Oh! H-hello there… I’m Horace. I, um… I’m a hare, and well, I get nervous sometimes. Maybe more than sometimes. I live up in the So-Hi Mountains where the air is clear and the world feels very big. You should know something about me straight away — I don’t like hugs. Or at least, I didn’t. They made me feel trapped, uncomfortable, too close. I’d squirm, panic, and run.

But… friends showed me another way. They reminded me that hugs aren’t cages, but comforts. They can mean safety, care, even love. And slowly, with trembling paws and a racing heart, I learned to lean into them. I won’t say I’m completely comfortable yet, but I’m learning. Bit by bit.

I may not be brave in the loud, bold sense, but perhaps courage comes in quiet ways — in admitting fears, in trying again, in opening one’s heart. I have my worries, but I also have my hopes. And if you’ll be patient with me, I’ll share them with you. Perhaps, in time, I may even offer you a hug — not because I must, but because I truly want to.