We were thrown into separate cells only two of us would share. I was thrown in with Dandelion who took a break from his dress.

"I wish this never happened," I said sadly, thinking of Fiver perishing in vain.

"Poor Fiver," said Dandelion. "He deserves so much more. I wish hadn't been so cruel to him when you came here."

"Why were you?"

"Because I wanted to be like Hawkbit," he explained. "He told me I was a wimp nowadays so I tired hard to be like him. I'm really sorry."

"You're good buck, Dandelion," I said. "And a good friend. For me though, I wish I knew if Jason were okay. Who knows what Aunt Madeline had done to him if they had ever argued."

"Sibling rivalry," chuckled Dandelion. "Runs everywhere. I was an only kit but I see it everywhere. Gillia, Snowdrop and Mallow have their moments."

"You're great with kits," I smiled. "I could take leaf from your cabbage. But I don't know if there is any hope now. They are going to kill us. Fiver is on the brink of the abyss and it is soon to be out turn."
"We'll find a way," said Dandelion. "We're in this together."

"You're quite positive," I said impressed.

"Yes I know," smiled Dandelion. "I know I'm always tripping over, getting my tail bitten, getting the hiccups and bad luck and embarrassment but within all that, I'm quite content with myself."

"No!" we heared Gooseberry's voice say. "Nothing can heal him of the poison unless the enchanter is dead. That's what breaks any spell."

We listened and smiled.

"We could try to escape and save Fiver after all," I said. "But I'm scared of killing someone."

"It's killing for someone you love," said Dandelion.
"But I'm scared, Dandelion. I never murdered in my life. Darklunn was an accident."

Dandelion hopped up to me and gave me a warm, gentle hug which I did the same, feeling his warmth and his arms over me, knowing that I had a good friend to comfort me for something we would have to do to save Fiver.

"When a friend holds you, fear should be quite the size of Stuart."

"Exactly!" I laughed.

"You are a good brother to him, Leo," smiled Dandelion. "You often stick up for Fiver. Lets see you smile now. Say diputs em elckit".

"Diputs em elckit."

And Dandelion grabbed me and tickled me everywhere. He grabbed my foot and ticked it and I had to kick him away playfully and I pinned him down.

We finished hugging when Dandelion gasped in shock.

"Hey!" he cried. "I'm quite skinny. I could squeeze through this boulder and find Fiver."

"And I'll dig a way out to catch up," I planned.

Dandelion squeezed through the boulder and found everyone's cells and told him and her to start digging to the skinniest to squeeze through the boulders. Everyone managed to get through, almost except Strawberry whose body kept getting stuck.

Meanwhile, Hazel, Bigwig and Campion had reached the burrow we had all stayed in.

"They were all here," sniffed Bigwig.

"They can't be too far off now," said Campion.

"Oh, Fiver!" cried Hazel. "I hope I'm not too late."

"Okay, Hazel," remarked Bigwig. "I know you're scared but-"

"So I should!" snapped Hazel. "You don't even know brother love."

Bigwig had an aggressive look on his face, but then he hid it oddly enough. "I want nothing to do with having a brother," he said looking distraught.

"Bigwig?" said Campion.

"Let's move!" he ordered.

….

Fiver was chained in a cold dark room where a lit pathetic excuse for a lamp lay with some abandoned boxes and Chillblack, Stuart and Gooseberry were watching him patiently.

"Why did I do to deserve this?" he asked.

"Gooseberry planned all of this so he can have your precious Snowflake," smiled Chillblack evilly.

"You won't get away with this," said Fiver trying to ignore the pain in his belly, which was impossible.

"I'm Chillblack! I get away with anything I do!

She and Gooseberry hopped out of the room abandoning him. She went into another empty room to watch the window.

We all barged into the room desperate and angry.

"You won't get away with it," yelled Bluebell. "We'll just kill you and Fiver will live a long well-deserved life."

"Gooseberry!" I shouted. "You selfish, wicked -"

I charged at him this time dodging his foot kick and I bit his cheek to which he roared in pain. He thumped the floor jumping in anger and he fell though hole in the next room below.

"No matter," snarled Chillblack. "I can still finish you off!"

All of sudden, Hazel, Bigwig and Campion appeared.

"What have you done to my brother!?" exploded Hazel to the witch.

They charged at her. She scratched them all and made a run for it, all of us running and climbing the chimney. She scurried up it real quick. Soon, we caught up with her. Hazel scurried up after her and charged at her. They were standing close to the edge of the chimney hole, flaming lava at the bottom.

