Lonely Moon

As promised, Angela and Bigwig returned to the others of their group just before dawn. They'd circled wide to make sure any pursuers would have a hard time following them. As well as to make sure that the dog, Bob, was far away. They weren't tired as they neared the meeting place. In fact, they both knew of the urgency to get moving. If the group moved swiftly, they stood a chance of making good ground.

Coming into the small cluster of trees, Angela didn't notice the hiding spot of the other rabbits at first. Not until they sprung up, seemingly out of the trees, and rushed around her and Bigwig. A flurry of relieved voices surrounded them. Angela was hard pressed to tell which voice belonged to who at first.

"Frith's beard! You're alive!" she heard a voice right beside her, Bluebell.

Hawkbit laughed loudly. "Couldn't let some of the rest of us have the glory, could you, Bigwig? First you come back from the dead and now you're slaying humans?"

Bigwig glanced at Angela awkwardly. "Um, that's not exactly–"

"What happened doesn't matter," said the voice of Hazel. The other rabbits hushed and moved out of his way so that he could greet Bigwig with a warm smile. "Now that you've both returned, we can finally move on towards the Down."

The group didn't linger. Once they were told to get going, they all did as told. But it was as they went to leave, that Angela and Bigwig noticed a shape move with them. It had hung back during their reunion with the others, sticking the shadows, body posture hunched and small. Squinting in the dim light, Angela was surprised to see that it was the female from Cowslip's burrow – Strawberry.

"Oh," Strawberry twitched her nose nervously upon realising that she'd been spotted. "Um, hello?"

Bigwig stamped a paw, glowering dangerously. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here…"

"No, Bigwig!" Fiver piped up quickly. "It's alright, she's with us."

"She is?" Angela asked. She was kind-of on Bigwig's side. Strawberry had been all too happy to work with the likes of Cowslip. But then again… when she'd welcomed them… she'd seemed so earnest and excited.

"Please…" Strawberry whimpered. "I didn't know Cowslip would try to stop you. I never thought he would… I-I'd like to come with you, if you'd have me."

"Hazel," said Bigwig, not taking his eyes of the large doe. "Are you sure we can trust her? She's one of them."

Hopping to stand between Strawberry and Bigwig, Hazel nodded. "But now she wants to be one of us, Bigwig. Strawberry hated it there."

"But–"

Angela put a paw on Bigwig's, silencing him. It was a very human gesture that she realised he would know nothing of, and so quickly removed it. "Let her start fresh. We all need that."

There was a tense moment of silence where Bigwig seemed to consider. But then… he sighed and nodded.

They journeyed on through the night and into the next morning. Now that they all had faith in Fiver, they followed him and Hazel towards the Down. And as if to reward them of that faith, the group didn't run into any dangers thereafter. Angela was rather pleased, and was also getting used to running in her rabbit form. She liked the way she felt the earth absorb into the pads of her foot, the rush of the air through her fur and the whir of the earth underneath her as she ran.

When the sun had just crested the horizon, the group slowed a little and so that freed them to become a little talkative. And considering that it was the latest development, the lot of them gossiped like a bunch of fishermen's wives about Angela being formerly human. She could tell that none of them believed it 100%, but between Angela's actions that seemed otherworldly to them and also Bigwig's endorsement, they were hard-pressed not to believe. And as such, she had to answer all their questions.

"Why do humans run in their k-ar-zz?"

"Cars, Bluebell." Angela corrected, gently. "It's because humans often need to travel dozens of miles in a day, and they can't do that on their normal legs – we humans are not nearly as swift as you rabbits."

Strawberry cocked her head. "Why do humans walk on two legs? Is it to be extra tall?"

She giggled. "We're just made that way."

"What is a vet really?" Blackberry asked.

"When animals are injured or sick, I find out what's wrong and help to heal them."

"So why is it Humans shoot us rabbits?" said Hawkbit. "The farmers always hate us."

"Mostly because they think you're going to eat their crops in their fields or gardens. That food is for their own families and communities," realising they probably wouldn't understand, she said: "I mean, that food is meant for their warrens."

