Part Sixteen - Storm
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13, NIV
"There she is, Oaktrunk - over there!" Arum was looking towards a gap in some bushes on the opposite bank of the river. Immediately, Oaktrunk saw Gina as well, as she emerged from the foliage and gingerly padded across the stones in the river.
"Gina! What happened?" cried Oaktrunk, noticing her numerous wounds.
"Pratt found me - that's what happened," Gina replied miserably, "He was scared off by one of the men with a gun, but I suspect he's following me. Get everyone into the woods and stay on this side of the river. We've no time. We'll have to take a long way around to Cloudtree."
One of the does gestured with a nod of her head, "That's not all we have to worry about." In the distance, but approaching rapidly, was the first assault of the storm. It was one of the most frightening scenes that most of the Grottons had ever seen, next to one of the many murderous tantrums of the former Chief Cypress.
"Is that rain? It doesn't look like rain..." pondered another doe.
"That's more than just rain," replied Oaktrunk, listening to the growing sound of wind. Soon, the trees in the distance bowed over dramatically, like tall grass in a gusty breeze. The bowing of the trees moved rapidly towards them, like an eerie wave of water, as the trees that first fell victim began to blur and vanish in an all-encompassing wall of greyish- white.
As the sudden gale struck the refugee band, leaves, sizable branches, dirt, and even small stones became airborne. The first huge drops of rain were whipped parallel to the ground and within moments became great driving sheets of water. Embedded in the rain were balls of ice that stung greatly as they occasionally scored a direct hit on one of the group even as they attempted to find shelter from this latest assault. It was now only just possible to see the violently swaying trees on the opposite side of the river where they had crossed from.
"We'd better get into thicker woods - there's bound to be better shelter there!" shouted Gina over the howl of the wind in the tortured trees.
"I'm with you," replied Oaktrunk, wincing as a hailstone pelted his back, "Let's get moving!"
Somehow, Oaktrunk, Arum, Gina, and several of the Grotton bucks that were with the group managed to guide the soaked and stumbling group up a gradually rising path that followed the river bank and soon led into a dense wood atop a sheer fifty-foot rocky ledge that formed the river bank further downstream. As they climbed, great gusts of wind would send some of the group, especially the kittens, sprawling and tumbling along in the mud. Eventually, the path curved away from the cliff and deeper into the wood, where wind-whipped trees stopped the gale's main force, but still allowed rain and hailstones to pelt down.
A tree no more than two hundred feet away was struck by lightning; the ear- splitting crack causing many of the kittens to squeal and try to crawl under their marlis for shelter. A flicker of flame appeared inside the partially-hollow trunk halfway up the stricken tree, but this lasted only seconds as the storm's deluge and gale quenched it.
"This isn't safe; let's try further down there," Arum said, nodding with his head to a fork in the path that descended down the other side of the rocky ridge and disappeared into the thick forest, "I think if we go far enough, the cliff will go back down to the river level further downstream, and we will still be further away from that Pratt friend of yours."
"Ha! So you consider me a friend, do you?"
Arum and the rest of the group looked around for the source of the voice. Gina, who recognized the voice well, was struck with terror. Another lightning bolt savaged a tree that was close enough for the same loud crack as before to be heard.
Unshaken by the thunder, Pratt continued, emerging from his cover. "Isn't it just grand how a fox can track a bunch of rabbits even in weather like this? Oh, but I mustn't take all of the credit myself. One of the dear vixens of the area saw you all coming up this way. I suppose you couldn't have been too difficult for her to spot save for the rain. What was her name again? Oh, yes... Janice. I'll have to mention her to Kate. She's always looking for good scouts." Pratt looked with a sneer at Oaktrunk and issued in a low snarl, "Just like I'm always looking for a good meal. And it's so good to meet you again. And I do mean meat, my friend." Pratt laughed with a sinister chuckle, and Oaktrunk closed his eyes and contemplated that particular dark play on words again.
Pratt looked around at the Grottons, who were staring at him in terror and with some state of resignation. They were cold, wet, and tired, and were just waiting for Pratt to seize one of their number and be gone. The rest would live. Oaktrunk knew this, as well. "You had me by rights before," muttered the Cloudtree Owsla Captain, trying to hide his fear, "Let me be your dinner. Just leave the rest of them alone."
"Oh, but of course," replied Pratt in a condescending tone, "I wouldn't have it any other way." He paused. "Mind, you, I really should save one of the precious little ones here for Janice." He peered coldly at a nearby doe kitten, who began sobbing and buried her face into her petrified marli's side. He continued slowly glancing around, sizing up other kittens, knowing they were the most terrified at the moment. "I know you're tired. You can't run far. Especially you delicious little fluffy snacks. Oh, and Kate and all of her friends, too. They get one each. After all, they helped me find you!" Upon the last word, said in a shriek of rage, Pratt snapped his head around and pierced Gina with a glare from his blood-red eyes. Nearby, lightning turned the storm's darkness into bright day again, followed by a crackling roar of thunder, which was soon lost in the howl of the gale in the swaying tree tops and the ongoing thunder of more distant lightning strikes.
