Frith was sitting as the Efrafans marched Hyzenthlay to her final resting place,A large Iron Tree stood awaiting them, As the procession made to stop in the center of it, Bigwig noticed a few bumps in the Earth, as if they were graves.
"This must be where they bury their Traitors." He thought to himself, his attention then turned to Sainfoin shoving Hyzenthlay down in front of a smirking Orchis.
"Now Thlayli." Orchis said. "If you want to earn my trust, and put a proper end to Vervain's accusations, You will be the one to end this Doe."
Bigwig's face flushed with Horror, though he did his best not to show it. He looked down at Hyzenthlay, who just looked up at him sorrowfully.
"...It says "Don't Panic now
Blowing from the North."
Back in the Deep Burrows, Thethuninang began a quiet ballad, which Immediately alerted Ragwort.
"I hope 10,000 times
You tell me the Truth."
"I order you to stop this instant!" Ragwort ordered.
Thethuninang ignored this and Continued her song.
"Cause now there's much to do,
I trust in you."
Back outside, Bigwig stared down helplessly at Hyzenthlay as Orchis scratched ear before asking.
"Do you have any final requests?"
Hyzenthlay looked up at Orchis. "I do have a request, I wish to speak to another doe…"
"Which one?" Orchis asked.
"Random." Hyzenthlay said.
"I feel the whole Earth shake,
Brought to my knees."
Thethuninang's song echoed throughout the whole of Efrafa, all the Tunnels, Broughs and passages seemed to flow with this song, Until it reached the Lair of Woundwort.
"Although 1,000 strong, I shall be free."
"GUARD!" He called out. "Find out where that music is coming from and put an end to it!"
Back at the Iron Tree, A lone doe from the Neck Mark was brought before Hyzenthlay by Bartsia.
"Please, Can I have a Moment?" Hyzenthlay asked.
Bartsia moved away to let them have some space, Meanwhile, The Two Does talked.
"Go to the west side of the warren." She told the Doe. "My friends in the Deep Burrows are breaking free! All of them!"
The Doe nodded and moved away to Orchis.
"Thlayli, deal with this quickly." Orchis said. "Sainfoin, If he continues to Hesitate, Kill him too."
"I hear the sweetest sound."
Bigwig looked in shock at this last statement, As Orchis, Bartsia and the rest of the Owsla moved off, The beaten Doe whispered something in Orchis ear and he hurried off, leaving Bigwig alone with Hyzenthlay, Sainfoin and another Buck.
"Blowing from the North,
It says "Don't panic now"
What's mine is yours."
General Woundwort stood on his ledge, addressing Snowball, When Orchis suddenly came rushing in.
"Sir! Sir!" He called out. "There's a massive escape attempt occurring at the West side of the Warren, I'm rounding up as many guards as I can!"
And he hurried away, leaving Woundwort to mull over this development.
"I hope 1,000 times"
Bigwig shoved Hyzenthlay to the ground, with a paw on her head. "It's fine." She said, "I'll be with Primrose soon, Maybe we'll see Redstone again too, In another life."
"You tell me the truth."
Bigwig looked down helplessly as he tried to psyche himself up for his grim task, He looked over to Sainfoin, who gave a swift nod of his head, as if urging him to do it.
"Cause now there's much to do."
But Bigwig didn't, as he listened to the distant echo of singing, As if they were swaying his conscience.
"I trust in you."
It was then that Bigwig understood.
"I shall be free."
Back in the Deep Burrows, The Doe's were all rallied by the song, Their Courage greater than it was before. "We shall be free, We shall be Free, We shall be Free!"
"I'm ordering you!" Ragwort insisted, now thoroughly intimidated. "S-Stop right now!"
But the Doe's didn't stop, Instead, they stood their ground, marched towards Ragwort, all chanting "We Shall be Free! We shall be Free! We shall be Free! WE SHALL BE FREE!"
"We shall be Free." Declared Vilthural.
