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Author's note: To all those who've grown to like this story, my deepest apologies!! I was in Hong Kong for two weeks and I couldn't finish this chapter until I came back! Well, on the upside, I did get a few concerned e-mail asking what was going on, plus I would like to make a few assurances: yes, I do plan to finish this story, yes, I do plan to update this story with a new chapter every week unless I say so otherwise, and yes, there will be a chapter dedicated to each rabbit of Watership Down in my story. Anyway, I also would like to add congratulations to Bulgeta la Wang for solving my anagram puzzle from the last chapter! He/She will get to design an enemy for an upcoming chapter and I will use it and acknowledge that it was his/her creation. Again congratulations! And now, ALL BIGWIG FANS REJOICE! This chapter is about Bigwig! Enjoy! =) (This has been the longest chapter I've written yet!)
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CHAPTER 11It was early evening and the moon was just rising above the horizon, and it was cool and refreshing as the rabbits grazed on clover and grass under the starry sky. For once, it was quite pleasant and peaceful. Well, it was almost pleasant and peaceful.
Justin ruefully sighed in aggravation as a very protective, bitter, and fuming Bigwig, after the incidents with the teenager's foolishness with Bluebell and Campion and who took it to his own responsibility to safeguard and look after the cross-bearer, closely watched him sitting on the grass. Earlier, Holly and Hazel realized that Justin couldn't silflay like the others, not that Justin was eager to chew on grass and weeds for dinner. Since it had been over a day since Justin had last eaten, he felt the pangs of hunger attack his stomach shortly after the scare with Veil Guplea; seeing as there were no supermarkets or fast-food restaurants in sight, Justin knew meals were going to be a definite problem. Luckily, Acorn and Pipkin, who before had gathered food for Kehaar when he was stranded on Watership Down, suggested to Justin that they go look for berries and fruits in the copse together. However, much to everyone's frustration, including Hazel's, Bigwig flatly rejected that idea, almost screaming himself hoarse about the idea of having Justin go in the face of possible danger again. After a long argument, Bigwig ended up gathering assorted fruits and berries with Pipkin, Acorn, Bluebell, and Campion while the other rabbits stayed behind with Justin in the grassy fields. Justin wasn't ungrateful for the help for they luckily brought edible blueberries, raspberries, and some soft groundnuts, but Bigwig, being exasperatingly domineering, told the rabbits not to gather too much food for Justin so that he wouldn't stuff himself and get soft from overeating like Strawberry (Strawberry didn't appreciate the simile). If Justin were needed for battle, it would better to do it on an empty stomach than a full one. After his meal, Justin got thirsty and was about to get up and go get a drink of water from the stream he and Campion were at earlier, but Bigwig demanded unreasonably that Justin remain sitting where he was, in the plain sight of everyone, and that he could wait until it was safe. At this, Strawberry, Buckthorn, Bluebell and Campion lost their tempers at Bigwig's sudden, unbearable, protective regulations, arguing that Justin needed safety and security, not punishment and isolation. Bigwig argued back that Justin was the only chance they had left of saving El-ahrairah, and after several extremely close calls, he wasn't willing to take any more risks. Fiver and Justin, who wished that the rabbits would not fight amongst themselves over his sake, tried to gently break up the quarrel, but Bigwig, who was now already irate, growled at Justin to stay out of it and be silent. This flared up Justin in response.
"Bigwig, stop treating me like I'm a prisoner or like I'm an Owsla soldier in-training! You're supposed to act like a friend, not like my father!!" he yelled in a hurt voice.
Bigwig snarled back, "Maybe if you started acting like a boy who was responsible and smart enough to be the cross-bearer for once, I wouldn't have to treat you like a tharn buck!! And until I see you change for the better, you're staying in my presence where I can keep an eye on you, whether you like it or not!!"
"You're just as bad as Woundwort!" but as soon as those words left Justin's angry mouth, he immediately regretted saying it. Justin numbly put his hand over his mouth, realizing that the comment wasn't the best thing to say to Bigwig, a brave soldier who actually risked his own life to save his friends by fighting General Woundwort during Efrafa's siege and who nearly lost his life in doing so. The other rabbits just stared at Justin, stunned at the outburst, and the teenager could only just look down at his feet in shameful silence as Bigwig, who reached a new level of fury, narrowed his burning eyes and bristled his fur upright as he growled in a livid, deadly voice, his voice lining each word with stabbing, cold, rage, "Don't...you...ever...After what I've been through in Efrafa...How dare you..."
Before he could even finish his thoughts, it took the efforts of Silver, Holly, and Hazel to restrain him from doing something rash, and Justin just weakly sat on the grass, feeling nothing but a cold, icy numbness of remorse in his stomach as Blackberry, Campion, Bluebell, Dandelion, Fiver, and Pipkin sat with their friend and silently comforted the teenager. At a distance, the three veterans talked quietly to Bigwig, trying to calm him down, although it wasn't with much success.
Hazel reasoned to Bigwig, "There's no point in making Justin feel worse than he already does. He knows what he did earlier with Bluebell and Campion was foolish, but has every good intention to do what he did. His heart's in the right place. He's not doing this to spite you, Bigwig; he's doing it because he cares for us too much to let us go. He's bonded with all of us in such a short time, and I don't want you to do something that could jeopardize our relationship with Justin. The young one has had a rough enough time as it is, and you're not really helping matters much."
"I'm not the one who's helping?!!" shouted Bigwig, extremely scandalized, "That young chap over there's got no respect for me and for my efforts of trying to keep him safe!! He's the one who's not helping us by constantly getting his fat furry tail in the likes of danger! Little, ungrateful...he's got the nerve to say I'm just as bad as Woundwort?!! Instead of talking to me, Hazel, you should give Justin there a good dressing down!!"
"Thlayli, I don't think he needs it," commented Holly severely as he glanced over and saw that Blackberry and Strawberry had their paws over Justin's shoulders, trying to console him. "And I think that Justin is partly right about what he said earlier. Don't you think you shouldn't be so hard on him? There's a difference between keeping him safe and keeping him captive. He's one of us now, and we all trust his judgment, yet you don't seem to have much opinion that he should be free to do what he wants as long as it doesn't jeopardize someone's life. Can't you see the young one has a pretty good head on his shoulders?"
"The minute that young troublemaker stop wandering off the minute our backs are turned, I will be ready to treat him like everyone else," Bigwig muttered hotly. "By Frith, I didn't have as much trouble when we had to deal with Sandwort back at Watership Down, and at least with him, I'd feel it would be a fairer fight if I had to beat some common sense into him. This annoying chap, on the other hand, doesn't even listen to me; it comes in one ear and out the other!!"
"He's not the one who has a problem listening." Holly gave Bigwig a reprimanding look, but Silver jumped in before Bigwig could explode in retaliation.
"Bigwig, be reasonable," Silver cajoled gently his long-time friend, "Justin knows his life is in constant danger, and he would never do anything to jeopardize us or the chance to save El-ahrairah; he knows he's too important for this entire mission. But the more you treat him like this, the more he's going to have feelings of resentment towards you, and eventually, that's going to cause some friction for us in the future. If we wish to get the cross-bearer back to the warren in one piece, we need him to stick close by and to trust us, but frankly, your behavior and treatment towards him are just going to push him farther and farther away. He's already gone through this with his father, and you doing the exact same thing is going to make things a lot worse. Just listen to us, and stop treating him so impassively."