"So?" Bigwig called back over his shoulder from near the front of their group. "They can't claim what grows in the earth."

"Technically, they can. Or, the vegetables in the fields, anyway. They planted that food there, watched over it and made it grow. They put a lot of time and effort into it and don't want to see you steal it."

Fiver hummed thoughtfully. "I never thought of it like that before. Hazel? What do you think?"

Hazel was quiet. He'd been acting a little odd since Angela had returned with Bigwig. He wouldn't look at her directly, almost as if he were wary of her all of a sudden. "I think the ways of humans are unknowable to us rabbits. And that is for the best. We should stay away from them, not try to understand them."

Angela paused, a little offended. She couldn't help but feel like that comment had been directed in a roundabout way at her. The change of heart in Hazel was discouraging. She'd thought that of all the rabbits here, he would be the level-headed one, the one she could always count on. It was easy to identify the change. He believed Angela used to be human, and that seemed to have put a strain on their once-budding friendship. It was hard not to be put out by this development. But Angela tried to reason with herself that she just needed to give Hazel some space, let him come to terms with the truth on his own.

The day wore on. They stopped briefly to eat, but all too soon were travelling onwards once again. They were passing through a small public footpath between the fields, and the others had lapsed into silence. But they were bored. Angela was most surprised when it was Dandelion, the quietest of the group, that acted upon his wish for entertainment.

"I'm bored!" he exclaimed, hopping in front of the others. "Who wants to race?"

His friends, Hawkbit, Bluebell and Blackberry, all looked away. It was no secret that Dandelion was the fastest amongst the group. Angela remembered watching how fast he sprinted when trying to escape the crows. No wonder no one else wanted to race him, it was a sure way to lose.

So, she volunteered. "I'll do it."

The others were surprised, but gladly pushed for her to compete – better her than them. Angela knew she had no chance of winning. This was mostly for her own amusement. And… a little bit of curiosity. She wanted to see what this body was capable of. She and Dandelion set out the course, and then, with Blackberry as referee, they raced. Angela had never felt speed such as the likes with which she experienced running down that footpath, four paws drumming against the ground, stomach contracting and expanding to help propel her long back legs.

Yet, of course, no matter how fast she went, she could never beat Dandelion. But Angela was pleasantly surprised that she hadn't fallen far behind either. Though the buck had definitely won, she had never been far from his tail. That was a win in her book.

"Not bad, Angie!" the others cheered. "You nearly got there!"

"Thanks," she smiled.

Hawkbit looked her up and down, frowning. "How comes you're not all out of breath? I know if I tried to keep up with Dandelion, I'd be panting like a dog in mid-summer."

"Oh, that's nothing." She shrugged. The movement was human, and it quietly disturbed her how alien that felt. "When I was human, I liked to run daily, to help ease my mind. I learned how to control my breathing."

"So you were running… for fun?" Bluebell snorted. "Well, that settles it. Humans are the strangest creatures I have ever seen."

When sundown finally came, Hazel announced that they would rest. They all needed it. They'd been up and alert for almost 24 hours solid. Angela wanted nothing more than to hit the sack, so to speak. And a small part of her still hoped that this was a dream, and that when she tried to sleep here, she would wake up in some hospital room, or maybe in her own bed. It was unlikely, she knew, but that little voice wouldn't be silenced.

They found an old hollow log to rest in for the night. The watch was divided up, and they all began to settle down. Angela tried to find the spot where she might feel the most warmth and sleep straight away – she had the second watch. But as she went to rest, she overheard Hawkbit talking sweetly to Strawberry just behind her.

"Um, Strawberry?" Hawkbit asked. "Hi, yeah, look – you know, it looks like it might get cold tonight. So, if you wanted, I could maybe lay next to you? N-n-not in a creepy way, no! Just to help keep you warm. Yes!"

Strawberry cooed. "Oh, Hawkbit, that's so sweet. I–"

"Strawberry!" called a voice, making Angela's ear twitch.

"Dandelion?" the other two said in unison.