Back at the Iron Tree, Bigwig let go of Hyzenthlay and her back up.
"You know Hyzenthlay." He told her. "Some Rabbits are subtle, Good at tricks, But I'm not one of them. You're not dying today, Not if I can help it."
Sainfoin then between the two, scowling at Bigwig. "I don't know what you're playing at THlayli but it ends now!"
And he cuffed Bigwig right in the face, knocking him to the ground, But to his surprise, Bigwig just got back up and glared Daggers at Sainfoin.
"That was not very nice, my son." He said menacingly, Before returning a cuff of his own to the Sergeant, and another and another, and then a kick of both Hind legs, sending Sainfoin sprawling into the foot of the Iron Tree, than he went up, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and flung him away, near the other guard!
They both looked at Bigwig and gawked stupidly, Beofre Bigwig let out a growl that sent the tow scarpring away, as quickly as they could!
Hyzenthlay then got up and drew alongside.
"So, You have any fight left in you?" Bigwig asked.
A smile was Hyzenthaly's only reply.
Soon, They Hurried down the Tunnels of Efrafa, finding no resistance along the way.
"The Tunnels are empty!" Cried Hyzenthlay. "They've taken the bait!"
"Quickly!" Ushered Bigwig. "It won't be long until they figure out what's going on!"
As the descended down the Tunnels, They were suddenly met by Marjoram and Moneywort.
"Ey! You! Stop right there!" Ordered Marjoram. "What do you think you're doing down here Thlayli?"
"So, Here's the deal." Said Bigwig. "I've bent to tell you lads that Early Silflay has been canceled this evening."
"No one told us anything about this." Said Moneywort.
"Have a look behind me and you'll see why."
The two Rabbits gawked at the sight of Hyzenthlay behind him.
"What the… But I thought she would be executed by now." Said Marjoram.
"Oh she was." Bigwig said. "This is her ghost, And she'll only kill whichever one of you she catches first."
The two guards looked dumbfounded for a moment, And then Marjoram ran off with a panicked scream! Followed shortly after by Moneywort.
Once they were gone, Bigwig and Hyzenthlay went up to a large Rock and pushed it out of the way, Revealing a surprised Blackavar inside.
"Thlayli, I didn't expect you to come around again." He said as he got to his feet.
"You can call me Bigwig." Said Bigwig. "I've got one question for you, Can you fight?"
"I've got Claws and Teeth, Haven't I?"
"I like you already."
Back at the Deep Burrows, Ragwort had called for help from Chervil, Avens and a few other Bucks to quell the Does uprising.
"And I'm going to see to it, Personally!" Ragwort cursed. "That every single one of you is Punished!"
Just as he said, this He was suddenly yanked back by something, Bigwig continued to beat Ragwort mercilessly until his body was tossed into view, Unconscious, Avens and the Rest of the Bucks than watch as Bigwig bounded out of the shadows and punched two of the guards and cuffed a third on the face, Before launching himself at Chervil and tearing at him, A fourth guard found himself attacked by Blackavar and Hyzenthlay, Avens watched on in complete shock as his bucks were dispatched one by one, Seeing he was outnumbered, He quickly bolted away.
As the dust settled, Bigwig looked to the Doe's.
"Fancy coming out for a stroll?"
Meanwhile, Vervain had heard the commotion from the Deep Burrows and made his way down to investigate.
"Oh what could be all that racket?" He grumbled. "And at this late hour-HUH?!"
Vervain's jaw dropped as he saw Bigwig leading a large group of Does and Blackavar up another passageway. "Don't stop for anything!" Called Bigwig.
Vervain was horrified. "E-E-Escape! Call the Owsla! ESCAPE!"
And he darted back the way he came.
Meanwhile, General. Woundwort stood guard on the Warrens west side, Campion, Or his, Bartsia and Groundsel stood at the forefront with him as they scanned the countryside, But found nothing.
