Lagomorphology - 1 (Patreon)

A patron recently encouraged me to post something other than art. So, here's something no one has ever seen before! I have been working on colouring in some of the world around our characters in the game. I thought you might all appreciate this little snippet of a longer story I am working on, set many years before Lunar.

===

Patrick sat listlessly at his desk. The little university office was cozy, filled with the familiar scents of himself and his more persistent students. Even so, he felt far from comfortable. His right foot paw tapped irritably on the floor. The fox’s eyes darted to a little painted figurine on his desk. He bit his lip and reached tentatively out to it with a paw as black as midnight.

The paw froze mid air at a knock on the door, his private moment disturbed by yet another visitor. 

“Office hours are 8am to 1pm inclusive,” he intoned automatically “I’ll thank you to interrupt me at a later time.” How these kids expected a quality education without waking before lunch was beyond him. 

The door opened, unimpeded by his stern warning. ”Now look, I have my research which needs at least some of my attention and students have to wait...”

“Pardon the intrusion sir, I am not a student.”

The fox looked up from his desk and regarded the young rabbit standing defiantly in his office’s doorway. The little creature’s muzzle was drawn into a pouting expression, or was that disdain? He was tall, for a rabbit, all dressed up in a double-breasted waistcoat which was neatly tailored to his well groomed brown and cream mottled fur. Money. Old money no doubt. 

“Well, if you’re not a student, I have even less reason to speak with you, Mr...?”

“Bunnsworth, Andrew, Bun...”

“Hah!” Bunnsworth? Seriously? What kind of joke name is that?”

“The name my parents gave me, Sir.”

“Well, you rabbits certainly have a flair for the unoriginal.”

“You should know sir.”

Sarcasm? Was that smirk perhaps? Patrick bit back a chuckle and turned it into a low growl.  

“What are you doing here in my office, young man? As you can see, I am quite busy.”

The rabbit strode confidently into the room, his large footpaws made little thumping noises as he did so. Patrick tried hard not to smile at the false bravado.  

“I’ve been assigned by the council, sir. I’m… I’m your second.”

The fox scowled and gestured roughly towards the only other chair in the room. The velvet green armchair engulfed the little creature as he settled himself into it. Andrew’s eyes didn’t leave the fox as Patrick got up from his desk and started pacing. 

“So, the ethics committee have finally decided to approve my application for another tribal visit.”

He clasped his paws behind his back as he paced, more from habit than for effect. 

“As you know, sir, any site visit by a…” the rabbit cleared his throat politely “...must be accompanied by a second observer, it’s only proper.”

The fox scoffed noisily and walked over to the prone rabbit, looming menacingly. 

“Oh, you can come out and say it! A fox. They don’t want some scary red monster studying the last untouched rabbit tribe on the planet without some kind of chaperone. And a rabbit too.”

The rabbit shrugged nonchalantly. “I am fully qualified.”

“Oh, I’ll bet you are!” Taking lagomorph studies as a rabbit was akin to taking swimming lessons as a dolphin. Not necessarily a complete waste of time, but also not considered a particularly taxing curriculum.

“The dean says...”

“Oh she does, does she? The dean couldn’t tell her Gerts from her Hentz if they jumped up and bit her.” 

“The rabbit smiled, for the first time. A broad and open smile. “I am sure Gertz would have something to say about the dental records if they did.”

Aaah, sharp boy. The fox leant back on his desk and took his spectacles off with one paw, his bushy red tail flicked slowly giving away his slow change in mood.

“Well, I suppose a site visit with a research assistant is better than no site visit at all.”

The rabbit shrugged again and scanned the lines of bookshelves behind the reclining vulpine. “You can belittle my education all you like, sir, but affirmative action aside, I am the most qualified person to accompany you on your field study. In fact, I’m likely the only person who’s bothered to read that indulgent tomb you call a book.”

Patrick felt his hackles rise, tail bristling at the thought. “You don’t get to walk in here and insult the preeminent lagmorphologist outside of the Royal College. If you shut up and pay attention you will find me an excellent mentor.”

Andrew grinned cheekily “it’s settled then”

The fox cleaned his spectacles on his grey cardigan and affixed them back to bridge of his muzzle. “Immediately.” With his other paw he snatched up the figurine from his desk and strode out of the room. 

Andrew followed promptly, even with his unusually tall stature and great posture, his head only came up to the fox’s elbow. 

They walked in silence through the maze of university passages and corridors, doors passed by in a blur. The rabbit’s smaller paws padding just a little bit faster than his larger red mentor. 

“Sir, where…”

“And if we’re working together, you call me Pat. Doctor Pat”

“Ok, Doctor...” 

“Pat”

“Pat”

“And I’ll call you Andy.”

“I prefer Andrew...”

“Andy it is then.”

The rabbit scowled quietly and the fox allowed himself a smile. Such a serious bunny. He would learn. You can’t take yourself too seriously in a job like this.

They stopped outside yet another unremarkable door. The fox pushed the door open with no preamble.