Author's note: Sorry about being a bit late, but it's Labor Day here in the U.S. and I had to go celebrate. Hope you enjoy this update; it's a long chapter. Oh, and there's a little contest for all your readers out there. Read on to find out what.
*/
CHAPTER 10"How much further must we travel, Hazel-rah?" asked Pipkin, exhausted, as he stopped feeling his paws a hour or so ago. They had been running all night, eager to try to get as far away from the last battle scene as possible, but now their fatigue and weariness was starting to take a toll on all of them. "I think we've gotten far enough from them, and they can't possibly catch up to us so quickly. Besides, we'd travel a lot faster if we had some rest."
"Pipkin is right, Hazel," whispered Fiver quietly, "I don't have any sudden feelings of misgivings or sorrow or uneasiness right now, so I think now is as safe as any that we can use to rest and sleep." Hazel nodded, giving in. They were now traveling through a thick grove of trees and bushes, and plenty of spots were offering a thickly, covered shady area, safe and concealed from anyone. He decided to settle in an area underneath a fallen oak tree, partially covered with juniper bushes; the leaves and dead branches were so thick, it would take some effort to barrel through. If the Efrafans had discovered them, they would take some time to work their way through the foliage and it would certainly create a racket loud enough to give them warning. He stated to Campion and Holly, "Tell the others we'll sleep next to that oak tree. It seems like a safe place, and we can rest until it gets dark again. That'll give all of us enough time to gain back our strength and energy." The veteran soldiers agreed whole-heartedly, and both of them spread the message throughout their team, giving them a long-deserved feeling of relief. Yet Bluebell was still hanging on strong. He looked like he was ready to travel for two more days, and Campion joined alongside him as they talked quietly apart from the others.
"My, you look chipper," he commented to Bluebell, "I'm surprised you're not feeling tired like the rest of us. Even Bigwig and Holly feel they could use a breather, but you look as if you could run all the way back to El-ahrairah's warren with Justin on your back." He looked at the sleeping teenager who was now slumped on top of the walking Bluebell. Justin, thoroughly exhausted from panic and the battle, fell sound asleep while riding an hour ago. Bluebell cast a fond glance at his passenger before replying to Campion.
"I owe it to Justin, and besides, I don't feel like it's a burden at all. I can't explain it, but after he healed me with that light, it gave me more courage and I could literally feel his faith, his friendship and his heart. It feels like Frith is inside me, lighting my own heart and giving me strength. Though I must admit, Campion, I'm letting everybody on; my feet feel ready to fall off like a rabbit's fur in autumn!"
Campion gave a soft laugh and turned to Bluebell. "I see you've grown fond of Justin."
"Somewhat." Bluebell paused a bit, remembering the battle and the aftermath afterwards. "I don't know why in Frith's name did I even dive in front of him when Mallow threw that spear. I just acted, I guess. I mean, Justin's the only one I've ever met, besides Holly, who actually appreciates my humor and jokes, as if he's never heard anyone act like that with him before. Hazel-rah's and everyone else who has ears are always telling me to shut up and be serious, and Bigwig's always cuffing me whenever my jokes rub him the wrong way. Yet, with the cross-bearer, it's different. And when he saw I was hurt, he didn't want to leave me, even though it was probably the best thing at the time. He was even willing to resist Bigwig's orders, just to stay with me and make sure I would stay with all of you, just to make sure no one would be left behind. I mean, you should know how I now feel about him. You've probably felt the same way whenever you've trained kittens and young rabbits for the Wide Patrols back at Watership Down, and even now, in the land beyond life, you sometimes return to the physical world to influence a leader's heart to take his patrol back home." Campion warmly remembered, how he always wanted to teach rabbits the same reliability and strength he learned in Efrafa, except he wanted to teach it to help rabbits and the future generations, not to be used for warfare and destruction like Woundwort did. When he died from a fatal battle with several farm cats, El-ahrairah gave Campion permission to send his spirit to the physical world to influence leaders of Wide Patrols in all rabbits around England to give them leadership and faith. Even beyond the grave, Campion always was dedicated to helping young Owsla.
"Justin acted like a true rabbit would act in any Owsla. I know he feels he's weak, but I think the time will come when he sees that his faith and compassion will always save himself and the ones he cares about. I just wished I learned that when I was a kitten." There was a hint of sadness in Campion's voice at that last statement, as if Campion was remembering something that was giving him regret. Bluebell, noticing this awkwardness, tried to lighten his mood.
"But Justin can't be a rabbit in the Owsla yet, not until I decorate him with dock-leaf ears and a clematis tail. Then he'll be the most unique man-rabbit in the entire warren!" Campion, chuckling, cuffed Bluebell lightly on his right side, which stirred Justin into wakefulness.