Bigwig however showed no sign that he listened to any of the conversation and sidetracked stubbornly, shortly, and deliberately, "I'm going to go silflay with the others."
With that, he was off, hopping a bit haphazardly and aggressively, towards the group of rabbits surrounding Justin. As Hazel, Holly, and Silver watched, to their disappointed aggravation, Bigwig tersely spoke to the rabbits for a few short moments before Campion, Bluebell, Dandelion, Fiver, Pipkin, and Blackberry stiffly left Justin alone with Bigwig as they went to silflay somewhere else. And they also noticed Campion and Bluebell glaring back at Bigwig, almost unconsciously threatening the Owsla leader with consequences if he did anything to hurt their human friend. Bigwig, unfazed, started to feed on the grass and clover alone while watching over Justin with an angry look in his eye. Justin didn't even bother to gaze back at him as he pretended to be more interested in shredding a dandelion blossom between his fingers, his downcast eyes showing gloom and apologetics. Neither of them had spoken, and it had been that way for half an hour. Hazel was starting to get a little worried, especially when Blackberry and Fiver voiced in their concerns after talking with Bigwig.
"The problem with Bigwig is that he feels he's always right," sighed Blackberry as he tried to contemplate the situation without bad-mouthing his friend, "And whenever there's a little bit of the off chance that he is wrong, he's so stubborn and hot-headed, it's extremely difficult to tell him without having him curse you or heatedly argue with you. Remember when we were at Cowslip's warren of the Shining Wire? Bigwig was exactly like how he's acting right as of this very moment, and it took the event of him nearly dying in a snare before he could realize and admit that he was wrong."
"Bigwig does have his heart in the right place, though," admitted Fiver, "But the thing is Hazel, in his heart, I can feel the pain and fear he has of failing, just like Campion. So he's always trying to take charge of everything, trying to do everything himself without anyone's aid, because he's so afraid of something going wrong if he leaves it to be done by someone other than him. But what does worry me is that by isolating himself like this, he may befall into serious trouble, and we won't be there to help him."
"So what's to happen?" Holly asked skeptically as he joined in the conversation, "You want to hope that another messenger of Elil-rah will come by to attack Justin and in doing so, bring Bigwig back to his senses?"
"O Frith and Inle!" muttered Blackberry, shaking his head, "Let's hope not!"
After the rabbits had had their fill of silflay, Hazel and the other veterans agreed that it would be best if they started eastward again as soon as possible. They still needed to voyage a good, long distance before they could reach the mountain range that was separating them from the land where El-ahrairah and the warren were waiting. Justin, upon hearing this, realized how many long days and nights and over what terrains and obstacles the rabbits of Watership Down had to travel through to get him, and it did make him appreciate a bit more of what they were all doing for his sake and safety. However, that appreciation was starting to wither when he was about to go on top of Campion's back for the trip; Bigwig immediately came by before he could scramble on.
"Hold it, young one!" Bigwig barked brusquely, "I said I'm keeping my eye on you, and by Frith, I'm still standing by that promise. You're riding on me tonight cause you've put Campion through enough trouble, and it'll be easier for me to stay close to you if you ride on my back. Now get on! Hop to it!" There was a slight harshness to his voice in the last two sentences, and frankly, Campion didn't like it. And neither did Justin; earlier, Campion told the young one that he wanted to carry him since it would give them more time to hang out and to know each other better. Like Bluebell, Campion wanted to bond more with the teenager. Yet Justin didn't want to argue with Bigwig. Even less, he wanted another fight to sever the close relationship Bigwig had between the rest of the Watership rabbits, so before Campion could say anything, Justin jumped in.
"It's all right, Campion," he whispered to his friend, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice, "I'll be fine, and right now, please, just humor Bigwig. I don't want to make him any madder at me, and I especially wouldn't feel right if you and Bigwig started fighting. It would definitely make things a lot easier for Hazel and El-ahrairah." Campion, though exceedingly averse, sighed and nodded, giving in.
"Come on, young one!" exclaimed Bigwig with extreme impatience, "We're not waiting for you all night!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," muttered Justin tensely as he walked over to the hulking rabbit without even looking at him. Campion looked sadly at Justin, then glowered at Bigwig for a moment, and then left abruptly to join with Silver and Hawkbit. As Justin boarded the strong back of Bigwig, he didn't notice the look of discomfort and sullenness Bigwig had in his eyes as he watched Campion edge away from him. Yet the rabbit didn't say anything as they started galloping at a fast pace towards the warren of El-ahrairah. As they galloped across the grassy terrains, Hazel noted that there were still some strains between Bigwig and the other rabbits; everyone was either nervously looking at the veteran with uncomfortable glances or just pretended to keep their minds on the running. He knew something eventually needed to be done, but before he could think of anything, Holly cried out suddenly.
"Hazel! There's a rabbit in front of us! Look!" Everyone's attention turned immediately to the view in front. Holly was right; there, lying on its side and gasping for air as his sweaty dark-brown fur drenched its body, was an injured hlessi, a wandering rabbit that lived in the open without belonging to a proper warren. He was big, as scruff, brawny, and massive as their Bigwig; any Owsla would have been glad to have him in the physical world. However, Hazel wasn't able to recognize him; he was pretty sure he had never seen a rabbit like him in El-ahrairah's warren before, and by the look on everyone's faces, neither did they. As the others stopped to gather around the hlessi and sniff him, Justin, feeling concerned and vexed, jumped off Bigwig's back, trying to see if there was a way he could help. Bigwig, however, wasn't as poignant.
"What in Frith's name are you doing?!" yelled Bigwig as he angrily jumped in front of the teenager and blocked his path before he could advance towards the hurt rabbit. "Do you constantly have some death wish?!! Get behind me and stop before you do something foolish!!"
"But...But that rabbit needs help! And if he's hurt, I can try to heal him, like I did with Bluebell!" stammered Justin nervously as the look of rage from Bigwig's brown eyes cut him down by a few notches.
"Did it ever occur through your small brain that this could be another one of Elil-rah's tricks?!" whispered Bigwig heatedly, trying his best to not let the hlessi rabbit overhear him but at the same time, summoning all the ferocity he could muster in a whisper. "Are you even trying to think about your safety, you overgrown, dumb-headed puffball, or are you doing your best to annoy me?! Now shut up and stay back!" Justin could feel the anger and resentment bubble precariously in his blood as he tried his best to keep his temper down. Yet before he could do anything, the hlessi gasped out in awe as he realized who the teenager was.
"You!" he wheezed out shakily at Justin in awe and revered recognition as Hazel, Blackberry and Dandelion sniffed and tenderly licked his wounds that littered all around his body. The buck had several lacerations, very deep and caked with dried blood, and from what Dandelion and Blackberry could see, they were made by spear wounds. Efrafans. The buck hlessi continued to pant out, "I can't believe it! You're...you're a man! In the land beyond life!! That must mean...you're the cross-bearer! The one who was foretold in legends and stories past forgotten!"
"That's right, and who are you?" asked Hazel blankly.
