#Lepus Monstrum

[lazywriter-artist]

Have YOU 🫵 ever wanted to a silly goofy warp bunny of your very own or as gifts to your goobers?! Well have I got news for you!!

Now presenting!

What is a warp bunny? Read more here!

Void rabbits are beasts of the warp that consume warp energy to survive. While they are shaped similarly to Terran rabbits this is about all they have in common as warp bunnies are facultative carnivores and often considered apex predators when reaching adult size. They were once thought to be simple voidsmen tall tales, but inquisitorial investigations by a highly passionate member of the ordo xenos began to slowly reveal the creatures prevalence across the imperium. Most disturbingly discovering the dark underbelly of the beasts prevalence with an emerging black market demand for the things, raising many alarm bells in imperial officials with the beats prevalence in eating minor daemons and other dangerous beasts of the warp

Got any more questions? Feel free to ask here at @lazywriter-artist or @Warpbunny-Official!

Warp hare or warp bunny?? Who’s who?!

They are the same creatures, Lepus Monstrum, but just get different common names due to the large difference in size/shape :)

When drawing warp bunnies you don’t have to keep my style! They just look a lot like a regular Terran bunnies :)!

Warp bunnies colors

While warp bunnies come in a very wide variety of colors and patterns there is still some rules to follow! So let’s get into it.

Common

The common coloration of warp bunnies has a lot of variation! Any sort of ‘natural’ colors you can find on regular bunnies? Warp bunnies can have! (Sorta-) things like tri colors are a bit more uncommon, but otherwise if it’s a regular bunny color & pattern? It’s pretty commonly seen in the warp bunnies :)

Colors that aren’t natural for terra bunnies come with a bit closer of a scheming to them- warp bunnies are always colored with a darker shade and lighter shade (when 2 toned) and any unusual colors are muted and a bit dull! Warp bunnies themselves can come in the solid muted color (it can be a light or dark shade!-)

While when dual color, the warp hare often has a darker shade (typically a base shade but this is not a rule of any kind-) and a pastel shade! Patterning of the pelt is normally organically shaped and/or based off of real bunnies once again :)

Uncommon

More uncommon bunny pelts tend to include a few factors! Such as, being brightly colored- while there are some breeds of warp bunny that can have brightly colored coats, the standard warp bunny infact do not, having their aforementioned muted coats.

Another ‘uncommon’ feature of standard warp bunnies is ‘oddly’ shaped pelt patterns! This is described by:

>geometric shapes >patterns with recognizable shapes (hearts, stars, skulls, ect.)

Another uncommon coat coloration would be Tri colors! The use of three colors can again come in normal colorations (See Warp Bunny Taul shapes; Bucktail) or using the regular scheme with an added pastel/dull shade!

Rare

Whatever this freak is doing.

(Bright colors AND odd patterns, being a little freak)

Warp bunny muzzle shapes

Warp bunny muzzles can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes! Below are a few of the more common ones but variations are not impossible to see! Muzzle shape doesn’t tend to be distinguishable till warp bunnies grow sufficiently enough into an ‘late adolescent’ size

Warp bunny tails

Warp bunnies can come with a variety of tail shapes! So here are a few very common examples you might see!

Cottontails are commonly lighter color than the rest of the bunnies body, even if the bunny has no patterning, though a same colored cotton tail is not impossible! Bucktails are often colored underbelly coloration on the bottoms of their tails and upper body coloration leading over to the top half, stub and lambs tails both always coordinate with the pattern color. They’re never a different color without a pattern being there!

Unlike most aspects there isn’t much of a rarity system but cottontails are most commonly recorded

Warp bunny tusks

All warp bunnies have tusks, even younger ones! They just often don’t start to become visible until they begin to grow in size! warp bunny kits grow their fangs about a week after formation, 2 weeks their tusks begin to grow in. Their tusks never stop growing, speed seems to vary by hare and only seem to slow as a bunny grows in size/age.