"Wha...Where are we? Are we OK? Is anyone hurt??" he asked groggily, a bit slurred in his speech, but still prepared to expect the worst. Campion said gently to Justin as the teenager slowly slid off Bluebell's back, "No, cross-bearer, we're stopping to rest. Hazel-rah and Bigwig feel that we've gotten far enough from the Efrafans and the Ilips, so we can afford to take a little break. Everyone's been worn out cause we've been running throughout the night, so we could use the sleep."
"I'm not tired," Justin denied unsuccessfully as he rubbed his forehead and his eyes, trying to focus, "And besides, don't we need some rabbits to stand watch while we sleep? What if more enemies of Elil-rah come back and find us while we're resting?"
"No, Fiver hasn't had any feelings of dread and danger from his second sight, and Bigwig and Holly are very light sleepers. Even the sound of a mouse walking on the dry grass would wake them up, and they would be ready to pounce on anything that comes our way to harm us. But don't worry, I will keep watch over us until late morning. I already cleared it up with Hazel."
"But, what about you?" Justin asked, concerned as he and the rabbits carefully crawled underneath the thick bushes and into the shade of the oak tree. Several rabbits, such as Pipkin, Fiver, and Strawberry, were already fast asleep once they went under cover, and the others were starting to drowse off too. Campion shook his head, convincing Justin that there was no need for unease, as he heard Bluebell already gently snoring.
"I'll be all right. I've done plenty of guard duties when I was alive back in Efrafa, and a little lack of sleep won't hurt me too badly. Besides, I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway because I'm too uptight from the last battle. Just go to sleep, Justin. You'll make things a lot easier for us if you weren't in danger or killing yourself with worry and paranoia." Justin gave a small laugh.
"Please, I'm not Fiver." Campion chuckled as Justin lay down on his side and fell asleep, unintentionally using Silver as a pillow, but neither of them seemed to mind. Campion, after sniffing the air and straining his ears to hear if all was well, slowly laid on his belly, keeping his eyes wide open and letting the dark, secret regret in his heart eat away at him even further.
***
When Justin awoke, it was now late afternoon and the sun, though partially hidden by the thick brush, had not set down yet. As he was about to go back to sleep against Silver, he suddenly realized that Campion was gone. He slowly sat up, looking all around in the shaded darkness to see if Campion simply moved to a more serene position to sleep. Yet he was not among the still sleeping rabbits, though he noted with dry amusement that Bigwig looked as if he could sleep through a wild stampede of elephants. Though his common sense told him not to, Justin slowly crawled out of the underbrush, out into the warm sunlight, and went to go find Campion.
As it turned out, Campion was simply just a few feet away next to a wide, fast-moving creek of clear water. He was sitting in an upright position, staring at the water, but Justin noticed as he walked up closer and closer that the rabbit's ears were drooped down, almost as if Campion was depressed about something. Campion's head jerked up when he heard footsteps, but when he turned around, he was relieved, yet partly horrified to see Justin walking towards him. Justin, seeing the look in the rabbit's eyes, stopped, not sure if it was a good time to do anything.
"I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Campion. I...I just woke up and saw that you were gone, so..."
"So you went to look for me?" finished Campion, and his face softened considerably at the teenager's compassion. "That was a foolish thing to do, you know, you young duffer. You could have been attacked or killed by being out in the open like this, and I can take care of myself."
"I know you can," Justin replied, smiling, "I remember from the stories of Watership Down in my world on how you became the next Chief Rabbit in Efrafa after successfully leading the rabbits back after the attempted siege on Watership Down. I also remember how afterwards, you became a legendary hero to the rabbits on Watership Down because you trained so many kittens with the Wide Patrols." He paused a bit before continuing. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that I didn't think you couldn't handle yourself. I was just worried about you, that's all. I mean, besides, no one should be alone, regardless how strong they are."
Campion said quietly, "Sometimes, being alone is the only option you have." Though he acted nonchalant, Justin could hear sorrow in Campion's voice; he grew to recognize it since he always had that tone of voice whenever he mentioned his father to anyone who gave a damn about his troubles. Feeling for Campion, Justin tried changing the subject.
"I don't see why you're worried about me, though. If there is any trouble that comes our way, I'll have you to protect me," Justin said to Campion as he slowly sat down next to him, his voice outlining the faith and hope he had for his rabbit friends in his heart. Campion, hearing this, slowly turned his head back to the water and said softly and forlornly, "It's not always good to put your faith in people, or rabbits for that matter, who may not be strong enough or worthy enough to even deserve it in the first place."
