Ben-San/Rabbits

The Lava Rabbit

The lava rabbit is a more-or-less ordinary-looking rabbit that lives in volcanic regions of the deep South. It is most often black or dark grey in color, although specklings of red or green are common. Brick-red lava rabbits are known but uncommon, and often considered a minor omen of good luck by humans living in the same areas.

The lava rabbit's main extraordinary feature is a complete immunity to heat and fire. Accordingly, it tends to live near volcanic activity, where great heat deters many predators. If given the chance, its preferred hiding place is just under the surface of liquid magma; the lava rabbit can hold its breath for a long time, and by poking its nose above the surface periodically may hide indefinitely in this manner. When it emerges, bits of magma will tend to stick in its fur and cool to rock; these combined with its natural coloration provide excellent camouflage in rocky environments. The lava rabbit feeds mainly on lichen, although bits of basalt nibbled out of its fur in grooming do not harm it and a small quantity aids its digestion.

Lava rabbits, particularly the 'lucky' red ones, are somewhat popular as pets for Fire-aspected Dynasts, as they are unharmed by the fiery anima banner. Their meat is edible and some enjoy it, although it must be eaten very fresh as it is impossible to cook. Lava rabbit pelts will not burn, and objects wrapped entirely in lava rabbit fur will only be moderately warmed even if engulfed in flame. However, in a cold environment the fur will quickly turn brittle and fall off the pelt, reducing its protective value greatly.

The Leap Rabbit

Native to mountainous regions of the North, the Leap Rabbit is usually white or pale gray, with many populations tinting blueish. Its fur is dense and thick, and its neck is short and thickset, giving it a slightly lumpy appearance. It has unusually long ears with a thick layer of fur on the back. These ears are usually bent back, curving downwards as they proceed due to their length and the weight of fur. The ears possess a 'crinkled' appearance normally; the rabbit is able to 'spread' the ears to a much broader width. Their fur sheds snow easily; during snowfall, especially in a new location, the rabbit will often create a temporary 'home' simply by wrapping its spread ears around itself and sleeping in the open, appearing as merely a small snowdrift. The leap rabbit typically subsists on small shrubs which thrive in the band between the tree line and the permanent snowcap of a mountain.

What makes the leap rabbit truly distinctive is its apparently instinctive ability to reduce its own weight. When severely panicked or when unable to find food within its normal foraging range, it reduces itself to near-weightlessness, leaps high into the air, and spreads its oversized ears to drift to another mountain on the ubiquitous frigid winds of the North. A given leap rabbit will probably only leap-and-glide a few times in its life, but the sight is memorable enough to have given the species its name.

Few people hunt the leap rabbit specifically, but many northern hunters will carry a small weighted net with which to catch one if it is spotted while hunting more valuable prey. Its pelt is one of several animal furs which is useful for its ability to shed snow, although its small size reduces its value in this regard. Its meat is as edible as any rabbit's, and a few regional cuisines utilize the ear either as an ingredient or a wrap within which to cook other foods. Leap rabbits are not popular pets, although there are always a few Dynasts willing to try; they become extremely agitated if confined, and if not confined they tend to fly away. Perhaps the best reason to catch leap rabbits is a paste made by boiling its liver with several other ingredients which, applied to the soles of the feet, renders a person weightless with regard to whatever the soles are touching. This is useful for such tricks as walking tracklessly on snow, walking on water, or even balancing on a breeze (a dramatic technique but inadvisable for the untrained, as it is hard enough to balance on something which shifts so quickly even when it is not invisible and prone to dissipating.) The paste is a relatively common recipe, likely to be known by characters with Occult ••• or better in regions where leap rabbits live. It keeps for a week or so in cold weather, longer if kept frozen (by burying in snow, for example) but spoils quickly in warm climates.

Comments

This is awesome. Clearly, you need to stat out the vorpal version. :) -- IsawaBrian

• My original intention (I started fiddling with these long ago) was actually specifically to create interesting noncombat creatures to serve as local color with the limited possibility of acting as potentially useful resources or situationally-useful Heart's Blood forms. It's expanded somewhat since then, but don't expect any killer rabbits. I'm glad you think it's awesome, though. ;) -- Ben-San

This is indeed, "teh 4w3some!". Would you happen to already have the Wood aspected one written up anywhere? -- Somori