Chapter TWO - Strawberry's Story

After the others had gone, the four rabbits whom Hazel had asked to stay behind gathered round him, and for a few moments they all sat in silence, each lost in their own memories of their dead friend. At length, Vilthuril spoke.

"I really can't see how it happened, Hazel-rah," she said, "but I agree with Fiver that there doesn't seem to be any danger to the rest of us. What do you think, Blackberry? You've been with Blackavar."

"To be honest, I simply can't make head nor tail of it. He wasn't injured, he wasn't ill and as far as Léaozen could tell me, he'd been perfectly happy a little while earlier when she went out to silflay. It's really a very strange thing indeed. What I do think we need to consider, though, is what to do about his body. Of course we'll have to move it, but where to? It'd have to be quite some distance - can you imagine how everyone would feel with Blackavar's body plain to be seen and smelt just outside the warren, not to mention all the crows and rats it would attract?"

"You're quite right, Blackberry," said Hazel. "Well, at a time like this I suppose it's up to the Chief Rabbit to decide what to do - and we must do something soon, if only for Léaozen's sake. I only wish Hyzenthlay were here. I'd like you all to come with me to Blackavar's burrow, if you feel up to it. Perhaps one of us will be able to think of something there."

It was with heavy hearts that the five rabbits made their way to Blackavar's hole, and while Vilthuril and Fiver went to comfort Léaozen, the others hopped slowly to their dead friend's side. Bigwig was deeply affected by the sight, and had trouble retaining his composure. Hazel pressed his nose under his flank.

Bigwig sniffed around the body, trying to find some trace of a clue as to what had happened, but could find nothing. After a while, however, he returned to Hazel.

"We need to move Blackavar quickly, Hazel-rah," he said. "There are already insects crawling over him, and they could be carrying disease."

Hazel agreed, but where could they take him? At that moment, Vilthuril and Fiver reappeared, accompanied by, of all rabbits, Strawberry.

"Look who we found," said Fiver. "He'd come over from Vleflain to catch up on old times - Groundsel-rah said that he could spare him for a few days. He was really looking forward to talking to Blackavar again - they've had quite similar experiences in a way, you know. What a shame that he came all this way to be met with such awful news."

Despite their grief, the Watership rabbits were very pleased to see Strawberry again - all those who had been involved in the Great Journey to the Down had forged a close affinity through all their hardships. In happier times, his arrival would have been cause for great celebration; now, it merely leavened their anguish a little.

"Well, Strawberry," said Hazel, "I'm sorry it's had to turn out like this. It really is the most wretched thing to have happened, isn't it? Seeing as you are here, though, perhaps you could give us any ideas you might have as to what to do with the poor fellow's body - you can see that we can't just leave it."

Strawberry did not reply at once, but simply sat on his haunches and stared at the cold corpse of Blackavar. At length, however, he spoke.

"I remember that this happened once back in my old warren, Hazel-rah." The others looked startled at this, as Strawberry rarely spoke of that dreadful place nowadays. "It was so unusual for us to lose anyone-" he stopped. "Except... well, you know. But there was a young buck by the name of Vernal. He was a friendly fellow, always ready to help someone with a problem, and we all got along well with him. But one day he didn't turn up for the flayrah. Of course, no-one said anything, because we all knew - thought we knew - what had happened to him. As we were going back to our burrows, though, I heard Nildro-hain calling me. She sounded very agitated, so I ran quickly to her, and she showed me what she'd found. It was Vernal, and he was lying there, dead, for all the world like Blackavar is now."

Bigwig broke in. "So what did you do?"

"Well, we got four of our strongest rabbits to take him to the farthest end of the warren, and we put him in a disused burrow and stopped it up, with strict instructions that no-one was ever to go there again. We never found out what had made him stop running. After a while he became almost a magical figure, to be mentioned only in stories."

"Silverweed!" cried Fiver, so suddenly that the others jumped.

"That's right," said Strawberry. "That poem he told us all, that made you run out of the burrow. It started as a sort of tribute to Vernal, but it became twisted and unnatural in that warren."

"All right," said Hazel. "This warren isn't really big enough to do what you did, so we'll have to take him outside. Bigwig, go and get Silver, Holly and Bluebell, will you? Then go and see if you can find Kehaar: he might have some idea of what we ought to do."

When Bigwig had gone, Vilthuril helped Fiver and Blackberry move Blackavar's body to a position where it would be easier to lift by the others. It took some effort, as Blackavar was a heavy buck, but each of them was spurred on by the wish to do right by their friend. Hazel had insisted on joining them at first, but he was feeling his old shotgun wound, and after realising that he was more a hindrance than a help, he settled for directing the others.

After a while, Bigwig returned with the three others he had gone to fetch.

"It's like this, Hazel-rah," said Silver. "Kehaar told us that there's an abandoned hole a good way over to the evening side of the wood, well away from our normal feeding grounds. It's rather close to the farm down there, but I suppose that can't be helped. It'll take us until sunset to get Blackavar there, I should think, but Kehaar has promised to guard us along the way. It rather puts me in mind of our first journey to Efrafa all that time ago."

Holly, who was clearly still much troubled by what had happened, spoke slowly and quietly.

"But that, despite all that went on, had a happy resolution, Silver. I can't see that we can take any compensation from today's events. Still, I suppose there's nothing we can do to change things now. Bluebell, you help me with the front of Blackavar's body; Bigwig and Silver take the back. Hazel-rah, would you go and talk to Clover for me, please? She and Léaozen are good friends, and I rather think she's more upset than she's letting on."

Hazel assented, and accompanied by Vilthuril, set off for Holly's burrow, while Blackberry, Strawberry and Fiver returned to their own holes. Little by little, the four remaining rabbits dragged Blackavar's corpse through the runs, taking great care not to damage it in any way. Mostly the runs were empty, though they did see Hawkbit peering fearfully around a corner, only to whip his head back in after a sharp glance from Bigwig. It was exhausting work, and after reaching the mouth of the run they were glad of the chance to rest in the weak afternoon sunshine as they waited for Kehaar.

"I don't mind telling you, Silver," said Bigwig when Holly and Bluebell were snatching a few mouthfuls of thin grass a little way off, "that rabbit meant a good deal to me. It was a chance in a thousand that we got him out of Efrafa. I'm sure Hyzenthlay... er... -rah was right when she said that the Owslafa would have killed him before too long, although I should think he might have stopped running anyway out of sheer misery. You were there the day Blackavar was arrested, so you know what it was like for him there under Woundwort."

Silver said nothing, but moved closer to the battle-scarred veteran and helped him devour a particularly fine dandelion, which had somehow escaped the frost.