"But Hazel," Justin broke the news to his new friends gently, "Even if I wanted to help, I don't know how. Dandelion just said that the cross-bearer has limitless power as long as he can use it for good, right? Well, hate to tell this to you, but I have never in my life done anything remotely magical or supernatural." Blackberry, however, remembered something.
"Not exactly. What about when you were able to escape Vervain and Mallow? You said you tried to defend yourself, and something happened that allowed you to escape before they could kill you."
"I…I don't know what happened, Blackberry. I think something hurt them temporarily, and by some sort of miracle, it luckily happened at the same time Mallow was about to murder me with his spear." Hazel narrowed his eyes, deep in thought; he wasn't one who believed in coincidences. Encouraged, he got an idea.
"Well, try to do something now, Justin," he persuaded lightly, his hopes for El-ahrairah rising slightly. "Try to do something that you can't do as a normal man." He glanced around until his eyes rested on a stick about ten feet away from the circle of rabbits, lying half-hidden in the grass. He indicated with his paw, pointing to the stick. "Try to pick up that stick from here. Don't' get up and hop over to it. Try to make it come to you, like a leaf gliding on the autumn wind."
A bit annoyed at the frequent use of metaphors, Justin rolled his eyes in doubt, but he kept his mouth shut and looked at the wooden stick. He squinted his eyes, trying to push it like he was telekinetic, as he sometimes saw on science-fiction shows on TV. Nothing happened. Justin sighed, shaking his head. However, the other rabbits weren't ready to give up yet.
"Try it with your cross, the collar around your neck," suggested Hawkbit. "I mean, Frith gave you that thing for a reason, so it use it somehow. Try pointing the thing at the stick or try holding it in your paw when you call the stick to you." Willing to give it a try, Justin took the cross between his thumb and forefinger; then he silently shut his eyes and concentrated on the image of the stick appearing in his hand out of thin air. The rabbits just looked at him intently, wishing something would happen, but like the first time, nothing did. Feeling a bit foolish, Justin took the cross and pointed it at the stick as far as the chain would allow. The stick remained as motionless as before. Turning red in the face with embarrassment, Justin felt his temper and irritation rise with every failure, but he should have expected it. He felt stupid for getting his hopes up that he could help with something for a change. He looked up to see the same disappointed look on the faces of his new friends, and he felt even worse, knowing this would probably mean an end to a possible friendship that was beginning to bloom. After all, if he wasn't the cross-bearer, there would be no reason for the Watership Down rabbits to look out for him. Hazel and Blackberry sighed while all around, the other rabbits were silently whispering to themselves.
"Maybe he just doesn't know how to do use his magic…"
"Fiver, could it be possible your second sight can be wrong?"
"Shame, really, that he's not the cross-bearer. He's a nice lad, easy-going too."
"I don't care; I still think he's a good one. He's different from all other men we've seen before."
"Pipkin, even though he is friendly, we can't waste any time with him. We still have to go find the real cross-bearer."
"So now what's to do now?? Set off again for another full Inle of traveling to find another man??"
Justin felt hot tears of embarrassment flood his eyes. "I guess I'm not your powerful cross-bearer after all," he muttered thickly to Hazel, silently cursing himself. He flung a hand angrily at the stick in the distance, all the meanwhile still venting out. "I mean, if I was, I'd at least be able to make that stupid stick…!" Yet to the amazement of the rabbits and Justin, before he could finish the sentence, the stick vanished in a flash of gold sunlight and in another flash of orange, appeared magically into Justin's outstretched palm. The teenager let out a yelp of surprise and dropped it on the ground. He saw it, but he couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. Yet…when the stick appeared in his hand, he felt something. An essence of warm feeling, of comfort, of safety, of assurance, of confidence. It had actually surged in his heart and chest the second the stick teleported into his hand. All around him, the rabbits were making a shocked yet joyous commotion.
"O Frith and Inle!!" squealed out Speedwell, "Did you just see what I saw?!! He did it!! He made the stick come to him!!"