"My name is Zadnir-rah," panted the buck, wincing from his pain, "I was once a Chief rabbit in the physical world, but when I died, I came here only to be invited to join the warren of El-ahrairah and the other rabbits. Yet warren life wasn't for me, especially since I couldn't be Chief Rabbit like I used to in my old life, so I requested El-ahrairah to allow me to live as a hlessi in this land. Yet some time ago, while I was at silflay, several Efrafans of Elil-rah's army ambushed me. They were looking for more animals to join in their army to destroy the warren of El-ahrairah, but when I refused the offer since my loyalty lies with the Prince of all rabbits, they attacked me and stabbed me several times with their spears. But since all they were able to do was injure me, they left after they were done, and I've been lying here for several days and nights out here. Please, for Frith's sake, can you help me??" Hazel's compassionate heart pained from seeing a rabbit in agony, but he had to think about the hlessi's story. It was true that any rabbit that didn't enjoy warren life can make the decision to live a wanderer's life out in the open, with El-ahrairah's blessing, of course. El-ahrairah never wanted to hold a rabbit against his will, and sometimes, the hlessi have proven helpful in finding new feeding grounds, exploring new lands, and even making friends with unlikely animals such as the pikes, the mice, and even the elil. Since this was the land beyond life, all animals, elil and prey alike, were friends and stayed that way; well, at least before Elil-rah's corruption on the animals. Recently, some hlessi such as Toadflax, Blackavar and Scabious, rabbits that Hazel had known in his past life, were successful as scouting parties to gather and report the enemy's activity. Still, could they trust him? As Hazel contemplated on the story, Justin, unable to take seeing Zadnir's pain, stepped forward and out of the range of Bigwig's hulking body.
"Hazel, let me heal Zadnir, let me help him. I've done it before with Bluebell," he requested, almost pleading.
"Hold your tongue, Justin!" growled Bigwig, as he tried to put himself between Justin and Zadnir again, almost afraid that the hlessi would make a mad dash towards the cross-bearer. "We don't know anything about this rabbit, and how do we know he's even telling the truth?! For all we know, he could be leading us into another army of Efrafans, ready to slay the cross-bearer!!"
"Bigwig, stop being so stubborn, be reasonable and start thinking straight!" cried out Blackberry, his patience was already wearing thin.
"That'll be a first," chuckled Bluebell out loud, his voice slightly derisive. Bigwig glared at the rabbit jester and snarled, "I'm warning you, Bluebell..." Silver then spoke.
"Bigwig, look, if he was part of Elil-rah's army, they wouldn't have injured him like this and left him. Besides, we can't smell any other rabbits or strange creatures around us, except him and ourselves, of course, so I can't think it's a trap. Besides, he doesn't smell unnatural like the Efrafan rabbits do, and can't you see that he doesn't have any clothing and can't stand upright, like the soldiers of Elil-rah's army? Besides, aren't you forgetting Blackavar and Toadflax? They're hlessi, just like Zadnir here is, and they help us fight against Elil-rah, Woundwort, and Prince Rainbow!"
"Well...I...but..." sputtered Bigwig, apparently at a loss of words, before grunting, "I still don't trust him!"
"Oh, that was such a convincing rebuttal," whispered Bluebell sarcastically to Speedwell, trying to keep his voice low so that Bigwig wouldn't hear him. Unfortunately, Bigwig's ears were sharp.
"Just one more word, Bluebell..." he threatened as he raised a forepaw, ready to cuff him. Bluebell, sensing the danger, kept silent. Seeing a chance, Hazel gave Justin his approval. "Go, Justin, heal Zadnir. The sooner we can start on our journey, the better and I don't think even El-ahrairah would approve if we left an injured hlessi without even bothering to help. Like in the story 'The Hole in the Sky', so go heal him, Justin. We support you."
Bigwig was extremely scandalized, but the look Hazel and Holly gave him forced him to keep his mouth shut. Still, Acorn and Strawberry noticed that Bigwig was on the balls of all of his four paws, ready to dash out and tackle Zadnir if he played false. Justin was a little nervous as he approached the hlessi, but the look of extreme gratitude on Zadnir's face quietly eased his apprehension as he placed his hands on the rabbit's back, closed his eyes, and prayed for God to give him the power to heal the injured rabbit again, just like he had done before. In an instant, the rabbits saw the ever-familiar golden sunlight of the cross engulf Zadnir, and soon, the buck was on his feet and gazing at his healed body in wonder. There wasn't even a mark on him, and gratefully, he thanked the Watership rabbits with all of his heart. Then Zadnir was about to go up to the human teenager to give him his gratitude, but with a smooth interception, a glowering Bigwig put himself between the two of them, his dark eyes warning the hlessi what will potentially happen if he laid a paw on Justin. Zadnir, being no fool, silently backed away condescendingly while the other rabbits noted this with slight, annoyed chagrin. As Justin and the other rabbits were about to continue on their journey to the east, Zadnir stopped them with a surprising request.
"Let me join you!" he pleaded, "I want to help the cross-bearer get back to El-ahrairah too, and besides, I'm loyal to the Prince of all Rabbits, so if he's in danger, I want to do anything I can to be of assistance!" Before Bigwig could object, Justin inquired to Hazel, "Hazel, can he? He seems friendly, and it'll be safer for Zadnir if he travels with us so he won't get attacked again. He might not so lucky next time."
"Yes, please Hazel-rah!" chimed in Pipkin excitedly, "Please say 'yes'!" Hazel, seeing that Bigwig was about to oppose, immediately nodded, making all the travelers except one indignant Bigwig happy, especially now that they've made a new friend and companion for the journey. It was also a slight relief for Justin; with so many animals in this land that especially hated his guts, it was refreshing to find an animal that was accepting and not easily shaken from the sight of a human. As the band went eastwards once again, Bigwig just scowled out of the corners of his eye as most of the rabbits running around Zadnir were asking him questions about hlessi life and his adventures. Zadnir, in turn, regaled tales of playing with the lendri, riding on the backs of eagles and hawks as they took up in the air so that he could scan a wide area from the high view, and doing water games with the otters in a lake full of pikes that were as big as clover fields. Pipkin especially took a fascination to the stories as he was galloping with the huge buck since he always had a secret desire to fly to the skies and be airborne from the time when he met with Kehaar in the physical world. All this was starting to make Bigwig secretly jealous because it began to seem that everyone, even Hazel, was beginning to prefer Zadnir over him since he was kind, open, and patient, unlike surly, bullying, tough Bigwig.
After a long night's worth of running, Hazel and the rest of the rabbits decided to take a small break under the cover of a thick forest they had just come across as dawn was just about to crack the night sky in about an hour or two. Everyone was starting to have his spirits lift up, due to the fact that there hadn't been a single sight or smell of Efrafans or Elil-rah's Owsla throughout the whole trip. As the rabbits started to chew on pellets and grass while resting in the huge woodland, Zadnir went up to Justin and squatted up with his human friend.
"I must say I still can't believe I'm in the presence of the cross-bearer!" he exclaimed as he chatted with the teenager under the darkness of the tall redwood and pine trees. Hawkbit and Pipkin sat along with him as Zadnir continued, "I mean, by Frith and Inle, I could have never imagined all this in my wildest dreams! And to be with the famous rabbits of Watership Down, this will truly be the most memorable and exciting journey I will have ever been on!"
Justin smiled at the compliment before all three rabbits heard the boy's stomach growl loudly. Hawkbit smirked, "Is that thunder I hear rumbling, Justin, or is this the strange human way of telling us you're hungry again?"
