Sis and Skippy followed closely behind their mother, wending their way through the droves. The sound of various conversations permeated the air, becoming an indistinguishable thrum as the people of Nottingham milled about.
The people in the market seemed unusually apprehensive today.
A goat at one of the stalls quickly purchased a couple heads of cabbages and then slunk away, casting a furtive glance over her shoulder. By another stall, a merchant counted out some coins, then reached into a small coffer to make change. The customer, a fox, adamantly declined as they left their pennies on the counter.
An old dog hurriedly pushed away a wagon-full of burlap bags filled with lumps of raw iron. They struggled. A deer rushed up to help, and together they heaved the wagon over the cracked cobblestone ground.
Sis pulled at her mother's dress. ``What's happening?'' she asked quietly.
The older rabbit sighed, shaking her head. ``The sheriff has ordered another collection.''
``Another?'' Sis repeated in disbelief.
Her mother nodded. ``People are spending their money while they can.'' Then she scowled, her brows furrowing. Skippy gulped, finding himself hiding behind his older sister. ``I cannot stand it,'' she said, trembling. Her voice lowered to a harsh whisper. ``That good for nothing sheriff and his men act like they own this town. Well, someday they'll get what's coming to them.''
Sis blinked, unsure of what her mother meant by that. Was something being sent to them from far away? Still, it sounded pretty serious, as if she was wishing that somebody would hurt them.
After seeing the way the sheriff had taken Skippy's only farthing on his birthday, Sis almost wished that too. But it was mean to want bad things to happen to other people, wasn't it? It didn't sit quite right with her. And what about William?
He wasn't like the sheriff...was he?
True, he did make her nervous, and she was frightened of him being a carnivore - but he seemed like he just wanted to be nice to her. And he was teaching her archery, too!
She also couldn't help but think about how sad he looked as he walked away yesterday, the way his tail drooped limply between his legs. She had wanted to call out to him, say that she was sorry for being such a scardey-rabbit - but he was gone before she had the chance. I hope he doesn't hate me, she thought.
Sis bumped into someone, apologised, before turning her attention back to her mother.
The older rabbit sighed. Her eyes were distant, her fingers curled around the handle of the basket. They navigated their way through a throng of people, approaching one of the several stalls. An arrangement of wood and cork sandals were on display upon one of the counters, and her mother carefully looked at each one, running her thumbs over the surface. ``You can try them on if you like,'' the vendor said. Mother nodded.
As she walked back and forth, trying on the pair of cork sandals, Skippy tugged at Sis' arm enthusiastically, grinning. ``I still can't believe Robin Hood left a whole basket of bread!''
She shushed him quickly, not wanting the wrong people to overhear. ``We don't know it was Robin Hood,'' she replied. ``For all we know it could have been some random person.''
``As if some random person would do that.'' He rolled his eyes, then smiled wistfully. ``No, it has `Robin Hood' written all over it.''
She smirked. ``If you say so.'' Skippy stuck his tongue out at her, and she couldn't help but giggle.
The young rabbit grinned to herself, thinking of the night prior. The others had already been asleep. Sis had been lying awake in bed with her eyes closed. The knock had come, quiet enough that the younger siblings hadn't stirred. Mother Rabbit was still awake, working on a quilt by the flickering candlelight.
Skippy had roused from his slumber, and as soon as he'd seen the basket of pandemain his eyes nearly jumped out of his head. There hadn't been much sleeping after that.
Mother Rabbit finished trying on her sandals, walking back up to the front of the stall. She pulled a couple of cut halfpennies from her purse, sliding the fragments of silver across the counter. They continued ambling through the market, perusing the various goods on sale. Sis knew they couldn't afford much, but the basket of pandemain from William had opened up some room in their paltry budget.
They continued on into the bustling market, people rushing by.