Justin looked at Campion, now even more worried and concerned than before. He could now see something was bothering the Owsla rabbit, and he decided to pry, even though it wasn't really a good idea at the time. But, after all, what was he supposed to do? Let Campion wallow deeper in darkness and self-pity?
"Does this have something to do with me?" Justin asked Campion, expecting some blame to come his way.
"No...well, not entirely. Did you ever notice that I'm the only rabbit that is part of the expedition to come retrieve you that isn't part of Watership Down, at least in the very beginning when Hazel and the others escaped from their doomed Sandleford?" Justin nodded, and Campion continued, "It's just that there were a lot of speculations when El-ahrariah himself requested that I come with Hazel and the rest of the Watership rabbits, even though I wasn't part of the veterans from Sandleford warren, and because of the decision, I've been subjected to a lot of scorn and resentment from some of the other rabbits at the warren back home, especially from Blackavar, Stonecrop, Kehaar and Flyairth. They tried arguing that I wasn't reliable enough or trustworthy enough or strong enough to even be considered for the journey, and when El-ahrairah stuck to his decision, it just infuriated them even further. What bothers me the most is that my past as an Efrafan officer won't let me go because that's the first thing a rabbit will think of when they see me, and no matter how hard I tried to make amends for my past through helping kittens in Wide Patrols or by being the Chief Rabbit at Efrafa after Woundwort was killed, I'm still under some suspicion and dislike. Even Groundsel, a fellow companion from Efrafa, back at the Vleflain warren was suspicious of me when I started organizing the Wide Patrols again while we were still alive in the physical world, and now, not even he is treated with as much wariness as I am. I guess my being allowed to join El-ahrairah, influence Wide Patrols in the physical world, and now going on one of the most important journeys of all Lapine history just rubbed the furs of several rabbits the wrong way." He became glum again.
"Campion..." murmured Justin consolingly, but before he could even think of something supportive to say to the veteran, a voice, high-pitched, disembodied and mocking, hissed out.
"You never felt part of Hazel-rah's group, did you Campion?" Both of them jumped at the sound, and Campion, wide-eyed, turned to Justin violently, thinking that he was the one who spoke the cryptic message.
"What...what did you just say?!"
"I didn't say anything, Campion!" Then the voice spoke again, this time a bit more caustically, as its cruelty and contemptuous emotions intertwined with the words. It seemed to echo throughout the entire copse and across the surface of the stream, so neither of them had any idea of where the voice was originating.
"You know it, deep in your heart, old Captain Campion. You never felt you belonged anywhere since other rabbits have always judged you as Woundwort's right paw of evil. They never fully trusted you. That's why it kills you to think that anyone naive enough could ever believe in you, depend on you, or look up to you for help. Because you're never sure if it is because they pity you or humor you or tolerate your useless notions of Wide Patrols."
"Who are you?! Show yourself!!" demanded Campion as he and Justin just stood on the creek bank, listening to the chuckling of the unknown evil lurking in the trees, its face hidden in the cloak of the shadows leaves.
***
"Oh no!! Justin and Campion!!!" Fiver gasped in pain and clairvoyance from his dream as he sat up upright, startling Hazel and some of the rabbits surrounding him out of their slumbers. Bigwig, humorously, was still dozing. Pipkin was yawning and rubbing his eyes while Silver asked grumpily, "What in Frith's name is going on now, Fiver?"
"My visions! I saw Campion and Justin!! They're both in danger, right now!! One of Elil-rah's messengers is close by!!!" Hazel, his heart plummeting, looked around wildly while Acorn and Dandelion woke the rest of their group up. Fiver was right; Campion and Justin were no where to be seen in the shade of the juniper bushes, and as Holly and Buckthorn raced out into the open, sniffing for a trail on the dusty ground, he tried to not think of the potential "what-could-happens" if Elil-rah's Owsla found Justin. He prayed, deep in his soul, that Campion's best cunning would be enough to get the cross-bearer out of there. The rest of the rabbits followed Holly and Buckthorn while Bigwig, incredibly cranky from being rudely woken up, was cursing out loud.
"By the Hole in the Sky!! When I get my paws on Justin, he's going to by very, very sorry for doing this to us!! We try our best to protect him and keep him hidden, and what do we get?!! The young idiot goes running out into the open the instant our backs are turned!! If he doesn't stop running after this, I'll beat the living daylights out of him!!" Before Silver and Speedwell could angrily tell Bigwig to shut up, Holly declared out loud, "I got their scents!! They're not too far away from here! Campion's first, then Justin's. It seems that Campion must have left earlier, and Justin must have followed him."