"You don't frighten me in the least, Pratt," hissed Gina, "I would have killed you had it not been for that man and his gun." Looking at Pratt's destroyed right ear, his torn nose, and his numerous bloody scratches, she added with a strange mixture of pity and glee, "Look at you. You're a mess."
"If you're not scared, then why did you run like a pathetic little rabbit?" fumed Pratt, as he halved the distance between himself and Gina with small but quick steps. By preparing to pounce and raising his fur in aggression despite its being drenched, he made it clear to all present that he was prepared to finish this business once and for all. He added in an ominous snarl, "Do you have any last words of wisdom, oh friend of the bunnies?"
***
Pipit and Fawn knew that the storm would be upon them before they could make it back to Grotto. As the saw the ominous wall of rain and wind approach, the ducked into the hollowed trunk of a centuries-old but still- living cedar and hoped for the best.
The opening of the trunk faced away from the blasting gale, so they were able to remain relatively dry. However, after several minutes of violent gusts, they heard the rotting wood of the tree beginning to crumble from the strain. Suddenly, the tree snapped just above the heads of the huddled does with a series of groans and cracks, and was laid out flat upon the ground with a crash. The leaves caught the wind as the tree went down, so that the tree was actually blown ahead by several feet, sparing the squealing rabbits from being trapped or impaled my sharp splinters, but exposing them to the rain which continued to pelt down furiously. They could feel the dulled impacts of numerous wind-whipped hailstones smacking into the wood of the destroyed tree's stump as they huddled desperately against each other and what was left of their shelter and waited.
***
As Winston was gathering up some of the last of his garden tools, he looked out of the many windows again. The storm had taken a turn for the worse in just the few minutes since he last checked. A low bank of cloud was rolling towards the farm, bringing with it an ominously white wall of rain and likely hail. He didn't like the chances of a building with hundreds of panes of glass providing good shelter in a storm like this, so he hastened out of the greenhouse and towards the farm house.
Just as he got inside, he thought of going to get the exterminators, as well, but as he looked back outside, he saw them jumping into their lorries. Then, the gale, and rain struck, blowing dirt and mud through the air. Winston slammed the door shut, and heard the roar of the intense rain against the roof and windward walls of the house. Occasionally, a bang could be heard as a hailstone bounced off of the building. These bangs became suddenly louder and more frequent as the storm intensified to a frightening degree. Almost immediately, the bangs were accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, and wind-driven hailstones the size of cricket balls began slicing into the house.
George rushed past Winston, with terror in his voice, "I remember a storm like this when I was visiting Texas! We've got to get downstairs!"
"This house doesn't have any 'downstairs', George!"
"Oh, no! We're dead!" As George began looking around at the hail piling up on the floor, the electricity suddenly failed. This made George even more nervous.
"Just relax! I did have a root cellar put in by the greenhouse for the vegetables, try that!", snorted Winston. He had seen tornadoes in books and television, but wasn't expecting one now, as he had never seen one in person in all of his sixty years in the south of England. However, he had to try to quench George's paranoia to maintain his own sanity. Winston handed George the key and watched with amusement as his former boss dashed back outside and sprinted towards the cellar, his curses disappearing into the storm as he was pelted by rain and hail.
***
James and Bill had to duck under the dashboards of their lorries as their windscreens first cracked crazily, then crumbled inward under the onslaught of the wind-driven hail. There they remained for the duration of the storm, getting soaked as the gusty winds buffeted their lorries about as though an angry mob was outside.
***
Ken had remained in the limousine, as instructed by his boss, during the entire time that the rabbits' extermination had been set up and the storm had been approaching. Obviously, George was expecting to leave fairly soon. Ken was busying himself with reading Richard Adams' novel "Watership Down" while he waited, and briefly considered the irony that what was happening now was eerily reminiscent of what had happened to Sandleford Warren in the book. Waiting for George was no problem to him, as he was often waiting on George for hours on end. At least he was paid fairly decently to read books.
Ken was so absorbed in the book that he didn't realize a storm was hitting until the wind began to gust and great drops of rain began to pelt the car. The rain made enough noise to drown out his thoughts, but the hail that rapidly increased in size and intensity made it sound as though he were in the middle of D-Day. He watched nervously as the windscreen began to form small spiders' webs, but the bullet-proof glass (installed on George's orders) held fast.
***
"Silflay hraka!" Gina uttered the lapine curse and leapt at Pratt with a snarl. This time, however, Pratt did not allow Gina to get any position of advantage. He guessed that Gina would try to attack first, and leapt back quickly. As Gina landed, she lost her footing in the rain-slicked grass and stumbled onto her side. Pratt made no mistake and immediately seized her throat his jaws, and gleefully tasted her blood. Gina's yelp of pain was gargled, and Pratt knew that his mission was close to being accomplished.
At that moment, Pratt felt a blow and sharp pain as claws raked his left eye. He shut his eyes and was hit again; this time his muzzle sustained another gash. Gina must somehow have twisted around and gotten in two lucky scratching kicks. Not wanting to receive another gash, Pratt hoped that Gina was wounded enough and released his grip. Gina remained inert on the ground, with blood pooling around her throat and running away in diluted rivulets with the rainwater. Then, with his good eye, he saw what had struck the blows.
