I awoke to the birds singing outside. I looked to see Rosie resting peacefully on my chest. Thinking back on how she loved Watership Down and its characters, I wanted this day to be pitch perfect for her as she got to know more about it.

I licked her awake.

"Good morning, Bagheera," I smiled.

"Good morning, Lolly," she replied as she liked my nose.

"Shall we go outside and watch the morning sun?"

We hopped outside to the edge of the hill where the sun was shining in the distance over the hills.

"Wow," smiled Rosie, admiring the beautiful outstretched view. "I can imagine Chris wanting a view like this for his ranger hut."

Chris was Rosie's older brother and a forest ranger. He rescued me in the previous story when I was chased by wolves in the forest while I was escaping from my wicked Aunt Madeline.

"I knew you would love it," I said. "All the times I was out there I'd often wondered what you would think of it if you were here."

….

Cynthia woke up, her head resting on Dandelion's warm fur drifting her back and fore. Normally he slept with Bluebell but she was temporarily looking after Blackberry and Leo II. Cynthia had so much fun with Dandelion and grumpy Hawkbit. Hawkbit making sarcastic comments and Dandelion making fun of him for Cynthia which she thoroughly enjoyed. She grew to like Dandelion very much, with his jokes and clumsiness.

"Good morning, Dandelion," Cynthia whispered. But the tall golden rabbit soared on.

Cynthia lifted on of his ears, brought it to his nose and started ticking it.

Dandelion sniffed and a huge sneeze shook the burrow, making Hawkbit with up with a jolt, whamming his head on the ceiling which was not to far from him where she slept.

"So you once had a frog in your belly and now got ants in your sinus!" grumbled Hawkbit.

"I'd rather ants than a frog any day," sniffed Dandelion.

"You're both funny when you argue!" giggled Cynthia.

"Oh, thanks, smiled Dandelion."

"She wasn't complimenting," said Hawkbit.

"Was too," said Cynthia. "Leo told me how funny you two are; Dandelion being the joker and always tripping over and Hawkbit being the grumpy one."

"Oh. he said that did he?" growled Hawkbit. "Wait until I get a hold of him! Gossiping about us, I'll scratch him, and I'll call him and I'll-"

"Nice to see you wide awake, Hawkey," said Clover who appeared by the entrance. "Now for the digging you left over last night."

Hawkbit looked red in the face and grumbled, following his mate.

"He thinks he's tough and fearsome," whispered Dandelion in Cynthia's ear.

Both of them laughed.

"He is indeed," chuckled Cynthia.

"Is he?"

"I wasn't being serious, Dandelion."

"Oh. Right."

"I really like you, Dandelion," smiled Cynthia. "You're really funny."

"Hawkbit says I'm a dope."

"He's got it the other way around."

They both laughed.

….

Michael was so tired he never had the chance to get to know the rabbits he was sleeping with. Most of them were around Pipkin's size expect one with whiteish silver fur and sparking luminous eyes, who was almost as tall as Michael.

Eventually they all got up and started talking to Michael.

"So is this your first time at Watership Down?" asked a white rabbit with ebony black pair of ears and a tail.

"Yes," replied Michael. "Leo has been here two times before me, Rosie, Cynthia or Jason."

"Ah, yes. Leo Barning from Above," identified a rabbit, leaf orange in coat tone with blue eyes. "Pipkin told us many stories about him."

"Yeah," said one of the others, a rabbit with grey fur and pink eyes. "About how he found a necklace which can grant and wish only if you can take three challenges to unlock it."

"And also," joined in the fourth who had a brownish-orange coat, "he helped Fiver get together with Snowflake and defeated Gooseberry."

"Really must have been seeking glory for such risks," said the rabbit with the whitish silver fur and taller than the others.

"Well, I'm sure Leo would;t choose to things unnecessary," said Michael defending his honest friend.

"Did we introduce ourselves?" asked the orange leaf rabbit? "I'm Loganberry."

"Acorn," introduced the brownish-orange rabbit.

"Tulip," said the white rabbit with black tail and ears.

"Pollen," said the rabbit with the grey fur and pink eyes.

"I am Daffodil," introduced the tall rabbit proudly. "Possibly the most heroic rabbit to grace the warren."

"I'm Michael Dawnrah," introduced Michael truing to ignore the pompousness of Daffodil.

"Michael Dawnrah?" asked Tulip.

"Chief of the Dawn?" said Loganberry.

"How do you mean?" asked Michael. "I'm no chief of anything."

"Then why do you call yourself Dawnrah?" asked Pollen. "Rah is Lapine for 'Chief'."

"I don't understand Lapine language," said Michael. "Dawnrah is just mu last name."

"Well," decided Acorn. "We're sure you'd be bound to be a good leader for so,thing judging by the way you view life. Only last night you were saying you only live once and we must fight for what we want."

"Indeed," smiled Daffodil. "But of course I never had to fight for what I wanted because I was given it instantly. I was one intimidating kitten."

Michael grew to dislike Daffodil more and more each time he spoke.

….

