Blackberry

After a full rabbit life, he now lies beneath the damp soil next to the berry bushes in the garden.
Six years ago, I'm begging Mom with all the prowess of a whiny ten year old to please, please, please, (with a cherry on top), take a baby bunny home. A sweet brown one nudges my finger. A glossy and feisty black one nips my hand.
I love him.
Consecrated Blackberry after the clever and mischievous rabbit in Watership Down, his life's purpose seemed to be to live up to his name. Though most often, whether with a tone of irritation or endearance, he was simply referred to as "The Bunny" in the family.
A rabbit run was soon constructed in the cool and shady prime of the backyard.
Some nights I would wake with a start, remembering that he was still out there. Fearing prowling cats and other rabbit night terrors, I would race into the blackness, forgetting a flashlight and even shoes. Groping on hands and knees through knee-high grass, I would quickly verify that he wasn't in the run. Often, after hours of tip-toeing and freezing still to catch the faintest rustle, I would find him deep in a neighbor's garden. Before I scooped him up in relief he would give me a sheepish glance as if to say " Well there you are, where were you all this time?"
It was novel to "walk" him around the neighborhood on a rabbit leash and harness, I hopped along with him through bushes, sprinklers, and fields.
Some of his tricks I taught him. At the price of a handful of oats, Blackberry would stand up on his hind legs. But all the training in the world couldn't get him out from under my bed when he was set loose in the house.
On good days I could hold him like a baby. And even on good days, after a minute of this he would twist, flip, and land gracefully on the floor. Not after giving me a few scratches of course. He always had a wildness to him, but I never once regretted leaving his brown furred brother behind.
There is a space I can feel where he is missing. I see Blackberry hopping around the gardens in animal heaven now, nibbling on some grass and waiting for me to come out of the night to find him.