Frith rose in the morning sky and shined down on the warren Hazel, Fiver, Blackavar, and Holly spent the night in. The day was still early and the Down rabbits were all still fast asleep until a very loud bang rang out above and echoed through the burrow, waking them. Holly sniffed the air when he caught a new scent and growled.
"There's a fox up above and a man." He alerted his friends.
Cowslip was hopping out of the deep burrows when he over hear the commotion and his guests become concerned.
"Not to worry friends. The man just killed a fox for us. He's gone now, we're quiet safe." The cream colored rabbit reassured them before hopping away.
Hazel sat up and looked at Holly.
"Why would man want to protect us? I thought he hated us?" Hazel questioned.
Holly shrugged, just as confused as they were.
"I don't know but for now I'm not complaining. I don't think I would have made it two hops if that fox came down here."
"Yes, but let's not let our guard down. That man might still be around when we go up." Hazel warned.
They all nodded to one another, promising to have each other's backs when it came time to go sylflay. Holly glanced over at Fiver and could see he looked to be in deep thought. Silently the old buck hopped over to sit beside Fiver and placed his paw on his shoulder to gain the lads attention.
"You alright lad?" Holly questioned softly.
Fiver glanced around some before he shook his head.
"I'm fine Holly but when I went exploring last night I found…" Fiver was cut off by Cowslip he suddenly decided to join them.
"Good morning friends, care to accompany us to go gather flayra?" He offered.
Holly smiled at the offer and nodded.
"That sounds lovely Cowslip, don't mind if I do." Holly replied with a friendly smirk.
"Splendid." Cowslip cheered mildly and then started to lead the way back to the entrance.
Holly got to his feet to follow but stopped and looked back at Fiver who remained sitting, not really wanting to anywhere with that lying rabbit.
"Come on lad, you can tell me along the way."
Fiver reluctantly nodded and went out with the other rabbits to gather the flayra. Once they were outside Fiver went off to one side on his own while the other rabbits were around in a group. Just then the young runt got an awful sense of dread as he felt a shadow loom over him and when he felt a paw grab his tail he turned around and gasped at seeing Cowslip.
"Oh, I'm sorry my young friend. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering if you would help me with a little special herb gathering of mine that I planned."Cowslip said.
"What sort of herb gathering?"Fiver asked slowly and backed away from the cream colored rabbit.
"Well as I've told you before, Silverweed isn't doing well and Pimpernel has been by his side tending to him. But now it seems that Pimpernel has gotten sick as well. I'm trying to get some special herbs for them both to eat to cure their illness but I'm embarrassed to say that there are some places I can't reach with my large figure."Cowslip said with a chuckle. Fiver looked at him oddly but decided to give the Chief Rabbit the benefit of the doubt. After all he didn't see Pimpernel and didn't know if he was sick or not.
"So you want me to go and look around for the herb?"Fiver asked.
"Yes. You may have to go into the deeper areas now and then to check for it. Could you please be a dear and do that for me?"Cowslip asked kindly.
"Well...okay, I'll help Cowslip. What does the herb look like?"Fiver asked. At this Cowslip gave a slight grin and petted Fiver's head.
"Don't worry, Fiver. You'll know what it looks like when you see it. Off with you now."Cowslip said and gently shooed the young runt off before sighing as he watched him leave.
Such a shame to silence a pretty little thing with a matching pretty voice. Later on Cowslip went off to gather the flayra with Hazel, Strawberry and Blackavar. During this Strawberry struck up a conversation with the dark brown buck.
"What's it like where you live?"Strawberry asked.
"It's nice, but it isn't like your home."Blackavar said. Strawberry looked around the area, as if to mentally compare this warren to theirs, then looked at Blackavar with a slight smile.
"Then you're lucky."Strawberry replied. Blackavar couldn't help but wonder why the young buck said that though he decided to leave it alone.
"Where's it all come from, Cowslip?"Hazel asked.
"Man leaves it for us."Cowslip answered and gently stroked a turnip.
"Really? Why would man..."But Hazel was cut off by the cream colored rabbit.
"After you've been with us for a while, you'll forget all about the hard times. Life is easy here."Cowslip said.