There wasn't much to do besides follow Mother around as the old rabbit visited stall after stall, filling her basket with a motley of food and other victuals. After a while of this, the two siblings found themselves increasingly bored, until at last Skippy decided to say something. Mother Rabbit had been mulling over the choice between turnips and potatoes when Skippy tugged on her dress. ``Can me and Sis go play?'' he asked.
She looked down, the two kits reflected in her glasses as she smiled. ``Of course.'' They both giggled, turning to flee. But before they could, the older rabbit said, ``Just don't be out too long.'' They nodded enthusiastically. Skippy grabbed Sis' hand and began to pull her away. ``And be careful; make sure you stay away from the guards.''
``We will!'' Skippy said, though Sis felt a slight pang of guilt.
``And don't jump on wet rocks in the river.''
``We won't!'' the younger rabbit called, rolling his eyes.
``And be careful around bushes; remember the saying!''
``Leaves of three, let it be!'' Skippy grinned, tugging his sister's sleeve. The two of them began to pull away.
``And don't go looking for any merry men!''
``We won't!'' Sis called out. They started to disappear amongst the crowd.
``And whatever you do, please don't tear your clothes!''
There was no answer, and the two rabbits quickly vanished between the droves, laughing to themselves. Mother Rabbit sighed with a smile.
They cavorted through the crowd, laughing as they weaved their way between the scattered groups of people. The open square of the market gave way to the sinuous, winding cobblestone streets of the village. They ran through the street, passing several houses with blankets drawn over the windows, overturned and disused wagons, a low stone wall upon which two rats were arguing over a crumb. As soon as they saw the two siblings they leapt off the wall and scurried away into the shadows.
They ran past the bakery, and Skippy slowed to a stop, turning back toward it as the smell of freshly-baked bread drifted out from inside. His mouth watered, and he felt himself drawn to the open window. He stood on his tippy-toes, leaning against the lip of the window, his little nose wiggling as he voraciously inhaled the aroma. Sis stood next to him, peeking inside as the heat washed over her.
In the corner of the room there was a clay oven, a fire burning inside as an assortment of loaves, pies, and pretzels sat out on the table just in front. Skippy gazed longingly at the display, then cast a furtive glance over his shoulder. He inched his way to the door. Sis glared at him. ``What are you doing?''
He winked, reaching for the iron door handle. ``What do you think?''
``There's bread at home.''
Skippy grabbed the handle. ``We could have more. Ow!'' He recoiled, clutching at his wrist which Sis had just so impetuously slapped, shooting her a glare. He reached for the handle again.
A crash sounded out from nearby. Skippy flailed, his eyes wide as he stepped away from the door.
Another crash was heard from the nearby alleyway, along with the sounds of a confrontation. He glanced at Sis, and she glanced back at him. The two siblings crept forward into the shadow covered alley, and as they rounded the corner they could see two figures silhouetted by the light. Their friend Toby was against the wall, cowering in fear as a large wolf towered above him. Sis' heart sank as she saw the orange-coloured garments and burgundy hood uniform of the sheriff's guard, but a moment later the wolf turned slightly and the sunlight caught his face, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she realised it wasn't William.
The wolf that stood over Toby was taller, his fur more matted, and there was a predatory glint in his eyes. He lunged forward, grabbing Toby. The young turtle gasped, disappearing inside his shell as the wolf flipped him upside-down and began to shake him. ``Hey!'' Sis shouted indignantly. ``Put him down!''
The wolf glanced at Sis, taking a step back, incertitude briefly flashing across his face before he glowered at the two newcomers.
``Yeah, put him down!'' Skippy stepped forward, shooting a defiant glare up at the wolf. The small rabbit shrunk back as the wolf turned to him, his eyes flashing.
``This isn't your business,'' the wolf warned.
Sis' nose wrinkled as she put her fists on her hips. ``He's just a kid!''
