At last we all settled for bed. Hawkbit and Dandelion were still sleeping like Sleeping Beauty, only an alcoholic so to speak. Pipkin and Strawberry shared a quarter away from the two intoxicated rabbits, Captain Holly and Broom had their own separate chambers by the centre of the entrance and Hazel, Bigwig and Campion slept close to the entrance. Mulberry said he religiously took night patrols, so I deeply admired what a brave rabbit he is and how lucky Buttercup is to have such a mate.

I had my own burrow and I decided I was going to try and have a nice sleep without any nightmares involving Mr. Growlark (except if it included Michael pranking him), Mr. Gorwood, Darklunn or - the secret spies. I was thinking too much of this. I tried hard to dream things I already dreamed or at least want to dream; being sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts, Rosie ringing her beautiful, heavenly voice out in the entire theatre, or maybe another dream of Blackberry. I hadn't forgotten the dream I had of me as a baby and snuggling into her warm breast. I felt so warm, so protected, so safe. How I wish she was there to lick me goodnight. I couldn't help but cry a little. There was something about her which made me love her dearly. Not romance, plus she had Campion, but it is something like as if - she were a relative.

I think it was my thoughts about her that helped me start to doze off, because felt ready to sleep just like that.

"Good night, Blackberry," I whispered, hoping that she would be sending a distant goodnight as well.

When I woke up, it was pitch dark.

"Hazel?" I called timidly. "Bigwig?"

A face started to fade. It was a pale yellow rabbit with curly whiskers and it was smiling at me in a very chilling way, so chilling I could feel my own heart feel that it was turning to ice.

"You can't trust anyone," laughed the rabbit, in a voice very similar to Stephen Fry. "You can't trust anyone!"

He laughed very maniacally and he flew towards me.

I exploded with a hysterical scream, covering my paws over my eyes. I suddenly found myself back in the burrow.

I needed to go home, I really did but again, there was Mr. Gorwood who would definitely take away my freedom. If only there some way to tell my parents I was safe, I really wish I remembered to phone them while I was at Mrs. Frinvie's hut. But then, I suddenly realised we were close to a house and, surely there was a phone in there someplace. I would do it tonight, right now. Now would be the best time seeing as they would all be asleep around then - as well as Rufus the dog.

I slowly got up and hopped quietly pass various burrows. I mustn't wake any of the rabbits. I hopped close the burrow's entrance and lying close to it, were Hazel, Bigwig and Campion. Drat! I had completely forgotten that they were guarding the entrance. I had to sneak past them, very carefully; I must not cough, I must not sneeze, I must not breath, I must not make no sound at all. It was only lucky for me that Hawkbit and Dandelion were finally asleep, otherwise there's be no chance for me to ring my parents. I snuck past Hazel and Campion without hesitation, but Bigwig was spread across the entrance on his front, snoring. There was no way I could step over his huge body. There was only one thing for it; I took a few steps back (careful not to tread upon Campion or Hazel), broke into a quiet run and I leapt over Bigwig, landing gently on the other side to the entrance. I had done it.

I heard Bigwig murmur quite loudly and my heart started to thump wildly, but it soon calmed down when Bigwig resumed snoring.

I hopped out of the burrow and into the maze, the night air blowing into my fur. I could hear a distant owl and shivered. Normally I liked the sounds of owls from my bedroom window but since I was a rabbit, I would have to change my favourite sounds a little. The next issue to think about was how to get to the location I needed to go and back to the warren. I had no stones to make a path, neither did I know the maze well enough. I picked out the only solution of scrambling through each hedge but I would also have to avoid possible foxes or weasels. I also then remembered that Mulberry would normally take night patrols. I would just have to take my chances and as for Hannah and Skree, they were already asleep in the warren so I didn't have to worry about them catching me in a bird's eye-view.

After three hard jobs of scrambling through the hedges, getting occasionally scratched by sticks, I heard voices not too far away. It was actually coming from behind the next hedge. Judging for the shadows, a rabbit was holding another rabbit against it and it was probably being strangled because it was gagging and choking.

"Exactly what part of 'I Am Not That Kind of Rabbit' do you not understand, Vervain?" came Mulberry's voice.

"I - I -" came the quivering and gagging voice of Vervain. "Darklunn needs my help to accomplish things for him. Have mercy, Mulberry. I have no one left to serve and Woundwort is gone."

"Suppose I got rid of Darklunn? Then you'd still have someone to serve; me. I can be perilously nasty whenever I desire, you skinny snake."

