The Awful Ones came the other day,
Came to our forest where we animals play,
Where the fish leap,
The birds sing and fly,
Porcupines grumble,
Squirrels climb into the sky.
The frogs stopped their croaking and we rabbits hopped away,
And the Awful Ones boomed, “Stop!
We’re HUNTING today!
We want all the creatures that soar through the air,
We’re gonna come get you, you’d better beware.”
And with a crack like lightning, birds fell to the ground.
Death, destruction, and blood all around.
The Awful Ones picked them up without a glance our way,
They put them in nets, and thundered away.
Life went on mostly the same, but the singing was gone,
The glorious sight of feathers in the dawn.
And the porcupines said, “We never liked them anyway,”
The squirrels agreed, “They just flew all day.”
And as for me, I asked my dad,
“What did we do to them? We’re not bad!”
My dad replied, in a voice so solemn,
“Be grateful, my dear, no, don’t call them -
The Awful Ones don’t need a reason to kill -
They murder, they hunt, they do what they will.
You should be lucky that we’re still alive -
I wasn’t so sure that we’d even survive.”
So I shut my mouth, and I said no more,
But I wasn’t as comfortable and safe anymore.

The Awful Ones came the other day,
Came to our forest where we animals play,
Where the fish leap,
The birds used sing and fly,
Porcupines grumble,
Squirrels climb into the sky.
The frogs stopped their croaking and we rabbits hopped away,
And the Awful Ones boomed, “Stop!
We’re HUNTING today!
We want all the beasts with furry, bushy, tails!
We’re gonna get you!” they cried, through the squirrels’ wails.
And with a look of pure menace, they shot every one.
The grin on their face showed that they were having fun.
With those bushy tails limp, the Awful Ones showed no surprise,
Picked them all up, like a furry dead prize.
They left our forest without a look our way,
Stuffed them in bags,
Thundered away.
Life went on mostly the same, but squirrel noises were no more.
No more help with harvesting, or any other chore.
And the toads said, “They were too greedy and loud.”
The fish replied, “And they showed off their tails, and were way too proud.”
And as for me, I asked my dad,
“What did we do to them? We’re not bad!”
My dad replied, in a voice so solemn,
“Be grateful, my dear, no, don’t call them -
The Awful Ones don’t need a reason to kill -
They murder, they hunt, they do what they will.
You should be lucky that we’re still alive -
I wasn’t so sure that we’d even survive.”
So I shut my mouth, and I said no more,
But I wasn’t even as comfy and safe as before.

The Awful Ones came the other day,
Came to our forest where we animals play,
Where the fish leap,
The birds used sing and fly,
Porcupines grumble,
No more squirrels in the sky.
The frogs stopped their croaking and we rabbits hopped away,
And the Awful Ones boomed, “Stop!
We’re HUNTING today!
We want all those who swim in the pond;
By the end of the day, you’ll all be gone!”
Silvery nets shot out, and hurtled towards the deep,
Killing fish mothers, fathers, sisters, even those asleep.
They lay there like logs, and were carried away.
Life went on, normally almost,
But there was no longer anyone to feed my burnt toast.
And the porcupines muttered, “They showed off anyway.”
My father replied, “Their scales are too bright,”
But I exclaimed, “What they did wasn’t right!”
My dad replied, in a voice so solemn,
“Be grateful, my dear, no, don’t call them -
The Awful Ones don’t need a reason to kill -
They murder, they hunt, they do what they will.
You should be lucky that we’re still alive -
I wasn’t so sure that we’d even survive.”
So I shut my mouth, and I said no more,
But should I accept it? I wasn’t sure.

The Awful Ones came the other day,
Came to our forest where we animals play,
Where the fish once leaped,
The birds used sing and fly,
Porcupines grumble,
No more squirrels in the sky.
The frogs stopped their croaking and we rabbits hopped away,
And the Awful Ones boomed, “Stop!
We’re HUNTING today!
We want all the creatures that swim and hop all around.
Now come here so we can get you, and don’t make a sound.”
The frogs tried to hide, but it was no use -
They were captured in nets before you could say truce.
And the Awful Ones brought them, and I let out a sigh,
Frogs were weeping, calling, “Help us, we’ll die!”
But nobody moved, no one did a thing,
And the porcupines grumbled, “They thought they were king!”
And my father agreed, but I said not a word;
I knew that they’d think what I said was absurd.
For I knew the Awful Ones didn’t need a reason to kill -
They murder, they hunt, they do what they will.
I should be lucky I was still alive -
I wasn’t so sure that we’d even survive.
But I didn’t believe it, this couldn’t be true,
So I bounded away, and thought it all through.
And life went on, the usual way,
But I never saw green in the pond as they’d play

The Awful Ones came the other day,
Came to our forest where we animals play,
Where the fish once leaped,
The birds used sing and fly,
Porcupines grumble,
No more squirrels in the sky.
No more frogs to be croaking, and we rabbits hopped away,
And the Awful Ones boomed, “Stop!
We’re HUNTING today!
We want all you creatures with spikes on your backs!
Everyone else, you can relax.”
So the porcupines ran, but were carried away,
And my father just stood there like it was okay.
He said, “We didn’t like them, it was a small price to pay,
The Awful Ones are done coming our way.
They won’t want us, they have all they need.”
I didn’t remind him of the Awful Ones’ greed.
And I didn’t approach him, I knew what he’d say.
But it wouldn’t happen, we would not survive the day.
For I knew the Awful Ones didn’t need a reason to kill -
They murder, they hunt, they do what they will.
I should be lucky I was still alive -
I wasn’t so sure that we’d even survive.
And life went on, but it wasn’t the same.
No more porcupines to play in our games.

The Awful Ones came the other day,
Came to our forest where we animals play,
Where the fish once leaped,
The birds used sing and fly,
No porcupines grumble,
No more squirrels in the sky.
No more frogs to be croaking, and we rabbits hopped away,
And the Awful Ones boomed, “Stop!
We’re HUNTING today!
We want you white rabbits, you’re ours to keep!
Come here, and we’ll put you in eternal sleep!”
And we scurried away, shouted “HELP!” all around,
But nothing moved, nothing made a sound.
For they all had been killed or captured before -
There was no one around to help anymore.
So the rabbits all died, well, all except me.
I was so small, I hid in a tree.
And now, that I’m safer, I’ll warn other woods,
“The Awful Ones will come, this won’t be good!
For the Awful Ones didn’t need a reason to kill -
They murder, they hunt, they do what they will.
You should be lucky that you’re still alive -
I’m not so sure that you’ll even survive.
Make sure you support each other, don’t wait ‘til it’s too late!
Do you want to suffer a terrible fate?”

Be warned, my friend, for it be true -
Don’t wait until the only one there to help is you!