General Woundwort, strengthened by the prospect of taking the warren away
from Sunflower, slept well that night.
He was awakened roughly at dawn the next morning by Sunflower-rah himself.
"Follow me, you embleer fool. Today you shall be shown to my rabbits. They may kill you if I ask them to. They may even rip you to shreds. The rabbits of my warren are loyal to me, and if I order it, you will die today. Now, come." Sunflower got to his feet and stalked down the run. The General followed his slowly, still in a little bit of pain from his troubled times.
Sunflower led him out into the early morning daylight where he'd ordered his rabbits to gather. The General had never seen a more pitiful lot. The very life that he so admired no longer sparkled from the eyes of these rabbits. Life was as death to them. These rabbits were so much worse off than the rabbits of Efrafa. At least those rabbits had still had possessed spirit. These poor rabbits had nothing. Sunflower began to speak to them.
"My rabbits, I gather you here today for a cause. I have finally gotten my will. The great Woundwort, the one who destroyed my life, has come to us at last. Here he is, the murderer of Nutley Copse. I have told you all of that day, long ago, when he ruined everything for me. I have him now, in front of you. This sad bag of bones is that great and fine General. I would order you to kill him, but that would be too easy. He shall languish in agony until I decide you're finished."
General Woundwort looked from face to face, confronting total apathy and sadness, bordering on tharn on many of the faces. As he studied them, he though back on meetings of the Efrafan Council. He remembered that same look on the prisoner rabbits there. He began to realize his great failing. In trying to protect his rabbits, he had warped them and made them sad and twisted. He couldn't understand how he's gotten so out of hand. He vowed to himself then that he would take this warren from Sunflower and try to atone a little for what he had wrought upon the warren of Efrafa. He now knew that Hazel-rah had been right, and that to do what Cypress wanted him to do, he had to play along with Sunflower for now.
He was awakened roughly at dawn the next morning by Sunflower-rah himself.
"Follow me, you embleer fool. Today you shall be shown to my rabbits. They may kill you if I ask them to. They may even rip you to shreds. The rabbits of my warren are loyal to me, and if I order it, you will die today. Now, come." Sunflower got to his feet and stalked down the run. The General followed his slowly, still in a little bit of pain from his troubled times.
Sunflower led him out into the early morning daylight where he'd ordered his rabbits to gather. The General had never seen a more pitiful lot. The very life that he so admired no longer sparkled from the eyes of these rabbits. Life was as death to them. These rabbits were so much worse off than the rabbits of Efrafa. At least those rabbits had still had possessed spirit. These poor rabbits had nothing. Sunflower began to speak to them.
"My rabbits, I gather you here today for a cause. I have finally gotten my will. The great Woundwort, the one who destroyed my life, has come to us at last. Here he is, the murderer of Nutley Copse. I have told you all of that day, long ago, when he ruined everything for me. I have him now, in front of you. This sad bag of bones is that great and fine General. I would order you to kill him, but that would be too easy. He shall languish in agony until I decide you're finished."
General Woundwort looked from face to face, confronting total apathy and sadness, bordering on tharn on many of the faces. As he studied them, he though back on meetings of the Efrafan Council. He remembered that same look on the prisoner rabbits there. He began to realize his great failing. In trying to protect his rabbits, he had warped them and made them sad and twisted. He couldn't understand how he's gotten so out of hand. He vowed to himself then that he would take this warren from Sunflower and try to atone a little for what he had wrought upon the warren of Efrafa. He now knew that Hazel-rah had been right, and that to do what Cypress wanted him to do, he had to play along with Sunflower for now.