Chapter 20

Fiver, Bigwig, and his Owsla followed my paw prints and managed to find me with Hazel. They gasped and became horrified at their sight to see their leader mortally wounded.

I managed to lay Hazel onto the ground as the mud was soft. Fiver and the others came behind me as they looked down.

I held to onto Hazel's paw, as he was too weak to try to stand, while he twinges.

"You... you came back." Hazel said with a smile. "You all did."

"Of course we came back." I said. "We'll never leave you like this again."

"Bigwig... I thought-"

"Easy does it lad. I know what you're going to say. We had to come back since you're the leader." Bigwig interrupted.

"Since Mason headed back to you, we couldn't leave you brother." Fiver added.

"It doesn't seem right." Hawkbit and Dandelion also added.

We lightly smiled at him.

"I guess the Black Rabbit would come and take me." Hazel admits as he was near to his time.

"Don't say that Hazel!" Fiver begged.

"We're together now, Kehaar will come and we'll carry you back to Watership Down." I added.

"Mason, I made it up to make you come with us, I'm sorry." Hawkbit apologized.

"You what?!" I asked.

"It's alright Mason, it doesn't not matter." Hazel reassured.

"Hazel, you're their leader. Even we carried you, we could have Blackberry heal you back to health. I'll take care of you like I did with Blackberry." I added.

"At least I got to see you all. Even you Mason... one last time. Ma roo rustai... ven... mi atha." Hazel was too weak.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Us... rabbits said this... meaning... my little brother." he than placed his paw to my heart. I felt goosebumps and my heart breaks. "In your heart." Hazel smiled.

As I held his paw close to my heart. I placed my paw to his heart. "I'm here too in your heart... big brother."

"Lord Frith... please watch... my warren. My mate... my kittens... my friends... and my little... brothers." Hazel spoke his last breath with a prayer and succumbs.

"Hazel?!" Fiver started to cry.

Hazel's lifeless paw gave in and landed on the mud. His eyes and mouth closed.

"No! No!" I said. I tried to nudge him to wake. "Please! Please don't leave us!"

My tears fell uncontrollably. I buried my face onto Hazel's chest.

"He's... he's gone." Hawkbit started have a tear.

"What should we do without him?" Fiver asked.

Bigwig was heartbroken that his leader and friend died. He bowed his head along with Fiver, Hawkbit, and Dandelion. His tears also fell.

"Lord Frith... our hearts has joined the thousands... as our friend stopped running today." They chanted.

"What's that?" I asked.

"We say a prayer to a rabbit, who has stopped running... or to say a rabbit dies." Fiver answered.

"He can't be gone." I teared up.

Fiver hopped over and came to his lifeless, brother's side and placed his paw in his heart. Bigwig hopped over and placed his paw on Fiver's shoulder. Dandelion hopped over and bowed his head in silence. Hawkbit came to my side and placed his paw on my shoulder.

"Mason, I'm sorry." he didn't even know what to say.

I placed my other paw onto Hawkbit's. The rain continued to pour until it stops and the clouds became clear.

"Hazel... I love you." I said to Hazel as my tears continued to flow.

I leaned over and kissed him on his forehead and buried my face again.

As my eyes were closed and were black, it started glow white. I opened my eyes to see Hazel was glowing. The rabbits didn't know why he was glowing, but curious. The light glowed as the skies started to shine down at him, as the sun started to rise. They could say that it could have been from Frith.

Hazel's body started to float. Me and the rabbits stepped back as we watched his wounds slowly heal, starting from his scratches, the bite marks, and his chewed ears. The crimson blood stains from his fur was washed clean. He than was standing on his feet. He looked around to see his was healed and turned around to see us.

"Hazel!" Fiver shouted for joy and came to his brother with a embrace hug.

"It's a miracle!" Hawkbit shouted.

"Hazel-rah, thank Frith with Prince Rainbow's blessings!" Bigwig shouted and came to his friend's side.

"A miracle from Frith and Prince Rainbow!" Dandelion praised.

Hazel looked and saw me. I was shocked and stunned.

"Mason. It's me." he said as he hopped towards me.

I felt doubt. I touched his fur and paws. I even looked at his legs. I even tried to reach for his ears. Hazel chuckled and lowered one down. I even touched his ears to the tip. I looked to his hazelnut eyes.

I started to believe that his wounds were gone and I became full of joy. And I embraced him with a hug, as he hugged back.

"As one would fall and returns! It was Hazel all along!" Fiver remembered his vision.