Arum was crouched in the grass and mud before him, glaring with red-hot eyes and holding up a front paw, with fox fur clinging to the extended and blood-stained claws. "What's the matter, homba? Scared of a little rabbit?" he taunted.
Pratt paused and looked at this unusually brazen rabbit before him, and then without bothering to reply, leapt at him. Arum easily bounded away, calling back taunts and daring him to follow and fight. Pratt's pride could not allow this rabbit to live, so he pursued, to the edge of the nearby rocky ledge. Arum was out on an outcropping of rock, exposed to the wind, rain and the now-abating hail.
It had been Arum's last-second plan to goad Pratt into following him as he climbed down the cliff, where hopefully his pursuer would lose his grip and fall to the rocky river bed below. However, there was no obvious way down without him falling as well, so Arum stood, peering down the cliff and at the slowly advancing Pratt, while pondering his mistake. Then, he saw that they were no longer alone.
***
Gina knew that she was seriously wounded. Her stumble and caused her any hope of gaining combat advantage, and now she was barely able to breathe. The thought that she was about to die hadn't even time to register when Pratt stopped his assault. She remained still, wondering if Pratt thought that she was dead, and if she should try to attack when he least expected it. However, she could hear Arum's taunts and then Pratt's leaving in pursuit of his new target.
After a few moments, Gina slowly got to her feet and stumbled after her attacker. She was beginning to feel dizzy from loss of blood, and her vision was blurring. She soon arrived at the ledge, and saw that Pratt had Arum trapped on a jutting slab of stone at the cliff's edge. Without thinking further, she mustered her strength and ran straight for Pratt.
Just as Pratt heard her approach and began to turn, Gina plowed into his side and pushed him along the wet rock and, without stopping, over the edge. Before they both toppled over the cliff, Pratt reached out in desperation and caught Arum with an outstretched paw. Arum, too, was sent over the side.
Pratt landed first, on his back, with the unmistakable sound of cracking bones. Gina immediately landed on top of him. Pratt issued a loud yelp that echoed up and down the river and then never moved again, while Gina managed to crawl a short distance away, leaving a bloody trail, before passing out.
Arum, just before he toppled over the cliff, glanced down and pushed out with his hind legs, hoping to clear the rocks below and land in the now rain-swollen river. He succeeded, and felt the shock of hitting cold water from a dizzying height. He was momentarily fighting the water, striking out with his paws, and finally surfaced again. He drew in a much-craved breath of air with a gasp and struggled to stay afloat as he was swept downstream.
***
"Dear, you should see what's coming!" breathed Crystal as she hastened into their burrow.
"Let me guess - it's going to rain?" General Hrairah replied sleepily, "It's been due, hasn't it?" He followed his mate out onto the silf and glanced at the approaching storm. "Great Frith, even I wasn't expecting this!" he exclaimed, adding quickly, "Dear, is everybody in the warren yet?"
"Yes," Crystal replied, "Everyone is accounted for... except for Oaktrunk, of course." She looked down at this last comment.
"Oh, don't worry, dear, I'm sure that he just had a lot to talk about at Grotto. I'm sure he's fine; he'll be waiting out the weather and be back tomorrow, perhaps."
"But it's been two days! He should have been back yesterday, no later! If he's been taken by elil..."
General Hrairah nuzzled his mate, and soothed, "Our Oaktrunk taken by elil? Not bloody likely! Come, dear, let's get inside before we get soaked."
***
Arum was tiring in the life-sucking cold water. He tried grabbing at floating debris, but was too weak to keep a grip. He fought towards shore, but the current was stronger at the river's centre, and held him fast. The rain continued to pelt down, and the odd hailstone splashed nearby. Lightning continuously lit up the sky and ground, briefly illuminating the wildly swaying trees towering over him on both sides of the river.
So this must be what it is like to die, he thought. He was now barely able to keep his nose clear of the water, and the cold had penetrated him to the point of dulling any pain. Briefly, he saw what must have been his lost mate Mazarine, with three kittens at her side, standing on the river's bank, watching him pass by. He could make out a pleasant smile on her face, as if she was waiting patiently for him. "Don't worry, dear. It's going to be all right." Arum didn't even wonder how he could hear her voice so clearly, when her mouth wasn't even moving.
He held his breath as he slipped under the water. Kicking weakly, he managed to break the surface again, and took a deep gasp. He again became submerged, but he couldn't regain the surface. His lungs burned for air, and he could hold out no longer. He saw the lightning criss-crossing the dark sky through the water above him, then gasped down a lung full of water. The cold and choking agony of the water was soon replaced by an eerie warmth that seemed to grow from within him until it occupied his entire body. The warmth was sleep.
As Arum awoke, he found himself on a field of grass, with Frith shining almost directly above him. That's strange, I've never seen Frith that high in the sky before, he thought - then he considered how he had escaped the river. Is this?... Am I?... He saw a rabbit approaching him, with a warm smile on his face and a curious twinkle in his eyes. Though he had never seen this rabbit before, he somehow seemed familiar.
"Hello, Arum. You appear to be lost, my friend."
"How do you know my name? Who are you? Where am I?"
The stranger's warm smile grew. "I'll answer those questions in reverse order. You are just outside of El-ahrairah's warren. My name is Hazel- rah. And, I trust that this will answer your first question."