Warp bunny tusk shapes are commonly symmetrical* and have 3 major factors when considering shape:

Up or down

Thickness

Curvature

Aside from the directional tusks, the thickness and curvature of the tusks will vary on a sliding scale! The tusks can also have oddities with associated rarities as the uncommon appearance of Double tusks (either lower or upper-, see lazy bunny) or asymmetrical tusks. Meanwhile rarer tusks include extremely asymmetrical styles (one side has no tusks, one side has double tusks, one tusks is not but a nub, ect.) or lacking tusks entirely which is only occasionally seen in the rare psychically inclined hares

When met with infesting warp bunnies it’s important to remember that warp bunny teeth are very hard, and since tusks never stop growing it is not uncommon to see bunnies sharping/grinding down their teeth on hard surfaces, sometimes the metal of ships (inside and out)

* broken tusks don’t count as cases of rare-uncommon asymmetry and

Warp bunny ear shape

Warp bunnies commonly have a variety of ear shapes (Lop, half lop, standard,) but should not be confused with other breeds of warp bunny like the velveteen lop, which are a common show breed for harlequins and show different pelt variations entirely from their common siblings.

Create your own warp bunny and gonna post it? Got some burning questions about the critters?? Think u missed something??? Feel free to use the #Lepus Monstrum or @lazywriter-artist !!!! Or you could even try @warpbsunny-official <3!! I’d love to see all your lovely creations :)!!!!

[lazywriter-artist]

Terracotta likes fluffy things and lots of cuddles

Why does every warp bunny and warp hare like the engine room? Warm and safe. Rest up little buddy, you can come with us. :)

[lazywriter-artist]

No thoughts….too tired, just lazy

The greed blinds him…

He’s busy Cyber bullying

Now he working on the arts…

Traveling to new places!

Originals below the cut

[lazywriter-artist]

Warp bunny silliness :3

Powder is a silly boy heheh

I made him some friends

Honeybun and scamp!!

Yeah…powder and scamp get along great—

Ignore them honeybun is being cute

He heals you!

Have the baby

Plus even some lazy sillines

Yes :)

[lazywriter-artist]

Warp bunny randomnesss!!!

Bal is not immune to cute babies—

What a funny bunny

What lovely bunnies….

[lazywriter-artist]

Cruel trick of the light?

[lazywriter-artist]

So yeah- warp bunnies are weird :)

Oopsies :P

Fun fact! Inquisitor Aster-Rae here is the main inquisitor on research for the warp bunnies and is the ‘pov’ I write my lore dumps from ;)

[lazywriter-artist]

Tags from @qcontinuumumum

Do it I mean hey who said that

[lazywriter-artist]

More doodles of my many children !!!!

Passing off the baby

Moth to a flame

He’s just very fun to doodle and makes my heart happy to think about him getting happy to see march

Not that scary!

Little more of powder

Cute critter

Getting work done o7

the more he frowns the closer the things your tracking are—

[lazywriter-artist]

Some warp bunny silliness

Funfact warp bunnies do not care for your human rules

Kits left unattended must be cuddled, I don’t make the rules srry

Behold his son

Grumpy baby misses dad, bring back dad

Grumpiest baby dad just understands

[lazywriter-artist]

Log 847-3

The keeping and trade of warp bunnies is an oversight, really a hole within the imperial system as of late. With the heavy hitting sway of the ordo hereticus, regulations have been getting tighter due to the security threats the bunnies can pose (numerous cases of worlds being ripped in two by deamons due to the “well meaning” worry of a “pet owner” turned heretic already exist after all). This doesn’t mean however various rogue traders and pirate types don’t try to worm their way through these holes and push their body weight around.

No matter how harmful these practices may be, it is another venue to gain some information even if proven incorrect quickly after it allows for room to process things via elimination. This taken into consideration, acquisition of a rogue trader written booklet on the transportation of warp hares. Cross referencing with eldar sources allows for a clearer image of the warp bunnies themselves.

Expert from the booklet “The trade and transport of warp hares”

“

Many warp hares & bunnies alike vacate vessels when exiting the warp, this is because Warp bunnies’ travel out of the warp is often a very draining process, especially with the abrupt nature imperium ships tend to do so. Warp hares tend to be very physically drained, this often leads to anomalies in the warp and vessels being swarmed by sniffers, a equally mystifying breed of warp hound that often prey upon lesser beasts of the warp. Due to the sent of the hares & the warp energy anomalies their state causes (Imagine it as the reverse of human psykers being overwhelmed by entering the warp, hares’ bodies are sent into shock and are trying to compensate for the lack of warp energy), sniffers will do anything in their power to feast before a hare can recover. Including gnawing through you.