Blushing, Justin grinned, "I guess now's a good time to go find something to eat here."
Zadnir looked confused. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind chewing on pellets or having some nice grass and dandelions to silflay on? It'll do wonders for any hungry rabbit!" Justin doubtfully glanced at Acorn and Strawberry chewing on their dry hraka.
"Yes, I am definitely sure," he repeated more insistently. There was unquestionably no possible way he was going to put rabbit droppings into his mouth. Hawkbit and Zadnir chuckled as Pipkin broke in, "Let's go out and explore together, see if we can find some berries and such for you to eat again. You didn't eat from much last time since Bigwig wouldn't let you have your fill. Zadnir might be able to help too! Being a hlessi and all, he probably knows where to find some good fruit and nuts!" They all agreed but they took no more than five steps when Bigwig's angry voice rang out, getting the attention of all the other Watership rabbits. Now trouble was really brewing.
"Where in the name of the Black Rabbit are you four going?!" he demanded as he went up in front of Justin. "And why are you going to wander off?!! Embleer Frith, didn't I just tell you to stay where you are?!! By the Great Marsh, you're really starting to get on my temper, young one!!" Zadnir, looking extremely sorry, tried to interrupt.
"Don't be mad at Justin, Bigwig. It's just that he was hungry, and we decided to go look for some food for him in the forest since -"
"I don't care if he hasn't eaten for a full Inle!!" snarled Bigwig as he seared the hlessi with a fierce look, "Justin knows better than wander off, especially when Elil-rah is looking for him!!"
Justin argued back, now feeling his anger reaching the boiling point. All that needed was one little snap, and his resolve would completely break. "Bigwig, I'm not being irresponsible!! Hawkbit, Pipkin, and Zadnir would look out for me, and we won't wander far from Hazel and the rest of you guys!! I just needed to go find some food since I can't silflay like the rest of you!!"
"And I suppose you're willing to trust Zadnir?!! You ignorant, little kitten!! You can't trust every single animal that comes within our way, and I still stand by what I said before, I don't trust that hlessi!!!" Zadnir looked extremely hurt from that remark, and this caused Justin's burning hatred to multiply. By now, Hazel and the others were sensing the rift between Justin and Bigwig was growing, putting the two of them even further apart.
"Bigwig, stop it!" commanded Hazel, but the fur-cropped rabbit was too angry to stop as his rage was boiling over.
"Bigwig, you're not being fair!!" yelled Justin.
"I'm not being fair??!! You're a fine one to talk, running about and getting yourself in the thick of danger, needing us to pull your furry hide out of the messes you cause!! First the Efrafans, then the not wanting to leave because of Bluebell, then the Ilips, then Veil Guplea, and now Zadnir!! You're always trying to jeopardize your life and our mission and El-ahrairah's health!!"
"Bigwig, that's enough," Dandelion tried to gently warn him, but then Bigwig said the final straw that broke the camel's back.
"It's stupid decisions like those that makes me wish you never were the cross-bearer!!" Justin's shocked face immediately shot straight up, and before the rabbits could gasp out in surprise, the teenager punched Bigwig hard. In the nose. The rabbit, though unhurt, was so jolted back, he fell backwards from his standing position and as Hawkbit and Pipkin rushed over to their friend's side, Justin felt the tears of pain and hurt well up in his eyes as he glared at Bigwig with a mixture of loathing, sadness, and betrayal. Without a word, he spun around and hurriedly stalked off into the woodlands alone, and Zadnir, looking worried for the cross-bearer's safety, hopped after him. Both of them disappeared into the shade of the tress.
Pipkin pleaded to Bigwig, "Bigwig, please go after Justin! Make him stop! Say you're sorry! I know you didn't mean all of that!" Bigwig, though having the flames of immense wrath glow in his pupils, just muttered lowly, "Fine, let the fool do whatever he wants! As far as I'm concerned, he can get himself killed, and I won't give a damn!"
With that, he stomped off in the opposite direction, but from the corner of his eye, he saw the looks he was getting from the other rabbits. Hazel, Holly, and Silver had looks of stern, exasperated, yet commiserating gazes. Fiver, Dandelion, Blackberry, and Strawberry just gave him mixtures of conflict, pity, and worry. Acorn, Speedwell, and Buckthorn didn't even look at Bigwig; they kept staring at the ground, the sky, the trees, anything that they could focus on to avert their sight away from Bigwig, in fear that the wrong glance could set him off again. And that was something the three did not want. Hawkbit, Campion, and Bluebell were staring angrily at the veteran, but unlike Bigwig, they wisely kept their tempers in control. Pipkin, however, was the only one out of the fifteen who was crying silently, letting the tears run down his whiskers as he saw Bigwig tend to his sore nose alone, away from his friends.
***
Justin, his hunger now forgotten, just sat on a fallen maple stump, shut his eyes, gritted his teeth, and clutched his forehead in one hand as he let the hot tears now flow out of his eyes. He wanted, with all of his heart, to tell Bigwig that he was sorry, that he was just angry, that the punch was just a spur of the moment, but he couldn't. Not after what Bigwig had just said. Now, all the years of rejection, scorn, and hurt had rushed back to haunt him, and despite being surrounded by the Watership rabbits, the sobbing teenager felt more alone than he ever felt before. He didn't even notice that the hlessi Zadnir had a gleam of triumph in his eyes as he slowly crept behind Justin.
***
"Hazel-rah, me and Campion are going to go after Justin and Zadnir; they shouldn't be out, and even the efforts of one rabbit can't fight against the likes of Elil-rah if he shows up." This came from Bluebell as he and Campion were standing in front of their leader. Hazel nodded gingerly as Campion muttered to himself, feeling his anger stir up, "I swear, by Frith's blessings, if anything happens to Justin because of Bigwig..."
Suddenly, Pipkin ran at full speed out of the foliage and bushes only to stop awkwardly in front of the group.
"Hazel-rah!" he cried out, "I can't find Bigwig anywhere!! I looked for him in the area he hopped off to, but I can't get his trail! I searched everywhere!!" Hazel sighed ruefully, feeling his frustration threatening to stretch out over his sense of reason.
"I think that it's best that we leave him alone for the time being, Hlao-roo," he conceded to the little buck, "If Bigwig is hiding from us, that probably means that he wants to be by himself, but eventually, we will go find him together and try to -".
"Hazel!" Campion interrupted, his eyes wide, "Something's wrong with Fiver!!" The leader rabbit turned around to see his brother shaking and shivering, his eyes closed and his gasps for air were coming out in short, high-pitched squeals. Silver and Blackberry were doing their best to calm the young rabbit down, but soon, Fiver's head jolted back up as the premonition of his second sight hit his mind and soul with a devastating vision.
"They're here," he whispered, his voice not like his own and his eyes slightly glazed. "A cat in rabbit's clothing, a friendship understood, and a dog shall carry the way."
"What in Frith's name are you talking about, Fiver??" questioned Silver hoarsely but it was Campion who answered.
"Fiver's right, Hazel!! I can smell them!! Cats! They're somewhere close!! Can't any of you smell it?!!" All the rabbits lifted their noses in the air and sniffed. Campion wasn't mistaken; the whole air was reeking of cats, and from the overpowering smell, it was a good number of them.
"O embleer Frith!" yelled Speedwell angrily as he, Acorn, and Hawkbit got into defensive positions, "Where's Bigwig when you really need him?!!"
