Watership Down

A New Warren

Chapter 1: The Danger of Trust

A sand brown doe sat on the top of a small mound in the meadow, watching Frith as he sunk from the clear sky above; orange tinted the horizon. The colourful flowers amongst the grass seemed to dance in the wind along with the fur of the doe. Her black ears stood tall, alert for any sounds signalling danger, all four paws set firmly down on the mound to keep her steady.

"Thrift!" A completely black buck called, hopping over. "What are you doing all the way out here again? It'll get dark soon, and the elil aren't all gone yet." He stopped at the foot of the mound and sat down, raising his paw. "It's too dangerous to be out here alone, you know that."

"I just..." Thrift began, trailing off slightly before picking up again. "I just have a bad feeling." She tore her vision away from Frith, and looked down at the buck with an anxious violet gaze.

"Haha, come on, you say that every day."

"I know I've said it every day for the past hrair days but... the feeling keeps getting stronger, Walnut. It... it started off like just a thought in the back of my mind but... this bad feeling is now... all I can think about. It's so... looming. I just know it's a warning, Walnut. I know it. I tried telling the chief but he didn't listen. You know as well as I do that Man has been getting closer to us all the time and those tracks the hrududu travel on... more of them have been around lately."

"You're just imagining things. A'right, I know Man is around but they aren't that close yet, and the hrududu aren't a danger as long as we keep away from them. I feel perfectly content, so there's nothing to worry about, a'right?"

Thrift smirked and got up taking one step down the mound to be closer to Walnut.
"Because you're a seer now are you?" She joked.

"Yeah, just like you." He commented sarcastically. "Last time I checked you weren't a seer either, so quit your worrying." he looked at Frith, then back to Thrift. "Frith is going to be sleeping soon, so, as I said, we should go back to the warren."

"Okay, okay, we'll head back." Thrift leapt down from the mound and began the journey back, Walnut catching up and staying beside her. "I wish it was safe to be out more."

"The owsla are doing their best to make it safe but... the elil just keep coming." Walnut shook his head. "They won't be gone for a long while yet."

"Not while they know us rabbits are around. Speaking of the owsla, has Captain Foxglove thought about taking up my offer yet?" Thrift chuckled.

"About joining the owsla?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yes, he thought about it. He's still adamant that being in the owsla is a buck's, and only a buck's, job."

Thrift sighed.

"But I can't dig, Walnut. I tried and all I can do is collapse the tunnels." Thrift frowned. "I've asked the Captain so many times... I've even offered to demonstrate what I know, from what you've taught me and all.. thanks, again, for teaching me."

"It's no problem." Walnut glanced over Thrift, then back forward and nudged her playfully. "We're friends. Helping each other out is what we do best."

Thrift sniggered and nudged him back.

"Right, because you always help all your other 'friends' like you do me."

Walnut was taken back, and perked his ears up, his mouth hung open slightly.

"Well I-"

"Race you back!" Thrift interrupted, and bolted off.

Walnut watched her for a few seconds, before he shook his head, snapped himself back to reality and bounded after her.

"I'll still beat you, head start or not!"

Upon arriving back at the warren, Walnut and Thrift said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, each heading to their own burrows. While walking back Thrift passed many rabbits she was acquainted with; Billberry, Sundew, Oxlip, Fuchsia, Persimmon, Thlay-roo. None of which she knew very well, but she knew enough to know they weren't part of her neighbourhood. She greeted them all the same as she would any other, without stopping to chat.

Eventually Thrift arrived back at her burrow to see her friend, the doe that she shared her burrow with, already there.

"You're back late again, Thrift." The doe complained, her golden fur dulled with having been digging all day.

"Sorry, Rosemary, I got caught up watching Frith descend from the sky. You should come with me sometime, it is a very beautiful sight." Thrift made her way over to the centre of her burrow and laid down on the fresh bedding of grass. "Hey, did you get the new grass? Ah, of course you did. Thanks." Thrift rolled onto her back, enjoying her new bed.

"Yes, I get you your new bedding every time... rather than viewing Frith, come with me and get your own bedding next time you lazy hlessiroo." Rosemary laid down on her own patch of grass, resting her head on her paws.

"I'm not burrow-less Rosemary, or I wouldn't be in here with you now, hm, would I?"

"Sometimes I wish you weren't in this burrow with me..."

