/*
Author's note: Enjoy this chapter of Buckthorn! Sorry about being late for a week! Oh, and yes, thanks to the sharp eyes of my reviewers, I'm going to make the changes to the grammatical errors and spelling errors (i.e. "most sincerest", "balmy", etc.) by the next update. Thank you to those who have reviewed. Any other stuff that needs correcting, just review! And now, enjoy Buckthorn (YAY!) versus Hufsa (BOO!)
*/
CHAPTER 18"Bobstone guess," challenged Justin as Buckthorn stared at his hands covering the rocks shrewdly, his mind and brain rapidly and efficiently turning and contemplating. The brawny, brown buck them smiled.
"Bobstone guess...is two, small, dark, and smooth," he said confidently. Justin's face fell good-humoredly as he removed his hands. There, on the dusty ground, were two, black-colored stones as smooth as the surface of water. Justin winced in agreeable defeat.
"Don't feel too bad," Buckthorn chuckled as he faced Justin, "I was bobstone champion back at Watership Down and Vleflain three seasons running! You can't really expect to beat me on your first try!"
"First try?? This is the eighteenth, uh hrair, game I've lost to you in the past hour!"
"By Frith, if you think I'm good, you should see El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit play!" Buckthorn stated humbly, but with a wide smirk, "El-ahrairah can play as well as any rabbit who carries a cast, and the Black Rabbit, by the ear and paw, could play without the least haste, ponder, or speculation! He is quick to guess, but mysterious in his nature, his aura never allowing a rabbit to estimate for he causes such deep cold and fear, forcing the playful nature of any rabbit to leave him in an instant!"
"Remind me never to play with the Black Rabbit around," Justin said uncertainly as he turned around to allow Buckthorn to choose a new cast of stones to test the teenager with, all the meanwhile still speaking, "I remember that story, when I was young, on how El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle tried in vain to trade their lives to the Black Rabbit, just so he could save his warren and his children, brothers, and sisters. He must really love all of you to be willing to sacrifice so much for."
Buckthorn's eyes went soft at the reminder. "Which is why we, all of us from Watership Down and the warren of our Prince, are willing to go through so much to get you, Justin. After all he had done for us, this is only the least we could think of to help him."
"But...why couldn't he send other rabbits with you? I mean, if he really wanted to protect me, he could have sent the whole warren to get me and look after me from Elil-rah's minions."
Buckthorn looked troubled at this question as he tried to shuffle the stones underneath his paw, hiding them into obscurity. "I really don't know why, young Justin, but rest assured, we are very capable in defending and watching you."
"Hey, I didn't mean that the way it sounded! Of course I'll always have faith in you for helping me! You, all of you, helped me so much during this entire journey back to El-ahrairah, and I'll...I'll always have faith in you guys and that God will help me live through all this."
Buckthorn smiled at the young teenager's endless camaraderie; it wasn't hard to grow fond of Justin, especially since he didn't act all egotistical, haughty, and arrogant because he was the cross-bearer. It wasn't easy to remain humbled and dependent when you were given power, but apparently, Justin was always willing to treat the rabbits of Watership Down as equals, as companions, as friends.
"Justin, that may be all well and good, but you have to be more confident in yourself and your own abilities if you ever face a bleak situation. And...I won't lessen the fact that yes, there will be tests, possibly demanding and seemingly insurmountable, that you may to face alone, without us. There's a rabbit proverb that says, 'Grass and flowers may die, but the ever hopeful rabbit continues to silfay when hungry'. So try to have a little faith in yourself too, Justin. The cross of light may be a part of you, but it is not you in entirety. What matters is the fact that you force yourself to carry on, to continue no matter how difficult things may be, to never give up. That was what kept all of us alive when we left Sandleford and came to Watership Down, because we wouldn't abandon our mission, our hope, and our dreams. So, come on you young bucko, chin up! Try not to worry so much and have some faith in yourself too! Bobstone guess."
Justin faced Buckthorn, but with slightly downcast eyes. "It sometimes hard to believe in yourself when so many people discourage you and tell you otherwise repeatedly."
Buckthorn nodded in understanding, but he didn't say anything. He was always straightforward, but silent, an attentive, reliable rabbit with a will of rock and a good listener.
"Then maybe someday, you'll find out and discover that they were wrong and that you just need to open your eyes and see the truth."
Justin wasn't nearly as persuaded, but he replied simply, "Maybe, and bobstone guess is two, rough, and large."
Buckthorn chuckled as he lifted up his paws, to reveal that they were two large stones, but their surfaces were as smooth as pools of water. Justin winced agreeably.
"Maybe I can hope to someday win a stupid game or two," he muttered sheepishly.
"Then you're going to need far more than hope to even consider beating me, young one!" grinned Buckthorn.
***
"So, why did you leave Sandleford?" Justin asked Buckthorn as the two gathered strawberries and hazelnuts from their surroundings for Justin's dinner. As they traveled north-northeast, the land became lusher, the soil moist and dark, perfect for the growth of a forest of delicate plants and fruit. "I remember in the stories that you were likely to make the Owsla when you reached full weight, but you still left with Hazel and the others."
Buckthorn's eyes became sorrowful at the reminder, but he spoke openly, "I left because I never had many friends at the warren. I never felt the compassion of friends or felt that the other rabbits understood me and cared how I felt. I even had a doe I had truly loved with all my heart, but she left me in the favor of a stronger buck that was already in the Sandleford Owsla at the time. And regardless, rabbits did admire me for my ferocity and strength, like Bigwig, but...but that was all they seemed to see me as. They didn't care if I wanted to tell a story, didn't bother themselves with talking and understanding how I felt about things and such. I can honestly say, other than my family at Watership Down, Vleflain, and with Hazel-rah and the others, I never felt the companionship, understanding and love I wanted back at Sandleford."
"But you did find it at Watership Down, though," offered Justin optimistically.
"Yes, that's true, and – OOF!!" With a sudden thud, Buckthorn felt something fling him back forcefully, and to his horror, a vine, a green, leafy creeper, appeared out of nowhere and forcefully lassoed around Justin's waist and upper body painfully before hastily dragging him away into the forest.
"Justin!!!" hollered Buckthorn.
"Buckthorn, help!!!" Justin yelled as he disappeared into the thick growth. Hazel and the other rabbits, hearing the commotion, ran towards Buckthorn and saw Justin being abducted out of sight.
"Are you all right, chap?!" Campion and Bluebell helped Buckthorn up.
"It doesn't matter. Follow that vine!!" They all raced, following their strong, sharp senses of smell, wildly snaking around the trees and plants until they came to a mysterious clearing of grass and flowers, heavily overwhelmed by strong boughs of ivy.
Hazel and the other rabbits looked around wildly, until they saw Justin, barely visible in their range of sight, confined in a towering, prickly column of vines and twisted wood, each barb sharp and painful. The teenager himself was incarcerated in a spherical imprisonment at the top of the column, cleverly designed with vertical, distorted, broad roots to act as bars, almost like a circular cage. With flustered realization, the rabbits grasped that there was no way that they could climb up the pillar without getting gravely injured, and they wouldn't be able to get the young cross-bearer down from his predicament.
"Justin!!" yelled Buckthorn in alarm.
"Hazel! Buckthorn! Help me!!" hollered Justin in dread from his thorny prison. Pipkin, in distress, shrieked as loudly as he could to his friend.
"Justin! Use your cross and give me my wings!! I can fly up there and help you escape!!" But Justin called out in distraught disappointment, "I...I can't!! The vines took my cross when they ambushed me!! I can't use my powers!! I'm trapped!"
"WHAT??!!" chorused the rabbits simultaneously in alarm and sinking concern. Now they were truly in a sticky situation; without Justin's powers, they were all easy targets, Justin's very life was endangered, and even if they did make it out unscathed, Hazel and the others would most likely fall victim to another attack by Elil-rah's minions or they wouldn't be able to heal El-ahrairah back at their warren, thus failing in their mission. Speedwell called back encouragingly, regardless of the tight, painful clench in his gut.
"Don't worry, bucko!! We'll get you down from there, so just sit tight, and don't make a bally fuss! We're not giving up, and we won't leave you behind!!"
"Oh please," grumbled Hawkbit, rolling his eyes at the pathetic attempt for blind faith, but the other rabbits were too bust searching and planning for an clever plan or trick to free Justin to even snap back at their griping comrade.
