After managing to dock their boat the Down rabbits safely made it to their warren and Hazel stood before Primrose, Blackavar and Captain Holly to gesture to their great land.
"Here we are, everyone. Welcome to Watership Down."Hazel said with a proud smile.
"It's beautiful, Hazel. I never thought I'd see a full tree again. And the grass here feels so...different."Primrose said as she looked around but made sure to help Captain Holly keep a steady pace.
"Yes. It's really amazing. I can see myself getting used to living here. Oh, watch your step, Captain Holly."Blackavar said as he helped the old buck move from a rock.
"Here, I'll help. You two have done enough for today."Fiver said and went over to help Captain Holly along to the tree.
"Thank you, young buck. I never would have thought that more kindness existed in this...wait, your paws..."Holly trailed off as he took notice of the heart shaped paw pads Fiver had. The young runt's ears went back in embarrassment and he pulled them back.
"Yes, I know. You see I'm actually a Buck-Doe."Fiver explained which made Primrose and Blackavar gasp.
"Then it is true. Woundwort made an announcement about Fiver being a Buck-Doe but since Vervain's never told the truth in a day of his life and Campion never said anything we weren't sure who to believe."Blackavar said.
"Yes, but that's not how I recognize these paws. There's someone else with paws like these."Holly said.
Fiver and Hazel gasped in surprise at this, looking down at Fiver's paws and then back at Captain Holly.
"Are you sure Captain Holly?" Hazel questioned.
The elder buck nodded and glanced towards the setting sun's path.
"Yes, I am sure of it. He lives in a big warren that lies within the path of the setting sun. He's a friend and I took him and another there to keep them safe when I realize Woundwort was starting to change for the worst. I didn't want them to live out the rest of their lives under a tyrants rule. I even made them both a promise to go back for them when it was safe again." Holly explained.
"So that's why you disappeared for so long one day. You were helping someone escape." Primrose spoke up.
Holly nodded and bowed his head in sadness at the memories of all that has happened to Efrafa.
"But then you took that weasel bite after that."Blackavar pointed out.
"Yes. Now I'll die knowing that I wasn't able to keep my promise. I can barely go a mile without this leg acting up."Holly said with a sad frown.
"Well, what if we completed your promise for you?"Hazel asked.
"What?"Captain Holly asked in surprise.
"We'll go to the Warren you left your friends at and bring them to the Down. And if there really is a Buck-Doe like Fiver there then I'm sure that he'll be happy knowing that he's not the only of his species around."Hazel explained.
"You would do that for me?"Holly asked.
"Of course. And since you helped raise Primrose and Blackavar to keep them from straying down Woundwort's path, it's the least we can do."Hazel said with a smile.
"Yes. Just tell us where to go."Fiver said. Captain Holly looked at all of the other rabbits and started to cry happy tears.
"I never thought I'd meet creatures with such good hearts. Thank you all."Holly said as he wiped his eyes.
"Don't be crying tears now, old rabbit! Tell Kahaar where this other Buck-Doe be living and Kahaar will find warren."The gull said.
"Yes and lucky for him I got him out just in time." The retired Captain of Owsler added.
Captain Holly wiped away his tears and cleared his throat to get his emotions back under order.
"Right, just follow the path of the setting sun, it'll lie on the far side of the woods. You can't miss it, their warrens practically out in the open." Holly explained.
Kahaar nodded in understand.
"Ok, Kahaar go now, find other bunnies warren." Kahaar replied before he let out cry as he took to the air, following Holly's directions.
The Down rabbits watched him fly away and until they couldn't see him no longer Hazel looked at Captain Holly.
"Mind telling us more about this warren Kahaar's searching for?"
"Not at all. You'll be surprised you'll never meet a more healthier bunch, they eat like its Frith's feast every day." Holly replied with a smile.
"Should we be worried about any kind of hostility?"Bigwig asked.