"I don't think we're staying here that long once we find Pimpernel and Silverweed."Hazel said with a nervous smile then backed up when Cowslip came up to close to him with a wide smile.
"Long, short, one never knows."Cowslip said and then left, Hazel looking at him oddly.
It soon became the late morning and Hazel began to look around for Fiver, calling out to him but got no answer. He then asked Blackavar to help but he wasn't getting any luck either.
"I looked around every spot in the warren and haven't been able to get but a passing scent of Fiver. I asked others if they've seen him but they said no."Blackavar said.
"I can't believe Fiver just went off like that. It isn't like him."Hazel said in a worried tone. Just then Holly came up in a rush.
"I've looked everywhere for Pimpernel. Not a sniff of him. And nobody will tell me where he's gone to."Holly said with great worry.
"That is strange. Cowslip won't answer my questions either."Hazel said.
"Now we have to find Pimpernel, Silverweed and Fiver."Blackavar said.
"You won't have to find me."Said a young voice and the bucks turned to see Silverweed.
"Oh, Silverweed! I'm so glad to see you at last."Holly said with great happiness and hugged the young buck who gladly hugged him back.
"You're looking very well, Silverweed. That sickness Cowslip said you had must have been awful."Hazel said but surprisingly Silverweed scoffed.
"Sickness indeed. I've never been sick a day during this season. That dog of a rabbit lied to you. I've been hidden away in the deep burrows. But that's not important right now. Where is Fiver?"Silverweed asked as he looked around.
"How do you know about Fiver?"Blackavar asked.
"Cowslip told me about him. Look, we haven't much time. We need to find Fiver before..."Silverweed was cut off by the sound of a creak and a loud scream that sounded a lot like Fiver.
Everyone gasped and followed the direction of the scream and carefully leaped into a bush of thorny vines. Hazel gasped at the awful sight that he saw when they got into the opening. It was Fiver on the ground with a wire snare wrapped around his neck.
"Hazel...H-help me."Fiver pleaded.
Fiver wiggled around helplessly as he struggled to get free but the snare just continued to get tighter and tighter around his neck, cutting off his air.
"Help…help me." Fiver cried, so scared and fearing for his life right now.
"Fiver you have to stop struggling, it only makes it worse." Silverweed shouted and hopped up to Fiver's side to try and calm him down while the others worked on how to help.
Hazel looked the trap that Fiver was caught in and saw the wire. He bit down on it and tried to bite threw it but it was no use.
"I can't bite through. Holly, run to the warren, bring back everyone you can find." Hazel ordered.
The old grey buck nodded as he was commanded and hopped off as fast as he could.
Silverweed looked up at Hazel, his eyes sad.
"They won't come, Hazel." He stated which his words were too soft for Hazel to hear through the panic.
Fiver started to panic again and started to struggle again.
"Hazel please help me." Fiver shouted before coughing in pain as the loop tightened even more.
"Fiver, you need to remain calm, you're in a snare. Hold on." Hazel explained to Fiver, hoping with him talking to his little brother will help keep him calm till they figured out what to do.
Hazel looked back down at the snare and saw Blackavar trying to bit the wire.
"Blackavar, that's no good."
Blackavar let the wire go and let Hazel continue to look the snare over until he found it.
"The pegs stuck in the ground, like a carrot. Yes that's its we have to dig out the peg, hold on Fiver." Hazel shouted as he and Blackavar got to work on digging up the dirt from around the peg.
Silverweed worried for Fiver as he tried to keep him from struggling again.
"It's going to be alright Fiver, they getting you out." The silver buck whispered softly to Fiver.
Fiver whimpered and cried as he prayed to the Great Lord Frith to please not let him die like this and to not let the Black Rabbit take him.
Holly ran to the burrow where he saw Cowslip, Strawberry, and group of other rabbits hopping back inside, carrying a couple carrots in their mouths.
"Fiver's caught in a shining wire, we need help. Quick this way." Holly quickly informed and then shot back towards the thicket but then realized he wasn't being fallowed.
The group just continued to hop inside like they didn't hear him or just didn't care.
"Didn't you hear me, Fiver's caught!' Holly shouted louder, running back to them.
Cowslip put his carrot down and started to shout.
"There is no Fiver, there never was and now he's gone." He chanted, bobbing his head up and down like in a trance.
