Foxglove

by Khilari

A new rabbit comes to the warren and causes trouble with fraudulent visions. When Basil-rah is reluctant to act it's up to the owsla to sort things out.

It was a fine autumn day, the air crisp after a storm the night before, and Basil-rah was lying on the grass outside the warren watching his rabbits fondly. A birch tree had come down in the storm and several rabbits had gone over to investigate. Those that weren't stripping the bark away while it was fresh had made a competition out of jumping over it. Larkspur was the most enthusiastic, clearing it with space to spare and twisting in the air to show off how good he was.

Basil-rah's four newest owsla members were also over there, Nettle trying to copy her sire's stunts while he watched proudly even when she fell short. Furgold had jumped it neatly once, to prove to himself that he could, and then lost interest. Dapple had managed on his third try and with a little scrambling, disadvantaged by his small size and stocky build. Chestnut was refusing to try, because he would embarrass himself if he failed and Dapple if he succeeded.

Oak came over and flopped down next to Basil-rah. 'They're too far from the warren,' he said, scowling.

'Not as far as all that,' said Basil-rah. He flicked an ear towards where Briar was sitting on one end of the tree. 'And they have a lookout. Let them have their fun.'

'You're too lenient with them. This warren needs more discipline,' said Oak, the accent of his native warren thickening slightly as he spoke. Oak had arrived in Basil-rah's warren as a hlessi shortly after Basil-rah had taken power. He had never explained his past, but Basil-rah suspected he had been driven out for being too violent. It was only being the chief rabbit's mate that kept him in check here, although the rest of the warren tried hard to pretend they didn't know about that relationship.

'If I bullied them over every little thing they'd never be able to tell if it was serious,' said Basil-rah easily, the argument well worn by now. 'And some of them would never stand for bullying. Take Dapple, he'd do anything for this warren but if I tried to force him to he'd fight back with everything he's got. Why not take what's offered freely instead of demanding it?'

'That's fine as long as there are volunteers,' said Oak. 'But when something happens nobody wants to deal with, they'll all think they can get away with ignoring orders.'

'But they don't ignore my orders, I just don't want to give them orders when I don't need to.'

The argument was interrupted at that point by a sharp thump from Briar. It wasn't an alarm thump, just one quick stamp to get everyone's attention. 'Hlessi approaching,' she said.

Several of the rabbits on the ground jumped up on the tree to get a look at him, and Basil-rah and Oak went to join them. The rabbit walking towards them was young but fully grown, very well groomed for a hlessi, and with dark fur around his eyes and the tips of his ears giving him sharply defined features. He paused at a slight distance from the fallen tree, politely giving the native rabbits the chance to approach him if they chose. Basil-rah jumped down and went to touch noses with him.

'Hello,' said the hlessi. 'My name is Foxglove.'

'Basil-rah. Pleased to meet you. Were you looking to join the warren, or just shelter for a while?' Shelter could be granted at once, since Foxglove smelt perfectly healthy, joining the warren would wait until after talking with the owsla.

'Joining the warren, if you'll have me,' said Foxglove. 'I can think of many better things than travelling alone in winter, and I've heard this is a good warren.'

'Come and meet the owsla,' said Basil-rah, feeling a strong surge of pride at his warren having a good reputation. Foxglove followed, meek and polite although Basil-rah was starting to sense a strong self-assurance under that. No matter, a confident rabbit would be more use than a timid one.

*

It was a few weeks after his arrival at the warren that Foxglove fell to the ground babbling about blood and bones and evil omens over the warren. Once he had recovered, and been sniffed over by bystanders worried he was carrying some disease, he confessed to being a seer. He had left his home warren, he said, because he sensed disaster coming but had been unable to persuade anyone to come with him. Later he had gone back, when he sensed the danger was passed and found…He trailed off, doing a good impression of a rabbit too overcome to speak.

Basil-rah wondered, though. The violent, yet oddly vague, vision in front of the entire warren seemed convenient. But he knew a lot of seers had visions more violent than Yew's, and was reluctant to dismiss Foxglove out of hand. He went to find Yew, and found him on top of the fallen tree, basking in autumn sunlight. He also wasn't alone. Dapple was up there with him looking determined, and given the trouble it had cost him to get up there the first time he clearly was. Basil-rah hopped up next to them, managing the jump with relative ease.

'Foxglove's a fraud,' said Dapple, turning to him at once.

Basil-rah looked at Yew, who added, 'Yes. I told him that.'

'You should tell people. Lot of them believe him,' Dapple said to Yew, sounding as if he had already been having this argument when Basil-rah arrived.

Yew blinked slowly. 'I'll tell anyone who asks. Anyone who doesn't ask doesn't want to hear the answer.'

'Don't care what they want,' said Dapple. 'Should know the truth.'

'Tell them then. Tell them that if they ask me I'll give them their answer,' said Yew.

Dapple ground his teeth and then turned to Basil-rah, 'Will you tell them?'

'If they'll listen,' said Basil-rah. Adding before Dapple could protest, 'As their chief rabbit I can order them to act, but I can't control what they think.'

Dapple jumped down from the tree trunk looking mutinous and Basil-rah followed. 'He's just making himself important because he's alone in a strange warren,' he said. 'It will blow over when they see his predictions don't come true.'

'Predictions too vague and lack time limit. Any disaster could count as coming true,' said Dapple. 'Foxglove is trouble. Sure of it.'

