Easter Island Egg Hunt

Commission for Noel and Zeelo. They, as well as Calex go to Easter Island to go on an egg hunt. No not that Easter Island, the other one.

 

Easter Island Egg Hunt

By CalexTheNeko

 

“Uh huh.” Zeelo fixed Calex with a stare. Despite being within five feet of the younger feline, Zeelo was still in his twenties, and still dressed in his blue sweater and shorts. He was even still a brown furred cat! The little kitten was really slacking today.

 

“You seem really suspicious of him kupo.” Noel on the other hand didn’t seem to understand Zeelo’s suspicion. The moogle was dressed in his usual blue robes and hat, with brown trousers and boots. “It seems like a fun idea to me.”

 

“Oh it always -SEEMS- like a fun idea.” And if Zeelo was pressed, he’d admit it was pretty fun. But there was always more to it than what the kitten let on.

 

“What” Calex tilted his head to the side. Unlike the two adults, the small six and a half year old old kitten didn’t wear any clothing at all. His orange tail swished eagerly trying to get a commitment out of these two. He held up a flier, it was advertising an Easter egg hunt for children, which was normal enough. But it was advertising the hunt as being on Easter Island.

 

“You know Easter Island has nothing to do with the holiday Easter, right?” Zeelo swished his tail. “This seems highly suspect.”

 

“Well yeah! Easter Island has nothing to do with Easter.” Calex nodded. “But this is Easter Island! It’s completely different!”

 

“Uhhhhh.”  Noel held up a paw. Was that supposed to make sense kupo?”

 

“No, it wasn’t.” Zeelo crossed his arms and shook his head. “He is intentionally explaining this situation as badly as possible to get a reaction out of us.”

 

“Awwwww.” The kitten fell to the living room floor and began to pout. “It’s no fun if you just give away the game like that.”

 

“Wait… So, is there even really an egg hunt?” Noel held a hand to his chin.

 

“Yup!” Calex nodded. “I wouldn’t be asking you to take me to it if there wasn’t.”

 

“Okay, fine I’ll bite.” Zeelo rolled his eyes. “So where is the egg hunt.”

 

“Easter Is-“

 

“Don’t say Easter Island.” Zeelo narrowed his eyes.

 

“But it really issssssssss.” Calex whined. “It’s just not the Easter Island you know.”

 

“Wait! I think I got it kupo!” Noel brightened up. “You’re saying there are two Easter Islands! But… Wait why have I never heard of a second one.”

 

“Technically there are five Easter Islands.” Calex shrugged. “But you didn’t hear about it because they’re all secret. This Easter Island is where the Easter Bunnies live, and they have the best egg hunt each year!”

 

“If it’s a secret how do you-“ Zeelo started.

 

“Arzure told me.” Calex answered immediately.

 

“I guess that makes sense…” Zeelo swished his tail remember his own experiences with that blue bunny. “Okay… so then what’s the catch? How does this become ridiculous? Are we going to be the eggs being hunted for? Hunted by eggs? Turing into rabbits and hiding eggs for others?”

 

“What? No.” Calex shook his head. “Why would you think anything like that?”

 

“Because of literally every previous interaction with you!” Zeelo pointed at Noel. “He was there for the last one!”

 

“I mean being a baby dragon wasn’t that bad kupo.” Noel shrugged. “But I missed my favorite shows while I was waiting to hatch.”

 

“So then what, will the eggs turn us into babies when we find them or something?” Noel tried.

 

“Nothing like that.” Calex sighed. “Okay, I swear that during this egg hunt, none of us will be turned into eggs, or even turned into babies, transformed into rabbits and forced to deliver eggs, chased by eggs, deal with angry dragons upset about us stealing eggs, or shrinking down so small that we have to heft each egg one by one over our head.”

 

“Those… Are a lot of very specific examples kupo.” Noel whistled.”

 

“Mmmm hmmmmm.” Zeelo stared at the younger kitten. He could only hold out pretending to be responsible for so much longer… And a second Easter Island where Easter Bunnies lived? That alone was worth checking out and…. Wait. “You said there were five Easter Islands? What are the others like?”

