It's bedtime now.
Time to snuggle into bed and let your eyes softly close.
Let's take three deep breaths together.
Ready?
Good.
Notice how warm and safe and comfortable you feel.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Allow your mind to travel with the sound of my voice.
Beneath you,
Your bed has transformed and you find yourself lying on a soft patch of earth.
You can smell the rich scent of soil all around you.
You are in a huddled position with your front and back legs tucked underneath you,
Your head nestled into the soft,
Warm,
Dew-lap of your neck.
A friend lies beside you fast asleep.
You raise your head and look around.
Your eyes,
Located on the sides of your head,
Enable you to see almost 360 degrees around you.
Unfortunately,
Here in your sleeping den,
It is quite dark,
So you use your senses of smell and hearing to locate the way out.
You move quietly and nimbly through a series of spacious tunnels until you reach a hole that leads out.
As soon as your body leaves the Warren,
Your long ears spring into action,
Reaching toward the sky and moving this way and that to hear any sign of danger.
You smell the air,
Your tiny nose and whiskers moving up and down with each sniff.
You catch the scent of dew on the grass,
The sweet smell of clover nearby,
The musky scent of your friends foraging with you at dawn.
You are a crepuscular creature,
Most active at dawn and dusk when you are less likely to come across predators.
The sun is just starting to rise,
And due to the wavelengths of color you are able to perceive,
It illuminates greens and blues all around you.
You sit on your hind legs,
Your back straight,
Your front elbows and paws bent and loose at the sides of your chest.
You twist slightly to follow the scent of clover you noticed earlier.
Gently you place your front paws on the ground,
And with your strong back legs you propel yourself forward,
Following your nose to a beautiful patch of clover.
The clover is soft and spongy beneath you.
You find the perfect clump and inhale deeply the sweet,
Tangy smell making your mouth water.
You nibble at the clover,
Your big front teeth tearing off bites and your back teeth grinding,
Allowing you to taste each little leaf.
It is so delicious.
As you are feasting,
You hear the thump of a friend and immediately dart into a copse of trees to get undercover.
Beneath the bush that has become your cover,
You see that a hawk is circling overhead,
But you are safely hidden and comfortable.
You think about what it would be like to fly,
To see from far above the ground.
The idea is both exhilarating and a little scary,
Since you spend most of your time either in your warren below the ground or just above it foraging.
The hawk has moved on now,
And you feel it is time to go back to the burrow.
You are curious to see just how fast you can run,
And you want to be sure that you get underground before that hawk comes back,
So you bolt towards the burrow.
Wow,
You feel almost like you're flying.
You are running at a speed near 18 miles per hour.
You make it back to the warren in the blink of an eye.
You lay your ears into the soft brown fur of your head and neck as you gently hop your way back into your sleeping den,
Your little cottontail bouncing up and down as your legs propel you deeper into the burrow.
You find your soft patch of earth and settle into it for a little nap.
You start to feel a deep sense of relaxation come over you from the top of your furry head,
Down your face to your nose and whiskers,
Down your neck and doolap,
Into your back and chest,
Down your front legs and paws,
Through your midsection,
Your belly softening into the ground,
Down your back legs and paws,
And all the way to your sweet little cottontail.
Your eyelids become heavy and you gently let them close.
Your breathing becomes soft and deep and effortless.
You are completely comfortable resting on the soft patch of ground warmed by your body.
You breathe in,
Filling your lungs with fresh earthy air.
The muscles in your body release and you feel fully supported by the ground beneath you.
You are completely relaxed and you let yourself drift off to sleep.
Good night little bunny.