"To be quite honest I'm not so sure. It's been so long since I've been to that warren I'm not sure what the Owsler and Chief rabbit are like anymore."Holly said honestly.
"Well it sounds like we'll be going in and meet quite a few surprises. By the way, what is the name of this Buck-Doe anyway?"Hazel asked.
"Silverweed. He's a very sweet young fellow. You'd think his fur was from the stars itself it's so shiny. You'll know who he is when you see him."Holly said.
"Alright then. Fiver, when we get there you're to make contact with Silverweed and show him your paws. Maybe if he sees that you're like him he'll be less likely to attack us or give away our position."Hazel said.
"Right, Hazel."Fiver said with a nod.
"Hazel and Fiver, if it's not too much trouble I'd like to accompany you in this adventure."Holly said.
"Are you sure, Captain Holly?"Fiver asked.
"Yes. I may not be able to go in like the dashing buck I once was but I can at least manage as a look out."Holly stated.
"Then I'd better go and make sure you don't trip on your leg, Captain."Blackavar said.
"Are you sure you want to do that, Blackavar?"Primrose asked.
"I sure am. I didn't do much in Efrafa so I owe this to the Captain."Blackavar said.
"Then while we're gone you'll stay with everyone else, Bigwig."Hazel said.
Bigwig hummed at the idea but didn't argue.
"If you think that's best Hazel." The lion head stated.
"I do Bigwig, you're the only one here that can help fight off any trouble that might show up while we're gone." Hazel explained which made the buck smirked and puff out his chest proudly.
"Well since you put it that way."
Fiver chuckled, hopping over to Bigwig and nuzzled his head into his mane.
"Don't let it go to your head Bigwig or we'll all start calling you Bighead from now on." Fiver joked, making every other rabbit laugh.
Bigwig chuckled along with them before he nudged Fiver.
"Alright you joker, of you get before you pop your ears off." Bigwig playfully threatened.
Fiver giggled but hopped over to wait with the others when suddenly Kahaar called out as he came flying back. Everyone looked up and watched the gull come gliding down until he landed on the grass in front of Hazel.
"Kahaar found other bunny warren, many rabbits there." Kahaar informed.
"Good work Kahaar, do you think you can lead us there?" Hazel asked.
The gull nodded before he flew back up into the air to wait for his bunny friends to follow.
Hazel, Fiver, Holly and Blackavar followed Kahaar closely from below but made sure not to go too fast for Holly's sake. As they travelled further down the path Holly began to notice some similarities and took a stop to double check things.
"Yes, this is starting to look familiar. The warren should be on the far side of the woods once we pass this next line of trees."Holly said.
"Right then. By the way, Holly, who is this other friend you left at this warren?"Hazel asked.
"His name is Pimpernel. It's been quite a while since I've seen him last after barely escaping the old warren. But since it's so bountiful with food and shelter I'm sure that he's fine."Holly said.
"I only hope that the Chief Rabbit and Owsler aren't hostile."Blackavar said in a worried tone.
"I'm sure that it'll be fine, Blackavar. But even still, are you getting any visions yet Fiver?"Hazel asked and turned to his young brother.
"Not so much a vision as I have a slight feeling that something may happen that we don't expect. I can't tell if it's good or bad though."Fiver explained.
"Well we'll find out as time progresses, I suppose."
"Yes. But I wonder if they've changed from before."Holly commented aloud.
"What do you mean, Captain Holly?"Blackavar asked.
"Well you see, the last time I went to this warren there was a buck called Cowslip that looked to be in charge. But he and the others all seemed...a bit off in some way."The old Owsler explained.
"As if they were lost?"Fiver asked.
"In a way, yes. How did you know?"Holly asked.
"Fiver isn't just a Buck-Doe, Holly. He's also a Seer."Hazel explained.
"Really? Heh. And here I thought I had the only one like that..."Holly trailed off lowly but Fiver heard him.
"What?"The young runt asked.