"Aw, you're so miserable to be around sometimes." Thrift rolled onto her front, and looked at Rosemary. "Say, why were there so many other rabbits in this section of the warren? They don't usually visit."

"Well you would have known if you'd have been back on time; ni-Frith, like I told you."

"I didn't think it'd actually be important, ha... sorry." Thrift folded her ears down and they both fell into a silence before Thrift spoke again. "So, what's the occasion anyway? Will you tell me or will I have to go find someone else to give me the news?"

"And wake me up when you come back? Not likely." Rosemary yawned. "We're tired of the chief, Thrift. He doesn't listen to what anyone tells him and he's begun to seal off passages which join sections of the warren together. We're all scared and don't trust him. Some of us think he's gone mad. Some fled earlier because they came to the conclusion that he was plagued by a disease of the mind. Who knows what's happened to them by now." She explained.

"I see so... what is everyone planning to do? Rebel?"

"We, ah... don't know yet. We're going to plan that at the next meeting." Rosemary looked up at Thrift, then laid her head down again and turned away. "Now go to sleep. I'm tired from digging, you should try doing some work sometime."

Thrift laid her head down. A mad chief, Thrift thought to herself, well, that explains why he wouldn't listen at least. I aren't alone with not being listened to. I wonder what others have tried to tell him? Whether they have the same bad feeling or not... I'll ask around tomorrow, it's about time I did something like that anyway. She closed her eyes and laid there thinking for a while before finally drifting off to sleep.

Thrift woke to the sound of rabbit's paws thumping along the warren floor. She sat up and looked to the side to see Rosemary was not in the burrow. Thrift stood and walked out her burrow, looking around. She saw a crowd of rabbits heading to the exit of the warren, no one staying inside. Thrift tilted an ear down and followed out of curiosity. Once she was outside, apparently being the last to leave her section of the warren, she stood on her hind legs to try and see beyond the crowd of rabbits, to no avail. She heard mumbles of "Man" and "flayrah", but little else was understandable amongst the chatter. Eventually she saw Walnut and hopped over to him, tapping his shoulder.

"Hm?" He glanced over and his face changed quickly, from a serious expression to a friendly one. "Thrift! I thought you wouldn't ever show."

"What's going on? The crowd rushing out just woke me up."

"Well, I don't know much myself but Man has apparently left flayrah for us."

"Man?" Thrift tilted one ear down.

"Yes." Walnut replied.

"And flayrah?"

"Yes."

"But we can't eat that!" Thrift exclaimed, assuming that the babbling was talk of what to do with the food.

"Well, that's what's being debated right now. On one paw, it's dangerous with the elil around. If we ate this inside the warren as opposed to silflay we would be safer. We wouldn't have to go outside for hrair days and that might just deter the elil away – no meals to be had. But, obviously, this was left by Man. They are also elil themselves and when they leave something we can never trust it. We have to wait for the chief's decision."

Thrift shook her head, worried. "But how can we trust the word of the chief he's-"

"Silence now! The chief has made a decision!" The signature gruff voice of Captain Foxglove rang out.

Thrift fell silent, as well as Walnut, along with the rest of the crowd. The chief was seen climbing onto a heightened plateau used for announcements. He was an old buck now, and had guided the warren for hrair seasons. His once maroon fur was now greying with age, his ears drooped and whiskers bent.

"We are facing troubled times," the chief began, even his voice seemed to have withered. To Thrift, it was clear a new chief was needed. "The elil watch our every move and each day Man gets closer, and so do the hrududu's." His speech was slow, but despite that and his wary sound, he still made an impact. "We have lost many friends and family members to Inle. Some were brave bucks of the owsla, fighting to defend the warren. Others were innocent rabbits: some does, some young. It is vitally important that their lives do not go to waste. And so, with hearing each side of the argument I have decided that we shall consume the flayrah that Man has left." There was a mumble from the crowd, some happy with his decision, others displeased.

"How can he decide that? What if this is some kind of trap?" Thrift growled.

"That's the final word, Thrift... I can't say I like it either." Walnut responded, glancing at her. Seeing Thrift's anger, Walnut folded his ears down and rested his paw on her back. "Don't worry, we'll be a'right."

Thrift looked at Walnut and relaxed, nodding.

"Yeah... yeah, of course." She replied, leaning against him.

