Chapter 20

Pipkin opened his eyes and yawned. He and the others had been back at the down for a little over a week, but he was still grateful to be home. He looked around the burrow he had been sharing with his best friend Fiver, and more recently, Silverweed. Pipkin still thought Silverweed was a bit strange, but he was nice enough. No one was in the burrow, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. Pipkin had become one of the latest sleepers in the warren, so he was used to waking up with no one else there. He walked outside and noticed two things: first, that it was noticeably colder than it had been recently. And second, that his feet crunched every time he took a step. He looked down and saw leaves in reds, yellows, and oranges blanketing the ground.

"Good morning Pipkin." Pipkin looked to his right to see Fiver walking towards him with a smile on his face.

"Fiver!" Pipkin yelled excitedly. "It's fall! Look at all the leaves!"

"Oh I know. Sam, Hazel's children, and I have already begun setting up." As Fiver said that, Snowdrop walked by with her mouth full of leaves. Pipkin watched her walk around to the other side of the tree. Fiver chuckled before he said simply, "Race you."

The two stared at each other for a moment before taking off at the same time. They rounded the tree to find a large mound of leaves. Sam stood in front of it with his back to them, adding more leaves to the pile. Pipkin saw his opportunity and jumped on Sam's back, propelling them both into the leaves. Pipkin laughed as he and Sam surfaced, Sam's face covered in small bits of leaf.

"Fank woo Pikin," Sam said before spitting leaves out of his mouth. "We're almost done. We gathered every leaf we could find on the down. I wouldn't have thought that rabbits did this kind of thing. I could have sworn it was humans only."

"How do you know you didn't learn it by watching us?" Fiver asked humorously.

Sam was about to answer when Gillia, Snowdrop, and Blackavar ran up to Pipkin and began shouting in excitement.

Gillia was the first. "Is it ready yet Pipkin? Is this enough leaves?"

"You promised you'd show us a surprise if we made a big enough pile," Snowdrop added.

"This has to be enough," Blackavar said. "Will you pleeeease show us now?"

Pipkin chuckled before turning to Fiver. "Who should do it, you or me?"

"You're bigger," Fiver replied, "go ahead."

"Alright." Pipkin led the kittens away from the leaf pile and told them to stay there. Then he stood in front of the pile before laying on his back and sticking his hind legs up so the bottoms of his feet faced the sky. "Watch Fiver you three, he'll show you how it's done." Sam and the kittens watched as Fiver lined up with Pipkin and the leaf pile before he began running. When he came close to Pipkin, Fiver jumped. Just as it seemed like Fiver was going to land on him, Pipkin kicked his hind legs back with a grunt, sending Fiver flying through the air to land safely in the leaf pile.

"Is it ready Fiver?" Pipkin asked his friend. Fiver nodded and Pipkin turned to the kittens. "Who's first?" Sam was about to protest when Gillia ran at Pipkin. She copied Fiver's jump and was sent into the pile. Once she emerged laughing, the other two quickly followed.

"Um, hey Pipkin," Sam said as he watched the last one, Blackavar, fly through the air, "Is that…safe? I don't think Hazel would be very happy if one of his kids broke a leg or something."

Fiver jumped out of the pile and walked over to the two of them. "Hazel did this same thing for us last fall, so I don't think he would mind."

"Ah, in that case…" Before Pipkin knew what was happening, Sam had picked him up and was spinning him through the air. Sam flung the little buck into the leaf pile where he was quickly jumped on by the kittens. Pipkin managed to surface just in time to see Fiver land behind him.

He turned to look at Sam. "Alright," he admitted, "that was a good one, Sam. Sam? Are you alright?" The others in the pile turned to face Sam. The teen stood with his arms wrapped around his body and he was shivering.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied shakily. "I just didn't realize how cold it was."

Pipkin and Fiver looked at each other in confusion. "Sam, it's barely cold out at all," Fiver said. "Are you sick or something?"

Sam chuckled. "No, it's just colder without fur. It's actually starting to feel better though. I must be getting used to it." Pipkin, Fiver, and the kittens stared at him in shock, though he didn't notice. "My mistake I guess," Sam continued, "it's actually really warm out here. Like, weirdly warm for fall."

