I Got An Owie

A small white rabbit swung from Meriadoc's jaws as he trotted across the estuary. The creature's stark coat had been a dead give away against the estuary's brown winter landscape. It hadn't stood a chance; a short chase down an inlet and he'd bagged supper. Absently he wondered if the rabbit's coat was an omen of things to come. Yes it had been snowing lately, but the powder rarely lasted until noon and it certainly wasn't enough to demand a change in camouflage in rabbits. And yet this one had done it.

Meriadoc's head jerked up at Maeva's howl. That did not bode well. When your bold, independent daughter howls for you out of the blue you run like your tail is on fire because you know it's important. So that's what he did. He ran flat out in the direction her voice had emanated from.

Upon reaching her and noting the tears she was fighting, Meriadoc flung his rabbit down and moved in for a hug. "Hey, it's okay. What's-" The blood on her nape brought him to a screeching halt. "Ohh, I see. Win another fight, did we?" He had no idea how many fights she'd won or lost, but implying he thought she'd pulled off yet another victory might lift her spirits. "Why don't you tell me about it while I clean this up?" It was tempting to panic at the sight of one of his kids bleeding all over the place, but he'd been here before many times and he knew handling it calmly was the best course of action.