![\"rabbit-bear-p-9\"](\"http:\/\/stadtsprachen.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Rabbit-Bear-p.9-1024x718.jpg\")
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As the robber left the cave, he stood on Bear\u2019s nose.<\/p>\n
Bear woke up.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy honey! My salmon! And my delicious beetles\u2019 eggs!\u201d said Bear. \u201cGone!\u201d<\/p>\n
But outside, in the snowstorm, there was no sign of the robber, or the food.<\/p>\n
Snowstorm? thought Bear. SNOWSTORM?!? This isn\u2019t Spring\u2026 I\u2019ve woken up early! Oh well. I\u2019ve always wanted to make a snowman.<\/p>\n
The storm ended.<\/p>\n
Bear rolled a snowball all the way down her hill, and up to the top of the next. She sat down, panting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the end of the world,\u201d said a gloomy voice.<\/p>\n
Bear looked all around. \u201cNo it isn\u2019t,\u201d said Bear cautiously. \u201c\u2018It\u2019s a lovely sunny day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNonsense!\u201d said the voice, from below. \u201cThe sun\u2019s gone out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ah, thought Bear. She rolled her snowball sideways, and uncovered a rabbit hole.<\/p>\n
Rabbit popped out. He looked at Bear. He looked at the giant snowball.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly an idiot,\u201d said Rabbit thoughtfully, \u201crolls a snowball UP a hill\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cGravity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s Gravity?\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cGravity,\u201d said Rabbit rather importantly, \u201cIs the Mysterious Force which Attracts Everything to Everything Else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh!\u201d said Bear, nodding. \u201cLike Friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d said Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove?\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!! No!!\u201d said Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh\u2026 Hunger?\u201d said Bear, who was feeling mysteriously attracted to the idea of breakfast.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!!! No!!! No!!!\u201d said Rabbit, and shoved Bear\u2019s giant snowball as hard as he could. It rolled down the hill, faster and faster, getting bigger as it went, and skidded across the frozen lake till the ice cracked. Bear\u2019s snowball disappeared with a plop.<\/p>\n
Bear\u2019s mouth opened in shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee?\u201d said Rabbit triumphantly. \u201cGravity WANTS you to push snow DOWN a hill, and will help you. But Gravity does NOT want you to push snow UP a hill, and will try to stop you. And only a fool,\u201d said Rabbit severely, \u201cpicks a fight with Gravity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bear finally closed her mouth, sighed, and began to roll another snowball. \u00a0\u201cYou know an awful lot about Gravity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am an Expert,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cGravity nearly killed my Grandfather. Now, if you could do me a favour\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be delighted,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
Rabbit nodded. \u201cGo away,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd take your Avalanche with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat,\u201d said Bear cautiously, \u201cis an Avalanche?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn Avalanche,\u201d said Rabbit, pointing at the snowball Bear was rolling, \u201cis a huge load of snow that rolls down a mountain faster than a train. My Grandfather was buried in an Avalanche. He had to eat his own leg to survive, while he was waiting for them to dig him out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d said Bear, impressed. \u201cHe must have been buried for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, no,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cAbout ten minutes. But he was very hungry. We get VERY VERY hungry in our family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bear\u2019s stomach rumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yes,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cI\u2019d forgotten. You haven\u2019t any food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you know?\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
But Rabbit was gone. He soon reappeared. \u201cNo hard feelings,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cHere.\u201d And he handed Bear the oldest, saddest, floppiest, blackest carrot Bear had ever seen. \u201cYou can eat it. Or use it as a nose for your Snowy Man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bear sniffed the black, floppy carrot. Ugh. \u201cEr, nose, I think\u2026\u201d said Bear. \u201cWould you like to help me build my Snowman?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rabbit thought for a second. \u201cNo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bear sighed, turned, and rolled her snowball back down Rabbit\u2019s hill. By the time she\u2019d got it back up her own hill, it was bigger than the first one. Perfect, thought Bear, panting. She started to make a head. Pretty soon she was singing again.<\/p>\n
Rabbit could hear Bear\u2019s song from his burrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cMaking a snowman DOES seem to be\u2026\u201d Rabbit had trouble saying the next word, because he\u2019d never used it before. \u201cF\u2026f\u2026f\u2026f\u2026fun\u2026 Hah! I shall make an even BETTER snowman.\u201d But first, for energy, Rabbit sat in the sun and ate lots and lots AND LOTS of the honey, and frozen salmon, and delicious beetles’ eggs, that he\u2019d stolen off Bear during the storm.<\/p>\n
Then he did a little poo, and ate it.<\/p>\n
This rather embarrassing habit was the reason Rabbit never invited people over for tea.<\/p>\n