"He only sent me here with Sharpclaw as an attempt to take the Necklace of Wisdom."

"Liar," snarled Mulberry. "I know you well enough even when you were with Woundwort! If anyone should take the Necklace from the boy, it's Darklunn himself."

Vervain gulped.

"You will leave now and help me to restore peace to Buttercup's home. Understood?"

I heard Vervain gasp for air as if he was released and I heard him hop away for his life. Mulberry certainly was fearless.

"His neck shall soon be snapped one of these days; necessary!" Mulberry's voice told himself.

I heard him hop to the right and I hid around the corner until his feet were out of earshot. I could have sworn he stopped for a few seconds and I heard him sniff three or four times, but he hopped away after that.

I only scrambled through two more hedges until I had reached the garden, the decorations and banners still out. I was hoping to find someway in like a hole or an open window, but there was a cat flap on the locked front door. Since when did they own a cat if they own a dog? I thought to myself as I scrambled through it and back into the mansion.

It was dark but I could still see with the full moon shining in through the windows. I remembered when I was being chased by Rufus, I passed a tall, grandfather clock. I hopped up to the landing where it was located, but I heard loud snoring up above the next landing; Rufus was asleep outside the rooms.

I looked up at the grandfather clock: ten to twelve. It's never too late in the night to let my parents know I am safe.

I rushed downstairs and into the kitchen to find a telephone next to the sink. I hopped up onto a chair, onto the table (the cage Hawkbit and Dandelion were imprisoned in was still there) and took a running jump towards the sink. As I got up, I lifted the phone of its handle with my head and it fell aside me. As soon as it had, I started dialling my phone number, which proved very difficult with paws and short arms. I finally dialled my home number and it started to buzz, making my heart build up with stinging relief, but it soon wilted again when I was greeted by the voice of the telephone operator:

I'm sorry, but the call you have requested is either incorrect or unrecognisable, please try again.

What? The number was correct, clear as crystal. I redialled the number and it was buzzing again. I waited with desperation, hoping someone would answer:

I'm sorry, but the call you have requested is either incorrect or unrecognisable, please try again.

"This world must be different to my one and has no contact with it at all", I said to myself as my heart sank, knowing that that my idea to contact my parents was crushed.

Was the Necklace's sides reflecting to the wall? Looking at it, the green linings took the shape of three rabbits. I sat staring the wall behind me to look at the pattern; it showed three rabbits; two tall ones, one taller than the other and in the middle, a tiny one. Some sort of smoke started to cover the linings. One was a bluish grey like Blackberry and the other two were in the same colour as me. The tall one faded away and the baby levitated upwards leaving the remains rabbit behind. I wondered if it were telling me a story about how Blackberry had a life that came to ruins, finding a mate, having a baby and losing both? I decided maybe I would say nothing in case it would bring her pains back. But if I was right with what I guessed, then it was a very sad tragedy for a loving rabbit like her. Was that why she became a healer? Helping people from their own pains?

"DING DANG DING DONG! DONG DANG DING DONG!"

The grandfather clock upstairs had just announced midnight. I was so startled, I knocked the phone off the sideboard and it collapsed like a box of figurines.

I ran back to the cat flap when I heard growling upstairs; I turned slowly around to find Rufus on-top of the landing glaring his red eyes at me. He made a charge for me but I jumped through the cat flap, his head too big to bite me.

I lay there on my front, my heart beating more quicker than when I nearly woke Bigwig up.

Finally, Rufus gave up and stopped trying to push his head through the cat flap.

I decided to get back to the burrow before more incidents would occur, when I noticed, by the gate of the garden, sky blue eyes belonging to a silhouette of a black owl. It was beckoning at me with it's long, pointed talon. Looking at its eyes, I felt no more fear, just pure respect. I loved this owl, I would do anything for it, it's wishes were my command. I hopped to it, entranced by the eyes that gave me it's respect for the wonderful owl. I wanted to give it the Necklace of Wisdom, anything this owl deserved which was that trinket of course. I was just about to remove it from my neck when a shriek came out of nowhere. I suddenly felt as if I had been snapped out of another mind and I slumped to the floor, dizzy from staring at the owl. What I was watching now was a tortoiseshell cat clawing at it and making it bleed and screech in agony. The owl gave one last screech before it fled into the night sky.

The cat ascended towards me slowly and nudged me up.

"Leo Barning from Above," it said to me (it was a female), "I've been watching you all day. Even here you are in danger, you and all your other long-ear friends. Rufus is only the seed of it all."