"Oh don't worry about it, Fiver. Come on, let's not keep your gull friend waiting."Holly said and led the way on with Hazel and Blackavar close behind.
As he trailed behind though, Fiver wouldn't help but wonder what Holly meant by what he said before.
Just a short travel longer and they finally reached the other side of the tree line and sure enough as Captain Holly said there in the middle of a clearing was the warren. Holly smiled as he recognized the area.
"Yep, this is the place."
Kahaar flew down to greet his friends as they remained hidden in the bramble thicket. Hazel saw him coming and waved him off.
"Thank you Kahaar, you can go back to Watership Down now if you want." Hazel stated to their bird friend.
Kahaar called in understanding before he flew back up above the tree lines to head back, knowing his friends could take care of themselves now.
Hazel and Blackavar looked towards the burrow's entrance as spotted two rabbits munching on a couple of carrots next to it.
"Huh, not afraid of being seen are they." Blackavar pointed out in disbelieve, with all enemies they had.
Hazel nodded in agreement before looking at the burrow entrance.
"And look at the burrows, you can get a horse through there." Hazel pointed out, not liking one bit of how open and dangerously exposed it was.
Holly looked and didn't like the changes to the burrow and how exposed they let themselves be.
"A lot must have really changed since my last visit. Everything was being run like any other warren. But all well, the two sitting over there are Cowslip and Strawberry, the big once Cowslip. They said they'd take care of Pimpernel and Silverweed." Holly answered, shocked and a bit worried by the big changes.
Suddenly Fiver cringed and started to tremble all over, like he had ice cold water run down his back.
"I…I don't think I like this place." Fiver stated, informing all his friends of the hidden danger that lurked in the shadows but remained unseen and unheard.
"I'm inclined to agree with Fiver. For a warren to be so out in the open like this can't be good."Blackavar said in agreement and looked around in worry.
"I agree with you on that Blackavar, but we can't turn back now after coming all this way."Holly said in a determined tone.
Just then a drop of water landed on Hazel's nose and soon enough more pelts of rain came along.
"Holly's right, plus staying in the rain won't do us much good. Let's see if they'll invite us in."Hazel said and the group hopped over to Cowslip and Strawberry.
"Welcome, welcome. Greetings all, it's so nice of you to call."Cowslip and Strawberry sang in unison and danced around the other rabbits.
"What's wrong with them?"Hazel asked Holly in a hushed tone.
"It's a thing they do when they meet."Holly whispered back. Finally when Cowslip and Strawberry finished dancing Holly spoke. "We've come for Pimpernel and to see Silverweed."The Owsler stated.
"Come inside, out of the rain, soft and sweet though it may be."Cowslip said and after sharing a confused look the rabbits hopped inside.
"This is some warren you have here."Blackavar said.
"We like it. Somewhere to rest one's weary head."Cowslip said. Just then Fiver stopped midway through the entrance and sniffed around.
"There's a winter in this place. A cold that never ends. Can you smell it, Hazel?"Fiver asked worriedly. Hazel took a few deep whiffs in the air before answering.
"It smells fine to me. Don't worry Fiver, you're just tired. Things will look better in the morning."Hazel assured and hopped ahead with Fiver at his side.
"I don't know, Hazel. Dawn seems like a long way away."Fiver said in worry.
As they came in through the warren the Down rabbits all looked around to see the several many bucks and does there.
"Goodness, you have quite a large group."Blackavar said.
"Yes, and a very healthy group by the smell of it."Hazel added.
"Many comes first to rest then many stay because they like it here."Cowslip said. Fiver looked closely at every rabbit but didn't see one with starry silver fur as Silverweed was supposed to have.
"Captain Holly, I don't see any buck with silver fur around here."Fiver said.
"Ah yes, where are Silverweed and Pimpernel? I was hoping to meet with them and possibly, if you don't mind Cowslip, bring them back to the new warren I'm a part of."Holly explained.