"Is it possible we can climb up the roots and get Justin down from there??" Silver gasped out in anxiety. Blackberry shook his head while yelps of pain came from Bluebell and Acorn, apparently learning the hard way that ascending upwards on thorny vines was not something to dismiss lightly.
"No, Silver! It would be too high for us to scrabble up upon, and even if we did avoid the thorns and spikes, it would be too much of a risk for us and for Justin to bring him back to solid ground! We could fall or worse yet, we completely helpless to any attack made from Elil-rah's Owsla!!"
"Couldn't we gnaw and chew at the vines to weaken the structure of Justin's prison?" Campion suggested earnestly.
"It would take us hrair days and nights to even be able to make our way through those thick plants!" Strawberry groaned, "And we don't have time to do that before elil come!"
Realization came to Holly in a flash. He hissed urgently, "Hazel, wait!! Then they may already be here!! Don't you see?! It's a trap, for all of us!! Whatever abducted Justin brought him here so that we'd come and rescue him, putting ourselves as a convenient target!! We're all in danger!!"
"Well, I'm NOT scared!!" growled Bigwig lividly as he faced the deserted, surrounding areas of weeds, overgrown crabgrass, and wild shrubbery, all the meanwhile calling out in battle fury, "Listen, here you foul-smelling, flea-infested pieces of filth!! Show yourselves!! We're taking Justin back right now, and we're not afraid of some half-witted eli, so unless you want to make things bally easier for us, try standing up and fight, you cowardly puffballs!!"
"Bigwig, what are you doing?!" Acorn snapped hysterically, "By Frith, you want to us to just lie down and not put up a fight as well while we're at it then?!! You're certainly not making things easier for us by giving us away like that!"
"Acorn, now is not the time to panic," Buckthorn said calmly, yet forcefully, already putting himself into a defensive position without budging an inch, waiting evenly for the slightest signs of an approaching ambush.
Suddenly, all over the fields, green vines of ivy appeared out of nowhere, as if taking a life upon their own, only to fly straight into the group of the Watership Owsla. The rabbits tried to avoid the leafy tentacles, but they were everywhere, outnumbering their group of fifteen.
"This isn't the time to panic?!" shrieked Hawkbit rhetorically, gallingly, at Buckthorn while he expertly leapt over two writhing tendrils, cracking harshly in the air like whips, as they tried to grab and ensnare the blackish, dodgy rabbit. "Frith above, you have a VERY warped sense of disasters, Buckthorn!!" The brawny, cool, brown rabbit was too busy dodging the arms of ivy to even bother answering, yet as Justin watched the scene above with worry, he noted oddly enough, Buckthorn and Hazel were the only ones remaining calm, well as calm as could possibly be while being attacked by killer plants. At least they aren't running around screaming loudly enough to wake the dead, Justin noted with ironic humor as he helplessly noticed Bluebell and Hawkbit screeching while running aimlessly, trying to lose the half-dozen or so vines that were snaking behind them at an alarming rate. With dread, Justin could only gasp as he saw several vines succeeding in capturing Fiver, and immediately, no matter how much the small buck tried struggling and fighting, the green, pliable plants wrapped the rabbits tightly around the waist and midsection, pining his paws painfully to his sides. With a powerful move, the vines lifted Fiver into the air, suspending him above in an inescapable prison.
"Fiver!!" yelled Dandelion, then to the vines, "Put him down this instant!!"
"Dandelion, no!" warned Fiver , but the golden rabbit just recklessly charged at the mass of vines holding his friend captive, and started to gnaw on them as hard as he could. He managed to tear two of the thick plants with his teeth before an unsuspecting vine instantaneously whipped around his hind legs and hoisted the Watership soldier up into the air. A few more vines binding his front paws together to his waist kept him safely contained, much to the fury of Dandelion. The other rabbits weren't faring much better.
"Hey! Let me go!!" shrieked Acorn as the vines wrapped themselves tightly across his torso and paws, cocooning him, before violently hoisting him up along with Dandelion and Fiver. Within minutes, the plants had fully succeeded in imprisoning nearly all the rabbits of the Watership Owsla. Even Bigwig, who valiantly brawled and actually achieved in ripping a half-dozen of the vines into pieces with his strong claws and stout teeth, was encapsulated securely in an enveloping shell of twisted stems and leaves. The only ones who were lucky enough to go unscathed were Hazel and Buckthorn, yet as more and more vines sprung out of the moist soil and dry hay grass, Hazel was worried that they couldn't keep up much longer. He was so busy trying to think and contemplate on what to do next, the vexed Chief rabbit of Watership Down didn't noticed the dirt forming small cracks underneath his foot paws, rising and crumbling, as if a huge force was building, multiplying, pressuring the very soil Hazel was treading on. Buckthorn, thankfully, did.
"Hazel-rah!!!" he bellowed, and with a rushed dash, the brown rabbit tackled Hazel away from the spot, his heavy weight nearly sending his leader breathless from the impact. A split second later, the very area of sod and earth erupted in a stinging shower as a mass of green, leafy creepers burst open, flailing wildly, as if angered that it wasn't able to ensnare anything from its surprise attack. Had Hazel remained there a bit longer, he would have been captured. Buckthorn, panting, looked over his shoulder at the scene while Hazel, a bit shaken and dazed, just smiled back at his faithful Owsla rabbit.
"Thank you."
"Thank me later, Hazel-rah, we're not out of the thick of danger just yet!" warned Buckthorn sensibly, and immediately, without any hesitation, rose on his hind feet and put himself between his Chief rabbit and the vines that were already starting to crawl on the ground towards the two lucky warriors. All around, the lianas slithered and moved with impressive fluidity and with the faintest of rustles as their bodies and leaves brushed against each other and the ground. Still, Buckthorn didn't move or falter the slightest bit; he didn't even twitch an eye as he stared down at the incoming threats. Hazel worriedly didn't know what to do; they were truly stuck, but then, a strong, firm, yet slightly erratic voice rang out in the night air.
"ENOUGH!!" On the command, the vines stopped moving aggressively towards Buckthorn and Hazel, but they all pointed their very tips straight at the two Watership rabbits, poised and ready for the slightest chance to attack and entwine. Buckthorn and Hazel turned towards the origin of the sound, and there, a few feet away and standing on a ruined tree stump, sneering with scornful glee and crossed paws, was a large, broad-shouldered, multi-colored rabbit, his fur gleaming white and splotched with wild regions of orange, black, and brown, like a calico cat. His uniform was daunting however. The mysterious rabbit wore a black vest, entwined with strips of steel at the seams, gleaming slightly under the moonlight. On each of his forepaws, he wore several bracelets of steel and metal, strapped and tied in place with thongs of dark leather, and strapped to the back of his vest was a lethal-looking, wicked, black saber. The dark, obsidian blade was longer than a dagger but significantly shorter than a sword, and it was curved and widened at the end, like a machete. Yet unlike a machete, from the looks of what Justin could see, the tip and its edges were razor-sharp. As Buckthorn's eyes scanned the stranger, his breath caught in his throat as he saw what was around the rabbit's neck; it was Justin's cross, still glowing in a faint, orb of sunlight, still visible in the darkness.
"His cross!" gasped Buckthorn, and then he growled menacingly to the rabbit, "Give it back!!"
The strange rabbit just snickered, "Oh come now, Buckthorn, is that any way to greet the cross-bearer, your new master??"
"Justin is the cross-bearer, not some embleer rabbit traitor who deflected to Elil-rah!"
"My, my, such a temper, and quite impatient too!" the rabbit mocked derisively, "And just when I thought El-ahrairah couldn't get any more desperate and pathetic when he sent you lackeys to guard and protect the human boy!"
"You..." growled Hazel, so completely mad that he couldn't finish the insult, but before he could step forward, the vines immediately snapped to attention and aimed themselves right at Hazel, ready to tear and rip apart his body if he dared take another step. Buckthorn immediately rushed in front of his Chief Rabbit, shielding him again wordlessly and stone-faced. The rabbit guffawed at the simple, display of loyalty.
"Ha ha, ho ho, hee hee hee!! You rabbits from Watership Down are always so predictable, always willing to sacrifice yourselves for the sake of your friends and family! Still, quite shameful, to even consider a man, a boy no less, as someone to trust and show compassion towards." He glared maliciously at Justin still entombed in the cage of thorns and vines, and Justin just looked back blankly, unsure of what to feel. Bigwig roared at the rabbit, "Leave him alone, you dirty, little beast!!"