"But...but why would Campion leave here without telling us?" Hawkbit asked Hazel with a tidbit of suspicion. "I mean, even though he's part of our group and was requested by Elil-rah, he wouldn't...well...you know...betray us and turn Justin over to Elil-rah, would he?" Speedwell angrily cuffed Hawkbit in the back of his head for thinking of such a horrible thought. Hazel decided not to answer that question and to focus only on the task at hand.
"We all have to get there as fast as we can!" declared Hazel breathlessly, "Holly, Buckthorn, Bigwig, lead the way and everyone, be prepared to fight anything that's trying to hurt Campion or Justin!!"
***
"On my back, cross-bearer," Campion ordered to the teenager quietly as he quickly laid on all four of his paws. Justin hurriedly, if not a bit awkwardly, scrambled onto the broad, furry back, and they both raced off back towards the sleeping camp where Hazel and the others were currently. The unknown voice sniggered as the echoes struck frost in their bones.
"The cross-bearer will never leave here alive."
***
"Holly, are we even going the right way?!" yelled Dandelion as the fourteen rabbits raced across the barren path among the trees and grass, oblivious of anything except of finding their two comrades. "We've been running on their scents for a hrair time, and we still haven't found them!! We've should have come across them and the creek by now!!"
"No, we smell it too, and we can also smell the water running in the creek, so we are on the right path!" Strawberry answered as he, Acorn, and Blackberry raced alongside him. "But, you are right, Dandelion, we should have reached them at this point! And doesn't anyone else notice that Campion and Justin smell close, but no matter how fast we're running, we can't seem to reach them??! It's as if we're running in circles!!" He was right; they have been running for over fifteen minutes, and while Justin was able to reach to the creek where Campion was in a matter of seconds on foot, the rabbits weren't able to arrive at their destination, no matter how fast they galloped. They tried running for several more minutes before they stopped, a bit exhausted over the exertion of sprinting so fast. Yet Blackberry suspiciously looked up at their surroundings before he gasped out in realization.
"Hazel-rah! Bigwig! Look at the trees!!" Everyone glanced up and they immediately saw what was so astounding. All around them, the trees, bushes, and grass were wavering in shape and color, rapidly disappearing and reappearing like mist on a cold morning. Though it smelled real, none of them could tell what they were seeing was true or not, making it extremely difficult to get their bearings. Blackberry realized the problem at once.
"Hazel-rah! The entire copse around us! It's an illusion! None of it is real, and that's why we can't find Justin or Campion!! Since we can't be killed, Elil-rah must be trying to stall us with mirages and magic, making it nearly impossible for us to find our way out of here!! It's like we're trapped in a warren with no runs, so no matter how far we run or in which direction, we'll always be lost among the illusions because it's all around us!! But that's not the worst thing! If we can't find Justin and Campion..."
"Then they can't find us," Hazel finished the sentence for him grimly. Unwilling to admit defeat, he spoke to Holly and Buckthorn, "Quickly, you two run ahead of us while the rest of us wait here. You two have excellent scouting abilities, so it'll be easier to find the cross-bearer for you without having the rest of us trailing behind. Once you find Campion and Justin, ignore any enemies and convene them back here. If Elil-rah's army follow you, they will meet up with us, and we'll deal with them." Holly and Buckthorn nodded and they immediately raced off at a fast pace, disappearing among the shimmering foliage. They waited patiently for several seconds until Hawkbit broke the silence.
"Hope they'll be all right," he muttered, his sentiments echoing all the feelings the rest of the Watership rabbits were feeling at this point. Suddenly, a sound of approaching footprints slowly appeared behind them, and turning around, Hazel and the other rabbits looked on in shock when Holly and Buckthorn came up running from behind! Holly and Buckthorn skidded to a stop and, they too, looked at the scene of coming to the group from behind in disbelief. Buckthorn shook his head wildly.
"It can't be!" he squealed, "Holly and I just ran straight ahead!! There's no way we could have circled back to you!"
"We also didn't see Justin or Campion while we were running," Holly stated solemnly, making the hearts of the rabbits sink even lower. Bigwig, not even willing to accept the fact that there was no possible way out, ran ahead himself, following the path Holly and Buckthorn took seconds earlier.
"Bigwig, wait!" Hazel yelled after him, but the Owsla veteran disappeared into the foliage before Hazel could say anything even further. Hazel rolled his eyes in annoyance, but he knew if anything, Bigwig would be willing to defend Campion and Justin to the very end if given the chance. Still, it irritated Hazel that he would always go rush in without thinking, and...
A sound from the left of the rabbits made them turn, and to their dismayed astonishment, it was Bigwig, this time appearing from between two maple trees. Bigwig just gaped at seeing Hazel and the others again, realizing that he too, was magically circled back to where he started in the maze of illusions like Buckthorn and Silver. Upon seeing this, Dandelion turned to Blackberry, a bit frantic.