'A lot of rabbits said the same about you.'

'Different. Never lied to anyone.' Dapple's ears were pinned back with fury, and Basil-rah wondered why he felt so strongly about this. Rabbits had always had a bit of the trickster in them, it wasn't surprising that some would use it on each other. At worst Foxglove would gain a small following and stir up some anxiety, at best he would tone down the doom and gloom and provide some entertainment over the winter. Either way it would blow over, Basil-rah was sure of it.

*

Winter came and with it long days spent underground. Everyone divided into small groups by necessity, no more than could fit into one burrow, although such groups changed frequently. Furgold and Larkspur put aside their mutual dislike, or at least found a new way to express it, and played several games of very competitive bobstones. Everyone told stories, even Dapple was persuaded once and his telling of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé proved to be even more terrifying than that tale usually was. No one was sure whether that was a reason to ask him again or avoid doing so.

Silflay was short, the grass cold and tasteless, and raids on farms and gardens became more common. Foxglove told personal fortunes as well as continuing to predict disaster and, since the elil were also feeling winter's pinch, a few deaths in the warren lent him credibility and he was starting to gather quite a following.

Briar, back from a check around the less used parts of the warren for any marauding wildlife, dropped down next to her mate and sighed.

'Trouble?' asked Dawnsong, snuggling up against Briar easily and starting to groom her.

'Only some fieldmice in an unused burrow,' said Briar. 'They were very apologetic, but you know they'll move back in the moment they think I've forgotten. I wouldn't mind, but mice make such a mess and someone may want that burrow come spring.'

'It always seems to be you and Thistledown who get stuck with these jobs,' said Dawnsong. She was proud of her mate for being the first doe on the owsla, but she did seem to wind up doing an awful lot of the thankless and unglamorous parts of caring for a warren.

'Chestnut too, now,' said Briar, yawning slightly. 'And Dapple will, but you have to tell him what needs doing.'

'I spoke to Foxglove earlier,' began Dawnsong. Briar snorted and pulled away slightly.

'Not you too,' she said. 'Everyone in the warren seems to have had their fortune told by now, and any of them could mean anything at all.'

'Mine couldn't,' said Dawnsong uneasily. 'He said. He said I had been entrapped by one who was dark and unnatural, who could bear no life and would prevent me if she could.'

Briar started upright, ears back and teeth bared. It would have been frightening if Dawnsong hadn't know perfectly well it wasn't aimed at her. Briar wasn't exactly infertile, but she found mating with a buck so stressful that her body never kindled from it. Dawnsong could bear kittens and did, by a different buck each year since she considered none of them her mate and would not lead them to believe otherwise.

'He said it in front of several other rabbits, too. So it will be all over the warren by now,' she continued miserably.

'Don't worry too much,' said Briar, settling back down although she couldn't fully relax. 'They've known about us for years. Although I could happily kill Foxglove right now.'

'They might know, but they don't like it,' said Dawnsong.

'They won't do anything worse than shunning us without Basil-rah's approval. And he's not enough of a hypocrite to drive us out,' said Briar. She was yawning again, relaxing against Dawnsong despite herself, and Dawnsong decided the conversation could wait. But once Briar was fully asleep, breathing slow and even, she found herself completely unable to settle and headed for the surface. She needed some air, even if it was cold.

To her surprise Dapple was also on the surface heading towards the burrow she had just come out of. He stopped in a little confusion, manners dictated he should touch noses with her but he seemed reluctant to get that close. Dawnsong stood up and combed her ears so that he couldn't, and therefore wouldn't have to, and asked where he was going.

'Looking for Briar. Heard about your fortune.' He stopped, looking embarrassed, before adding. 'Really her mate?'

'Yes,' said Dawnsong, no point in denying it really. 'If you wanted to cause trouble for her then you'll have to wait. She's asleep.'

'No. Not like that. Have problems with Foxglove attacking owsla. If he turns warren against those who are different, have reason to worry too.'

Dawnsong had been one of the ones present for his story, and he had seemed strange and chilling then. Dragging them all, with harsh and violent metaphors, into a world where they could neither resist nor survive. Now she could see him as just another rabbit, one who could easily be turned on by those convinced difference meant danger.

'Do you want to come down and wait for her to wake up?' she asked. 'It's cold up here.'

'Thank you,' said Dapple. He followed her, a little shyly, down to the burrow she and Briar shared, and agreed to play bobstones with her while they waited for Briar to wake up. He turned out to be better company than she would have expected and by the time Briar woke up she had decided she rather liked him.

*

Briar was surprised to find Dapple in her burrow when she woke up, more so when she found out why he was there. He was right that a crusade against those considered other would include him, but she was a little surprised such an unsociable rabbit had recognised the danger much less approached her about it. There were only two rabbits in the warren Dapple seemed comfortable around, and she was not one of them.

'Why aren't you asking Chestnut and Furgold to help with this?' she asked.

'Chestnut doesn't like starting things. Furgold won't help.' Dapple stopped, looking lost and puzzled. 'Feel I'm missing something.'

'Ambition,' said Briar. 'Furgold probably thinks that if Basil-rah's position is threatened it will give him a chance to take over.'

'Furgold wouldn't,' Dapple protested.

'I'm sure he wouldn't let it happen if he really thought you would be hurt by it,' said Dawnsong, shooting a warning glance at Briar.