"It doesn't matter now!" Acorn squealed as panic enveloped his body, "We'll have to fight without him!"
"Campion, Bluebell, hurry, go find Zadnir and Justin!! Bring them back here, and if you can't, defend both of them! Try to help Justin use his powers to keep these cats at bay, or at least, find some way to help us fight!!" Strawberry yelled. There was a series of cackling laughter, feminine but cruel, all around the trees up among the branches, which immediately sent dread into the rabbits and was abrasive enough to bring Fiver out of his apt trance.
"Zadnir? You're actually concerned about him? How touching and foolish. No wonder Elil-rah said it would be easy to trick you rabbits of El-ahrairah." Without warning, dark figures jumped from the treetops, only to gracefully land on their silent paws as their tail twitched lazily back and forth in tantalization. The cats were all female, all black, slender, and very trim and proper; not one hair on their bodies was out of place, and their were all dressed meticulously in black scarves or stoles made of rabbit fur (to the disgust and horror of some of the Watership soldiers) along with silver medallions bearing the letter "E". However, strangely enough, the cats made no move to attack. As Hazel, Dandelion and all the others got ready for offense, Blackberry noted that something wasn't right. There were only ten cats, easily being outnumbered by their group of fourteen, and surprisingly enough, they were quite small, smaller than the full size of a normal rabbit. They couldn't have outweighed even Pipkin by much, so why did Elil-rah send them to attack them when he could have sent bigger, more powerful animals? And why weren't they going after Justin and actually losing the advantage of surprise by revealing themselves to the rabbits?
Silver and Dandelion, deciding that there was no time to ponder, immediately rushed out together towards the group of cats, hoping to barrel them through. Undaunted, the largest cat, and obviously the leader, stood up and started to sing in a haunting tone, and on cue, the other nine cats started singing too. Immediately, the entire forest was resonating with their high-pitched notes and words, almost in a chanting attitude, and instantaneously, Silver and Dandelion stopped to a halt and covered their ears in excruciating agony. The singing of the cats was sending echoes that were literally pounding into their heads, making them feel as if they were swelling like a frog in a pond of water.
"It...it hurts!!" screamed Silver as the ringing was almost painful enough to make his skull feel like it was going to split. "I feel like I'm being torn to pieces!"
"I...I can't even see straight! Make the singing stop!!" cried Dandelion. They weren't the only ones. Hazel and the other rabbits tried to cover their ears too to block out the sounds, but it was to no avail. The haunting voices of music were burning all of their muscles and nerves. Campion, Strawberry and Speedwell, trying to endure the throbbing in their heads, got up on their feet, and with determination, tried to make their way towards the cats, hoping to be able to attack them and lessen the force of the singing. Sadly, the closer they got to the cats, the more painful the singing became for them, the sounds literally being strong enough to cut their fur and skin, making the blood flow. When the three rabbits got at most ten feet away from the cats, the sounds became so unbearable, Speedwell, Strawberry and Campion just collapsed on the ground, almost rendered unconscious from the pain. Soon, the torture of listening to the singing was so overwhelming, the other rabbits were crumpling in dizziness and unconsciousness. Hazel croaked out with effort as his vision clouded over in merciful darkness, "Bigwig...where...are...you??"
***
"Come on now, young cross-bearer, don't fret," Justin heard Zadnir whisper softly and soothingly behind him, trying to cheer him up, "You're just angry, but I'm sure this whole matter will be resolved. Now, c'mon, buck up!" Justin just shook his head as his mind replayed the angry events like a tape player.
"He hates me, Bigwig hates me, and it just hurts so much that I have to endure all this again. Damn it! Why does he always have to give me a hard time?!" Justin was so dejected that he didn't turn around to face the rabbit hlessi. He didn't even notice that the burly rabbit was now smiling maliciously as his right forepaw magically transformed into a misshapen, overgrown paw of a cat, huge and pulsing with five razor-sharp claws, each the color of bright red blood. Nor did he notice that Zadnir's voice was no longer light and chipper, but deep, baritone, and purring, like a feline. Zadnir continued to advance on the teenager's unsuspecting back, ready to gouge him to death, all the meanwhile speaking softly.
"Now, now, young Justin. Let it all out. Let me help you with your pain. After all, you can trust me, I'm your friend." As he was about to strike the lethal blow on the oblivious boy's neck, a deep growl emerged from the bushes as a huge, heavy form pounced out of the bushes.
"You dare call yourself a friend to Justin, you flea-ridden, deceitful vagabond?!!" Before Zadnir could even turn around, the figure head-butted him intensely and brutally in the chest, causing the hlessi to soar back ten feet away from the teenager as Justin, shocked and scandalized at seeing the gentle Zadnir being hurt, turned around to face the aggressor. It was Bigwig.
"Bigwig?!" Justin yelled out in enraged disbelief, "What the hell are you doing to Zadnir?!! Haven't you hurt him enough?!"
"I'm saving your ungrateful hide!" snapped back Bigwig heatedly, "Justin, Zadnir isn't who he appears to be!! He was about to kill you, and if I didn't tackle him in time, you would have been hurt by his claws!! I saw it all in the bushes when I followed the two of you!! He's not a rabbit! He's one of Elil-rah's soldiers!!" With skepticism, Justin turned back to Zadnir only to see an ordinary buck rabbit with normal rabbit paws; while Bigwig and Justin were talking, Zadnir transformed his forepaw back to normal, hiding his secret attempts to assassinate the human. Zadnir, seeing how he hadn't lost the boy's trust yet, pleaded with him.
"Justin, I don't know what he's talking about!" he gasped, trying to exaggerate that Bigwig's attack had hurt him horrendously as he was struggling to get up. "Believe me, I was trying to comfort you, not hurt you! How can you even think that I would do such a thing?! I care about you and for El-ahrairah's sake, I want to help you with your pain so that we can help everyone in this world!!"
"You filthy liar!!" yelled Bigwig, "You're not a true rabbit, and you don't give a damn about any of the rabbits in this world!! I swear, if we weren't in the land beyond life, I'd rip out your throat and kill you myself for trying to hurt Justin!!"
"You're a fine one to talk, patronizing and bullying the cross-bearer around like that, as if you value him no more than some half-eaten moldy carrot, discarded and ignored by everyone! Justin, please listen to me! Can't you see that Bigwig is jealous that you're bonding with me and not with him?! That's why he was so intent to keeping you solely by his side, to ensure that you don't have any other friendships with anyone else! He's not being your friend, he's being selfish!!"
"That's enough! Justin, don't listen to Zadnir! Come on, we have to get back to Hazel and the others before any other of Elil-rah's Owsla come by to attack us!"
"Justin, Bigwig isn't a real friend! Don't go with him!! He'll just hurt you, treat you like a child, never listening to you or giving a care about how you think or feel! Come with me and we'll go help El-ahrairah at his warren by ourselves, just the two of us!! Don't you even remember what Bigwig said?! He doesn't even want you as the cross-bearer! A real friend wouldn't ever say that!"
"Justin, please don't listen!"
