The Easy Life Part 4

Strawberry recognized that immediately after he saw Bigwig alive. "How... how did you survive The Shining Wire?"

We all looked at Strawberry, Bigwig's hot little flame began to grow without attempting to hop over there and bite the ears off of Strawberry.

"If you something to say about this or have any acknowledgement of those snares all around, you better explain yourself... right now." I interrogated.

"And why didn't you and Cowslip come?! You couldn't have helped!" Captain Holly exclaimed.

"The man feeds us. Protects us from the fox, the badger. There's only one thing to fear. Just one." Strawberry explained.

"There's always that one fear. The fear itself." I said to him.

Fiver shook, as he started to remember what he had heard the rhythms from last night. "That's why they danced, make shapes, and the poetry. To forget that fear and hide from the truth."

"Well, it'll be exposed soon enough Fiver." I assured him.

Hazel hopped over towards Captain Holly and was upset at Strawberry. "You knew about The Shining Wires and you didn't warn us!"

"The wire got Pimpernal. He stopped running hasn't he?" Captain Holly began to realize that Pimpernel is gone.

"No. That can't be true." Bigwig couldn't believe it. "And if Cowslip is responsible, he'll be sorry."

"When a rabbit is gone, we never speak his name again." Strawberry guiltily answered.

"Why didn't you warn us?!" Hazel questioned.

"If the wire took you, we'd live one day longer." Strawberry answered.

Bigwig hopped over to Strawberry and raised his paw, as he was about to strike him. Strawberry closed his eyes for inevitable. Bigwig looked back to see the rabbits' expressions on their face to see what would he do. He than looked at me and saw me shaking my head for him 'not to do this'. He than looked back at Strawberry and lowered his paw to the ground.

"You're not worth it. I could only say that I'm alive. We all are." Bigwig speared Strawberry from his wrath. Bigwig than turned back towards us. "Now, on your feet lads! We have a score to settle!"

"About time too." I agreed.

Bigwig let out a battle cry roar, as Cowslip and his rabbits were outside of their warren. There, Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, Captain Holly, and myself tagged together, as Strawberry was with us.

"Go away, unless you what fight. Hmmm? Hmmm? Hmmm?" Cowslip warned us.

"You talking to us?" I questioned Cowslip.

"Yes I am." he answered.

"Are you talking to us?" I repeated.

"I won't say it again."

I chuckled that Cowslip's empty threat means nothing, but cowardliness. I looked back at Bigwig. "Bigwig, unless you want to do the honors?"

He smiled. "I'll be gladly." He than looked back Cowslip.

"Are you going to fight or not?!" Cowslip threatened us again with a warning.

"You don't know how." Bigwig taunted, as he hops towards him. "You forgotten all the tricks and cunning El-ahrairah gave us!"

"Round 1... FIGHT!" I shouted.

Cowslips tries to tackle Bigwig, but Bigwig was more cleaver and a bit fast to think on his feet from combat experience. He than tackled Cowslip, having him knocked onto the ground and Cowslip's rabbits fall back inside.

"Bigwig wins... Flawless Victory." I said.

"It wasn't much of a fight, Andrew." Fiver told me.

I looked and realized that Cowslip came back on his feet and began to step back from Bigwig and Hazel. "Oh come on, at least it was something to see." I said, as I walked towards Hazel and Bigwig.

"Leave this place. You need the freedom in the hills." Hazel convinces Cowslip.

"Hazel's right. You brainwashing everybody would gain no cause, not even a gain for your El-ahrairah and Frith." I tried to help.

"Come with us. You can relearn the stories of El-ahrairah." Hazel added.

Cowslip lets out a evil smirking smile like Norman Bates from Psycho. "El-ahrairah is a lie. Man takes care of us. We don't want to leave and wanting your freedom."

"You're a fool! You're only endangering yourself and your warren. A hunter would you at a certain point in time." I warned Cowslip.

"The snares will get you, if you don't leave." Hazel added. "You don't have to surrender to the Shining Wire."

Cowslip began to laugh. "It won't get me! Maybe others, but never me!" He than laughed again evilly.

"May God have mercy on your soul." I shockingly said, as Cowslip remains in The Warren of Shining Wires, The Warren of Snares... even The Warren of Death.