Briar continued a little more tactfully, 'He seems like a perfectly nice rabbit. But he's always thought he was a bit above the rest of us. If he thinks this is to his advantage, he'll use it.'

Dapple looked down, then dismissed Furgold with a almost imperceptible flick of his floppy ears and continued. 'Will you talk to Basil-rah? Won't listen to me, but you've been on owsla longer.'

'Have you spoken to him since Foxglove's prediction about Dawnsong?' asked Briar.

'No.'

'I'll talk to him if you like, but I would have thought he'd see the danger after that what with him and Oak,' said Briar.

'Him and Oak?' The astonishment in Dapple's voice was almost amusing, somebody didn't keep up with warren gossip.

'More surprised about them than me?' she asked.

'Both masculine. You-'

'I'm not very feminine, right?' Briar finished his sentence for him. 'Do you mind?'

'Not my business.' It was a decent answer, and one Briar could respect. At least one rabbit around here kept speculating about others for when it mattered, not when he was bored.

'Fair enough,' she said. 'I'll go and talk to Basil-rah now.'

She slipped out of her the burrow entrance and was surprised and dismayed to see Bayberry wandering around on the surface. He had always been a little abstracted, but Chicory's death had tumbled him over the edge into a morass of his own thoughts and he hadn't yet found his way back out.

'Bayberry, you shouldn't be up here,' said Briar, touching noses with him gently.

'There's no rule against it,' he said, meeting her gaze with eyes like drops of black oil.

'Maybe not, but wandering around like a lost kitten is going to draw elil. Go back underground until evening.' Briar was pushing him towards her tunnel as she spoke, if she could get him underground then Dawnsong would take care of him.

'I heard about Foxglove,' said Bayberry suddenly. 'He'll bring the warren down if he can. Digging under all our supports while nobody stops him.'

'I was just going to see Basil-rah about that,' said Briar. 'If you go and wait underground with Dawnsong and Dapple you'll be one of the first to hear what he says.'

'All right,' said Bayberry. She had nearly edged him to the entrance by then, but it was still a relief when he went down it on his own. Briar gave her fur a quick brush and set out briskly, hoping for no more delays.

*

Briar stalked back to the burrow flicking her feet in frustration. It was too soon to kick Foxglove out because he hadn't yet done anything dreadful and too late because he already had a following. And Basil-rah wouldn't throw any rabbit out of the warren in winter. Dapple took the relayed decision calmly because snapping at rabbits on his side would be counterproductive and finding the chief rabbit to snap at him would be stupid. But he was seething inwardly and if talking to people accomplished nothing he was going to have to find something else to do.

Dapple spent the evening silflay on his own, chewing over his thoughts more than the thin grass. Convincing other rabbits that Foxglove was dangerous wouldn't work. He could kill him, and the thought of cornering him in a burrow and biting his throat out was oddly seductive. Dapple imagined the spurt of warm blood between his teeth with satisfaction, then started out of it shivering hard. Why was he thinking like elil? Dapple took a mouthful of grass, but he wasn't hungry and it tasted of nothing. He headed back underground, out of the chill wind that had sprung up.

On the way to Chestnut's burrow he passed a group of rabbits squeezed into the tunnels around one of the larger burrows. It took a moment of squinting past them to spot Foxglove at the centre. Furgold was in among the crowd, watching them with a detached air that said he was above all this but doing nothing at all to intervene. It took all of Dapple's self control not to bite him on the rump. Instead he pushed through the crowd, towards the source of the ominous mutterings they were listing to. The rabbits weren't happy about being pushed through and climbed over, but Dapple was on the owsla and they didn't try to stop him.

'The Black Rabbit standing in a field, his nose toward our warren. His owsla are already here, unseen in shadows,' said Foxglove, eyes unfocussed. Dapple hopped over the front row of rabbits and landed foursquare in front of him, bristling.

'Nonsense,' he said furiously. 'Have said nothing useful yet. Just vague premonitions about nothing.'

Foxglove's head turned towards him, ears turning wildly as if he was surrounded by unseen dangers. His eyes rolled back in his head and he groaned, a hollow sound that should not come from any rabbit's throat. Dapple held his ground, determined not to be intimidated by theatrics.

'You were formed by men, and men shall find you. You bear their mark and they shall find you. They will dig you out, their hands will pull you from your burrow, and they will kill any who would shelter you. You will draw them down on this warren, the Black Rabbit waits for them. They come, they come.'

Dapple started backwards, dismayed despite himself. It was true that he was marked, that men passing while he was above ground always stared at him and not the other rabbits until he bolted underground. They had made him and they wanted him back, but they would kill other rabbits without a qualm and if they came…

Dapple fled, fear overtaking common sense, scratching fur from other rabbits as he pushed past them in a panic wanting only to get away. He ran blindly but instinct got him back to Chestnut's burrow, where he collapsed almost on top of Chestnut shivering and crying like a kitten.

'Dapple, what happened? What's wrong?' demanded Chestnut, nuzzling him helplessly.

'Marked,' he managed. 'Foxglove's right. Danger to everyone.'

'You're being perfectly ridiculous,' said Furgold, appearing in the entrance to the burrow. 'You knew he was a fraud yesterday, he didn't stop being one just because he said something you're afraid is true. For Frith's sake get up and stop crying.'

Dapple stumbled to his feet, shame rapidly replacing panic. Chestnut sidled closer and stuck his nose under Dapple's ear making Dapple jump.

'You're burning up,' he said.

