Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.

-Soren Kierkegaard

The hitchhiker was standing on the side of the road, waiting for a vehicle to pick him up. It took at least half an hour for a vehicle to finally stop near him. Before he could get in, however, three rabbits were thrown out and the car was already gone. The ship's captain had been ordered to get the rabbits to Ushuaia safely, but he was free to do what he wanted with them afterwards, so he got rid of them as soon as he could. As soon as they were on the ground, the rabbits began to nibble the grass.

The hitchhiker looked at them, then sat down next to them.

-You know, I've met many people during my travels, but never before have I travelled with rabbits. Let's be friends, shall we?

With that, he presented his hand.

-What's the matter with him? asked Buttercup. Isn't he afraid of our teeth?

-He looks somewhat friendly, observed Vilthuril, so I don't see why we should bite him. But if he touches us, you can be sure I will.

-No? You don't want to be friends with me? Oh well, I guess it was to be expected...HEY!

He got up and raised his thumb as another car rolled by, but it didn't stop, so he sat back down.

-I can understand you. But just to prove that I don't want to hurt you, I have a gift for you.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a carrot, which he put on the ground next to the rabbits. They slowly approached it and smelled it for a long time before starting to eat it.

-My, you're hungry, aren't you? Well, considering you accepted my gift, we can probably be friends.

-Isn't it annoying? mumbled Vilthuril. All humans ever do is talk.

-He gave us some flayrah, reminded Fiver. Maybe if we stay, he will give us some more.

The hitchhiker suddenly spotted a large truck approaching. He tried to attract attention, and this time it worked.

-Come on in! shouted the driver as he opened the door on the passenger's side.

-All right, you coming? the hitchhiker asked the rabbits. No? Well, I guess this is where I leave you. Goodbye!

-What do we do now? enquired Buttercup.

-We follow him, decided Fiver. He probably has more flayrah with him, so if we want it we have to follow him.

The three rabbits also climbed onboard the truck and hid under the seat.

-What's that smell? moaned Vilthuril.

-Fish, answered Fiver, just as disgusted as his mate. That's what Kehaar eats.

-Oh! There must be a lot of it for it to smell so strongly!

Meanwhile, the truck had started to move again.

-You're my first hitchhiker in a few weeks, said the driver. It's nice to finally have someone to talk to.

-It must be really lonely, spending all these hours alone in a truck. What are you hauling?

-Fish, to Buenos Aires. I hope that's where you want to go?

-Sure, that's all right! I'm just wandering around the world, to see where it takes me, and having wacky adventures along the way. Just a few minutes ago, I saw three rabbits.

Over the course of the trip, the two humans talked about their various adventures, while the rabbits remained under the seat. Fiver started to chew the hitchhiker's backpack and, after a few minutes, he came upon several vegetables.

-I knew he was carrying flayrah in this thing, but I didn't expect him to carry that much.

-It's a good thing he did, said Vilthuril. That food on the boat really was terrible.

With that, all three rabbits started to eat the vegetables. The humans were too absorbed in their conversation to hear the loud chewing noises.

After several hours, the truck was nearing its destination. Just before entering the city, the hitchhiker told his companion:

-Well, this is where I leave you. Thanks for the ride!

-Already? Why, it feels like you just arrived. Oh well, you can't stay here forever. It's been nice talking to you.

As soon as the hitchhiker got out of the truck, another human got inside and slammed the door.

-Wow, I spent a few weeks without a single hitchhiker and now I have two the same day! exclaimed the driver.

The new passenger gave the driver several banknotes and ordered:

-Get to the airport as soon as possible! My rental car broke down.

The truck sped away towards the airport.

-What's that smell? complained the passenger.

The rabbits had passed hraka under the seat.

-Probably my fish, answered the driver.

-Fish? What fish?

-The fish I'm carrying...oh no the trailer fell off. This truck wasn't built to go so fast. I better go back...

-No! I will buy your load! Anything to get to the airport on time.

With that, he gave the driver even more money.

-Are you sure you really want to do this? Wouldn't it be cheaper to reserve a seat on another plane?

-No, I must get there as soon as possible!

-All right, if that's you want...

-You still haven't told me what's the smell, insisted the passenger.

-I don't smell anything besides gasoline, same as always. What do you smell?

-I...would rather not describe it.

-It's probably an engine problem. I will stop to take a look...

-NO! Unless the engine is in immediate danger of blowing up, don't stop! I will buy you a new truck if necessary.

A few minutes later, the truck stopped near the airport. The passenger opened the door and ran towards the terminal.

-Hey! You forgot your wallet! shouted the driver.

-You can keep it, I don't have enough time to bother with that!

-But your ticket is in there!

Unfortunately, the passenger had already vanished inside the building. The driver felt a little bit sorry for his passenger, who had paid him a fortune to get him to the airport on time only to lose his ticket. There was nothing he could do, so he decided to inspect his engine to see what caused the smell.

Meanwhile, the rabbits were still inside the vehicle.

-Fiver, do you have any idea where we should go now? asked Vilthuril.

-No. But I feel something. I don't know what it is, but it's there.

He remained motionless, staring in front of him. Suddenly, the driver accidentally activated the horn, causing Vilthuril and Buttercup to panic and bolt out of the truck. When it stopped a few seconds later, they turned and saw that they were alone.

-I hope he didn't bolt in the wrong direction, said Vilthuril. The last time this happened, I nearly stopped running trying to find him.

The two does hurried back to the truck and found that Fiver was right where they had left him, shaking his head.

-Now I know where we must do, he explained. We must go inside a large flying hrududu, that will take us very close to Watership Down. I can see it in my mind.

-You had us really scared, back then, when you didn't follow us when we bolted, Vilthuril sighed in relief. Weren't you afraid of that dreadful noise?

-Noise? What noise? I didn't hear anything. I was probably too absorbed in my vision. Anyway, we better get going.

-Your warren seems like a nice place, opined Buttercup. Would you mind if I came with you?

-We would be glad to have you with us, assured Vilthuril.

Meanwhile, the trucker had finished inspecting the engine. He had concluded that there was nothing wrong with it and his passenger had probably imagined the smell. As he got back inside the vehicle, he saw the three rabbits jump out. "Rabbits here?" he thought. "I have two passengers today and now three rabbits. I wish most days were as exciting as this. Oh well, I better get my fish back".

The rabbits wandered throughout the airport, nibbling the grass around the runways. Eventually, they spotted the airplane Fiver had seen in his vision, and slowly approached it. They went up the stairs leading to the cabin, doing their best to avoid being stepped on by the many human passengers, and once inside, they hid under the first seat they could find.

-It's great to finally be in a place where we can be safe, together, and without any fish, said Vilthuril quietly.

With that, Fiver and Vilthuril touched their noses together, while Buttercup was smelling the feet of a nearby human.