"Silverweed I'm afraid isn't among one of the healthy rabbits here. He is in the deeper burrows to rest away his sickness. As for Pimpernel he is at his side. They'll make themselves available tomorrow."Cowslip said. Fiver noticed that Holly's ears drooped very low in sadness at hearing this but he otherwise nodded in sadness.
"Very well then. I suppose I'll just have to wait."Holly said. Deciding to help lift the mood Strawberry spoke.
"Now that that's cleared up, would you care to see the rest of the warren?"Strawberry asked to Hazel and gave a bow.
"Well yes I'd be uh, delighted."Hazel said and gave a bow as well. He shrugged his shoulders to the confused looking Blackavar and hopped away with Strawberry.
Fiver meanwhile looked around in worry, backed up against the wall. Something just wasn't right. However the young runt couldn't quite put his paw on it yet.
"So, just how did Silverweed get sick? Will Pimpernel be with him all day?"Blackavar asked.
"The roots, you see. They intertwine like ivy to hold the ceiling high."Cowslip explained rather than answered.
"Oh. Uh, yes. That's an interesting little fact."Blackavar said in an awkward tone.
Cowslip then turned his attention to Fiver who caught his gaze. The deep searching look and sinister grin the larger buck had made Fiver very uncomfortable and caused him to dig his paws into the ground to better hide his heart shaped pads. Just because Silverweed was a Buck-Doe like him doesn't mean that Cowslip or anyone else here still wouldn't take advantage of such a thing. After noticing the cream colored buck stare at Fiver Holly acted casual as he moved into Cowslip's view so that he wouldn't stare at the runt and make him even more uncomfortable.
"So if it isn't a bother, Cowslip, would you mind sharing some of your bounty with us?"Holly asked. Cowslip's look changed from predatorily to normal as he stood up with a smile.
"No bother at all. Follow me and prepare for a feast like no other."Cowslip said and led the way to another part of the warren. While Blackavar followed after him Holly stayed behind to check on Fiver.
"You alright, lad?"Holly asked.
"Yes, I'm fine Captain Holly, but you were right about Cowslip and the others being off. They look and smell healthy, there's no denying that. But at the same time I can't seem to feel true life from them in some way."Fiver stated.
"Indeed. And I can't help but get an odd feel about the story of Silverweed being sick, especially when Cowslip didn't answer Blackavar's question."Holly said.
"Perhaps later tonight as everyone sleeps I could explore some of the deeper burrows and ask Pimpernel myself how Silverweed is doing. Maybe he'll even come to see us."Fiver suggested.
Holly smiled at the generous offer but leaned down and placed his paw on Fiver's shoulder.
"Thank you Fiver, I'd very much appreciate that but do be careful, remember that this warrens changed since my last visit so be on alert." Holly cautioned the young buck.
Fiver nodded before Cowslip came back with Blackavar, carrying large bundles of flayra with them. Blackavar put his own down first and smirked at the chief rabbit.
"You've the good idea on keeping plenty of flayra on hand but…" Blackavar started to say to Cowslip.
Cowslip placed his bundle down and faced him.
"Yes?" Cowslip hummed, almost frightening like a hungry fox asking a rabbit if he had any last words before he killed him which made the dark brown rabbit shiver at the tone but shock it off.
"Um how…how did you get it all down here and where did it all come from? I mean there so much of it and none of its even starting to show a single sign of rotting or withering up. Its like it was all picked fresh today." Blackavar questioned curiously.
Cowslip hummed in thought before chuckling softly before replying.
"Tomorrow, you'll see, tomorrow."
And before Blackavar could question it any further Cowslip hopped away, not without giving Fiver another glance before he disappeared down one of the deep burrows. Fiver watched him go curiously, wondering where he was going to.
Holly was thinking the same thing as Fiver, watching after the strange buck until he disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel. He then decided to get his mind off his worries for now and worry getting getting everyone fed.