"Blackberry, now's the time to use some of your wits and bright ideas! Is there anything you or Hazel-rah can think of that can help us with this?!" Blackberry shook his head and said softly, "No, it seems to me that no matter which direction we run to in these fields, we'll always come back to where we started. It's all up to Campion now."
"Somehow, that isn't very comforting," Hawkbit said a bit snappishly, earning two cuffs from an irritated Speedwell and Bluebell at once.
***
"Give it up, Captain Campion. You will never leave here with the cross-bearer, and I will not allow you or your other rabbit comrades find each other until the human boy is within my grasp. You will fail, Campion. Not even your Wide Patrol expertise can save the cross-bearer." Campion just gritted his teeth in stubborn resolve as he tore among the trees and tall grasses, not knowing he was running in circles due to the mystic forces in the copse. On Campion's back, Justin laid himself flat, letting the wind rush over him, but soon, he too noticed what Blackberry had spotted earlier. They should have been able to return to the oak tree where the other Watership rabbits were sleeping a long while ago. Yet he wasn't the only one; Campion's sharp eyes noticed it too.
"I...I can't understand!" he stammered, his nerves threatening to break. "I don't recognize any of the markers I took the trouble to memorize before I left the resting place!! I even smell that the others are close by, yet I can't reach them!!"
"Are we lost?!" asked Justin frantically, "But that's impossible! You weren't even more than several yards away from us, so how can we possibly get lost in this short of a distance?!" Campion didn't answer as he tried to think of every solution possible. He couldn't recognize the environment or get his bearings straight, so the only option was to use his sense of smell to lead them back. Yet that was what he had been doing for half an hour, and they were still wandering aimlessly among the copse. No matter how hard Campion tried, he couldn't get an accurate spot on where the other rabbits were or where the smell was originating. Struggling with his disappointment and sorrow that he was letting his friend down, Campion stopped running and paused, out of breath and slightly frothing at the mouth from his sprint. He didn't want to, but he was getting nowhere. Justin, seeing Campion's hurt, leaned over and tried to console him.
"It's all right, Campion, you tried your best," he said, rubbing Campion's neck in slight, humble affection, "Don't beat yourself up over this."
"How can you listen to such foolishness, Campion?" the shadowy voice continued mocking, "You've failed at this, a simple task to get the cross-bearer back to your friends, and now you know that if anything happens to young Justin, it will ultimately be your fault. Just like how it was your fault for not succeeding in taking over Watership Down when Woundwort laid siege upon the warren of Hazel-rah and the others. Of course, deep in your heart, you've regretted even plotting against them in the first place after you joined up with Watership Down, didn't you?" Campion, whimpering, shook his head violently, trying to stop the ringing of the harsh words tormenting his soul. Justin, sensing trouble, slid off his friend's back.
"Stop it!" Campion cried out, close to pleading. "Stop it! I couldn't...I just couldn't!"
"Every time you remembered that innocent young bucks and does died on your frivolous Wide Patrols, you took it personally responsible, didn't you, Campion? Knowing that even though you taught many rabbits to be self-dependent and resilient, there would always be some who were violently killed. Rabbits who never deserved to die like that. Rabbits that died all because of you and your Wide Patrols."
"Stop it!! I'm not listening to you! You don't know what you're saying!!" Justin looked on horrified as Campion was nearly crying in regret, pain, and guilt as the voice continued to crumble the rabbit's strength, little by little.
"You remembered the scorn and mistrust of the rabbits in Efrafa when you became Chief rabbit after Woundwort. It wasn't that they wanted you to be Chief rabbit; it was because they couldn't find anyone else to complete the task, so you may have been leader by the ridiculous notion of default, but no one wanted it to be that way. And when you left to join Vleflain and Watership Down, you pictured all the rabbits left behind in Efrafa celebrating that they got rid of the foolish rabbit with his 'fancy ways'."
"Stop it!! Shut up!! Stop, please!!" Campion squealed as he started to shake and tremble in fright and shame, nearly going tharn.
"You were an embarrassment to all rabbits in Efrafa and Watership Down. That's why so many objected when you came with the group to retrieve the cross-bearer."
"Stop it!!" Unable to take anymore, Campion tried unsuccessfully to cover his ears with his forepaws, trying to block the sound.
"Leave the cross-bearer behind. He doesn't need you. Hazel-rah doesn't need you. El-ahrairah doesn't need you. No one wants you. Just abandon your mission and save your own pathetic hide."
"No!! I won't! I won't listen to you!!"
"Leave the cross-bearer behind. Save yourself."
"I wont!!"