"I thought I lost you... big brother." I said.

"I thought I lost you to little brother." Hazel said still smiling.

"I'll be lost without you, if you were gone." I added.

"Now what?" Hawkbit asked.

"Let's go home." Fiver said.

"Now home is a wonderful word, I like to hear." Hazel agrees.

We started to head for our way home.

As the morning came to Watership Down, rest of the rabbits waited outside of their warren. Kehaar flew away to see if we're close. They felt they lost hope.

"I'm afraid that he's gone." Strawberry sadly stated.

"Don't say that Strawberry! Hazel will return." Primrose refuse to give up.

"With Mason, Fiver, and the Owsla." Blackberry added.

"HAZEL and RABBITS COMING CLOSE!" Kehaar shouts from the sky.

"Hazel and the Owsla have Mason and Fiver are safe!" Hannah also shouts.

The rabbits gazed at the rabbits. As we're started to come closer, we're recognizable.

"HAZEL!" Primrose shouted for her mate and started to run towards him.

"I see Fiver... and Mason!" Pipkin cheered.

The rabbits of the whole warren rushed downhill to see us.

Everyone was full of joy when they came to us. The kittens hugged their father.

"Where have you gone, father, we dreamed that you were gone and went to Frith." Mallow asked. His children also wondered too.

"My children, I did. And came back from his and Prince Rainbow's blessings." Hazel answered.

The kittens gasped and the rabbits were shocked to hear that he was resurrected.

"More importantly, it was all thanks to you Mason." Hazel placed his paw on my shoulder.

"Me?" I asked.

"You showed your love, as Frith and El-ahrairah told me about you. You asked for me to return and I did. I cannot thank you enough for you bringing me back home to my beautiful mate." Primrose came and embraced Hazel and nuzzled.

"To our children." His kittens came to his side. "And also to my little brother." Fiver hopped over and nuzzled his older brother, as Hazel nuzzled his whole family one at a time.

"Why don't you join us? It'll be like having a third brother!" Fiver thought it would be a great idea.

"And another rabbit to join our Owsla?" Bigwig added.

I never thought they would ask me. I thought hard and even though I wanted to, but something is still missing.

"I love too, but I still wished to be home." I added. "My family probably stopped worrying about me by now." I feared.

Please don't fear of losing your way home. A voice came. Our ears pointed, as we heard a voice that looked at the sky.

"Was it Frith's voice?" Bigwig asked.

"No... it's El-ahrairah." Hazel recognized the voice.

We turned around to see over at the hill was the Prince of Rabbits.

"It... It's The Prince of Rabbits, himself!" Dandelion exclaimed.

All the rabbits gasped with amazement and they bowed to him with respect, including the kittens. I watched the rabbit hopped down the steeps of Watership Down.

"You must be Mason?" El-ahrairah asked.

"Yes... Mason Smith from California." I introduced myself.

"Hazel has told me much about you." he added.

"He has, but can you find any way to help to get home please?" I asked.

"My dear young buck, you have always had the power to go home, you don't need my help." El-ahrairah said.

The rabbits of Watership Down were startled from that I could have always find my way home. "I have?"

"If he knew his way back, why couldn't you just came down and told him yourself, Prince El-ahrairah?" Hawkbit asked.

"Because he wouldn't have believed me. Mason, himself, has to learn all by himself." El-ahrairah answered.

All this time, I haven't had a thought that I could be able to find my way home.

"What have you learned, lad?" Bigwig asked me.

"Well, to come and think of it, it wasn't just about seeing my family's faces again. Deep down, if I ever tried to search for my heart's desire. It shouldn't be hard than to look at my own back yard. The truth is, if I wasn't at home, because I knew where it was and I held on to my faith. I never really lost it to begin with! Is that correct?" I said.

El-ahrairah smiled. "That's all it is to it."

"Prince El-ahrairah, I should have thought it for Mason. It could have be easy." Hazel said.

"I should have seen it in my vision as well." Fiver also said.

"You two brothers have helped him through his journeys, including all of you rabbits. Mason had to know find it himself, now he could do is to wish he like to return." El-ahrairah said.

"You mean?! For reals?!" I asked as I couldn't be believing it.

"I assure that you could return." El-ahrairah reassured me.

"Now?"

"Any time you wish." El-ahrairah answered.

"Oh this is wonderful! It's too good to be true!" I smiled with joy as I looked back at the rabbits of Watership Down. I started to feel sadden.