Zadnir then delivered the toughest ultimatum Justin had ever faced before in his life, "Justin, who do you believe? Me or Bigwig??" Justin just looked blankly at Zadnir, then at Bigwig, who was actually a bit fearful that Justin wouldn't trust him. The teenager just stood there silently. Zadnir was enjoyable, all the other Watership rabbits loved him and his hlessi life, not to mention he was incredible soft, polite, and heartening. On the other hand, Bigwig was tough, unyielding, stubborn, irritable, bossy, temperamental, and basically...a jerk. Justin then knew that there was only one obvious choice.
"I believe in Bigwig." He spoke softly, but with a strong voice, certain, confident and convinced. Bigwig just stared at him, his eyes were registering gratitude, relief, and...unless Justin's eyes were fooling him, for the first time since he had met Bigwig, supportive, heartwarming compassion. Zadnir then narrowed his eyes, but he laughed in the deep, grating voice again as his body began to magically reshape, bulge, and morph into another form.
"Then so be it, you young fool!! It doesn't matter what you would have done anyway! No one can escape the clutches of Darzin, the ruler of all animals!!!"
"Darzin?!" gasped out Bigwig in surprise, but then realization came to Justin in a flash. The hlessi said his full name was Zadnir-rah, and the letters Z, A, D, N, I, and R, rearranged, spelled out D-A-R-Z-I-N. It was an anagram. Combine it with the Lapine suffix, "rah", meaning lord or leader, and it literally translated into "Lord Darzin" or "King Darzin", the cruel antagonist who tried twice to destroy El-ahrairah and his children. But that wasn't all; in the book, "Watership Down", the stories of El-ahrairah said that Darzin was the king of all animals and their respective kingdoms, so if he was the king of all beasts, then that meant King Darzin was...
"Oh my God," Justin breathed out hoarsely, "You're a lion." As King Darzin had finished transforming, Bigwig and Justin could see that he was a powerful creature, his full height was almost half as large as the Ilips that the Watership soldiers had faced previously. His eyes were brown, but his entire fur was pale yellow, which slightly set off the reddish, thick furry mane that enveloped his neck and shoulders. His body was thick, strong, and was equipped with strapping limbs and paws, each bearing a gruesome set of blood-colored claws. He growled in his bass, purring voice ringing out in the night, "You will never leave here alive, cross-bearer!! And before you get any foolish ideas, Thlayli, your allies are all being disposed of as we speak! My loyal cats are keeping them at bay, so as you both can easily see, there is no hope of having your comrades to help fight you!! This will just be between you and I!! And I can certainly say that I will enjoy seeing the look on your face when I rip the human apart!!"
"And I'll certainly enjoy the look on your face when I claw your eyes out!" retaliated Bigwig as he unconsciously put himself between Justin and King Darzin. He then spoke to Justin calmly, "Justin, in case I don't win this fight, I want you to be ready to run for your life and help Hazel and the others escape from Darzin's soldiers. Use your power in any way that can work and leave this place with everyone else." Before Justin could refuse, Bigwig then launched himself towards King Darzin. Without even a look of effort, King Darzin aggressively batted the rabbit out of the way with his paw, slamming Bigwig into the trunk of a tree and stunning the Owsla veteran.
"Bigwig!!" shouted Justin, but then a roar brought Justin to see the sight of King Darzin leaping at him. Before he could even do anything, he was slammed into the ground hard, and the teenager could only watch in terror as King Darzin, with his paws painfully pinning his body to the floor, bared his teeth and started reaching for Justin's neck.
"Oh no you don't!!!" yelled Bigwig, and to King Darzin's surprise, the rabbit, who was at most a quarter of the lion's size, smashed into the antagonist, freeing Justin from the deadly grip, and sank his buck teeth into Darzin's throat. King Darzin roared in disbelief and pain as he rolled around in the dirt, trying to swat the rabbit off him as Bigwig horrendously sunk his teeth deeper and deeper into the lion's fur, unwilling to let go and drawing forth a steady flow of blood. Justin, now liberated from King Darzin, saw that this was a good chance to escape, but like with Campion and Bluebell, the teenager wasn't willing to leave Bigwig behind. Not after seeing that the rabbit was doing his very best to fight for Justin's life. But, what could he do? If he tried to time-freeze King Darzin, Bigwig and Justin would still have to deal with the cats that were attacking Hazel and the other Watership Down rabbits. Then he miraculously remembered something Dandelion told him about the cross-bearer's powers when he was narrating the prophecy: "The legend continued, saying that the cross-bearer would have limitless power and have the ability to do anything. If he wanted to change into a rabbit, he could." Well, if he could change himself into a rabbit, it wouldn't help with the dire situation since not even Hazel and all the Watership Down rabbits put together could be a fair match against a hulking lion. But...what if he didn't transform himself? What if he transformed...Bigwig?
Bigwig cried out in pain as King Darzin finally succeeded in cuffing the rabbit off him, and Bigwig painfully landed on his side, cuts and bruises littered his entire body. But before the tenacious warrior could even get up, a paw pinned him down, crushing him against the soil and grass. Bigwig thrashed and struggled in vain as King Darzin, thoroughly irked at the small annoyance, pressed down on the rabbit harder, trying to pound the buck into a bloody mess. Bigwig squealed in pain again as he could feel his bones nearly cracking under the massive weight of the lion's body. King Darzin purred in sickening delight as he whispered to his victim, "Once I'm done making you suffer, that pathetic human friend of yours is next."
"I...won't...let...you...hurt...Justin!!" bellowed Bigwig, his heart still strong. Then the miraculous occurred. Bigwig started to glow in the ever so familiar light of the sun and the golden cross of the cross-bearer, making him luminescent and shining brightly underneath the shadowing paw of King Darzin. Darzin stared at the rabbit in disbelief and surprise. He looked wildly around, and to his fury, he saw the sight of Justin, on his knees and praying silently with the cross grasped in his hands in front of him. And from his hands, the cross was glowing the same light that Bigwig was bathed in. Darzin cursed himself for wasting time with Bigwig when he should have used the opportunity to kill the boy. Bigwig couldn't comprehend what was going on, but then to his amazement, he heard Justin speaking to him inside his soul.
Bigwig, please let me help you. I'm not leaving you behind to fight him yourself.
Bigwig, though for the life of him had no idea how, thought back in response, Justin, I can't win, he's too strong for me, and I'm afraid I can't protect you by myself.
You're not by yourself. We have each other and like I said before, I believe in you.
You do realize that you're being foolish again, don't you, you young duffer? By Frith, you're so stubborn!
Bigwig, please, let me help. We've been through too much to let it end like this.
It won't end like this. I won't let anything happen to you. I won't give up. You do trust me, right young one? Even after all that happened earlier?
Yeah, of course. We'll fight him together, all right?
All right, then let's give this embleer, fur-ridden cat a beating it won't soon forget, and as soon as Bigwig cogitated that thought, the light surrounding his body became so brilliant, King Darzin shut his eyes and turned away from his prey painfully, letting Bigwig free to transform. To Justin's wonder, Bigwig grew and grew, the shimmering outline of the rabbit reaching the size of an Ilip, and the rabbit was modifying drastically into a completely different animal. When the golden light subsided, to King Darzin's horrified dismay, in place of a small buck rabbit was now a colossal dog, the fearful enemy of all cats. The dog was huge, more than twice the size of King Darzin himself, and as black as night with powerful jowls and slender, yet firm legs. But as King Darzin took a closer look at the dog, his fear melted to infinite rage when he recognized that the dog still had the familiar eyes and telltale crop of hair on its head. It was Bigwig, and now, he was more powerful than before. Seeing that the tables had no turned, the lion panicked until his gaze fell on the teenager, and his anger heightened, making King Darzin rush at him.