"You have caused so much pain in your past life. You think all your good acts now can ever redeem you, even in this land?"
"Shut up!!"
"You will never succeed, and Hazel-rah and the other rabbits will hate you forever because of it."
"Stop it, please!!"
"Justin will die because of you, like so many rabbits before him." At this, Campion gave up as he slowly sank to the floor, his spirit fleeting out of him. The figure in the trees smiled. Now, the cross-bearer was completely defenseless, completely vulnerable, and...completely helpless. Yet before it could even move from hiding to murder the human, Justin unexpectedly kneeled in front on Campion and gently placed his hands under Campion's chin, causing the rabbit to slightly lift up his head and look into Justin's eyes.
"Campion, listen to me!" he told the rabbit fiercely and urgently, his grief shining brightly in his eyes, "Don't listen to him!! You're not at fault for anything, just like Holly told me earlier that I shouldn't blame myself for anything bad that happens to me or other people. Sometimes things happen beyond your control, and no one could have done anything differently if they were in your place. Not Bigwig, not Hazel, not even El-ahrairah!! Even though rabbits did die in your Wide Patrols, it was due to the elil and the enemies of all rabbits, not because of your training expeditions, so it's not your fault! You weren't leading rabbits to their deaths, you were helping them survive!!" The figure, sensing trouble, tried to dissuade Campion from empathizing with the cross-bearer.
"He is lying, Campion. How can you think of trusting a man who knows nothing about what you feel?"
Justin continued to talk Campion out of his angst and misery, now feeling the pain of his own memories coming back to haunt him. "The voice is wrong, Campion! I do know what it feels like, to try your best only to feel that it isn't good enough, to fear that people will always criticize and scoff at you, no matter how hard you work or how good your intentions are, to always live as a disappointment to others who couldn't care less about you!" At this last part, Justin nearly choked but he forced himself to continue for Campion's sake.
"You remember how earlier, I told you and the others about my father and how I had to live with him after my mother left? Well, ever since the divorce, I always had to live with my dad's degrading comments, his bullying, and his abuse. I was always a disappointment to him, never being the strong, independent ideal son he always wanted, never good at sports and always forcing him to say I was pathetic and a wimp, and always being too weak to be manly enough for his standards. Sometimes, he'd even beat me, pummel me to the ground and saying that he would rather have no children than be embarrassed by a weakling like me. And you know what? I believed him. I always convinced myself that everything was my fault, just to humor him, until it happened so often, I believed it to be the truth. I always convinced myself that he was right, that I wasn't any use to anybody, that no one cared if I lived or died, and that I deserved everything bad that happened to me, to have myself come crawling back with my head down for more punishment because I felt I deserved it, like some animal." Justin was now crying, but he was too intent with trying to help Campion, and he didn't even feel the burning tears running down his face. Campion, finally feeling the weight of the teenager's words, looked up to see the extraordinary sight of someone weeping over him for his pain.
"Do not listen to the boy, Campion. He's just trying to humor you, just like all the young rabbits did when you were training them."
"And the voice is also wrong when it said that you never did any good to any rabbit. In my world, I remembered the stories about you from 'Tales of Watership Down', and you helped so many rabbits in the physical world, and all the youngsters loved you because you were one of the few adult rabbits who understood them, who never patronized them, who would always be proud of and give encouragement to the future Owsla. You were never a burden to anyone, and even Hazel and Bigwig trusted you fully to help the future generations on Watership Down!" At this, the figure in the trees could feel Campion's hope gently becoming restored, and it was starting to panic at the increasing likelihood that it would lose. It was now screaming with all its might, making his words so violent, even Hazel-rah and the other Watership rabbits could hear the voice.
"YOU WILL ALL DIE HERE! CAMPION, YOU FOOL!! GIVE UP NOW AND LEAVE THE CROSS-BEARER WITH ME!! YOU WERE NEVER A WORTHY RABBIT OF EL-AHRAIRAH OR TO ANY OF THE RABBITS FROM WATERSHIP DOWN! NO ONE TRUSTS YOU, NO ONE WANTS YOU, AND NO ONE WILL EVER BELIEVE IN YOU!!"
"He's wrong, Campion. Don't you remember who asked you to come to this expedition? El-ahrairah himself, the Prince of all Rabbits since the beginning of time, and out of all the rabbits at the warren, he chose you because he believed in your abilities, your strength. What, you mean to tell me that you would rather believe some coward who doesn't have the guts to show his face than the Prince and Savior of all rabbits himself?" Justin smiled through this last statement when he saw the realization and understanding dawning in Campion's face. Before the mysterious voice could further scream at the duo, the teenager said the magic words.