"However, it's hard to say goodbye. I'll love all very much and I couldn't thank you enough. I'll miss you all." I feel tears of dew joy coming down.

I hopped over to Kehaar and Hannah. "Goodbye Kehaar and Hannah." I gave the small mouse a hug. I looked to see Kehaar crying.

"Oh don't cry. You'll fluff your feathers." I cried while giggled and gave him a hug.

"Kehaar would miss you soo much! Kehaar loves you Mason." Kehaar said.

Next was Hawkbit and Dandelion. "Well, goodbye you two, perhaps you both have your funny moments when you two are around. I'll miss how you and Hawkbit tried to give me a little jokes."

Dandelion was emotionally in tears without words.

"Well... I'll miss you being the fun while I was the pest." Hawkbit said. I laughed.

Pipkin and Hazel's and Primrose's kittens were next. "Goodbye Junior Owsla, I'll miss having much fun with the games we played."

"I would miss you two." Pipkin. Along with Snowflake and Gilia said the same thing. I looked over Mallow was in tears.

"Please don't cry Mallow." I said.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help to watch you go, I love you how you help me fall asleep. How'll I see you again?" he asked.

I placed my paw in his chest. "Ven Mi Atha."

"Mother, Father, what does that mean?" he turned his mother and father for the meaning.

"Mason was talking to you in our language my kitten. It means 'inside your heart'." Hazel answered.

Mallow turned back. "Your inside my heart too." he gave a big hug.

Campion and Blackberry were together, as I said goodbye. "You're a very brave buck, lad." Campion said.

"You're a very brave buck yourself and mate to Blackberry." I added with a hug.

Blackberry was in tears. "Blackberry?"

She woke up from her silence. "I'll miss being around with you. You're like a son to me."

"Almost like a mother to me." I said as I hugged her. She than trembled as she gasped. "Are you alright? I'll still come and visit."

"It's not that... I'm about to have kittens soon." Blackberry announced.

"Blackberry?" Campion surprised.

I couldn't be any more proud on both of them. "You two should be proud, congratulations!" I congratulated to them as we group hugged, as we smiled.

Bigwig and Spartina were waiting. "Goodbye Bigwig, Spartina. I wish you and I'll could be able to know each other more Spartina." She smiled.

"Also with you all too." I said to Captains Broom and Holly, Clover, and Strawberry, as we waved with tears and smiles.

"You know Bigwig, I'm pretty sure that we're going to miss how I was with that dog, as he chased after me." I recalled.

"You're the most bravest buck when being chased by that dog and man. Even going back to Hazel, against my order. That shows loyalty." Bigwig said.

I gave him hug, he didn't know what to do. "I have learned more about the Owsla from you." He gave me a hug as well.

Primrose was next to her kittens. "Goodbye Primrose, you really showed me how much a mother could love her children, like my parents does with me."

"I love my children and I love you too. I'll miss you so much." she said, as we hugged.

Finally, I hopped over to Hazel and Fiver. My tears came down more as I would miss two best brothers I ever have. I embraced them with a trio brother hug.

"I know I'll miss the two of you most all." I said to both of them by their ears. "I love you very much."

"I love you two little brother. Remember, I'll be in your heart." Hazel reminded me.

"So will I." Fiver added. "I love you too."

I wiped my tears with my paws as I backed away.

"Are you ready, son?" El-alhrairah asked.

"Yes, I'm ready." I said.

"Goodbye everyone, I love you." I waved my paws.

Everyone waved back.

"I'm ready." I knew I wasn't going to see them again. "Would I be able to see them again?"

El-alhrairah grabbed a rock and rubbed it together and a light started to glow. Me and everyone watched, as El-alhrairah's paws glowed until it stopped. He gave me the rock as a necklace.

"I know you'll miss everyone terribly, I made you this Necklace of Bob-Stones." he said, as he named after the first rabbit's game I played with Hawkbit. He than placed the necklace around my neck. "Any time you wish to see everyone again, all you need to do is make the wish you wanted to see them."

"Thank you." I hugged him as I could be able to see the rabbits again. He was a little spooked and accepted the hug. "This shows that 'man' could love rabbits. Man with kind hearts."

I agreed. Everyone from Watership Down wiped their tears as they could see me again when I return.

"I'm ready in full now." I said.

"Now tap your foot to the ground three times." El-alhrairah instructed to me.

"And wish the place you long to return." he made the final instruction.

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home." I said. My surroundings started to spin as my friends started to fade. I closed my eyes and everything went black.