Fluffy the Monster Slayer
By James E. Henderson
Fluffy the bunny rabbit was well aware that she was the cutest little bunny rabbit ever. Others were aware of it, too. They treated fluffy like a princess. Sam the stoat could also see that this little bunny was exceptional. Having fed recently, Sam was in a good mood and decided to have some fun with her. "Fluffy," he called from behind some bushes. Fluffy sat up and looked around but saw nobody. The soft call was repeated. "Who's there? Who is calling my name?" "My name is Sam," the stoat said, pleased that he had guessed the little rabbit's name. Fluffy was currently a very popular name. "You are the Monster Slayer. I have been sent to train you to slay monsters." "Monsters? What monsters? How would I slay a monster?" "You are special. You can slay and you can survive. You only need to learn a few techniques, a few tricks. Tricks and techniques no rabbit can teach you." "No rabbit ... ? If you're not a rabbit, what are you?" "I am a stoat, a weasel. In winter, when my coat turns white, I am an ermine. I am a skilled fighter. I can teach you my skills." Fluffy recoiled, moving farther away from the bushes. "Who sent you," she asked. "The Council of Watchers. They meet in a land far away, stoats and rabbits together with other animals. They knew that a new Slayer had come into the world. Each Slayer must have a Watcher to train them as the Council directs. "As your Watcher, I will teach you about cats and dogs and humans and other monsters that are our common enemies." A bit of flattery, a bit of mystery and an authority figure. Surely this tidbit would buy into it! "I've never heard of any Watchers or any Council." "The Council is a small group, very secret, who have been leading the fight against monsters for centuries. They appoint and train the Watchers." "But you're a stoat. You are fierce and terrible. How can I trust you? How can you teach me?" "I will explain what to do. I will show you how to do it. You need not come near me. I will watch you practice and explain what you are doing wrong and how to correct it." Sam moved out to where Fluffy could see him while staying at a distance that was comfortable for her and they began to practice. Sam taught Fluffy how to use her head, shoulders and feet, how to distract an opponent by screaming, how to be aggressive and take the initiative and how to avoid traps and tricks. Much of it he invented on the spot, just as he had invented the Council of Watchers. Fluffy was an excellent student and learned quickly, much to Sam's surprise. After several hours they stopped for the day and arranged to meet on the following day. After three days of training, Fluffy entered a garden. The carrots had started to sprout and Fluffy loved the small carrots. It was early morning, long before the humans normally emerged from their nests, but a human carrying a hoe ran, yelling, into the garden towards Fluffy. As the human got near, Fluffy charged, nipped his ankle and ran between his legs. The human turned to face Fluffy. She darted around him in the same direction, causing him to spin around several times. When he faltered, staggering dizzily, she ran up and climbed his leg under his pants. She bit and scratched as she climbed up to the back of his knee, where she bit as hard and deeply as she could. This brought a flow of blood. The human jumped and screamed, lost his balance, fell and was still. Fluffy discovered that she liked the taste of the human's blood but the flow soon stopped. Emerging from the pant leg, Fluffy cautiously inspected the human. She found that he had fallen on a large rock that had crushed his head. "Congratulations, Fluffy," Sam said. "You have slain your first monster without getting yourself hurt." "When I bit him I tasted his blood. Sam, I liked its flavor. I want more." Sam pondered for a moment. He said, "It is rare that a bunny likes the taste of blood. The taste varies for different monsters. Blood does not taste the same as flesh. You should avoid consuming flesh, at least for now. "You should sample blood from various monsters. This monster was an adult male. Females will not taste the same. Nor will babies and juveniles. You will have plenty of opportunity to try them all." "But is it safe to drink their blood, Sam?" "It should do you no harm. But it is a good idea to be safe. You have started with a pretty small amount. If you have no problems today and tomorrow, try a larger amount. But not much more until you are sure how much you can take." Two days passed with no problems. Fluffy was returning home after practice when she heard screams from in front of her. She burst through the bushes to a small open space where a large tomcat had just snatched one of five young bunnies emerging from their nest with their mother. Without slowing, Fluffy crashed into the cat. She hit his head with her shoulder and caused him to drop his small victim. Planting both front feet firmly, Fluffy