hopped up on the bed next to him and crawled around behind his head to poke at his ears. They flicked reflexively.

"You seem nice, and I think your stripes are pretty. I'll talk to Uncle Brandon. He won't hurt you."

"Your mom says she can't let me go."

"Mom is like that. We'll think of something."

Jason uncurled to regard the rabbit curiously, "Aren't you afraid of me? I am a cat, and cats eat rabbits."

"You said you don't want to eat me, so I'm not afraid."

He sat up next to her. She was smaller than him, maybe three-quarters his size. "What do you think they will do then?"

"I don't know. We could blindfold you or something, lead you all through the woods so you'd never find your way back, but I want to keep you. I've never had a kitty friend before."

"You, you want to be friends?"

She nodded.

"Okay," he held out his hand. "I'm Jason."

She took his hand and shook it, "I'm Ellie." She looked around the room. "Sooo, do you want to play? All of our toys are in here."

Jason smiled, "Okay, what do you want to play?"

Ellie lowered her voice conspiratorially, "When no one knows I'm in here, I like to bounce between the beds. It's a lot of fun even if Mom and Dad say not to."

Jason smiled wider, "Okay, let's do it!"

They stood on the bed they were on, and Ellie bounced on it before leaping to one of the adjacent beds. Jason followed her, and as he landed on the next bed, she leapt to another. Around and around the room they bounced, laughing and squawking with joy as Jason bounced after the rabbit. They were having so much fun, that they didn't hear the door unlock, didn't notice as it slowly swung outward.

"What?! Ellie! What are you doing in here?! What are you doing with this cat?!" her mother yelped.

Ellie stopped. Jason landed on the bed next to her, almost toppling her, but he caught her by the shoulders to steady her.

"We're playing," Ellie stated matter-of-factly. "We were having fun."

"E-Ellie, I need you to be very careful. Don't make any sudden movements. Just hold still while we discuss this."

"Huh?" she asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Just relax, Honey. Uncle Brandon is here. He'll be in in a minute. He'll know what to do."

Jason stiffened in fear at the sound of the cat-killer's name.

Ellie glanced back at him, "Don't be afraid. I'll talk to him like I said."

"That's right. We're going to talk this out. I'm sure we can come to a solution," her mother soothed, though she sounded nervous while Ellie wasn't at all.

Ellie put a hand on one of Jason's, which were still on her shoulders, and patted it comfortingly, "It'll all be okay, Jason. We're friends now."

"F-friends, Ellie? He has you in his claws right now!" her mother cried, apparently unable to remain calm any longer.

"I, uh," Jason quickly removed his hands from her shoulders. "I wasn't going to hurt her."

Ellie turned to look at him, "Of course you weren't! We're friends! We were just having fun!"

"Come over here now, Ellie. Uncle Brandon will handle things from here," her mother begged.

"No! I have to talk to him, so he knows Jason's my friend now!" She turned around and wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him tight. She tucked her head under his jaw.

Jason gave her mother a fearful glance.

"Let him go and come over here, Ellie!" her mother pleaded.

Jason wrapped his arms around the rabbit and hugged her back, still watching her mother carefully. They couldn't hurt him if he had their daughter, but still, he didn't want to do anything to hurt the friendly rabbit. He hoped the idea he might do something would be enough to protect him. Ellie nuzzled his neck, and her petted her head.

A larger albino rabbit pushed into the room. He looked at the two of them in shock, "What's going on?! You told me you had a cat to take care of, not that he'd caught your daughter!"

"We didn't know she was in here," her mother whined. "Can't you do something?"

"I'll try," he growled.

Ellie turned her head to look at him, "Uncle Brandon!" she cheered. "I need to talk to you!" She squirmed to get out of Jason's arms, but he held on, afraid to let go.

She looked back at him with an amused expression, "We can hug more later, silly kitty. I need to talk to Uncle Brandon now."

Jason nodded slowly, "Do you really think he'll listen," he murmured.

"I'll make him listen!" she declared.

Should he try to threaten her and hope they'd be forced to let him go? But what if they realized he was bluffing? Would he actually have to hurt her to show he was serious? He didn't even want to scare her! Maybe she really can convince them. Taking a deep breath, Jason let her go. She hopped down from the bed and over to her uncle.

Her mother rushed forward and snatched her up. "Alright, Brandon, finish him off! We can't let him put us at risk another second!"