``So?'' The wolf gave the shell a few impatient shakes. ``A penny's a penny no matter who it comes fr - ah!'' Sis' foot slammed into his ankle, causing him to yelp in pain as he dropped Toby onto the ground, staggering back as he clutched at his foot. He shot a glare, then stepped forward. Skippy slammed his foot into the wolf's other ankle, and he fell to the ground yowling.
Toby's head popped out as he stood. Sis grabbed onto his arm, pulling him along as she and Skippy ran.
The wolf scowled, rolling onto his front, pushing himself off of the ground as he took a few doddering steps forward before breaking into a sprint, his lips curled back in an ugly sneer.
Toby turned a corner, then slipped. He breathed heavily. Sis and Skippy heaved him up by his arms. They staggered forward, the wolf's heavy footsteps growing louder behind them.
Knowing they weren't going to outrun him, Sis suddenly pulled the other two toward a doorway on their left. They crashed through, the door nearly flying off its hinges as they stumbled into the darkness. They kept running.
In the corner of the room, an old fox sat over a bowl of stew, not bothering to look up at the commotion. Another door was straight ahead.
Skippy slipped with a yelp as he smashed face-first into something. A moment later, a shadow obscured the light pouring in from the door behind as the wolf charged into the house. Sis grabbed Skippy as they made for the front door. Toby pulled it open, and the trio rushed through into the blinding daylight. The wolf's head appeared in the jamb, Toby quickly slammed it shut. They ran faster, and faster.
Sis stole a glance at Skippy to make sure he was all right. The younger rabbit turned and smiled at her, his long blond hair flowing in the wind. Sis blinked, then pulled the severed broom-head off of his pate and tossed it away.
A group of people awkwardly stumbled out of the way as the three of them ran past. They ran to an overgrown field at the far side of the market, toward a grass-covered embankment. There was a commotion behind them as the wolf shoved his way through the crowd.
Toby led the two rabbits toward the hill. ``I h-hope this w-works...'' he said, gasping for breath. ``G-grab onto me!''
Sis glanced at him uncertainly, but clasped the edge of his shell near his shoulder, Skippy following suit. As they neared the embankment, Sis could see that it rose up slightly before sloping away down toward the river below. Her eyes widened. ``Toby!''
He dove over the edge of the embankment, tucking himself into his shell, Skippy and Sis pulled along behind him.
His underside glanced off of the ground, then landed with a thud, sliding downhill as the two rabbits desperately clung onto him, the wind whipping past. They sailed faster down the slope, the river at the bottom quickly approaching.
Sis glanced over her shoulder, seeing the wolf awkwardly zig-zagging his way down the hill, stumbling as he tried to give chase. She turned back around, then gasped.
The trio sailed clear off of the bank, splashing down into the water. Sis went under, then came back up, coughing as she grasped the side of Toby's shell. The water rushed past, carrying them downstream. They turned slowly in the current.
The wolf came to a stop by the river's edge, panting as he bent over and shakily rested his hands on his knees. Skippy grinned, clambering up onto Toby's back. He stood, raising his fist in the air. ``So long, you mangy mutt!''
Sis giggled. Toby peeked out of his shell with a smirk, watching as the wolf disappeared into the distance.
It almost felt peaceful, torpidly drifting down the river. But the water was far too cold as it rushed past and washed over them, and Sis could feel her teeth chattering.
The river carried them deeper into the countryside and the woods beyond. Open fields slowly gave way to scattered clusters of fir and beech, which grew more and more numerous until soon the sky became obscured from view by the verdant canopy above.
It was not long until they espied a small, mostly flat bank of mud on the side of the river, the three of them kicking their way toward it. They swam ashore, shivering. Sis' dress and bloomers were completely soaked, and Skippy's tunic hung heavy around his shoulders like a wet blanket. Toby shuddered inside his shell.
They went further into the woods, following the river's edge. As they walked, it grew quiet.
The three of them didn't know exactly where they were going, only that they needed to find someplace warm. Toby seemed especially concerned, keeping his arms wrapped about himself. A cold wind blew off the surface of the water, causing them all to tremble. Sis' dress felt like it might freeze against her fur.
