Horace ran across the field as fast as he could. He didn't think the fox would follow. Horace and Splotch were digging a burrow big enough for the four of them, when a huge fox attacked them. Splotch was small enough to hide in the burrow, but Horace had had to run in order to escape the creature. Horace ran straight into Snowfoot.

"What's going on," said Snowfoot, "why are you running, aren't you supposed to be digging that burrow. where's Splotch?"

"A fox attacked us," spewed out Horace, "Splotch managed to hide in the burrow, but I had to run for it."

"We'd better go check on Splotch then," grumbled Snowfoot, "this fox couldn't have been that large. Most smart foxes don't attack their prey in the middle of an open field, you know, it makes for an easy escape. Oh, and their might be a man waiting for it also."

"This one was definitely not small," said Horace as he and Snowfoot took off to the burrow, "it was huge. All of its legs were trimmed with muscles, and you should have seen the way it attacked. We didn't even know it was coming until it practically was on top of us."

Just then, the two rabbits reached the burrow. Splotch immediately popped out of it. "Good, that darn homba is gone," said Splotch tiredly. "Snowfoot, you should have seen that thing. It was about as big as one of those coyotes that you always complain about."

"I don't think too many things out here could be that big," said Snowfoot, "Splotch, Horace, you two get back to work on the burrow. I'll keep an eye out for that fox. I don't know where Flash is."

As Horace and Splotch dug the burrow, Flash was checking out the warren of Shining Wires. From a bush, Flash had a good view of the warren.

It didn't seem bad. Rabbits were hopping around everywhere, talking to each other, and going in and out of burrows.

'It doesn't look bad,' thought Flash to himself, 'it doesn't look like any rabbit has gotten caught in a snare for a while.'

Flash decided to look for some of the Owsla members. At first, he couldn't find any. Then, as he looked very closely, Flash saw a couple rabbits opening up a burrow. 'That's the Owsla's job isn't it,' thought Flash, 'but those two don't seem to be very big.'

"Oh, well," said Flash to himself. He ran off to the burrow that Horace and Splotch were digging. Flash really wondered where Snowfoot was. Snowfoot had told him at the beginning of the day that he would be scouting around for any signs of elil. The stoats in particular.

Bramble had gone back to the forest the day before, but he said that he would be back soon. Flash hoped that the cat would come back also. Though the cat had not told the gang his name, he had been a big help to them.

All of Flash's thoughts were pushed out of his head, as Splotch came running up to him and told him about the fox attack.

"Are you alright," asked Flash eagerly, "how about Horace, is he all right?"

"Everyone's fine," answered Splotch calmly, "interesting homba though, it just snuck up to us, and we didn't even notice it. After Horace ran away, it looked down the hole at me for a minute, and then it just walked away. It didn't try to attack us, or anything."

"That's strange, I don't know why it did that, but you actually managed to hide in the burrow. It's not very big, is it?" asked Flash.

"No it's not," said Snowfoot, "but it was big enough for Splotch to hide in. Since the fox might be back soon, I think Splotch and Horace should spend the next few hours trying to make it big enough for the four of us. Flash, you and me can go check out the warren."

Flash agreed, but Splotch and Horace were reluctant to do any more digging. "Why do we have to do more digging," groaned Horace, "we've been at it all day, and it's past ni-Frith, we're tired and we need a little bit of sleep."

"Horace, just do the digging," said Flash, "we need someone to dig us a reasonable burrow, or else one of us is bound to get killed by something."

"But still, why do you get to go see the warren," said Splotch, "me and Horace haven't done a single exciting thing since this whole trip began, and now we have to dig your burrow as if we're your slaves! I mean is anyone getting how stupid this is."

"That's enough," shouted Snowfoot angrily, "you guys are doing the digging because you're the only ones out of our little group who can dig. And you are not our slaves. Keep in mind that Flash and I have saved your behinds every two days on this journey. Horace, if it weren't for us, you wouldn't have survived a single day out in the wilderness. And Splotch, remember how Flash saved your life when we got attacked by our little stoat friends. You have a lot to thank us for, and maybe if you get this burrow dug, we can have something to thank you for."