Bluebell also put in an insult. "By the Black Rabbit, Justin's more of a trustworthy rabbit than you, you piece of filth! No, wait, I take that back! At least filth has some standards!!"
"Silence!" snapped the rabbit, and immediately, two thin, green, yet sturdy vines immediately appeared and muzzled the two rabbits, encircling their snouts and clamping their mouths tightly shut. Enraged, Bigwig and Bluebell could only snort angrily at their captor, while the other rabbits, seeing this, kept a begrudging silence. Hazel then looked at the rabbit again; he seemed so familiar, as if something about the devious wretch reminded him of El-ahrairah's past. Then it hit him.
"You're Hufsa, aren't you?" Hazel asked quietly. The calico rabbit was taken quite back, and Buckthorn, though still keeping a strong, defensive motionless position, slightly widened his blue eyes at the rabbit. The other rabbits just stared at their revealed enemy, while Justin tried to remember where he heard that name before. In "Watership Down", there was a story called "The Story of the Trial of El-ahrairah", in which after El-ahrairah was able to trick King Darzin and escape banishment from the marshes of Kelfazin and live in the meadows of Fenlo, Prince Rainbow, determined to prevent the rabbit prince from outwitting anyone else, sent Hufsa to live with the rabbits as a spy to regal information back to Prince Rainbow so that he, in turn, could warn farmers and men when El-ahrairah was going to raid a farm, a vegetable garden, or anything of the like. El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle, resolute to stop Hufsa, raided Prince Rainbow's carrot garden while bringing Hufsa with them, and when Hufsa snitched on El-ahrairah, Prince Rainbow put the rabbit leader on trial. Yet, due to a very clever ruse with several of the animals and trickery on Rabscuttle and El-ahrairah's part, Hufsa's testimony was declared invalid by the jury, making the poor rabbit look like a fool and an insane lunatic. In the end, El-ahrairah and his warren were able to feast on Prince Rainbow's carrots while Prince Rainbow, unable to do anything, took Hufsa away from the warren in Fenlo. It was clear now that Hufsa was sent by Prince Rainbow and Elil-rah as another attempt to stop the mission to save El-ahrairah. Hufsa just stared coolly at Hazel.
"Hmph, you're more intuitive and clever than I anticipated, Hazel," he scoffed resentfully, dropping his teasing charade, "So what if you guessed who I am? It makes no difference! You all lost, Justin will die, and I will be welcomes again as Prince Rainbow's faithful servant, not to mention finally having my revenge on El-ahrairah for what he did to me, making me look like a fool and humiliating me out of my Lord's graces!!"
"You did that on your own, you traitor," Hazel stated coldly, his light brown eyes now flashing.
"Details, minor details," dismissed Hufsa, and with a wicked gleam, he added, "Besides, I am quite eager to see what sort of miraculous wonders I can do with the golden cross of light and God! And I think I'll start with your precious Justin!"
"You wouldn't!! You can't – AAGGHH!!!" screamed Hawkbit, already losing his self-restraint, as the vines around his torso tightened excruciatingly as a comeback.
"I ordered you rabbits to be quiet," reminded Hufsa, sadistically enjoying the torment he was inflicting, "Keep in mind, you dense duffers that Prince Rainbow and Elil-rah granted me the powers to control the vegetation around us, free to obey whatever my mind thinks up of! I don't think I need to show you how painful I can create the situation for you hrair rabbits!"
"Leave them alone, Hufsa," growled Buckthorn in a low voice, his eyes becoming glacial, his body stiffening.
"And why should I even bother and listen to you, Buckthorn?" sneered Hufsa, "But, I daresay I admit I am a bit bored, and seeing how you and your 'Hazel-rah' are not going to give up until I return this cross and free your precious cross-bearer, I might as well have some fun. If you are daring enough, Buckthorn."
The brawny rabbit gritted his teeth in frustration, saying nothing, but he gave a slight nod with his head, and Hufsa continued, "The only way I would even be willing to give up this cross and sacrifice my chances of being one of the most powerful and prevailing rabbits in all of the land beyond life is that if I lose to you in a little tournament of bobstones."
"Bobstones??" asked Hazel in disbelief.
Hufsa ignored the query and continued, "I've heard of you Buckthorn, and not only are you the proverbial rock of calm, common sense and loyalty of the group, but you are quite the bobstone player. Rumor even has it that you have even won against the Black Rabbit of Inle!"
"What?!" Hazel turned sharply in shocked surprise to Buckthorn who still made no movement or facial expression to indicate if Hufsa was telling the truth. He still remained stationary, an unfeeling cloak covering his face, but poised for attack and strike. The other rabbits were also watching the scene with a stunned silence, their hearts beating, and Justin felt his skin crawl as he had a sinking feeling in his stomach what was coming.
"Naturally, a chap like me will always be superior in every way from you sorry bunch of misfits," bragged Hufsa, completely delusional and lost in his pig-headedness, "Yet, I must confess that I am greatly vexed that such a substandard, mediocre at best, disgraceful, child of El-ahrairah could even accomplish such a task. Not even your great Prince of Rabbits could achieve such a thing! So, here is my proposition: we play bobstones, just you and me, rabbit to rabbit, and if I win, I take the cross of eternal light and keep it for myself, not to mention having the satisfaction of killing your human friend up there. If you win, Justin's life will be spared, and I'll return the cross and your friends back to you and all hrair of you can set off on your merry way back to Fenlo."
"How do I know you'll keep your word?" asked Buckthorn with dark suspicion. He trusted the embleer messenger of Elil-rah about as far as he could kick him.
"You don't." Hufsa's smile became even more sadistic and vicious, his black eyes now gleaming with sick insanity under the light of Justin's cross. Buckthorn fought the resentment and anger boiling inside.
"And if I refuse??"
Hufsa didn't say anything, but simply waved one of his forepaws with a sudden flick. Almost immediately, two thorny, spiked vines whipped out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around Silver and Pipkin's throats, like snares, and to the Hazel and Buckthorn's horror, the plants started strangling them, drawing forth blood from their flesh, causing Silver to choke and gurgle while Pipkin screamed and wailed as loudly as he could with the creeper noose cutting off his airway. At the same time, Justin saw the thorns on the bars of his cage growing larger and sharper. Alarmed, the teenager backed away, but he realized the barbs were appearing from all around his prison, on the ceiling, the bars, the walls, even the floor! There was nowhere Justin could walk and stand on without avoiding being gouged by the large spears, and already, several tore into his jeans, scratching him. A few more minutes, and Justin would most likely be dead from the rapidly growing, dangerous pricks expanding wildly in every direction.
"Stop it! Please!!" yelled Justin as a thorn grazed painfully against his arm, drawing blood.
"Leave him alone!!" cried Blackberry, "Stop it!!"
"You heartless monster!!" howled Speedwell, "If I wasn't up here, I'd kick your treacherous tail up along this mountain range, you despicable, embleer furball!!" Unfortunately, both Blackberry and Speedwell piqued Hufsa's annoyance, so Blackberry was immediately snared with another telltale thorny vine, while Speedwell got muzzled for his outburst. The rabbit then turned to Buckthorn expectantly.
"Your choice, Buckthorn. Face me, or because of your cowardice and insecurity, your friends and Justin suffer the consequences!"
"Buckthorn," Hazel begged, trying to convince him to not play into Hufsa's tricks and treachery, "don't endanger yourself like this!! He won't keep his promise, and you'll be playing yourself into a trap!! Even if you do, by some miracle, win, you'll be winning by his rules, and chances are, he made them so that he'll always remain the victor!! Buckthorn, don't be stubborn!"
"No, I must do this," Buckthorn said, quietly, but with resolve. Hazel's voice then became firm and hard.
"Buckthorn, I am ordering you: do not pursue this."
"Hazel-rah, I'm sorry...but I'm disobeying that order." Buckthorn gave him a look of conflict and sadness, yet determination, stunning Hazel. He then turned to Hufsa, his anger and loyalty churning under his fur, making him snap, "I never back away from a challenge, especially when my friends and Justin are concerned! I accept your demented contest, Hufsa! And if I win, you let all of us go!!"