\u201cI forgot to say thanks for the carrot,\u201d said Bear\u2019s voice, right behind Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaarkk!\u201d Rabbit jumped his own height in fright. \u201cOh. Bear\u2026 You\u2019re welcome\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI say Rabbit, did you just eat your own poo?\u201d said Bear, wondering if she\u2019d seen right.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cYes. A little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA little bit of YOUR OWN POO?\u201d asked Bear, wondering if she\u2019d heard right.<\/p>\n
\u201cShush!\u201d said Rabbit, glancing around. \u201cLook, all rabbits do it. It\u2019s perfectly normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a rabbit, maybe,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d said Rabbit, drawing himself up to his full height, which gave him a good view of Bear\u2019s knee, \u201cI\u2019m sure Bears do some things in the woods that they wouldn\u2019t like to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut WHY do rabbits eat their poo?\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, why do YOU eat?\u201d said Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, to get Energy. And to make new bits of Bear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to make a Bear out of honey, salmon, and delicious beetles\u2019 eggs. They\u2019re full of energy. It\u2019s easy to make a Wolf out of Meat. FULL of energy. But it\u2019s really, really difficult to make a Rabbit out of plants.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause when you\u2019ve eaten the plants, and digested them in your tummy for hours, and pooed them\u2026 the job is only half done!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo energy?\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone!\u201d said Rabbit.\u201cThe energy is still trapped in the poo! It\u2019s sort of soft and black, like licorice\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, yes,\u201d said Bear hastily.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you have to eat your own poo,\u201d said Rabbit, \u201cand digest it ALL OVER AGAIN, to get the energy out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d said Bear. For some reason she wasn\u2019t hungry any more.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cAnd THEN you have to poo a totally DIFFERENT kind of poo\u2026 sort of a dry, brown poo, with just the grassy, twiggy bits in\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Bear felt a little weak. \u201cSo, um, er\u2026 do Rabbits eat the other kind of poo?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d said Rabbit. He couldn\u2019t quite believe his enormous ears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dry brown ones, with the grassy twiggy bits in,\u201d Bear added helpfully.<\/p>\n
\u201cEat the other kind of poo?\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cEAT THE OTHER KIND OF POO? That\u2019s DISGUSTING!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh good,\u201d said Bear. \u201cJust checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom dawn to dusk, you\u2019re eating and pooing,\u201d said Rabbit gloomily. \u201cAnd half the time you\u2019re eating poo. \u00a0It\u2019s an awful life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that\u2019s why you\u2019re so grumpy,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrumpy?\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cI\u2019m not GRUMPY!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOK, you\u2019re not grumpy,\u201d said Bear. \u201cWell, I\u2019m off to, er\u2026 wash my carrot.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hate being a rabbit, thought Rabbit, and popped down the burrow to eat more of Bear\u2019s food. Then, full of energy, Rabbit got back to work on his snowman. Soon he had rolled a huge snowball right over his burrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a lovely little head!\u201d shouted Bear from her hilltop. \u201cThanks! But I\u2019ve already made one!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a head,\u201d said Rabbit, furious. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not for you! It\u2019s a body! I\u2019ve only started! And it\u2019ll be much bigger than yours! Eventually!\u201d<\/p>\n
Bear gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy,\u201d said Rabbit, irritated, \u201cAre you gasping? Don\u2019t you believe me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am gasping,\u201d shouted Bear politely, \u201cBecause you are about to be eaten by Wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rabbit looked over his shoulder.<\/p>\n
Wolf was bounding towards him across the snow.<\/p>\n
Gosh, Wolf had a lot of teeth.<\/p>\n
And Rabbit\u2019s snowball blocked his burrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaaarrk! Splfff! Waaahhh!\u201d said Rabbit, and turned and ran\u2026<\/p>\n
Oh dear, thought Bear. Rabbit gave me a carrot\u2026 so he\u2019s my friend\u2026<\/p>\n
Bear made a snowball, and threw it, with all her Bear\u2019s strength. \u00a0It went over Wolf\u2019s head and landed on the frozen lake. Crack. Plop. Whoops\u2026<\/p>\n
Bear made a second snowball, and threw it, with a lot less of her Bear\u2019s strength. It fell not very far from Bear.<\/p>\n
Bear frowned. He made a third snowball, and threw it, with just the right amount of her Bear\u2019s strength. It landed on Wolf\u2019s head, right between his ears.<\/p>\n
Far below, Wolf skidded to a halt, shouted \u201cYou keep out of this!\u201d to Bear, and raced on again after Rabbit.<\/p>\n
Bear sighed. No, to stop Wolf you\u2019d need a snowball as big as an Avalanche, and as fast as a Train\u2026<\/p>\n
Hmm. Wait.<\/p>\n
Bear knocked off her Snow Man\u2019s head, and sent it rolling down the hill, towards where Wolf was going to be in about a minute.<\/p>\n
Bear was actually a lot cleverer than she thought she was.<\/p>\n