"I'm not finished yet!!" he roared as he launched himself at the cross-bearer again. "Elil-rah's power is far greater than your light, you foolish boy!!" But in an instant, King Darzin felt himself collide with something huge and heavy, crashing into the ground and being crushed by the unbearable weight of the dog. The dog narrowed his eyes as he growled slowly in Bigwig's voice.
"You will not touch him!" In frantic desperation, Darzin tried to claw at Bigwig's face and throat, but fearlessly, the dog avoided the attacks and flung himself at King Darzin. To Justin's horror, he saw the fleeting image of Bigwig having Darzin's neck inside his powerful jaws right before he heard the unmistakable sounds of breaking bone, like the sounds of rocks cracking. Darzin, now with a fractured neck, was still alive, but was dreadfully wounded as his head flopped limply on his body like a rag doll and the lion was now coughing up considerable amounts of blood while his breathing came out in short gasps. Yet Bigwig refused to finish there; in another instant, he had one of the lion's hind legs between his teeth, and Justin heard the sounds of breaking bone again as Bigwig chewed the leg to pieces. Justin could see that Bigwig wasn't going to stop, and he cried out, "Bigwig, stop it!! That's enough!! STOP, PLEASE!!!"
Bigwig looked at Justin in astonishment and the teenager continued, "Bigwig, please, King Darzin won't be able to hurt me now, especially not in this condition. You've made your point, but please, stop before you hurt him any further!!" Whoever seemed more dumbfounded at the request for mercy, King Darzin or Bigwig, Justin couldn't tell.
"Justin, this eli wouldn't show you even the smallest bit of the same mercy you're giving him if you were the one being injured!" Bigwig barked out in incredulity, "He wouldn't give the slightest notion that he cared, and after killing you, this crack-brained slave-driver would have forgotten you as easily as Ni-Frith by the following day!! Why are you showing mercy now, to him at a time like this?!" Darzin didn't say anything, but his eyes shone towards Justin with a mixture of confusion, gratification, and hatred. Despite the look, Justin just gazed at the dog straight in the eye.
"Because I don't want to see anyone get hurt because of me, and whether it would be one of the rabbits of Watership Down or an enemy, I don't ever want to kill a living creature or see it suffer! I could have used my power to harm the Ilips or Veil Guplea, but I didn't because they're just scared and corrupted, like Strawberry said, and I don't care how much they want to hurt me because it doesn't give me the right to show them the same bloodlust and ruthlessness!! Please, Bigwig, stop this! What's important now is that we save Hazel and the others from Darzin's cats! Don't hurt him any further! Please!" For a second, Bigwig and Justin just concretely fixed their eyes on each other. Then, in understanding, Bigwig leaned over to Darzin and whispered ferociously in his ear, "If you ever come within a smell's distance of Justin or any of my comrades, I will make you regret it! And tell your dark master Elil-rah that he will never be able to lay a paw on the cross-bearer, not while I'm still alive!"
With that, Bigwig slowly ambled off towards Justin, and the teenager could see the look of relief of Darzin's face while the lion's blood slowly pooled on the grass around his body. With a broken neck and leg, there was definitely no argument that he was in unbearable suffering and that he didn't even have the vigor to stand up. Justin then yelled to Bigwig, "C'mon, we have to help Hazel and the rest of the group from those cats! I might still be able to have enough power left to heal them if they're seriously injured!!"
Bigwig nodded, and he lowered his mighty head, allowing Justin to be able to climb on and securely seat himself on his friend's neck, between the ears. It was so strange, riding on a gigantic dog instead of a rabbit, but there was no time to admire and ponder the differences. As Bigwig and Justin bounded into the forest to save their friends, King Darzin heard Justin call over his shoulder, "King Darzin, don't worry!! When me and Hazel and the rest of the rabbits get far enough away from you and your cats, I'll heal you with the power of my cross!! I'll pray for you!! I promise!! Don't worry!!"
As the sounds of Justin's voice echoed throughout the trees, King Darzin just looked at the bloodstained ground, muttering, "Pathetic weak fool, doesn't he realize that we will always be enemies? What a duffer! What a naive fool! What a useless weakling!" But after a few minutes, the lion whispered so softly that no animal, not even the ants, could hear him, "Thank you, cross-bearer."
***
"GET AWAY FROM HAZEL-RAH, YOU DAMN, DIRTY CATS!!" roared Bigwig as he and Justin charged through the underbrush and into the group of cats gleefully enjoying the sight of Hazel, Fiver, and the other rabbits of El-ahrairah's Owsla unconscious on the ground. The cats, upon seeing the sight of a colossal, black dog, ready to tear all of them to pieces, shrieked in bewilderment and alarm. Some fled as fast as they could, thoroughly scared, while some cats tried to claw at Bigwig. Yet with a few simple cuffs and barks, Bigwig quickly rendered them senseless. The leader of the cat pack, seeing that the cross-bearer was riding on the dog, foolishly tried to leap up to the dog's back to attack Justin. Enraged at the cat's audacity and stupidity, Bigwig heatedly grabbed the cat leader with his teeth, and with a powerful toss of his head, he flung the cat into a nearby birch tree, crashing the evil beast into unconsciousness. Panting, Bigwig strained his ears to listen for anything other hidden surprises.
"Is...Is that it?? Aren't there any more cats around here?" Justin asked worriedly, forcing himself to fight the urge to jump off Bigwig and see if Hazel was all right. Bigwig smirked.
"If there were, you think I wouldn't go chasing after them? No, they're all gone. In fact, I can still hear the embleer lot of them still running, and once they see what I've done to King Darzin, they'll think twice before attacking you in my presence. Now quickly, Justin! Can you help Hazel and the others?! We don't have much time!" Justin nodded gingerly and for a second time, he clasped the cross in his hands and began to pray. Bigwig, now with an uncanny ability to hear things to a greater extent than he could as a rabbit, could hear Justin whisper, "Please, God, give me the power! Help my friends! Heal them, please!"
Almost at once, Bigwig and Justin saw the cross shimmer to a faint glow of orange, and then they saw the wondrous sight of streams of sparkles of gold flying from the cross and encircling the rabbits on the ground. It was as if the entire field was covered with golden fireflies. To their anxiety, Bigwig and Justin just watched as the flashes of light enfolded the heads of each of the Watership rabbits, erasing the wounds and agony dealt from the cats' singing. With a great flash, the streams of lights were gone, and as the sun first broke through the night sky, to their joy, Justin and Bigwig saw Hazel and the others regain consciousness shakily and completely disoriented.
"By Frith, what happened??" groaned Speedwell as he tried to rise.
"Ugh, I feel like I've been through three consecutive Wide Patrols from here to El-ahrariah's warren," mumbled Campion as he helped Holly rise from the ground. Suddenly, Acorn started stamping a warning on the ground with his hind leg.
"Everyone, watch out!! It's a dog!! It's a dog!! Elil-rah sent a dog to attack us!!!" Sure enough, when everyone turned around, their faces registered horror and fright as they gazed at the huge black dog towering over them. Hazel could feel the sudden urge to run, as the rest of his comrades, but then upon a closer look at the dog, something raised his curiosity and lessened his concern. The dog, instead of automatically attacking, was actually looking at them with an amused smile on its face, and unless he was mistaken, that crop of hair jutting out on the top of its head was so familiar...
