Bree stared at her 'mother' and her mom's little boy toy on the other side of the fence. This area of the meadow was secluded from the rest of the clan since there was nothing over here and there had been false rumors spread about a hawk shifter that had been sighted here. This was why Bree had been hidden here. After all, it was against the clan rules to sell off females without a good reason. At least not wanting competition wasn't considered a valid reason, yet.
"Have you been keeping a proper eye on her and making sure no one comes this way?" said Beth. She had no problem talking in front of Bree about her plan because Bree wouldn't be able to properly talk until after she had her first shift. By the time she would be able to talk, she would be shortly sold off. There was no harm in saying what she pleased in front of the girl. Besides, it was quite thrilling to watch the horrified expressions play out on the little girl's face.
Bree glared up at this so-called mother of hers with as much displeasure as she could muster and tried to growl at her.
Beth looked over at the little long-eared, caramel and white, gray-eyed bunny squeaking at her and smirked. She stopped what she was saying and turned her attention to Bree. Bending o
down towards her, she continued talking, "You're indebted to me because I birthed you and fed you. Now it's time to pay me back for all my trouble. It's just a little thing, all you have to do is be sold off. I've recently heard that a warrior clan on the other side of the hills is looking to purchase a few breedable females for their village." Beth shivers thinking about the huge and terrifying warrior shifters. "I certainly wouldn't want to go there, those types of males are terrifying. But someone has to do it, so it might as well be you." She whispers conspiratorially as if they're sharing a secret. "I hear that they even have some large cat-type shifters."
Bree looks at her with big blinking gray eyes. [Oh cats, I love cats. I bet they're super cute right after hatching! Their tiny little paws, cute kitty ears, and little tails. Wait...I'm a bunny right now. That doesn't seem like a good idea at all!] Bree bounces back in fear and stumbles over her back feet, plopping hard on her butt.
Beth looks down at Bree with a satisfied smile on her face and continues discussing her plans to sell Bree. Beth won't be going with them to sell Bree, she won't go anywhere near that barbaric and frightening clan. It may seem odd that she's so cruel to her daughter, but she hates real competition. She's far too competitive and territorial to allow any pretty female anywhere near her territory. She had enough pride in herself to feel that any daughter she birthed would be stunning, which was not something she was prepared to deal with. Younger beautiful females in her territory just wouldn't do.
Bree was the second female bunny shifter she had birthed and the second one she would sell. Her first daughter had looked like a miniature of herself. Beth had almost killed it for daring to copy her beauty. In the end, she'd decided to sell it far away where she would never have to be compared to a younger version of herself. She wasn't ready to step down as the resident beauty and center of attention yet. Beth was indeed quite narcissistic.
Six weeks later, Bree is staring at the mud wall of the little hut she's staying in. If you can call it a hut, it's just a round mud dome of a room. Everything is made of dried mud and clay and the floor is covered in hay. She absentmindedly munched on a piece of hay while she internally panicked about her current situation. [Sold, I'm going to be sold! Like a piece of furniture or a fancy pet! I'm not an animal, okay!] She looks down and notices that she's furiously munching on hay in indignation. She spits it out of her mouth and sticks her nose up in the air. Just then, her stomach growls ferociously and she looks down at the hay again with a little bit of drool leaking out of the side of her lips. [Just a bit more won't hurt. It's not like I like it or anything.] She looks outside of the little hut to make sure that no one's looking and goes back to munching on her hay.
Over the weeks she'd been living there, she'd tried many ways to escape. She'd tried jumping over the fence, but it was built too tall. She'd tried digging under it, but it was buried underneath. She'd tried climbing on top of her hut and jumping out that way but only managed to hurt her foot. She'd tried yelling for help. In the end, she could just make delicate squeaking noises. She was frustrated by her situation.
Until one afternoon she overheard her mother and her resident guard/mother's boy toy, discussing how Bree's scent had changed and so she would be shifting on the first night of the next full moon. As the day before her journey came upon her, she felt that the only option left was to escape while she was being transported. She's not strong enough to live on her own, but if she can hide her identity as a bunny shifter, she may be able to blend in enough in a village so she can at least grow up safely. She would be stuck in her human-like appearance after her first shift until she learned how to control it.
That night came too soon. As the night came and the light of the full moon landed on Bree, she felt a horrible pain shoot through her body. It felt as if her body was being electrocuted and her bones were rapidly growing. The squeaking whimpers of a bunny abruptly switched into the pained screams of a little five-year-old girl. Shifters grow up quickly. By the time she was five, she would be a full-grown adult expected to start her own family.
This world was messed up, she didn't even have a boyfriend in her previous life. The idea of juggling more than one seems like more trouble than it's worth. Weren't men typically jealous and aggressive? She didn't know, it just seemed like they were, from what her friends said. They got excited when their boyfriend got jealous. That just seems like asking for trouble. Bree was conflicted though. After all, she was born a bunny shifter, so her options seemed limited. Seriously, why couldn't she have been reborn as a strong predator shifter?
Bree was filled with frustration and conflicting thoughts as pain racked her body throughout the night. She was left alone with only agony and grief to keep her company. By the time morning hit, she was covered in a layer of sweat and lightly panting in exhaustion. She had a bit of a fever and couldn't move even to lift her head.
Nevertheless, when the early light of morning came, she heard footsteps outside her hut.