Holly couldn't believe what he was hearing and slowly back away from them.
"You're mad, all of you." He shouted back in disgust at how these rabbits were acting now and ran back to help his friends, knowing none of them will help.
Back in the thicket of thorn vines Hazel and Blackavar had just finished digging up the dirt but the peg was still stuck into the ground, too deep for them to keep digging with the short amount of time they had left. Hazel then got an idea and leaned down and started to use his teeth to chew threw the more narrow part of it. His sharp teeth cut through the wood peg until it was completely cut threw. The Chief rabbit then picked up the freed peg and dropped it back on the ground, the wire around Fiver's neck finally loose.
"You're free Fiver, you dug you loose." Hazel informed his little brother in triumph.
Holly hopped back into the bush and Hazel glanced around, expecting others but found no one but his friend.
"Where is everyone Holly?" Hazel questioned.
"They wouldn't come."
Silverweed then turned to Fiver and gently shook him.
"Fiver?...He isn't breathing."Silverweed said and hung his head in sadness.
"We're too late."Holly said and hung his head sadly as well.
"No. Not Fiver. Bigwig will be crushed."Blackavar said with a sad frown.
"No, no, this isn't right. Fiver come now, you're just playing with us. I know you are. Wake up now."Hazel said with a sad smile and tried to hold back his tears. But when he didn't get a reply Hazel started to let his tears fall. "No...my little brother...Oh Frith, I've joined the thousand...my brother has stopped...stopped..."Hazel couldn't finish his prayer as he sobbed and hugged Fiver's lifeless body close. It was then that Blackavar noticed the sparkling wires near them.
"Shining wires, all around us. Cowslip knows about them! They all do!"Blackavar exclaimed.
"This is all my fault. If I had come sooner to warn you all this never would have happened."Silverweed said as he too cried softly.
"The man will come soon."Said a new voice and everyone turned to look at Strawberry. "He'll take Fiver away."Strawberry said sadly.
"Why didn't you and Cowslip come?! You could have helped!"Holly shouted, sounding every bit the harsh Owsler Captain that he is. Strawberry's ears drooped in guilt as he sadly explained.
"The man feeds us. Protects us from the fox the badger. There's only one thing to fear. Just one."Strawberry explained sadly and Blackavar gasped.
"That's why they dance and make shapes. To forget their fears, to hide from the truth. Oh Frith."Blackavar said as he turned away to cry for Fiver. Hazel's red, tear filled eyes glared hatefully at Strawberry and stomped over to him.
"You knew about the shining wires and you didn't warn us!"Hazel shouted.
"The wire got Pimpernel...He's stopped running, hasn't he?"Holly asked sadly and tears started to come from his eyes. Strawberry simply nodded and the old Owsler cried more.
"When a rabbit is gone we never speak his name again."Strawberry said.
"Why didn't you warn us?!"Hazel shouted.
"If the wire took you we'd live one day longer."Strawberry said. Holly then growled and slammed the young buck on the ground, glaring down at Strawberry with burning rage but still crying.
"Well now you've lived your last day, Strawberry. My leg may act up now and again, but that doesn't mean my claws don't still work!"Holly stated and raised his paw. Strawberry gasped and closed his eyes as he readied himself for the pain and Hazel, Blackavar and Silverweed didn't seem like they would stop him. But then a voice spoke.
"Holly, please. Doing that will make you no better than Woundwort."Stated a weak young voice that no one expected to hear and everyone turned to see Fiver out of the snare and standing up.
"Fiver!"The Down rabbits exclaimed happily and they rushed over to him, Hazel tackling his brother in a big hug.
"Oh thank Lord Frith you're alright, Fiver! I was so scared that you were with the Black Rabbit of Inle."Hazel said and the young runt chuckled weakly.
"I'm fine, Hazel. Luckily my neck was too small for the snare to squeeze tight enough to kill me. What's more important is that Holly and his son are alright."Fiver said and looked towards the Owsler Captain and Silverweed.
"Son? What are you talking about, Fiver? Holly never had any kittens of his own."Blackavar said.