"Then he is the cross-bearer!!" Buckthorn stamped happily, "No ordinary man could have been able to do such a feat! You were right, Fiver, old chap! Sorry for doubting you there for a moment!"
"By the fur of El-ahrairah!" gasped out Hawkbit, "Never before have we seen anything like this!!"
"Well done, young one!!" cheered Bigwig, cuffing Justin on the back in congratulations while Pipkin nuzzled Justin in the stomach with his nose in happiness. "You are the cross-bearer!! No doubt about that now, eh?!" Hazel, though looking extremely pleased, kept his excitement in control; he didn't want himself and the others to lose their heads.
"Quiet! Let him alone! Do you want the enemy to find us with all this yelling?" he commanded, and as the Watership rabbits became silent again, Hazel spoke to Justin in encouragement. "You see? There is no need to doubt yourself or fear what lies ahead. You do have the power of God with you to help us and fight Elil-rah! Please, try to do something else now, with your power."
"But…but…" Justin tried to protest, but Hazel shook his head.
"Justin, you must learn how to call on your power as the cross-bearer! That is why it is so urgent to practice now, while we still have some time before we have to be forced to fight against Prince Rainbow and Woundwort. If you don't know how to use the powers of your cross when we're in battle, it could mean the difference between life or death. Please, try something different. Try…" He paused, desperately trying to think of something. "Try making something appear out of nowhere." Justin, his heart beating, thought for a bit before he remembered the story of "The Trial of El-ahrairah" and how Yona, the hedgehog, called for some slugs while singing a odd ditty. It was worth a try.
"Uh…OK, I'll…I'll try to make some slugs appear. I'll use the song that El-ahrairah told Yona to sing in 'The Trial of El-ahrairah." Hazel nodded his approval, and the other rabbits watched Justin eagerly. Pushing himself for faith, Justin wildly read out the ditty he remembered from the "Watership Down" story that Yona used.
"O Slug-a-Moon, O Slug-a-Moon, O grant thy faithful hedgehog's boon," he stated hesitantly, picturing a slimy pile of gray slugs, fat and oozing in a big clump. Immediately, his orange cross had flashed with a golden light again, causing the rabbits to fall back in fright. When the light had passed, Justin looked in shock when he saw a small pile of slugs magically piled between Fiver and Silver. Just like what he pictured in his mind. Fiver and Silver edged away from the slugs while Acorn gingerly jabbed at it with his forepaw. Seeing it was real and not an illusion, he twitched his nose at Justin in heartening approval. "If this is part of your power, Justin, you'd be able to make Yona and the other hedgehogs very happy around here. Hey, I must say, instead of slugs, how's about thinking up of some good flayrah for us to eat? You know, some greenstuff, lettuce, and carrots, all for us!"
"Now, THAT is a first!" Dandelion chuckled loudly, "Instead of raiding a farm for flayrah, we're asking a boy to give it to us! What's next, we ride on sky-blue and green horses and ride on crocus boats, like in Speedwell's story?"
"Oh Frith, don't even remind me of that nonsense again!" groaned Hawkbit, winking at Justin mischievously, "You should know Justin, that Speedwell hasn't had a proper story that made sense since he was a kitten in a litter! I'm betting his father had cuffed once too often on the head when he got unbearable!" As Speedwell impishly tackled Hawkbit on the ground, and the two started wrestling, the other rabbits and Justin laughed. As the laughter died down, without warning, Holly and Bigwig suddenly turned around in alarm, sniffing the air around the furiously, trying to catch the scent. Their companions looked at them in fearful apprehension as Speedwell and Hawkbit, sensing something was wrong, stopped rolling the grass.
"Holly, Bigwig, what is it??" Blackberry asked intently.
"They're here," whispered Bigwig in a tight voice, making every heart in the group turn cold with terror, "We can smell them. Woundwort and the Efrafans are somewhere close. They've found us."