Pipkin knew none of the others would say anything, so he jumped out of the leaf pile and edged closer to Sam. "Uh, Sam? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Never better, why?"

Pipkin looked back at Fiver, who just shrugged. "Well," he said to Sam, "you're…glowing."

"What are you ta- Oh." Sam looked at his hands to find that they were indeed sending off a red aura. His entire body was wrapped in red. Pipkin watched from where he stood as Sam turned to inspect himself from all sides. "Well this is weird even for me."

"Sam! You're red!" Pipkin saw Glade appear from behind Sam and run up to him. "Are you alright?"

Sam replied hesitantly, "Um…yes? I think? I feel fine. I just, oh hold on, gotta sneeze." Sam lifted his arm to cover his nose, but as soon as he sneezed, he jerked it away, yelling. "Damn it that's hot! What's going on here?" While he was looking at his arm in confusion, he sneezed again, causing every rabbit to jump back in fright.

"Sam," Pipkin said with shock in his voice, "you just sneezed out fire!"

"I…I did?"

"Yeah Sam," Glade said, coming closer while the rest maintained their distance, "that was definitely fire. What's going on?"

Sam thought a moment before responding. "I'm betting it's another rainbow power. Red is a color I haven't used yet, so it makes sense."

Glade smiled uncertainly. "So you can sneeze fire. That's…useful."

"I don't think this is all it's used for. Tell you what: I'm going to go down to the bottom of the hill, away from any trees, tall grass, or other flammable things, and see if I can't get this under control. I'd prefer not to have fire shooting out of my face at random intervals."

Glade stood up. "That's probably a good idea, Sam. I'll come with."

"No, you won't."

"But-"

"No but's Glade," Sam said sternly. "It's too dangerous right now. I already burned myself; there's no way I'm going to risk you getting hurt. You can come later if you want, but not until I'm sure it's safe, alright?"

"Fine…" she mumbled sadly.

Sam turned back to Pipkin and Fiver, "Tell the rest what's going on for me, alright guys?" They nodded and Sam walked down the hill towards an open plain.

Pipkin looked from where Sam disappeared over to Glade, who was still staring after him sadly. "He's going to be alright Glade," Pipkin said, trying to comfort the doe. "He knows what he's doing, he'll be back in no time."

She sighed. "I know Pipkin, but I just…"

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Yeah," she responded absently with a smile on her face. Then she realized what she had said. "I mean he's a great…friend."

Pipkin rolled his eyes. "Yes, friend. Don't worry Glade, I won't tell anyone."

"I…Pipkin!" She was going to say more when Hazel and Bigwig cam running up the hill, each carrying an apple in their mouth.

Pipkin ran to greet them, cutting off the conversation. "Hazel! Bigwig!" He watched as they dropped their apples and sank to the ground, breathless. "What happened? Where did you find those delicious looking apples?"

"Remember that grove just off the path to the farm?" Bigwig said once he caught his breath. "Well it turns out that those were apple trees."

"Oh wonderful!" Pipkin exclaimed. "Let's go get some more!"

Hazel interjected quickly, "No, no one is allowed to go there. There's a lendri there. It seems like it's guarding the grove. It's much too dangerous to go there. I know that the apples are good, but it just isn't worth the risk."

"I…alright Hazel," Pipkin replied with a grin hidden on his face.

Hazel nodded. "Bigwig and I are going to tell the others. No one is allowed into the grove."

"I'll let Sam know," Glade volunteered quickly. "You two can tell the other rabbits."

The three nodded to each other and walked off in different directions, the three kittens following their father. That left just Fiver and Pipkin standing alone.

"Fiver, I have a great idea," Pipkin whispered, even though there was no one else around. "Let's go get some apples!"

Fiver's eyes widened. "Pipkin, did you not just hear Hazel? There's a lendri there; it's off limits."

"We'll be fine. We go, grab a couple apples, then get out. That lendri won't even know we're there."

"We shouldn't do this, Pipkin. It's just like Hazel said: no apple is worth risking our lives for. I've seen a lendri before. They're nothing to mess around with."

Pipkin rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a worrywart, Fiver."

