I swam up to the bank gasping for air as did the others. I noticed Fiver was struggling. I completely forgot that he was a weak swimmer. I dove back into the water and retrieved the runt. Under the water his eyes were closed and I pulled him up in panic and tried very hard to get back to the bank.

"Help!" I cried. "Help! Fiver's unconscious!"

"Oh compost!" cried Dandelion as he and Hawkbit came to our aid.

As we reached the bank, Michael helped me get him off me back and lower him gently onto his back.

No sooner had he done so, I began to apply aggressive pressure onto Fiver's belly with my paws.

"One, two, three," I panted. "One, two three! One, two, three!"

Everyone was starting in worry and concern, Pipkin the most.

"What are you doing?" asked Pipkin.

"No questions now," I replied as I kept pressing on Fiver's belly until -

"Hic!-Bluurrghh!"

A fountain of water shot out of Fiver's mouth as his eyes shot open. I patted his back as he coughed and spluttered from what water he had left inside him.

"You okay, Fiver?" I asked.

"I think so," Fiver replied as a burp escaped his mouth. "Pardon me."

"Get it all up," I encouraged.

Fiver got up and wretched and regurgitated what was left of the trapped water inside him. When he had finished, he sat down.

"Rest for a bit," I said as he lay down.

Relief came over me that Fiver was alive, but as my eyes fell on Jason, relief was replaced with sparks.

"You," I snarled getting nearer to him. "You've a earned a place in the Guinness for WORLD'S - BIGGEST - MORON! Why the hell did you wander through the forest alone and unaided?! The Gold-Toothed Shadow was lurking around and you could have been killed by those wolves! You could have gotten us all killed! Not only did you jeopardise your own life and ours, Fiver nearly drowned because of your lack of education! What what I do if anything happened to you?! What would I tell Mam and Dad?!"

"I found the acorn," said Jason, tapping it with his paw.

Only now I realised. So that was one mystery side solved and we could go home whenever.

I snatched it off him and strapped it over my neck.

"Don't think this changes anything," I said threateningly. "Because of you we are half-separated. For all we know, half of us would have to go on to find Chestnut while the others need to find the others to make sure they are safe. I left Rosie and Cynthia with the others and if anything happens to them, their father will cook me for Christmas Dinner!"

"A chance to deflate your head," Jason remarked.

"Come here, you little!"

I attacked him as he scratched my face.

"I wasn't the one arrogant enough to gallivant away without telling his big brother!"

"Only because Cornstalk told me I would find answers for Chestnut if I followed his plan!"

"Going off with strangers adds to you offe - "

I stopped tackling him and he did me.

"Cornstalk?"

"He told me that you tried killing him by feeding him to some bears."

"That was the other way around," I said. "Here is the real story; the year you were willing to let Gorwood know of my whereabouts, I was swept away with Fiver and Pipkin and we came across a seemingly friendly rabbit called Cornstalk. He said he knew something about power of the Necklace of Wisdom and when we followed him, he lured us into this cave and pushed us all in as bear bate. You'd know me well enough to know that I would not commit murder, you stupid twonk!"

I got off him and hopped over to the stream. I dunked my paw in and soaked my face to wash all the dirt off. I shook my face clean and went back over to them.

"You said you learned about Chestnut," said Fiver patiently to Jason.

"Willing to listen are you?"

"Because he's my son, I logically would," remarked Fiver. "Now tell me. Please tell me."

I was too angry to pay any attention to him as he began:

"The wolves said it had something to do with Larkspur and some witch, Chillbleak? Chillbla - yes, Chillblack!"

Everyone listened in at this.

"But she's dead!" remarked Dandelion.

"They say," Jason resumed, "that Larkspur inherited some sort of magic and Leo is involved as a target."

They all just looked at me sitting by the river.

"Why don't you lot tell me the rest later?" Pipkin suggested as he went to keep me company.

"Larkspur," continued Jason, "said that when Leo returns to her threat, she will be ready to fight him."

"What about Chestnut?" asked Fiver desperately.

"He is with a group of kittens and a badger on their way to a beautiful place where it's a trap."

Fiver looked worried.

"Skymoon said he will not be killed by death, but by mind and that we will reach it tomorrow evening."

"Death - by - mind," Fiver repeated.

I sat there, letting the anger die down and Pipkin came up to me.

"The main thing is he is alive," he said to me.

"Barely," I remarked. "Thanks to him, we are in peril - perhaps the others most of all."

Fiver was moaning.

We turned to see what was happening.

"A vision!" announced Pipkin.

We ran up to him and listened carefully to Fiver who was looking up to the night sky.

Guiltless baby's mind at stake, soon to fall in guilt all fake

Evil blood is plotting now, to make fake sinners bend and bow

Innocence will soon be lost, as turning back shall be the cost

Fiver was released form the connection and collapsed.

