Chapter 1

Zachary looked down at the baby girl in his hands, and his heart was overwhelmed with love. He had hoped the baby would be normal, like her mother, because he knew the hardships in life brought on by being different. But even with her differences, she was still the most beautiful baby girl Zachary had ever seen.

While Zachary resembled a snake, this little girl resembled a bunny. She had light, peach fuss fur covering most of her body. Everywhere really, except if faded off, leaving her face and a portion of her neck with smooth skin. Her features were all human, except for a tiny, pink bunny rabbit nose. She had huge blue eyes, and long black lashes, even as a baby. And the ears growing out of the top of her head were long and floppy, like a rabbit. She also had a little, white tail just above her butt.

"She's beautiful, and so tiny," Zachary said, feeling his wife come up behind him.

"And I can already tell you are going to spoil her to death," Annabelle said leaning on his shoulder, reaching out her hand to stroke the baby's head.

Zachary bent down and kissed his daughter's forehead, before turning and kissing his wife gently on the lips.

"So what shall we call her?" Zachary asked.

"How about Harley?"

"From the hare's meadow. Well, it suites her."

Zachary and Annabelle looked down at their baby daughter, the happiest parents in the world.

Tears were streaming down Harley's face, as she lay tied up and in the back of a wagon. It pained her to think that only a half an hour before, she had been freely roaming the woods, as carefree as she had ever been.

Then out of nowhere, she had been grabbed from behind. A gag was shoved in her mouth and she was forced to the ground, where her ankles and wrists were tied. She had just turned eighteen a couple of weeks ago, but she was extremely small for her age, and had no chance of fighting the muscled men away.

"I can't believe it. This girl should bring us a nice bonus," the man who had grabbed her was saying to his companion. Harley longed to ask who they were and what they wanted from her, but could only moan around the gag.

She lay in the bumping wagon, wondering where they were taking her. Her parents would be worried. They had always kept her away from other people, to protect her. And now she was kidnapped, all the careful guarding for naught.

Harley watched the passing scenery. She watched as they passed the last familiar landscape, and traveled into unfamiliar land. They must have gone for over two hours, before her kidnappers finally stopped.

They were in some sort of camp. There were a lot of people and horses mulling around, and colorful wagons and carts parked in a sort of incomplete circle. There were also numerous tents set up.

"Get the boss," she heard one of her kidnappers say, "Tell him we might have a new addition."

"Yeah, yeah." She didn't see the speaker, but assumed he was leaving to get their leader. The men pulled her out of the back of the wagon, the one holding her up while the other cut the bonds at her ankles.

No sooner was she free, than she kicked her feet out violently. Not aiming, but trying to get any part of the man she could reach. The one that untied her feet, jumped back after being kicked in the shoulder, and she turned her attention to the one holding her.

The tried to kick back, to hit his legs, and she thrashed about violently. Despite her spasmodic struggle, however, the man's grip did not loosen on her one bit. She let out a scream of frustration that was muffled by the gag.

"What is going on here?" she heard a deep and uncompromising voice demand. She ceased her struggles to look at the speaker, noticing that a few of the other inhabitants of the strange camp had stopped to look at the scene as well.

"Here's a new addition, Cal. Half girl, half rabbit," the one holding her said proudly, obviously waiting to be rewarded for the find.

The man they called Cal walked slowly over to her. He touched one of her ears, that could be seen hidden among her mass of hair. He lifted it up, running his thumb over the incredibly soft fur that covered the back of it. Harley made a sound of protest, but it was unintelligible, due to the gag.

He followed her long ear up to her head, pushing her curly blonde hair aside to examine where the ear was attached. Apparently satisfied with what he found, he moved his hand down to her face. He ran his hand over her little, pink nose. She glared at him icily.

Next, he ran his hands over the light fuzz at the base of her neck. Then pulled the collar of her gown down over her shoulder, baring it to his gaze. She gave a short instinctive struggle, but stopped, realizing the futility of it. He touched her shoulder, feeling the soft fur there.

"Good work boys," Cal said, "She's wonderful. Where did you get her?"

"We just seen her walking along the forest, sir. We wasn't sure we was seeing right at first, but we got closer, and sure enough, a little bunny-girl. We couldn't believe our luck, so we just picked her up and took her with us, then."

"You did good."

Harley stared at him resentfully. What did they want her for? What were they planning on doing?

"I'll just take her now, talk to her," Cal said, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"We're gonna get a finder's fee, right boss?" the one shouted after them.

"Don't worry, you'll be compensated fairly," Cal called back, not turning around.

Harley couldn't see where he was taking her, due to the position she was in, hanging over his shoulder, but she knew he had walked into a tent. He set her onto her feet.

"Now don't try to run away, girlie," he said warningly. Harley just stood there, not agreeing but not protesting, either. He untied the ropes at her wrists, then gently removed the gag from her mouth.

Harley didn't say anything right away, she just rubbed her wrists, and glared at him accusingly.

"I suppose you want to know who we are."

Harley felt a wave of rebellion run through her. She wasn't just scared anymore, now she was angry.

"I don't give a damn who you are, I just want you to release me this instant," she said in her most haughty voice.

"That's not going to happen sweetheart, so you better just get used to the idea of staying with us for a long time."

"I'm not going to stay with you, the first chance I get I'm out of here."

Cal just looked exasperated. "Well then I guess I better keep a close personal eye on you, to make sure you don't escape."

"Why are you keeping me here? What do you want with me?" Harley demanded angrily.

"My dear, I thought you didn't give a damn who we were," he said smugly.

"I've changed my mind, damn it. Who are you?"

The man just laughed good-naturedly. "I'm Calhoun Jacobs, most call me Cal, and I run the show here. And since you, little rabbit, are now part of the show, I guess that means I run you."

Harley snorted. "What show?"

"A Collection of Extraordinary and Magical Creatures and People."

"Too bad, I'm neither extraordinary or magical."

He reached out and caressed her cheek, "I would beg to differ, sweetheart."

Harley jerked back from his touch. She slowly turned around, and unthreateningly moseyed about the tent. It was very sparse, hardly anything in it, just a cot, a wooden chest with a lamp on it, a small suitcase.

She looked back at him, and he was staring at her with a half grin on his face. She ran her hand over the chest, letting her fingers casually graze the lamp. She walked closer to him, and felt a small, heavy metal box sitting on a suitcase. Then without any warning, she picked it up and struck it down as hard as she could at his head.

Before the box made contact, however, her wrist was caught in a rough grip.

"Don't do that," he said threateningly. Harley felt a fear wash over her at the deadly anger in his eyes, when only a moment before he had seemed practically harmless. The grip on her wrist hardened painfully, and she let the box drop to the floor.

"Please," she begged, her wrist was twisted harshly. Cal released her forcefully, and she stumbled back a step.

"What's your name little rabbit?" he asked after a minute of collecting his emotions.

Harley refused to answer him, just glaring. Who did he think he was?

"Answer me," he demanded.

"None of your business," she said defiantly back.

Cal stalked angrily up to her. "I beg to differ, little one. You are mine now, you are my business," he said cruelly. He grabbed her shoulders, his fingers digging into her soft flesh roughly. "The sooner you learn to obey, the better."