When I was a teenager, the third rabbit I had was most definitely a heart bunny: Thumper. She was of no known breed (just a big ol' agouti doe), and she lived in my bedroom for the first few years, until I managed to get an outdoor setup, and then she lived the rest of her life between the backyard and indoors. She slept in my bed every night, she'd cuddle with me, and she was a huge comfort to me when I was going through rough times. The day she died - uterine cancer, I believe - I went out to her hutch to see her, and she was lying on her side, barely alive. When I opened the door to her cage she lifted her head and looked at me, I stroked her face, and she was gone.
As most here who know me are aware, Raph was my other huge heart bunny. A blue English lop who had genetic defects, he became closer to me than any other animal I've ever known, and closer than any person. Oh, he and I had our *moments*, when he'd come charging at me, teeth bared, to keep me away from his beloved Anna...but even then he never bit. Only once did he actually do so and draw blood, but he didn't clamp down on my hand; his front teeth 'raked' the skin and, being so sharp, they cut me. But he still would cuddle with me when I watched tv, placing his head on my lap to have his face stroked. Then as time went by and he became more and more disabled, he became closer to me. He watched for me every day, his head bobbing up and down when I'd approach. He sat with me silently through the tough times, when his little body was wracked with pain, yet he never complained, never took it out on me, as some animals will do when pain torments them. The last three nights of his life were spent with me in my bed, with me stroking his fur as he breathed in and out, softly, his body relaxing and him drifting off to sleep as I watched. And just before he left this world he came to me in a dream, giving me a message that everything was okay, he would be okay, and I could now let him go. If ever there was a person to animal soulmate, Raph was mine.
And now there's Yofi. My young goofball of an English lop (whose birthday is coming up next week!), he follows me around like a puppy, just as Raph did when he was younger. He flips and darts and scurries and constantly gets himself into trouble, and he has brought an amazing amount of laughter into my life. And while Yofi doesn't care so much for nose strokes, he loves body massages, and he will melt quietly into the ground as I gently massage his shoulders and back. Anna too is close to me, but not in the same way; she is more of a companion for Yofi and a peace-keeper in the home. Actually, she reminds me very much of a cat I used to have, Tiger...her energy feels very much like him, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he had reincarnated and returned.
But of all the rabbits I've had, those three....Thumper, Raph, and Yofi...are all heart bunnies, with Raph being the closest of all.