***
"They're in danger!" gasped out El-ahrairah painfully, his eyes shut tightly as he grimaced in the pain the black mist and fog were delivering on his body. He bent over, hissing in excruciating agony as his senses and nerves felt as if they were on fire. Rabscuttle and Hyzenthlay, who were standing over El-ahrairah, desperately doing everything in their power and knowledge to try to ease El-ahrairah's pain, heard his forced whispers. Rabscuttle, who was out of his mind with worry for his master and friend, tried to lean as close to El-ahrairah as he possibly could without having the dark energy burn his fur.
"Master, what did you say?! Who's in danger?!"
"They are all in danger! Elil-rah is getting closer to hurting the cross-bearer, and the others are with the boy!" At these last words, El-ahrairah fell into a deep stupor, dead to all mind and body as the black mist continued to swirl and envelop the Prince of all Rabbits. Hyzenthlay gasped at this statement; she knew he was referring to her mate, Hazel, and now, the gloom Rabscuttle was feeling was threatening to affect her too. Rabscuttle cursed to himself as he angrily cuffed at the dark fog in frustration, but the minute his fur touched it, the energy burned him so painfully, he had no choice but to stop venting out at it.
"If Hazel-rah and the other Watership rabbits found the cross-bearer," Hyzenthlay said softly, trying the best she could from having the dread force her into going tharn, "then that is good news, right Rabscuttle? That means that they'll protect the one who can fight against Elil-rah and help El-ahrairah with his sickness, right?"
"But you're forgetting that none of us know where Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and the others are!" hissed Rabscuttle in pain as he gingerly licked the burning wounds on his paw, "Kehaar and the calf Whitethorn have searched the land for many days and nights now, hoping to meet up with them on their homecoming, but both of them told us that they haven't found anything! Plus, you can be sure as Frith rises that Elil-rah knows that the cross-bearer is the only chance we have of protecting the warren, and he'll do anything to prevent it! I shudder to think what would happen if the rabbits of Watership Down are not enough to protect the cross-bearer!"
"I still don't understand why El-ahrairah gave Hazel and the others such strange powers! I also don't understand why he wouldn't let more rabbits come on the journey! A bigger Owsla of rabbits protecting the cross-bearer would certainly increase the chances of the chosen man getting back to our warren safely!" Hyzenthlay's frustration barbed her gentle voice. She, Stonecrop, Blackavar, Flyairth and Kehaar begged, pleaded, and argued insistently many times to request going with the rest of the rabbits, but El-ahrairah was adamant on his decision, cryptically blurting out that only those rabbits that he sent could be with the cross-bearer. When they tried to ask him why, he only managed to blurt out weakly, "Only Hazel-rah and the rabbits of Watership Down can share the heart of the cross-bearer!" before the pain and sickness caused him to lose consciousness again. Rabscuttle sighed understandingly as he and Hyzenthlay hopped out of the warren.
"Hyzenthlay, we must not question his decision. I can tell you in the past travels I have been with him, I too, have seen and followed strange plans and orders that he had given, only to find that they surprisingly worked due to his cunning and trickery. El-ahrairah has always known what to do in the past, and I trust him, with all my heart and soul."
They were out in the dark, starry sky, the moonlight shining down on the trees, grass, and the few rabbits that were still out, watching intently for any sign of Hazel and the others returning. These were Stonecrop, Groundsel, Vilthuril and Flyairth. Stonecrop was a strong, powerful rabbit who once lived in captivity as a pet before he managed to escape to Watership Down, only to be ruthlessly attacked because he reeked of the smell of man. If Hazel hadn't stopped them, he certainly would have met the Black Rabbit on that day. Yet he couldn't be accepted, he was brought down to the warren Vleflain only to save that warren from an attack of vicious weasels, scaring them off with his body scent of human. After that incident, he became a hero and was welcomed into the warren by the Chief rabbit, Groundsel. Groundsel was also a powerful rabbit, a bit taller and thicker than Stonecrop, with his sleek black fur shining slightly in the moonlight. He used to be a member of the Owsla in Efrafa in the physical world, but at the siege of Watership Down, he surrendered to Fiver and he was welcomed as part of the warren. Over time, Hazel and the others trusted him to be the next Chief Rabbit of the new warren Vleflain. Vilthuril was a doe, small yet gentle in composure and personality; she was gray and white and the mate of Fiver, who later passed on his second sight to his children such as Threar. Hyzenthlay could easily see the worry and sadness that were darkening Vilthuril's eyes, making them downcast and dull, but Vilthuril wasn't going to give up her faith so easily. Flyairth was another doe who escaped Efrafa to start a new life except that she did it separately from Hazel and the others. When she was discovered on Watership Down, fearing the warren being close to men, took some of the rabbits to start a new warren in a more secluded area, with Hazel's blessings of course. Despite her being female, she was huge, burly, almost as much as Stonecrop, and she was brave, resourceful, and knew how to take charge; she had even once saved Hazel from a dog when they were still alive. Now, Rabscuttle and Hyzenthlay joined the four rabbits squatting on anthills, joining them on their sentry duty.