Walnut accepted her weight, letting her do as she liked, just wanting to be a comfort for her.

"No rabbit is to eat silflay. We are not to let the elil bring the Black Rabbit of Inle to our warren yet." The chief continued. "The flayrah will be rationed to make it last as long as possible. Our warren will prevail."

Thrift looked away from the chief, to Captain Foxglove beside him. Even he appeared unsure of the chief's decision. The crowd cheered. The chief had won them over. Few now gave resistance to the idea of eating flayrah given to them from Man.

The rabbits quickly got to work with gathering the flayrah and transporting it inside the warren as the owsla stood guard. Walnut helped with the transport, but Thrift refused to so much as go near the flayrah. Instead, she made her way over to Captain Foxglove. As she approached the light grey buck she slowed. Though she has approached him many times to ask about joining the owsla, he still appeared intimidating to her. The mane of dark grey fur around his neck made Foxglove appear powerful. Proud. Additionally, the brown streak on his head and down his forelegs emphasised how he held his head high, and seemed to embody the power his strike would have.

"Captain?" She said, simply to catch his attention.

"No, Thrift." He looked at her, maintaining a solemn look and tone. "I have told you before, you may not join my owsla. You are a doe. Fighting is not a doe's role."

"Ha, right but... that wasn't what I came to you for this time."

"No? Then what did you come for?"

"I came to ask if you really agree with the chief's decision." Thrift boosted herself onto her hind legs to be in the same stance as Foxglove.

Foxglove took the time to look at his bucks, some of them were watching him, curious as to his answer. He looked back at Thrift.

"Of course I agree." He frowned slightly and paused for a few seconds. "He's my chief. I would never question his judgement. Now, I don't need you questioning me. Go and expand the warren with the other does." Foxglove turned away from Thrift.

"But I can't dig Sir, I've told you, I want to join the owsla."

"A doe can't fight."

"Well I can!"

"Leave!" He raised his voice, not turning to look at Thrift.

Thrift locked her jaws, returned to all fours, swivelled and hopped back to the warren without another word.

By the time Thrift had returned, all the flayrah had been moved inside the warren. Many of the rabbits were now having their morning rations, others were more wary. Thrift searched around and found Rosemary chewing on a carrot.

"Hello, Thrift." She greeted, taking another bite from her meal. "Going to eat or join the conspiracy theorists?" She gestured to a group of rabbits keeping far away from the flayrah.

"I'm not going to eat or join them... though I do prefer them. I thought you didn't trust the chief?"

"I don't." Rosemary replied. "But I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since yesterday morning."

"I see..." Thrift eyed the flayrah. "Does it taste good then?"

"Oh yes. It does have the stench of Man, so it smells funny... and tastes a bit off, but regardless of that it still tastes better than silflay."

"Is that so..." Thrift leant down and sniffed the carrot, then scrunched up her nose. "Embleer Frith! That doesn't just smell of just Man Rosemary! That's disgusting. Well, Man smells bad but that's even worse."

"Agreed, but it tastes fine." Rosemary rolled the rest of her carrot to Thrift. "Try it if you like."

Thrift pulled away and shook her head.

"No thanks..."

"Suit yourself." Rosemary pulled the carrot back to herself, continuing with it. "Walnut tried it." She added on a side-note.

"And what did he think?" Thrift asked.

"He liked it. He had a bit more then went off to report to Foxglove. If you don't eat, you'll starve. You heard the chief. No silflay. Just this flayrah."

"Yeah." Thrift grumbled. "I heard..." She looked at the other rabbits that were munching on their flayrah – everything a rabbit could want from carrots to turnips to lettuce to cucumber to spinach. Everyone appeared to be enjoying their flayrah, seemingly all had forgotten its origins with Man.

A few days passed, and no one had left the warren. Elil had come to the burrow entrances, attempting to taunt and provoke rabbits out, but all had failed. The rabbits knew the plan was working and that the elil were leaving, giving up on their "easy meals" of "longears". The rabbits had continued to eat the flayrah. Some of the previous ones who resisted had given in and also began to eat, but others stayed adamant that they would not consume food given to them by Man, and that group included Thrift. Thrift and a few others had also begun to notice who else was covertly not eating the flayrah. They made out like they were but actually were not. That group included Captain Foxglove. To some of the resistance, the fact that Captain Foxglove was not eating was a minor support and comfort in that they were making the wise choice. Others were weakening with hunger and felt they were being foolish but they had come so far, and they felt they might as well keep going.