kicked his head as hard as she could with both of her powerful hind legs. The cat was dazed. Fluffy turned and bit at the cat's neck By luck she cut the carotid artery almost in two. Moments later the cat collapsed and Fluffy began drinking its blood. Though the pulsing flow of blood didn't last long, Fluffy consumed much more cat blood than she had human blood previously. Fluffy turned from her kill to find the mother bunny, Mopsy, staring at her, her babies hiding behind her. "That's disgusting," Mopsy said. "And a bunny attacking and killing a cat is ... is ... unnatural." "Is your baby all right, Mopsy?" "She's hurt. I don't know how badly. Thank you for saving her life." "The cat won't kill again, Mopsy. He is the second monster I have killed. I am special, a monster slayer." "It's unnatural. Good day." Mopsy led her brood back into their nest. All of them seemed anxious to get away from Fluffy. Sam's voice came from behind her as soon as the bunnies had all vanished: "I'll dispose of the cat's body for you. You did very well." "Why were they afraid of me? Mopsy was my friend yesterday. Now she ... I don't know ..." "Mopsy is confused. You look like a bunny but you act like a fighter. Now she doesn't know whether you are still her old friend. She will need some time to figure it out." "I used to have so many friends. Admirers. I was popular. Others have seen me practicing with you. Now they avoid me. I feel so alone." "Being a Slayer is a lonely life, Fluffy. You saved your friend's daughter from certain death. She will be grateful when she has had time to think about it. But you will probably never have close friends again." "Can I stop being a slayer? Can I go back to what I was?" "Probably not. You now have a taste for fighting and the thrill of defeating an opponent bigger than you. Stronger than you. You have tasted danger and the thrill of overcoming it. You can't be ordinary any more." That he was laying it on so thickly didn't seem to bother the bewildered bunny in her depression. Was that look in her eyes admiration? "You won your first battles by surprise. You must win your next battle by guile. You must sneak into the human nest and kill again, by night, as they are sleeping. Are you ready for that?" "But how will I get in?" "You will use the little door the cat uses. Used. They won't block it until they are sure the cat won't come back. Rest for a couple of hours, then sneak down to their nest and go inside. Try to kill the easiest one, the baby." Fluffy returned to her nest and slept until midnight. Then she slipped out and headed carefully down the hill to the human nest. She got into the back yard through a hole the cat had made under the fence. She was able to pass easily through the little door to the kitchen. The kitchen door was open. Fluffy went through it into an area between rooms. A strong smell of humans came from upstairs, so Fluffy climbed the stairs. The first room she checked had a big bed. From the snoring sounds it contained two adults. The next room had a bunk bed. Hopping up on a chair, Fluffy saw that the lower bed held the smaller of two juvenile girls Fluffy knew lived in the nest. She assumed that the upper bed contained the larger juvenile. The third room Fluffy checked contained a small bed. It was taller than the large beds and had a fence around it and a low wall inside the fence. The spaces between the slats of the fence were large enough to let her pass, but Fluffy had to get up high enough to get over the cloth fence. She hopped to a chair, then to a dresser near the little bed, then made a leap that carried her between the slats and over the wall. Her arrival didn't disturb the baby's sleep. Fluffy, frightened at what she was doing, waited for a long time before moving to the baby's neck. Finding where the baby's pulse moved in her neck, Fluffy nipped it. The baby made a soft sound and then, to Fluffy's horror, rested her arm on top of Fluffy. But the baby continued sleeping and Fluffy started licking the flow of blood. An adult female appeared at the door. Fluffy froze, not even blinking her eyes. -o0O0o- Ellen thought she had heard a noise from the baby's room. It was two in the morning -- the baby had been sleeping through the night but might be dreaming. She clicked on the lamp on the dresser. Seeing that the baby appeared to be sound asleep, a doll clutched to her breast, she clicked the lamp off again, then headed for the bathroom. "Strange," she thought, "I don't remember that bunny rabbit doll. It's cute. I'll have to ask Nancy where she got it." Doubly satisfied, she returned to bed. -o0O0o- The human must have seen her! Fluffy remained frozen until quiet returned to the house, her own little heart beating rapidly. In a few minutes she returned to consuming the rich blood that pumped from the small neck. The flow gradually ceased. Satisfied, Fluffy jumped from the small bed, retraced her path and left the house. Safe and free after her