"Stop being so…naïve, Pipkin! This is a foolish risk and there's no good reason to do it."

"Fiver, I'm going. Come along if you want to." Pipkin turned and began to follow the path to the farm, which would lead him right by the grove. Fiver sat staring after him.

"Embleer Frith…" he muttered to himself. He quickly got up and chased after Pipkin. When he caught up with the small buck, he said, "I'm not letting you go alone."

Pipkin nodded and the two were on their way.

It wasn't long before they came to grove that Hazel had told them about. As they lay in the bushes trying to see if the badger was there, or at least if they could spy its den, the sweet smell of fresh apples hit their noses.

"Mmm, see?" Pipkin said excitedly, "don't those smell good?"

Fiver replied grudgingly. "Yes they do, but we need to keep an eye out for the lendri. I smell one around here. We need to be very-Pipkin!"

He was cut off as Pipkin jumped out of cover and headed for the nearest apple tree. Fiver sighed in annoyance and followed him, watching all around as he did. Pipkin dashed from one tree to the next, looking for the reddest apple he could find.

"Stop running around and pay attention, Pipkin," Fiver told him. "Can't you smell it? I think the lendri is near. We should go, now!"

"I see the perfect apple Fiver, it will only take a moment."

Pipkin headed towards a nice, round apple sitting on the ground. He didn't notice a rustling in the bushes nearby. Fiver was the one to notice and warn him.

"Pipkin! Look out!"

Pipkin turned back to see Fiver hurling at him, just before they collided and Pipkin was thrown from where he stood. Hearing a loud crash, he righted himself and looked back. He saw Fiver laying on the ground with his eyes closed next to one of the tall things the humans used to reach the branches in the apple trees. He wasn't moving. Pipkin was about to run to his friend when he heard a loud sound to his right. He looked, and there he saw a large lendri walking slowly towards him and Fiver. Before he realized what he was doing, Pipkin panicked and bolted into the bushes. He ran back towards the down as tears began to collect in his eyes. I'm sorry Fiver, he repeated to himself sadly.

Sam lay at the bottom of the hill looking up at the clouds rolling gently by. It took him all day, but he had finally gotten the red power figured out. Unlike the purple and blue powers, which were centered in his head, or the green power that came from the arms, the red power was focused in his stomach. With a bit of focus, Sam found he could use the power as a sort of heater to raise his body temperature. It would be useful in the approaching winter, or on particularly cold days like today.

"Hey Sam! Are you done down there yet?"

Sam turned his head and saw Glade walking down the hill toward him for the second time that day. The first was to warn him about some grove of apple trees.

"Yes actually," he replied with a smile, "I think I have it pretty well nailed down. Or at least I would say that I'm no longer a danger to those around me. Oh! I have got to show you something!" Amused, Glade watched as Sam stood up and moved further away from her. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded. "Alright, here it goes." Sam took in a large breath, almost until it felt like his lungs were going to burst. Then, he blew it out while simultaneously activating the red power. The result was a cone of fire almost three feet long shooting out of Sam's mouth. He continued until he ran out of breath and the flame died. He opened his eyes to see Glade trembling more than twice the distance away that she was before.

"Sam," she said, fear evident in her voice, "what in Frith's name was that?"

"Isn't it awesome?" he replied, not noticing her fear. "I can breathe freaking fire!"

Glade sat and stared at him in disbelief. Before long, she found herself matching his smile and chuckling. "That…was interesting. Just so you know, you might want to warn the next rabbit you show that. Most would have bolted on the spot. Probably the only ones that wouldn't run away would be me, Silverweed, Hazel, and maybe Pipkin. Pipkin! That's right, I came to talk to you about Pipkin."

Sam's smile faded. "Pipkin? Is he alright?"

"We don't know. He's been moping around the warren for the majority of the day. Hazel, Bigwig, Blackberry, even Clover tried to talk to him, but he just seems so scared. Silverweed told me that he can feel a great deal of sadness and guilt coming from him, but that was as far into his mind as he was willing to go. Do you think you could talk to him?"

"I'll certainly try. Where is he?"

Glade breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll go get him. I'm pretty sure he's been looking around for you."