"What sort of owl was that?" I asked the cat, looking at her name tag on her neck that read Night.

"Darklunn holds so many spies around these parts," responded Night. "No one here can be trusted. That owl, along with any other spy, holds the manipulation to surrender your values. I should know from my young days."

She revealed on her left side of her flank three naked gashes

"And was that owl the one?"

"A weasel," corrected Night. "I was willing to let it have my life but a fox hunted it down when the weasel just left me with those gashes. I heard many tales of the rabbits of Watership Down against General Woundwort, but Darklunn is a much different enemy for a newcomer like you. Only this winter he was heard of and he never gives up for what he wants. But has very little with him."

"Vervain," I said to myself. "He was here tonight but one of our patrollers scared him off. And he said he was with someone called Sharpclaw. Darklunn's third right hand rabbit surely."

After Mulberry had scared him off, I felt a bit calm seeing that Vervain was obviously a coward. Mulberry had the heart of a lion.

"Leo?" I looked to see Mulberry hopping up to us. "What in the light of Frith are you doing here?"

"Possessed," admitted Night. Turning to me she continued, "I know of your quest and you had completed the first part of it. Mind your tail, as challenges such as this aren't always completed with such an enemy as Darklunn. Good luck."

I was just about to thank Night for saving my life but she had already hopped through the cat flap.

As Mulberry escorted me back to the burrow, I said, "I heard you arguing with someone. I investigated to see you with Vervain."

"I thought I could sense someone," replied Mulberry. "I've known him as a kitten. Such a bullying little toad he was to others, even towards me. But now he surely regrets the misery he had put on me."

"How do you know he is with Darklunn?"

"Well, if you must know," said Mulberry looking uneasy. "He told me how generous Darklunn was after Woundwort. I heard of these stories of Woundwort's terrorism, but Vervain convinced that they were all lies. I escaped alive after learning the truth but I am always ready for such elil."

"What that how you met Buttercup?"
"Yes," confessed Mulberry. "I escaped wounded but she took me in. I owe her for it with my love for her."

At these words, we reached the tree in the middle of the maze.

"You won't say anything will you?" I asked, picturing Bigwig's anger.

"Your actions are safe with me," promised Mulberry. "Now get back to your burrow and stay there. No more persuasions tonight - though I suppose it was partly my fault."

Bigwig was now curled into a ball so I didn't have to hop over him this time. I hopped back into my burrow but I gasped in fright when I found somebody else already there.

"There you are," sighed Fiver, looking relieved.

"Are you okay, Fiver?" I asked, glad it wasn't Darklunn, Vervain or any spy in any way, shape or form.

"Yes," said Fiver. "I - I," he looked a little hesitant but then he finally spoke, "I had a vision of a victimised friend to fall for a trap in the middle of the night and I guessed it might be you."

"It's already happened," I said. Looking at Fiver's sad face, I went on, "But it's okay. The family cat Night saved me."

Fiver's eyes widened. "A cat saved you?"

"She said the exact thing what Mulberry said earlier on, spies being everywhere. Vervain attempted to get me but Mulberry scared him away. Vervain said he was with someone called Sharpclaw so that settles who the third person might be"

"What got you to leave the burrow at night?" Fiver asked.

"I had this horrid dream of this rabbit yelling at me that I cannot trust anyone. A creepy one he was too, pale yellow skin and curly whiskers and a very creepy smile."

Fiver looked quite disturbed.

"Sounds like Cowslip," shuddered Fiver. "He is gone know but he was a real sicko. He owned a warren known as the Warren of the Shining Wire. We went there to search for our lost friend Pimpernel who was victimised to the Shining Wire. Each time a rabbit is taken, Cowslip carries on and says nothing, as if it never happened. All of them do. So did you go outside to cool off?"

"I got the notion to get in contact with my parents in the house by using something called a telephone, but my number doesn't exist in this universe. I was hypnotised by an owl that made me respect and nearly give the Necklace of Wisdom to it. But the cat Night saved me and snapped me out of its hypnotism."

"Well, thank goodness she did," said Fiver.

"You'll say nothing to your brother will you?" I asked. "I know my actions were reckless and all but-"

"I won't," said Fiver. "You've been through a lot tonight. You just need sleep and I think I should spend the night here so if any more visions occur..."

"Good idea," I smiled. "Thank you, Fiver."

Fiver suddenly gasped and went all shaky.

"What can you see?" I asked urgently.

Remaining tasks and something dear, the helper of black shall interfere!

A friend endangered one will save, and must reverse to shun the grave!