History KillerRabbit / Literature

* Quite literally in "Literature/NoNeedForACore?", in the form of Dire Rabbits. Sharp-horned rabbits to pierce, blunt-horned rabbits for bludgeoning damage, and rabbits with extra long and sharp teeth. And that's before we get into the ones that have breath weapons. Or the three-foot tall laganthro clans. Or the giant Void Bunny.

* Quite literally in "Literature/NoneedForACore?", in the form of Dire Rabbits. Sharp-horned rabbits to pierce, blunt-horned rabbits for bludgeoning damage, and rabbits with extra long and sharp teeth. And that's before we get into the ones that have breath weapons. Or the three-foot tall laganthro clans.

* ''Literature/TheWarAgainstTheChtorr'': The bunnydogs appear to be the only friendly Chtorrans encountered by the humans. Unfortunately they also [[spoiler:represent humanity's future in the Chtorran ecology: as passive, contented creatures who are [[EatTheDog glad to be eaten]] by higher members of the food chain.]] There are also meeps. A mother rabbit will reject her own young to nurse meeps, who will then suckle her to death. One character darkly theorizes that the excessively cute bunnydogs are meant to be the equivalent for humans.

* In the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' anthology ''Seasons'', the short story ''A Midnight Clear'' features the village of Kettleford and its beloved guardians, [[GiantSpider giant]] talking {{Friendly Neighborhood Spider}}s. The primary spider and most of her spiderlings hibernate for the winter, but Harmony and Rhapsody prefer to stay awake, so the villagers have knit them sweaters and booties and connected their attics with passageways the village cats also appreciate, to make the cold easier on them. Quite some ink is spilled on how cute and sweet they are, fully integrated into Kettleford life, but then bandits show up. The lamb-sized spiderlings eagerly leap on the bandits and envenomate them, killing them horribly and [[ToServeMan eating their liquiefied innards]]. [[Literature/LastHeraldMageTrilogy Vanyel Ashkevron]], visiting and having probably the best Midwinter of his life, is quite dismayed to find that the cuddly childlike spiderlings are willing to ''eat people'', but the villagers wave away his concern.

* ''Literature/TheReefsOfSpace'': The Planner's daughter, Donna Creery, is attended by a set of "peace doves"--beautiful birds which have been enhanced and trained to serve as deadly bodyguards.

* ''Literature/{{Hometown}}'': One of [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Heart Eater's]] primary servants is a coydog puppy. It has no more physical strength than any other puppy, but then, considering that it can ForceChoke a full-grown German Shepherd, it doesn't really ''need'' physical strength.

* ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'': [[TheLostWoods The Deepwoods]] are full of [[DeathWorld all manner of horrific animals]] and [[ManEatingPlant plants]], but the effectively undisputed top of the foodchain are wig-wigs. These are small, orange fluffballs that also happen to be pack hunters that can and will kill anything they can reach, no matter how big or strong it is. Their only real weakness is their inability to climb.

* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'', the young cubs of the [[{{Wolfman}} Canim]] are described as looking like [[PreciousPuppies adorable little puppies]] with opposable thumbs. They can also tear someone's hand off with just their fangs at only five years old, and also do so with enough force to dislocate someone's shoulder.
* ''[[http://www.amazon.com/Tuf-Voyaging-George-R-Martin/dp/1592220045/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6117255-8583944?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191036129&sr=8-1 The Plague Star]]'', by George R.R. Martin features creatures called "hellkittens", which spit wads of powerfully acidic saliva.
]* Margaret Atwood's ''Literature/OryxAndCrake'' includes wolvogs, creatures that look like friendly dogs, and when they are not ruthlessly killing other creatures, they ''act'' like friendly dogs. They can go from friendly to homicidal, and back, quickly.
* ''Literature/{{Bunnicula}}'' has a vampire-like rabbit that Chester ''assumes'' is a killer rabbit, but there's no evidence that he ever actually does any harm whatsoever besides draining vegetables.
** Another author reimagined ''Bunnicula'' as an EvilOverlord [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4_oc8ITUOA&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL2A287A964951D6AC which is pretty charming]]
* Norska in the ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' series are omnivorous rabbits that eat dragons.
* In Terry Goodkind's ''[[Literature/SwordOfTruth Soul of the Fire]]'', an embodiment of evil either possesses or impersonates a chicken. Strangely, the main characters are capable of realizing this... which means you have two badasses who rule the known freaking world and who can alternately make people her slave or destroy armies with a wave of his hand ''scared shitless by a goddamn chicken''.