Neither Splotch nor Horace made a rebuttal to this speech, and they got to work on the burrow automatically. They were both grumbling different things, but 'at least they're doing the burrow work,' thought Snowfoot to himself as he took off with Flash.

"Did you by any chance see any signs of those snares that Bramble talked about," asked Snowfoot.

"No, I didn't," Flash replied, "they seemed exactly like normal rabbits when I looked at them. Only problem was that I didn't any Owsla activity at all. A couple rabbits were excavating a burrow, but they didn't seem like the type of rabbits to be in the Owsla."

"How so," asked Snowfoot?

"Well, I saw two of them doing the job. One of them was very small, and the other seemed to be injured."

"He could have been injured in some Owsla activity."

"Maybe, but it might be that he just got into a mating fight."

Snowfoot didn't say anything more. Snowfoot thought that he'd have to go see the warren for himself and see how good and organized it was. Snowfoot personally wanted to keep up life as a wanderer, but since his three friends didn't want to, he decided that he'd just stick it out with them for a while.

"Here we are," said Flash to Snowfoot, interrupting his thoughts, "what do you think, kind of small isn't it?"

As Flash and Snowfoot quietly observed the warren, Horace and Splotch dug a burrow. Both of the burrow diggers were pretty angry about having to do the task of digging the burrow.

"Why do we have to do this," moaned Splotch as he unearthed a piece of dirt, "I don't get why Snowfoot and Flash get to have all the fun."

"Well they're right about one thing," muttered Horace tiredly.

"What's that?"

"Well they're right about just about everything they said," said Horace, "we do need them. Without Snowfoot, you and me would have fallen to those stoats a lot sooner, even with Flash. Flash and Snowfoot have also saved our lives hrair more times against stoats, weasels, and cats. I never thought that it was possible for two rabbits to fight that well."

"Come on, Horace, why are you always so morbid and ready to give in," snapped Splotch, "they may have saved our lives a lot of times, but we've helped out a lot too."

Horace had gotten back to the digging. Splotch didn't think that he would answer, but then he said, "no, you've helped them out a lot of times. Splotch, you've got great tracking skills. You led them to the stoat forest, and you found that pond that we swam across to get away from a fox. I haven't done anything good except for not getting in the way."

"Not necessarily, Horace," replied Splotch, "the reason you didn't do anything is because you're not a journeying type of rabbit. You no more about man then I ever thought possible. Well, that does come from growing up in a man burrow, doesn't it, but you're still not stupid. I, for one, actually like having you around."

"Thanks," replied Horace, "now lets get this burrow dug so we can actually sleep without sentries tonight."

Horace and Splotch dug at the burrow for another couple hours until Snowfoot and Flash came back. They appeared to be arguing over something.

"You told me that that rabbit was just a weakling, but did you see him beat up the other two," said Snowfoot gleefully.

"If I knew he was going to kill those other two, then I wouldn't have bet on him," grumbled Flash as they came upon the burrow.

"What'd you bet on?" asked Splotch as they approached.

"Flash bet me the full night of sentry duty on a rabbit fight at that warren," said Snowfoot, "a rabbit took on two attackers and beat them. Very easily, in fact."

"Have you gotten the burrow dug yet," groaned Flash, who was not very eager to spend the whole night, which would come in about one hour, doing sentry duty, "how's the burrow coming?"

"It's big enough for Snowfoot and Splotch," said Horace, "or it's big enough me and Flash, but not all four of us."

"If two of us lay in the entrance, we could fit in it," said Splotch, "but that wouldn't be very safe."

"Wake me up when I have to start sentry duty," said Flash. The strong rabbit then disappeared into the small burrow."

"I'll sleep out here," said Snowfoot, "it gets to hot in the burrow. The warren seems fine, so we'll move out there in a couple weeks. Flash and I will help you out with the burrow tomorrow."

Everything would go fine in the next two weeks four the weary travelers, but they had no idea what the Warren of Shining Wires would bring.