Dapple thought about that, he was shivering still and had been feeling a little strange all evening. 'Don't feel well,' he admitted, lying back down. He looked up at Chestnut still standing over him. 'Shouldn't stay here. Don't want to catch it.'

'We share a burrow, if I'm going to catch it I probably already have,' said Chestnut. He looked at Furgold. 'You should stay away from both of us though.'

'Keep eye on Foxglove,' said Dapple. 'Have to make people believe he wants trouble.'

'Maybe, but I think you've lost all credibility when it comes to him,' said Furgold. At a glare from Chestnut he added, 'All right, I'll keep an eye on him. Don't worry about it.'

He disappeared from his place in the entrance, and Chestnut lay down next to Dapple and started grooming him. He always groomed people when he was worried, fortunately Furgold was fastidious and appreciated it while Dapple's fluffier coat meant he needed more grooming whether he liked it or not. At the moment Dapple found it comforting and, with nothing to do that he felt capable of doing, he let himself drift into sleep.

*

Thistledown stopped by Chestnut's burrow a few days later. Chestnut had been up on the surface, avoiding the times the others went to silflay, and had carried down wispy grass and a few late dandelion leaves for Dapple, who was stretched out currently in restless sleep.

'How are you two doing?' asked Thistledown, from a reasonable distance to avoid catching anything.

'I'm fine, and probably going to stay that way,' said Chestnut. 'Dapple isn't.'

'He's not the only one that's ill,' said Thistledown. 'Although it's mostly the old and young that are getting it. And of course it was all predicted by Foxglove.'

'Of course. What else could the Black Rabbit standing in a field mean?' said Chestnut.

'Dapple's going to get the blame if anyone dies,' said Thistledown quietly, ears turned anxiously towards the sleeping rabbit. 'Foxglove will make sure of it.'

'That's not fair! He probably wasn't even the first to get ill, it just affected him worse because he's a box rabbit.'

'What?' Dapple croaked, stirring.

'Nothing, go back to sleep,' said Chestnut guiltily. Dapple managed a withering look despite how ill he was.

'Sick not stupid. Tell me.'

'Some of the other rabbits are ill now and Foxglove's blaming you,' said Chestnut, adding hastily, 'Which isn't true. This sort of thing always goes around in winter.'

'Hurm.' Dapple curled up and went limp, leaving Chestnut to guess whether or not he was still awake.

'I don't like this at all,' said Chestnut. 'Foxglove has a real knack for biting into everyone's weak points. I'm not sure I'd care to go up against him, but I feel like a coward doing nothing.'

'I had an idea about that,' said Thistledown. 'Most of what he's said is so vague it's impossible to catch him in a lie, but he was definite about what happened to his old warren. If we could find it and ask them about him I'd bet he was thrown out for making trouble and the warren is fine.'

'You're suggesting we go on a journey in winter?' said Chestnut, dubiously.

'I doubt it was far, he looked a bit dapper to have been a hlessi for very long,' said Thistledown. Chestnut thought he was probably right. Rabbit aversion to travel meant warrens could be relatively close and still unknown to each other. And if they waited until spring who knew how much damage they would have to undo.

'Who else have you asked about this?' he said.

'Briar,' said Thistledown. 'She's coming. So's Nettle. And Larkspur, although I don't think he cares much about Foxglove. Either he wants to keep an eye on Nettle or fancies a bit of travelling. Probably both.'

'Basil-rah won't be happy if half his owsla disappears,' said Chestnut, amused despite himself. Thistledown flicked his ears dismissively.

'Serves him right. Maybe next time he'll listen to us.'

Chestnut felt his spirits rise at the prospect of action and, if he was honest, vengeance. He'd barely noticed the trouble Foxglove was causing until Dapple had been the one hurt.

'I'll go with you as soon as Dapple's better,' he promised.

'Good,' said Dapple, startling him. 'Will come.'

'That's not what I meant,' said Chestnut, thoroughly dismayed. 'You shouldn't be going anywhere for the rest of the winter.'

'Am coming. Personal now.' And that settled it, thought Chestnut ruefully. Short of setting a guard on him to keep him behind, Dapple was coming.

*

They set out fu Inlé and Briar hung back as they entered the copse so she could keep an eye on the rest. Larkspur, unreliable but fearless, went ahead without being asked, enjoying the chance to play El-ahrairah. Furgold, a late addition to their group, managed to retain his poise in a way that was reassuring and annoying both and walked easily along between bushes that could be hiding anything. Dapple was sulking with Furgold, refusing to talk to him or go near him, but his temper was mostly an attempt to cover up fear. Briar remembered he had nearly been killed by a homba here in spring and hoped his nerve wouldn't break, a bolting rabbit could set others off and if they scattered here they'd be lucky to find each other again.

Chestnut, Thistledown and Nettle were nervous in the way normal rabbits would be in inhospitable terrain with too much cover for elil and nowhere to run to. Briar felt much the same and did no better than they did at restraining it. The deceptively mournful cry of an owl had them all startling and cowering in its wake. She felt a reluctant respect for Foxglove, who had come this way alone.

They were, thankfully, out of the copse by dawn and back among fields. The nearest one held ponies and a large pile of hay, which the rabbits hopped into and ate while the ponies pricked their ears indignantly and stared down their long noses. The best they could do for shelter was the long grass around a cattle grid and they settled there to think once they had eaten.

'Do we just keep going the same way?' asked Nettle. 'Foxglove could have wandered around all over the place for all we know.'

