Sycamore was a burly and tough looking buck. He had been a part of the Owsla since he was barely out of kithood and he was well respected by all the rabbits of Cloverdown Warren. Despite his brawny and bullish appearance, he was known to be a firm but fair rabbit and many of the new Owsla recruits he taught to fight knew that they could approach him if they had a problem, a grievance or just needed someone to talk to. Many looked up to him as a hero, as he featured in many of the stories about the warren's past battles and adventures. Sycamore was getting older now though and he had lived past the normal age that Owsla rabbits stopped their guarding and training and rejoined the rest of the warren's civilian populace. Spearmint-Rah just didn't have the heart to retire him though. He was important to the morale of the warren. He was a living hero. But time doesn't make special exceptions for heroes and Sycamore was starting to show his age. His fur had lost some of it's shine and colour, his muscular physique was not as impressive as it once was, but worst of all he was starting to develop problems with his eyesight. Both of his once dark brown eyes were turning milky blue with cataracts. Although nobody wanted to say it, everybody knew that no rabbit, however popular, could remain in the Owsla forever.
Despite his age, it was Sycamore that Celandine chose to go to when she had her premonition. She had been silently waiting and worrying like everyone else in the warren. Waiting with the other marlis, who also had their kits hidden away in their burrows. Her mate and Rah, Spearmint was busy discussing the current crisis with his advisers and senior Owsla rabbits, at the very back of the burrow. Celandine was just about to add her concerns to those the other marlis were voicing, when she suddenly felt such a strong feeling of fear and anxiety that she cried out, piecing the quietly mumbled tones being spoken and causing everyone to turn and stare at her as if she was the elil herself. Her mouth felt as dry as burnt wood, her spine involuntarily shivered and she felt as if there was a ball of worms wriggling in the depths of her stomach. 'If you don't do something right now, at this very moment, you'll never see your babies alive again.' a fuzzy, but strong voice in her head said to her. She pushed her way through the mass of nervous rabbits to Sycamore who, along with other Owsla, was standing around the warren's frightened occupants in a loose circle. More to give them reassurance than protection from the elil. He had volunteered for this duty and allowed a younger officer to take his place with Spearmint-Rah's advisers.
"Please, I have to go to my kits! Something's going to happen to them! They're going to die if I don't do something!" she pleaded, her eyes wide with fear and her voice shaking. Sycamore had dealt with panicked individuals hrair times in the past. Many lost their nerve and went tharn in terrible times like this. Normally he would have told the tharn rabbit sternly to go back with the others, or pushed them back himself if it was necessary, but he had known Celandine personally since she was a kitten and he knew she was not a rabbit to easily lose her courage or her wits. There was something else too, an instinctive feeling he couldn't explain, but it urged him that Celandine was telling the truth.
"Please, Sycamore! I don't know how I know, but I know they're going to die if I don't go to them!" Celandine pleaded. Sycamore furrowed his brow for a moment, then he simply shook his head.
"Sycamore, please, I.." Celandine began but she was interrupted by the Owsla buck before she could complete her sentence.
"Shhh! Get a grip on yourself or the whole warren will think you've gone tharn. I can't let you go, but I suppose I can go and check the burrow for you. I'm certainly not about to allow the Rah's mate to go wandering around the warren with elil on the loose. Are you sure they are in danger?" he asked, his old, imperfect eyes staring into her face.
"I've never been more sure of anything else in my life! I'd not have you go if I had any doubts, Sycamore! I just know that they'll die!" she said, the hot squirming feeling inside her now growing so strong that it was causing her eyes to water.
"Alright, I'll go, but you must stay here." he said and turned to leave out of the tunnel that the rest of the rabbits were huddled away from. The tunnel that they knew would deliver the elil to them.
"Please hurry!" said Celandine, her feeling of fear worsening with every moment. Sycamore nodded, then he disappeared into the tunnel and out of sight.
Sycamore padded silently, but swiftly, along the deserted tunnels of Cloverdown warren, pausing only briefly now and again to check for danger when his tunnel crossed with another. He knew where Celandine's burrow was. As the Rah's mate it was one of the better burrows in the deeper half of the warren. Sycamore planned to quickly check it, then get back to the others before he was even missed. He had done far more dangerous things in the past many times. As he travelled through the empty tunnels and runs that would normally be busy with rabbits, he could smell the embleer scent of elil gradually getting stronger. His ears flicked anxiously around as he moved towards the burrow, straining for any sound that might tell him where the elil was, but all was deathly silent, apart from his own padding pawsteps and the sound of his own heart beating steadily in his chest.
