The General was unable to sleep that night. He knew that the next day help
all his hopes and he wondered if this was how Bigwig had felt before he led
his does away form Efrafa. Ah, how he wished he were backing Efrafa now,
making up for things he'd done wrong. Cypress was waiting outside the
burrow, guarding him (or so Sunflower-rah thought). The other rabbits in
the warren knew that the uprising was going to happen, and The General was
amazed that not one of them had tipped off their Chief Rabbit. Loyal
rabbits had tipped him off, after all, when Bigwig made his escape.
Night rolled by slowly and turned into early morning. Sunflower-rah came to the dingy burrow at the first light of Frith coming over the down.
"Get up, General, and face your final sunrise. You die today, General. I have enjoyed having you here as a guest in my warren, and I hope you have enjoyed your time here, too." Sunflower had a dangerous glint in his eyes. He led General Woundwort from the burrow, and they were followed by Cypress.
"Oh, you great fool. I have enjoyed my time here. You are a sick and twisted rabbit, and I, for one, think you are going to wish you'd been kinder to me." The moment it escaped his lips, he wished he hadn't said it. Great, General, tip your paw before you get outside on the down, he thought, astounded at what he'd done.
Sunflower whirled around in the burrow, and faced The General, their whiskers nearly touching. "Why do you say that, Woundwort? What do you have planned?" Sunflower was blocking the run and The General backed up. Feeling Cypress there, he stopped and stood his ground.
"Planned? Why, Sunflower, how could I have planned anything? I've been holed up in that embleer burrow since I was brought here by you Captain of Owsla. How could I have made plans? Are you sure you're not going tharn?" It was a bluff, and a desperate one, too. Closed up in the run like this, Sunflower could tear out his throat before he had a chance to react, and The General knew it. Sunflower seemed to consider the fact, and turned around. The General blew and inward sigh of relief, and began to follow him again. He would not appear cowed, though. Even in this lowly state, The General still had his pride.
The Chief Rabbit finally emerged out into the daylight, where his rabbits were gathered on the downs. They were awaiting him and the prisoner, as per his orders. Oh it would be his most glorious moment as Chief Rabbit! He would tear The General to pieces.
Sunflower and The General never saw it coming.
As Cypress emerged from the mouth of the run, the rabbits loyal to his movement attacked. They closed in on Sunflower, knocking The General aside. The wind knocked out of him, he struggled to his paws, ready to attack anything that came near him. Nothing did. General Woundwort looked to where Sunflower had emerged. All that was there was a splotch of blood on the grass. He looked around, and saw the frenzied rabbits attacking Sunflower-rah, who no longer seemed to be fighting back. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only the space between heartbeats, Sunflower no longer moved, and the pack of rabbits back up away from the now still body. Cypress was just watching.
"It's over." Cypress hopped over to General Woundwort. "The warren is yours, General. We have wrested it away from the tharn Sunflower and I, as acting Chief Rabbit, give it to you."
General Woundwort shook his head. He no longer wanted to be Chief Rabbit. "The warren is yours, Cypress-rah. All I ask of you is to be allowed to take a doe and raise a family. I will advise you, if you like, but I will have no part of being Chief Rabbit again."
Cypress was genuinely surprised. He'd thought that General would jump at the chance to be Chief Rabbit again. After all, hadn't they discussed it all before? "Are you sure, General? I do not know how to run a warren, sir."
"Neither did I when I founded Efrafa. Call this warren Aerinlir. Make it your own. I will help you."
Author's Note: One more chapter and my story is complete. After that, I'll give acknowledgement to those who warrant it.
Night rolled by slowly and turned into early morning. Sunflower-rah came to the dingy burrow at the first light of Frith coming over the down.
"Get up, General, and face your final sunrise. You die today, General. I have enjoyed having you here as a guest in my warren, and I hope you have enjoyed your time here, too." Sunflower had a dangerous glint in his eyes. He led General Woundwort from the burrow, and they were followed by Cypress.
"Oh, you great fool. I have enjoyed my time here. You are a sick and twisted rabbit, and I, for one, think you are going to wish you'd been kinder to me." The moment it escaped his lips, he wished he hadn't said it. Great, General, tip your paw before you get outside on the down, he thought, astounded at what he'd done.
Sunflower whirled around in the burrow, and faced The General, their whiskers nearly touching. "Why do you say that, Woundwort? What do you have planned?" Sunflower was blocking the run and The General backed up. Feeling Cypress there, he stopped and stood his ground.
"Planned? Why, Sunflower, how could I have planned anything? I've been holed up in that embleer burrow since I was brought here by you Captain of Owsla. How could I have made plans? Are you sure you're not going tharn?" It was a bluff, and a desperate one, too. Closed up in the run like this, Sunflower could tear out his throat before he had a chance to react, and The General knew it. Sunflower seemed to consider the fact, and turned around. The General blew and inward sigh of relief, and began to follow him again. He would not appear cowed, though. Even in this lowly state, The General still had his pride.
The Chief Rabbit finally emerged out into the daylight, where his rabbits were gathered on the downs. They were awaiting him and the prisoner, as per his orders. Oh it would be his most glorious moment as Chief Rabbit! He would tear The General to pieces.
Sunflower and The General never saw it coming.
As Cypress emerged from the mouth of the run, the rabbits loyal to his movement attacked. They closed in on Sunflower, knocking The General aside. The wind knocked out of him, he struggled to his paws, ready to attack anything that came near him. Nothing did. General Woundwort looked to where Sunflower had emerged. All that was there was a splotch of blood on the grass. He looked around, and saw the frenzied rabbits attacking Sunflower-rah, who no longer seemed to be fighting back. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only the space between heartbeats, Sunflower no longer moved, and the pack of rabbits back up away from the now still body. Cypress was just watching.
"It's over." Cypress hopped over to General Woundwort. "The warren is yours, General. We have wrested it away from the tharn Sunflower and I, as acting Chief Rabbit, give it to you."
General Woundwort shook his head. He no longer wanted to be Chief Rabbit. "The warren is yours, Cypress-rah. All I ask of you is to be allowed to take a doe and raise a family. I will advise you, if you like, but I will have no part of being Chief Rabbit again."
Cypress was genuinely surprised. He'd thought that General would jump at the chance to be Chief Rabbit again. After all, hadn't they discussed it all before? "Are you sure, General? I do not know how to run a warren, sir."
"Neither did I when I founded Efrafa. Call this warren Aerinlir. Make it your own. I will help you."
Author's Note: One more chapter and my story is complete. After that, I'll give acknowledgement to those who warrant it.