2025 Winter Holiday Prompt
Snowbunnies (1) : Winter seems to bring out the cutest of all rodents; this isn’t the first time that small, white rabbits have infested Destiny City. They’re small, rarely larger than a guinea pig, and have large eyes and wiggling noses. They are always pure white and seem to show up whenever there’s snow. They aren't menacing or evil, they're just everywhere. They seem strangely domesticated; they are sweet, curious, and friendly creatures that will eat anything you give them. They always seem cold to the touch, and when they shake, little snowflakes sprinkle off of them.
While they seem to be social creatures who seem to appreciate anything warm and will cuddle up to steal body heat, they are too skittish and fast to be kept for pets. They can show up just about anywhere, either alone or--often--in pairs. They tend to wander off on their own without any trouble, but if you surprise them or try to catch or hurt them, they may bite. Their little teeth are enough to break skin, but after one bite they run away. The bite itself isn’t bad, but the effects are a bit unpleasant: for roughly two days after the bite, the injury is cold and the victim will feel random, cold, shooting pains. Their core body temperature will drop and they will often be sent into random fits of shivering. No medicine seems to help, and no amount of blankets or hot baths can soothe the chill. You're just going to have to deal with it and hope it gets better…
Most experiences with the bunnies are perfectly pleasant, you just have to worry about them burrowing. There are holes peppering Destiny City, and with the fresh fallen snow it can be impossible to tell where they are hiding. The holes range from small holes to several feet deep, so can be a minor inconvenience to a potential hazard. On the bright side, sometimes you wind up covered in bunnies looking for warmth from their sudden guest. On the other hand, there are a rising number of trips to the hospital for twists and sprains. The bunnies always leave with the snow, so best to enjoy them--or avoid them--for as long as you can.
While they seem to be social creatures who seem to appreciate anything warm and will cuddle up to steal body heat, they are too skittish and fast to be kept for pets. They can show up just about anywhere, either alone or--often--in pairs. They tend to wander off on their own without any trouble, but if you surprise them or try to catch or hurt them, they may bite. Their little teeth are enough to break skin, but after one bite they run away. The bite itself isn’t bad, but the effects are a bit unpleasant: for roughly two days after the bite, the injury is cold and the victim will feel random, cold, shooting pains. Their core body temperature will drop and they will often be sent into random fits of shivering. No medicine seems to help, and no amount of blankets or hot baths can soothe the chill. You're just going to have to deal with it and hope it gets better…
Most experiences with the bunnies are perfectly pleasant, you just have to worry about them burrowing. There are holes peppering Destiny City, and with the fresh fallen snow it can be impossible to tell where they are hiding. The holes range from small holes to several feet deep, so can be a minor inconvenience to a potential hazard. On the bright side, sometimes you wind up covered in bunnies looking for warmth from their sudden guest. On the other hand, there are a rising number of trips to the hospital for twists and sprains. The bunnies always leave with the snow, so best to enjoy them--or avoid them--for as long as you can.
Kissling was patrolling one day when he stepped onto what he thought was solid ground covered in snow - only to land in a pit of snow several feet deep. White lumps of what looked like living snow started to hop around wildly about him, startling him, until his wide, pink eyes managed to pick one lump apart from its surroundings and he realized the hopping lumps were each a snow rabbit. It seemed he had stepped on a weak point in the snow above their burrows and caused the whole area to collapse, taking him down with it and causing the little rabbits to go scampering about in the chaos.
"Sorry, little guys," he apologized, trying to sit up, only to feel a sharp pain in his leg. As he glanced over, it seemed he had twisted his ankle due to the fall.
As he tried to get into a proper sitting position as gingerly as he could to study the injury, the white rabbits began to gather and snuggle up against him, piling on top of one another around him like they were living snow drifts themselves. Despite his pain, Kissling giggled at the sight and momentarily forgot about his ankle. It took him a second to realize what was attracting them to him - they were cuddling up to him for his warmth because they themselves were cold to the touch, even shedding snowflakes whenever they shook.
"Heeey, I bet I need that warmth more than you do," he told the bunnies with a laugh before getting an idea. "I guess I owe you for destroying your homes, though. Let's see what I can do."
When he had been homeless, he recalled having built little igloo-like homes out of the snow because the snow was insulating and actually kept him warm inside. It was how he believed he managed to get through some particularly bad winter weather without real shelter. If he recreated an igloo big enough to house all the little snow rabbits whom he had displaced by destroying their burrows on accident, then he could keep both himself and them warm for a while. He wasn't sure if they could keep each other warm, but if the igloo kept him warm and he kept the rabbits warm, then everybody could be happy.
With that in mind, Kissling started to get to work. He grabbed as much snow as he could, working with armfuls at a time and packing them into walls in order to create a circular area around him and the rabbits. He kept building up the walls, grateful for the arm gloves he had in his senshi form even if they were pretty thin. At least they were something.
Eventually he had managed to pack it in thick and tight enough to create something of a ceiling overhead and managed to reduce the opening of the makeshift igloo to a small little tunnel for him and the rabbits to get in and out through. Once that was finished, he hunkered down in the little hideout for a little while in order to take a short nap with the rabbits, cold, but at least not so cold to the point it was uncomfortable. Hopefully that would have been enough to make it up to them for what he'd done, especially because when he left, he kept the little home intact for the rabbits to stay in.