As he neared Celandine's burrow he suddenly heard a soft snuffling sound. It was very faint, but it was there, somewhere very near. Sycamore walked on, even more cautiously now. The sniffing sound got slightly louder with every step he took. He was very near to Celandine's burrow now and he knew what he was going to see before he even got near enough to peer around the corner. All his fears were confirmed as he inched forward to see a large ferret begin to dig at the entrance to a burrow that he knew contained three young kittens.
Despite his age, it was Sycamore that Celandine chose to go to when she had her premonition. She had been silently waiting and worrying like everyone else in the warren. Waiting with the other marlis, who also had their kits hidden away in their burrows. Her mate and Rah, Spearmint was busy discussing the current crisis with his advisers and senior Owsla rabbits, at the very back of the burrow. Celandine was just about to add her concerns to those the other marlis were voicing, when she suddenly felt such a strong feeling of fear and anxiety that she cried out, piecing the quietly mumbled tones being spoken and causing everyone to turn and stare at her as if she was the elil herself. Her mouth felt as dry as burnt wood, her spine involuntarily shivered and she felt as if there was a ball of worms wriggling in the depths of her stomach. 'If you don't do something right now, at this very moment, you'll never see your babies alive again.' a fuzzy, but strong voice in her head said to her. She pushed her way through the mass of nervous rabbits to Sycamore who, along with other Owsla, was standing around the warren's frightened occupants in a loose circle. More to give them reassurance than protection from the elil. He had volunteered for this duty and allowed a younger officer to take his place with Spearmint-Rah's advisers.
"Please, I have to go to my kits! Something's going to happen to them! They're going to die if I don't do something!" she pleaded, her eyes wide with fear and her voice shaking. Sycamore had dealt with panicked individuals hrair times in the past. Many lost their nerve and went tharn in terrible times like this. Normally he would have told the tharn rabbit sternly to go back with the others, or pushed them back himself if it was necessary, but he had known Celandine personally since she was a kitten and he knew she was not a rabbit to easily lose her courage or her wits. There was something else too, an instinctive feeling he couldn't explain, but it urged him that Celandine was telling the truth.
"Please, Sycamore! I don't know how I know, but I know they're going to die if I don't go to them!" Celandine pleaded. Sycamore furrowed his brow for a moment, then he simply shook his head.
"Sycamore, please, I.." Celandine began but she was interrupted by the Owsla buck before she could complete her sentence.
"Shhh! Get a grip on yourself or the whole warren will think you've gone tharn. I can't let you go, but I suppose I can go and check the burrow for you. I'm certainly not about to allow the Rah's mate to go wandering around the warren with elil on the loose. Are you sure they are in danger?" he asked, his old, imperfect eyes staring into her face.
"I've never been more sure of anything else in my life! I'd not have you go if I had any doubts, Sycamore! I just know that they'll die!" she said, the hot squirming feeling inside her now growing so strong that it was causing her eyes to water.
"Alright, I'll go, but you must stay here." he said and turned to leave out of the tunnel that the rest of the rabbits were huddled away from. The tunnel that they knew would deliver the elil to them.
"Please hurry!" said Celandine, her feeling of fear worsening with every moment. Sycamore nodded, then he disappeared into the tunnel and out of sight.
Sycamore padded silently, but swiftly, along the deserted tunnels of Cloverdown warren, pausing only briefly now and again to check for danger when his tunnel crossed with another. He knew where Celandine's burrow was. As the Rah's mate it was one of the better burrows in the deeper half of the warren. Sycamore planned to quickly check it, then get back to the others before he was even missed. He had done far more dangerous things in the past many times. As he travelled through the empty tunnels and runs that would normally be busy with rabbits, he could smell the embleer scent of elil gradually getting stronger. His ears flicked anxiously around as he moved towards the burrow, straining for any sound that might tell him where the elil was, but all was deathly silent, apart from his own padding pawsteps and the sound of his own heart beating steadily in his chest.
As he neared Celandine's burrow he suddenly heard a soft snuffling sound. It was very faint, but it was there, somewhere very near. Sycamore walked on, even more cautiously now. The sniffing sound got slightly louder with every step he took. He was very near to Celandine's burrow now and he knew what he was going to see before he even got near enough to peer around the corner. All his fears were confirmed as he inched forward to see a large ferret begin to dig at the entrance to a burrow that he knew contained three young kittens.