Chapter Two: Lost and Found
The moon was up, high in the sky, and the shower of rain slowly started to drift over the down, leaving only the roaring, ferocious wind for Brindle, Rian and Blethlin to cope with. It ruffled their fur, and the fields around them looked eerie in the darkness. The swaying trees gave the impression that they were being pulled over, from side to side by some mysterious force other than the wind. If there was anything louder than the wind, it was Blethlin. 'I told you,' she said 'we shouldn't have come, but, oh no, we have to rescue the rabbits we've never laid eyes on before!'
'Stop moaning would you?' asked Brindle, irritably, turning towards Blethlin.
'I'm not moaning;' she retorted 'I'm complaining. I don't see what it has to do with us. And why are you following?' she asked, turning to Rian.
'Because he is a friend,' said Rian, not looking up. 'That's the only reason I need. I'm sure Brindle won't mind.'
With the howling, whistling wind in their ears, they soon had to shout to be heard. But shouting might attract elil, and they didn't want that trouble now. 'Look,' continued Brindle. 'The sooner we get there, the sooner we come back. Safe and sound'.
The darkness made the wood appear to be alive with spirits. The moon shone so brightly, that shadows danced a long the ground, and spread out for what seemed like miles in front of them. Rian glanced around him at the figures of Brindle and Blethlin. They did not seem to be perturbed by the darkness, the howling and the ferocious whispering of the trees. He closed his eyes, wanting the shadows to go away, and leave them be, but no matter how hard he pleaded in his head, they remained to haunt him. Were they tormenting him on purpose? He wanted to scream at them to go, but decided to clam up and hide in his shell. What if they thought I was not up to it? What if they wanted me to go back, alone? Brindle and Blethlin were swallowed up into shadow, disappearing from Rians view. Rian stopped, eyes wide in fear. Should these strange things have done that? He had no experience of these things. When he was a little kitten, his mother used to tell him "horrible things lived in the never ending blackness. Kittens go in, never coming out" Rian had avoided darkness for as long as possible ever since, and never dared step out at night before. Ever. That is until now.
He began to whimper, crouching low, almost curling up, like a kitten to marli, on a cold winters night. He had never felt so alone, not since his marli died. He even wished his great grandfather, Hazel-rah as he was known in those days, were alive to comfort him. He'd never seen him, but when listening to his stories, he painted a picture in his mind, of a warm, caring rabbit, which was willing to spare his life for the ones he loved. The shadows continued to dance in a circle around him.
Now quite a distance ahead, Brindle and Blethlin were in conversation, to keep their minds off the awful darkness. 'So,' said Brindle 'these mysterious deaths are happening all over the place. No one knows why. It can happen at anytime, any place, no one has been able to find out who or how.'
'What I'd give to be in my warm burrow now!' said Blethlin, no longer bothering to be moody. 'But why are we going to help them? It can't be much of a loss'
'Because,' Brindle, in a matter of fact tone, 'it's spreading. I've heard tell that another warren, further away, has also been infecting by what ever this killer is'.
'So we need to stop it, before it gets to us, you mean? Will it spread that far? We're still quite a distance from Floxwood warren.'
'Would you stay to find out?' said Brindle, with a hint of sarcasm.
'Of course not!' said Blethlin indignantly. 'What do you take me for? A mouse?'
'Speaking of mice, where is Rian?' They both suddenly stopped, looking around in disbelief. He wasn't behind them, as they had thought. 'We must have lost him the dark' said Brindle. 'We'd better go back and look.'
'Why not leave him?' said Blethlin curtly 'He isn't exactly a great amount of use.'
But Brindle was already out of earshot, so Blethlin had no choice but to follow. 'He must have got lost ages ago!' she called after him
Rian had not moved in the slightest. He kept his eyes as tightly closed as possible.
He listened for any noise of elil. But strangely, there were none. What was even stranger was that the wind had suddenly disappeared. Rian had been so busy trying to shut out the spirits, he had not noticed. But he did now. He opened his eyes slightly. Nothing moved, the shadows had moved on a little, for the moon was now fully up. Not a sound could be heard. No owls, no kind of elil. Nothing. He heard his breathing, even saw it rise up in a mist in front of him. But then there was a movement, in the bushes next to him. The bare, spiky twigs quivered, but nothing emerged. 'Brindle? Blethlin?' he said in voice that was barely audible. He wanted to bolt, but something held him back. Perhaps it was the others, making a joke? He moved into the bush, its branches scratching him, pressing into his skin. He could hear a strange buzzing.
When he came out the other side of the bush, he was immediately engulfed in a mist of flies. He battered them out his way, but tripped over something. He stumbled, fell, and came face to face an object. Rian stared, and then leapt up in fright. In front of him, centimetres from his nose, was a body, its dead eyes staring into his. Lying on its side, the rabbit's mouth was wide open. A maggot dropped from the roof of the jaw. The skin had been eaten away, ripped and full of holes. The intense agony on its face was something Rian had never seen before. The jaw stretched out, at an abnormal angle. Then it moved! It let out a breath! Rian froze as the back legs shuddered from side to side. Maggots and insects fell from the fur; squirming on the ground. The skin flapped loosely, where it had been torn. It stank with the smell of decay. Flies landed on the eyeballs, but nothing beat them away. The whole body was shrivelled, as though it had had its soul sucked dry. Rian wanted to run, but the bush quivered once more, and he turned. 'Brindle! Blethlin! I'm so glad it's you! Take me home! Please!' But again, no answer. They were quite a distance away. Rian stared into the bush, the surroundings still as quiet as a before. A creature leapt out from the bush! Rian squealed, loud and long
The moon was up, high in the sky, and the shower of rain slowly started to drift over the down, leaving only the roaring, ferocious wind for Brindle, Rian and Blethlin to cope with. It ruffled their fur, and the fields around them looked eerie in the darkness. The swaying trees gave the impression that they were being pulled over, from side to side by some mysterious force other than the wind. If there was anything louder than the wind, it was Blethlin. 'I told you,' she said 'we shouldn't have come, but, oh no, we have to rescue the rabbits we've never laid eyes on before!'
