He didn't know how long he had been walking for, though it didn't tire him very seriously and did not matter. Still, Schwarz looked up at the sky and saw that it was nearly dusk. In that moment, the earth gave way beneath him and he fell for what felt like at least double what he could jump upwards. Tumbling into a dark and small tunnel, he just lay there bruised for a second.
Aerendyl jumped into the air, startled by a loud crash in another room in her burrow. Anxiety gripped her. She was not well equipped to deal with stressful situations, much less ones that weren't anticipated.
Swallowing and managing to push back her fear a little bit, she slowly crawled to the archway separating her from whatever had just collapsed into her home. "Maybe it's just a routine structural failure. Those happen, right?" she tried to tell herself.
Peering around the corner she saw another bun lying in the rubble of what used to be her ceiling. Feeling relieved that at least it wasn't a predator that had managed to access her burrow, she slowly edged forward.
"A-are you o-okay?" she stuttered, trying to sound brave.
Though he was still sore, Schwarz made an effort to turn to the source of the sound. A small bun stood shrouded in the darkness, though he could make out that they were quite round and small. He didn't think they could pose a threat to him at all.
"I'm fine thanks. Where am I?"
His eyes adjusted to the darkness a little, to view a stark pathway and very fluffy bun that didn't look to be older than a child. What had he gotten himself into?
"You just crashed down into my burrow. I knew I should have made the signs indicating the beginning of my property larger. I'm sorry."
She bounced up to him and helped him remove debris from his back.
"Would you like to lay down? You should probably get some rest. Would you like something to eat? I could get something..." she realized she was starting to ramble and abruptly stopped talking.
She stood by the archway, looking down at her paws and blushing.
Amazed, Schwarz gaped at the little bun for a second. Had he been hallucinating? While bunnies were not exactly ferocious, this particular one seemed intent on getting an award for 'the most demure bun'. However, he realised his manners once again and gave the small bun his largest smile. It was something that took a lot more energy than it should.
"Oh, how kind. Thank you, young friend. I will be fine but what is your name?"
He patted himself off lightly and sat onto his haunches, now realising how much he towered over the young bun.
"I'm Aerendyl. I've lived in this burrow for my entire life." She began to shake a little from fear from how much larger this new bun was than her. Sheepishly, she motioned towards a leaf-bed in the adjacent room. "I-if you want... you can lie down. I'll bring you some berries..."
Pausing for a moment and looking unsure of herself, she continued "What's your name? Are you from here?"
Testing his feet, he didn't feel awful physically but the sleep was starting to settle in his brain. Willing him to lie down for just a minute, until he would not want to wake up at all.
"I wouldn't want to steal your bed. I'm happy to just lie on the floor." he said with genuine embarrassment.
Though he was a little slow, Schwarz recognized the fear in the little bun's eyes and tried to make himself shorter. He wasn't sure how successful he was in this endevour but it made him feel like less of an intruder in the small bun's home. This was far from his initial idea about a trip to the Nymph forest.
"You can call me Schwarz, and I'm not from here, no. Have you heard of the white meadows?"
"I have... but only what my mom used to tell me when I was little. I mean, I'm still little, but I was littler then..."
Feeling a bit stupid she blurted out, "I'll get you those berries now!", and hurried into the kitchen area. Rummaging through the small hole in the wall that doubled as a pantry, she grabbed some small green berries. She paused for a while, as she wasn't exactly looking forward to returning to her new guest. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she bounced back into the bedroom.
"What are the white meadows really like?" she asked, as she placed the berries down in a bowl near Schwarz's front paws.
Schwarz had settled himself down on the floor propped against the tunnel wall while Aerendyl was getting berries. When she came back, he had already curled himself into a comfortable ball.
"It's nice, idyllic. I think a lot of bunnies would like to live there." He didn't enjoy talking about that place, and so he tapered off.
"Do you have family here?"
"Not anymore. My parents moved to the edge of the Chuddly Vale many years ago. I didn't because...", Aerendyl shook her head a few times.
"Nevermind that. The white meadows sound really nice. What made you want to leave them to come here? They sound really peaceful..."
Realizing that she might be prying, she quickly added "Not that it's any of my business! I don't mean to meddle!"
"Ah, well just nothing to keep me there I guess." Schwarz said with a dismissive tone.
A moment of awkward silence and he shuffled around on the spot, staring at the berries.
"On the other hand, what's keeping you here?" he deflected the attention from himself to her.
"I.. oh!... ha... Um... I just didn't think my life would be any better on the outskirts. Everything I've ever known is here, so why leave?"
The awkwardness was crushing Aerendyl like a two ton weight.
"Feel free to stay rest here if you need to... can I help you with anything else?"
Schwarz only nodded in reply. He didn't really understand that mentality, but what did he know?
"No, don't worry about me. Thanks for your hospitality." he said as politely as he could. The sleep was weighing heavily on him now and he probably wouldn't stay awake for very much longer.
The berries lay untouched as he quickly dozed off, still curled up in a ball on the floor.
Surprised by how quickly he fell asleep, Aerendyl went and fetched a blanket made out of hay. She laid it over the much larger bun. She grabbed her small basket and set out for the local market to buy some food of a bit more substance. When Schwarz awoke, he'd surely be hungy. Small berries wouldn't be enough for him.
Two hours later Aerendyl returned home to the burrow. She went to the kitchen to cut up the carrots and lettuce she had bought at the market. Placing them on a plate, she set the food next to the larger bun.
Peeking an eye open, Schwarz glanced at the silhouette of the small bun leaving the food beside him. He sniffed the plate quietly while the silhouette left for another room. She was likely busy, as he heard sounds of shuffling and working paws. He contemplated eating the food, though he knew it would just mean less for her.
The light draped down through the burrow entrance, willing him to resume his morbid trek to the forest. It seemed to beckon, question why he even bothered to stay with this kind bun over the night at all. Perhaps he was still weak and sentimental, thinking about what family life had been like. It was joyful, good, and it was certainly not about scraping handouts from unassuming strangers. He took the last small precious stone out of a necklace pouch he had brought from home, and placed it next to the uneaten dish. It would be an appropriate thank you, from his old family to this young bun.
He crawled up the burrow exit, feeling sorrow but also not daring to look back.
Aerendyl had just finished clearing out the rest of the debris from the collapse site when she heard a noise coming from the entrance to the burrow. Fearing a possible intrusion, she called out to Schwarz. After not hearing from him despite several attempts, she hopped over to the bedroom where he had been resting.
He was gone. The food appeared to be untouched as well. She realized the noise she heard at the front of the burrow must have been him leaving. As she was picking up the food-filled bowl, she noticed a small, azure stone on the ground that was originally concealed behind the kitchenware.
She picked up it up in her small paws and inspected it. The stone was beautiful. He must have really appreciated her kindness and hospitality, and this was his way of thanking her. He certainly didn't need to give her such a wonderful gift, though. Aerendyl had a habit of giving with no expectation of receiving. Still, she thought about Schwarz and wished him well, wherever he may end up.