Rabbit, as he ran, looked over his shoulder at Wolf, and his eyes opened wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook behind you!\u201d gasped Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not falling for that,\u201d panted Wolf. Hmm, he did hear a noise behind him all right. No, he wasn\u2019t going to look, it was a trick. \u201cThat\u2019s just another of Bear\u2019s snowballs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it is – and it isn\u2019t,\u201d said Rabbit. He tried to remember what his three-legged grandfather had said about Avalanches. Oh yes, it\u2019s a good idea to GET OUT OF THE WAY of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, that was it,\u201d panted Rabbit, and jumped sideways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWHAT was it?\u201d panted Wolf, and the noise was so loud now that he finally looked over his shoulder.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t even have time to gasp.<\/p>\n
A snowball the size of an avalanche hit Wolf faster than a train, and rolled him out onto the thin ice of the lake. The ice cracked. Plop!<\/p>\n
By the time Wolf had crawled ashore, Rabbit was half a mile away.<\/p>\n
Wolf snorted. Owch. There was something stuck up his nose. He sneezed.<\/p>\n
Out popped the old, black, floppy carrot. Wolf sniffed it. Ugh.<\/p>\n
Still, he rather liked the way it just sat there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHmmm. Maybe I\u2019ll go vegetarian for a bit,\u201d said Wolf. \u201cI\u2019m sick of having my dinner run away from me at forty miles an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolf gave the carrot a bite.<\/p>\n
Uggy uggy uggy! Bluuuuuuhh!<\/p>\n
Wolf spat the old, black, floppy carrot back into the lake.<\/p>\n
He sighed, licked his huge, sharp teeth, and went home to dry off.
\n\u2026
\n\u201cBear,\u201d said Rabbit, \u201cWhy did you save me when I was so mean to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you gave me a carrot,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it was an old, black, floppy carrot,\u201d said Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the thought that counts,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
Rabbit blushed, and ran off.<\/p>\n
Oh well, thought Bear, I suppose he\u2019s gone to Eat. Or Poo. Or eat poo.<\/p>\n
But he hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Back home, Rabbit pushed the body of his snowman until it rolled down his hill, and halfway up Bear\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cBear!\u201d shouted Rabbit. \u201cHelp me push this snowball up your hill.\u201d<\/p>\n
When they\u2019d got it to the top, Rabbit panted, \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a present\u2026 for your Snow Man.\u201d<\/p>\n
They heaved the new head onto the body. Bear did most of the heaving, as Rabbit couldn\u2019t reach that high.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
Bear carefully pushed two pine cones into the head, for eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
Rabbit picked up a curved stick, jumped as high as he could, and slapped a mouth on the Snowman.<\/p>\n
It made a perfect lopsided frown that was about to fall off.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect,\u201d said Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cHmmmmm,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
The stick unstuck, and fell off.<\/p>\n
Bear turned it upside down, and carefully put it back on, so that it made a smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect,\u201d they said together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid I lost the carrot that you gave me,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
Rabbit smiled, for the first time ever. It hardly hurt at all. He reached behind him. \u201cTa-dah!\u201d Rabbit gave his best and brightest orange carrot to Bear. \u201cFor your Snow Man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d said Rabbit, shocked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor OUR Snow Man,\u201d said Bear, and carefully pushed the carrot nose into the Snow Man\u2019s head.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect,\u201d they said together.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d said Rabbit, happily. \u201cTomorrow we could meet up, and play, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d said Bear. \u201cI\u2019m really hungry, and I\u2019ve no food. I\u2019ll have to go back to sleep till winter is over\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Rabbit smiled. It was even easier the second time. He produced a honeycomb from behind his back. And a frozen salmon. And some delicious beetles\u2019 eggs.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026 but\u2026 this is just like the food I had!\u201d Bear said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt IS the food you had,\u201d said Rabbit. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I stole it. You can have it all back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then YOU won\u2019t have any food,\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I deserve any,\u201d said Rabbit, very quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 look here Rabbit,\u201d said Bear. \u201cYou don\u2019t like being a Rabbit anyway. Why not stay in my cave, and be a Bear, with me? And you\u2019ll be safe from Wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect!\u201d said Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s have a moonlight picnic to celebrate!\u201d said Bear.<\/p>\n
It was a long and lovely picnic. Bear had built up a wonderful appetite, after sleeping half the winter, and Rabbit was, as usual, VERY, VERY hungry.<\/p>\n
At last, they went to bed.<\/p>\n
Rabbit looked out the mouth of the warm cave, at the Snow Man glittering in the moonlight.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looks a little lonely, out there in the cold,\u201d said Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the morning,\u201d murmured Bear, \u201cwe can make him a Friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Rabbit and Bear fell asleep together in their warm cave.<\/p>\n
Outside, the Snow Man smiled in the moonlight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n