"Run! We have to get away from here!" Hazel commanded us.

"You don't have tell us twice." I said, as we hurried away from this cult-hellish place.

"Stay in the open! Stay away from cover, that's where the wires are!" Bigwig instructed us.

I looked back to see Strawberry was still standing there. "What about Strawberry?!"

"Just keep going lad! Don't look back!" Bigwig shouted. I looked back ahead to keep up with Hazel and the rest of the bucks.

After running away for a few minutes, Bigwig started to feel tired and needed to stop for air.

"Bigwig! We need to stop!" I yelled. We than stopped to have Bigwig catch some breaths. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just need to catch my breath" Bigwig said, as he was breathing hard.

"Just take slow breaths like do, slow breathing down with slow breaths." I suggested. Bigwig began to take slow breaths one at a time.

"Take your time, Bigwig. We'll move on when you're stronger." Hazel assured him.

I placed my hand on Bigwig's shoulder. "You know Fiver and Andrew, the trouble of being Owsla is well tended to think you're all right all the time." He started to catch on his breathing. "I should have listen to the both of you."

"We all should have listened." Captain Holly agrees, as Fiver smiled and forgave everyone.

Hazel nodded, suddenly he started to sniff out and hear someone close by.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A rabbit is not far from here." he said.

I remain close to scout what's around us. I than spotted a orange rabbit coming towards our path from our behind. "It's Strawberry." I announced. We than saw him taking some breaths, as almost he was wandering around aimlessly.

"Take me with you." Strawberry begs.

"You lied to us." Bigwig said with an angry tone and turned away from him. "Why should we do anything for you?!"

"I know... I'm sorry that I lied to you. Please let me come." Strawberry apologized.

"We have to work hard to survive." Hazel told him.

"He's right. I even have a harder life as well like they do. Them being on the hills and me trying to find my way home and work hard to get where I'm going." I added.

Strawberry began to realize I'm human and became shocked. "You're 'man'? You live in the hills too?"

"It's a long story short, but I have to remain here, until I find my way home. You could always help us to help you." I said.

"Andrew, don't you even think about it." Bigwig said.

"Do you want to forgive or be a angry, unforgiving narcissist?" I asked him. Bigwig went silent and started to think.

"There is no life in The Warren of Shining Wires. Please, I beg of you?!" Strawberry begged again.

Hazel and the group looked at each other for making a decision to leave Strawberry or have him come along.

We than looked at Captain Holly, as he lightly smiled. "Hmmm..." As for Fiver and Bigwig... "Hmmmm..."

Than they looked at me, than I look back at Strawberry, as I looked into his eyes and his heart. "Want a job?"

Strawberry became confused. "I'm sorry?"

I chuckled. "I'm just simply kidding. I don't why not. More the merrier, as I say." I said.

Hazel sighed deeply with deep breath. "You can come with us." Strawberry became relieved that he was able to join us, but he didn't go too excited, but more relieved to leave his old uncleaned life.

"Come along than. Let's go home." Bigwig said.

After a longest journey through the woods, we than arrived back to Watership Down, with a surprise to see Kehaar in the air soaring.

"Keeyaaaaa!" Kehaar shouted for joy. "Kehaar all better now! Thank you!"

"That's wonderful and you're most welcome! I told you the rest of your wings is what it needs to heal!" I shouted.

"Good for you Kehaar! Now you can get your own worms." Hazel said.

Kehaar went on and decided to not wanting to eat worms again, as he wants to go back on eating fishes again. I looked back to see Strawberry was happy to say that he's fully at a home.

"As soon you get resettled and taught, you'll be right as rain." I said to him.

"Why did you forgave me?" he asked.

I took a minute to think, until I looked back at him and smiled. "Who wouldn't. I been taught and raised to forgive and that's the key importance."

He smiled with a nod. After our chat, everyone saw Dandelion, Pipkin, and Hawkbit on top of the hill and spotted us.

"Well, we hope you had a jolly time. Nice time gallivanting around the country." Dandelion greeted us.

"Because we haven't." Pipkin continued.

"We're soaked and the burrow collapsed. Blackberry won't gave us a moment's rest." Hawkbit added.

Hazel chuckled. "Home Sweet Home."