Sam waited on hillside while Glade went to fetch Pipkin. A gentle breeze brushed his face, making him smile. The teen had come to love his time on Watership Down, thinking of it as a second home, and the rabbits as a second family. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard two sets of paws approaching him. Pipkin looked terrified as he followed Glade; it looked like it was all he could do just to make the trip down the hill. Sam began to worry as he saw his friend in such a state.

He moved close to Pipkin and knelt down, grabbing the little buck in a hug. He shivered against Sam's chest. "Pipkin, calm down buddy. What's the matter?"

"I-I…" he said haltingly. "Sam, you're my friend, right?"

Sam's eyes narrowed in confusion. It was a very odd question. "Of course I am. Why would you even ask that?"

"And you'd stay my friend? Even if I did something…really bad?"

Glade and Sam exchanged a worried look at his words. "Pipkin…what happened?" Sam asked calmly.

Suddenly, Pipkin began crying and pressed his face into Sam's chest. Between his sobs, Sam could make out, "The Black Rabbit…took Fiver…and it's all my fault!"

Sam gasped and pulled Pipkin away gently, making the little buck look him in the face. "What are you talking about?" he said calmly, but insistently. "Did something happen to Fiver? You have to tell me, Pipkin."

Pipkin looked away. "I wanted to go get some apples in the grove that Hazel-rah and Bigwig found. Fiver told me not to go, but I didn't listen, so he came with me. I don't really know what happened, only that he suddenly pushed me out of the way. I saw him lying on the ground. He wasn't moving. I was going to go help him, but then the lendri came. I panicked and…and…I ran! I just ran! Fiver was my best friend, and I just left him there." At the end of his speech, Pipkin broke down crying again.

Sam sat there, horrified at what Pipkin had just told him. He quickly shook off the surprise and shook Pipkin gently, gaining his full attention. "Listen closely Pipkin: you need to go up and tell Hazel and Bigwig right away. Tell them to meet us at the grove."

"I'm so sorry Sam."

Sam shook his head gently. "I'm not going to lie: you made a big mistake going there. But we don't have time to worry about that right now. Just go tell the others. Hurry!"

Pipkin nodded and ran up the hill. Sam turned to Glade. "Alright Glade, you're with me. Let's get over there fast and see if Fiver is still…alive."

The two ran as fast as they could, and in no time, they were in the grove. "Let's be careful," Glade said, "I know we're worried about Fiver, but we can't let our own guards down. There's still a lendri here."

Sam nodded and let the way. With their keen noses, it didn't take long to find the badger's den. They stood at the entrance and sniffed. Fiver's scent was definitely coming from inside, but to Sam's relief, they couldn't smell any blood. Just then, a powerful smell hit their noses. They backed up cautiously and watched as the badger made its way out of the hole. The thing was huge; more than twice the size of Bigwig.

"More rabbits?" it said in a rough, feminine voice. "Lucky day for Bark."

"Well your luck has just run out," Sam said hostilely. "Where's our friend? What have you done with him?"

"You friends of Fiver?" she asked.

Sam's eyes narrowed. How did the badger know Fiver's name? "Y-Yeah, that's right. Now where is he?"

"Fiver in den. Sleeping."

Without taking his eyes off the badger, Sam quickly whispered to Glade, "I'll keep her busy, you go see if Fiver is alright." She nodded and moved away from Sam.

Sam said to the badger, "Let Fiver go. We won't let you hold him captive."

Bark's eyes widened in surprise. "Captive? Fiver no captive, Fiver and Bark friends."

As she was talking, Sam noticed Glade slip around behind her and sneak into the den. He breathed a small sigh of relief. "What do you mean you're friends?" he said, hoping to distract her while Glade got Fiver out of there.

"Bark come out of home, see two rabbits. I want give them good apples, but bump man thing instead." Sam looked behind him at the "man thing." It was a ladder. "Man thing going to hit bigger rabbit, but Fiver push him out of the way. Fiver hurt, and other rabbit run. So Bark help. Now, Bark and Fiver friends."

Sam rose out of his fighting stance suspiciously. "You helped him? Why would you do that?"