Skippy's nose wrinkled in annoyance. ``Did we have to jump in the river?'' he said.
``Well no,'' Toby said shyly. ``But I thought it would be cool. And it worked!''
Sis nodded. ``Yeah, at least we lost him. Because if we got drenched for no reason, you'd be in big trouble.'' She tried to wring some of the water out of her sleeves.
``But now we might freeze to death,'' Skippy added.
``We're not going to,'' Toby said. Then, he looked at Sis. ``Are we?''
Sis shrugged. ``I never seen it happen, but Mama said if you get too cold you could turn into an icicle.''
Toby gasped, his eyes widening as he covered his mouth. The thought of turning into an icicle came into his mind; he pictured himself all frozen and see-through. He then thought of the icicles he would see hanging from the awnings each winter, and how they would melt away into nothing when the weather grew warm again. He felt tears stinging at his eyes. ``I d-don't wanna be an icicle!'' he exclaimed helplessly, falling back against a nearby tree and hugging himself.
Sis smiled, rolling her eyes. ``It'll be okay...I think.''
Skippy opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped, his nose wriggling again as he lifted his head. He took a few cursory whiffs. ``Hey, do you smell that?''
Sis and Toby both sniffed the air. There was the distinct smell of smoke, along with an aroma that made their stomachs grumble.
``Could be bandits,'' Sis said, her voice falling to a whisper. Toby gulped. ``We need to be careful.''
``I'm not afraid of any bandits,'' Skippy said, crossing his arms.
``I am...'' Toby whimpered.
A rustling of leaves came from their right, and they gasped, quickly huddling together as a cloaked shadow emerged from the thick underbrush.
``What's all this talk of bandits?'' a voice said. The figure drew back their hood, revealing a pointed orange muzzle and a pair of twinkling green eyes. Sis' eyes lit up as the looked at the tall fox. ``Surely you can't be referring to me?'' Robin Hood tsked as he shook his head.
Sis leaned over to her brother, smirking. ``Look, it's your boyfriend.''
He glowered, blushing as he pushed her away. ``You're the one always saying how handsome he is.''
Robin Hood chuckled. ``Well, what kind of trouble have you all been up to?''
``We got chased, sir,'' Toby said shyly.
``Yeah,'' Skippy added. ``A big mean wolf was trying to rob Toby.''
``So we kicked his shins!'' Sis said, putting her hands on her hips proudly.
``And we uh'' - Toby rubbed his sides - ``jumped into the river to get away.''
Robin Hood nodded, humming thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. ``Good thinking, if it wasn't the middle of autumn.'' He shrugged. ``But I'm not going to have any cubs freezing to death on my watch.'' He turned away, gesturing for them to follow. ``Come along, we have a fire going, and a fresh pot of stew.''
Together they walked deeper into the forest, the smell of smoke growing closer as they passed through the dense foliage.
Eventually they reached a small clearing in the glade. There were a couple of tents, cloth stretched over the makeshift wooden frames. A large cauldron hung over the campfire, filled to the brim with a dark stew that simmered and bubbled as the flames licked up around it. Little John was tending it with a large wooden ladle.
He pulled out a scoop, brought it to his lips and gave it a slurp. He coughed, his eyes watering as he fanned his mouth. He nearly dropped the ladle when he saw the group approaching. ``I didn't over season it, I swear!'' The bear coughed again, setting the ladle into a nearby bowl as he wiped his paws on his apron. He turned back to the group, raising an eyebrow at the drenched cubs. He looked at Robin Hood. ``Didn't realise you were going fishing.''
The fox chuckled, then gently placed his arms around the group of cubs, pushing them forward. ``Go warm up by the fire a bit, then we can eat.''