"You bet... hopefully I would get to my 'Home Sweet Home' soon." I said.

"Why are you trying to get?" Strawberry asked.

"Because I woke up in this world after being bonked on the head from a tall branch." I said.

Strawberry couldn't help laugh, as everyone else laughed.

"How's that funny?" I questioned.

"You have to look back and think about how you got into that situation and just laugh at it." Bigwig said while laughing.

I began to laugh a bit. "Well... come to think of it. It does seem funny, when I look back and think about it." I said and joined the laughing group of rabbits.

In the evening, everyone were pretty much ready for bed, except myself. I was on my phone browsing on YouTube. I heard a hop and came to notice it was Bigwig.

"Andrew."

I paused a video I was watching to give him the attention. "Bigwig, are you feeling better?"

"I'm and thank you." he thanked.

"That's good. At least we're home and you'll probably go back to being yourself again." I said.

He sighed gently. "True, but I have to say, how I treated you and Fiver since we came and back in Cowslip's, was wrong. I wanted to own you both an apology."

I smiled. "Don't worry about it. Maybe if you said to Fiver, he may feel bit better or say like I just said."

"He does forgive quickly, unlike everybody else sometimes." Bigwig added.

"Forgiveness is not always easy, but you have to no matter what or you'll regret it." I said.

He nodded. "Any luck finding your way back?"

I sighed and felt disappointed on myself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up." he apologized.

"No don't be. I know by now my family and co-workers are probably worried about me by now." I assured him.

"Either way, we'll still try our best to get you home." he said.

"Would I or would we. I probably be stuck here and never be able to find my back." I doubt.

"Oh here now, don't talk like that." he hopped over and patted me on the shoulder. "No matter what, even when an Owsla was in a difficult situation, they think on their feet and be able to solve it."

"Thanks Bigwig." I thanked him.

"Anytime lad." he said with a smile and noticed my phone. "What are you doing?"

I grabbed my phone and unlocked it, as he started to look at the screen. "Mad TV's sketch."

"What's Mad TV?" he asked.

"It's a TV show that makes parodies or does comedy sketches. I always find this one funny and the only one." I answered.

"What's this about?"

"An employee was being evaluated for her work performance by her boss, until she took it deep." I explained.

"Let's see." he wanted to watch it, so I pressed play and we watched the sketch. Every parts when the woman freaks out, as her boss tries to explain that it was small error, until she started to destroy his desk resulting her termination. I couldn't even help, but laugh, as Bigwig didn't even understand. However, towards the end of the sketch that has three different endings, he couldn't help laugh, as I laughed also.

"Does man always make fool of themselves?" Bigwig chuckled.

I continued to laugh, even after the sketch was over. "That's comedy. People make jokes that make people laugh, I'm sure you rabbits does some jokes that result some humor for the good."

"We do sometimes." he said. "Every time or something happens to elil try to catch us, they would end up being tumbled from a bush or inside a log."

"Really?"

"Too right. Before we met you and arrived at Watership Down, you remembered the dog right?" he asked.

"Yes, that's where we first met." I remembered.

"Before the dog followed us to the crossing, Hazel made a clever trick that I followed his instruction. We tricked the dog, by making him go inside the log until he was fully inside, we than pushed the log and it went downhill and hit into a tree. The dog luckily survived, but he went dizzy all round, as he shook his muzzle having drool and spit on the grass, even on the broken log."

I giggled. "That was a clever trick."

"It was indeed." he said, before he yawned. "Well, I suppose you get some sleep, we had a long day today."

"We all did, mostly you." I agreed.

"Hopefully, you don't get yourself into a snare situation like I have." Bigwig wanted me to be safe.

"Thank you and I won't." I promised and we both smiled back.

"You even got Hazel and Fiver. You three seemed to get along very well." he added.

"We do. Even you." I said.

"Right. Goodnight chap." he hopped away.

"Goodnight Bigwig." I said, as I yawned and fall asleep in my sleeping bag with my pillow and blankets.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Mad TV Sketch called Corporate Boss Gives Employee Evaluation, watch it on YouTube it's hilarious and it brought back the childhood memories I had watching it on a VHS tape. Also, there's more to come Stay Tuned...