Vayu returned to the city before sunset. After purchasing enough food and supplies for a few days, he made his way back to the underground chamber beneath the ruined estate. The quiet stone room had become his house now. He ate in silence, reviewed everything he had learned about the beast transformations, and soon drifted into a deep sleep. The next morning, the first rays of sunlight crept across the horizon as Vayu left the chamber once more, but instead of going directly towards the hunting ground he went deeper inside the forest and found a quiet place and transformed, his bones shrank, muscles compressed and
soft gray fur spread across his skin as a single black horn emerged from his forehead.
In the blink of an eye, Vayu had transformed into a Horned Rabbit. He looked at his tiny fluffy hands and his big feet's after admiring the transformation he started walking towards the hunting ground, after walking 4-5 steps he smacked himself and started hopping like a normal horned rabbit keeping his movements natural, he slipped through the tall grass and entered the vast open field.
The moment he entered the open field, something unexpected happened, hundreds of Horned Rabbits grazing across the meadow immediately stopped what they were doing and one after another, they moved aside. Instead of fleeing in panic, they calmly parted, creating a clear path for him. Vayu froze as a thought flashed in his mind "Did another predator enter the field?" he quickly scanned the surroundings but there was nothing, the field was perfectly peaceful confused, Vayu continued hopping forward.
Yet wherever he went, the other rabbits respectfully moved out of his way. Their behavior was less like fear and more like respect, as he wandered deeper into the meadow, faint voices reached his ears.
"Why is the Gatekeeper here today?" one rabbit whispered nervously.
"Shhh! Keep your voice down" another hissed. "He can hear us."
"The Gatekeeper never leaves his post..."
"Maybe something important is happening."
Realization struck Vayu, the rabbit he had killed yesterday wasn't an ordinary Horned Rabbit. It had already completed its First Demonic Transformation and he was the gatekeeper, no wonder none of the other rabbits questioned his presence. By consuming its essence and gaining its transformation, Vayu hadn't merely copied its appearance, he had inherited its identity in the eyes of the entire colony. Suppressing his excitement, Vayu spent the next hour casually roaming the field, observing the rabbits and memorizing their routines however Vayu couldn't remember encountering any gatekeeper the last time he had come to this place. The position had only been created after Vayu's previous intrusion into the heart of the Horned Rabbits' territory, as a precaution to ensure that nothing like it would ever happen again. Vayu unaware of all this continued hopping.
Only after he was certain no one found his behavior unusual did he make his way toward the edge of the open ground. There, standing beside a weathered stone marker hidden beneath the grass, he found the exact spot where the original Gatekeeper usually remained without hesitation, Vayu hopped into position he stood perfectly still just as the real Gatekeeper always had.
Minutes passed.
The field remained peaceful, then... his fluffy ears twitched as he heard the sound of hopping coming from behind, someone was approaching the gate, he slowly turned his head. Another Horned Rabbit was approaching.
Unlike the ordinary rabbits grazing in the meadow, this one carried a gleaming golden carrot in its paws. Its fur was slightly darker, and its single horn bore faint crimson patterns just like his except Vayu didn't had a golden carrot in his hands. The rabbit stopped a few feet away and asked "Gatekeeper, where were you yesterday evening?"
The sudden question caught Vayu off guard, his mind raced "Has he discovered me?"
"Should I kill him now?"
For a brief moment, murderous intent flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it as he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.
"I went after the human yesterday" Vayu replied calmly.
The other rabbit stared at him for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh.
"I'm your friend, so I didn't report you to the Elders" then his voice became slightly stern.
"You've been told not to leave your post, If someone else had noticed it, you would've been punished"
Vayu simply snorted.
He deliberately made his expression appear annoyed before turning away and resuming his position beside the hidburrow stone marker.
"C'mon, don't be angry" the rabbit chuckled, placing a paw on Vayu's shoulder "I'm only following orders"
Vayu let out a long sigh before glancing sideways at him, but remained silent. The other rabbit didn't seem bothered.
"Did the human come today?" he asked.
"I'm waiting for him," Vayu answered.
"Where is your gene shield" he asked.
"He broke it yesterday" Vayu replied, the other horned rabbit look at him for a long moment with disbelief in his eyes, wafting for him to say its a joke, but stayed quiet.
"Is that why you went after him".
"yes" Vayu replied angrily.
"It will regenerate within a week, don't worry" the rabbit laughed, then with a casual tone he asked, "how's your wife?"
Without hesitation, Vayu replied, "Don't call her that. You know she's not my wife."
The instant those words left his mouth... the rabbit's paw, which had rested on Vayu's shoulder, relaxed and the faint tension hidden beneath his smile disappeared. Vayu inwardly exhaled, he knew the other horned rabbit was testing him but fortunately for him, after devouring the Gatekeeper with "Memory Eater", he had inherited every important memory the rabbit possessed, had Vayu answered differently the rabbit would've attacked him immediately. The demonic beasts were far more intelligent than he had imagined.
Now that the test was over, infiltrating the rabbit burrow would become much easier.
The two rabbits stood in silence for a while before the other rabbit finally spoke.
"You have been ordered to meet the elders. You should return home. I will take over your duty until you return"
Vayu stared into the rabbit's eyes for a moment before giving a small nod. Without saying anything, he turned around and began hopping toward the rabbit burrow. Fortunately, the memories of the horned rabbit he had devoured were still fresh in his mind. He knew exactly where the burrow was and, more importantly, how to reach it without attracting attention. As Vayu moved through the familiar paths, his thoughts returned to the place he and Ruru had discovered before.
What they had seen that day was not the entire rabbit kingdom itself, it had merely a temple the true territory of the Horned Rabbits lay far beneath it. The temple above served as nothing more than a concealed entrance to the underground kingdom. From the surface, there was nothing remarkable about the surrounding land. Even someone standing directly above the kingdom would have no idea that an entire civilization existed beneath their feet.