Chapter FIVE - The Reckoning

"Hrair," panted Blackberry, staring wildly and badly out of breath.

"Are you quite sure about this, Blackberry?" queried Holly.

"Yes, I'm certain. Hazel-rah had just sent for him, you see - but he meant for him to come alone, not with a great band of his followers in tow. Now come on - there's no time to be lost!"

And with that, he turned and ran headlong towards the hole. The other four raced after him, and they arrived at the entrance virtually together, disappearing almost as one into the earth. Stitchwort had posted Frogbit as a sentry, but having rather more in the way of common sense than some of his friends, thought better of trying to stand up to the five others and remained above ground as the others vanished down the run.

A little way inside the tunnel, Blackberry noticed Speedwell sheltering in one of the small side burrows.

"Oh Blackberry, I'm so glad to see you back," he said. "There's been a whole lot of trouble at Hazel-rah's place. Stitchwort's there, and quite a few others, and they've been knocking over any rabbit who got in their way. I don't know exactly what's going on - they won't let anyone near the place."

"They?" said Bluebell.

"Knapweed and a few of his mates. They're blocking the way to Hazel's burrow completely, and when I tried to get past they started threatening me. Things look pretty bad, to be honest."

"So will Stitchwort when I've finished with him," said Bigwig coldly.

Speedwell seemed about to reply when there was a commotion from nearby, and Strawberry came running into the side-burrow, with Fiver and Dandelion hard on his heels. Strawberry's face had started to bleed slightly again, but they were otherwise unharmed.

Strawberry spoke at once, the words tumbling out in gasping torrents. "We were all up in Hazel-rah's burrow - Pipkin too - when Stitchwort came up," he said. "Blackberry dashed out as soon as he saw him, but we didn't understand why at the time - we thought he just didn't want to hear a great row. We weren't really frightened of Stitchwort at first - you know how silly he can get sometimes - but then we saw just how many friends he'd brought with him, and we knew it was something more. He said that he'd had enough of Fiver's 'playing games with our lives'.

"But where's-" began Bluebell. Strawberry ignored him, and continued his account.

"Then he said that things needed to be settled in this warren once and for all, and that Hazel was the only one who could stay while they decided who was to be Chief Rabbit. It sounded completely ridiculous, of course, all the more so in the mouth of a jumped-up idiot like Stitchwort, but we could hardly say so: a whole lot of rabbits, even youngsters like these, baring their teeth at you is no joke, I can tell you. We were terribly outnumbered: there was nothing for it but to do what Stitchwort said and leave, although I must say I was sorely tempted to have a go for his throat. I couldn't see a way of getting at him without putting Hazel in more danger, though, so we really had very little choice."

"But where's Pipkin?" persisted Bluebell.

"He wouldn't leave Hazel," said Dandelion flatly. "We tried to persuade him to come, but in the end we had to go without him. It frightens me to think what might have happened to him."

"We have to go back," said Fiver with absolute conviction. "Now. But I don't think it's going to be easy."

"It's a bad lookout, I reckon," put in Holly, turning to Bigwig. "Stitchwort's not the rabbit to think things through before he does something stupid. I hope everyone here's been keeping their claws and teeth in good condition: we may very well need them."

As he finished speaking, there came from the direction of Hazel's burrow an unmistakable and quite horrible sound: the agonising scream of a rabbit in the farthest extremity of terror. Fighting back his own fear, Bigwig dashed off towards the source of the sound, with the others hard on his heels.

* * *

There was quite a crowd gathered outside Hazel's burrow: in fact, although they could not know it, there were nine or ten rabbits there. Many of them had in fact been extremely nervous about Stitchwort's motives, having been bullied rather than persuaded into his circle, and had been persuaded to accompany him only with considerable reluctance. This feeling had become all the stronger since it had become plain just what Stitchwort intended to do; and the sight of an enraged Bigwig bearing down upon them, teeth and claws showing and a furious snarl on his face, was enough to push most into blind flight. None of Bigwig's group attempted to chase them: it was clear enough that their part in this was now at an end. Two rabbits, however, remained - Knapweed, who stood his ground, returning Bigwig's growl and scuffling threateningly at the bare earth beneath his feet; and Stitchwort himself, who was standing stock-still a little way inside the burrow, gazing at something beyond the others' field of view.

"You repulsive little earwig," said Bigwig to Knapweed. He spoke very quietly, almost calmly, but there was no mistaking the bitter rage in his voice. "What have you done? And what's HE been up to?" (At this, he looked briefly at Stitchwort, who still had not moved an inch.) "By the Black Rabbit, if anything's happened to Hazel, I'll rip the both of you to shreds."

As he spoke, first Silver, and then Holly and Bluebell, had come up behind him, and they too had a grim and angry look. At last, Knapweed understood that his position was hopeless, that Bigwig had meant every word of his threat, and that - should Hazel indeed prove to have come to harm - his friends would do nothing to prevent him from carrying it out. His body went limp and he began to cry and wail most piteously for mercy. Bigwig was in no mood to listen to pleading, however, and began to advance, slowly but determinedly, upon the other. It would have gone very hard with Knapweed had there not come at that very instant a welcome voice from within the burrow.

"Bigwig? Is that you?"

"Hazel-rah!" exclaimed Bigwig, with a voice that spoke unmistakably of his utter relief and joy. "Yes, it's me. Holly's with me, and so are Bluebell and Silver. Blackberry and Fiver are coming along behind us. We've got that miserable Knapweed down: I'll just deal with him, and then we can sort you out. That's one rabbit we won't be having trouble with again."

"No, Bigwig: I don't want him killed. Bring him in here, please, and for Frith's sake do something about Stitchwort - and I don't mean tear him up, either. He's in no position to harm anyone now."

"But Hazel-rah-" started Bigwig, as he came into the burrow, and trailed off. For he now understood why Stitchwort had not moved throughout the whole incident. Far from readying himself to pounce upon Hazel, he was quite tharn: utterly paralysed with fright and panic, his back legs twisted helplessly beneath his body at the most unnatural of angles. He was not looking at Hazel himself, but rather at a spot slightly to his side. Bigwig could not quite make out the object of his gaze.

Hazel himself was sitting up on his haunches by the side wall of the burrow. His left ear was ripped a little towards the tip, and he bore what appeared to be a shallow bite mark on one shoulder, but otherwise he seemed in reasonable shape. A little way to his left, on the other hand, was what Stitchwort was staring at. It was not until Bigwig had come some way into the chamber that the cold certainty of recognition clutched at his heart, and he saw, a thin line of blood trickling from under his neck along the slightly sloping floor, the small, still figure of Pipkin.