 

“Uhhhhhhh.” Calex suddenly got very cagey. It was a bit unlike him. Zeelo had a feeling that the kitten’s fey heritage made it difficult for him to outright lie. He could say things that were technically untrue in a playful teasing way, but not lie with intention. Cases like that, there was no intended deceit. But, that didn’t mean the kitten’s words were trustworthy. The truth could be misleading. It was why Zeelo had learned to pay careful attention to his exact words. Whatever the answer to the question was, Calex wasn’t willing to tell the outright truth, and clearly couldn’t think of a clever way to mislead with his words. “They’re… Well… Places you don’t need to worry about at the current moment and time.”

 

“Should I be concerned by that statement?” Noel asked.

 

“Probably.” Zeelo decided it was time to just get things moving along. “But I doubt we’re going to get anything out of him about it right now.” He knelt down to look at Calex. “So… How do we get to the Easter Island with the actual bunnies and the egg hunt?”

 

“Bunny magic.” Calex nodded. This just got him a stare.

 

“So are you going to elaborate on that kupo?” Noel asked.

 

“Uh sure.” Calex pointed at Noel. “Bunny magic.”

 

“I’m a moogle, not a bunny.” Noel replied in an annoyed tone.

 

“You got the ears you count!” Calex grinned. “So make with the bunny magic! Open a door to Easter Island!”

 

“I’m not a bunny kupo!” Noel insisted again. “I don’t know anything about this place or any kind of bunny magic to get us there! I’m not even convinced you’re not making all of this up kupo!”

 

“He’s not making it up.” Zeelo shrugged. “Or if he, he’s going to get lucky and it will somehow be right anyway.”

 

“Okay fine.” Noel sighed. “How does one do ‘Bunny Magic’ to open the way to this Easter Island?”

 

“Well first you have to dye a bunch of eggs and set then up to form a magic circle by lining them up red, blue, green, blue, blue, orange, red, pink, magenta, purple blue. Then you hop up and down on one leg in the center of the circle and say the magic words! And bam! A portal will open to Easter Island.”

 

“Calex… Where did you learn this information?” Zeelo stared at him quizzically.

 

“The internet.” Calex nodded sagely.

 

“I thought you said Arzure-“ Zeelo started.

 

“Arzure told me about the island. I found out about bunny magic on the internet.” Calex clarified.

 

“But then where did you get the flier-“ Noel started to ask.

 

“Just don’t ask, it’s only going to extend things out.” Zeelo rubbed his head. This was going to be a pain. A lot of fun later! But the first few moments where he tried to understand the logic of what was happening… That was always a little intense. “Alright Calex… Did the web site say what the magic words were?”

 

“Yup!” Calex grinned. “They were Hippity Hoppity Bippity Boppity It’s Easter Island Way!” The kitten threw his hands up. “And then you gotta throw your hands up like that! Oh, and spin in a circle while you do it, otherwise it won’t work.”

 

“That… That isn’t how magic works kupo.” Noel shook his head.

 

“I gotta admit, even with what I’ve seen around you this sounds…. Unlikely to actually work.” Zeelo was unsure.

 

“Come on! Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssse!” The kitten used the begging eyes. There was no resisting them, and a few minutes later a ‘magic circle’ of eggs had been set up outside in the yard with Noel standing in the middle of them.

 

“I gotta admit… I feel a bit ridiculous.” Noel muttered. He began to spin in place while he hopped up and down on one leg. “Hippity Hoppity Bippity Boppity It’s Easter Island Way!” After he finished, he stopped and gave Calex an embarrassed stare. “Nothing happ-“

 

And then a door opened out of mid-air. That was the best way to describe it, as if space itself had just flipped open. On the other side of the door stood an eight-foot-tall rabbit with six-inch-long horns. It held an enormous club in its hand and began to growl upon seeing the three people assembled.

 

“Close the door! Close the door!” Zeelo shouted.

 

“MROWL!” Calex leaped forward, kicking the doorway in the middle of space closed. Everyone stood in silence for a moment waiting to see if anything would happen. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when nothing seemed to happen.

 

“What was that kupo!?” Noel gestured at where the frightening rabbit had been moments ago.

 

“That was one the Easter Islands you don’t need to know about.” Calex replied coyly as he walked around the circle of eggs. “But I don’t get it… What went wrong… Everything should… AHA!” He pointed at two of the eggs. “We reversed magenta and pink!”