Ellie struggled in her mother's arms, "No, let me go! Jason is my friend! You can't hurt him! I won't let you!"

"You'll understand when you're older. We have to do this, Ellie," her mother replied.

"No, you don't! You can lead him away! We can keep him! He's my friend; you can't hurt him!"

The male rabbit glanced back toward the two of them, "We probably could lead him away so that he wouldn't find this place again."

"He's a cat, Brandon! We can't just lead him away to kill someone else or even one of us in the future!"

"I understand, Evelyn, but we are talking about a child here. Killing a cat is one thing, but a kitten? And now, Ellie says he's her friend. I don't want to be the one who killed your daughter's friend."

"You think I want to be that person?!"

"No, but that's why I think we should consider the alternative. Maybe being spared by rabbits will change his outlook on life."

"It won't change his dietary requirements! You know that, Brandon."

He nodded, "I do. I'm sorry, Ellie. We can't let him go to kill other prey."

"Then let me keep him! He can't kill prey if he lives with us!"

"Except one of us," her mother replied pointedly.

"He won't do that!"

"You don't think he will if he's starving? What is he going to eat if he lives here, Ellie?"

"Why not bugs? That's what you always say, Mom. 'Why don't they eat bugs?'"

"I thought you liked bugs, Ellie."

"I do, but not enough to let Jason die!"

Her mother eyed him cautiously, "You were really playing? You really think he's your friend?"

"I know he is! I like him! He's fun, and he's nice! He doesn't want to eat me; he said so!"

"I really don't want to kill Ellie's new best friend," the male rabbit stated.

"We can't keep him here, Brandon! It's not safe! What if his parents miss him and track him here?"

"What if they miss him and track him here and realize we've killed him?"

Ellie's mother gave Jason a worried look, "I, I hadn't thought of that. What should we do then?"

"I think we had better do what Ellie suggested and lead him away. Look, I'll take him to the edge of the predator village. That's probably where he's from. If not, someone will help him get home."

"Alright, Brandon," she conceded.

The male rabbit walked over to one of the beds, removed a lavender pillow case from one of the pillows, and motioned to Jason. "Come on, I need to put this on you."

"You aren't going to kill me?" Jason asked nervously.

"I'm not, I promise. I'll take you home."

Jason jumped down and nervously stepped over to the much larger rabbit. He slipped the pillow case down over Jason's head and shoulders.

"No peaking, or I really will have to kill you. And neither of us want that."

Jason nodded. The rabbit led him toward the door.

"Wait! Can I come too?" Ellie asked.

"No," her mother answered.

"It's okay with me if she does. I'll keep her safe," the male rabbit replied.

"Please, Mom, I want to make sure Jason gets home safe!"

Her mother sighed, "Okay, Ellie. Promise to listen to your uncle though."

"I promise!"

Jason could hear her mother set her down, and then they led him up the two flights of stairs and out into the tunnel.

"It's steep here, Jason. Let me help you." Ellie took his hand and helped lead him up the steep incline out of the hole.

They walked a long way through the woods, presumably to make sure Jason was lost though he wasn't sure he could have found his way back even if they had led him directly home. Ellie kept hold of his hand, squeezing it occasionally to comfort him. At last, the male rabbit pulled the cover off of his head. Jason looked around: he recognized the woods, and he could see the familiar houses peeking through the trees.

"Is this where you live, Jason?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, my house is right over there," he pointed.

"Okay then," Ellie hugged him tight, and he hugged her back. "I hope we meet again, Jason."

"Won't you be afraid of me if we meet again?"

"Huh-uh, because I know you don't want to eat me. You don't eat your friends."

Jason nuzzled her long ear, "Then I hope we meet again too. We can have fun together again."

They broke apart, and her uncle nodded, "Alright, let's go, Ellie. It's not safe to hang around here too long."

They slipped away into the undergrowth, and Jason watched until it stopped moving. He turned and headed for home. This experience had indeed changed his outlook on things. He'd thought of rabbits as food, but they were people just like him and his friends and family. He knew cats had to eat meat, but he desperately wished there was some alternative to killing prey. Maybe bugs. It sounded gross, but if it meant he wouldn't have to kill someone like Ellie, then it was worth it. Or maybe there was some way meat could be produced without it having to come from prey. Then we wouldn't have to kill each other, and we could really be friends. It was a beautiful idea.