Arum was dumbfounded. "The Hazel-rah? From Watership Down? I'm really dead, aren't I? Where is Mazarine?"
"Let me explain, Arum. El-ahrairah asked me to meet with you. You're not supposed to be here."
"I can't enter his warren? Never?" Arum's voice choked.
"No, no," soothed Hazel-rah, "It's not that. It's simply that you've just got so much to do yet. Here..." The former Chief of Watership Down reached out with his right paw and touched Arum on his nose. A warm sensation again flooded his body, not unlike that which he had felt in the river, which couldn't have been more than a few minutes earlier.
Arum wouldn't recall his encounter with Hazel-rah again during his lifetime.
***
"Meadow!" breathed Oaktrunk, "It's Arum! He's fallen into the river!" He turned to the Grottons and choked out, "And I think Gina and Pratt are dead!"
Meadow gasped and tears began to well in her eyes. She didn't hear Oaktrunk speak of the hombil, after learning about Arum. "Father?" she sobbed, "No... No... We have to save him!"
At the news of the fate of Gina and Pratt, the other rabbits were both agonized and relieved. Wanting to see for themselves, they followed Oaktrunk back to the cliff. Both Gina and Pratt lay there on the rocks, appearing to all to be dead. Oaktrunk and the others saw that Meadow was missing; most guessed immediately as to where she had gone.
Oaktrunk and the Grottons followed the path in search of Meadow all of the way to the river bank. "She must have tried going downstream from here, along the bank," guessed Oaktrunk, "Since no doubt she was looking for her father."
The others nodded silently, and followed Oaktrunk along the side of the river. The hail was no longer falling, and the wind and lightning had lessened noticeably, but the rain was still heavy. Finally, the rabbits came across Meadow, who was tightly clutching the body of a dead rabbit, presumably her drowned father, and weeping into his side.
***
Rather than following the others, Meadow had run down the fork in the path, hoping that it would eventually lead back down to the bank further downstream, as her father had hoped it would before Pratt had discovered them. She could occasionally glimpse the river, as the path meandered agonizingly slowly towards her goal. She saw that the river was not so far below her each time that she saw it. Finally, she broke out of woods and onto the rocky bank of the rising river. "Father!" she cried, "Where are you?" Weeping, she began to bolt down the wet stones of the riverbank, knowing that the chances of ever seeing Arum again were next to none.
After a minute of running, she noticed a natural dam of broken trees and other debris that had formed over the river where it had narrowed and had numerous rocks sticking out of the water to block the travel of larger objects. Water was crashing against the dam, but it held as most of the water simply swept underneath it. Beside one of the banks - on her side of the river - she noticed something floating in the calmer water there. It looked like an animal of some sorts, perhaps even...
As she drew closer, she could make out the long ears of a rabbit. Her heart leapt for joy as she realized that it was indeed her father. However, she felt great sorrow just as quickly as she realized that he was drowned. He was bobbing lifelessly in the water, and he seemed somewhat bloated.
Without thinking, she quickly jumped into the water, and, seizing his hind feet, proceeded to drag his heavy, saturated body onto dry land. Fearing that the river might continue rising, she kept on dragging him up the slope, using strength that she didn't even realize that she had.
When she felt that she had gone far enough, she stopped and spoke in harsh sobs into Arum's ears, "Father! I've got you out! Please wake up!" She pressed her ear to his chest, but could hear neither breathing nor a heartbeat. Assuming that his bloatedness was due to swallowing water, she rolled him onto his back and began pressing down on his chest to force it out. At first, nothing happened, but as Arum's head was lying downhill, the fluid in his lungs began to seep forward, as Meadow pressed more firmly and desperately. Finally, Meadow saw water begin to stream from her father's mouth. She actually squeezed hard enough that she feared that she might break his ribs, so she reluctantly began pushing down more lightly.
The bloating seemed to have receded, but still Arum lay lifeless. "Father, please, you can't just leave me here! You have so much to teach me! And I want my kittens to hear your stories some day! Father!"
As the storm raged on around her, she knew that she had failed despite her efforts. Meadow turned away and began to sob bitterly. She had lost so much in her life. Her mother, her only three siblings, her friends Mark and Carol, their wonderful mother, Mara, and now, as she had heard Oaktrunk say, probably Gina, too. And now, her father. She had no one left for her, except the Grottons, whom she hardly even knew, and Oaktrunk, whom she had only met the day before.
She surrendered, too tired to weep any more, and lay her head in her paws. She heard her own breath coming in deep, hoarse gasps. And then she realized that the gasping wasn't in the same rhythm as her own breathing.
***
Oaktrunk's heart was filled with sorrow and pity, and slowly made his way over to comfort Meadow. Then he saw that Arum's eyes were open - barely, but open - and that his mouth was moving. He couldn't hear what was said, but Meadow nodded and sobbed with joy, "...and I knew that you wouldn't leave me father, not like this..."
Arum merely smiled weakly in reply and his eyes opened wider as he recognized Oaktrunk.
"And you didn't think I'd stopped running, did you?" he asked in a grating whisper.
"No," lied Oaktrunk, "I knew that the Black Rabbit wouldn't find you this day."