"You have lost, Hazel-Rah!" cackled Chillblack. "Your precious little brother will be no more! Oh the beauty of his innocence to fall for such a trap to death."

"Not if I'm no more first!" he roared.

He scratched her face and she toppled into the hole and screamed horrifically into the hot pool that awaited her.

I ran to Hazel and hugged him, so did Silverweed.

"Where's Fiver?" he cried.

"Dandelion!" cried Bigwig looking at the dress. "What in the name of Frith have you got on you?"

"Please don't ask," said Dandelion embarrassed

Hazel scrambled down and dashed into the room where his little brother was chained, now a runt and looking healthy again.

"FIVER!"

"HAZEL!"

Hazel freed him from the chains and squeezed his brother tight and would not let him go neither would Fiver himself. It was an emotional but beautiful scene: the two brothers crying, hugging, nuzzling and licking each other after being separated for such a long time.

"Oh my brother!" sobbed Hazel. "My wonderful, dear little brother!"

"I missed you, Hazel!" sobbed Fiver pressing his face into Hazel's warm chest, feeling the fur of his big brother which he had longed to feel for a very long time.

"I missed you too," said Hazel, cradling Fiver like the time he had first held him in his paws. "I should have known better than to let Gooseberry stay. Was he ever like this to you?"

"He was only a vain bully to me," said Fiver. "Telling me I would never get a doe because I'm a runt."

"Why did you not tell me anything?" cried Hazel.
"Because I couldn't tell on a new rabbit."

"Oh, Fiver!" said Hazel. "You should always tell me whether someone's new or not. It's my job to make sure you are happy. I promised Mother I would be everything to you: your mother, your father, your warren, everything."

"Those are all the things a brother does too," said Fiver. "In my opinion, a big brother is the best thing to have. Someone to ask questions to, someone to hide behind when I'm scared, someone to hold onto when I'm hurt, someone to sleep next to when I feel so lonely."

"A little brother is the best thing to have in my opinion," said Hazel. "Someone to protect, someone to protect, someone to do anything to make no harm or sadness comes to him."

Fiver felt another pain in his stomach. "I'm going to throw up the potion!"

He went to a corner to puke it up, Hazel stroking his back and nuzzling his head to let him now he is there when being sick. Fiver started to cry again. Throwing up the potion was horrible but Hazel took him to another corner and cradled him.

"What was that potion about?"

And Fiver told him everything.

"I had no vision about it. Honest I didn't it looked good to be true. All I wanted was Snowflake to be my mate but I couldn't ask her, being a runt. I thought being a non-runt would solve everything so I could make my wish come true and-"

"Fiver!"

The brothers looked behind them as the group re-entered, Snowflake leading with a shocked look on her face.
"Did you really think I would only love you if weren't a runt?!"

Fiver, sniffing and tears falling from his cheeks, nodded. Snowflake wiped them away and smiling gently. "I loved you from the day I met you by the river."

"You didn't care I was a runt?" said Fiver.

"Not one bit," Snowflake smiled.

Fiver hopped up to her and said, "I'm so sorry, Snowflake. I really am. I never meant for any if this to happen. I love you. I will never try to be something I'm not again, I promise. Snowflake, will you be my mate?"

"Oh yes! Yes!" Snowflake cried happily.

But everything was interrupted but rattling behind the boxes.

I hopped over to find Vervain quivering with fright.
"So you picked the courage to fight?" I said angrily.

"Don't hurt me!" he begged. "I'm not who I was! Honest!"

"What?" I asked.

"I was under Chillblack's spell. When I was a kitten I always played with butterflies and ran about everyday but I was afraid of my own shadow. My siblings laughed at me and my mother disowned me for she was embarrassed of my cowardice. Then Chillblack saw my problem and she tricked me into drinking a potion that would turn me brave as she said but it made me evil. I have joined Woundwort, I have stolen Primrose from her family, kidnapped Pipkin, tried to starve Campion and tried to kill Blackberry! I didn't mean for any of this!"

Silverweed put a paw onto Vervain's chest and after three minutes, Silverweed said, "He's telling the truth."

We all gasped. Vervain, this hateful rabbit, becoming a villain under the circumstance of someone's power.

"But see what mess you have created on yourself?" I said a lot more gently. "You really should have been more careful."
"I'm sorry!" sobbed Vervain. "I really am! I still hold my cowardice up. I deserve to have it forever."

"You won't have it forever, Vervain," said Fiver consoling him. "Remember when we saved you from drowning? We can get you out of fear just like that."

"You forgive me?" asked Vervain.

"We're just happy you are the Vervain you used to be," said Fiver. "Like how I am back to being the Fiver I used to be. I don't care that I'm a runt anymore. Beauty comes from within."