They stood around the campfire, wringing out their clothes as the warmth washed over them. Little John continued to tend to the stew, while Robin Hood had seated himself on a nearby tree stump as he took a knife and a handful of half-made arrows and continued to whittle them.
Sis held her hands out toward the fire, the water dripping off of her sleeves. The young rabbit shivered, though the heat emanating off of the flames was a welcome juxtaposition to the frigid waters just moments prior. The sunlight filtered gently through the leaves above, scattered beams casting mottled patches of light over the glade where they stood. One of those streaks of light fell astride the back of Robin Hood as he worked, limning his fur in a brilliant gold.
He held the dagger in his hand, scraping it against the surface of the wood again and again, small shavings curling off before falling into the dirt. He pressed his thumb to the arrow's tip, before setting it aside and moving onto the next.
As he worked, Sis couldn't help but stare. His muzzle was long and pointed, with two small fangs that protruded out at the front - and the black claws which adorned his fingertips looked almost as sharp as the blade he held.
It occurred to her, as she continued to gaze at him, that nothing about him made her feel uneasy. True, he was a fox, and in aeons nigh forgotten the sight of a fox like him would have sent a rabbit like her running for the burrows. She should have been afraid of him, but ineffably she wasn't.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Sis liked him a lot, to a degree that she was unable to properly explain. She felt drawn to him. Everything from the way he acted, to his innate skill with the bow, his confidence, and his dashing good looks of course.
Now and then she would see the way he would glance at Maid Marian. She wondered what it felt like to be looked at like that, by him.
She must have stared for a moment too long. Robin Hood glanced up from his work, caught her gaze and gave a small wink. Her heart fluttered, and she looked away suddenly, taking an unusual interest in the pot of stew.
``See? You were staring at him!''
Sis blinked, shaking her head. She turned and glared at her brother. ``Was not.''
``You were, too!''
Sis rolled her eyes, sighing. ``I wasn't looking at Robin Hood, I was just thinking about something and I happened to be looking in his direction.''
The younger rabbit crossed his arms. ``Thinking about how much you love him?''
``No!''
Above them, Little John chuckled. ``Sounds like you're all getting hungry,'' the bear said with a grin.
``Boy are we ever!'' Toby beamed.
``Say Rob,'' Little John said, glancing over, ``break out the tableware, the kids need something to gnaw on beside each-other's throats.''
Robin Hood chuckled. ``All right, one moment.'' He set the arrows aside and got to his feet, ambling over to one of the tents before returning with a few wooden bowls and spoons. They began portioning out ladlefuls of stew. Once the cubs had their bowls, they seated themselves near the fire. Toby devoured the stew, completely disregarding his spoon as he scoffed it down.
Sis, on the other hand, was slowly and thoroughly enjoying the meal. It was warm, salty, with softened chunks of potato and slices of carrot which dissolved as she bit into them. Little John had warned them it might be spicy, but so far she hadn't noticed.
She stole a quick glance at Robin Hood, then smiled to herself.
Once they were done eating, Robin Hood asked if they wanted to pass the time with a bit of archery. Sis and Skippy eagerly accepted. Toby, meanwhile, was working on his second bowl.
The two rabbits followed the tall fox over to the edge of the camp, Toby plodding along behind them as he sipped at the bowl in his hands. A single target sat in the offing between a pair of trees. Robin Hood walked up with a short bow in one hand and a quiver in the other.
Skippy went first, lifting his bow as he squinted and took aim, his little arms shaking. He loosed, and the arrow glided through the air, only to lodge itself in the ground beside the target.
He tried again, and again, each arrow either glancing off of the target or sailing into the woods beyond. Once Skippy returned from picking up the stray arrows, he begrudgingly passed the bow to Sis.
The young rabbit reached into the quiver and brought out an arrow, pinching the end between her fingers. She lifted the bow and took aim, then loosed. The arrow flew forward, then glanced off the edge of the target. Skippy chortled, causing Sis to blanch. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Robin Hood was watching her. Of course everyone else was watching her as well, but in that moment she felt as if it was just the two of them.
