The whole day we hopped on. Cynthia was eventually getting tired. Sweet, gentle Pipkin offered to giver her a ride on his back but smarmy, confident Daffodil barged through the offer to which she accepted. Pipkin hopped with us grumbling - which I found uncharacteristic of him bit then, he recently started puberty and puberty normally meant hormones; attitudes, jealously, depression and all those disadvantages of growing up. Growing up is not pretty I can tell you that.

We finally game to a meadow by a huge lake that stretched towards the other side, the purple sky reflecting down to it. It was rather hot and we were ready for a plunge but there was the uncomfortable challenge of making out how cold it was.

"Wanna go first, Pips?" I asked.

Pipkin looked taken aback.

"What's the matter? Leo Barning from Above can handle necklace thieves, spies, witches and love snatchers but not water?"

"You're dead," I smiled.

"Get in and prove it then," he laughed. This moment banter seemed to have cheered him up.

"Daffodil could," I suggested as I looked at him.

He looked rather shaky.

"I'm err, not really accustomed to soaking myself if necessary."

"Oh for goodness' sake!"

Rosie made her way to the top of a nearby rock like a diving board.

"Puppies, the lot of you," she chuckled. "I expected better from even you, Lolly."

With those words, she jumped straight into the water like a dolphin.

"Holy Frith!" reacted Strawberry.

"I'm next," I said.

"That's it 'Lolly'," teased Pipkin. "Show her what a buck you are."

I looked to Pipkin I was getting ready to jump but I just nudged him in and he fell in with a splash.

He came up from the surface and chased after me. We ran everywhere laughing at this fun little water frolic until he pounced on me and knocked me into the water. I looked up at Pipkin was waving his ears about frantically with his paws blowing a loud raspberry.

After this, everyone jumped in and began either playing or washing themselves. I went up to Rosie, who looked somehow more beautiful in a wet look, and began to pour some what gently onto her head as I washed her. She seemsed to enjoy it very much because she rested her head one my chest as I stroked her ears and nuzzled her head.

Campion was just washing himself in his own space while Pipkin and Strawberry were splashing each other.

Pipkin requested a break and he took a small, peaceful paddle when he heard giggling around a bend. He looked to see that Cynthia was scrubbing Daffodil's back and he was making abnormal relaxing grunts. It sounded really wrong.

"You know something, Cinny?" he said.

"What?"

"You are just the right doe for me and I want us to take the next step."

She looked shocked and flabbergasted.

"Really?" she said happily as she jumped off his back. "I thought you'd never ask."

And she nuzzled her head into his chest and started preening against it.

Daffodil caught Pipkin's face, smiled widely and winked at him.

Pipkin felt anger and hurt at the same time in his stomach. He was speaking to her first when she came to the warren and now that prat had to take the doe from him. Pipkin maintained the feeling that he loved Cynthia more than any of the bucks on the down put together. Every time he said her name, it felt like falling snow.

"Pipkin?"

He turned to see me looking cornered.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," he said.

"I can read body language, Pips," I said. "I'm not thick. What's wrong?"

"Can we talk privately out of here?" Pipkin asked.

We left the pool and we went behind a nice pine tree.

"What's wrong?" I asked looking down at Pipkin like a councillor to his patient.

"Cynthia," explained Pipkin. "I believe I love her."

"Oh," I said. "And are you having trouble asking her out?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means asking if she would like to spend time with you for an activity or something."

"No," said Pipkin looking tearful. "I can't. I tried to start something with her when you first brought everyone here but Daffodil got in the way and she chooses him. I feel I cannot find anyone."

Pipkin broke down in strong tears as I consoled him, both my paws around him.

"Hey, hey, hey," I consoled. "There are loads of fish in the water," I said. "There is one for everyone."

"Not for me there seems," he replied as he sat there sobbing and hiccuping uncontrollably, covering his eyes with ears.

"You know, Pipkin," I said. "When you get to a certain age, you feel pain, grief and anger. It happens to everyone as young as you. You feel that your life is over - but it is just the beginning, I promise. I felt everything you feel. But I promise it will all get better as you get older."

"You mean I will be like this for some time?" Pipkin sniffed releasing one ear to look at me.