"I-I got you Honeysuckle," said the other buck. Angela had to fight her grin as she realised what was happening. "It grows wild just back there. I thought you'd like it – it tastes off, but it will help your muscle pain ready for tomorrow."

"Oh, how thoughtful!" Strawberry said excitedly. Poor girl, Angela thought, she probably has no idea what's going on!

"Honeysuckle?" Hawkbit asked tersely. "Really?"

"What?" Dandelion said. "I was being thoughtful."

"Oh this is wonderful!" Strawberry jumped up. "I must go share this with Bluebell – saw the poor thing suffering with achy shoulders earlier."

Angela heard pawsteps as Strawberry hurried away. She couldn't stop herself from turning around to watch the aftermath. Hawkbit and Dandelion – previously two good friends, as far as Angela had been concerned – were glaring at each other. A giggle burst out of her throat at the sight, diverting their attention on to her.

"You boys are insatiable," she chuckled. "Seems you've moved right off me and straight onto poor Strawberry."

Dandelion's eyes widened. "Oh, no offence, Angela!"

"None taken." She waved him away. "Strawberry can have all the attention."

"Nah," Hawkbit shook his head. "It's just there's no way we'd compete against Bigwig."

Angela's smile faded. She frowned, greatly confused. Dandelion helpfully provided a sort-of explanation. "We know you like him. That's why you gave him the Kiss of life, yesterday."

"No! No-no-no-no-no-no! It's not like that!" she yelped, mortified. "That was just to save him, and I'm human, it would be wrong–"

"Technically untrue," came Blackberry's voice as he hopped up beside them. "If you were human once, you certainly aren't now. It wouldn't be immoral for you to take a rabbit for a mate, considering you now are one for the foreseeable future."

"If she'd even have Bigwig." Hawkbit snorted. "Are we forgetting Bigwig hasn't been the nicest rabbit to Angela?"

"He's been pretty mellow today."

"Yeah, today, what if …"

Their voices became tuned out as Angela noticed that Bigwig was at the end of the log behind Hawkbit and Dandelion, looking out onto the world beyond. Angela sucked in her stomach, terrified that he might've heard this entire conversation. But his ears were turned forward, and he not once even twitched whenever his name was mentioned. It didn't seem as if he'd heard a single word.

It probably wasn't a new idea to the world, but Angela was going to admit that this was her first time realising it – second watch is the worst! Awakening from sleep with a nudge from Blackberry, trying to keep her mind alert, whilst time slowed to a crawl because it knew she could go back to bed when the third watch began. It was excruciatingly difficult. Her eyelids felt like they were weighed down and her lashes had fresh glue on them, ready to stick her eyes closed if she let them droop.

To try and keep herself awake, she watched the moon for a small time. The stars weren't so bright tonight. It made the moon look rather… lonely. Now Angela knew she was tired, if she was calling a celestial body of rock 'lonely'.

She heard soft pawsteps behind her. She turned. There was Bigwig, sneaking to the edge of the log towards her. Angela didn't know it, but her dark fur made it rather difficult to spot her. It wasn't until she turned and Bigwig saw the shine of her luminous eyes in the dark that he knew where she was.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey, Bigwig." She smiled. "You alright?" He wasn't on watch tonight. Dandelion had the third and final watch. So what was he doing up?

"Yeah. I… I just…" His ears flattened against his back. He wouldn't look her in the eye. "I wanted to apologise to you."

Uh-oh. "Apologise?"

"I overheard what the others were saying earlier," before she could respond he shook his head. Finally, he met her gaze. "No, don't say it. They're right. My previous behaviour towards you wasn't acceptable. I was rude and brutish and–"

She nudged him. "You wanted to keep your friends safe. And here I was, the big unknown. You don't have to explain yourself to me, Bigwig."

"All the same, I'd like to apologise to you."

"Well, then, apology accepted." They both nodded, satisfied. A thought occurred to her, and she grinned, amused. "Does this mean we're married now?"

Bigwig cocked his head. "I feel like that was supposed to be a joke, but I don't know what 'married' is."