"Bark hurt before, but nobody help Bark. Helping good, friends help. I like having friends. Bark no want kill rabbits. Bark like apples and other plants." Sam barely kept himself from laughing. From the way it sounded, Bark was a vegetarian!

Sam figured a direct approach couldn't hurt. "So…can I go see Fiver?"

"Yes, you come. Bark show you."

Bark moved to the side to allow Sam direct access to her den. Even though he was nervous, Sam figured that if she turned out to be lying, he could always turn human quickly and give her a face full of his new fire powers. He began to walk towards the den when a shout broke out through the night.

Sam turned and saw Hazel, Bigwig, and all the other members of the owsla, running towards him. Bigwig's face held no emotion and he didn't even seem as though he noticed Sam. He was focused on charging Bark, intent on striking the first blow.

"Bigwig! Hold on a minute!" Sam said as he placed himself in the captain's path.

"Move Sam," Bigwig replied, not bothering to use Sam's fake name, "we're rescuing Fiver." His words lost a bit of their fire. "Or avenging him if necessary."

"If you would just listen to me for one second. Glade and I have this pretty well under control. She's in there checking on Fiver right now. Bark here says Fiver is fine. In fact, she says that the two of them are friends."

Bigwig's eyes widened in shock. "Are you mad? Rabbits can't be friends with lendril! It's…unnatural."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Why do you keep trying to make this point about who we can't get along with when you have me living in your warren? Seriously, what out here is more dangerous or unnatural than me?"

"Enough!" Hazel yelled, breaking up their argument. "We don't have time for this. Sam, did you find my brother or not?"

"Not technically, but Glade's been in there a long time, which I would assume to mean that she found him safe. They might be on their way out now."

Hazel took a wary look at Bark before darting into the den himself, trusting Sam and Bigwig to control the situation.

"We should end this Sam," Bigwig whispered to the teen so Bark couldn't hear. "Our entire owsla, including you, is more than enough to take the lendri down. It would be much safer with her gone."

Sam shot back, also in a whisper, "Or we could wait and see if Fiver is alright before we do anything rash. If she's telling the truth and she and Fiver are friends, then we wouldn't have anything to worry about. Heck, she might even help us fight the Efrafans."

"Actually Sam, I think I agree with Bigwig." This came from Holly, who had moved up to join them. "I've lived my share of season cycles in the owsla, and I've never heard of a lendri that wasn't vicious. I think this is a trick."

"There's a first time for everything! Listen you guys, please. If it turns out that she hurt Fiver, then I promise that I'll be right beside you. But why are we trying to get into an, as of yet, unnecessary fight? What if it turns out you were wrong? Then we will have killed an innocent person and a potential ally. And why? Because of your baseless suspicion. If Bark had shown one bit of hostility, I might be more inclined to agree with you, but she hasn't. She has been nothing but welcoming to us the entire time."

Sam stared at the two desperately for a few tense seconds before Bigwig sighed. "Fine Sam. But you promise me, if Fiver isn't in there, that you will throw the first blow. You have the power to end it with one move."

Sam looked back at Bark, who was still standing off to the side, curious about all the newcomers. He nodded. "Alright, I promise."

They turned and watched the entrance to the den, waiting for someone to come out. They waited for a while, long enough for Sam to get nervous. What if he had been wrong? What if Bark wasn't alone and this was all some elaborate trap? What if Hazel was gone too? What if Glade… His chest hurt at the thought of losing her. She was his best friend – better even than his human friends - and he didn't want to imagine anything happening to her. Soon though, they heard voices echoing from within the den. Figures slowly approached the entrance. Sam counted. One, two…three! Fiver walked out of the den, leaning on Hazel to avoid putting pressure on the side that was hit by the ladder. Sam resisted the urge to tell Bigwig, "I told you so," and ran to meet his friend.

"You alright Fiver?" he asked as soon as he got close.

He flashed them a smile. "Not completely, but I will be. Thanks to Bark."

She approached the crowd, making a few of the owsla back away nervously. "Bark and Fiver friends. Bark help friends. Bark friends with all Fiver's friends."

Hazel stepped forward hesitantly. "Thank you…Bark, for taking care of my brother. Is there any way we can repay you?"