I smiled proudly.

"How can I prove myself sorry?" asked Vervain.

"Just by being the rabbit you used to be," said Silverweed. "As long as there is goodness in your heart, forgiveness is well deserved."

Me and Fiver smiled at each other and said, "Forgiveness is stronger than anger."

Fiver hopped around to help Vervain on his feet but had fell down a hole on the floor. He fell deep into the darkness. There was a window. He hopped up to it when he heard a growling, singsong voice.

"Oh, Runty," it sung. "I can smell you! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Fiver his behind a box as a huge shadow patrolled the room, growling angrily. This was not Gooseberry anymore, the boastful conceited, pompous buck, but a murderous demonic monster. Fiver watched him hop away as he hopped for a hole in the window just his size. He was about to climb though, when he was pinned down by the frightening face of Gooseberry, his eyes red.

Desperate, Fiver spat into his face and saw his chance to escape. He ran deep into the woods, so scary and likely to be full of elil. He came across a ravine going down so far the river was like the size of a clover bud. He looked up and saw a rocky passage from where a waterfall shot down ferociously. He took the chance and gripped onto each rock, Gooseberry climbing up after him. They heard howling down below as they saw silhouettes of tin wolves howling up to them.

"She never loved you, Runt!" roared Gooseberry climbing up after him still. "She told me when I imprisoned them all. She was only being polite. She wished she were dead by the time it became too convincing to an innocent, naïve runt like yourself!"

"Liar!" thundered Fiver reaching the top.

When Gooseberry reached the top as well, Stuart got in his way.

"Well that makes two of us to finish him off!" he chuckled.

Gooseberry stamped his paw down into Stuart, blood squirting onto his face. He examined his surroundings: there was no sign of Fiver.

"COME OUT AND FIGHT!"

He sniffed everywhere, hopping past Fiver who was concealed in the hole of a tree just his size.

"You may as well come out, Runt!" stormed Gooseberry. "Your death takes place here! You will die, un-mourned, forgotten, unloved! Even Hazel said he was ashamed to have a runt for a little brother! He wished his brothers fed you to elil!"

"Still you lie," said Fiver quietly. "Hazel has always loved me and he always will."

Suddenly, Gooseberry's face came into view with him. Fiver charged at it and me and the big buck charged at him knocking him close to the edge of the waterfall. He got read to bite at the runt when Fiver desperately pressed his feet into his face.

…

We all reached the edge and watched on top in horror.

"Up there!" cried Bluebell.

We all watched the fight and looked down into the ravine and the silhouettes of wolves.

"It takes courage to climb up there," said Hazel.

I took a huge gulp of courage and jumped on the rock edge.

"Leo!" everyone cried.

"Well it was nice knowing you, Leo!" shouted Hawkbit. "Any minute now and your wolf meat."

"I'm coming, Fiver!" I cried clenching onto the rocky chasm edge. "I'm coming, Jason," I added.

"Snowflake is mine, Runt!" boomed Gooseberry. "Poor little runt! To think a doe like her would love a hopeless runt like you when she deserves a buck like myself! Say goodbye!"

Fiver jumped and scratched his face and he fell back and held onto the edge.

"Help!" he cried. "Help! Please help me!"

Fiver decided firstly to let him fall to his death, but then he thought back to the memory of Pipkin stopping Bigwig killing Woundwort, explaining the were not like him. Would Snowflake love a murderer? Would Hazel want a murderer for a brother?

He helped Gooseberry up who was now ling on his back panting, while Fiver put his face to his and growled. "Never return to Watership Down. Ever!"

"Fiver!"

Snowflake had also climbed threw waterfall to his aid.

"Snowflake!" cried Fiver as he ran to the doe he loved. "I love you, Snowflake…Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, Fiver," chuckled Snowflake. "You did."

He was suddenly pulled form her by Gooseberry was clawing at him and biting him. I on the other hand had reached the top in the nick of time. Seeing my rabbit brother in danger, I swallowed courage towards m fear killing him and leapt onto him, biting him. He broke free from me and scratched my face and side, laughing cruelly. He laughed so much he was unaware of where he was standing and he was starting to stumble and wave about. Lighting struck as it hit the ground, breaking the space where Fiver lay wounded. He was being dragged away when Vervain appeared and caught him by the scruff. As for Gooseberry, he toppled all the way down the pond screaming, his body shrinking down to the pond below until it no longer existed and the silhouettes wolves ran up to their feast.

Everyone watched the scene in shock expect for Dandelion who happily tore off his dress and threw it down to the ravine.