 

“So… Reversing two eggs leads to some demon rabbit dimension?”  Zeelo raised an eyebrow.

 

“So it would seem.” Calex nodded. “But not you know bunny magic is real and moogles count as bunnies, and none of this is made up.” Calex quickly swapped the two identical looking eggs around. “So…. Let’s go attempt number two!”

 

“If it doesn’t work this time I’m out kupo.” Noel muttered. “Mostly cause spinning is making me dizzy.” Once more he stood on one leg and began to hop up and down while spinning in place. “Hippity Hoppity Bippity Boppity It’s Easter Island Way!”

 

Again, a door opened out of space, but this time no monstrous rabbits awaited on the other side. Instead, it was grass covered hills with little cottages far too small for human sized people. Though someone like Calex would fit in easily.

 

“That’s it! That’s Easter Island!” Calex grinned. “Come on! I don’t want to miss the egg hunt!” He ran through the door.

 

“I guess he really did know what he was talking about kupo.” Noel stared at the door for a moment.

 

“Honestly, I don’t think he does. I think he just might have an incredible luck streak going.” Zeelo grinned as both him and Noel moved through the door into the sunny hillside.

 

This alternate Easter Island was indeed an island, and not a very big one. After stepping through the door they could easily see the entire island, with the green hills ending in rocky beaches. The entire island was somewhere around the size of an exceptionally small town. Of course, given how small the houses were, the actual town on the island was bigger from the point of view of its residents. The inhabitants of the cottages dotting the hills were small rabbits. They walked on two legs, like the three who had arrived, but they were no bigger than normal rabbits. A fact that made them the perfect size to live in the cottages. The rabbits came in all manner of color, normal colors like brown and white, but also red, blue green and purple. Just about every color imaginable. The rabbits were running around in a hurry, baskets full of eggs held around on their arms.

 

“Welcome to Easter Island!” Calex walked backwards and gestured at the place. “The bunny one. Not the big head one, or the demonic one, or the one with the vortex.”

 

“Wait what’s the one vortex?” Zeelo’s tail fur puffed up slightly.

 

“We don’t talk about the vortex.” Calex sounded spooked as  he remembered it. “But… Anyway!” He pointed in the distance to the largest cottage. “If we head that way we can sign up for the egg hunt!” Calex started running off in towards the cottage.

 

“He’s excitable kupo.” Noel shrugged and followed.

 

“He’s a kid.” Zeelo stuck his tongue out. Having gotten to the place, he was going to make the most of it.

 

Calex had run so far ahead he had disappeared from sight except as little more than an orange blur in the distance as Zeelo and Noel walked after him. Occasionally, one of them would stop to scratch their ears, but they were too distracted to notice that they were slowly getting longer.

 

“Come on hurrrrrrrrry!” Calex shouted from the distance. “We’re going to be late for sign ups!”

 

“We’re coming!” Zeelo shouted back.

 

“So… You’ve spent more time with him than I have.” Noel looked to Zeelo. “Is he always this hyperactive?”

 

“No, sometimes he’s even more energetic.” Zeelo nodded. Eventually the two caught up with Calex who was standing outside a stone cottage. There was a small stand with an elderly looking bunny wearing a pair of spectacles. Calex was hopping up and down in front of the counter waiting on the two, clearly excited to get started.

 

But… There was something off about him. His ears were a lot longer, as was his muzzle longer and wider. He still had his fang, though it looked rather strange with his new muzzle shape.

 

“Uh Calex?” Zeelo asked. “Are you aware of what you currently look like?”

 

“Huh?” Calex turned around in a circle examining himself, and exactly one thing made him pause. “Oh wow my tail is so short.”

 

“You’re turning into a bunny!” Noel pointed out.

 

“Neat.” Was Calex’s reply. Standard response from him.

 

“So how’d that happen?” Noel asked.

 

“Wait…” Zeelo looked thoughtful as he realized something. “Noel… Why aren’t you kupoing anymore?” The two traded glances with each other, noticing both of them had changed too, with much longer ears and more rabbit-like muzzles.

 

“Wait, what!?” Noel looked down at himself. “Why are we turning into bunnies!?”