"I didn't think so either, Blackavar. But then I thought back to what Holly said when Hazel told him I was a Seer. He said 'And here I thought I had the only one like that', meaning that there was more to Silverweed than just being a Buck-Doe like me. And for him to have one like that could only mean that Silverweed was Holly's kitten."Fiver explained. Holly smiled and chuckled softly.
"You're quite a sharp one, Fiver. Yes, everything you said is true. And what's more, Pimpernel was more than a friend. He was my mate."Holly stated which made Hazel and Blackavar gasp.
"So Pimpernel was really a Buck-Doe as well?"Hazel asked and the old Owsler nodded in acknowledgement.
"Then you weren't helping your friends. You were hiding away your mate and kitten because you knew what would happen to them if Woundwort found out they were Buck-Does."Blackavar stated.
"Yes. But had I found out about the shining wires I would have come back for you and your mother, Silverweed, bad leg or not. And I never stopped thinking about either of you."Holly said with new tears streaming down his face. Silverweed smiled and wiped his father's tears and hugged him.
"It's alright, papa. You came for me. That's all that matters now. And mother and I never stopped thinking about you either."Silverweed said.
Holly nodded but continued to morn, feeling so empty now that his mate was gone. Silverweed understood his father's pain and the son and father sat together to morn for their great loss. Silverweed had already accepted his mother was gone, taken by the shining wire but it never stopped him from missing him.
Hazel hopped back over to his little brother and held him close, showing him how much h loved him and will protect him. The young buck-doe snuggled closer to his older brother and gave each other comfort. Blackavar hopped over to the two brothers and placed his paw in respect on Fiver's shoulder, showing he'd protect him too. With his short time on the Down, Blackavar had started to see Fiver as a little brother now and he was going to treat him like he truly was.
Holly sat up to looked at his son happily before he realized something.
"Silverweed, how did you know about the wires and why did Cowslip lie about you?" The father questioned.
"Cowslip lied to keep me hidden away. Ever since he found out about my…gift he's had me locked away, forcing me to recite poems to him and if I didn't do as he asked…." Silverweed crouched down and whimpered from the terrifying memory.
Holly's father instinct kicked in and the old rabbit hushed and stroked his son's ears to comfort him.
"Shh, you don't have to tell me Silverweed, I'll just force the answers from that two timing, weasel faced, fat rabbit." Holly snarled.
Silverweed gasped and threw himself at Holly, wrapping his arms around his father's neck.
"Papa please don't, he'll hurt you." The young buck pleaded but this time Holly was going to have to say no to Silverweed's plead.
Holly wanted answers and he wanted all his questions answered and that rabbit will be the one to answer them for him. Gently Holly pulled Silverweed form around his neck but hugged him close to his chest.
"I'm sorry my son but I have to do this, I want to know why of everything and he will tell me." Holly replied back to his son who whimpered in fear and hide his face in his father's chest.
As he held his son protectively and comfortingly close to his chest Holly looked at Hazel who was still doing the same with Fiver, both very upset with what has all happened.
"We have a score to settle." Holly growled, ready to rip out some throats.
Hazel wasn't one for fighting but for what had almost happened he agreed and they all got to their feet and ran back to the warren to confront Cowslip.
At the warren Cowslip and the other rabbits were eating from the pile of food when they heard a fierece growl and looked to see the Down rabbits along with Silverweed and Strawberry. Holly growled at the cream colored rabbit and stalked over towards him.
"Cowslip, you have a great deal of explaining to do! I trusted you to take care of Pimpernel and Silverweed, I trusted you with my family. But you let one die and kept the other hidden away! What do you have to say for yourself?!"Holly asked in an angered tone. Blackavar stood close to Silverweed in case Cowslip came after him while Hazel stood close to Fiver.
"Pimpernel, Pimpernel. Too much on guard with his son, keeping such a pretty voice and great talent for himself. To let the shining wires take him meant not only would my time be longer but I'd get to hear the pretty poems from Silverweed."Cowslip explained, as if he was merely talking about any normal topic. Holly growled and started to attack until Fiver came forward and leveld Cowslip with a glare Hazel never thought he would see his demure and kind little brother make.
"And I almost died the same way as Pimpernel did for the same reason, looking out for Silverweed. I can't believe I actually gave you the benefit of the doubt. You're just a disgrace to our kind, Cowslip."Fiver said and started to stalk closer towards Cowslip but he backed up.