"So be it, you fool!" snarled Hufsa in arrogant glee as he smirked knowingly at the brown, brash Watership soldier in front of him, and then to himself, the conspirator thought, "You have no idea what you are about to get yourself into, you naive duffer! For you will suffer a lot more than Justin's life if you lose this! Prepare yourself, Buckthorn, for this is no ordinary game!!"
"So how do we play this contest, Hufsa?" Buckthorn groused lowly.
"Quite simple, actually. I start first with a cast, then after your guess, you cast, and we alternate our turns from there on. We keep playing, regardless how many you lose, until you are quite willing to surrender and give up. If you win once, even ONCE, and succeed in deducting the cast underneath my paws, out of the fairness and goodness of my heart, I'll return Justin's cross and set him and the rest of your Watership clan free. Of course, I can say now with confidence that you might as well give up now, chap. You're outmatched by my superiority."
"More like your idiocy," Buckthorn thought to himself, but he nodded in resigned agreement.
"But I warn you, Buckthorn," Hufsa threatened with a hint of hostility, "Attack me in any way, and Justin will die."
Buckthorn advanced to the tree stump as Hufsa jumped, did a half-flip in the air, and expertly, flashily, landed on his feet, smirking. Hazel just watched behind, unsure what to do, but he knew nonetheless that Buckthorn was right, that this was his fight to deal with alone, that Hazel could only just observe and not meddle, and that he could do nothing but wait. He just wished, desperately, that there was another way to spare Justin's life and powers without endangering Buckthorn or the others. Meanwhile, up above, Strawberry, Holly, and Campion conversed in hushed tones as they watched the scene from the dizzying height.
"Campion, can you move the slightest? Maybe somehow find a way to gnaw the restraints binding you??" Holly whispered, hoping Hufsa wouldn't notice them. Campion shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying his best to bow his head and reach the vines with his teeth while at the same time, pulling on the vines wrapped around his numb paws. Little by little, Campion was able to lessen the tension on the plants wrapped around his chest and paws, and even though it was extremely awkward and tiring, Campion managed to bend and crane his neck far enough to nibble the vines, bit by bit, before falling back from the developing ache on his neck.
"Don't rush it," advised Holly, murmuring, "Don't strain yourself, old chap. Just do the job slowly, to ward off Hufsa's suspicions. Strawberry, I think it's time we increased the chances of making out of this situation unscathed and getting the chances and fates to favor Hazel and Buckthorn. The plants pinned my paws behind my back, and I can't reach them, but I daresay you can."
"I know what to do, Holly," Strawberry agreed mellifluously, mischief and eagerness in his eyes as he leaned over discretely and started chewing on Holly's fastenings. It was slow work, with the vines being extremely pliable, rubbery, and awful tasting, but Strawberry was as making as good of headway as he could. Meanwhile, Dandelion was doing his best to reach over and tear away the tight, prickly creeper wrapped around Blackberry's neck with his teeth, hoping he could try to ease his friend's suffering a bit.
"Can you breathe easier now, bucko?" Dandelion asked breathlessly, spitting out a thorn that painfully clung to the inside flesh of his mouth.
"Slightly," gasped out the black-eared buck, panting slightly as shredded tatters of the plant snare were still hanging loosely around his neck. Then his eye caught Fiver, shivering and trembling.
"By Frith, look at Fiver!" Blackberry gasped as Fiver sensed what his mysterious power-that-be wanted him to foretell.
"Stones of the past, a friend that appears to die, only then will the sword of trust prevail, through Buckthorn's destiny lies. The pattern is in the stones," and with a final quaking, cry, Fiver snapped out of it, panting and his face soaked with sweat and tears. Acorn and Hawkbit looked at Fiver oddly while Blackberry tried to ponder the cryptic vision.
"A friend that will die?! But...that...that means...!" Dandelion trembled as he cast a glance at the incarcerated Justin, still trying to view the game Buckthorn was risking to win his own safety and the well being of his friends from Watership Down. Hawkbit was less concerned as he muttered at Fiver in impatience, "Embleer Frith in a hole, couldn't you have warned us this BEFORE being captured by Elil-rah?!! If your second sight was here right now, I'd give it a bloody cuff around the ears and a sore nose for its 'good' timing!!"
"Hawkbit, shut up!" ordered Acorn as he gnawed at the vines surrounding forepaws in front of him, "If Justin is going to die, we best be ready to do all we can to prevent that, so instead of using that big mouth of yours to snipe and rant, try using it to free yourself from the tharn creepers!" Hawkbit, irritable and grumbling, obeyed while down below, Buckthorn had his back to Hufsa while his opponent was choosing stones as a cast underneath his paw, the seconds seemingly acting as hours for the warrior. Buckthorn forced himself to stay as calm and composed as he could, stomping down on the anxiety and worry. He needed his mind and body to be clear and stress-free if he wanted to beat Hufsa and save everyone.
"Bobstone guess," challenged Hufsa, as Buckthorn turned to see the deriding rabbit, smiling knowingly, both of his colorful paws pressed down on the ground. It took all of Buckthorn's self-restraint to not grab the rabbit's head and slam it onto the ground. He looked astutely at Hufsa's paws with narrowed eyes, thinking to himself, "Hmmmm...the wretch's paws aren't cupped and slightly over the ground, so the stones can't be that large if he can lay the entire surface of his forepaws flat on the dirt, and there must be four since he needs both paws to cover his cast. That means..."
"Bobstone guess...is four and small," Buckthorn spoke with grim resolution. Hufsa's sneer grew even larger as he exclaimed, with mock pity, "Oh dear me, I'm sorry, but you're wrong, you duffer! The correct answer was eight, large bobstones!"
"What?!!" chorused Hazel and Buckthorn, and Hufsa lifted his paws from the ground, revealing that he spoke the truth. It wasn't possible, but somehow, as if magic, the dark minion managed to hide eight light-colored, large stones, four under each paw, and the stones were each as large as a rabbit's head. Buckthorn nearly reeled from the loss, but he didn't let his face show it, feeling numb, while Hazel objected angrily, "What in Frith's name is 'eight'? That cannot be a valid cast! You're not playing fair, you dark, conniving, paw-licking, pellet chewing embleer rah!!"
"I never said that this would be a fair game to begin with!" Hufsa chuckled in insane glee, enjoying the looks of helplessness and frustration on the rabbits' faces, "The word 'eight' is a suitable cast, for it is a number that men use past the number 'four', and since Prince Rainbow, in his glorified wisdom, taught me the numbers of men, I can count and understand words past 'hrair'!! If Buckthorn can't, well, that is HIS problem!! And you both have no choice but to accept it, unless if you wish to forfeit this match and send Justin off to be executed by my paws!!" He indicated to the dark saber strapped to his back with his head, and Buckthorn felt his heart wrench even more. Hazel tried to snap him out of it.
"Buckthorn, please, don't risk this! He'll..."
"Let's play! It's my turn now you filthy cheat," interrupted Buckthorn hastily, his face still stony and determined.
"As you wish," sniggered Hufsa, "But first..." He waved his forepaw again.
"AAAAAAA!!!" screamed Hazel in pain as he nearly sank to the ground in unbearable agony, wincing as he clutched one forearm. By the Black Rabbit, his blood in his body felt cold, colder than the Black Rabbit, so icy it was burning his flesh and bone, and to Buckthorn's horror, Hazel's entire right arm was bathed with a dark glowing haze. Hufsa was attacking Hazel.
"Hazel-rah!" Buckthorn cried in worry as he rushed to Hazel's side and propped him up by firmly clenching him by the waist, carefully and tenderly, but with a final, soft crackling noise, to the dreadfulness of all the rabbits and Justin, Hazel's right paw and forearm turned to stone! Now, instead of a furry appendage, was a mass of messily formed rock, piled upon each other in a wild, chaotic configuration, covering Hazel's fur and flesh.
"HAZEL-RAH!!" screamed Acorn, Pipkin, and Holly. Justin, Campion, Dandelion, Blackberry, Strawberry, and Silver were stunned, the sight leaving them wide-eyed and speechless, while Bigwig, Speedwell, and Bluebell, all still muzzled, glared at Hufsa with promises of a very painful retaliation for doing such an act on their Chief rabbit. Fiver was crying and Hawkbit just said numbly, "It can't be!"