"You're not alone, Campion. I believe in you, I have faith in you, and I care about you, just like all your friends do back at the other end of this copse. Your friends, the ones who have been with you since you lived at Watership Down, the friends who have forgotten and forgiven you for your role in Efrafa's siege, and the friends who I know you will always fight and defend for to the very end. Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, and all the others, you know they feel exactly the same way, maybe even more than I do. And what you said earlier, about how it's not good to put your faith and hope in people who don't deserve it or who aren't strong enough? You're wrong about that too; no matter how little faith you have, even a little bit of faith, as small as a mustard seed, can help you move mountains. And it doesn't matter whether or not a person deserves it or whether they're strong enough because as long as they care about others as much as others care about them, they'll never be weak." I believe in you, I have faith in you, and I care about you...Those simple words echoed in Campion's head over and over, and Campion couldn't explain it, but he could almost feel the darkness, the regret, the pain from his past, and the grief slowly being released in his heart. Struggling, he rose and stood upright while the mysterious voice was now screaming in rage, trying to dissuade Campion with its illusions and lies again, but the rabbit didn't even hear them as he gratefully looked at the teenager who he towered over by at least a foot. Letting his heart open, Campion whispered back.
"You're right, young one. I...I do believe in El-ahrairah, I do have faith in Hazel-rah and all my friends, and...and I care about you too, Justin." Before the figure hiding in the trees could do anything to stop them, Justin's cross, feeling the faith of Justin and Campion, reacted strongly and began to illuminate with a golden light. Unafraid, Campion and the cross-bearer just stared as the gentle, orange light engulfed them, the trees, the fields, and the entire copse.
***
Among the trees, the Watership Down rabbits, still lost and wandering among the maze, looked on in awe when they saw the familiar orange sunlight from Justin's cross engulf all the trees and grass with its brilliant luster. The light was so strong, the rabbits could see that it was starting to completely dissolve all the illusions around them, eliminating the evil magic and making it disappear like dew on a hot morning. Within a few minutes, the light disappeared and so did all the mirages. The copse now looked real and familiar, no longer maze-like, and to their joy, within a few feet away from them in plain sight were Campion and Justin.
"Campion!! Justin!! We found you!" cried Pipkin happily as he was the first to spot them, and within instants, Hazel, Fiver, Holly and the rest surrounded their two friends, extremely relieved that nothing bad had happened to their comrades. Suddenly, there was a loud thud behind them, and turning to the noise, they all saw a horrific sight. There, struggling on the ground in pain a few yards away from them, was a gigantic, black rat. It was as big as a Saint Bernard dog, and its eyes were glowing in a harsh, red light, like its master, Elil-rah. Yet despite the terrifying demeanor, Blackberry and a few others noticed that the rat's fur was singed and smoking, and a few areas on the rat's body was charred with black burns against the pale, pink skin. The light from Justin's cross not only destroyed all the rat's illusions, but it was also so intense, when it engulfed the creature, it set its body on fire. Even now, the rat was rolling in the dusty, powdery dirt of the ground, trying to further smother the smoky charred bits of its flesh and fur. Hazel decided to get to the bottom of the whole matter.
"Who are you?" he questioned a bit harshly, "Since you were the only creature in this copse that was affected by the light of the cross-bearer, then I wouldn't be wrong to assume that you are the messenger sent by Elil-rah to come kill our friend." The other rabbits waited silently as the rat, finally succeeding in putting out the smoldering ashes on its body, stood up furiously and snarled. Campion and Justin recognized it as the same voice that echoed in the copse earlier before, but now, without the illusions and mirages, it was less impending and raspy.
"You fools!" the rat squeaked in lividness, "You embleer rabbits!! Curse you and your precious cross-bearer!! I almost had all of you in my power of illusion and I would have succeeded in enslaving all of you and killing the boy if it wasn't for that accursed light!! And you!" he snarled, pointed a singed claw at Justin, who was watching quietly, "you think you've won haven't you, you troublesome pest!! Well, you haven't! Elil-rah will prevail in this land, and he will reward me and my other rat minions for our loyalty against El-ahrairah and men!! Mark my words, cross-bearer! I will come back again, and when I do, I will wipe you and the rest of the rabbits out with my army, like I nearly did with El-ahrairah and the warren of Burdock!!" Dandelion gasped as he recognized the rat from the stories he had exchanged with El-ahrairah over the years.
"Now I remember you!" he exclaimed, "You're Veil Guplea, the king of all rats, the same king that led the killing spree on hundreds of innocent animals and who nearly finished off the warren of Burdock-rah in 'The Story of the Great Marsh'! If it wasn't for El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle, you would have finished them off too!!" At these words, Campion barreled past the other rabbits and stood face to face with the Veil Guplea. Despite the burning anger he was feeling for the hell the rat had put him through, he kept himself in control as he muttered in a low, dangerous voice.