************
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13, NIV
"There she is, Oaktrunk - over there!" Arum was looking towards a gap in some bushes on the opposite bank of the river. Immediately, Oaktrunk saw Gina as well, as she emerged from the foliage and gingerly padded across the stones in the river.
"Gina! What happened?" cried Oaktrunk, noticing her numerous wounds.
"Pratt found me - that's what happened," Gina replied miserably, "He was scared off by one of the men with a gun, but I suspect he's following me. Get everyone into the woods and stay on this side of the river. We've no time. We'll have to take a long way around to Cloudtree."
One of the does gestured with a nod of her head, "That's not all we have to worry about." In the distance, but approaching rapidly, was the first assault of the storm. It was one of the most frightening scenes that most of the Grottons had ever seen, next to one of the many murderous tantrums of the former Chief Cypress.
"Is that rain? It doesn't look like rain..." pondered another doe.
"That's more than just rain," replied Oaktrunk, listening to the growing sound of wind. Soon, the trees in the distance bowed over dramatically, like tall grass in a gusty breeze. The bowing of the trees moved rapidly towards them, like an eerie wave of water, as the trees that first fell victim began to blur and vanish in an all-encompassing wall of greyish- white.
As the sudden gale struck the refugee band, leaves, sizable branches, dirt, and even small stones became airborne. The first huge drops of rain were whipped parallel to the ground and within moments became great driving sheets of water. Embedded in the rain were balls of ice that stung greatly as they occasionally scored a direct hit on one of the group even as they attempted to find shelter from this latest assault. It was now only just possible to see the violently swaying trees on the opposite side of the river where they had crossed from.
"We'd better get into thicker woods - there's bound to be better shelter there!" shouted Gina over the howl of the wind in the tortured trees.
"I'm with you," replied Oaktrunk, wincing as a hailstone pelted his back, "Let's get moving!"
Somehow, Oaktrunk, Arum, Gina, and several of the Grotton bucks that were with the group managed to guide the soaked and stumbling group up a gradually rising path that followed the river bank and soon led into a dense wood atop a sheer fifty-foot rocky ledge that formed the river bank further downstream. As they climbed, great gusts of wind would send some of the group, especially the kittens, sprawling and tumbling along in the mud. Eventually, the path curved away from the cliff and deeper into the wood, where wind-whipped trees stopped the gale's main force, but still allowed rain and hailstones to pelt down.
A tree no more than two hundred feet away was struck by lightning; the ear- splitting crack causing many of the kittens to squeal and try to crawl under their marlis for shelter. A flicker of flame appeared inside the partially-hollow trunk halfway up the stricken tree, but this lasted only seconds as the storm's deluge and gale quenched it.
"This isn't safe; let's try further down there," Arum said, nodding with his head to a fork in the path that descended down the other side of the rocky ridge and disappeared into the thick forest, "I think if we go far enough, the cliff will go back down to the river level further downstream, and we will still be further away from that Pratt friend of yours."
"Ha! So you consider me a friend, do you?"
Arum and the rest of the group looked around for the source of the voice. Gina, who recognized the voice well, was struck with terror. Another lightning bolt savaged a tree that was close enough for the same loud crack as before to be heard.
Unshaken by the thunder, Pratt continued, emerging from his cover. "Isn't it just grand how a fox can track a bunch of rabbits even in weather like this? Oh, but I mustn't take all of the credit myself. One of the dear vixens of the area saw you all coming up this way. I suppose you couldn't have been too difficult for her to spot save for the rain. What was her name again? Oh, yes... Janice. I'll have to mention her to Kate. She's always looking for good scouts." Pratt looked with a sneer at Oaktrunk and issued in a low snarl, "Just like I'm always looking for a good meal. And it's so good to meet you again. And I do mean meat, my friend." Pratt laughed with a sinister chuckle, and Oaktrunk closed his eyes and contemplated that particular dark play on words again.
Pratt looked around at the Grottons, who were staring at him in terror and with some state of resignation. They were cold, wet, and tired, and were just waiting for Pratt to seize one of their number and be gone. The rest would live. Oaktrunk knew this, as well. "You had me by rights before," muttered the Cloudtree Owsla Captain, trying to hide his fear, "Let me be your dinner. Just leave the rest of them alone."
"Oh, but of course," replied Pratt in a condescending tone, "I wouldn't have it any other way." He paused. "Mind, you, I really should save one of the precious little ones here for Janice." He peered coldly at a nearby doe kitten, who began sobbing and buried her face into her petrified marli's side. He continued slowly glancing around, sizing up other kittens, knowing they were the most terrified at the moment. "I know you're tired. You can't run far. Especially you delicious little fluffy snacks. Oh, and Kate and all of her friends, too. They get one each. After all, they helped me find you!" Upon the last word, said in a shriek of rage, Pratt snapped his head around and pierced Gina with a glare from his blood-red eyes. Nearby, lightning turned the storm's darkness into bright day again, followed by a crackling roar of thunder, which was soon lost in the howl of the gale in the swaying tree tops and the ongoing thunder of more distant lightning strikes.