 

“Ohhhh, did new bunnies arrive?” The old rabbit behind the counter spoke up. “I’m hard of hearing so I forget sometimes. But, all bunnies find their way to Easter Island this time of year. Yup, all bunnies here.”

 

“It’s the location.” Zeelo face pawed. “I should have guessed.” He had known something was coming. There was always something coming. He always had a mixture of caution and excitement at finding out what that something was. However, he felt rather foolish not seeing this specific thing coming. Of course they’d turn into bunnies on an Easter Egg hunt. “Wait… Calex! You specifically said we would not turn into bunnies!”

 

“No.” Calex stuck his tongue out. “I said we would not be turned into bunnies and forced to deliver eggs. We’re obviously turning into bunnies to hunt eggs. Completely different.” And there it was, the importance of the exact words.

 

Calex’s changes were less drastic, due to already being a smaller critter. There wasn’t much of a change in his stature, though the shape of his hind legs, and his new paws were dramatic, as well as the loss of his retractable claws. Noel and Zeelo on the other hand had much more dramatic changes. They were both shrinking dramatically shorter, their clothes loosening up on them. Even had they not been shrinking, the new larger shape of their hind legs and paws would have made the pants they were wearing impossible to keep on. They were thankfully able to quickly step out of them before they were torn, though Noel could not say he was so lucky with his boots. His larger bunny paws destroyed those before he could slip them off.

 

After a few seconds, all of them were small rabbits. Zeelo’s sweater now covered him down to his knees, and Noel was dressed in a giant hat that covered his face and his shirt.

 

“Ok! Ok! Ok! Can we sign up for the egg hunt now?” Calex bounced up and down. Now that he was a bunny, his jumps were reaching higher heights.

 

“So… You’re just going to move on as if nothing happened?” Noel asked.

 

“I’m going to move on because it happened!” Calex stopped bouncing to nod eagerly. “I mean, an Easter Egg hunt is fun! But doing the hunt while being actual Easter Bunnies! When are you going to get a chance to do something like that?”

 

“Typical Calex.” Zeelo grinned. “And probably once a year with you.” He muttered under his breath. He studied his own body for a moment. He missed his longer tail, but being a bunny wasn’t so bad. In fact, he was somewhat surprised that this might have been the first time he found himself turned into one? Or was it? Some days it was hard to remember. Hadn’t he been a baby one not that long ago? Those  memories were hazy, he was so young at that moment. Seconds old even.

 

“I guess there’s no harm…” Noel’s changes were technically less drastic than Zeelo’s. His moogle body had certainly been rabbit-like, but was a lot less animalistic than what he looked like now. “Just… Would have expected some kind of warning at least.”

 

“My guess, it’s the world. Probably transforms anyone who enters it.” Zeelo having been through more than a few of these adventures by now was starting to pick up on some of the patterns. “They just have these… Effects where only certain things exist in them… And anything that doesn’t match, changes so that it does fit into the world.”

 

“You sound like you’ve had experience with that?” Noel gave Zeelo a quizzical look.

 

“Well…” Zeelo thought back to one of his adventures in another world. One that had ended in him being transformed into a very tiny barely visible kobold egg. And that wasn’t even the hardest he had got it there. Come to think of it… That might be where those hazy memories of possibly being a baby bunny came from. Thanks to the help of a potion brewer that had found him, he eventually got back to his own world and back to normal form. But that had certainly been a thing. And an experience he had stumbled into on his own without other certain influencers. “I’ve… Dealt with this kind of thing before yes.” The real question he had, was would they change back to normal when they left, or would they still be bunnies. And that one he had no idea.

 

“Guys! Come on! Egg hunt! Signing up!” Calex fell over onto the ground. “We’re not going to make it in tiiiiime.”

 

“Calex we’re literally right here.” Noel rolled his eyes and approached the counter. “So I guess this is where we sign up?”

 

“Yes, that’s right! The egg hunt, we do it for children every year!” The old man replied happily. “I need you all three to sign your names to participate.” He pushed a paper across the table that already had several names on it, and then sat a pen next to it. The pen was of course in the shape of a carrot.

 

“We’re more his chaperones than participants.” Noel replied, but he signed up anyway. “He was really looking forward to this.”