"The others back there said Chestnut thought he was responsible for Carnation's death," I replied.

"So that's where Larkspur has taken him," said Fiver now in worry. "We need to rest then. We need up early tomorrow."

"You're right," I said. "We need to get our strength ready."

"Give me the necklace," said Michael to Jason.

Jason sighed as they swapped the bottle top and golden necklace with each other.

"I think some of us should stand guard for at least an hour," I suggested.

"Yes," agreed Blackavar. "Sun-Lagoon Warren had that boundary very firmly on everyone."

"But how will we know when it's an hour?" asked Michael.

Faint bell tolling errupted in the distance.

"Thanks, God," Michael implied simply. He was not being sarcastic. Despite his cockiness, slyness and comebacks, he held his faith. He decided that's what keeps him strong through fighting his battles in his daily life.

"I'll go first," said Hawkbit. "Lest that creature comes."

"The Gold-Toothed Shadow?" Fiver asked.

"Yes," said Hawkbit "Just so err - I can get my turn out of the way. If that blighter comes I'll be ready."

"Hawkbit," I said earnestly. "You know more than you're telling us."

Hawkbit looked at me and looked as thought he was to deny again but seemed to think better.

"I met him before," said Hawkbit. "Pipkin was only a baby. The elil attacked his parents alongside a weasel."

"I see where this is going," said Pipkin in a stressed tone. "I was staining outside without my parents knowing and the weasel attacked me and they died saving me."

"No," said Hawkbit patiently. "That was completely incorrect."

"What?" said Pipkin. "I thought Bigwig knew of this. He's the one who saved me."

"And me," said Hawkbit. He sat on his bottom and patted his lap.

"Come sit with Uncle Hawkbit, son. He'll explain everything."

Pipkin hopped up to him and climbed onto his lap.

"Your parents were lived in a warren not far away from Sandleford and your father was very close friends with Bigwig. But one day they had a serous quarrel which resulted him and his mate moving there. Not long after, they had you."

I saw the Pipkin was in desperate interest.

"Anyway," Hawkbit resumed. "It was nighttime and Bigwig was bugging me and also a young Dandelion with his military exercise when he noticed a dark figure lurking behind the trees. Bigwig could see he was headed for his friend's warren and he brought me along, sending Dandelion home since he was too inexperienced. We saw him in the nick of time sending a weasel into the burrow. There was shrieking inside the warren and we heard your father screaming to your mother "Get Pipkin out of here!". There she arrived with a baby kitten and placed him outside the entrance. Then she went back to help her husband as you sat there too young to notice anything about danger. Bigwig charged into the warren and told me to get you out to Sandleford. I arrived to pick you up as the weasel ran off shrieking, its face smeared in blood. Bigwig, on the other hand, came back to report that your parents - had stopped running.

Fiver looked down in sadness.

Dandelion and Blackavar looked on.

Jason's eyes flared with a mixture of anger and something else.

Pipkin's face streamed with tears and and hugged Hawkbit tight.

"There now, lad," said Hawkbit. "You were always safe with us and always will be."

"It wasn't my fault!" Pipkin sobbed.

"Of course it wasn't," said Hawkbit. "Everything happened fast."

"For a long time I caused their deaths," Pipkin sobbed. "Thank you, Hawkbit."

He released Hawkbit from his hug and ran up to me for a hug.

"It wasn't my fault after all!" he cried through his sobs. "I'm so happy to learn this!"

"Me as well, Pipkin," I replied. "You're a good boy. You always have been no matter if you made any bad mistakes."

"You're more good than me," said Michael patting his head. "Even as a baby myself, I'd have meant to I set a weasel to scram every inch of my uncle's fat arse."

Pipkin giggled through his sobbing as he changed his hug onto Michael.

We hopped through the first which was thinner and safer-looking until we came to a hill which was very steep and there was a thin tree almost making us think of home.

Everyone was soon asleep in their spots. Hawkbit, Dandelion and Blackavar were asleep together except for Jason who slept in his own spot separating himself himself from the others. I looked over at him, feeling a twinge of regret for my anger towards him. What he did was very stupid but I couldn't help feeling that I may have been rather hard with him.

I was sitting next to Fiver. We were both sitting on our backsides with Pipkin spread across on each of our laps like in a baby's cot, smiling like he had never smiled in a long time.

Me and Fiver were socialising but quiet enough to not to wake Pipkin.

"He's been through a lot these past few days," I said to Fiver. "His false ideas of getting his parents getting killed and then his fear of not being attractive enough to get a doe."

"This being told from squat little runt who emerged triumphant with that similar goal," smiled Fiver.

"That I also explained to him," I said. "How did your journey go so far?"