She went for another arrow, nocked it, aimed, then loosed. This time, the arrow flew clear over the top of the target. Her heart sank, her ears flattening against her head. Nearby Robin Hood offered some words of reassurance, but she barely heard.
This is stupid, she thought, blushing. She had done this just yesterday. Just yesterday. She had been standing in the field, the sun was shining, the surface of the water had glinted in the light. William had walked up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She remembered the way he had adjusted her posture slightly. His large hands had seemed to completely engird her. She recalled the sight of his claws, how afraid she had been. But he was careful with her, so careful with her. Her ears lifted slightly at the thought.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Robin Hood was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed as he smiled. Something had seemed to change. A subtle dance of shadow. Robin Hood was watching. But somewhere in the distance, in some place inscrutable, she felt as if William was there too, silently encouraging her.
She looked at the arrow in her hand, feeling the rough grain of the wood against her thumb, the softness of the fletching. She looked up at the target. The wind blew overhead.
She stepped back, placing her right foot behind her left, then raised the bow across her chest. She closed her left eye, straightened her shoulders, then her elbow.
She loosed.
The arrow flew forth, fast as a falcon, then thudded into the centre of the target. Sis gasped.
Skippy's jaw fell. ``What! How!?''
Sis turned to her brother with a nervous smile. ``T-that was just lucky, I think.'' She rubbed the back of her neck. Beside her, Robin Hood was silent. She looked up at him, grinning hopefully.
He smiled back, chuckling - though his eyes betrayed his suspicion. ``That was a great shot.'' He paused, then asked, ``How did you know to stand like that?''
Her grin fell slightly. ``Huh?''
``Your stance. How'd you learn that?''
She blinked, her ears lowering. Was she in trouble? She'd thought that Robin Hood would have been proud of her for hitting the target. Robin Hood was still smiling, but the fox who had seemed so charming to her just moments prior was suddenly making her stiffen under his scrutiny. It's not that serious, she tried to assure herself.
``I...'' she began, swallowing. Her mind ran in circles, trying to conjure an answer that wasn't anywhere in the vicinity of William. She said, ``It seemed the right way.'' Robin Hood opened his mouth, but before he could reply, she quickly added, ``Besides, isn't that the way you're standing on those, um...wanted posters?''
He stared at her, his eyes twinkling. ``Hm, I suppose so.''
Sis met his gaze briefly, then looked away, returning her attention to the target. She reached back into the quiver, shakily bringing out another arrow. She put it to the bowstring, fumbled.
The young rabbit took a deep breath, then exhaled, nocking the arrow once more.
She took aim and loosed. This time, the arrow glanced off the edge of the target and spiralled into the grass. She gulped, hoping that Robin Hood wouldn't notice that she missed intentionally. You can't out-fox a fox, she reminded herself.
Sis went for another arrow, but upon seeing Robin Hood watching her intently out of the corner of her eye, she paused. ``S-say Toby,'' she called over to the turtle. He looked up at her curiously. ``You wanna give this a go?''
He smiled, nodding as he set his empty bowl aside. He stood up, wiping his hands on the front of his shell as he jaunted over. Robin Hood quickly went about gathering the arrows. Sis pulled the quiver off of herself, shrugging out of it, before draping it over Toby's shoulders.
The turtle looked at the bow in his hands, then at Robin Hood. ``Um, I've never used one of these before.'' He tried to grab an arrow, but it fell from his grip before he could even place it to the string.
``I suppose that is a problem,'' the fox said, scratching at his chin. ``Little John, do you want to give him some pointers?''
