For a few long, painful seconds, Captain Holly and Colonel Thornfoot
tumbled down the slope outside the Down, followed by a large mass of sticks
which had crumbled from the collapsed section of the wall. Soon the sticks
caught up to them and to add to the pain of them both grasping on to the
other, they were now filled with a crushing pain as they fell on top of
them. Soon it became such that Colonel Thornfoot let go Captain Holly, and
Captain Holly let go of Colonel Thornfoot.
They stopped rolling and got to their feet, staring each other down, hissing and spitting, their mouths foaming. They were standing at the foundation of a tall oak tree. Its branches were leafless, giving it a very spooky appearance. Next to the oak tree was a rushing, foaming river.
"You're still as clever as when you were in Efrafa," said Thornfoot.
"And I can see you're just as blunt-witted as you were then," said Holly. He jumped at Thornfoot and tore at his shoulder. Thornfoot saw this coming, though, and kicked Holly in the stomach. He fell limply to the ground.
"Holly, Holly," muttered Thornfoot as he approached the fallen captain. "Patience was never your finest point."
He leaned down close, preparing to bite Holly's throat.
"Nor was strategy," he said menacingly.
But Holly was still strong enough to aim one more blow at the Colonel: he swung his head up and sunk his front teeth into his nose. Thornfoot roared in agony, and made three wild swings for Holly with his front paws.
Holly dodged the swipes and jumped away from the evil creature. Thornfoot leapt at him, but Holly rolled out of the way. He then hurdled onto Thornfoot's back and hid his teeth in his neck.
As Thornfoot roared and shrieked, trying to throw Holly off, the wily captain snarled, through a mouthful of blood: "And victory was never your finest point."
With that, he mustered all the strength he could and whipped his head out to the left. A crack was heard, and Thornfoot let out a brief yelp before was silenced, and his legs gave way and he slumped to the ground. His neck was broken. Holly spat some fur onto the ground and cursed the Colonel.
He then limped as fast as he could up the hill and back to the battle. He was half way up the slope when a voice cried out from above: "Colonel Thornfoot is dead! Flee!"
"No, you fool!" came another voice. "We will fight to the death!"
Holly bounded up the hill with all the strength he could find in himself and leaped into battle again. There were few Efrafans left - but about two times the amount of rabbits on Holly's side.
"We're not going to make it, Captain," said the gruff voice of Bigwig from beside Holly. He was in a ghastly state; nearly drenched in blood, the odd tuft of hair on his head ripped out and one of his ears with a tear in it.
"We'll hold as long as we can," said Holly. "Thornfoot's dead - they'll not be near as powerful."
"Still, they've got quite a few more than us," said Bigwig grimly. "We're doomed."
But then the cry of, "Look! We're saved!" took this idea right out of their minds. Bigwig and Holly swiveled their heads around to see what appeared to be a huge clump of snow moving towards the Down. On closer inspection, they realized it was not snow, but rabbits - the Snow of the Mountain! And what was more, they were being led by Blackberry.
Holly could not stop a grin of mirth playing around his features. Perhaps it was the Efrafans crying in despair, or his own rabbits cheering and fighting with more heart than they had before, or both, but suddenly Captain Holly's spirits soared.
There was a great ripping CRUNCH as Blackberry, Captain Swordfern and the Snow of the Mountain broke through the wall and engulfed what remained of the Efrafa army. Those who attempted to flee were stopped and either killed on the spot or forced to fight, but either way, within a matter of minutes Efrafa was dead forever.
After the battle had been finished and the bodies cleared away, Blackberry rejoined Watership Down. The Snow of the Mountain's nomadic life was ended; the severe amount of casualties the Down suffered made room for the entire White Owsla (as they would be known from then on) to live in.
Never again would Efrafa trouble Watership Down. The battle was a fierce one, the most fierce in all rabbit history. And it would be remembered vividly unto the deaths of all who were there as The Last March of the Efrafans.
THE END
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, without whom I probably wouldn't have been able to finish this :). You guys (and girls) are great! Thank you! Until I write again, farewell!
They stopped rolling and got to their feet, staring each other down, hissing and spitting, their mouths foaming. They were standing at the foundation of a tall oak tree. Its branches were leafless, giving it a very spooky appearance. Next to the oak tree was a rushing, foaming river.
"You're still as clever as when you were in Efrafa," said Thornfoot.
"And I can see you're just as blunt-witted as you were then," said Holly. He jumped at Thornfoot and tore at his shoulder. Thornfoot saw this coming, though, and kicked Holly in the stomach. He fell limply to the ground.
"Holly, Holly," muttered Thornfoot as he approached the fallen captain. "Patience was never your finest point."
He leaned down close, preparing to bite Holly's throat.
"Nor was strategy," he said menacingly.
But Holly was still strong enough to aim one more blow at the Colonel: he swung his head up and sunk his front teeth into his nose. Thornfoot roared in agony, and made three wild swings for Holly with his front paws.
Holly dodged the swipes and jumped away from the evil creature. Thornfoot leapt at him, but Holly rolled out of the way. He then hurdled onto Thornfoot's back and hid his teeth in his neck.
As Thornfoot roared and shrieked, trying to throw Holly off, the wily captain snarled, through a mouthful of blood: "And victory was never your finest point."
With that, he mustered all the strength he could and whipped his head out to the left. A crack was heard, and Thornfoot let out a brief yelp before was silenced, and his legs gave way and he slumped to the ground. His neck was broken. Holly spat some fur onto the ground and cursed the Colonel.
He then limped as fast as he could up the hill and back to the battle. He was half way up the slope when a voice cried out from above: "Colonel Thornfoot is dead! Flee!"
"No, you fool!" came another voice. "We will fight to the death!"
Holly bounded up the hill with all the strength he could find in himself and leaped into battle again. There were few Efrafans left - but about two times the amount of rabbits on Holly's side.
"We're not going to make it, Captain," said the gruff voice of Bigwig from beside Holly. He was in a ghastly state; nearly drenched in blood, the odd tuft of hair on his head ripped out and one of his ears with a tear in it.
"We'll hold as long as we can," said Holly. "Thornfoot's dead - they'll not be near as powerful."
"Still, they've got quite a few more than us," said Bigwig grimly. "We're doomed."
But then the cry of, "Look! We're saved!" took this idea right out of their minds. Bigwig and Holly swiveled their heads around to see what appeared to be a huge clump of snow moving towards the Down. On closer inspection, they realized it was not snow, but rabbits - the Snow of the Mountain! And what was more, they were being led by Blackberry.
Holly could not stop a grin of mirth playing around his features. Perhaps it was the Efrafans crying in despair, or his own rabbits cheering and fighting with more heart than they had before, or both, but suddenly Captain Holly's spirits soared.
There was a great ripping CRUNCH as Blackberry, Captain Swordfern and the Snow of the Mountain broke through the wall and engulfed what remained of the Efrafa army. Those who attempted to flee were stopped and either killed on the spot or forced to fight, but either way, within a matter of minutes Efrafa was dead forever.
After the battle had been finished and the bodies cleared away, Blackberry rejoined Watership Down. The Snow of the Mountain's nomadic life was ended; the severe amount of casualties the Down suffered made room for the entire White Owsla (as they would be known from then on) to live in.
Never again would Efrafa trouble Watership Down. The battle was a fierce one, the most fierce in all rabbit history. And it would be remembered vividly unto the deaths of all who were there as The Last March of the Efrafans.
THE END
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, without whom I probably wouldn't have been able to finish this :). You guys (and girls) are great! Thank you! Until I write again, farewell!