* In the Robert Heinlein juvenile ''Literature/TunnelInTheSky'', a group of teenagers on a survival-training exercise are stranded on an Earthlike planet when the wormhole they used to get there malfunctions. One local animal is the "Dopey Joe", a stupid, slow-moving cat-sized reptiloid which appears utterly harmless... until the season comes when it, well, swarms.
* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'': EULALIA! And that's just the badgers. The other species like hares, mice, otters, squirrels, hedgehogs, and even ''moles'' are also quite capable of fucking up the shit of any vermin that threaten them. (Although a badger isn't exactly in a KillerRabbit scenario when what it's fighting is a rat.) Basically, it's a WorldOfFunnyAnimals where the "Funny Animals" are Killer Rabbits. Except the actual rabbits, ironically enough.

* The bunnydogs from ''Literature/TheWarAgainstTheChtorr'' series by David Gerrold appear to be the only friendly Chtorrans encountered by the humans. Unfortunately they also [[spoiler:represent humanity's future in the Chtorran ecology: as passive, contented creatures who are [[EatTheDog glad to be eaten]] by higher members of the food chain.]] There are also meeps. A mother rabbit will reject her own young to nurse meeps, who will then suckle her to death. One character darkly theorizes that the excessively cute bunnydogs are meant to be the equivalent for humans.
* Mr. Rabbit from ''Rainbows End'' qualifies as "the next bad thing" in the eyes of one expert character. The previous "bad thing" was a plague worse than bubonic, and the one before that was the nuclear destruction of Chicago. It's never made clear how much rabbit-nature he actually has.
* The political satire ''The Year of the Angry Rabbit'' by Russell Braddon. The rabbits are infected with a highly toxic (to humans) strain of myxomatosis. Rather than trying to wipe them out however, the Australian government is more than happy to possess the most feared biological weapon in the world. Was the inspiration behind the classic BMovie ''Film/NightOfTheLepus''.
* ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'' is covered in TheLostWoods and full of [[DeathWorld all manner of horrific animals]] and [[ManEatingPlant plants]], but the effectively undisputed top of the foodchain are Wig-wigs. Small, orange fluffballs that also happen to be pack hunters that can and will kill anything they can reach, no matter how big or strong it is. Their only real weakness is their inability to climb.
* Most of the "Furies" from the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse novel series "Invasion"]] resemble demonic creatures (because they're the beings that spawned the legends). A few, however, are fluffy and cute. They're still vicious killers who want their ancestral home back, though.
** Creator/BarbaraHambly's ''Franchise/StarTrek'' novel ''Ghost-Walker'' features a race of diminutive fluffy bird people who are mostly ultra peaceful and sweet. Mostly. When one particularly xenophobic one gets nasty, he uses his monstrously powerful telepathy to drive an entire invading force of Klingons to suicide, {{Mind Rape}}s and possesses Captain Kirk, and almost destroys the Enterprise before he's convinced to stop.
* Treecats in David Weber's ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series are cute, fluffy, six-limbed felinoids who are great with children, wonderful, supportive companions for life who'll be with you through thick and thin... and will turn into fuzzy, flying ''buzz saws'' if they think you're a threat to their kittens or adopted humans. Treecats think that enemies come in only two states: those that have been properly dealt with, and those that are still alive.
** They are also a race of TheEmpath, so don't bother trying to sneak up or wear a disguise. If you want to harm their adopted human and come within 50 feet, prepare to get your throat ripped out.
* In Creator/ChinaMieville's ''Literature/TheScar'', the head of Armada's underwater police force is a sadistic dolphin named Bastard John.
* Found in James Thurber's [[http://www.ommas-aarden.net/Last_Flower_page10.htm The Last Flower]]
* The ''Literature/{{Sten}}'' series has Doc, an alien who resembles a cuddly koala bear. His species are in fact vicious predators which act cute to lure in prey; Doc is so bloodthirsty that he has to be fitted with a RestrainingBolt in order to interact with his teammates without killing them out of instinct.
* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', there are carnivorous squirrels, poisonous butterflies, killer monkeys, and much much more.
* In the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Star Trek: TNG]]'' novel "To Storm Heaven," a B-plot involves Alexander (Worf's son) receiving a hamster from Dr. Crusher as a pet. Worf starts off contemptuous of the sleepy little beast, until he mishandles it and gets the hell bitten out of his finger for his trouble. Worf actually ''respects'' its Killer Rabbitness and names it a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Klingon]] name that means "Tribble who battles with honor". Alexander prefers the original moniker of "Fido." Of course, hamsters come from [[DeathWorld Earth]], where most everything not obviously dangerous is probably this trope.
* One of Derk's experiments in ''Literature/DarkLordOfDerkholm'' resulted in an entire flock of carnivorous sheep. This was apparently an accident, but it comes in handy when his children need to keep an army of dangerous criminals in line.
* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', [[spoiler:Longtail]] has to retire at a young age because [[spoiler:a rabbit he was chasing [[EyeScream scratched his eyes and blinded him]].]]
* Partway through ''Literature/WhiteFang'', the title character is thrown into a dog-fighting ring. He kills everything sent at him, even a lynx... until the ring owners bring in a bulldog. A remarkably friendly bulldog named "Cherokee" who at first doesn't attack. ''It nearly kills him.''
** However, the original bulldogs looked a lot less goofy than the ones we usually see today, more like a pitbull with an underbite than anything else.
** The weasel that beats up White Fang as a pup is one for sure. The narrator even says that ''for size and weight the weasel was the most ferocious, vindictive, and terrible of all the killers of the Wild.''
* Angel Lopez, from the Literature/MoreauSeries is literally one, being an [[UpliftedAnimal uplifted anthropomorphic rabbit]]. She led a gang of rabbits in Cleveland, and kicks a significant amount of ass on her own in the third book.
* On one of the unknown islands visited by Mael Duin and his companions in the ''Literature/TheVoyageOfMaelDuin'', the voyagers discover a mysterious palace inhabited only by a playful kitten. Everything is fine until one of them tries to take one of the precious necklaces from the piles of treasure lying around; which is when the kitten jumps at him and burns him into a heap of ashes. Then it goes right back to his play.
* In "Literature/SixthOfTheDusk", the island Patji features, among other deadly animals, mice with a single venomous tooth which, of course, can kill you. Unusually enough, they've actually been tamed and are one of the few things on the island not especially dangerous.
* In ''Literature/{{Hometown}}'', one of [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Heart Eater's]] primary servants is a coydog puppy. It has no more physical strength than any other puppy, but then, considering that it can ForceChoke a full-grown German Shepherd, it doesn't really ''need'' physical strength.
* In ''Literature/TheReefsOfSpace'', the Planner's daughter, Donna Creery, is attended by a set of "peace doves"--beautiful birds which have been enhanced and trained to serve as deadly bodyguards.
* In ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians,'' Polyphemus' island is home to a flock of carnivorous, hippopotamus-sized sheep that can devour a deer in less than a minute, leaving only a pile of bones. Percy describes them, rather aptly, as "piranhas with wool".
* In ''Literature/TheJungleBook'', Rikki Tikki Tavi is a mongoose, but when facing off against [[SnakesAreSinister deadly snakes]], he comes off as a cute furry fellow who is TheHero.
* PlayedForLaughs in Russell Braddon's ''The Year of the Angry Rabbit''. The novel involves an attempt by the Australian government to cull its rabbit population using an experimental chemical, which results in giant, man-eating (and plague-spreading) rabbits that eventually overrun the continent. If that scenario sounds familiar, it's because this book was later adapted into ''Film/NightOfTheLepus'', which for some reason decided to play Braddon's BlackComedy as a dead-serious (albeit [[SoBadItsGood unintentionally hilarious]]) horror movie.
* ''Literature/InCryptid'': On their own, an Aeslin mouse is almost as vulnerable as an ordinary mouse, though they do make and use weapons. In a group, they've been known to take down large snakes, venomous gila monsters, and even alligators.