``Oh, sure.'' The large bear grinned, walking over casually. ``So kid,'' he said, ``there's really nothing to it.'' He reached down, adjusting the bow in Toby's hands. ``First, hold this part in one hand like this. Good. Now hold this other part like that.'' He chuckled, watching Toby awkwardly try to follow his instructions. ``Yeah, that's it. See? No problem. Give the string a few plucks to get the feel of it; pretend it's a lute if that makes you happy. Okay, now get yourself an arrow, put it up to the string. Pull until you really feel the tension, and...let it go!''
The bowstring thwipped, snapping forward. Toby blinked. The arrow was nowhere to be seen. He stiffened as he heard someone chortle.
Skippy slapped a hand to his forehead, falling back onto his haunches as his body was racked with laughter. Toby's eyes widened. He looked down. The arrow was sitting on the dirt only a couple of feet from where he stood.
Robin Hood sighed, smiling. ``Ah don't worry kid, that happens to everyone the first time.''
Toby's face fell, and he winced as Skippy continued to laugh. The fox added, ``Hey, you'll be all right. Give it another go, and don't worry about Skippy. He'll get over it - '' He smirked at the small rabbit `` - won't he?''
Skippy straightened himself up. ``Y-yes sir!'' He chuckled again, then wiped the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand.
Toby glared at him, then tried again.
They took turns passing the bow to one another, loosing arrows, sometimes getting close to the centre but mostly hitting the edge or missing entirely.
Sis had adjusted her posture slightly away from what William had taught her, knowing that altering it too much might attract suspicion when she'd had it perfect just moments prior.
Squinting, she could see the angle at which she would have to aim the bow in order to hit the target. But under Robin Hood's scrutiny, she would deliberately fumble, letting go at the wrong time, tilting the arrow just slightly too high or too low.
After a while, Robin Hood glanced up at the sun. It had fallen lower, the shadows from the canopy had become long and stretched across the leaf-strewn ground, interspersed with patches of rose-coloured light. ``It's getting late,'' he said. ``You all should probably be getting back home before your parents start worrying.''
Little John stayed behind to watch the camp, while Robin Hood led the cubs through the woods back toward Nottingham.
It was dark, and quiet.
The susurrus of the river mingled with the sound of the wind in the trees overhead. Shadows seemed to tremble and shift, their forms shapeless in the thickening umbrage of the woods. Several times Sis would catch herself glancing nervously toward the underbrush, believing she had descried a person there - but upon looking, the forms would falter and dissipate, as if they were never really there.
Both Toby and Skippy were just as uneasy.
The group of cubs walked huddled close together, constantly sneaking glances over their shoulders. Robin Hood himself seemed to be oblivious. He walked on, his long fluffy tail swaying behind him. Aside from the occasional flick and swivel of his ears, he appeared as if he was completely unaffected by their gloomy surroundings.
Robin Hood glanced over his shoulder, then laughed softly at the cubs' frightened demeanour. He turned around to face them, his hands on his hips. ``Fear not the woods, dear children, nor what they might hold. There are far worse monsters who walk among us.'' He grinned, his eyes glinting in the twilight.
The fox looked around, searching for something. ``There is a way, however, to protect yourselves from those blackguards who might do you harm.'' He searched for a moment longer, then smiled. He strode up to a thicket of bushes, rummaging through them. When he emerged back onto the path, he was holding a handful of small sticks, and gave one to each cub.
Sis held the stick up in front of her, gazing at it curiously. Toby stared at his, a befuddled expression on his face. Skippy, meanwhile, was beaming. He gave the stick a few swings, then turned to the others excitedly. ``Can you believe it? Our very own swords!''
Robin Hood chuckled, crossing his arms. ``There; now you are a trio of veritable knights!''
``This isn't a sword...'' Toby said quietly.
Sis looked at her own stick: a small burr protruded out of the side near the bottom, almost like a crossguard. She gripped the bottom with both of her hands, then held it out in front of her, testing the weight. It took a moment, but her eyes lit up. ``No, but it feels like one.'' She turned to Skippy, grinning. ``Defend yourself!''