"Alright," said Fiver. "It all started when we found this necklace thanks to a friendly cat and me and Hazel found our birthplace. Then we found this chamber under the pond where we thought Chestnut was head but then there was all this trickery out of the ordinary. I had to kick a stone on the head of Chillblack and we escaped, then the colour of this thing turned white."

"Similar experience," I reacted. "Daffodil took Cynthia somewhere and got her knocked down these underground caverns where there was a wolf who tried to kill us. Luckily Pipkin here, completed it for us. After that, my necklace went white. Same for Michael too when he fought off this mysterious weasel."

We looked over at Michael in the distance who was currently on night watch.

"I have to fess up," said Fiver suddenly.

"Fess up what?" I asked.

"The reason you're all here, me in particular - especially Chestnut out there, is my fault."

"How can this possibly be your fault?" I asked.

"One night," began Fiver, "Prince Winter had a nightmare of Carnation getting killed and he, Chestnut, fell down the Valley of Fire. I assured him it must have been a dream. He asked he if I ever read the future that came true. I lied. I didn't want him running off with the idea that he was causing all these things to happen. Had I told the truth, Jason may not have been in danger and neither would the others. I'm very sorry, Leo."

"Larkspur is behind it all, Fiver," I assured him. "It's wrong to lie, especially to your children, but it's evident that Larkspur has planned all this otherwise we wouldn't be out looking for Chestnut. She drove the idea in his head that he caused Carnation's accident. And you know what, my god plans bad things to make good out of them. Chestnut's endangerment might lead to something wonderful. And we will be there in time to save him tomorrow. You said unless where death is concerned."

Fiver nodded but still in a sad expression.

"We've all done something stupid in our time on Earth," I assured him. "Look at me when I first came here. I snuck out of Buttercup's warren and almost lost the necklace instead of waking any of the others about my plan."

"But it's not exactly lying though, is it," said Fiver logically but with guilt.

"Yes, I know. I mean we all did something we regret."

"But thanks for trying to make me feel better, Leo."

We pressed our heads together affectionally. Our moment was interrupted when a magpie started us flying past.

"I just the others will find their way," Fiver added.

"I'm sure they will," I replied. "They are Watership Down. And so are we."

Pipkin was beginning to murmur and stir.

"Where are you?" he moaned. "I'm alone! Please! NO!"

He shot awake.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I was back at the warren and I was alone. Everyone was alone."

"You were dreaming, Pipkin," said Fiver gently.

"But," Pipkin began, "what if it did happen one day? What if everyone was gone and there only me left. I was the youngest when we moved Watership Down. What would I do when everyone's gone?"

Fiver reflected on the similar conversation he had with Hazel at their birthplace.

"You'll still have Hazel and Primrose's children including Chestnut, Pipkin," Fiver said kindly as he stroked his head. "You'll never be alone, Pipkin because we will be with you even when invisible."

"But I want to be same as you and Leo. I'd hate to be in this world without you."

"But think what you'd leave behind," said Fiver. "Your junior Owsla, Cynthia, all the other kittens. They love you and look up to you. you have so many things to be proud of. Because of you, we know not all elil is evil, because of you, we all know there is a backstory for elil which encourages even the strongest to feel sympathy, because of you, you make everyone smile in a world as naughty as this. I'm going to tell you something very important which Hazel told me not long ago; death takes us away, but it cannot take away our own creations."

Pipkin smiled, closed his and nuzzled into Fiver.

"I bet your parents are standing next to us right now, saying how proud they are of their son who had achieved so much ever since he was orphaned."

Fiver leant over and nuzzled the top of Pipkin's head.

"You're handing this better than I did. My face was a soaking state."

We looked over at Michael who was standing in his post, now being replaced by Hawkbit.

The church bell chimed.

Michael was heading back to his sleeping spot as Hawkbit eyed us, smiling at Pipkin and winked at us.

I nodded to thank him for clarifying the hauntings that stuck with Pipkin as he replaces Michael's position.

I closed my eyes thinking about Rosie and hoping she was alright along with Cynthia as well as the others. I promised her a wonderful time but not this sort of adventure.

Fiver's eyes closed as he thought about Hazel who might have been frantic worry at this time, hoping they would reunite soon - as well as his little Prince Winter. He missed him sleeping on his chest, knowing that his heart was outside as well as inside. As for Snowflake, he wanted so bad to see her beautiful face and voice once again. His two treasures were lost but not lost forever. Every day he was with them both, all his worries were gone and it was a feeling he wish kept with him all the way through his life.

Pipkin's sleepy through Fiver's words and was too drowsy to make out the sound of pounding feet coming up to him, stopping and two rabbits nuzzling. They smelled just like freak leaves and oak, a scene he never smelled before. He had the exact idea but chose not to reveal the truth for himself. Dreams are good and sometimes better left untold and unclarified.