Hufsa giggled again. "Oh, I'm sorry, Buckthorn. Did I forget to mention that each time you lose a cast, a piece of Hazel turns to stone?? The more games you lose in this gala, the more Hazel will be encased until he is in an unbreakable tomb of rock, forever trapped with no way out! For that will be his future, to live the rest of his existence in the land beyond life as a statue, forever marking the day when he and the precious Owsla of Watership lost against me, the wonderful Hufsa!! Aha ha ha ha ha!!"
"You...!!!" Buckthorn felt the tears of anger, rage, and vulnerability already spill as he turned to Hazel, still gasping for air to quell the burning pain in his body. He could swear he could still feel his arm underneath the shell of granite.
"Hazel-rah, I...I'm so sorry," sobbed Buckthorn, cursing himself for losing and endangering Hazel, but then, unexpectedly, he promised with loving loyalty, "I won't give up, Hazel! I promise, I'll win this and beat that dirty, little cheat for you Hazel! I promise, just don't give up! El-ahrairah won't let this happen, I know it!"
Hazel didn't know what to feel, but he nodded with comforting assurance. Buckthorn's face was clouded from the shadows as he let his leader slowly lie on the ground, and smoothly, the dark-brown rabbit rose from his knelt position.
"Giving up, Buckthorn??" laughed Hufsa, but what Buckthorn said next shocked him.
"For what you did, for Hazel-rah, for my friends and family, for Justin, for myself, I WON'T EVER GIVE UP!!!" bellowed Buckthorn, snapping his head to attention and his eyes now glaring at Hufsa with such rage and power, the Elil-rah messenger actually felt a little fear enter into his heart, "WHAT YOU DID, YOU EMBLEER, LOW-LIFED, CONTEMPTIBLE WORM, ONLY STRENGTHENS MY RESOLVE TO DEFEAT YOU! AND FOR HURTING HAZEL-RAH, I WILL NOT HAVE ANY MERCY ON YOU WHEN I WIN THIS SICK CONTEST FOR POWER!!! FOR I'D RATHER DIE THAN LET YOU WIN!!!"
Hufsa took a step back, but forced himself to remember that he had the upper hand in this fight. He glanced coldly at the Watership soldier, "Hmph, you're actually more stupid and deluded that I thought if you think you can beat me! Well, if you wish it so, be prepared to lose Hazel and Justin in this game!!"
"No," Buckthorn said, with steel in his voice, "we're going to increase the stakes in this game, you furry wretch."
"Oh?" Hufsa cocked his head, "What are you proposing?"
"Leave Hazel-rah alone," proposed Buckthorn without hesitation or regret, forcing himself to continue, "and strike me instead. Every time I lose a cast, turn a piece of me to stone. Leave Hazel and my friends alone, and I will take all the torture and pain you planned to inflict on them."
"Buckthorn! No, you mustn't!! Don't do it! Please, don't!! You stupid duffer, what are trying to prove?!!" Hazel and the other rabbits from above shouted down. Hufsa paid them no attention as the idea actually took root into his pleasing; this was certainly a surprise. Buckthorn went on.
"I know you can't resist such an offer, especially since it will make your defeat against me even more glorified and treasured. After all, what's the best way to commemorate and remember this defeat? So what will it be, Hufsa? Find little satisfaction in attacking the lesser Watership rabbits and turning Hazel to rock, or humiliating and defeating me, Buckthorn, to the ultimate loss, the only rabbit that your consider a possible, equal adversary??"
"Very well then," Hufsa agreed with even more enjoyment as he contemplated how he was going to relish his triumph, "Your turn to make a cast, Buckthorn."
And it went on like that, but as the games flew by, to the shock and apprehension and fear of Hazel, Justin and the rest, Buckthorn was losing heavily.
"Bobstone guess," dared the Watership rabbit.
"Three, one dark and two light." Buckthorn hissed in pain as his left ear turned to rock, but he didn't say anything. It was uncanny how he was able to guess what was under Buckthorn's paw without the slightest hesitation or show of faltering.
"Bobstone guess, Buckthorn."
"Three, large and rough."
"You lost this cast. Twelve, dark, and small." Now Buckthorn's left hind foot was encased with the stone husk.
"Bobstone guess."
"One, large, dark, and smooth stone." Hufsa's accurate prediction now painfully grew the stone crust to climb from his foot and cover his entire left haunch.
"Give up now, Buckthorn, and after I kill the cross-bearer, I'll take pity on you and Hazel," ridiculed Hufsa as Buckthorn turned his back to allow the enemy to choose his cast.
"Just play the damned game," growled Buckthorn, "Four, large and light-colored."
"Fine by me, but just remember, you'll never win against the powers of Elil-rah. And you're wrong again, you slow-witted fool," Hufsa crowed as he lifted his paws to show sixteen, large, light-colored stones. Now Buckthorn's other ear was transformed.
"Buckthorn, stop now!!" Silver cried as best as he could with the vine wrapped around his neck.
"Stop it, please!!" Pipkin wailed.
"Please, Buckthorn, you can do this! Don't give up, old chap!! We believe in you!" hollered Strawberry.
"That's right! Even though that conniving, perfidious, flea-ridden creature is cheating, you'll still better than him!!" Holly rang out.
"ENOUGH!!" roared Hufsa in annoyance, "One more word from any of your tharn rabbits, and I'll make all of you suffer!!"
"Blackberry, any way you can decipher the message from Fiver?" Dandelion whispered, conversing with the black-eared inventor.
Blackberry struggled to make sense of it as he spoke, "Not really, I'm sorry! Fiver said something about the pattern being in the stones, but with Hufsa being able to use cursed numbers of man for bobstones, no one, not even El-ahrairah would be able to guess and play against him!! None of us knows how to even use the expressions and vocabulary of the human language!!"
"Wait, but one of us can!" gasped out Hawkbit and all three of them, with realization, turned their gazes to Justin, who was still trapped in his prison of thorns and plants.
"Justin!!!" Dandelion called out urgently, getting the teenager's confused, yet attentive concentration.
Blackberry continued, "The pattern!! Fiver said the pattern in the stones!! It may be a way to defeat Hufsa and save Buckthorn!! The pattern of the stones, the numbers and way Hufsa's playin-"
"SILENCE!!!" yelled Hufsa, at his wits end, and immediately, vines appeared out of nowhere and muzzled both Dandelion and Blackberry's mouths shut, and then Hufsa had the vines gag the rest of the rabbits as well. Now they couldn't speak or chew their way out of their bindings. Justin just looked on with sickened feelings of dread and uncertainty. If Buckthorn needed help, it would be now, or else the loyal rabbit would be nothing but a statue and Justin would be doomed. Hufsa then looked back at Buckthorn's maddening look.
"I think this game would be more enjoyable now that your friends can't interrupt us or give you such foolhardy words of encouragement, don't you Buckthorn?" Hufsa scorned ruthlessly at Buckthorn. Buckthorn growled, but didn't say anything as Hazel just looked on at his rabbits with worry. Justin, meanwhile, ignored gratefully by Hufsa, was thinking and pondering what Blackberry told him. All right, so Fiver said there was a pattern in the stones, and no doubt that it was from a vision from his second sight, it must be pivotal in helping Buckthorn. So what pattern? There was no way to see how it could help Buckthorn by telling him to cast things he had no idea how to describe besides as "hrair", but...could it possible there could be a way to calculate which move Hufsa was going to cast next. He recalled the moves again in his mind: eight light-colored, large the first time, second was twelve dark and small, and lastly sixteen stone, all light-colored and large. Mathematics leading, Justin then realized it. Hufsa was alternating between light and dark, and the numbers of stones he was casting were all multiples of four! His heart beat excitedly, but Justin forced himself in control, knowing Hufsa would kill him if he dared to speak aloud. But, how was he to send the message to Buckthorn? He was without his cross, and his prayers wouldn't call forth his powers. He then remembered Buckthorn's words from earlier: So try to have a little faith in yourself too, Justin. The cross of light may be a part of you, but it is not you in entirety. What matters is the fact that you force yourself to carry on, to continue no matter how difficult things may be, to never give up. That was what kept all of us alive when we left Sandleford and came to Watership Down, because we wouldn't abandon our mission, our hope, and our dreams. Justin gave in; it was better than nothing.
Below, Buckthorn cursed himself in vain and disappointment as Hufsa had his back turned to him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't win or even make Hufsa worry the slightest bit. Reason told him to give up, but with as much willpower as he could muster, Buckthorn covered his cast with his paw again. Without even realizing it or knowing why, Buckthorn cast a glance at Justin, whispering, praying, "Justin, please...if you really are the cross-bearer, please...give me strength to win this, for everyone."
