Old Rivalry

"Grrr!"

"Argh!"

Once more, the rabbits reach the point where the battle had begun. Both still stand, but the constant back and forth is taking its toll. Neither has been able to land a decisive blow capable of ending things for good.

Mira takes a moment to support her weight against her tall shield.

"Hah…hah…you have fought well. Retreat while you can! Surely you would be satisfied with driving me to such lengths?"

"Hah…hah…in your dreams!"

Ange leaps forward and throws the two back into action. Her attacks aren't nearly as powerful or precise as they were several minutes prior, but Mira's defence has also substantially weakened. It's easily thanks to the coverage of Mira's towering shield that she has been able to hold out against such an aggressive combatant.

"Time to get serious!"

Mira's shield stands freely for a moment as she removes her purple jacket, throwing it off to the side. From the frills around her arm, you can catch a glimpse of the newly purchased blue fabric beneath her dress.

"I was just about to suggest the same thing!"

Ange unbuttons her blouse and throws it off to the side as well. Now a large orange ribbon is hanging loosely over a plain white undershirt.

I run off to the side to grab the sweaty garments that have been strewn about on the grass. They pay me no mind and continue their battle.

"Just give up!"

Mira lands a powerful jab against Ange's shield, forcing the orange rabbit to stagger back. Even though her legs are visibly shaking, she still refuses to fall. Her hair is now a tangled mess that casts thick shadows over her enraged face.

"Never! Not after the humiliation you dealt to my people!"

"Still mad about losing the war you all started!? That was well before our time!"

"I don't care! I'll make you floppy ears pay!"

War? The scale seems to have increased without me realising it. Two entirely different groups of rabbits fighting over resources, nature is nothing if not consistent. It isn't unusual to see individual animals fighting for food or shelter, but for there to be an organised military effort at their scale is insane. Rabbit society is looking more and more like our's by the day.

Squeak squeak

The two humanoid rabbits aren't the only ones riled up by the conflict. Dozens of rabbits on either side are waving their arms and stomping their feet wildly, providing whatever support their little bodies can provide to their champions.

"Argh!"

Mira slides to a stop on the ground from a heavy slash. Her body has barely stopped before her fellow lops are pushing at her back, helping Mira back to her feet. Their cheering, while quiet to my ears, provides meaningful support to the young girl as she pushes through her exhaustion.

I'm not sure how long this can go on. These two have been at it for at least ten minutes with barely any breathing room. They both possess enough skill to prevent themselves from taking any major injuries, but their reactions are getting slower as time goes on. All it takes is one slip up for one of them to get severely injured.

"Alright guys, that should be enough!"

Their blades lock together for a moment, providing them a moment to speak while pushing with all their might.

"Don't get in our way!"

"I can handle it, Noa!"

All I can do is watch as the fight gets more and more dangerous. They won't listen to a word I say and I can't safely get in to break them up. They may be small girls with wooden weapons, but this fight has proven both of them to be strong enough to cause me a lot of pain if I'm hit. I need some kind of opening.

Ange continues her barrage, forcing Mira back on the defensive.

"Ah!"

A heavy swing towards her opponent's head loses all of its strength when her knee buckles beneath her weight.

"You're wide open!"

Mira doesn't even need to block this incoming attack as a simple step to the side is sufficient. While her opponent is off balance, she launches a powerful stab directly into Ange's shield and sends the wooden disk flying into the air alongside its wielder. The orange rabbit screams in pain as she lands flat on her back without her defensive armament.

Hoping to go in for the kill, Mira lunges forward.

"It's over!"

"Not yet!"

With whatever strength she has remaining, Ange parries a downward slash and throws herself back onto her feet. The orange rabbit swings a wide kick that knocks Mira's own shield out of her hands.

The fight is back to a standoff of swords alone. It's impossible to tell who's favoured to win from this position. Both look like they could collapse at any second and neither seems willing to surrender. Even the rabbits seem restless as some pace back and forth within their groups.

Ange's confident grin appears for the first time since the start of the battle after having disappeared due to lack of success.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you are strong Droopy Ears. I didn't think this would be quite this difficult."

Mira's face is dripping with sweat, but she also manages a smile.

"You too, Old Man Beard. You aren't just any intruder."

The two rabbits take a deep breath and ready their swords one last time.

""I'll finish this!""

A gust of wind blows through the entire park as Mira and Ange slam their swords together with everything they have left. Regardless of who wins this final clash, the two rabbits have already recognised their respect for one another. In a way, this is the best outcome I could have hoped for. My job now is just to pick them up once their fatigue sets in.

The dust begins to settle and I start walking towards what should be a bundled mess of rabbit.

"…Huh?"

I finally got a clear look of the situation before me. The two wooden weapons have flown off in different directions and the small rabbits have gone completely silent. Unfortunately, that is the only detail I had predicted correctly. Instead of the two girls laying limply on the grass, they are on their knees wrestling whilst covered in dirt. Their legs may have given out and their faces are cakes with dirt, but their will to fight seems to still burn.

"I knew it, I really can't stand your stupid face!"

"That makes two of us! My ears will fall off if I have to listen to you laugh again!"

The rabbits around the fighting girls erupt back into a chorus of cheers as the fight seems to have reached round two.

"Alright, time out!"

My screaming breaks through their conflict in one way while my hands break them apart another way. With nowhere easy to grab on either of their outfits, I had no choice but to throw my body between the two girls and hold them back with my arms.

Despite this large barrier placed between them, the rabbits still try to grab at each other.

"Noa, you're in the way! I need to bite her!"

"No! Biting people is bad!"

The bone of my right forearm holds the blue rabbit back just above her chest. Despite the size difference, I have to put a lot of effort into not being knocked over by Mira's relentless pushing. The left flank isn't faring much better as the orange rabbit pushes past my arm and into my shoulder. I rotate my body such that my back obstructs Ange's progress. My heart is running on high gear in this struggle, but I notice it skip one beat as something soft crashes into my left side.

"Stand back! You can't stop me from clawing her into shredded meat!"

"Hasn't anybody ever told you that clawing people isn't nice!? Also you're too close!"

The cushion is certainly small, but it's larger than Mira's. Wait, this isn't the time to be comparing sizes. If this goes on much longer, I'll be crushed by the seemingly limitless strength of a couple of rabbits.

"Can't you two just get along!?"

""Never!""

"Give me a break!"

I can no longer keep up with these rambunctious creatures. If I used my actual strength, this wouldn't be an issue at all, but I would obviously like to avoid being arrested for using force on young girls. The two rabbits swipe at each other around my body, slowly getting closer and closer as I lose the ability to keep them apart.

"Ange?"

All of the pressure being pressed against me comes to a halt when we hear the voice of a man behind us. The orange rabbit lifts her head and her weight off of my shoulder.

"Ah, Dad!"