'I doubt it,' said Thistledown. 'Like I said, I don't think he'd been a hlessi for very long.'

'I vote we ask something,' said Larkspur. 'Where there's barns there's mice, and its never hard to get a mouse to talk.'

'Hrair's too many to go sniffing around barns when there may be men about,' said Briar. 'I'll go and Larkspur can come, the rest of you should stay here.'

'Wouldn't it be better to wait until dark?' asked Furgold.

'The shelter here's too poor, and moving in the wrong direction means having to retrace our steps,' said Briar. 'Better to find out where we need to go as soon as possible.'

None of the others objected, so she and Larkspur headed for the nearest big buildings in sight.

It turned out to be a stable and they found not a mouse but a rat almost Dapple's size raiding the food bins. Briar would have left it alone, rats could be vicious for their size, but Larkspur flipped it onto its back in one smooth motion and rested a foot on its stomach. The rat went limp with shock, rabbits weren't supposed to be violent but it knew what those powerful leg muscles could do to its insides.

'What you want?' it said, using the hedgerow speak that many creatures living in the countryside would understand.

'Rabbits near here. Know where?' demanded Larkspur.

'No rabbits in barn,' said the rat. 'Not want to know.'

'See rabbit with dark ears before?' asked Briar, loping closer to ask her question.

'One rabbit look like all rabbits.' Larkspur lifted his foot slightly and the rat squealed. 'Not see rabbit before you.'

'Well, it was a good idea,' said Briar. If the rat hadn't seen it hadn't seen. They might still be able to question other creatures but unless Foxglove had gone into the barn the rats and mice had probably never noticed him. Larkspur was looking thoughtful, reluctant to let the rat go until he was certain he had no more questions for it.

The sound of a dog barking outside made them all freeze. And then, unmistakable, a rabbit's scream. Larkspur twisted towards the slightly open barn door and the rat took advantage of his distraction to squirm free, biting his face open before racing towards cover. Larkspur barely seemed to notice. His daughter was out there and, contrary to all sense, he bolted straight towards the sound of danger.

Instinct told Briar not to follow him, rabbits should scatter in the face of danger. Instinct told her she shouldn't be running towards danger in the first place but, Frith and Inlé, she felt so responsible. As they neared the cattle grid she could see the dog standing over where they had left the others. A young golden retriever, pleased with itself, shaking a rabbit happily in its huge jaws. The rabbit was still squealing, the only sign that it was alive, and it took Briar a moment to recognise Nettle.

Larkspur, not wasting time on looking, ran straight at the dog and cuffed it fearlessly on the nose. It didn't work. Dogs weren't like cats, they were neither intimidated by prey fighting back nor inclined to let go of what they had to chase less certain prey. The dog closed its jaws harder around Nettle, ignoring Larkspur completely. He stood there at a loss, more confused than frightened while nose to nose with a creature that could break his spine. Briar risked slipping closer, Nettle was done for and she had to get him away before they lost two rabbits instead of one.

Then, just as she thought she could reach him, the dog turned to trot away, Nettle's limp form, no longer squealing, dangling from between its teeth. The move seemed to galvanise Larkspur, he threw himself forwards between its back legs, raised himself awkwardly onto his own in a motion almost like dancing, and bit.

The dog yelped, high pitched with pain, Nettle tumbling limply from its jaws, and turned furiously on Larkspur who did the first sensible thing so far and bolted. Briar watched him dash away with the dog in angry pursuit, feeling cold and shaky and almost unable to leave the sparse cover she had been crawling through. Nettle needed to be looked at though, and Briar crept towards her relieved to hear raspy breathing as she got close.

'Nettle,' she said. 'Nettle? Can you hear me?'

'Yes,' whispered Nettle, eyes opening slowly. She tried to get to her feet and at first it seemed her spine had been damaged when she couldn't get her back feet under her. But with perseverance and a little help she made it to her feet and the reason she hadn't been able to was revealed. The leg under her, that she had been trying to push herself up with, was torn almost to the bone. Briar hustled her under what cover they could find and did her best to clean it. Nettle didn't ask questions, she had just been nose to nose with the Black Rabbit and hadn't yet made it all the way back.

Larkspur came back after a while with scratches along his back and the end of one ear torn up. 'Had to go under some barbed wire before I could duck him,' he said, ears perked up even with blood running down one. He was cocky as ever, buoyant and fearless with a strong streak of mingled courage and viciousness. Briar, Frith help her, felt a sudden rush of affection for him. 'That was one angry dog. How are you doing marli-roo?'

'Embleer Frith, it hurts,' said Nettle opening her eyes. She looked down at her leg, Briar had done her best to clean it but it was still a mess, then up at Larkspur. 'I don't think I make a very good hlessi.'

'Yeah, well, I think your wandering days are over,' said Larkspur, touching noses with her. 'We'll wait here until you can walk and then go back to the warren.'

Nettle looked apologetically at Briar. 'Sorry to duck out on you.'

'Not your fault, just bad luck,' said Briar briskly. 'I'll dig you a scrape before we leave, it'll get done faster than leaving it to a buck.'

'So what now?' asked Larkspur.

'You wait for the others. This is the last place we were together and they'll come back here,' said Briar. 'I'm going to find Nettle some better cover and start on that scrape.'

