In retrospect, Elias had come to realize, it had been a ridiculous notion. It could take one person five years to walk around a planet, and that was with help and support from the locals one met along the way, as well as an actual map of the terrain. True, Batty Buddy had managed to produce a detailed-yet-compact map of the planet sometime about two months into their epic journey, which had served them well for quite some time, but a random encounter with a group of roaming zombie lantern ghosts some months later had reduced it to a pile of partially-radioactive ashes which none of the group had quite wanted to touch. They had intrepidly trudged on, taking their directions from what Kovu vaguely remembered of astronomy, and such practicals as moss on trees, but one way or another it had taken them almost five and a half years to reach the Great White North on foot. Elias groaned and rubbed the long red scar on his left leg. Why did he also seem to receive so many scars in battle? It was like they were drawn to him, some sort of mysterious scariferous aether that surrounded the entire planet and yet attached parts of itself to his body whenever it got the chance. This one had been earned while cutting firewood sometime during the third year of the journey, which had almost counted as battle, due to the vigorous independence of the trees in question.
He looked around at his still-sleeping companions in their fur-lined sleeping bags, shining in the intense blaze of the early morning sun. They were so far north that the sun was their almost constant companion. He had been the first to rise, and while the others lay alone with their own dreams he stared fixedly into the barren white wasteland ahead. They had reached the Great White North; where was their quarry? Was the lop-eared moderator/bartender they had set out to rescue so unthinkingly and heroically five and a half years ago still here? Had she found a way to escape back into civilization? Or, for that matter, was she even still alive? They had no way of knowing. Batty’s “Ducky Detect-O-Mat” had worked perfectly well until it was discovered that it was actually only leading them to a rubber ducky, which had happened to be the object of adoration by an entire mysterious underground cult anyway. Had they really achieved anything by getting here?
Blacksheep had been the first to express a desire to give up and go home, which had come as no surprise, given her traitorous past. Since, though, they had all suggested that the group give up and turn around at least once, some more than others; all except Kovu, who had stuck resolutely to the quest, unwavering, year after year. She’s something special to him, Elias had realized years ago, someone he knows, someone he trusts. These words triggered another memory in him, and Elias found his mind filled with the image of a laughing young yellow rabbit, full of the energy of life and excitement, as she wiped off a still-steaming blaster. Lori Jackrabbit. Where was she now? Did she even remember him after all this time? Or had she given up waiting years ago and settled down, maybe with that other blue rabbit, what was his name, John or something.
A brief instant of what-looked-like-movement caught Elias’ attention, and he concentrated, turning his eyes into the sharp cattish orbs of a jaguar, staring into the whiteness. By now, with long hours of training between hikes or in the nighttime, he had learnt to control his transformations; to alter some parts of his body but not others, or even to achieve a strange mutated half-rabbit-half-jaguar state. Now, though, all he needed was the jaguar’s keen eyesight. He squinted. Nothing. Nothing but white. Perhaps it had only been his imagination…
“Imagination?”
Elias groaned once more, but did not turn his gaze from the colorless expanse. “Yes, my imagination. As I’m sure you know full well, it can be quite powerful… some might even say, magical.”
“Then perhaps you should get it looked at? I’m sure your traveling companions would be delighted to know that their resident magic-user has such a nasty, vicious, perverted imagination lurking inside of him… or his medallion, if you’d rather.”
“Kovu knows about you,” responded Elias grimly. “So does BBoy, I think, though it’s hard to tell what he can really remember. Batty Buddy would probably find it exciting if he found out, but he doesn’t need to.”
“And Blacksheep? Ah, there’s a woman. You know, if I had any imagination of my own, she would be in it like that.”
“She doesn’t know. And she’s not going to, either. You’ve been with us the whole journey; you know she can’t be trusted, not really… she’s always a little quiet, or a little reserved, or a little not part of the group. Remember it’s her fault we’re here in the first place.”
“Of course, of course. She’s untrustable, a turncoat, the third character archetype, and hot as hell… and I know exactly how hot that is, by the way! Before you reincarnated…”
“Is there a purpose to this visit, Darkel?” Elias finally turned around to face the other half of the conversation. Standing between the sleeping bags of Batty Buddy and BBoy was a rabbit formed entirely of snow, gleaming in the sun and yet still dark, although not from any physical darkness. There was a red glow about his chest, matching the spot where Elias’ sapphire jaguar medallion hung, but otherwise the snow rabbit was entirely featureless. It shrugged, the flakes of snow rearranging themselves instantly.
“You used the medallion, nobody was around, I was bored, perfect combination. As you’re well aware, it’s not like I have anything else to do these days, just sit around in your stupid little medallion and wait for the few chances I have to come out. It’s a miserable existence… I wish I knew why I even bothered to reincarnate with you.”
“So do I.”
“Let me out.” It was not a command, almost a plea, as if the snow rabbit had asked this many times before and expected no compliance, but felt compelled to ask once more anyway. “Let me out, Jazzy. I’m tired. I don’t even have the strength to be evil anymore. It’s been too long. Let me out.”
“No.”
The snow rabbit grimaced. “There’s a twist. You know, once upon a time, I was the cold, heartless one, and you were all kind and full of life. What got into you?”
“You did.”
“Yes.” There was a brief moment of silence, and then it continued. “Your friends are beginning to stir. I guess that’s my cue to leave, so you don’t have to stop using your powers and banish me that way. Good morning, Elias.”
“Good morning, Dark Elias.” Irritation, the only emotion he had allowed himself to show.
The red glow from the snow rabbit’s chest transferred itself into the sapphire medallion, and the snow fell harmlessly to the ground. As BBoy raised his head groggily to complain about the snow’s impact upon his head, Elias shifted his eyes back to rabbit form and looked into the distance one final time. Are you out there, Ducky?