"You don't frighten me in the least, Pratt," hissed Gina, "I would have killed you had it not been for that man and his gun." Looking at Pratt's destroyed right ear, his torn nose, and his numerous bloody scratches, she added with a strange mixture of pity and glee, "Look at you. You're a mess."
"If you're not scared, then why did you run like a pathetic little rabbit?" fumed Pratt, as he halved the distance between himself and Gina with small but quick steps. By preparing to pounce and raising his fur in aggression despite its being drenched, he made it clear to all present that he was prepared to finish this business once and for all. He added in an ominous snarl, "Do you have any last words of wisdom, oh friend of the bunnies?"
***
Pipit and Fawn knew that the storm would be upon them before they could make it back to Grotto. As the saw the ominous wall of rain and wind approach, the ducked into the hollowed trunk of a centuries-old but still- living cedar and hoped for the best.
The opening of the trunk faced away from the blasting gale, so they were able to remain relatively dry. However, after several minutes of violent gusts, they heard the rotting wood of the tree beginning to crumble from the strain. Suddenly, the tree snapped just above the heads of the huddled does with a series of groans and cracks, and was laid out flat upon the ground with a crash. The leaves caught the wind as the tree went down, so that the tree was actually blown ahead by several feet, sparing the squealing rabbits from being trapped or impaled my sharp splinters, but exposing them to the rain which continued to pelt down furiously. They could feel the dulled impacts of numerous wind-whipped hailstones smacking into the wood of the destroyed tree's stump as they huddled desperately against each other and what was left of their shelter and waited.
***
As Winston was gathering up some of the last of his garden tools, he looked out of the many windows again. The storm had taken a turn for the worse in just the few minutes since he last checked. A low bank of cloud was rolling towards the farm, bringing with it an ominously white wall of rain and likely hail. He didn't like the chances of a building with hundreds of panes of glass providing good shelter in a storm like this, so he hastened out of the greenhouse and towards the farm house.
Just as he got inside, he thought of going to get the exterminators, as well, but as he looked back outside, he saw them jumping into their lorries. Then, the gale, and rain struck, blowing dirt and mud through the air. Winston slammed the door shut, and heard the roar of the intense rain against the roof and windward walls of the house. Occasionally, a bang could be heard as a hailstone bounced off of the building. These bangs became suddenly louder and more frequent as the storm intensified to a frightening degree. Almost immediately, the bangs were accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, and wind-driven hailstones the size of cricket balls began slicing into the house.
George rushed past Winston, with terror in his voice, "I remember a storm like this when I was visiting Texas! We've got to get downstairs!"
"This house doesn't have any 'downstairs', George!"
"Oh, no! We're dead!" As George began looking around at the hail piling up on the floor, the electricity suddenly failed. This made George even more nervous.
"Just relax! I did have a root cellar put in by the greenhouse for the vegetables, try that!", snorted Winston. He had seen tornadoes in books and television, but wasn't expecting one now, as he had never seen one in person in all of his sixty years in the south of England. However, he had to try to quench George's paranoia to maintain his own sanity. Winston handed George the key and watched with amusement as his former boss dashed back outside and sprinted towards the cellar, his curses disappearing into the storm as he was pelted by rain and hail.
***
James and Bill had to duck under the dashboards of their lorries as their windscreens first cracked crazily, then crumbled inward under the onslaught of the wind-driven hail. There they remained for the duration of the storm, getting soaked as the gusty winds buffeted their lorries about as though an angry mob was outside.
***
Ken had remained in the limousine, as instructed by his boss, during the entire time that the rabbits' extermination had been set up and the storm had been approaching. Obviously, George was expecting to leave fairly soon. Ken was busying himself with reading Richard Adams' novel "Watership Down" while he waited, and briefly considered the irony that what was happening now was eerily reminiscent of what had happened to Sandleford Warren in the book. Waiting for George was no problem to him, as he was often waiting on George for hours on end. At least he was paid fairly decently to read books.
Ken was so absorbed in the book that he didn't realize a storm was hitting until the wind began to gust and great drops of rain began to pelt the car. The rain made enough noise to drown out his thoughts, but the hail that rapidly increased in size and intensity made it sound as though he were in the middle of D-Day. He watched nervously as the windscreen began to form small spiders' webs, but the bullet-proof glass (installed on George's orders) held fast.
***
"Silflay hraka!" Gina uttered the lapine curse and leapt at Pratt with a snarl. This time, however, Pratt did not allow Gina to get any position of advantage. He guessed that Gina would try to attack first, and leapt back quickly. As Gina landed, she lost her footing in the rain-slicked grass and stumbled onto her side. Pratt made no mistake and immediately seized her throat his jaws, and gleefully tasted her blood. Gina's yelp of pain was gargled, and Pratt knew that his mission was close to being accomplished.
At that moment, Pratt felt a blow and sharp pain as claws raked his left eye. He shut his eyes and was hit again; this time his muzzle sustained another gash. Gina must somehow have twisted around and gotten in two lucky scratching kicks. Not wanting to receive another gash, Pratt hoped that Gina was wounded enough and released his grip. Gina remained inert on the ground, with blood pooling around her throat and running away in diluted rivulets with the rainwater. Then, with his good eye, he saw what had struck the blows.