 

“Is that what you think?” Zeelo had figured something out, and he couldn’t help but smile. The thing about Zeelo, is he knew he had to put on the airs of being a responsible adult, because well, society would break down if everyone abandoned their responsibilities. However, it didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy breaks from it… In fact, that was a large part of why he jumped at the opportunity to be Calex’s babysitter or chaperone whenever needed. And while he may have been caught off guard by the bunny part, he had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen next. Part of him considered putting up some form of protest. He enjoyed these incidents when they happened… But there were pretenses to be kept. On the other hand, as he watched Noel sign the sheet of paper, it was kind of fun to be on this end for once, waiting to see the reaction of someone else being caught off guard.

 

Calex signed the paper excitedly after Noel, and then Zeelo stepped up and signed the paper last.

 

“Very good.” The old rabbit replied. “You’ll find baskets out behind the cottage. Remember, the more eggs you find, the longer your prize will last.”

 

“Longer?” Noel blinked.

 

“There’s a prize!?” Calex interrupted Noel’s attempt for clarification.

 

“Of course! Based on the amount of eggs you get! Now, you kids go have fun.”

 

“Only one of us is a-“ Noel paused as he noticed Zeelo smiling. “What are you suddenly up to?”

 

“Technically, nothing.” The brown bunny stuck his tongue out. The three of them then proceeded behind the cottage where there were piles of baskets of various colors.

 

Calex grabbed a green one without hesitation, while after some consideration Zeelo picked out a blue basket. Then Noel went with a red one.

 

“And now that we have the baskets, the hunt begins!” Calex leaped into the air happily.

 

“That’s it?” Zeelo asked. “No grand announcement? Just, we have the baskets go look for eggs?”

 

“Yup!” Calex nodded. “They’re hidden all over the island and we have till sunset!” The orange bunny stuck the handle of the basket in his mouth and started to bound off.

 

“Hey hold up!” Noel shouted. “We should stick together.”

 

“Mmmmph.” Calex stood up and moved the basket back to his hand. “Then can’t you two run on all fours too? I don’t want to miss out on all the eggs.”

 

“Not really…” Noel replied, looking at his current state of dress. He couldn’t actually run very fast at all.

 

“I might be able to…” Zeelo wasn’t sure if his hind legs would get tangled up in the sweater or not.

 

“Well figure out something! Cause, now we have the baskets! We signed the paper! And we’re exploring the island! The egg hunt has officially begun!” As Calex spoke those words a wind blew briefly by the three of them. Nothing seemed to happen to Calex…

 

But Zeelo and Noel on the other hand… Both of them began to shrink even smaller than they already were. The clothes they had managed to keep were slipping right off their shoulders. Zeelo, who had been expecting this, and have had enough experience to be used to this, easily slipped out of his sweater and let it fall to the ground as he stood in his bare fur. Noel had a bit more difficulty, especially since with his now giant hat over his eyes he couldn’t see a thing that was happening. He began to walk around in circles, trying to figure out what had just happened, and nearly tripped over his own robe that now lay on the ground.

 

“Here.” Zeelo pulled the giant hat off of Noel’s head letting him see again.

 

“Zeelo?” Noel’s eyes widened. “You look like a kindergartner.” Then Noel paused. “Wait why are we the same height. And why are you naked… AND WHY AM I NAKED!?” None of the clothes that had been brought into this world were small enough to fit anyone at their current ages and sizes.

 

“Well…” Zeelo gestured a paw towards Calex. “It would seem he had us enter an Easter Egg hunt made for children… And we weren’t children… So, the game fixed that.” The two of them had been reduced to five years old, placing them a year and a half younger than Calex. Even if it was only by a little, it was bizarre feeling for both of them to see the orange kitten rabbit as even slightly bigger than them.

 

“Why didn’t he change at all?” Noel asked, but realized the answer as soon as he said it. “Because he’s already a kid.”

 

“Yup!” Zeelo grinned. It really was fun being on this knowing side of these antics. He really would need to try to do this more often. He spared a glance over at Calex. Would be nice to get one over on him for once.

 

“You two sure are talking about a lot of things that are really obvious and not helping us find eggs.” Calex spoke in a pout. Zeelo suspected that Calex was grumpy that his chance to teasingly reveal why everything had happened had been stolen.

 

“Alright, let’s get going.” Zeelo grinned. “There should be eggs everywhere right? We can split them up as we find them! But me and Noel should get a bigger share.”