'Stop moaning would you?' asked Brindle, irritably, turning towards Blethlin.
'I'm not moaning;' she retorted 'I'm complaining. I don't see what it has to do with us. And why are you following?' she asked, turning to Rian.
'Because he is a friend,' said Rian, not looking up. 'That's the only reason I need. I'm sure Brindle won't mind.'
With the howling, whistling wind in their ears, they soon had to shout to be heard. But shouting might attract elil, and they didn't want that trouble now. 'Look,' continued Brindle. 'The sooner we get there, the sooner we come back. Safe and sound'.
The darkness made the wood appear to be alive with spirits. The moon shone so brightly, that shadows danced a long the ground, and spread out for what seemed like miles in front of them. Rian glanced around him at the figures of Brindle and Blethlin. They did not seem to be perturbed by the darkness, the howling and the ferocious whispering of the trees. He closed his eyes, wanting the shadows to go away, and leave them be, but no matter how hard he pleaded in his head, they remained to haunt him. Were they tormenting him on purpose? He wanted to scream at them to go, but decided to clam up and hide in his shell. What if they thought I was not up to it? What if they wanted me to go back, alone? Brindle and Blethlin were swallowed up into shadow, disappearing from Rians view. Rian stopped, eyes wide in fear. Should these strange things have done that? He had no experience of these things. When he was a little kitten, his mother used to tell him "horrible things lived in the never ending blackness. Kittens go in, never coming out" Rian had avoided darkness for as long as possible ever since, and never dared step out at night before. Ever. That is until now.
He began to whimper, crouching low, almost curling up, like a kitten to marli, on a cold winters night. He had never felt so alone, not since his marli died. He even wished his great grandfather, Hazel-rah as he was known in those days, were alive to comfort him. He'd never seen him, but when listening to his stories, he painted a picture in his mind, of a warm, caring rabbit, which was willing to spare his life for the ones he loved. The shadows continued to dance in a circle around him.
Now quite a distance ahead, Brindle and Blethlin were in conversation, to keep their minds off the awful darkness. 'So,' said Brindle 'these mysterious deaths are happening all over the place. No one knows why. It can happen at anytime, any place, no one has been able to find out who or how.'
'What I'd give to be in my warm burrow now!' said Blethlin, no longer bothering to be moody. 'But why are we going to help them? It can't be much of a loss'
'Because,' Brindle, in a matter of fact tone, 'it's spreading. I've heard tell that another warren, further away, has also been infecting by what ever this killer is'.
'So we need to stop it, before it gets to us, you mean? Will it spread that far? We're still quite a distance from Floxwood warren.'
'Would you stay to find out?' said Brindle, with a hint of sarcasm.
'Of course not!' said Blethlin indignantly. 'What do you take me for? A mouse?'
'Speaking of mice, where is Rian?' They both suddenly stopped, looking around in disbelief. He wasn't behind them, as they had thought. 'We must have lost him the dark' said Brindle. 'We'd better go back and look.'
'Why not leave him?' said Blethlin curtly 'He isn't exactly a great amount of use.'
But Brindle was already out of earshot, so Blethlin had no choice but to follow. 'He must have got lost ages ago!' she called after him
Rian had not moved in the slightest. He kept his eyes as tightly closed as possible.
He listened for any noise of elil. But strangely, there were none. What was even stranger was that the wind had suddenly disappeared. Rian had been so busy trying to shut out the spirits, he had not noticed. But he did now. He opened his eyes slightly. Nothing moved, the shadows had moved on a little, for the moon was now fully up. Not a sound could be heard. No owls, no kind of elil. Nothing. He heard his breathing, even saw it rise up in a mist in front of him. But then there was a movement, in the bushes next to him. The bare, spiky twigs quivered, but nothing emerged. 'Brindle? Blethlin?' he said in voice that was barely audible. He wanted to bolt, but something held him back. Perhaps it was the others, making a joke? He moved into the bush, its branches scratching him, pressing into his skin. He could hear a strange buzzing.
When he came out the other side of the bush, he was immediately engulfed in a mist of flies. He battered them out his way, but tripped over something. He stumbled, fell, and came face to face an object. Rian stared, and then leapt up in fright. In front of him, centimetres from his nose, was a body, its dead eyes staring into his. Lying on its side, the rabbit's mouth was wide open. A maggot dropped from the roof of the jaw. The skin had been eaten away, ripped and full of holes. The intense agony on its face was something Rian had never seen before. The jaw stretched out, at an abnormal angle. Then it moved! It let out a breath! Rian froze as the back legs shuddered from side to side. Maggots and insects fell from the fur; squirming on the ground. The skin flapped loosely, where it had been torn. It stank with the smell of decay. Flies landed on the eyeballs, but nothing beat them away. The whole body was shrivelled, as though it had had its soul sucked dry. Rian wanted to run, but the bush quivered once more, and he turned. 'Brindle! Blethlin! I'm so glad it's you! Take me home! Please!' But again, no answer. They were quite a distance away. Rian stared into the bush, the surroundings still as quiet as a before. A creature leapt out from the bush! Rian squealed, loud and long