The little white rabbit

It was a sunny day outside. The rabbits had decided to return to the burrow, as their parents indicated them to do, when the sun was at the highest point in the sky. This announces the moment dangerous animals from the forest might come out.

All the rabbits went home, but one: the little white rabbit Samy, who was sometimes a little disobedient. Many times his parents had told him that he should not stay out when the sun was at the highest point, but Samy always reproached them.

“It is when the day is prettier and the fruits brighter”, he said.

To which his father always answered yes, he understood. But those same beautiful things that Samy liked from sunny days, other animals liked, hunters, and it was not safe to be out when they might be on the prowl. Although their homes are quite far from the burrow, it is known that they can run long distances in a short time.

Hours passed and Samy was happy and hypnotized with the beauty of the plants and their vibrant colors in the light of the imposing sun. So much so, that he went further from the burrow than he should have, without realizing it. A few meters away, Samy saw some beautiful berries that looked juicy and appetizing in this hot weather.

At that moment, it was that he thought of how far he would be from the burrow since, distracted, he didn’t notice. He wondered if it would be safe to risk to go just a bit further to get the berries.

“I’m already here, anyways, and the berries are close”, he thought.

He walked a few steps toward the gleaming berries when he suddelny saw the danger: a little tiger was eating a pair of berries that were just inches away of him.

“I must step back slowly, avoiding to make any noise, and then run back to the burrow”, he told himself.

But when it was already to late, the little tiger had already seen the rabbit.

-Hello, rabbit friend! Are you lost? Where are the other bunnies of the
burrow? – The little tiger said excitedly and innocently – my name is Rory.

However, the little white rabbit, Samy, was too scared to realize the innocence of the little tiger. His father had always made clear the danger these predators represented.

-Please do not hurt me. I promise you I’ll leave and I won’t touch your
berries. Anyway, I am very skinny and small for you, it would not be helpful to eat me. – Samy said with a trembling voice.

-Eat you? Why would I eat you little friend? I just want to play.

Rory said, and seconds later he burst into laughter, amused by the strange accusation of the rabbit. But this only terrified Samy more, who already was crying of fear. It took Samy only a second more to decide to run for his life, he had no other choice. He was lucky that this tiger was not with
his parents or other friends, who might have already eaten him.

He started running fast, reminding himself that he was the first of his gym class and he could make it. In addition, he knew paths under the branches and between some plants which could make the tiger lose sight of him. The tiger, at a considerable distance, roared sadly at the rabbit. He didn’t understand why he was running away. He got tired of running, having lost the bunny from sight, and decided to go back for some more berries and then go home.

Samy ran and ran until he bumped into a hairy, chubby belly that was standing just outside the burrow.

–Samy, here you are! –Exclaimed his mother full of tears and holding him by the hands. She wiped the tears that were coming from the little rabbit’s eyes.

-I’m sorry, Mom. I promise you that I will not disobey you again. I’ve seen the real terror out there! Just for being distracted and not listening to you. -Samy said in tears and clinging to his mother’s belly.

-My beloved Samy, you’re fine now and that’s what matters. Let’s go with your dad who is very worried about you.

Then they walked together. Samy, still a little agitated by the long run and the fright of being almost eaten. Although, in reality, now that he thought of it without the shock of the moment, the tiger didn’t seem to be interested in eating him. In fact, he thought he heard the tiger a deep sad as he ran after him. But it was impossible, these animals have no feelings. They are hunters and their only purpose in the jungle is to eat defenseless bunnies like him.

On the other side of the jungle was Rory, crying heartbroken on the back of his mother. He didn’t understand why a possible friend had run away from him and even accused him of eating him. Unthinkable! If both were eating the same berries. So it was that his mother for the first time explained him the diet of other tigers consisting on other animals, such as rabbits.

Rory was terrified to hear that someone of the same species could do such think and also sad, because he understood how scared his possible little friend could’ve been. The rabbit that was alone in the jungle, far away from his parents, thinking that he was going to be eaten by a predator.

“Too bad the white rabbit did not know that we are vegetarians”.