 

“We should?” Noel was caught off guard by this, but not opposed.

 

“Of course!” Zeelo nodded. “We’re the youngest. Calex, as the responsible older chaperone has a responsibility to guarantee we have the best possible time, even at the cost of his own fun.”

 

“Wait, but that!” Calex was taken aback. “Hang on a second.” He dropped down onto the grass and began to tear it up until he could reach dirt. Once there he began to draw several numbers into the dirt. “Carry the one… Don’t forget the variable that cuteness is equal to X…. So solve for X and…” The kitten stood up and stomped his foot. “Dang it! He’s absolutely right! I don’t have a choice in the matter.”

 

“Wait, did…. What just happened?” Noel looked between Zeelo and Calex. “Did… Did you just manipulate him somehow? That’s possible? I’ve never seen anyone able to get anything done like that.”

 

“You just have to know how to speak the language.” Zeelo grinned. “It’s a cat thing.” He paused and wrinkled his nose. “Or I guess a rabbit thing now.”

 

“Well fine, you two get the most eggs! But I still want to get going! They’re going to all be gone if we wait around!” The orange bunny whined.

 

“Now Calex, as the responsible one you shouldn’t whine.” Zeelo smiled.

 

“Yes!” Noel joined into the game. “You have a responsibility to set a good example and look out for us.”

 

“Is that so?” Calex stared at them for a few moments in complete silence.

 

“Uhhhh, what are you doing?” Noel asked.

 

“Debating if I have time to build another time machine and get  back here before the hunt is over so I can fix some things.” The kitten replied slyly.

 

“Doesn’t a time machine imply you’d have all the time-“ Noel started but found Zeelo’s placed a hand over his mouth.

 

“Definitely not enough time, you wouldn’t get any eggs at all.” Zeelo grinned. “Besides, you’re not saying you’re incapable of being responsible are you?”

 

“I!” It! But..” Calex let out a sigh. “I suppose getting less eggs is better than getting no eggs. Very well, since you two are the kids… Which way should we go?”

 

“Hmmmmm.” Noel tried to flap his wings to go up higher and get a look around, only to be reminded he no longer had wings  when he remained grounded. “Ah right dang it.”

 

“Obviously somewhere with lots of hiding places.” Zeelo was thinking out loud. “Things could be hidden beneath cottage stairs, or in areas with a lot of trees and bushes. Think I saw a stream, maybe worth checking out.”

 

“In that case! Let’s check all the places!” Noel shouted.

 

“Wait but-“ Calex was put in a very awkward position. Because this was what he wanted to have shouted, but no longer being the youngest the honor had gone to the others. This meant he agreed with the sentiment, but also wanted to disagree on principal just because he was sour he didn’t get to say it. “Fine… All the places… But where first?”

 

They started at around the cottages, since that’s where they already were. There weren’t a lot of eggs to be found here. Either most people had already grabbed them, or just a not very many had been hidden. They few they did find tended to be in garden beds, wedged beneath the stairs, or up on the roof. Getting up to the roof was less problematic than it sounded thanks to all the cottages being sized for bunnies, and bunnies being great jumpers.

 

The parts of the island with more trees proved to be quite a bit more fruitful, with eggs hidden nearly everywhere. Up in tree branches, beneath bushes, just hidden among tall grass. Though at one point, Zeelo and Noel found themselves sitting in front of two eggs in a nest in a tree and had a rather lengthy debate about if they were Easter Eggs or bird eggs. Eventually, Calex of all people resolved the argument by pointing out a simple fact. Everyone was a bunny here. If there were any birds here, they were bunnies now. Therefore, those had to be Easter eggs. Besides, they were bright yellow and green! And so Noel and Zeelo each took one.

 

By the time the sun was setting, Noel and Zeelo’s baskets were nearly ready to pour over with eggs. Calex’s basket had quite a few less, in fact he only had about half a dozen. He was supposed to get a bigger share but… Well… It turned out, that the begging pleading eyes of young fuzzy animal children worked just as effectively on him as when he used it on other people.

 

Some people might have said it was karma.

 

Either way, as the sun set, they found themselves standing back in front of the stand where the old rabbit waited. He smiled as they approached.