As Thrift hopped down the runs of the warren on her own, she began to think. All the rabbits had been confined to the warren. But, as the days went by, she saw less and less emerge from their burrows. She checked on her neighbours, and they were all alive and well, but all of them seemed to complain about the same thing: feeling weak. This worried Thrift. Was the warren going to really come down with a plague? Should she leave? What about her friends and family? Walnut and Rosemary? Were they okay? Thrift saw Rosemary every day. Even she had complained about feeling weak, and had decided to stay back and rest rather than accompany Thrift on a walk. Even though we have food, Thrift began to think, and were all perfectly healthy before, rabbits have grown weak. The only thing different is the food. I knew that stuff was bad. I knew. And so did a few others. Those who haven't eaten haven't gotten weak. Well, at least weakness is the only complaint. Things could be worse. Thrift headed over to Walnut's burrow and poked her head inside.

"Walnut?" She called, and was replied with a groan. Thrift walked inside and laid down beside Walnut. "Walnut, are you feeling okay?"

"Top of the world, Thrift..." He gave a slight laugh, his eyes closed.

"You've come down pretty bad." Thrift lifted her paw and rested it on Walnut. "Worse than most... but you're going to be okay, okay?"

"Who are you kidding Thrift? You were right... we shouldn't have eaten the flayrah. I ate it, and look at me... then look at you... you didn't eat." Walnut opened his eyes and looked at Thrift. "You must feel weak too... not eating for days. Hungry, am I right?"

"You're right." Thrift smiled at him. "Of course you're right."

Walnut sat himself up, leaned over and nuzzled Thrift. She looked at him. Walnut... She thought.

"I won't eat any more flayrah, Thrift. I ate in minimal amounts but... that didn't help apparently." Walnut laid his head down. "It makes me weaker to eat than to not."

"I know. Rosemary isn't as weak as you, and despite seeing the damage she wants to keep eating that flayrah. I don't know what Man did to it, but it'll kill us. And since Man knows we're here, they'll come. Man will come, Walnut. Man has been to give us the flayrah, and they'll come again to check it's done its job." Thrift squeezed her eyes shut.

"Yes I... I think that's true." Walnut paused. "Thrift, you've got to leave the warren."

"Leave? I understand but you and Rosemary and everyone else... I can't just go, Walnut."

"You have to. You're... one of the few able bodies left. We're done for, Thrift..." Walnut took a deep breath. "You should gather who you can, and leave. Go far away and find somewhere safe."

"No. I'm not leaving you yet. Nobody has died, so there's no proof that the flayrah kills."

"But Man will."

"Man's not here yet." Thrift declared the statement like it was an order for Walnut to be silent, and it worked for a few minutes.

"You're such a stubborn doe sometimes..." He mumbled.

"And you're a... come to think of it I don't know what you are regarding being a buck."

Walnut chuckled weakly.

"In that case, I win this round." He shuffled over and laid against Thrift. "Thrift, I know this isn't your burrow but... will you stay with me? Just tonight. You can go back to Rosemary tomorrow."

Thrift didn't have to think. As far as she was concerned, this was the last time she may see her friend and it was important that she kept him company at least this one time.

"Of course I'll stay. You only ever had to ask."

Walnut smiled slightly.

"I'll remember that." He said.

The two spent the rest of the day in Walnut's burrow. They talked about past times, about the times they were smart and the times they were stupid. Neither ate any flayrah, and when it came time for Frith to rest, they too fell asleep, side by side.

Notes

If there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes please alert me and I will see about correcting those. I can't promise I will definitely finish the story. My only other story, "Together Again", an Ouran High School Host Club fanfiction, was never finished and let that be a warning to anyone who has pet peeves about not finishing. I do personally have that internal rage at when there's a story I like and the author never bothers to finish and I have no real excuse. Yes, I have a heavy workload with Sixth Form, but that's never why I don't finish. I don't finish because of a lack of motivation. At the moment I don't have a real plan for this story just a rough outline in my head so the story may go a bit off the rails if I do continue and don't make a plan for the future soon, but regardless I hope you enjoyed reading and have a good day (or night). Ciao!