'Sounds good to me,' said Larkspur, settling down among long grass still wet with blood as if any elil it might attract were no danger at all. Briar sighed, she still didn't like to rely on him. But she was guiltily grateful not to be the one sitting there and waiting.

*

Chestnut tumbled through a hedge, Dapple on his heels and no idea where the rest of them had gone. He halted, panting, in an empty flower bed and looked around. In the centre of the garden, in a large mesh run, was the Black Rabbit with its nose pointing straight at him. As Chestnut's heart tried to hammer its way out of his chest he noticed two things. First there were two Black Rabbits, one asleep half hidden behind a pile of hay, second they both had ears like Dapple's.

Chestnut swallowed his fears and approached the mesh. 'Hello,' he said quietly.

'Hello,' said the black rabbit. Up close, and overlooking the pure black colour of his fur, he wasn't intimidating at all. Plump in a way no wild rabbit ever got the chance to be, with a habitually cheerful demeanour and no fear of strangers. 'Are you all right? You look a bit worn out.'

'We got chased by a dog,' said Chestnut. 'We'll be fine once we get our breath back. I'm Chestnut.'

'Apple,' said the black rabbit. 'And that's Pear.'

Dapple edged closer, low to the ground. 'We can get you out,' he said suddenly.

Apple looked astonished. 'Why would I want to get out? It seems horribly dangerous out there. You'd be better off in here, I should think.'

'Like it in there?' said Dapple, baring his teeth as he approached the mesh. 'Like being a prisoner? Grabbed, touched, picked up, held down, shoved into a box? Like that?'

Apple was backing away from the mesh in dismay, clearly feeling that Dapple was one of the dangerous things it protected him from. Chestnut tried to shoulder Dapple back from it, there was no reason to terrorise a harmless rabbit, but Dapple refused to be moved.

'My humans are very nice,' Apple protested nervously. 'They're perfectly gentle with me and they always give me flayrah, even in winter. Were your ones cruel to you?'

The sympathetic look he gave Dapple proved far more effective at making him back off than a threat would have been. He growled and stalked off down the garden to sulk by the hedge. Chestnut was torn between wanting to apologise for him and go after him to calm him down.

'I think having another rabbit in with you probably makes things easier,' said Chestnut quietly, looking at the doe. He realised she was awake now but, after Dapple's display, keeping her distance from the wild rabbits.

'Yes, I suppose it would,' said Apple thoughtfully. 'Would you like some flayrah? The other rabbit said it was very good.'

'Thank you,' Chestnut gratefully accepted some shredded lettuce pushed awkwardly through the mesh before the import of the words sank in. 'Other rabbit?'

'He came past a while back,' said Apple. 'Fur and ears like yours, but darker around the face. He was following along the gardens, he said, he wasn't going to go without just because he was outside a warren in late autumn.'

'Thank you,' said Chestnut, feeling suddenly full of energy as if knowing the way to go was a reasonable substitute for a good night's sleep somewhere safe. 'You have no idea how helpful you've been.'

'Were you looking for him then?' asked Apple.

'Something like that,' said Chestnut. 'Thank you again, and for the food as well. I have to be going.'

'Glad to have helped,' said Apple. 'Tell your friend I'm sorry about his humans.'

Chestnut didn't tell Dapple anything of the sort since he had no desire to set off his already uncertain temper. But, once they had left the garden, he did edge him into the shelter of a drainage ditch so they could talk.

'What's wrong with you?' said Chestnut. 'It's not Apple's fault he's happy, and there was no need to shout at him for it. You've spent this entire journey sulking as it is.'

Dapple hunched his shoulders and tucked his head in, ignoring Chestnut completely.

'Are you angry because Furgold and I didn't stand up to Foxglove with you?' asked Chestnut. 'I am sorry about that, really, I didn't realise how bad it was going to be.'

'Furgold did,' said Dapple. 'Didn't care.'

'He's come with us to stop him now,' said Chestnut, unable to keep a note of pleading out of his voice. He hated having his two best friends at odds.

'Wants credit for stopping him. Not about Foxglove hurting people.'

Hurting you, though Chestnut sadly. Dapple's trust was hard to earn and easy to lose, Furgold was going to lose a friend if he didn't stop focussing on his ambitions long enough to pay attention. Chestnut hadn't done so well at being a good friend himself.

'I'm sorry,' said Chestnut. 'I can't speak for Furgold, but I wish I'd backed you up in the first place.'

'Appreciate it,' said Dapple, unhunching himself a little. Chestnut nuzzled him, not really having anything else to say, and Dapple put up with it for a few minutes before standing up abruptly and stretching.

'Time to get back,' said Dapple. 'Remember the way?'

Chestnut took that to mean Dapple didn't and, since he only had a vague idea of the direction himself, it took a while for them to reach the cattle grid again. They found Larkspur, Thistledown and Furgold waiting for them and exchanged news quickly. That evening they set off again, Larkspur and Nettle safely inhabiting a scrape under a gorse-bush, while the rest of them followed the hedges along the backs of winter gardens.

*

By the time the gardens ended and they were in fields again they were starting to find hraka under bushes, and were certain to find a warren nearby. No wonder Foxglove had looked well off for a hlessi, he had travelled almost the whole way along gardens filled with autumn vegetables. A lone wanderer already moved on by the time the men noticed their ruined harvest. Their group had had less luck, it was too late in the year for the gardens to provide them with much in the way of food, although they did crop at the well tended lawns, and they were relieved to reach a warren and the prospect of more shelter than a hedge.