previous fear, Fluffy felt exhilarated. She had slain another monster, this time by stealth! No bunny had ever performed such marvelous feats before. The blood she had eaten combined with her relief to give her a feeling of power. Yes! It really was her destiny to slay monsters! Fluffy jumped for the joy of living, bouncing along a ragged path towards the hill and her nest. Her wild celebration attracted the attention of a nearby owl that decided to make a meal of the intoxicated rabbit. Fluffy sensed the bird and leaped, joyfully, as high as her now mighty legs would take her, up over the path of the owl, who had expected no such maneuver. Trying to stop, to climb up after her prey, the owl stalled. Fluffy landed on top of the motionless bird. With another mighty kick, she drove it into a bush. She screamed her exultation. The owl was unable to extract itself from the bush for a minute. Once free, it took flight. It could find no sign of the strange rabbit it had encountered. Fluffy had raced up the hill as rapidly as she was able. It was not fear that made her run so rapidly. She felt more alive than she had ever felt before, mighty above all rabbits, owls, cats and humans. Fluffy was drunk on power and the blood of her enemies. Reaction set in when she reached her nest. Worn out, she quickly and easily slipped into a restful sleep. Fluffy awoke refreshed. The feeling of power was still with her as she left her nest to greet the day. She hadn't gone far when a medium-sized, dark-colored dog rushed at her. Spinning, she planted her front feet and kicked the dog in the jaw with her powerful hind feet, then jumped to a new position behind a small bush. The dog rushed again and Fluffy repeated her actions. Now the confused dog hesitated and approached more slowly. Fluffy ran away, taking a brushy path the dog would find difficult to follow. This familiar behavior prompted the dog to give chase again, earning it another kick in the jaw. The dog whimpered but attacked again, this time guessing where Fluffy would land. She didn't have time to set her front feet or to jump. Suddenly the dog was on its side, Sam's weight pinning it to the ground, Sam's feet on its face. One set of Sam's nails dug into one eye, puncturing it. "Go for the neck, Fluffy, quickly," said Sam, fighting to hold the strugling dog in position. Fluffy darted in and nipped at the pulsing artery, opening it to spray blood over the three fighters. She paused briefly to taste the flowing red liquid. The dog broke free and rushed off. With a scream, Fluffy gave chase. Through the brush and down the hill the dog rushed with Fluffy, screaming excitedly, in hot pursuit. Sam followed to watch from concealment. The dog rushed toward a juvenile human male waiting at the bottom of the hill, collapsing several yards short of reaching him. Fluffy paused to see what would happen. -o0O0o- Johnny had heard rabbits scream when Buster caught one, but never like this. This scream sounded defiant. Then Buster came over the top of the hill with a rabbit chasing him. Buster collapsed just yards from Johnny. The dog lay still, its chest covered with blood, one eye a ragged hole. Cradling the dead dog in his arms, Johnny looked back up the hill. The rabbit had stopped and was watching him. Johnny felt terror he had never felt before. Gathering up his pet, he stumbled home as quickly as he could. -o0O0o- "Are you hurt, Fluffy?" "No, Sam, but the monster almost got me before you stopped him. Thank you. I owe you my life." Sam was well aware of that. Starting to tire of the game, he would likely have killed her himself if he hadn't consumed Mopsy and her brood earlier. Grinning, he replied, "It is part of my duty. If I allowed the Monster Slayer to be slain, I would be shamed before the Council. I hope I left no marks on the dog. I don't want the humans to know I was involved." "Why not, Sam?" "Humans will hunt you and all other rabbits when they become aware of what you have done. There are many rabbits here. I am the only Stoat. You can escape being hunted to death more easily than I can. "You may have a chance to make one more kill, then we must move far away from here. Once more you have triumphed." "More than you know, Sam. Last night, after slaying the infant, I defeated an owl who attacked me." Fluffy gave Sam the details of her expedition and the encounter that followed. "Now you have sampled the blood of several different monsters. Which did you like best?" "The infant human. Its blood was sweet and delicate. Three monsters were adult males and their blood was stronger and more earthy. The cat was best. The dog's blood was disagreeable." "Tonight, if you like, you can sample the blood of the younger juvenile human female. Be careful not to drink too much. She will have much more blood than the infant, more than you can handle. "I think a light practice session is in order, so you are not tired when and if you go." They continued to discuss many things