Sniffers are simple beasts who hunt for the easiest of prey, aiming often for kits, minor deamons, and on frequent occasion of crossing paths— humans. However, hares in this weakened state are a fine meal for a pack of sniffers and They are quick to set in and try to catch the hare in this weakened state and strike for any kits left unguarded.

Often this leaves crews at risk, you see sniffers, unlike the warp hare, are happy to fill themselves with meals of human psykers and can be highly aggressive towards humans. Traveling with a psyker heavy crew, especially one that is restrained for one reason or another, many suggest trained sniffers as a deterrent of warp hares & bunnies (especially considering the pain a bunnies’ protective nature ghat can be gained with human crewfolk) or if one is traveling with bunnies, a trained hare. Numerous avid shipmen of warp hares will keep a prize hare much like the eldar tribes, as a form of attracting more hares & keeping their cargo safe during travel. Hares enter this state of hibernation when exiting the warp, trained hares can be taught to enter this state on command and thus quell and calm your stock!

“ (ch. 7, line 9)

Information, helpful with a groan of salt. Mere pages from this interesting expert is a description of separating kits from their hares (DO NOT. DO NOT APPROACH A HARE WITH KITS. FOR THE THOUSANDTH TIME YOU WILL DIE)

But sadly due to the age and nature of the book it cannot be fully trusted as a source, but it will be used as a jumping off point in further studios to get us closer to understanding these strange creatures!

End log

[lazywriter-artist]

More warp bunny lore anyone?

Good >:)

“Domesticated”* Warp rabbits

*Slight misnomer due to the fact warp rabbits are not domesticated, should NOT be domesticated and contrary to popular belief do not make any variety of fulfilling or good pet.

Warp hares are a commonly kept species amongst certain groups of eldar, fluffy and very cuddly these creatures make great companions for facing harsh elements with the added traits of hunt out deamon pests (with added versatility considering their ability to be trained to hunt out specific chaos sects, deamons and with enough training cultists) they make very good house guests. Happy and healthy warp hares even allow for a cycle to form as the creatures get too large for the eldar to keep, if raised well, the warp hares will have already trained up a litter of kits in many similar ways it had been taught thus leaving the eldar with more warp bunnies than they started with that have a greater jumping off point for training!

Research suggests that this is less like keeping a pet and make a much more symbiotic relationship. The warp hares providing the eldar with safety and protection from not just elements but enemies, while the eldar provide the warp hares with food and extra safety for their kits to be raised and trained up for the dangers their home territories provide.

This being said, there is most certainly an inappropriate way to keep warp hares. Much like that of the drukhari’s means of keeping them. Warp hares kept by drukhari are highly uncommon, rare even. Due to the hare’s diets, size requirements and the fact they aren’t particular fans of being “tamed”. It’s normally a risky procedure to attempt and live (some imperial citizens even falling prey to this with the exotic xenos trade among some officials booming in recent years), still, the Drukhari find ways to capture the star bunnies. Interviewed sources say these attempts to keep warp hares are much like certain inquisitorial attempts to hold Tyranids, others saying divine retribution awaits for such affronts, to who exactly it is unclear.

Specimens kept by the gangs are usually highly aggressive, unusually warp mutated, & have shrunken dewlaps. Larger hares are the most commonly seen, likely raised and trained from captured kits, but they do not attract or care for star bunny kits of their own, This is probably due to the fact the warp rabbits aren’t typically fed deamons or other sources of warp energy beyond what is the bare minimum for survival and mild growth.

Drukhari kept & raised warp hares are normally trained to hunt for and fed on soul stones, displaying higher appetites for soul stones and stronger food drives. Even though drukhari keep the rabbits trained to regard members of their gangs as members of their ‘packs’, they don’t seem to hold similar symbiotic relationships with the drukhari captors like seen with eldar keepers. The Drukhari regard the beasts with caution, distaste and, in some instances, fear. Often keeping the warp beasts in locations away from camps or just outright caged when not tasked with their duties. If out of their confines, most sources cite that there tend to be several drukhari present, if the rabbit itself is not restrained in some way. Drukhari often do not near or interfere if a warp hare is in its feeding frenzy, lest they learn a swift lesson why. Many seek some point of safety more often than not, as the hares kept captive by them display far more aggressive, obsessive and frequent frenzied eating patterns than any other of their species. Many interviewed sources say if drukhari keepers are lulled into a false sense of superiority over or kinships with the warp beast and begin to leave fewer precautions or gang members around when loose, the beasts often (even at its smaller sizes) will viciously devour the drukhari and flee the keepers. Larger specimens are known to leave mass dead in their wake, with direct numbers typically unknown due to many being eaten in their escape.