The warren was on, or rather in, a small hill with a grove of oaks growing on top of it. It was the middle of the night when they arrived and they assumed they would have to wait for dawn silflay to meet anyone, but a posted sentry came over to greet them almost at once.

'State your purpose,' he said nervously, one against hrair.

'We want to talk to your chief rabbit about a troublemaker named Foxglove,' said Briar, and the sentry's ears went up in surprise.

'You know Foxglove?'

'All too well,' said Furgold dryly.

'Wait here.'

When the chief rabbit arrived he was flanked by two big, military looking rabbits, clearly owsla members but not there to help him make any decisions. They were an intimidation tactic and Dapple tensed, already on the defensive and ready to go on the offensive. Chestnut leant on him, a way of telling Dapple to calm down for those times Chestnut couldn't just lever him away from a fight. For all his softness there were times Chestnut took shameless advantage of the fact that Dapple wouldn't actually bite him.

The chief rabbit, he introduced himself as Teasel-rah, was a tough buck with scars across his nose who walked with a swagger. He gave Dapple the sort of incredulous look that might have been reserved for a hedgehog travelling with rabbits, and Dapple hated him at once. When Briar stepped forwards to explain their presence he turned the same incredulous look on her, causing her ears to go back sharply.

'We came to ask about a buck named Foxglove,' said Briar, tone sharper than it might have been otherwise. 'Are we right in thinking he came from here?'

'Yes, we kicked him out in late autumn,' said Teasel-rah. 'What, is your chief rabbit too incompetent to deal with him?'

That put everyone's hackles up, although it was too close to the truth for a convincing defence. It was Thistledown who tried one anyway. 'Too nice more than incompetent,' he said mildly. 'He wouldn't kick any rabbit out without giving them a chance, and Foxglove took advantage of that.'

'Anyone who didn't kick him out at the first sign of his seer routine is an idiot,' said Teasel-rah. 'Even real seers are more trouble than they're worth.'

'We have a real seer in our warren who has never been anything but an asset,' said Briar. If she expected an apology she didn't get one.

'So now you know what you wanted to find out you can go,' said Teasel-rah.

Briar stood up taller, and said, 'Actually we're tired and those clouds look like snow. A few days hospitality would be appreciated.'

'Fine, just don't take burrows anybody else is using.' And with that Teasel-rah and his honour guard stalked off.

'There's a welcome for you,' said Furgold. The group had moved together unconsciously, Teasel-rah's attitude had succeeded in intimidating as well as infuriating them. They feared they had some idea now of what to expect from rabbits under his control. It was Briar, their unofficial leader, who shook herself out of it first.

'Come on, we might as well find burrows since we've so thoughtfully been offered them. A real sleep until dawn will do all of us good.'

Teasel-rah's warren turned out to be more crowded than their own, the only empty burrows were abandoned because they were too shallow to be comfortable in winter and smelt of mice. Dapple, sandwiched between Chestnut and Furgold for warmth, was still to cold too catch more than shallow snatches of sleep and suspected the same was true for the others as well. It was a relief to go up for silflay, or would have been if not for the way the other rabbits stared.

The group from Basil-rah's warren started off staying close, but the other rabbits split them up in a way Dapple felt only seemed accidental. Thistledown was asked to tell a story, he chose the story of Dapple and the Fox because it would be certain to be new to the rabbits here and Dapple couldn't help but feel a rush of pride at that. A number of rabbits proved surprisingly willing to answer Furgold's questions, which was all the incentive he needed to wander off with them. A young doe with reddish fur, named Threarthlay, wanted to talk to Chestnut who was smitten enough to follow her anywhere. Briar was trying to find out more about Foxglove by talking to the owsla.

All of this left Dapple to endure stares alone and, while he didn't need looking after as if was a kitten, he would have liked some backup against the hostility he sensed. The rabbits got closer to him, gradually closing in in a rough circle so there was no way he could get clear save by bolting. Dapple was reminded of the men he had lured towards the homba, they had circled him the same way.

When the rabbits started touching him it was the way they might treat any visitor, an attempt to satisfy their curiosity via play. But there was an edge to it, in the way they shoved at Dapple and then kept him pressed down so he couldn't respond in kind. The circle meant he couldn't see all of them at once, there was always one in the blind spot directly behind his head, and that one often delivered a cuff he couldn't see coming. Dapple bared his teeth and growled, but if he bit someone their whole group might be forced out. Or torn to pieces, they were badly enough outnumbered. He hunkered down instead, and endured.

It was Thistledown who rescued him, bulling into the group and tumbling one of them over in the same over rough imitation of play they had been using on Dapple. For a moment the group had their hackles up and it looked as if it might turn nasty, but the pretence they had been playing held and the situation defused as all the rabbits hopped off to go back to grazing.

'Are you all right?' asked Thistledown.

'Fine,' said Dapple shortly, embarrassed at having needed rescuing. 'Thank you,' he added in a mutter.

'This isn't a good warren,' said Thistledown quietly. 'Teasel-rah is a bully and it filters down. Makes you appreciate Basil-rah, doesn't it?'

'Always appreciated him,' said Dapple. 'He's a good rabbit.'

'Yes, he is,' said Thistledown. 'Do you want me to hang around?'

'No. Going underground,' said Dapple, abruptly deciding he'd had all he could take.

'Are you sure? You should eat with a snowstorm on the way,' said Thistledown.