"Oh, that's where we vow to stay as mates forever and ever, and I use it as emotional blackmail on you for the rest of our lives. You know, the usual."

"Ah. So females are the same in every species, it seems."

They both laughed. Somewhere in the log, Bluebell groaned. Angela and Bigwig hunkered down, trying to smother their snickering. When they were sure the others hadn't woken, they relaxed.

"Hope the others weren't annoying you," said Bigwig. "I think they're already putting Strawberry off."

"No, they're fine. In fact, I think I'm liking the company here." How odd, she thought, to enjoy the company of rabbits. If only her colleagues could see her now. The thought sobered her. Her eyes searched along the horizon, wondering where in the world was home. "When I was human, I didn't have many friends – kind of like Strawberry. I was just always so busy, there seemed too much to do. Friends were something I could have later. Never quite knew what I was missing out on… until now."

"Turns out that's another thing we have in common." Bigwig shrugged, like he wanted to make light of the situation, but his warm gold eyes said a different story. "I could never really keep many friends after my kit-days. If it wasn't my position in the Owsla, then it was definitely my size and temper that put them off."

Angela smiled. "Well, I'm your friend, and I don't give a toss for your size or your temper."

He smiled back. "Right."

She turned back at their sleeping companions. Hazel was the closest. Even when asleep, he looked as if he were worrying over everything. "Bigwig? If… if you want to make friends, maybe try being a little more supportive of Hazel. He's got a lot on his shoulders, and he needs someone to keep him steady."

Bigwig followed her gaze to look at Hazel. Angela didn't want to push it, for she knew Bigwig might not be appreciative of nagging. So she let the idea stew in his mind. At least, from the looks of it, he seemed as if he were contemplating her idea.

With the next dawn, Dandelion awoke the rest of them, and they were journeying onwards. The air was crisp and fresh with morning dew, and Hazel allowed them to make frequent small stops in order to eat plenty. The group were not as talkative as usual, but instead it was a more comfortable silence.

Around what Angela would have thought was eight o'clock in the morning, they came across an old farmhouse. The windows were all closed, and the lights were out. More than likely, the farmer was already at work in the field, but his wife and family were still in bed. Outside, tied by a chain to a doghouse, was Bob, sound asleep. Angela beamed, pleased to see that he'd gotten home safely after all.

The rabbits passed the iron gate as quietly as possible, following Fiver. But Hazel paused. Angela watched him, curious as to what had caught his attention. He stood at the gate, peering through to something at the back of the yard. Squinting to see, Angela spotted a rabbit hutch in the storehouse, sheltered from the weather. Through the bars of a hutch she could see a doe, tan and brown with bright blue eyes. There was movement behind her, more rabbits in the hutch. Hazel couldn't take his eyes off the doe that stared right back. Angela wondered what he must be thinking.

"It might seem barbaric to you," she said gently, edging closer. "But they are well looked after. The farmer's daughter, Lucy, she loves all those rabbits dearly. I tended to all of them from when they were babies."

"Can you tell me if they are happy, though?" Hazel asked without looking at her. "Stuck in a cage, unable to see the sky…"

"They aren't at the mercy of foxes, and they will never starve or grow sick."

"That is merely survival." He hopped down to all fours with a sigh. "You don't know what it is to live."

Angela had no words to reply. She let him walk away, and found herself staring up, downtrodden, at the sign on the stone wall.

Nuthanger Farm.

Angela blinked, her heart beginning to pick up speed. Surely it couldn't be! But it was! Rejection forgotten, her face split into a beaming smile. She knew where they were. And the Down! How had she not spotted it before?! If she was right – and she knew she was – she knew exactly where they were headed.

"Oh my…" she whispered to herself, and then bounded to the front of the group. "Come on!"

They were all instantly alarmed. "Angela, what's wrong?!"

"Nothing! The opposite! I know where we are!"

Bigwig frowned. "What?"

"We're at Watership Down!" she cried joyfully. "That means the next village is my home!"

A/N: Happy Holidays!