"Leave. Now. There's nothing else you can do to me, to Justin, or to the rest of us. So leave while you still have the ability to crawl back to the cold, embleer, flea-infested hole you came from." Veil, however, was not too eager to return back to Elil-rah with reports of failure, so in a last desperate attempt, he veered away from Campion and foolishly lunged straight towards Justin. Before the murderous rat could even get close, he was painfully flung into the ground as Hazel and Campion did a double-team head-butt directly into the left flank of Veil. Veil fell to his side, breathless, but Campion could still see the look of murder in his eyes and without giving the rat a chance to stand up, with a yell of rage and battle, Campion charged as fast as he could and rammed into the evil rodent with all of his might. With a howl of pain, Veil Guplea flew into the air in a low arc only to come splashing into the cold water of the stream nearby. The rest of the rabbits and Justin, morbidly curious, ran up to the back of the wide creek to see the sight of Veil cursing and sputtering insults as he was swept away by the torrent current of water.
"You haven't seen the last of me!" Veil screams echoed as he disappeared into the distance. The other rabbits watched silently for several moments before Hazel ordered to his friends, "I think we've all had enough rest for one day, so let's start moving again. We can go silflay once we reach a nice field of grass and clover, all right?" The rabbits agreed and they started to slowly walk to the nearest edge of copse and towards the sumptuous grassy plains, full of grass, dandelions, cowslips, and clover, which were a mile away. While walking, Hazel lightly reprimanded Campion as they ambled out of the grove with Bigwig and Justin.
"You shouldn't have left us without letting us know, Campion, you old duffer," he said, "We would have nearly lost you, and when you found out that Justin went out into the open to keep you company, you should have brought him back straight away. We were lucky this time that Veil couldn't hurt you or Justin."
"It wasn't Campion's fault," Justin broke in, trying to defend Campion's apparent oversight, "It was mine. Campion wanted me to go back, but I refused because I didn't want to leave him. And yeah, I know how close I nearly came to getting killed, but Campion protected me and stayed by my side. Though you do have a right to be annoyed, Hazel, you didn't have to worry. I believe in Campion, and I know you trust in him, too." Campion shot Justin a look of warmth, gratitude and devotion as he glanced at the young teenager who had just helped him conquer his inner demons and regrets. Unfortunately for Justin, it infuriated Bigwig as he got riled up and was reminded of being furious with Justin in the first place when they discovered he was missing.
"By Frith, you're becoming the biggest nuisance I've ever had to deal with!!" he raged, "What in the name of the Black Rabbit do you use for a brain?!! A lad like you with no possible way to defend himself and who hasn't even mastered his powers yet, go out during Ni-Frith in plain daylight and nearly fall prey to Veil, the King of all Rats?!! And you just stand there, slightly abashed, but not ashamed of your foolishness?!! By the King's Lettuce, first Bluebell, now Campion!! If you were in my Owsla, I'd beat some sense into you, and then some!! Stupid, tharn, fat-headed, adolescent buck, doesn't know when the elil is coming until the danger is right in front of your useless nose!!" Bigwig kept yelling, scolding, and fiercely admonishing to Justin while the other rabbits kept silent as they heard their friend being told off.
"This will probably take a while," sighed Silver to Acorn, Speedwell and Hawkbit as they walked ahead, "Justin is going to be in for a rough time. I'm surprised that me and Holly don't have to restrain Bigwig from beating the hraka out of Justin."
"Well, can't say he doesn't deserve it," Hawkbit commented nonchalantly and impassively, "Think I should tell the cross-bearer, 'I told you so'?"
"Do and you're going to be the next one who gets a tongue lashing!" Acorn warned sternly as Silver and Speedwell laughed.
/*
Hope you liked it; next update in a week! Oh, and as for the contest, I am offering any reader a chance to give me input and create a specific enemy character that I will be honored to use for my story in the later chapters. I will acknowledge the person who created the character in the chapter I introduce it to. The contest is to solve this riddle: VEIL GUPLEA is an anagram that spells two words. What are those two words? Can you solve it? Post on the reviews what you think it is and the first person who posts the correct answer can have the chance to design an enemy character for my story. There are two requirements though:
1.) The enemy character has to be an animal; I want to stay as faithful to the Watership Down books as possible.
2.) The character cannot be another man or Elil-rah himself; I'm saving Elil-rah for the final battle with El-ahrairah.
OK, best wishes, and good luck to solving the anagram! Post it on the reviews and see you in a week! Deadline for this contest is September 11th of this year. Good luck!
*/