"Everyone back to the Warren." Ordered Woundwort. "We've been tricked."
Orchis was stunned. " But… My spy…"
Just then, Vervain suddenly dashed in, and skidded to a stop in front of the General. "The new officer sir! I was right all along!"
"Thlayli?" Asked Woundwort.
"He's … He's freed Blackavar, Wounded Chervil and Ragwort and taken all the does in the deep burrows with him!"
Woundwort's face contorted into a bigger scowl. "Ember frith… I'll blind him… I'll BLIND HIM!"
Back at Efrafa, Bigwig led Hyzenthlay, Blackavar and the other Doe's right out of Efrafa's front door and into the open, Not a single Rabbit stopping once or daring to look back.
At the River, A minute earlier, Hazel and the others waited by the Boat, A drizzle of Rain starting to fall.
"Where are they?" Asked Hazel. "They should be here by now."
"Something must have gone wrong." Said Fiver.
"Hmm, We'd better go see." Hazel decided. "Blackberry, You, Rosemary and Hannah wait here, The rest of us will be back.
And with that, Hazel, Fiver, Hawkbit, Dandelion, Bluebell and Silver went with him to the Bridge, Oce they arrived,They ducked in the Undergroth for a moment, then noticed a familiar figure come out of the Bridge.
"Bigwig?" Called out Hazel.
"By Frith!" Cried Fiver. "It is! And he's got the others!"
Upon seeing this, The other Rabbits quickly hurried up to Bigwig, who ushered the others to come out, Hyzenthlay being the first.
"Bigwig!" Exclaimed Hazel. "Is it really… you."
Hazel stopped himself upon noticing Hyzenthlay right next to him, and almost looked… dumbstruck.
'I'm… Hyzenthlay." The Doe said. "You must be Hazel."
Hazel barely managed a smile, Until Bigwig cuffed him back to reality.
"You did it Bigwig!" Cheered Silver. "You did it!"
"I did, didn't I." Said Bigwig. "You can all come out now, They're my friends!"
Blackavar and the Doe's all crept into view, and sigh in relief.
"Right." Said Bigwig, turning to Hazel. "Now Kehear better get here soon, These Efrafans are fast and if they-"
Bigwig stopped suddenly as they all heard a Doe shriek.
There, standing around the other side of the Bridge, was the Efrafa Owsla, With Campion, Vervain, Sainfoin and Orchis standing at the lead.
"There! See?!" Exclaimed Vervain. "He's one of them! Thlayli is an Outsider!"
"I know." Replied Campion bitterly. "You were right…"
The Rabbits took a step back, before looking behind them to see More Efrafan Soldiers, Led by Groundsel and Bartsia blocking off the other side, They were all trapped.
"It nearly came off." Said Blackavar bravely. "We'll take one or two with us before it's finished."
"THLAYLI!"
A loud growl erupted from the Ranks, The Rabbits stared on in horror, As a dark shape made his way through the Ranks.
"Oh Frith." Whimpered Thethuninang. "T-The General, The General!"
The Efrafans parted ways as their Irate Leader stepped forth, glaring balefully at Bigwig.
"You traitorous wretch!" Growled Woundwort. "Campion! Vervain! Orchis! Get these worthless Creatures back to their Marks!"
The Three Captains moved to close in on the group.
"I'll settle with you myself Thlayli." Woundwort said as he inched closer. There's no need to take you back, I'm going to take great Pleasure in killing you!"
"Go on and try you cracked brained Slave Driver!" Growled Bigwig. "You're not fit to be called a Rabbit, May Frith Blast you and all your foul Owlsa.
With a Mighty Roar, Woundwort raised himself up on his hinds, His claws outstretched about to kill Bigwig, Until a White Streak struck him and he fell to the Earth in a Momentary daze.
Everyone looked around in surprise, And through the Rain, letting out a mighty Shriek, Kehaer descended on the Efrafans and engaged Woundwort again, Grappingly with Woundwort, Until he eventually sent him tumbling into a Nearby Ditch.