The younger rabbit snickered, lifting his stick in response. Robin Hood quickly got between them, pushing them apart. ``Ah ah, we are not fighting each-other,'' he said with a gentle smile.
``We're not?''
Robin Hood shook his head. ``No. We are fighting the enemy: Prince John, the sheriff, all their lackeys. Look out into the woods there.'' He pointed.
The cubs gasped, huddling together once more. There in the darkness...was nothing.
But the more they watched, the more the shadows moved and shifted, changing into forms all at once shapeless and elusive. Sis' heart quickened, and then she saw it.
A shadow seemed to pass between the trees, leapt over the ground, twisted into form. It came toward her, and she trembled. The young rabbit nearly fled, but she held her sword out in front of her, shaking.
Toby gulped, trying to follow her gaze. ``W-what it it?'' he asked, holding his own stick defensively.
She looked at Toby. ``Something, it's...'' She looked back. There was nothing there.
``It's bandits!'' Skippy said, jumping forward with his sword poised to strike. He turned back to the others, grinning. ``Dozens of them there in the trees! They're coming to, uh...steal all our money!''
Toby's face wrinkled. ``What money?''
``Oh no!'' Sis said, chuckling.
Skippy leapt first into the fray, with Sis and Toby following close behind.
The pale light gave amorphous forms to the forest. All at once, the cubs imagined themselves fighting bandits, and beasts, and even skeletons risen from the grave.
Although there was nary a danger of being bested, the cubs acted as if this was truly life or death - swinging their sticks with a vivacity that would have sent the most fearsome outlaw running for the hills.
Robin Hood humoured them as much as possible, fighting alongside them, pretending to loose his bow, ducking beneath the invisible foes? blades. They led a charge down the river's edge, along the path and alongside in the glades and over the rills, and before long they had fought their way to a place where the river narrowed and a small wooden bridge arched over the water. "All right," Robin Hood said, "I can?t take you any further. There?s only one path over the bridge; keep following it and don?t jump into any rivers, and you?ll reach town."
They crossed over the bridge and across the tenuous dirt trail that led up the hill and then turned near its cusp, waving farewell. Sis watched as Robin Hood disappeared into the bushes and the darkness.
She felt herself shiver. Over the past few weeks the warmth of s?mer was quickly fading. She remembered waking up one morn, feeling the leaves crunching beneath her feet as she had stepped outside. She had stood there, watching them fall for a while.
As they walked along the path, Sis couldn't help but think of the incident earlier, of how small she had felt under Robin Hood's gaze. She had thought that if she managed to hit the target that she would earn his approval, and that he might look at her with the same kind of warmth and fondness that he reserved for Maid Marian - not that she fully understood why he looked at her like that - but she suspected that it was because of something special.
She wanted to feel special, to feel loved and cherished, especially by someone as handsome as him. But of course she shouldn't have known how to stand like that. She squeezed her eyes shut, quietly cursing herself for the mistake.
"Are you okay?" Toby enquired.
She looked over at him curiously. ``What do you mean?''
``Why are your ears down?''
``Oh!'' She chuckled nervously. ``I...was just thinking of earlier, of the guard that chased us.''
Toby gulped. ``He was pretty scary.''
``No he wasn't!'' Skippy said.
Sis giggled, rolling her eyes. ``He was a little scary.''
``I bet we could take him again!''
``I don't know,'' Sis replied sceptically, ``he might not leave his ankles open again.''
``We'd find a way,'' Skippy insisted. Then, a moment later he bounded off. ``Last one to town is an old fish!''
``Hey!'' Sis laughed, chasing after him.
``No fair!'' Toby groaned.
The sky was blanketed by pink and lavender-coloured clouds, long streaks of diaphanous light stretched across them in a haze. As they crested the hillside, the distant thatch-roofed houses of Nottingham came into view, buildings lit by a multitude of torches and braziers. They ran clumsily, chasing one another, cold, but far from tired. The night was growing fast.
