After the story was finished, Celandine told the kits to have a nap while she left them for a while. It was part of their normal routine to get some sleep at this time of day while Celandine visited her mate, who'd be busy training Owsla. Spearmint-Rah wasn't one of those chief rabbits who slouched around in his burrow all day long, demanding flayrah, far from it in fact. He spent his days training his Owsla and did as much work doing it as his Captain of Owsla. Celandine felt very proud to be the mate of a Rah who worked so hard for his warren.
"Now be good and rest while Marli is away and if you can't sleep, remember, you mustn't leave the burrow. That includes you, Goosegrass." Celandine said to her son, who had broken that particular rule the week before to watch a thunderstorm from the warren's entrance. He had got a long telling off from both his Marli and Parli after that and since that day, Celandine had singled him out for a special warning every time she left them alone in the burrow.
"I told you I won't leave the burrow on my own anymore, Marli." said Goosegrass, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I'm glad to hear it." said Celandine, she wasn't pleased with his tone of voice, but she left the matter for now. She then gave them all a smile, told them to sleep well and left the burrow.
Orchid lay on her back, sighed happily and lazily groomed one of her ears. Heather stayed at the back of the burrow and watched her sister carefully. One of Orchid's favourite tricks was to pretend to fall asleep and wait until Heather was genuinely slumbering. She'd then sneak up silently on Heather, kick her in the ribs and yell "Are you asleep yet?" right into her ear. As a result of this happening, Heather would stay awake a long time after her siblings had both fallen asleep, just so she could be positive that Orchid really was sleeping. She had thought about telling her Marli about this, after all, she had Goosegrass as a witness to this piece of bullying. He had been woken up when Orchid shouted too and he had seen that Heather was in pain and that Orchid was walking away laughing. But Heather had spoken to him lots of times in the past, asking him to speak to Marli with her and each time he had replied the same way. "I don't want to get involved, Heather." he'd say. "Just ignore her. Don't let her upset you, she'll get tired of doing it and give up after a while." Heather had followed his advice, but Orchid never did seem to get tired of tormenting her.
As she lay watching Orchid, she noticed that the ear she was grooming was the left one, the same ear as Heather's bad one. She wondered if Orchid was grooming it to get at her somehow, but Heather quickly dismissed that idea. Orchid was never that subtle. Heather noticed that Goosegrass was already asleep. He was laying on his back with the end of the gorse root in the side of his mouth, sucking at it as if he was nursing from his Marli.
'Why doesn't she ever pick on him? Why does it always have to be me?' Heather thought to herself, but she knew what the real reason was. Goosegrass took after his Parli physically, if not mentally. He was larger than both his sisters and Heather knew that that gave Orchid second thoughts. The influence of the story had now worn off of Heather completely, leaving her feeling as miserable as before. She silently scratched little marks in the dirt of the burrow floor, waiting to feel safe enough to sleep.
Orchid was having no trouble getting off to sleep. She finished absently grooming her ear and giggled almost silently to herself. It had been so much fun taking Freakear's flay earlier. She didn't even think of her as Heather anymore, she used to, but now she was Freakear in Orchid's mind, a rabbit that existed purely for Orchid's own amusement and in Orchid's eyes that was the way things should be. After all, she was the prettiest and smartest by far. She was the rabbit that one day Parli would hand the warren over to and everyone would shout and cheer for their new Orchid-Rah. What use to the warren was her ugly, stupid sister ever going to be? Perhaps she'd be good for digging burrows out for some of the less important rabbits in the warren, but that was all. Orchid's smile grew wider as she thought of this. She made a mental note to talk to Heather about their future the next time Marli left them alone. Orchid was always very careful to be as nice as she could to Heather when Marli could see or hear them. She remembered when Marli had taught them all to play bobstones. Orchid had paired up with Heather for their first game and by whispering horrible, unsettling things to her, she had done all she could to break her sister's concentration, so Heather ended up making stupid mistakes in the game. Orchid was very good at making her sister nervous and she really enjoyed doing it. Orchid then called her Marli over, just when Heather was at her worst, so she could witness it too. "Don't worry, dear, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon." Celandine had smiled reassuringly, trying to comfort Heather. Then Orchid had said brightly "Don't worry, Marli, I'll teach her how to play it! Even if I have to sit here with her all day long, I'll keep telling her until she learns it!" and her Marli would tell her what a kind kit she was to help her sister like that and as soon as her Marli's back was turned, Orchid had turned to Heather and grinned nastily. She could see that Heather was close to crying and she must have felt like the most useless and stupid idiot ever born.
Orchid sighed contentedly again, smiled and drifted off to sleep.
"Wake up!" Celandine shouted sharply. Orchid wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but she knew it couldn't have been long. She sleepily opened her eyes and looked around the burrow. Her Marli was standing over her, looking very worried, Goosegrass and Heather were awake and looked very worried too. She could hear the rhythmic drumming of heavy rain hitting the ground overhead and the sound of rabbits shouting and yelling elsewhere in the warren. Every few seconds one would run past the burrow entrance. There was a tense feeling of fear everywhere.
"What's happening? What's wrong?" Orchid asked, scrambling quickly to her feet. Celandine didn't answer her, instead she moved to the burrow entrance, her ears pricked up, she was listening for something.
"There's a man outside the warren and he has an elil creature with him!" Goosegrass suddenly said, his voice sounded high and scared. He was sitting next to Heather and looked far more frightened than she did, in fact she looked like she was trying to comfort him.