"Go away, unless you want to fight."Cowslip said challengingly trying to fake Fiver out but the young runt wasn't falling for it and walked right over to Cowslip, not caring that the cream colored buck's larger figure loomed over him.
"You don't know how. You've forgoten all the tricks and cunning El-Ahrairah gave us."Fiver stated.
Cowslip tried to pounce on him but Fiver used the buck's large figure to his own advantage and ducked underneath him and tackled him in the stomach then tossed him, making Cowslip fall down in pain. The other rabbits became frightened by the action and went back into the warren. Hazel then came over and after proudly patting his brother on the shoulder turned to the cream colored rabbit.
"Leave this place. You need the freedom of the hills. You can relearn the stories of El-Ahrairah."Hazel said but Cowslip slowly backed away towards the warren entrance.
"El-Ahrairah is a lie. The man takes care of us. We don't want to leave. We don't want your freedom."Cowslip said in a cruel tone.
"The snares will get you if you don't leave! You don't have to surrender to the shining wire."Hazel said in an attempt to make Cowslip see reason but the more he talked the deeper into the warren Cowslip went.
"It won't get me. Maybe others, but never me!"Cowslip shouted and cackled like a mad dog, showing just how lost to insanity he was.
"Run! We have to get away from here!"Haze exclaimed.
"Stay in the open! Stay away from cover! That's where the wires are!"Silverweed stated as they all ran away, but Strawberry stayed behind and looked back and forth between the warren and the path away from it.
"You don't have to surrender to the shining wire."Hazel's words rang in his ears.
Meanwhile the man had come and found the peg that the rabbits dug out. After tossing the used snare aside he took out a metal peg and hammered it into the ground. The metal pang sound was almost like an ominous toll of a bell.
At this time the Down rabbits sat around the middle of the path far from the shinning wires and Cowslip's warren. They all sat down and took a moment to breath.
"Oh Frith, I can't believe I ran that fast...without my leg acting up."Holly said between breaths.
"I guess the feel of terror can make one's ailments non existant."Blackavar said and panted.
"That was a very brave and honorable thing you did back there, Fiver."Hazel said to his little brother with a smile.
"What do you mean?"Fiver asked.
"Standing up to Cowslip like that. You not only discovered the truth about Silverweed but you protected him and helped reuinite a family. I'm sure that Pimpernel is grateful to you."Hazel said.
"I know he would be. Thank you for everything, Fiver. You really are something special."Holly said.
"Yes, I owe you a lot Fiver. But I still can't believe you're a Seer as well. I thought I was teh only one."Silverweed said.
"We're more alike than you think, Silverweed."Fiver said with a smile and showed his heart shaped paw pads. The silver Buck-Doe gasped in shock.
"You're a Buck-Doe also? Oh Frith has truly blessed me with a great friend. I'm not the odd rabbit out after all."Silverweed said with glee and laid his own heart shaped paw pads on Fiver's and the two shook paws, smiling happily.
Just then the moment was interrupted by the sound of paws coming their way and the Down rabbits looked up to see Strawberry. The light brown buck stopped in front of them and panted hard, obviously to catch his breath from the long run. He then looked towards Hazel with desperate eyes.
"T-take me with you."Strawberry pleaded.
"You lied to us. Let my mate die and kitten be abused. Why should we do anything for you?"Holly asked harshly with a matching glare.
"We have to work hard to survive. We don't live an easy life in the hills."Hazel stated. For a moment Strawberry didn't speak and turned to look back down towards the path of the hellish warren he just left from.
"There is no life in the Warren of the Shining Wires. Please!"Strawberry begged. Hazel and Holly looked towards each other in thought then nodded and looked at Fiver, Blackavar and Silverweed who also nodded in agreement.
"You can come with us."Hazel said with a soft smile.
"Come on then. Let's go home."Fiver said and the rabbits left on their way to Watership Down.
Somehow as he was running Holly could feel his mate smiling down on him and Silverweed from the warm hold of Frith, which made him smile too. Though he couldn't hold and hear him anymore Pimpernel will always be with him at heart. At that moment Holly didn't feel as empty as he did earlier.