"I'm afraid you might have to," I confessed. "That's how we grow. We have to handle things we don't want to. Fiver faced this last year when he realised he loved Snowflake but he felt he couldn't have because he was a runt."

"I'm not a runt," said Pipkin. "But I'm fat as a guinea pig."

I looked at him. He was fairly chubby but he was the same as he was when I met him for the first time.

"Let's just say," I answered. "The fat on you is just puppy fat. All children are rather chubby as they grow but they eventually lose it. But you cannot rely on what you look like outside, Pipkin."

"I know," said Pipkin. "I've just been feeling so self-conscious lately."

"All children your age do but you have nothing to be ashamed of," I said. "Look what you are and done. You served to help me to unlocked the power of the Necklace of Wisdom, you joined us with Fiver and Snowflake, you are helping Fiver find his child, you are captain of Owsla and now you are teaching rabbits around your age. You should be proud, not upset."

I felt responsible speaking to Pipkin like this. I never had a talk with Jason like this ever.

"But will I ever find someone?"

"Of course you will," I said. "There is someone for everyone, I already said. Only Firth knows when you are ready for one."

Me and Pipkin watched the sun fall behind the hills.

"Thanks, Leo," said Pipkin who was wiping his eyes. "I know it's not right for a rabbit my age to cry but -"

"No one is too old to cry, pal," I said.

Pipkin put his paws around me and I did him. It really did feel that I was helping another troubled little brother on the path of growing up. But I loved Pipkin like one so I would clearly do such a thing for him.

After he had finally calmed down, something shone in my eye. I ran over the spot where it came from. It was a necklace, a gold necklace. What on Earth was a trinket like this doing in the middle of nowhere.

"Wh-wha-what is that?" asked Pipkin who was still out of breath from crying.

"I'm not sure," I said. "Why don't you go into the burrow, Pipkin? You need a little rest."

He came up to me for another hug and he heeded my suggestion.

I examined the gem. Could there be another Necklace of Wisdom? No, Mrs. Frinvie told me there was only one before I came to this world two years ago. Mrs. Frinvie was a retired wildlife professor who invited me to her comfortable cottage of a house when I was stuck in a storm while hiding from Mr. Gorwood who desired to make an arrest warrant for me going onto his land unintentionally. She told me she had a dream of meeting a Hedge Wizard that told her of the Necklace of Wisdom and I gladly accepted to find it for her.

"Here, we should be safe."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, they wouldn't find us here."

I listened to some voices and caught the glimpse of some rabbits resting by a tree in the field. I put the gem over my neck and ran up to them to ask if I could be of assistance. There were four of them.

"Excuse me," I began when I reached them. They looked at me. "I couldn't help noticing you lo-"

"Leo Barning from Above!" cried a violet kitten with a white underbelly. She looked up to what looked like her mother. "Zinnia, it's Leo Barning from Above!"

"Indeed it is," said another who was a corn-yellow hare.

The others agreed and greeted me.

I completely forgot how famous I was around these parts. Anywhere I go, they would know me. All I did was just fall from the sky, so I don't see what was so grand about that.

After everyone had settled, I asked their names.

"Zinnia," said the doe with the little daughter.

"Tiger-Lily," said the kitten. "Her little sister."

"Huckers," said the hare.

"Thumper," said the grey, chubby one. He did indeed look like the rabbit from Bambi and it was great effort to hide a laugh.

"What brings you here, Leo Barning from Above?" asked Huckers.

"You can just call me Leo," I allowed. "I am a part of three search parties to look for a lost kitten named Chestnut."

They gasped.

"You know him?" I asked eagerly.

"He was held prisoner at Rawfinn Warren, the innocent tyke," explained Huckers. "But then he escaped with his new friend Walnut. Where to we don't know but as far as we know he has escaped."

"So in which case, he must have run farther forward from the warren."

"Watership Down?" asked Thumper.

"How do you know?" I asked surprised.

"Well because you reside there," he explained "And Chestnut's father lives there too."

"The Child of the Seer," remarked Huckers. "A fitting title."

There were so many questions to ask these rabbits, but the biggest priority was to get them settled into out group. They needed rest and food.

"Come and join us," I said. "You can come with us to help find him and we'll give you a home at the warren".

With that, I led them to sanctuary along with the others who were finding their way into the burrow.