"Bobstone guess." Buckthorn's voice slightly wavered with fatigue and dread, and Hufsa turned back knowingly. Just several more victories, Buckthorn would be finished! Prince Rainbow and Elil-rah would highly reward him for his success and cunning to defeat him and the Watership Owsla! And when the inevitable happened, Hufsa would kill the cross-bearer, turn the rest of the Owsla of El-ahrairah to stone, and finally, he would bask in the light, glory, and power of the cross of light, power that was so richly deserved! Of course, he thought craftily to himself, it doesn't hurt that I'm using the boy's own powers against Buckthorn. For that was how he was winning. Lord Brock had the right idea to use the holy cross jewel to harness and control the terrific powers with his own will, and that was what he was doing now. With the dominant light, Hufsa was scanning Buckthorn's mind, reading without the buck's knowledge, the move the rabbit cast underneath his paws. After all, why leave room for the possibility that he could lose and Buckthorn could win? But he wouldn't, Hufsa smiled inwardly as he used his power to read Buckthorn's mind once again, and once he is out of my way, no one, not even El-ahrairah, will be able to stop me. And now, let's see what is in the fool's mind! Be prepared to lose, Buckt-.
"NO, I WON'T LET YOU!" boomed a voice, and Hufsa gasped as he felt a strong presence throw him back violently, his aura and mind's eye cast away from the psyche of the Watership soldier, drawing attention from a confused Buckthorn and Hazel. Hufsa fumed. It was impossible! How could something cast him out like that?! Buckthorn couldn't possibly have that much brainpower to fight and resist the powers of the cross-bearer. Snarling, Hufsa tried again, only to feel his invading presence halted again forcefully, and no matter how hard Hufsa tried, some protective barrier from all around Buckthorn's mind stopped him.
"Impossible!" thought Hufsa in building, increasing rage, "What could possibly be stopping me?! I can't read Buckthorn's mind, so I can't cheat and look to see what his next move is!!" Then, suddenly, with a flash of golden light, Justin's cross around the rabbit's neck stopped glowing, and Hufsa, to his horror, found he no longer could mentally use the power of the cross-bearer to inflict his opponent. It was as if the cross was now refusing to work with such evil, as if it was alive and had a mind of its own. Hufsa was stunned; what in the name of Elil-rah was happening?!
Then, for a final time, as a cruel, twisted joke, Hufsa, in his mind, saw a galling scene. There, Buckthorn was squatting patiently, with serene tolerance and fortitude, his paws still covering his cast, but in front of him, was a transparent, ghostly specter of a praying Justin, kneeling on one knee and eyes closed, his astral projection! It was in front of Buckthorn, and the presence was shielding Buckthorn from Hufsa devious tricks. It was the force in the mental world that was keeping him out and preventing him from cheating by reading Buckthorn's mind.
"That's impossible!" Hufsa screamed inwardly, in his thoughts, while Hazel stared curiously at the troubled rabbit, lost and confused, "You...you don't have your powers, your cross!! You shouldn't even be able to stop me!! The powers should make me able to overwhelm you and torture Buckthorn, reading and hearing his thoughts!!!"
"Not anymore you won't." Now the projection of Justin's friendship, his resolve, his devotion, snapped to attention as the astral projection opened its eyes and glared at Hufsa. "Buckthorn taught me that loyalty and determination will always prevail, to never give up! Even without the cross, true power comes from faith, from hope, from friendship, and it's a separate power than can never be taken away and misused! The power knows Buckthorn is my friend, and it won't let you cause anymore harm with it! Now get out of Buckthorn's head and STAY OUT!"
"Noooooooooooooo!!!" howled Hufsa, now screaming aloud and holding his head painfully with his paws. At first, Buckthorn was floored, but then he sensed...something comforting, something reassuring, something...that told him that he would never be alone.
"Justin??" Buckthorn realized softly, with astonishment. A moment later, he understood, and his face grew even more resolute, steadfast, and bold than ever.
"Well, Hufsa?" he asked in a calm, knowing tone that the enemy rabbit didn't like, "what is your bobstone guess? Remember, if you refuse to play, you forfeit this contest in its entirety and I win, meaning you let all of us go and return Justin's cross." Hufsa, now trembling, was at a loss. He still didn't know what was underneath Buckthorn's paw, and because of that damned human, he now had to guess wildly.
"What is ever the matter, Hufsa?" drawled Buckthorn, continuing in a cold voice, "Can't cheat like you did before? Realized that you are not as great and extraordinary as you once thought?"
Hufsa snarled, "Shut up, you!! Bobstone guess...er...is four!"
Buckthorn, without showing any emotion on his face, lifted both paws to show, to Hufsa's dismay, that he guessed wrong. It was one, large, smooth, dark-colored stone. Hufsa was beside himself with anger and hatred, but he knew that Buckthorn hadn't won yet. He still needed to guess his cast, and as the buck's back was turned, Hufsa felt so sure the rabbit would never be able to guess the correct answer as he laid down the stones underneath his paw, using his dark powers given by Elil-rah to shield them completely underneath the fur.
"Bobstone guess!" Hufsa nearly screamed with demented rage and distraught disturbance, but Buckthorn, without showing any fear, said calmly as he turned around as said in a strong, firm voice, "Bobstone guess...is twenty stones, all of them dark and small."
Numb with shock and disbelief, Hufsa just stared at Buckthorn intently with wonder as he stepped back, taking his paws off the cast and showing to Hazel, to his joy, that Buckthorn guessed correctly. There, on the ground, were twenty miniscule pebbles, all blackened with soil, dust, and dirt. Hufsa had lost, Buckthorn has correctly guessed the cast, and by promise, Hufsa had to release all of them and return Justin and what was rightfully his.
"Buckthorn!!" Hazel cried, ecstatic with relief, "How in the name of the Black Rabbit were you able to even guess?!!"
Buckthorn smiled mysteriously, replying, "A messenger told me, or, to be more precise, an astral projection messenger told me."
Hufsa was now livid as he reached behind and drew out the dark, obsidian short sword from behind his back, the blade gleaming with viciousness and evil. He will not return to Prince Rainbow with news of defeat; he was close, so close.
"You embleer Watership rabbits haven't won yet!!" he raged in intense antagonism, his insane thirst for blood and death infusing his mind and blood, "I will defeat all of you!! And as for you, Justin...!!"
Hufsa left the threat unsaid as the prison magically withered away, and a strong, green vine with thick leaved of ivy suddenly encircled around Justin tightly, pining his arms to his sides. To Hazel and Buckthorn's alarm, the vine brought Justin down to the ground and held him securely in front of Hufsa as the minion raised his weapon, ready to stab it into Justin's heart.
With a cry of rage and battle, Buckthorn, as best as he could with stone appendages, tackled Hufsa as hard as he could, and both rabbits sailed away from Justin, brawling, wrestling, and cursing on the ground, with Buckthorn trying his best to bite Hufsa's neck while keeping a strong paw over Hufsa's weapon, preventing the foe from using it to stab him. While Hufsa was occupied with fighting for his glory and life, the vine holding Justin firmly started to untangle and unravel its iron grip on Justin's body, due to the loss of concentration of Hufsa's willpower, allowing Hazel to easily free Justin.
"Justin, are you all right?!" Hazel asked worriedly, hugging the human tightly.
Justin broke out of the embrace, nodding. With a squeal of pain, Buckthorn lost his hold as Hufsa sank his teeth into the rabbit's shoulder, and with a powerful kick into the soldier's stomach with his hind legs, Hufsa sent Buckthorn flying back several feet. Buckthorn skidded for a distance in the dirt, bleeding and badly scratched as the dark, crimson blood ran down his fur and onto the cold, hard rock covering his body. Yet Hufsa wasn't unscathed either; one eye was nearly scratched out, making it blind, and there was a gruesome hole in his neck where Buckthorn buried his teeth in, and the blood dripping down on his suit of armor made it shine even more with the wet surface.
"You'll pay for that, you embleer..." but then Hufsa realized that he was no longer wearing the trinket he stole from the human. He could no longer feel the familiar, cold chain of metal around his neck, but with his good eye, he noticed, with wrathful bile, Buckthorn, panting, was gripping the cross by its chain in one paw. During the scuffle, Buckthorn managed to rip the cross off Hufsa's possession, and if he managed to give it back to Justin, the battle would truly be over.
