The rain came down in torrents and, every so often, a shaft of blue-white lightening ripped through the dark sky. The stars were not visible this night, for the clouds covered every single one. The rain drenched everything and the bare patches of earth were swirled and stirred until they were all pools of mud. Lord Frith must have known that something untoward was going to happen, for he had covered himself in the clouds and refused to light the land in the evening. He did not wish to witness what was going to happen.
Asphodel, a dark grey shadow of the rabbit he once was, slept lightly in the darkness, far away from his warren, Frithwood. His chief, Thlayli-rah, had told him, rather reluctantly, to use the Shadow Magic to turn himself into a Shadow in order to defeat Shadow Woundwort. The transformation had taken place many moons ago and now Asphodel was ready for battle. He, along with Fiver, who had been given the power to see Shadows without being killed, woke and moved off towards the hill where Woundwort had been seen.
'Woundwort! I am ready! I challenge you!' Asphodel called into the night.
For a moment, there was nothing, and then, out of the sky, came a hulking great shadowy figure. Woundwort's fur was jet black and he glowed with a red light that made him look even more menacing than ever.
'Fight me, then.' He said quietly.
Asphodel gathered his magic and he began to glow blue. Fiver rubbed his paws together, preparing to use his power if he had to. He knew that the price to be paid was going to be high. He knew that in order to save the lives of the rabbits of the Lord Frith Owsla, one of them would have to be sacrificed.
Woundwort struck first, releasing a stream of magic from his claws. The red light rushed towards Asphodel. It hit him hard in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He recovered his strength and shot blue magic at Woundwort. This connected with the enemy's magic and the two streams of light pressed against each other. The red light was stronger than the blue and it broke free Asphodel's magic and hit Thlayli-rah's Owsla captain in the face. Asphodel was knocked unconscious. Fiver saw the brave fighter sink to the ground. Woundwort raised his paw, ready to kill Asphodel with a single blow. Fiver clapped his paws together and a blinding white light shone from them. Woundwort was stunned in the sudden brightness. Fiver raised his head and began to chant.
'The magic held within my heart will stop the foe whose mind is dark. A friend will give his life tonight and stop running to win the fight.'
Fiver did not know if anyone was going to come to complete the spell, and he wondered if he could sacrifice himself. Woundwort grinned.
'How sweet; Fiver is a poet.' He sneered.
'Rah!'
Thlayli-rah leapt from the bushes and placed his paw in Fiver's.
'I will give my life tonight and stop running to win the fight.' He said determinedly. He looked up and stared Woundwort in the face. He felt his strength being taken from him by the power of the Shadows.
'It ends now, Woundwort.' he uttered his final words and then sank to the ground, choking.
As soon as the valiant buck had died, Woundwort felt his body being ripped apart. He gasped and snarled and then disappeared into the sky. Fiver saw the final wisps of Shadow Woundwort leave the world and knew it was over. He slumped sideways onto the ground, exhausted by the power he had used. He looked at Bigwig.
'My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today…' he whispered before he became unconscious.
It was Mallow and El-ahrairah who found the motionless rabbits the next morning. The elil had kept away, sensing the fear of the Shadows. El-ahrairah sniffed at the bodies.
'Thlayli-rah is dead.' He said.
He and Mallow whispered the same words as Fiver had said after the battle.
'What about Fiver and Captain Asphodel?' Mallow asked, moving closer to his friends.
'They are very weak, but they are alive.'
'Isn't there anything we can do about Bigwig, Master?'
'We can speak to the Hedgewizard, but I don't know if there is any magic that can bring the dead back to life.' The rabbit prince said forlornly. 'Go back to the warren, Mallow, and bring some of the Owsla to move these rabbits.'
'Yes, sir.' Mallow ran off up the Down.
'You were brave, Thlayli-rah. You will be remembered as a legend.'