A warp hare baring the signs of escape from drukhari captivity is one to be regarded with caution. They often times are highly territorial and aggressive, not just with other warp hares but especially with ships and their crews. It is suspected the warp hares spread their grudges and fears along to the surrounding populations and/or their kits. Sites of drukhari freed warp hares are reported as having higher number of star rabbit attacks and larger damages to ships.

Stories spread amongst locals further corroborating this with a common warning tale of the area even stating the normally docile kits setting upon a man foolish enough to travel too close to the makeshift burrow in investigation, fleeing once more folks had approached to aid him.

Void rabbits and voidsmen beliefs

It’s common belief among voidsmen local to warp bunnies territories that the warp bunny fur will ward off deamons and other dangers of the warp, so when abandoned burrows are found it’s common for the sailors to carry around tufts of the fur or line their beds with them as they not only provide warmth but the aforementioned safety. Adding to this idea is the tendency for drukhari kept void hares and bunnies to often time be nearly bald or have serious cases of alopecia (normally caused by stress, disease, scarring and other issues the improper care can provide-) and their unusually warp mutated bodies. Theorizing the poor care leads to hair loss and thus tainting from the warp.

Overconfident voidsmen, whom attempt to strike for the whole pelts of void bunnies and hares, however find this ‘ward’ to be foregone as upon slaying a void hare its bunnies are likely to maul and torment the crew and vice versa for the death of a bunny, some reports even sorting entirely different hares not seen to the area arriving to aid the destruction of ships. Some sailor tall tales even report the pelts beginning to wither and rot like a carcass causing a stench that actually attracts deamons, but this is believed to simply be tall tales to discourage the hunting of the hares, possibly even to discourage the consumption of their meat as, with suspicions from the inquisition and several other offices, the meat could possibly harbor harmful warp energies due to their diets.

Even if only a myth, many sailors will avoid collecting any form of ‘trophy’ of the void dwellers when stumbling upon them, save for the very rare occurrence of fangs and bones (typically found amongst orks as apposed to their natural habitats).

[lazywriter-artist]

With the appearance of my custom creatures in @taryn40k ‘s story I suppose it’s time I show off some info about them X3!!

[ Begin log. ]

Lepus monstrum

Common names include: ‘Warp hare’ ‘void rabbit’ ‘star bunny’ ‘warp bunny’

001//86//639 - Entry 1

Lepus Monstrum are a strange species with little known about them in imperial records (few researchers even consider them more than a myth with only 4-5 confirmed sightings by sanctioned researchers and no captive specimens or remains). Some theorize the species isn’t actually from the materium but actually a type of warp deamon which prefer to reside amongst the material plane.

Voidshipmen around the creature’s suspected home territory share stories of the creatures & often consider them bad luck or to be bad omen. The superstition runs so strong that navy man will refuse to fly after spotting the creatures.

Some sightings of lepus monstrum have been at spots of large battles, especially those where uncollected eldar dead are present. They’re rumored to collect soul stones but sightings are unconfirmed and unclear as to why the creatures are present. Common sailor mythos suggest the void rabbits consume the stones and other sources of minor warp energy to grow.

While many sailors say the creatures are bad omens, those who travel excessively through warp sites claim the space bunnies are said to follow larger and far more intimidating species of void Lepus through warp space which are said to devour deamons in single gulps. Few researchers believe this and denote it as warp based hallucinations and merely sailors’ tall tales.

002//23//783 - Entry 2

Xenos research suggests the true nature of the creatures is unknown even to those closely linked to the warp. Some eldar groups seeing the creatures as similar omens of death and destruction, harbingers of untimely demise, whilst other groups seem to keep the creatures in some capacity as ancient Terrans were known to do with Terra’s feline species to ward off pests and other entities.

The creatures rarity and certain outliers of the species however have cause very small fringe cults among the imperium to begin to form. These cults are normally dealt with by inquisitional officers but further monitoring is always anticipated and encouraged after such insurrections.