Jason woke up feeling very drowsy and hungry. He dreamed he was at the Gnoll with his brother and his friend, his airfield and her little sister. He had stolen an acorn and threw it down a rabbit burrow and they were trapped in another dimension only they were transformed into rabbits. His brother said they had to look for the acorn that way they can get back home. But when he looked at his paws, he realised in his horror that the dream was real.

"I hate you, Leo," he snarled.

"Hate spills blood," said Pipkin as he dragged in a leaf with fresh clovers.

"It's brotherhood," remarked Jason. "What do you expect?"

"I'm an only child," confessed Pipkin. "But I know how it must feel."

"How can you if you're an only child?"

"I've been training Gillia, Snowdrop and Mallow and they have their moments of bickering. Rather strange though, how Hazel and Fiver don't argue at all. They get on like flowers and bees."

"Butter and toast you mean."

"What's butter and toast?"

"Don't you know?" said Jason. "I eat it for breakfast."

Pipkin looked puzzled.

"Cooked bread and salted dairy?"

"I don't know things you know. Your brother said you live someplace else as humans You're bound to get the hang of things. Took Leo some time to adapt with the systems of a rabbit."

"Well, he has been showing some intelligence to do with it all."

"Hungry? Got you something to silflay"

"What?"

"Silflay," repeated pipkin. "it means eat."

"What language is that?" asked Jason finally getting up. His bed of leaves was a lot more comfortable than he had expected.

"Lapine."

"I don't know no Lapine."

"You will," smiled Pipkin. "Leo is already an expert. Try a clover."

"But I don't like greens."

"You must otherwise you'll whisker out of your ears."

"I'm not one for superstition."

"Well this is all we have at the moment."

Jason's belly rumbled. He hopped up to them and hesitantly nibbled on one. He quite liked it.

"That's it," smiled Pipkin. "Tuck in."

"What's your name again?" asked Jason with his mouthful.

"My name's Pipkin. And you are Jason I take it?"

"Yes. Leo tells me you lead a junior army."

"Junior Owsla," said Pipkin. "But if you want to toughen up, you should join me and the others. Daffodil, Tulip, Loganberry, Pollen and Acorn. Very well trained - only moved here a few days ago."

"Where'd they come from?" asked Jason who was beginning to find Pipkin really interesting.

"Dunno," said Pipkin. "They said they came from some warren which was destroyed by Man."

"Why do we all have names to do with fruits and flowers?"

"Don't you?"

"No, we only get names like Peter, Kyle, Eric, David, Ben and Richard etc."

"Don't now any Kyle, Eric, David, Ben or Richard," said Pipkin.

"But I've heard Pipkin before," said Jason. "Rare times."

"My parents gave it to me because they thought I was so cute I needed a name like that."

"Where are your parents?" asked Jason.

Looking a little pained, Pipkin replied, "They died when I was a baby. Eaten by the weasel."

"Oh," said Jason. "I'm sorry. So how did you know their reason for naming you?"

"Bigwig was good friend with them. He rescued me before the weasel got me."

"I didn't hurt his feelings did I? The joke I made about his mane yesterday.

"Oh he's fine," replied Pipkin. "He's well out of it."

"Oh, okay then," said Jason. "I suppose I was angry at the fact that Leo was telling the truth that I wanted to make things bad for him."

"He cares for you still," said Pipkin. Last time he was here, he felt bad for leaving you with Aunt Madeline."

"She favoured me," said Jason. "But I was scared I would get the blame for him running away because I began a fight which led to it all. I lied saying I found her secret for working for this prison he was treated into being taken to but I gave her away so I would get away with it but I did."

"I see," said Pipkin. "Well, we do something like that sometimes. When I was little, there was a badger in the orchard, She still rides there now Bark is her name, and we thought she was a monster. so Hazel put the orchard out of bounds. I persuaded his brother Fiver to go with me and he got himself hurt and dragged away. I thought I had got him killed. I hid it for a whole day until I finally told Hazel. Luckily Bark was friendly and Fiver was alive."

"Did you get in trouble."

"No," said Pipkin. "Though I obviously deserved to be in trouble. Hazel calmed me down with mu grief after I told him. Bigwig was furious but Hazel ordered him to let it go because I was punished enough by living with the guilt."

"I cannot bring myself to tell Leo though," said Jason. "He might snitch on me."

"I'm sure he won't," said Pipkin. "He always says to us that forgiveness is stronger than anger."

"You really take my mistakes well don't you?"

"We're born for it," laughed Pipkin.

"So you'd be fine being friends with me?"

"Of course," said Pipkin. "We're already friends as a matter of speaking."

"This is nice," said Jason. "Haven't had that many friends."

"Pipkin!"

They turned to see Daffodil. "We are waiting for you to guide us on our morning patrol. You can talk to the newcomer about me later."

"But he wasn't," said Jason.

"No need to be embarrassed," smiled Daffodil. "Everyone knows me well enough for my heroics fighting my way to Watership Down passed the grey weasel, the shadow owl and dodging the shining wires." And he hopped away.

"Did he really?" asked Jason.

"Says he's done it," said Pipkin.