"Prepare to be turned to stone, you troublemaking, cursed annoyance!!" Hufsa shrieked with all of his ire and might, and with a fling of his forepaw, he hurled the dark sword straight at Buckthorn's heart!
"BUCKTHORN!!" yelled Hazel, as the sword flew closer and closer to the exhausted Buckthorn.
SPUCK! The sword embedded painfully and grotesquely into flesh and skin, drawing forth blood. But to Buckthorn's horror, it wasn't his blood.
"No..." he whispered in infinite sorrow, grief, and blame, tears already welling up in his eyes, as Justin, with the blade of Hufsa's sword embedded into his back, sank into Buckthorn's strong arms, heavily injured. The rabbits, still bound with the vines and muzzled, could only sob silently to themselves as they saw Justin throw himself in front of Buckthorn, allowing the weapon to kill him rather than affect Buckthorn. The sword disappeared out of Justin's body, only to materialize back into Hufsa's paws. At least he succeeded in one part of his mission. Buckthorn cried openly as he cradled Justin's prone form in his arms, Justin's blood already soaking his dark-purple tunic and vest and the cross Buckthorn still held in one paw.
"I'm sorry, Buckthorn," Justin whispered weakly as he closed his eyes, his body growing cold, and despite the pain racking his body, he managed to squeeze Buckthorn's paw affectionately and smiled before Justin turned to stone. The venom and evil from Hufsa's weapon had done its work, and now, Justin's entire body was encased with rock, a fate that was intended for Buckthorn. Yet due to Justin's intervention, he spared his friend from that outcome. Buckthorn, at a loss, just squatted there, holding a stone statue, frozen, dead, and unfeeling while Hazel just bowed his head and wept quietly. Justin appeared to be dead, and they had all lost.
"NOW DIE!!!" screamed Hufsa as he charged speedily toward Buckthorn, raising the blade, ready to decapitate Buckthorn before turning him to rock. Buckthorn, with heavy misery and woe, found it difficult to care, feeling his hope and will break.
"Buckthorn!"
The Watership rabbit now opened his eyes in amazement. He heard Justin speaking...in his head as if his spirit was still alive and with him. The voice continued.
"Heavenly Father, please, I trust Buckthorn with my life! Let him use the cross to save everyone!! Please, help him!" The cross immediately began to glow again with life and love as Hufsa got closer and closer, the blade of his weapon starting to descend on Buckthorn's head.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" screamed Buckthorn as he raised his head with might, with anger, with faith. The cross flashed once and transformed right before Hufsa brought his weapon within inches to Buckthorn's head.
CLANG! Hazel and the rest of the Watership rabbits glanced back up to see a truly, wondrous sight. Buckthorn, fortitude and hope highlighting his angry, facial expression, had prevented Hufsa from striking his head by blocking it with his own sword. Hufsa was surprised beyond all comprehension, and no matter how hard he pressed down with his weapon, Buckthorn showed now sign that he was giving in. The sword was truly beautiful and stunning. The blade was longer that Hufsa's weapon, and slender, double-edged with a sharp tip, shining in silver metal. Yet the blade was strong, solid, as wide as a forepaw and as thin as a leaf, but rigid like the hardest stone. The handle of the sword by which Buckthorn was gripping the weapon was a pure, flawless, golden cross, the long part wrapped with soft, brown leather, with its top counterparts attached to the blade, and the cross arms cleverly sticking out like any traditional sword handle. At the bottom of the cross was a purple crystal of amethyst embedded at the tip, its tone and shade matching the color of Buckthorn's clothes, and from the crystal hung an attached chain of gold with a pendant ingeniously shaped as a rabbit holding Justin's cross, still glowing with golden light. Now the battlefield was evenly matched for Hufsa.
With a snarl, Buckthorn pushed Hufsa away from him, and the two weary rabbits faced each other in a tense standoff. Even with Buckthorn's left haunch and both ears turned to stone, he showed no indication that he would be at a disadvantage as he expertly gripped the sword. With no choice, Hufsa charged, and the two rabbits flung themselves into a heated swordfight, move matched for move, metal striking metal, sending hot sparks to emit out of the blades. As Hazel and the other stupefied rabbits looked on, they saw Buckthorn expertly dodge, parry, and counterstrike Hufsa, regardless how hard the dark rabbit tried to hurt him. Hufsa, on the other hand, was tiring quite quickly, and regardless how much power Prince Rainbow and Elil-rah gave him, his strength seemed to leave him as he tried every sword skill he could come up with to stab Buckthorn. Yet, as if by magic, Hufsa could not even graze Buckthorn's fur as the golden sword flew, swift and sure, chipping the black blade, and sending powerful vibrations to ring painfully through Hufsa's paws. Every time Buckthorn's sword swished by, Hufsa felt the burning sensation on his flesh as a severe cut sliced through the soft tissue as easily as a hot knife through butter.
"How...how can this be?!!" Hufsa gasped weakly as Buckthorn, with a new fury and seeing that his opponent was tiring out, let loose a vigorous sequence of swipes and twirls with the sword so rapid, the wretch could barely see the blade anymore as he was forced to do nothing but shield and block the blows as best as he could.
"I said I would take no mercy for what you have done to Hazel and my friends!!" growled Buckthorn, "And at the expense of Justin's life, the cross-bearer had entrusted me to use the cross as I see fit to fight and defeat you! This is the true power of the cross!!!" With a mighty roar, Buckthorn brought the blade down on Hufsa's weapon as hard as he could, and to Hufsa's horror, the dark weapon shattered into thousands of pieces, like brittle glass, before they disintegrated and vanished into thin air. Hufsa, heavily wounded, fell down on his back as Buckthorn, to his slight relief, felt the stone shell around his body fade away, leaving back his fur and flesh renewed. With the weapon of Elil-rah destroyed, all the stone spells Hufsa cast on Hazel and Buckthorn faded away. Hazel felt his arm pleasantly restore back, and then he realized if he and Buckthorn were turned back to normal, then that meant...
A groan from Justin answered his question as the teenager shakily propped himself from his sprawled the ground using his hands, feeling slightly woozy and dazed, but at least alive. As Hazel hurriedly rushed over to the cross-bearer's side, to his joy, his back showed no mark or injury from Hufsa's weapon. More of less, Justin was alive and unhurt, his wounds completely disappeared. As Hazel helped Justin recover, Buckthorn pointed the sword to Hufsa's face.
"It's over, Hufsa. You have lost." At this, Hufsa got a wicked gleam in his eye.
"Oh really?" he muttered, and with squeals and groans of pain, Hazel and Justin saw that the vines entrapping the thirteen rabbits above now began to secure around their bodies even more excruciatingly. Holly, Speedwell, Campion, and Pipkin each had vines painfully snare around their throats, tightening and strangling them slowly, draining them of oxygen. Fiver, Blackberry, Hawkbit, and Acorn had now thorns embedded into them, drawing forth blood as the barbs sank deeper and deeper into their flesh. Silver, Strawberry, Bluebell, Bigwig, and Dandelion directly had vines wrapped around their torsos and hind feet, pulling them harder and harder in opposite directions, like a sick game of tug-of-war. If they pulled any harder, the five unfortunate rabbits would likely be split in half. Since they were all bound and muzzled tightly, they could only wince and utter muffled whimpers as the vines continued to flail at them. Hazel and Justin just looked on in shock and dread before facing Hufsa. Justin could feel Hazel's arms envelop around him securely, protectively, as Hufsa gave a perverse laugh.
"You see, you fool?! I'm not finished yet! Now, either let me free, and surrender that cross to me, or else your imprisoned friends are torn apart!" Buckthorn's eyes just narrowed.
"You're in no position to compromise and negotiate," Buckthorn said with a distant voice as he brought the tip of the golden sword to Hufsa's throat, its sharp edge touching firmly against Hufsa's multi-colored fur. Buckthorn's eyes were now frosty with anger and coldness as he spoke with authoritative resolution, "Release my friends now, Hufsa."
"Hurt me, and they will suffer," Hufsa snarled.
Buckthorn pressed the tip harder into Hufsa's throat, drawing blood. "Release them, Hufsa, or so help me, I will push this weapon into your throat."
