11Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
A/N: Thanks, to my lovely beta jaqtkd who helped me greatly. I hope you all enjoy the story.
Seemingly
Merlin lay in the grass, staring up at the sky. A suspiciously complex cloud floated by that reminded him a dragon.
"Stay here, Merlin. Watch the horses, Merlin." Merlin muttered to himself as he rolled onto his side. The horses looked at him lazily as they gazed on grass. There were so many things right now that he could be doing, like learning spells to save Arthur's ungrateful backside. Though in reality, he probably would be cleaning out the stables. A cloud shifted in the sky, allowing the sun to envelop the clearing. Maybe, it wasn't so bad here, after all.
Merlin sat up and pulled his pack closer to himself. Pulling out an apple, he bit into it, munching noisily as juice ran down his chin. A strange sound came from the bushes near by and he paused, watching them warily. There was a rustle and he felt the magic grow in him, ready to protect himself. Merlin prepared himself as the sounds grew louder. The creature popped out of the bushes. It was a small furry bunny. Feeling rather ridiculous, Merlin calmed the magic within him.
"Well, hello there." Merlin said to the brown creature. It jumped forward, making small noises. Merlin held out the apple in his hand. The bunny hopped closer, sniffing the offering. It bounced toward Merlin's bag. It seemed intrigued by the smell. Merlin shifted slightly, taking a closer look at the contents of his bag.
He laughed. There were several chicken drum sticks in there. "You don't want that." At the sound of Merlin's voice, the bunny started and bounded back to the safety of the bushes. "Come back." Merlin called but it just jumped faster toward the edge of the clearing. Merlin turned back to his apple and listened to the bird song.
This time when he heard rustling from the bushes, it didn't startle him. The bunny jumped back out into the clearing with several others following him. "I see you bought some friends. I don't think I have enough food for you all." He commented as they continued in his direction. Merlin held the apple out again. It looked like his snack was forfeit. The animals ignored the apple and hopped closer to his pack. Merlin frowned and reached for the bag.
"You can't have that." A small grey bunny opened its mouth and bared its teeth. Merlin yelped and fell back onto his backside. Several others took the example of its companion and bared their fangs as well. Jumping up, Merlin scrambled toward the horses. Arthur's brown mount whinnied nervously. The bunnies no longer seemed interested in his bag and they turned their attention on him instead. One tentatively hopped toward him.
"Stay back." Merlin warned the furry creature with sharp teeth. They simply ignored him and bounded closer to him and the horses. His horse whinnied and shied away from the danger. In a sudden burst of speed, both horses fled the clearing causing Merlin to swear. Distracted by the horses escape, Merlin forget the impending attack. One bunny leaped at his legs but fortunately, his magic reacted and it was sent flying. Ordinarily, the creature would have been injured from such an assault. This was no ordinary bunny. He didn't know why he didn't notice it before but the little creatures radiated magic.
The bunny bared his teeth again. Rather then fighting the magical animals, he followed the horses example and fled the area.
Arthur focused his bow on the deer. Nearly having the bow aligned, he smiled in anticipation. He had made the right decision, leaving Merlin with the horses. His servant's babbling would have scared all living things away for miles around. A crashing sound startled the deer causing it to rush away into the forest. Arthur growled in frustration and turned on his servant.
"I asked you to do one thing, Merlin." Arthur yelled at Merlin. "One thing." Merlin placed his hands on his legs, trying to catch his breath. Arthur frowned, his initial emotions faded away as concern started to take over. "For goodness sake, Merlin, what is it?"
Still gasping, Merlin replied, "Bunnies...teeth...horses." He made exaggerated motions with his hands as he tried to explain.
Arthur's scowl deepened, "What are you prattling on about?"
"Well, you see, there were these bunnies..." Arthur raised an eyebrow as Merlin trailed off looking rather sheepish. Something dawned on Arthur and he focused his servant.
"Where are the horses?" Merlin expression turned from sheepish to more than slightly nervous. "Why is it always the horses with you?" Arthur stalked toward Merlin, shoving his crossbow into his arms before marching through the forest with his manservant trailing behind him. Several minutes of silence past as they walked through the woods. Upon entering the clearing, Arthur found the horses nibbling on grass as peaceful as can be.
He turned to Merlin his expression demanding an explanation. Merlin spluttered, confused.
"Well," Arthur asked. "You'd better have a good explanation." Merlin's mouth opened but nothing came out. Arthur waited expectantly. He really wanted to know what he caused Merlin to come flying out of the bushes like there was griffin on his tail. Before, Merlin's mouth could form words, a small black bunny jumped out of the foliage.
Merlin cried out in dismay. Arthur looked at his apparently insane servant as he approached the tiny animal.
"Stay away from it!" Merlin exclaimed. Arthur turned and gazed at his rather unnerved servant, giving him a strange look.
"Have you hit your head?" He queried It would certainly explain a lot of things.
It was Merlin's turn to frown. "No."
"What is your problem, then, Merlin?" Arthur asked as he picked up the critter. Merlin gasped as he bunny nuzzled it's head against Arthur's hand. He walked over the knapsack and shuffled through it, pulling out a carrot. All the while, Merlin was staring at him with wide eyes. Setting the happy bunny loose, it hopped across the field and out of sight. Then, Arthur turned to his servant.
"Merlin? Did you feel hungry by any chance?"
"Ah, no Sire?"
"Then where, exactly, is my lunch?"