"Come on Fiver, come get some food…you're going to need your strength." Holly ordered softly.
Fiver hopped over but couldn't take his eyes off the burrow Cowslip had slipped off into.
"Something's strange about that burrow, it smells like…Efrafa." Fiver whispered to Holly.
Holly's heart sunk and he leaned down closer to the young buck.
"What do you mean lad, there aren't any Efrafa rabbits here…" Holly started to reassure him but Fiver shook his head.
"No, not Efrafa rabbits, like the burrows. They all smelt...musty and hallow…lifeless, lifeless and cold." Fiver explained which really caught Holly's attention.
"Well that doesn't sound good, you best check that burrow out first when the time comes lad." Holly suggested.
Fiver nodded in understanding and ate the bundles of food though made sure to keep an eye out.
Later that night every one of the native rabbits started to go to sleep either in their own burrows or nuzzled closely to each other in the larger rooms. After Hazel was done with the tour Strawberry gave him he had his dinner then went to sleep. Once he was sure no one was awake Fiver got up and started to explore the warren. He made sure to go down the burrow he saw Cowslip travel down to. The young runt hopped quietly down the burrow and he started to hear a voice, one that he wasn't familiar with before. And the more Fiver traveled down the path the louder the voice became to his ears.
Soon enough the young runt was faced with the entrance to a burrow and peeked around the corner to see Cowslip lounging with a pile of food by him while staring at a thin, silver furred, young looking buck who was speaking. Once he saw the buck turn one of paws face up Fiver got a good look at the pads. They were heart shaped, which meant that was Silverweed.
"Frith lies in the evening sky. The clouds are red about him. I am here, Lord Frith, I am running through the long grass. O take me with you, dropping behind the woods. Far away, to the heart of light, the silence. For I am ready to give you my breath, my life. The shining circle of the sun, the sun and the rabbit."Silverweed spoke in a beautiful voice and Cowslip clapped.
"Wonderful, Silverweed. Recite more of your poetry for me."Cowslip said with glee. The young Buck-Doe sighed tiredly and his ears drooped to show the length of his exhaustion.
"Oh Cowslip, I'm truly tired. That is the tenth poem I recited for you today. May I please take a break and eat?"Silverweed asked. The jovial expression Cowslip had quickly changed to a predatorily one, the same look he gave Fiver earlier, and he stalked towards Silverweed.
"Now Silverweed, you know that you are to recite to me twelve poems a day. As the greatest poet of the warren the words from your beautiful voice are mine to hear."Cowslip said in a lustful tone and cornered Silverweed and pressed his paw hard into Silverweed's arm, making his fur scrape into the sharp rock.
"Ouch! Please, Cowslip, I promise to recite more poetry for you but I must eat a little first. Just a quick meal. Please?"Silverweed asked in a begging tone and looked into the eyes of his Chief Rabbit. For a while Cowslip merely stared at Silverweed but when he heard the sound of paws hopping away from the entrance of the deep burrow and caught Fiver's scent he smirked.
So, the littlest new comer was a spy? Such a shame. He had hoped to keep him like Silverweed for his pretty voice. But he'll deal with him later. Now he had to send Silverweed away to work on a plan.
"Very well, Silverweed. You may eat. But don't keep me waiting."Cowslip said and lewdly licked Silverweed's ear and though he fringed from the unwanted touch Silverweed didn't say anything. When the bigger buck moved Silverweed quickly hopped out of the burrow.
Fiver hid behind a pile of rocks so that Silverweed wouldn't see him then once he was sure Cowslip didn't come up he went back to a little corner he slept in not too far from the other Down rabbits. The young runt couldn't help but think back to how Cowslip hurt Silverweed. Poor thing, kept in the deep burrows for the entertainment of a perverted and serial buck. And it only proved that he was lying about Silverweed being sick? And where was Pimpernel? Fiver went to sleep asking himself these questions and the dawn felt further away than it did before.