"BIGWIG??!!" queried out Hazel incredulously, "Is...Is that you??!"
"BIGWIG??" chorused the rest of the Owsla as they too could scarcely believe what Hazel was proposing. Yet the dog barked out in the ever so familiar voice of bullying, surly, rough Bigwig, "I was wondering when you were going to recognize me, Hazel. Hope you didn't get too much of a scare."
Hazel asked him, "Bigwig?? What in the name of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit -? Where's Justin?"
"I'm right here!" called out the teenager as he stood up on Bigwig's neck to the full sight of everyone on the ground and waved to the astonished group. Before anyone else could ask, Justin hastily spoke, "Hazel, we have to leave this place! Now!! King Darzin and his cats won't be scared of us forever, and we need all the time we have left to escape this place and go somewhere else more secluded!!" Hazel, knowing the wisdom in those words, nodded and within a minute, Bigwig carried Justin and all the Watership rabbits out of the forest, running with twice the speed of any runner of El-ahrairah, and into the sunny pastures as the sun started to rise above the horizon.
***
It was later that evening, and after all the rabbits had a long deserved rest, they were out at silflay upon the grassy fields, while Justin sat underneath a blossoming cherry tree next to a stream of clear, running water. As Justin gazed silently at the sparkling water, he heard a noise behind him and turning around, he saw it was Bigwig, looking gruff and brash as ever. Bigwig was now back to his normal rabbit form, and the dog metamorphosis had worn off several hours ago. Justin sighed, knowing what was going to come next: another scolding. However, to his mild surprise, Bigwig just squatted next to him and watched the stream. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Justin decided to break the ice.
"I prayed earlier that King Darzin and the rest of cats would be healed after we fought them. Do you...do you think it worked?" Bigwig nodded.
"It did. Fiver had another of his visions, and he could see that King Darzin and his soldiers are all right and well. He also said that they won't be attacking us anytime soon since they're now all scared of your powers as the cross-bearer." He paused before continuing, "That was a very merciful thing to do Justin, showing kindness and heart to your enemies and choosing not to have it end by blood and violence. Though I can easily say, by the Black Rabbit, I'd take a fight any day from a truce."
Justin gave a small grunt of approval, but then Bigwig said something that shocked him.
"I also want to say that I'm sorry, that I was wrong." Justin just stared at him incredulously, and Bigwig, defensively, retorted, "But don't get use to me apologizing on a whim, you young duffer! And if word gets out that I admitted this, I'm going wrestle you to the ground and head-butt you into this stream, you hear?" Justin smiled, knowing Bigwig didn't mean that.
Bigwig sighed as he continued, "I guess, I was afraid something would happen to you, and with so many elil hunting after you, I didn't want to risk the chance that you would get killed. But, now I realize that I should have listened to you and to Hazel and the others. You're a good lad, and only a true Owsla rabbit, er man, would have been able to help win against King Darzin. I...I admit it, I was wrong in thinking that you couldn't defend yourself, or protect yourself. And..." He sighed. "And I also wanted to let you know that I didn't mean what I said earlier about how I wished you weren't the cross-bearer because you always made stupid decisions. After that scuff with King Darzin while he was still disguised as Zadnir, after I said all those things and treated you worse than any kitten I've ever trained, you still chose to side with me rather than Zadnir. That...that meant a lot to me, young Justin. After all, you must admit, if I was in your place, I would have done the exact opposite."
Justin replied, "I guess I did it because I didn't know Zadnir that well, while you however, I've known from the stories since my childhood. I know that despite your rough demeanor, you're a good friend and a loyal companion, so I didn't let my bad judgment get the better of me. And besides, you're not the only one who gets angry and mean sometimes. I'm sorry too. I should have realized that you cared about me and only wanted to protect me from danger. You could have abandoned me after I punched you in the nose, but you didn't. You chose to follow us and check to make sure everything was all right, and if you didn't do that, I wouldn't even be here right now. So, I owe you my life."
"The favor has been easily returned. You helped save me from danger when you transformed me into that dog to save you and Hazel-rah. So that makes us even. Except..." At this last part, Bigwig had a playful gleam in his eye as he finished, "I still owe you for cuffing me in the nose. I don't mind telling you, you young duffer, that my nose was jolly well sore afterwards."
Conceding, Justin said, "All right, then...then cuff me on the head, and we'll call it even."
Bigwig's eyes gleamed even brighter. "Sounds fair."
Justin shut his eyes as Bigwig raised his forepaw, ready to hit the teenager in retaliation. One long second passed, then two, as Justin breathlessly waited for the pain to register on his skull. But then to his surprise, he heard Bigwig chuckle as the rabbit placed his paw gently on his head and fatherly tussled Justin's hair a bit. Justin opened his eyes to see that Bigwig was just teasing him.
"Oh, come now young one!" he chortled, "You know I won't hurt you!" Justin smiled again, but unfortunately, Bluebell jumped in the conversation.
"Oh, please," Bluebell joked, "try telling that to me and every single kitten you've trained for the Owsla! I can attest, Justin, that Bigwig has given us more bumps, bruises, and scars than all the injuries we've gotten from raiding expeditions put together. It's such a pity, Justin, that you couldn't have Bigwig remain for a dog a little longer. I mean, we were all so much better off! Not only did he smell better and was a lot nicer, but he was only half as ugly, and the only thing that we could dislike was his slobbering -!"
Hazel, Silver, and Holly raised their heads at the sounds of yelping and cursing, and to their amused exasperation, none of them were surprised to see Bluebell trying to protect himself from Bigwig, who had wrestled the poor Bluebell to the ground and started dealing him with angry cuffs. Holly sighed as he rolled his eyes upward.
"I'll go save Bluebell. Silver, you better help me restrain Bigwig." As the two left to the aid of the rabbit jester, Hazel smiled to Justin as the teenager walked up to the leader.
"You'll best to be used to Bigwig's temper, Justin," Hazel chuckled, "We've gone through with this every single day, and we've grown to the point to ignore it. Still, if you're uncomfortable, young one, you can always use your cross to make Bigwig pleasant and likable like Zadnir was."
Justin pretended to look scandalized. "I think I much rather prefer Bigwig."
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Next Chapter: ACORN in "Acorns, Acorns, Everywhere"
6-03-2003: I modified this chapter in honor of Lizella's friend (a reviewer whom I've had the pleasure of writing Bigwig for): (quote)
"Did anyone of you know Hyzenthlay Bunny? She was a dear e-mail friend of mine and I just before got a mail from her mother that she had died. I can not believe it! I just wanted to inform you, if some of you knew her and what a wonderful girl she was. And I have to give her the ranking as the biggest Bigwig Fan ever - even more than me. She loved WD, so I wanted to write about her here at a place for something that had a meaning to her! So she will know that she will not be forgotten even by people that did not know her (well)! Thanks for listening!" (endquote)
Lizella, I dedicate this chapter to your friend; I think I can almost picture her riding on Bigwig's back in the land beyond life where he's showing her the endless green pastures and meadows filled with flowers and honey and where she's listening to Dandelion tell stories and talking with El-ahrairah in his warren of light and love. God bless!
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