 

“Good hunt huh?” The old rabbit asked. “Go ahead and put your baskets up here and I’ll count the eggs for you and give you your prizes.”

 

“Right!” Zeelo and Noel chimed in at the same time as they placed their baskets up on the counter. Calex placed his up slightly slower.

 

“Hmmmm lesse here…” The old rabbit studied the baskets. “So… It seems the brown and peach furred ones are tied for a total of 16 eggs a piece. Very impressive… And the orange one only has six. Well, participation is an important step, and you still get a prize.”

 

“What is the prize anyway?” Noel asked.

 

“This!” The old rabbit reached across the counter and booped Noel on the nose. While Noel blinked in surprise, and everyone else looked at Noel trying to understand what had just happened he proceeded to boop Zeelo and then Calex on the nose at the in rapid succession “There all done.”

 

“The prize…. Was just a nose boop?” Zeelo was in disbelief.

 

“Hey boops are valuable!” That was of course an opinion Calex had.

 

“Oh that’s just how I had to deliver the enchantment.” The old rabbit smiled. “But it’s strength is entirely based on how many eggs you got.”

 

“What kind of enchantment?” Noel asked.

 

“Why… An enchantment to allow you to maintain your carefree days of youth longer.” The rabbit grinned.

 

“What?” Noel and Zeelo replied at the same time.

 

“Yup, for egg you collected, you will go one full year without aging at all.” He nodded sagely. “Once those years have passed, you shall resume aging at your normal rate from your current state.”

 

“Wait…” Noel’s eyes widened. “I’m going to be five years old for the next sixteen years!?”

 

“That… That seems to be the case.” Zeelo had very mixed feelings about this. Right at age five… Did that mean he was going to be stuck in kindergarten for 16 years, or would he be able to get out of going to school until he started aging again. It may have seemed a less important detail to worry about that the being stuck at as a five year old thing, but this had happened to him a lot, and he could only repeat kindergarten so many times before losing his mind. Maybe he could get himself turned into a feral…

 

“Wait…” Calex grinned. “Since I got six eggs, that means I start aging normally in six years! Way before everyone else!”

 

“Calex you’re a faerie, you don’t age.” Zeelo pointed out.

 

“Oh… Yeah… Huh.” Calex looked down as his basket. “Then this was entirely pointless wasn’t it?”

 

“Well glad you kids had fun.” The old rabbit spoke. “But it’s getting late. You best be getting back to your own world before the doors shut till next Easter. Unless you’re interested in a year of hard labor setting up for next Easter. We could use the extra help.”

 

“Nope going now.” Calex grabbed Zeelo and Noel by the wrist, and pulled them back towards the door they had originally come through. It was still open, and upon stepping through they found themselves back in the backyard. The door closed behind them, and there was no sign of anything abnormal having happened.

 

Except for the fact that all three of them were still bunny children.

 

“Soooooooo.” Calex looked at the other two. “Since you got sixteen years of time to kill… Don’t suppose you’d be up for playing more often, having sleepovers and stuff? I mean I don’t have many friends my own age.”

 

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Zeelo crossed his arms. “You have plenty of friends your own age because you make them your age.” He looked thoughtful for a moment and swished his tail. “But… If I’m stuck like this, might as well make the best of it. So sure.”

 

“Are… Are we really just going to go along with this?” Noel asked. “We’re basically preschoolers for the next sixteen years! How are we supposed to get along like that?”

 

“In the past thirty years I have never once been older than six and a half.” Calex patted Noel on the head. “And it never stopped me from living life to the fullest even once.”

 

“Wait… Thirty…” Zeelo stared at Calex. He knew due to the kitten’s magical existence he never aged past six… But based on how he acted he always assumed he couldn’t be that much older than his physical age. “How old are you?”

 

“Six, I just said.” Calex shrugged. “Well six and a half.”

 

“But I mean! Chronologically! How old, how long have you been around?” Zeelo tried.

 

“Well…” Calex shrugged. “I’m six and a half, and that’s all I know. Anyway… It’s late, who wants to go inside for snacks.”

 

“I… Actually think snacks sound pretty good.” Noel spoke up.

 

“Sure… Let’s go get snacks.” Zeelo replied.

 

With that, the three headed inside for the start of what would be a very long and very interesting childhood.

 

The End