Dapple had no idea what a snowstorm was, but felt humiliated enough without admitting to that. 'Sure,' he said. He headed back to the burrows at a steady lope, resisting the urge to turn and bolt.

*

The snowstorm hit at around noon, coming down in soft flakes like feathers made of ice. At first Dapple sat at the mouth of the burrow watching them, but soon he was curled up at the back of the burrow shivering. Furgold worried, it hadn't been so long since Dapple had been ill, but with how pointedly Dapple had been ignoring him he couldn't ask. Instead he waited until Chestnut did and took Dapple's muttered 'fine' as reassurance.

It snowed all that day and night, by the next morning there was more than an inch of snow on the ground and everyone stayed in their burrows. They curled up for warmth, Furgold and Dapple one on either side of Chestnut. Tempers always frayed during storms, nothing to do but chew pellets and talk, too little food and no change of company, but it surprised them all that Chestnut was the one to snap.

'Stop ignoring each other!' he said, sitting up suddenly and raising his forepaws as if he would box both their ears. 'I'm sick of being caught in the middle while you both pretend you can't hear a word each other says. I'd get better company from a bunch of weasels!'

'I'm not ignoring Dapple,' Furgold protested and Chestnut whirled on him. His teeth were bared and for once Furgold remembered that he was the biggest of the three.

'No, you're ignoring him ignoring you, which is just as annoying. If you'd bothered to ask him what was wrong this could have been over days ago.'

'So now it's my fault he won't speak to me?' said Furgold.

'Yes,' Dapple answered, the first sign in days he hadn't gone deaf where Furgold was concerned.

'That is it,' said Chestnut. 'I'm going to stay with Thistledown and Briar and you two can work things out or have no one to talk to.'

'Don't be stupid. You'll be soaked to the skin and frozen before you get there,' said Furgold, but Chestnut ignored him and hopped up to the entrance.

'Right now I'd rather catch pneumonia that spend another moment with either of you,' he said over his shoulder, and disappeared into the snow.

Dapple had frozen to the spot, as if rejection was an animal that might overlook him if he stayed still enough. Despite himself Furgold felt sorry for him, as well as rather hurt himself. Might as well follow Chestnut's advice since he was stuck here.

'So why aren't you talking to me?' he said.

'Don't care about anyone but yourself,' said Dapple.

'Would you care to give me an example?' asked Furgold dryly.

'Didn't care about what Foxglove was doing. Hoping he'd give you an opening to topple Basil-rah.'

'Would that really be such a bad thing? He hasn't dealt very well with the situation.' Dapple glared at him and didn't answer so Furgold continued. 'Would I really be such a terrible chief?'

'Owe Basil-rah a lot,' said Dapple quietly. 'Gave me a chance. Would have been torn to pieces if I'd come here. Kicked out at least. Dead either way.'

'So you feel I'm being disloyal? It's not as if I wouldn't have given you a chance.'

'Only if it benefited you.' Dapple hopped to the mouth of the burrow and stared at the tracks Chestnut had left in the snow. Furgold was momentarily left speechless.

'That's…incredibly unfair. Yes, I was hoping for an opening as you put it. But I intended to do something about Foxglove whether it benefited me or not. I just wasn't about to try fighting him on his own terms, beating him physically wouldn't accomplish anything and words are his own weapon. My opinion doesn't have any particular weight with Basil-rah, either. Taking over the warren and putting myself in a position to kick him out was pretty much the ionly/i way I could see to deal with him. As well as future threats of a similar kind. Basil-rah's too good himself to see when others aren't.' Furgold realised how impassioned he was getting and stopped, combing his ears until he calmed down. 'Thistledown's idea of coming here offered an alternative and I took it, even if it would benefit me less than my original plan. Would you care to tell me what I've done wrong?'

Dapple didn't answer, instead putting one paw forward into the snow. He was shivering again.

'Get back here before you make yourself ill again,' said Furgold sharply. 'And answer me.'

Dapple slunk back into the burrow looking chastised. 'Could have said all that earlier,' he muttered.

'When? When you weren't speaking to me?'

To his surprise Dapple settled next to him, burrowing his cold body into Furgold's side. 'Something wrong with the rabbits here,' he said. Furgold supposed the change of subject was intended as forgiveness and knew better than to hope for an apology.

'They're unhappy,' he said. 'Teasel-rah's a bully and he encourages the owsla to be bullies as well. The rank and file get ground down until they're all desperate. Threarthlay wants a way out that doesn't involve wandering off alone. The ones that went after you wanted somebody they could bully in turn. Others just wanted some new stories, a way to forget their lives for a bit. There's really nothing we can do about it.'

'Could take some of them with us,' said Dapple. 'Not the nasty ones.'

Furgold's ears twitched upright as he thought about it. Basil-rah's warren was under rather than overpopulated, with empty burrows from when it had been bigger. 'I have a feeling Teasel-rah wouldn't like that,' he said slowly. 'This warren's crowded. He may stop rabbits from leaving, especially in groups. Foxglove might even have got himself kicked out on purpose, as an excuse to get away.'

'Don't like idea?' said Dapple.

'No. I like it,' said Furgold, thinking of some of the friendlier rabbits he had spoken to. 'But we'll have to be quiet about it. Which means you leaving it to the rest of us, I'm afraid. You're too conspicuous.'

'Hm,' said Dapple. By the time Chestnut braved the snow again to return they were deep in plotting, the argument all but forgotten.