Suddenly, a large rabbit crashed out of the undergrowth and bore Vernal to the ground, holding him there even as he struggled, showing its teeth and growling. Bigwig realised that it was none other than Hyzenthlay, and sighed with relief. No coward he, Bigwig would have killed Vernal had it become necessary, but as in the sudden quiet he heard the cows tearing the grass on the lower Down, he was relieved indeed to see her appear on the scene.

After a moment, Hyzenthlay let Hazel and Buckthorn take over in holding down Vernal, and hopped over to the little group of Owsla. "What's going on, Bigwig?" she asked.

"I wish I knew, Hyzenthlay... er... rah," came the answer. "If you ask me, that Vernal's been nothing but trouble ever since he turned up, but I really didn't think he'd start threatening us. I don't understand it, to tell you the truth: he'd have been ripped to shreds if he'd really tried to attack. Perhaps you should ask him, now he's in no position to argue."

Hyzenthlay agreed, and returned to Hazel and Buckthorn. "Let him up, would you?" she said. "But stay close, and if he tries anything like that again, well... do what you have to."

The rabbits clustered around Vernal, one or two of them growling and scuffling at the ground with their claws.

"Do you know what happened to Blackavar?" he blurted out suddenly.

"Of course we do," said Hazel. "Well, we know he died here. We still don't know why, and I'm snared if I can think of anything. But what has that got to do with you?"

Vernal's reply was shocking.

"Blackavar didn't die here. He died in Efrafa, a long, long time ago."

"What on earth do you mean?" questioned Hazel. "We all saw Blackavar brought out of Efrafa, and we've been living with him for months since."

"I'll tell you what I mean," said Vernal calmly. "But you must promise to hear me through."

Hazel agreed to this, despite Bigwig's annoyance, and Vernal spoke again.

"Of course you know about Blackavar's failed escape attempt. Now, he was a proud rabbit. He could no more endure being humiliated than a snake can fly. Campion tried to persuade the Council that he should be killed quickly; it sounds rough, but by the standards of Efrafa that would have been a lesser punishment. But Vervain had the Council's ear. He despised Blackavar, and pressed Woundwort to make him suffer. In the end, Woundwort was won over by Vervain's argument, and so his sentence of death was deferred. Everyone knew that he'd be killed when all the Marks had seen him-"

"Hyzenthlay told me that," put in Bigwig.

"Yes. But as I was saying, the one thing Blackavar's spirit couldn't stand up to was humiliation. His torment went on like that for only a couple of days, and then he died; just lay down and closed his eyes, and that was that."

The Watership rabbits stared in total astonishment at Vernal.

"But..." started Silver, then lapsed into confused silence once more.

"You are mistaken," said Hazel. "Bigwig here found Blackavar, and brought him out with the others. Then he spent the winter here with us, until he stopped running just a few days ago. You must be thinking of another rabbit."

"No," said Vernal softly, but with such utter conviction that Hazel once more became silent.

"No," repeated Vernal. "Hazel - Hazel-rah - do you not understand?"

"I'm afraid I don't," replied Hazel. "Now look here: we're all tired, and it's been a long day. I suggest you tell us what you mean, as plainly as you can."

"And without messing around any more, either," growled Bigwig testily.

"Thlayli, you - and the Owsla - should know better even than Hazel. Tell me, do you remember carrying Blackavar's body across the fields to his grave-hole?"

"Yes, of course," said Bigwig, making little effort to restrain his impatience. "What about it?"

"It was sunset," said Vernal. "The light at sunset is a revealing light: it can show things that are not always visible. Tell me - tell me what you saw as you carried him."

Buckthorn cut in. "It was a calm evening," he said, "and the light was almost horizontal by that time. I remember noticing how it almost seemed to sparkle on Blackavar's fur, and even more so on his ears. You know, now I come to think of it, that was odd, because his ears were in shadow a lot of the time, since there were four of us carrying him, so one of us was generally between his head and the sun."

Buckthorn was about to continue, but became aware of a new presence alongside him. It was Fiver, out of breath and shaking with exhaustion, who had followed Hazel and Hyzenthlay from the warren, heedless of the others' attempts to stop him. His eyes were wide in something almost like awe.

"My lord," breathed Fiver to- to Vernal, Buckthorn realised with a start. Then he too felt the wave of realisation crash over him. In the gathering gloom, it was possible to see the faint starlight glow that emanated from the ears of the buck who squatted before them, and Buckthorn realised that he was looking into the eyes of the Prince with a Thousand Enemies himself.

El-ahrairah - for it was indeed he - nuzzled Fiver gently, and spoke again. "This small buck knows more than most rabbits can ever begin to see. And as I think you understand now, the rabbit you saved from Woundwort and Vervain was not Blackavar, for Blackavar's time on this earth was done. He runs with me now in my own Owsla, and there he shall remain. No: the rabbit you brought out of Efrafa; the rabbit who you carried over the Down; that rabbit was me."

Holly spoke for the first time, slowly and with considerable melancholy. "Then... then we didn't save Blackavar after all. We were too late."

El-ahrairah looked him in the eye. "No, Holly. You were not too late. You took the risks for your friend, and you saved the Efrafans from a life of tyranny. You gave others life, and hope, and you showed what Rabbitry can be. And you thought I was Blackavar, just as you later thought I was Vernal. I was neither... but also both. Even after he had stopped running, Blackavar lived on for you, in your hearts, as the symbol of what you had defeated."

"And he always will," said Hazel. "The Blackavar we knew will never leave our memories, and we shall honour him always." He paused for a moment. "But why did you threaten to kill Holly just now?"

"Because he would have killed me otherwise. Can you imagine how an honourable rabbit such as he would have felt when he realised - as he would have done - who it was he had attacked? His heart would have been black and icy, and he would have been lost to the elil within two days. I could not fight him, so I had to shock him - luckily you and your mate turned up just then, otherwise things might have become rather awkward even so."

At the reference to her, Hyzenthlay spoke up at last. "There is something else, my lord-"

"You speak of Bluebell," said El-ahrairah. "This may be hard for some of you to hear - especially you, Captain Holly... but Bluebell also died long ago, at the hands of the men who destroyed your former warren. He was lucky, and died at once; he now runs by my side... as indeed he has always done."

"Then what-" stammered Holly in total confusion, before the rabbit with the starlight ears spoke once more.

"Even the Prince with a Thousand Enemies cannot work alone," he said gently. "Like any other rabbit, he needs his companions."

Holly stared. "Rabscuttle?" he managed, astonished. "But... how... why...?"

"Do not ask me how or why, Captain. Those are questions that I may not answer. Simply know that what is, is what must be. Lord Frith in his wisdom has spoken, and in the end we are all his servants."

In the sudden quiet, a gentle breeze passed over the Down and ruffled the rabbits' fur as they gathered around the Prince of Rabbits. El-ahrairah squatted serenely in front of the stunned Watership rabbits, and catching Hazel's eye, spoke one more time.

"May Frith watch over you and your friends, Hazel-rah and Hyzenthlay-rah" said El-ahrairah. "Although the rabbit you thought you knew, you never met, Blackavar's gift to your warren will be with you wherever you may be." And with that, he turned, and with a turn of speed that took the watching Watership rabbits' breath away, bounded away over the rolling grass of Watership Down and disappeared into the distance.

THE END