"I can't die, you duffer."
Buckthorn pressed harder, his voice low and deadly, "Neither can they, and unlike you, Justin will be more than willing to restore to them back to full health with his powers once I'm through with you." Hufsa didn't answer, and instead, he widened his eyes meaningfully. At once, the vines became more vicious, and all the rabbits screamed even harder. Strawberry felt the bone on his right hind leg snap and break as the vine dislocated his limb, ripping his muscle and cartilage. Campion was being choked so intensely, blood was already starting to dribble out of his sealed mouth and nostrils. And Blackberry and Pipkin and Fiver all passed out from the pain as the vines increased their torture. Hazel and Justin were fretful.
"Stop it!!" Justin yelled, crying.
"Let Buckthorn do what he feels is right, young one," Hazel whispered, still holding him reassuringly and with trust, despite the uneasiness he had in his heart, "Trust him, he knows what he's doing." Indeed, the cries of his suffering friends fell on deaf ears as Buckthorn showed no sign of weakening, wavering, or vacillation, his face a mask of stony vehemence, and with a simply flick of his paws, Justin and Hazel saw Buckthorn push the blade of the sword through Hufsa's throat and exit out of the other side, making a serious, bloody, gaping hole. Hufsa burbled weakly as the metal singed his flesh and bone, setting it to the pain of a thousand fires touching his body. Buckthorn mercilessly extracted the sword, now covered with blood from Hufsa's neck and then let the tip hover again over Hufsa's chest, positioning it skillfully over the heart and ribcage.
"That was a foolish move," Buckthorn said austerely, "Now, I'm telling you again, you dark, traitorous wretch, release my friends, or I use this and send the sword into your heart. And before you try anything again, let me say that I am not easily broken. Hurt my friends even more, and I hurt you even more. Question is, who will break first?" With a quick movement, he sent the blade of the sword into Hufsa's chest without giving him a moment to think about it, and Hufsa squealed in pain again, feeling the sword now burn painfully into his lungs and heart, filling all his senses with burning, excruciating inferno. Justin's eyes filled with sorrow, and Hazel, in understanding, drew the boy closer to him, letting the teen bury his face into Hazel's furry torso, unwilling to continue watching the gruesome scene. Hufsa was now profoundly wounded, but Buckthorn again drew the sword up to the soft spot right between Hufsa's eyes. Before Buckthorn could gouge him again, the dark rabbit now broke, sniveling and screaming.
"Don't!! Please, I surrender!! Have mercy!! Please!!"
"Then release my friends," Buckthorn rumbled menacingly, and with a nod, Hufsa whispered pitifully, and without hesitation, the vines released their painful hold on their hostages, setting all of them very gently on the dirt ground, leaving many of them moaning, gasping, and couching. The creepers then backed away in defeat, submerging themselves back into the ground, disappearing from sight. The Owsla of Watership Down was all horrifically injured, but still alive. Hazel and Justin, still and motionless, just watched Buckthorn lower his sword as he snarled at the pathetic enemy.
"I give you a chance to now flee for your own well-being, you cowardly, hraka scum! You've lost, but I give you my word that if you leave now, I will not mar you any further. Now go, leave, and never come back!" Buckthorn then turned swiftly, his back to Hufsa as he limped back to Justin and Hazel. Hufsa's eyes darkened, and with a gleam, the traitor tried one last trick. Before Hazel or Justin could understand what was happening, a sharp, green vine appeared out of nowhere in front of Hufsa, popping out of the soil, and immediately tore into the air, ready to stab Buckthorn into his back.
"Buckthorn!" gasped out Justin and Hazel simultaneously, but the rabbit was in no danger. With years of Owsla training and sharp reflexes, Buckthorn twirled around and flung the sword at the incoming plant. The blade sliced through the plant, rending it harmless, while continuing past directly at Hufsa's head. With a soft noise, Hazel and Justin saw the powerful blade of the sword had completely gorged through Hufsa's forehead right between the rabbit's eyes and into his brain. The rabbit fell back, twitching and frothing at the mouth in a gory mess as blood and gray matter now leaked out of his wounds. With a flash, the sword disappeared and reappeared into Buckthorn's hands, reverting itself back into the crystal, cross necklace. Buckthorn said forlornly, "I gave my word, Hufsa. I said I would not hurt you any further if you left. But you did not take heed, and now, it is your own foolishness and arrogance that led to your downfall." Buckthorn then approached Justin, who was white in the face, and knelt down and placed the cross gently into the human's hands.
"Justin, look at me," Buckthorn said softly, compassionately, and Justin glanced into his light blue eyes of the clearest, crystal ponds, no longer angry and wrathful, but kind and dependable.
"Justin, it had to be done. If I didn't do it, he would have killed you and tortured the rest of us, without a thought of guilt, remorse, or mercy. It had to be done. Do you understand?"
Justin's eyes went soft with gloom, and his mouth formed a sad smile, but he nodded with understanding, empathy, and care. "I understand, Buckthorn, and I...owe you my life. You...you injured someone, a living creature, for my sake, and...and I know that can't be easy."
Buckthorn felt his heart ache with feelings of angst and expected rejection as he forced himself to speak his fear from this whole ordeal, "Are you afraid of me now...because of this? Because of what I did?"
Justin's eyes became even more softhearted and sympathetic, and before Buckthorn could move, Justin shook his head with a bittersweet smile as he, despite the rabbit's fur and tunic being coated with dirt and blood, wrapped his arms around Buckthorn's neck and gave him a soft, reassuring hug. Buckthorn, thankful from the display of loyal affection, closed his eyes gratefully and wrapped his paws around the human's body.
"I'll never be afraid of you, Buckthorn, for I'll always trust you, for you're my friend." Buckthorn finally then knew what it felt to have real devotion, affection, and fondness, something he never had back at Sandleford.
After all the rabbits were fully healed with the powers of Justin's cross, Holly indicated with his head towards the twitching, conscious, body of Hufsa. "What about him?"
They all stared at Justin expectantly, and Buckthorn said simply, "It is your choice, cross-bearer. Whatever you decide, we won't argue with you."
"I think it's a given what he's going to do," quipped Hawkbit, earning a cuff on the head from Strawberry and Dandelion. Justin then walked over to the trembling, powerless Hufsa while the rest of the rabbits watched. Justin whispered as he let the light spill forth on the enemy rabbit, healing him, "Just rest now, Hufsa. You will be fully healed, but...I want you to sleep and remain here, away from Elil-rah and Prince Rainbow. Sleep, and you won't awaken until we reach El-ahrairah and heal him. No one, not Prince Rainbow, not even Elil-rah, will be able to wake you up, but when you do, you will be fully healed and it will be when El-ahrairah's warren is safe. Just rest now." The look of surprised gratitude on Hufsa's face made the act all worthwhile, and soon, the group galloped into the north, following the mountains, and leaving Hufsa to sleep peacefully on a bed of soft, supple leaves of ivy, away from the influence of evil and Prince Rainbow.
As Justin rode on Buckthorn, Dandelion, with a curious and shrewd look in his eyes, asked Buckthorn, "So, you lucky duffer, is it true?? Was Hufsa right?? Did you really beat the Black Rabbit of Inle in a tournament of bobstones???"
All the other rabbits listened keenly with great interest as Buckthorn gave a mysterious, inscrutable smile, but to their annoyed disappointments, he said simply, curtly, but teasingly, "I won't say."
Everyone else groaned, but Justin said in supportive, snickering, perception, "Oh, come on! Leave him alone! It wouldn't be the first time a rabbit in this group has kept a secret or two. Besides, he's not hurting anyone!"
"Easy for you to say, Justin!" Bluebell whined, rolling his eyes, "After the pain we just endured, us chaps have a right to know! You can't tell us we just got snared by embleer vines, mauled, pulled apart, and whatnot all to have Buckthorn keep his mouth shut!"
"You know, Bluebell," Buckthorn grinned in jest, "I think it would have been better had Hufsa kept you muzzled! Frith knows what a blessing that would be to hear nothing from you for one day!"
"You don't need a vine! My paw should jolly well do!" Bigwig barked as he cuffed Bluebell on the head light-heartedly, and everyone laughed.
/*
Next: FIVER in "The Witch Rabbit Trials! Fiver and Justin Must Die!"
Enjoyed this chapter? Suggestions? REVIEW! =)
*/