"Ha, Ha! There's the Scoundrel!" Said Bigwig.
"Good ol Kehear!" Cheered Hazel.
The Panicked Efrafans were in complete surprise as Kehear picked them off one by one, He struck down Sainfoin, Picked up a screaming Orchis before dropping him again and then knocked over Vervain as he tried to flee.
"Come on!" Said Hazel. "Now's our chance!"
As the Escapee's tried to make a break for it, Campion suddenly stood in their Path, Kehear quickly swooped down at him and knocked him into Groundsel.
"Everyone keep moving!" Called out Hazel.
And all the Rabbits then hurried off as fast as they could, Nettle had to knock away Bartsia first though, and then rejoined the others as they scampered through the Rain.
Meanwhile, General Woundwort quickly rallied together his disorganized troops and the chase was on again.
As the Rabbits made it out of the woods, The Broken Bridge came into view.
"Head for the Bridge!" Called Hazel. "Kehear can't hold them off for long!"
And so the Rabbits quickly scrambled to the Boat, Ushered in by Rosemary, While Blackberry gnawed at the Rope, At that moment, The General and his minions quickly arrived on the scene.
"They're trapped!" Jeered Woundwort. "Surround them all!"
"Anytime Blackberry." Hazel said, Prompting Blackberry to bite faster.
Campion and Vervain took two Rabbits to one side of the Bridge, While Orchis and Sainfoin took another, startling Bluebell and Vilthural, Bigwig, Hazel and Silver faced off against Campion and Vervain on their end.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way Thlayli." Said Campion.
Vervain scowled. "Kill them!"
On the ledge above, The General peered down, Flanked by Groundsel and Bartsia.
"There's nowhere left to run." Woundwort cackled. "Bartsia, Groundsel, When I give the word, We pounce on em, That Bird can't save you now!"
"There it is!" Exclaimed Bigwig, Causing the Efrafans to look up, And while they were momentarily distracted, Blackberry bit through the rope and Bigwig, Hazel and Silver jumped aboard!
"They're getting away on the River!" Exclaimed Campion.
Woundwort let out a beastly howl, and lept right at the departing vessel, The Rabbits looking up in abject shock as Woundwort landed on the boat, There was a great splash, and he grabbed the edge of the boat, tilting it towards him as Bigwig suddenly slid towards him, The Generals face found itself looking at the Bottom of his quarry's feet.
"We're all full up here Woundwort!" Said Bigwig. "Get your own Boat!"
And he kicked Woundwort in the face, sending him right of the boat and into the Water, Where he thrashed and screamed all the way back to the shore, Sainfoin and a few other rabbits helped him back, But he shoved them away and stared balefully at the Escapers, Before letting out a horrific vow.
"I'll find you Outsiders!" He roared. "The world isn't a big enough place to hide! I'LL HUNT YOU TILL FRITH FALLS FROM THE SKY! DO YOU HEAR ME OUTSIDERS?!"
The Rabbits heard this loud and clear.
"Well, That came off rather well." Breathed Bigwig.
"Like falling down a hole." Added Hawkbit.
Vilthural turned to Fiver. "I knew you'd come back to free us, But most of us were too scared to believe it."
"You don't have to be scared now." Siad Fiver. "None of you do, You're all free now."
"Yes." Agreed Hyzenthlay as she looked up at the night sky, a silent tear rolling down her eye "Free at last."
As the rain suddenly stopped, and the clouds gave way to the pale moonlight, The small boat of Freedom drifted down the stream, with a lone gull watching over.
To Be Continued.
And that for now, Is where I'll end this story, I hope you all enjoyed it so far, there will be more in the future, But for now, I just want to finish my other stories, The Next Chapter of Mabel's Adventure is already begun, And be sure to look out for other installments of Go God Go (Retelling), Quest of the Black Cauldron and more.
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