Arum was crouched in the grass and mud before him, glaring with red-hot eyes and holding up a front paw, with fox fur clinging to the extended and blood-stained claws. "What's the matter, homba? Scared of a little rabbit?" he taunted.
Pratt paused and looked at this unusually brazen rabbit before him, and then without bothering to reply, leapt at him. Arum easily bounded away, calling back taunts and daring him to follow and fight. Pratt's pride could not allow this rabbit to live, so he pursued, to the edge of the nearby rocky ledge. Arum was out on an outcropping of rock, exposed to the wind, rain and the now-abating hail.
It had been Arum's last-second plan to goad Pratt into following him as he climbed down the cliff, where hopefully his pursuer would lose his grip and fall to the rocky river bed below. However, there was no obvious way down without him falling as well, so Arum stood, peering down the cliff and at the slowly advancing Pratt, while pondering his mistake. Then, he saw that they were no longer alone.
***
Gina knew that she was seriously wounded. Her stumble and caused her any hope of gaining combat advantage, and now she was barely able to breathe. The thought that she was about to die hadn't even time to register when Pratt stopped his assault. She remained still, wondering if Pratt thought that she was dead, and if she should try to attack when he least expected it. However, she could hear Arum's taunts and then Pratt's leaving in pursuit of his new target.
After a few moments, Gina slowly got to her feet and stumbled after her attacker. She was beginning to feel dizzy from loss of blood, and her vision was blurring. She soon arrived at the ledge, and saw that Pratt had Arum trapped on a jutting slab of stone at the cliff's edge. Without thinking further, she mustered her strength and ran straight for Pratt.
Just as Pratt heard her approach and began to turn, Gina plowed into his side and pushed him along the wet rock and, without stopping, over the edge. Before they both toppled over the cliff, Pratt reached out in desperation and caught Arum with an outstretched paw. Arum, too, was sent over the side.
Pratt landed first, on his back, with the unmistakable sound of cracking bones. Gina immediately landed on top of him. Pratt issued a loud yelp that echoed up and down the river and then never moved again, while Gina managed to crawl a short distance away, leaving a bloody trail, before passing out.
Arum, just before he toppled over the cliff, glanced down and pushed out with his hind legs, hoping to clear the rocks below and land in the now rain-swollen river. He succeeded, and felt the shock of hitting cold water from a dizzying height. He was momentarily fighting the water, striking out with his paws, and finally surfaced again. He drew in a much-craved breath of air with a gasp and struggled to stay afloat as he was swept downstream.
***
"Dear, you should see what's coming!" breathed Crystal as she hastened into their burrow.
"Let me guess - it's going to rain?" General Hrairah replied sleepily, "It's been due, hasn't it?" He followed his mate out onto the silf and glanced at the approaching storm. "Great Frith, even I wasn't expecting this!" he exclaimed, adding quickly, "Dear, is everybody in the warren yet?"
"Yes," Crystal replied, "Everyone is accounted for... except for Oaktrunk, of course." She looked down at this last comment.
"Oh, don't worry, dear, I'm sure that he just had a lot to talk about at Grotto. I'm sure he's fine; he'll be waiting out the weather and be back tomorrow, perhaps."
"But it's been two days! He should have been back yesterday, no later! If he's been taken by elil..."
General Hrairah nuzzled his mate, and soothed, "Our Oaktrunk taken by elil? Not bloody likely! Come, dear, let's get inside before we get soaked."
***
Arum was tiring in the life-sucking cold water. He tried grabbing at floating debris, but was too weak to keep a grip. He fought towards shore, but the current was stronger at the river's centre, and held him fast. The rain continued to pelt down, and the odd hailstone splashed nearby. Lightning continuously lit up the sky and ground, briefly illuminating the wildly swaying trees towering over him on both sides of the river.
So this must be what it is like to die, he thought. He was now barely able to keep his nose clear of the water, and the cold had penetrated him to the point of dulling any pain. Briefly, he saw what must have been his lost mate Mazarine, with three kittens at her side, standing on the river's bank, watching him pass by. He could make out a pleasant smile on her face, as if she was waiting patiently for him. "Don't worry, dear. It's going to be all right." Arum didn't even wonder how he could hear her voice so clearly, when her mouth wasn't even moving.
He held his breath as he slipped under the water. Kicking weakly, he managed to break the surface again, and took a deep gasp. He again became submerged, but he couldn't regain the surface. His lungs burned for air, and he could hold out no longer. He saw the lightning criss-crossing the dark sky through the water above him, then gasped down a lung full of water. The cold and choking agony of the water was soon replaced by an eerie warmth that seemed to grow from within him until it occupied his entire body. The warmth was sleep.
As Arum awoke, he found himself on a field of grass, with Frith shining almost directly above him. That's strange, I've never seen Frith that high in the sky before, he thought - then he considered how he had escaped the river. Is this?... Am I?... He saw a rabbit approaching him, with a warm smile on his face and a curious twinkle in his eyes. Though he had never seen this rabbit before, he somehow seemed familiar.
"Hello, Arum. You appear to be lost, my friend."
"How do you know my name? Who are you? Where am I?"
The stranger's warm smile grew. "I'll answer those questions in reverse order. You are just outside of El-ahrairah's warren. My name is Hazel- rah. And, I trust that this will answer your first question."