"Bark happy to help friends." She looked at Fiver and said sadly, "Fiver leaving?"

Fiver nodded and gave her a small smile. "I am for now, but I promise I'll visit Bark. You don't live very far from us."

"Good! Fiver visit. Bring more friends, like small human you talk about." Sam's eyes shot up when he heard that. He gave Fiver a pointed look.

"I'm sorry Sam," he said apologetically. "Apparently I talked about you while I was unconscious."

Sam sighed. "It's fine, Fiver."

"Friends, Bark has many apples, have some." She gestured behind the den. The rabbits looked around the corner and found a small pile of apples. Bark insisted they take some, so they did. They said goodbye to their new friend and began walking back to the down slowly, so Fiver could keep up.

"What's the matter Fiver, you didn't want any apples?" Sam asked. He had impaled an apple on each end of his staff and was carrying them across his shoulders.

Sam gave him a disbelieving look. "I don't think I'm going to eat another apple for a long time. Apparently, the lendri way to heal from an injury is to eat. A lot. I've eaten hrair apples today." Sam chuckled. Fiver wasn't even as big as four apples put together. It would be hard to imagine him eating at least five. "I feel like I'm going to burst."

Pipkin waited on the down for the group to return, hopefully with Fiver. Please be alright Fiver. Please! He looked and noticed rabbits coming out of the trail that led to the grove, so he ran to meet them. It wasn't long before he saw who he was looking for.

"Fiver!" He ran up and nuzzled his friend. "Thank Frith you're alright! I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. If I had just listened to you and Hazel, none of this would have happened. I just ran and left you; I'm such a terrible friend. Oh Fiver, can you forgive me?"

Fiver laughed as he heard Pipkin speak. He had said all of that in the span of four seconds. "Pipkin, it's alright. Of course I forgive you." Pipkin smiled and the two nuzzled each other in happiness.

"Of course you are confined to the warren for the next three days for doing something so foolish in the first place." Everyone turned to look at Hazel, who spoke with a light smile on his face.

Pipkin lowered his head. "Yes, Hazel-rah."

Sam chuckled. "Pipkin's grounded and Fiver's out of commission for a few days. Does that mean I have to watch the kids all on my own?"

"Maybe Silverweed would help," Fiver suggested.

"What am I helping with?" Silverweed asked as he rounded the tree. Most of the group dispersed, leaving just the two of them, along with Fiver, Hazel, and Pipkin.

"Hey Silverweed," Sam greeted him, "wanna help me babysit for a few days? We made this awesome leaf pile this morning; I'm sure that'll keep them mostly occupied."

Silverweed looked a bit embarrassed. "Actually Sam, I had been meaning to talk to you about that. Why are the leaves falling off of the trees?"

Sam exchanged a confused glance with the others. "What are you talking about? It happens every fall."

"Ah. I didn't know; this is my first fall."

The group exchanged another look, this time of shock.

"How can this be your first fall?" Hazel asked.

Silverweed shrugged. "I was born at the beginning of spring."

Sam crunched a few numbers in his head. Silverweed had been born at the beginning of spring, probably around the beginning of April. Sam estimated that it was roughly the middle of October, which would mean…

"Silverweed, you're only seven months old!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Is that…bad?"

Sam shook his head. "No no, you just seem much older than that. You're really big and mature for seven months."

"It's always been that way," Silverweed said. "I barely remember anything from when I was a kitten. Actually, the first truly clear memory I have is of you and Fiver coming to me in Cowslip's warren. The rest is hazy."

"That's really strange," Sam said. "Don't worry Silverweed, we'll keep an eye on you. I can't really explain your aging, but I won't let anything happen to you."

He was about to reply when they all heard a faint gurgling sound. The group looked at Pipkin, who had an embarrassed look on his face.

He turned to Sam and said in a small voice. "Can I have one of those apples?"

Sam gave Hazel a questioning look. He nodded in response. "Since he's going to spend the next few days confined to the warren, he might as well have some fun tonight."

A/N: Alright, sorry for the wait on this one. I'm hoping the next one will be up sooner. Anyways, please review!

P.S: I just broke the 100,000 word mark. I didn't think this story was going to end up being nearly this long.