003//18//0235 - Entry 3

When a warp bunny is exposed back to the warp after time away and given opportunity to more food and a far more appropriate diet the creatures bodies will begin to change and adjust for this new gaining of energy.

Warp bunnies bodies will begin to change as bodies begin to grow, dewlaps begin to take shape and grow. Claws grow out, fangs become larger and more prominent, they’re said to gain a higher prey drive and occasionally territorial nature. This is also where one of the most prominent species trait begins to show, their hoards of smaller warp bunnies.

larger specimen of the species colloquially gaining their monicker of ‘Warp hare’ or ‘void rabbit’ as a distinction between the stages and thus what threat they pose. Smaller specimen (rodent - large sized canid ranges) tend to pose no more threat then the a canid bite whilst their larger sizes (baneblade - viper class scout sloop and above size range) seem to ignore smaller creatures and humans entirely or simply regard them with the same degree one might a rodent. Likely due to the fact at such a size anything smaller is not often going to give the same sustenance as a deamon

When reaching their larger size the warp rabbit, when successful in its hunting and thus often having place for scraps, is known to begin to attract and take care of droves of the smaller bunnies. Acting as caretakers for their smaller counterparts protecting them from any predators and giving them meals from successful hunts.

When food is amply present and available, a warp bunny will develop a larger dewlap. Denoting its healthy weight and appropriate diet and typically its age. Younger, underfed and poorly fed warp rabbits are known to have smaller less pronounced dewlaps and be extremely aggressive, easily agitated and territorial.

Smooth days amongst the warp are nothing to question, but when a warp bunny infestation makes itself known on your ship then there is cause for alarm. Warp bunnies congregate where warp energy is highest and typically likely for deamons to appear, this or they are Kits of a larger warp rabbit and are seeking refuge during a territorial/dominance squabble amongst larger beasts.

Even if such is the case it is incredibly important to note the size of the infesting warp bunnies, as they often are a clue at what size of warp rabbit is lurking about and runs the risk of damaging the ship. The larger the warp bunnies, the larger the warp rabbit.

004//32//0945 - Entry 4

While warp bunnies have proven mostly harmless in dealings with humans and other fauna and xenos, there are records of hostile encounters. Few cases, but cases nonetheless. Foolhardy nobles no idea of the creature they are undertaking have tried to keep the warp beasts as household pets or exotic additions to their stock. This has lead to improper housing and care and thus cases of aggressive warp rabbits breaking free and wreaking havoc with a thirst for blood and especially psykers due to their highly carnivorous and warp energy based diets.

Thus it is always important to remind civilians within systems where the creatures have been sighted that encounters with the beasts must be taken seriously and not mistaken for Terran rabbit breeds as they are merely similar in appearance.

005//34//1034 - Entry 5

Outliers of the species aren’t unheard of and commonly the most recorded due to the much easier presence to record not residing heavily in warp spaces.

One such is recorded cases of solitary or small packs of warp rabbits taking up a ‘favorite person’ or the theorized possibility of mistaken identity. That someone is mistaken as one of the many kits of larger warp bunnies and taken care of by the warp rabbit specimens as their own young. Often times these recorded cases are carried around fed by the central Archon as if the individual were a kit which needed extra attention and care (travel, feeding, protection, ect.).

The communication ability of warp rabbits is unknown and their sapience is easily called into question. At the minimum most seem to understand human language to the barest of minimums, same seems to be reported of xenos cultures equally.

Important notice.

Congregations of void rabbits of larger rabbits exceeding numbers of 3-4 are alarming sights.

They are signs of large deamon presence, but if these void rabbits check off all the boxes as appropriate care takers (appropriate weight, size, ect.) but there is not a smaller warp bunny in sight? extreme caution is to be warned.

The largest recorded specimen of the warp rabbit is found within the depths of the warp followed by a variety of large beasts and typically accompanied by the—

[ End log. ]

[lazywriter-artist]

Silly rabbit! Tricks are for eldar X3c

Powder and his fluffy friend :3

Powder can be clingy— and spiteful

Berny loves the honey bunny…

All da babies..who needs work anywya?

Vesker my planetary governor made the mistake of adopting a warp bunny, he envies the connection lazy and- uh lazy have—

What a strange….bunny?