Arum was dumbfounded. "The Hazel-rah? From Watership Down? I'm really dead, aren't I? Where is Mazarine?"
"Let me explain, Arum. El-ahrairah asked me to meet with you. You're not supposed to be here."
"I can't enter his warren? Never?" Arum's voice choked.
"No, no," soothed Hazel-rah, "It's not that. It's simply that you've just got so much to do yet. Here..." The former Chief of Watership Down reached out with his right paw and touched Arum on his nose. A warm sensation again flooded his body, not unlike that which he had felt in the river, which couldn't have been more than a few minutes earlier.
Arum wouldn't recall his encounter with Hazel-rah again during his lifetime.
***
"Meadow!" breathed Oaktrunk, "It's Arum! He's fallen into the river!" He turned to the Grottons and choked out, "And I think Gina and Pratt are dead!"
Meadow gasped and tears began to well in her eyes. She didn't hear Oaktrunk speak of the hombil, after learning about Arum. "Father?" she sobbed, "No... No... We have to save him!"
At the news of the fate of Gina and Pratt, the other rabbits were both agonized and relieved. Wanting to see for themselves, they followed Oaktrunk back to the cliff. Both Gina and Pratt lay there on the rocks, appearing to all to be dead. Oaktrunk and the others saw that Meadow was missing; most guessed immediately as to where she had gone.
Oaktrunk and the Grottons followed the path in search of Meadow all of the way to the river bank. "She must have tried going downstream from here, along the bank," guessed Oaktrunk, "Since no doubt she was looking for her father."
The others nodded silently, and followed Oaktrunk along the side of the river. The hail was no longer falling, and the wind and lightning had lessened noticeably, but the rain was still heavy. Finally, the rabbits came across Meadow, who was tightly clutching the body of a dead rabbit, presumably her drowned father, and weeping into his side.
***
Rather than following the others, Meadow had run down the fork in the path, hoping that it would eventually lead back down to the bank further downstream, as her father had hoped it would before Pratt had discovered them. She could occasionally glimpse the river, as the path meandered agonizingly slowly towards her goal. She saw that the river was not so far below her each time that she saw it. Finally, she broke out of woods and onto the rocky bank of the rising river. "Father!" she cried, "Where are you?" Weeping, she began to bolt down the wet stones of the riverbank, knowing that the chances of ever seeing Arum again were next to none.
After a minute of running, she noticed a natural dam of broken trees and other debris that had formed over the river where it had narrowed and had numerous rocks sticking out of the water to block the travel of larger objects. Water was crashing against the dam, but it held as most of the water simply swept underneath it. Beside one of the banks - on her side of the river - she noticed something floating in the calmer water there. It looked like an animal of some sorts, perhaps even...
As she drew closer, she could make out the long ears of a rabbit. Her heart leapt for joy as she realized that it was indeed her father. However, she felt great sorrow just as quickly as she realized that he was drowned. He was bobbing lifelessly in the water, and he seemed somewhat bloated.
Without thinking, she quickly jumped into the water, and, seizing his hind feet, proceeded to drag his heavy, saturated body onto dry land. Fearing that the river might continue rising, she kept on dragging him up the slope, using strength that she didn't even realize that she had.
When she felt that she had gone far enough, she stopped and spoke in harsh sobs into Arum's ears, "Father! I've got you out! Please wake up!" She pressed her ear to his chest, but could hear neither breathing nor a heartbeat. Assuming that his bloatedness was due to swallowing water, she rolled him onto his back and began pressing down on his chest to force it out. At first, nothing happened, but as Arum's head was lying downhill, the fluid in his lungs began to seep forward, as Meadow pressed more firmly and desperately. Finally, Meadow saw water begin to stream from her father's mouth. She actually squeezed hard enough that she feared that she might break his ribs, so she reluctantly began pushing down more lightly.
The bloating seemed to have receded, but still Arum lay lifeless. "Father, please, you can't just leave me here! You have so much to teach me! And I want my kittens to hear your stories some day! Father!"
As the storm raged on around her, she knew that she had failed despite her efforts. Meadow turned away and began to sob bitterly. She had lost so much in her life. Her mother, her only three siblings, her friends Mark and Carol, their wonderful mother, Mara, and now, as she had heard Oaktrunk say, probably Gina, too. And now, her father. She had no one left for her, except the Grottons, whom she hardly even knew, and Oaktrunk, whom she had only met the day before.
She surrendered, too tired to weep any more, and lay her head in her paws. She heard her own breath coming in deep, hoarse gasps. And then she realized that the gasping wasn't in the same rhythm as her own breathing.
***
Oaktrunk's heart was filled with sorrow and pity, and slowly made his way over to comfort Meadow. Then he saw that Arum's eyes were open - barely, but open - and that his mouth was moving. He couldn't hear what was said, but Meadow nodded and sobbed with joy, "...and I knew that you wouldn't leave me father, not like this..."
Arum merely smiled weakly in reply and his eyes opened wider as he recognized Oaktrunk.
"And you didn't think I'd stopped running, did you?" he asked in a grating whisper.
"No," lied Oaktrunk, "I knew that the Black Rabbit wouldn't find you this day."
************