* ''[[http://www.amazon.com/Tuf-Voyaging-George-R-Martin/dp/1592220045/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6117255-8583944?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191036129&sr=8-1 The Plague Star]]'', by George R.R. Martin (of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' fame) featured creatures called "hellkittens." These were much like the Arduin "killkittens" (see their entry in the TabletopRPG folder). Except rather than secreting their paralytic venom through hollow claws, they ''spat'' it in wads of powerfully acidic saliva.
* Another ''literal'' killer rabbit is the Miraj (also rendered Al-Mi'raj, or various other variations on the two) of Islamic/Arabian poetry and folklore. A yellow rabbit with a single large horn, it can kill and eat things much larger than itself. It appears in early editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' -- with a third-party company porting it to 3e -- where some of them have PsychicPowers. It also appears in ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' where, due to the translators apparently flipping coins, it's sometimes called the "bunnicorn".
* Margaret Atwood's ''Literature/OryxAndCrake'' includes wolvogs, creatures that look like friendly dogs, and when they are not ruthlessly killing other creatures, they ''act'' like friendly dogs. They can go from friendly to homicidal, and back, quickly.

* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'', the young cubs of the [[{{Wolfman}} Canim]] are described as looking like [[PreciousPuppies adorable little puppies]] with opposable thumbs. They can also tear someone's hand off with just their fangs at only a few weeks old.