"Be quiet! Marli's trying to listen!" Celandine turned and snapped at them. Orchid knew then that their lives were in real danger. Marli just didn't sound like Marli anymore.
"Now be good and rest while Marli is away and if you can't sleep, remember, you mustn't leave the burrow. That includes you, Goosegrass." Celandine said to her son, who had broken that particular rule the week before to watch a thunderstorm from the warren's entrance. He had got a long telling off from both his Marli and Parli after that and since that day, Celandine had singled him out for a special warning every time she left them alone in the burrow.
"I told you I won't leave the burrow on my own anymore, Marli." said Goosegrass, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I'm glad to hear it." said Celandine, she wasn't pleased with his tone of voice, but she left the matter for now. She then gave them all a smile, told them to sleep well and left the burrow.
Orchid lay on her back, sighed happily and lazily groomed one of her ears. Heather stayed at the back of the burrow and watched her sister carefully. One of Orchid's favourite tricks was to pretend to fall asleep and wait until Heather was genuinely slumbering. She'd then sneak up silently on Heather, kick her in the ribs and yell "Are you asleep yet?" right into her ear. As a result of this happening, Heather would stay awake a long time after her siblings had both fallen asleep, just so she could be positive that Orchid really was sleeping. She had thought about telling her Marli about this, after all, she had Goosegrass as a witness to this piece of bullying. He had been woken up when Orchid shouted too and he had seen that Heather was in pain and that Orchid was walking away laughing. But Heather had spoken to him lots of times in the past, asking him to speak to Marli with her and each time he had replied the same way. "I don't want to get involved, Heather." he'd say. "Just ignore her. Don't let her upset you, she'll get tired of doing it and give up after a while." Heather had followed his advice, but Orchid never did seem to get tired of tormenting her.
As she lay watching Orchid, she noticed that the ear she was grooming was the left one, the same ear as Heather's bad one. She wondered if Orchid was grooming it to get at her somehow, but Heather quickly dismissed that idea. Orchid was never that subtle. Heather noticed that Goosegrass was already asleep. He was laying on his back with the end of the gorse root in the side of his mouth, sucking at it as if he was nursing from his Marli.
'Why doesn't she ever pick on him? Why does it always have to be me?' Heather thought to herself, but she knew what the real reason was. Goosegrass took after his Parli physically, if not mentally. He was larger than both his sisters and Heather knew that that gave Orchid second thoughts. The influence of the story had now worn off of Heather completely, leaving her feeling as miserable as before. She silently scratched little marks in the dirt of the burrow floor, waiting to feel safe enough to sleep.
Orchid was having no trouble getting off to sleep. She finished absently grooming her ear and giggled almost silently to herself. It had been so much fun taking Freakear's flay earlier. She didn't even think of her as Heather anymore, she used to, but now she was Freakear in Orchid's mind, a rabbit that existed purely for Orchid's own amusement and in Orchid's eyes that was the way things should be. After all, she was the prettiest and smartest by far. She was the rabbit that one day Parli would hand the warren over to and everyone would shout and cheer for their new Orchid-Rah. What use to the warren was her ugly, stupid sister ever going to be? Perhaps she'd be good for digging burrows out for some of the less important rabbits in the warren, but that was all. Orchid's smile grew wider as she thought of this. She made a mental note to talk to Heather about their future the next time Marli left them alone. Orchid was always very careful to be as nice as she could to Heather when Marli could see or hear them. She remembered when Marli had taught them all to play bobstones. Orchid had paired up with Heather for their first game and by whispering horrible, unsettling things to her, she had done all she could to break her sister's concentration, so Heather ended up making stupid mistakes in the game. Orchid was very good at making her sister nervous and she really enjoyed doing it. Orchid then called her Marli over, just when Heather was at her worst, so she could witness it too. "Don't worry, dear, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon." Celandine had smiled reassuringly, trying to comfort Heather. Then Orchid had said brightly "Don't worry, Marli, I'll teach her how to play it! Even if I have to sit here with her all day long, I'll keep telling her until she learns it!" and her Marli would tell her what a kind kit she was to help her sister like that and as soon as her Marli's back was turned, Orchid had turned to Heather and grinned nastily. She could see that Heather was close to crying and she must have felt like the most useless and stupid idiot ever born.
Orchid sighed contentedly again, smiled and drifted off to sleep.
"Wake up!" Celandine shouted sharply. Orchid wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but she knew it couldn't have been long. She sleepily opened her eyes and looked around the burrow. Her Marli was standing over her, looking very worried, Goosegrass and Heather were awake and looked very worried too. She could hear the rhythmic drumming of heavy rain hitting the ground overhead and the sound of rabbits shouting and yelling elsewhere in the warren. Every few seconds one would run past the burrow entrance. There was a tense feeling of fear everywhere.
"What's happening? What's wrong?" Orchid asked, scrambling quickly to her feet. Celandine didn't answer her, instead she moved to the burrow entrance, her ears pricked up, she was listening for something.
"There's a man outside the warren and he has an elil creature with him!" Goosegrass suddenly said, his voice sounded high and scared. He was sitting next to Heather and looked far more frightened than she did, in fact she looked like she was trying to comfort him.
"Be quiet! Marli's trying to listen!" Celandine turned and snapped at them. Orchid knew then that their lives were in real danger. Marli just didn't sound like Marli anymore.