Raising Hare

Two days pass without another sighting of the new leveret. Chloe is especially concerned for its safety because she’s seen a stoat slinking about the garden during the last week. Stoats are beautiful, weasel-like creatures that are ruthless predators. Their lithe, muscular bodies were designed for hunting, and they can fit into the tiniest of spaces, springing forth to capture their prey with ease. She knows that there is nothing she can do to drive the stoat from her garden and that ultimately it would be impossible to protect the leveret. She is relieved when she catches sight of it, but she understands that she cannot alter its fate. The other leverets stick together and mostly remain inside, although as they grow larger and stronger, they too begin to explore the garden. Chloe notes with interest the difference between the leverets’ personalities. The larger, which she assumes is male, is more assertive in his movements. She often wonders if he bothers his mother too much: The hare at times seems irritated with his presence and avoids him when she is not feeding him. He also bullies his sibling, a smaller leveret whom Chloe assumes is female. The male chews objects in the house with greater regularity than the female, and he also seems more comfortable exploring new places.