during the practice. Fluffy retired early in preparation for her coming foray into the human nest. Entering the human nest was as easy as it had been the first time. Fluffy went directly to the room belonging to the two juveniles. She easily hopped up onto the lower bed. The younger juvenile seemed to be sleeping soundly. Fluffy watched for a while to locate the pulse point on the neck. Then she moved in and bit, starting the flow of blood. The girl moved, placing her arm over Fluffy as the baby had done the previous night, then returned to sleep. Fluffy started to feed. The same adult that had frightened Fluffy the previous night came in, looked over the sleeping figures, then left. As before, Fluffy was too frightened to move until the adult left. The blood continued to flow even after Fluffy was satisfied. Fluffy remembered Sam's warning but the blood was so rich and tasty that she continued to feed. She stopped only when she became uncomfortable. When she jumped off the bed she felt sick. She was unable to move for several long minutes. Her head swam. She was unable to hop down the stairs. She climbed down step by step. The cat door gave her no problem. It was hard to force her swollen body through the hole under the fence. She made her way very slowly up the hill towards her nest. -o0O0o- "Mommy, I'm bleeding." "Mommy, Aunt Ellen, Janet's neck is bleeding in little squirts," her older sister repeated much louder. Climbing down from her upper bunk, she ran into her mother's room, continuing to yell out her message as she went. "Susie, please get a clean hand towel out of the bathroom," her mother said. She pressed a corner of the sheet over the wound until her daughter brought the towel. "Ellen, please get on the phone and call for an ambulance. Then call the number they gave us to report that the rat has attacked again." Ellen headed for the door, then stopped and turned to face her sister. "Oh God, Nancy, it wasn't a rat. It was a bunny rabbit. It was the cutest little bunny. Oh God, oh God, oh God. It was so cute I thought it was a doll. I was going to ask you where you got it. It was in the baby's bed last night. She had her arm around it, just the way Janet did tonight. I saw it both times. Oh God." She rushed out of the room before her sister could react. Nancy continued kneeling by the bed, pressing the towel to her daughter's neck, tears flowing silently down her cheeks. Susie, shocked, just stood silently. Ellen returned after what seemed a very long time. "They'll be here in a moment. All of them: ambulance, police, hunters, the medical examiner. Susie, please go downstairs and let them in when they arrive. I'm sorry. I'm terribly sorry." Susie said, "Police and hunters? Why?" "They didn't believe me about it being a rabbit. If it is a rabbit, they want to examine it. Rat or rabbit, they want to stop it from killing again." "Mommy, Johnnie said a rabbit killed his dog, Buster. He said the rabbit chased Buster down the hill, screaming as it ran. Then it just sat there watching. Johnnie used to let Buster chase rabbits all the time. He wasn't supposed to but he did. Maybe it was the same rabbit." "But how would a rabbit get inside the house?" "It probably came in through Toby's cat door. Toby has been gone since before MaryAnne died. Maybe the bunny killed Toby. Toby was always digging holes under the fence to get out. Daddy kept filling in the holes with rocks, but I'll bet there is a new hole under the fence." The little girl left the room. "Ellen, when all of this is over with, I want to pack up and leave. I don't want to spend another night in this house." "But ... but where will we go?" "Anywhere. I don't care. I'll sell the house and get an apartment somewhere. Some place that doesn't have rabbits. We can stay in a hotel at first, while I make the arrangements." -o0O0o- Fluffy felt worse and worse as she climbed the hill. Sam had warned her. She shouldn't have continued drinking. Now she wanted to find Sam. Sam would know what to do. Sam would help her. "Hello, Fluffy." Sam's voice surprised her. A feeling of relief flooded her. She relaxed, a fatal mistake. The solidifying blood from her stomach was released. It flooded her throat, mouth and nose. She tried to take a breath but only managed to force the thick liquid into her lungs. She felt panic, then darkness closed in. Sam watched in amazement as the little bunny convulsed several times, then lay still, blood flowing from her mouth, nose and eyes. He had been ready to end his little game but now it was finished for him. It was time to leave this area, to find a new place to hunt. He dragged the still form to a quiet, secluded spot and had a leisurely breakfast before setting out. Soon nothing remained but a few fragments of larger bones, a patch of skin with soft fluffy brown fur, and a pile of scat steaming in the cool morning air.
©April 27, 2000, revised April 27, 2002
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