"Any sign of them?" Rabscuttle asked, preparing himself for the same answer he's heard for the past month.
"No, not even a scent. Blackavar and Whitethorn went out patrolling, hoping they could meet up with them before Woundwort or Prince Rainbow would. They even went out for five days, only to come back and tell us that they couldn't find any of their tracks or paths!" Stonecrop grumbled in aggravation before adding, "I don't care what El-ahrairah said, we should have gone with them! If they get hurt or injured, I won't ever forgive him or myself, for that matter! He should have known I'd be a good candidate for the mission; my stench of man would have driven off all the enemies away from us!"
"No it wouldn't," Vilthuril said softly, her black eyes shining with acknowledgement, "Since the animals joined with Elil-rah and made them more man-like, they would have been more powerful and ruthless so that the stench of man wouldn't have scared them off as it would have had they been ordinary rabbits."
"Well then what would you propose, then?!" yelled Stonecrop, turning on Vilthuril, "At least we're trying to come up with an idea! You haven't done anything to help with convincing El-ahrairah that more rabbits were necessary to accompany Hazel on the journey to find the cross-bearer! Aren't you even worried for Fiver?! After all, he's risking himself for your benefit!" At this statement, Vilthuril started crying, ducking her head between her forepaws as Groundsel and Rabscuttle looked at Stonecrop in exasperation; Stonecrop instantly regretted saying that. Hyzenthlay comforted Vilthuril as Flyairth voiced her concern.
"I don't like it, the idea that we have to trust a human, a man, to help us and El-ahrairah. Men only exist for one thing, to kill and cause suffering to rabbits, and yet we have to trust one! I don't like it! We should have tried to find another way to save the land beyond life! I can honestly say I won't be very welcoming to this man if he comes with the others, and I'm not the only one who thinks so!"
"Maybe that is why very few of us were chosen for the mission," replied Groundsel, "After all, hazel and the other rabbits from Watership Down are by far the most resourceful, understanding, and courageous rabbits that have even come to the land beyond life, and if any beasts can help with the cross-bearer, it is them. Maybe they're more open to the legend of the cross-bearer, so they would probably be the best to find and welcome him." Suddenly, interrupting the conversation, there was a scream of pain echoing in the air, sending shivers through the fur of all six rabbits.
"Wha…What in the name of Frith and Inle was that?!" gasped Flyairth as more screams and howls joined in the sounds of the night.
"Could it be Elil-rah?!" questioned Vilthuril in panic, thinking immediately of Fiver being out there in enemy territory.
"No! At least, I don't think so!" broke in Groundsel, but before he could say anything else, there was a sudden flash of golden light from the horizon above the mountains. Though it was extremely far away, the distance being more than a full month's worth of traveling by foot, it was so bright, it lit up the entire sky, making it seem like it was daytime and erasing the night. The orange light flashed once, twice, then disappeared, leaving six rabbits in shock, staring as the sky was now back in the dark starry sky.
"What was that light?!" whispered Hyzenthlay in shock, but Vilthuril, in a tharn manner, her body rigid and stiff as her second mystic sight took control of her body, answered the question.
"It was the cross-bearer," she said in a cryptic voice not her own, "He used his power to save his friends." And then she toppled over in a faint, unconscious. The others looked at her, then at each other, and then to the horizon where the mysterious, powerful light originated.