Chapter Two

The Dream

Hazel's son, Orchid, crawled into his burrow and went to sleep. He had had an exciting day, playing with his siblings and his best friend, Blackberry's son Fireweed. Young Threar had joined them to at one point, but then in the middle of a game, when he was supposed to racing Fireweed to the iron tree and back, he got all worried and said that Fiver (Orchid's uncle) wanted to see him around this time. And without further explanation he had left.

So instead Orchid had raced Fireweed. And only for both of them to be beaten when Nutmeg, Dandelion's and Thethuthinnang's son, joined in and (predictably) won. The race had left Orchid bushed, and so he had come here to sleep for a while. He only had to lay his head down on the dirt floor of the burrow to fall into a deep sleep.

In his dream, Orchid saw a long run of confusing images, one after another, each so fast that he could barely see them before the next one came along. At the end was a very clear image of a buck barely out of kittenhood. This buck had weird ginger fur and a strange thatch of fur between his ears, much like Bigwig's.

Accompanying the image was a voice that Orchid knew to be El-ahrairah's, for the voice was a mixture of every-rabbit's voice he had ever known. It said: "Come seek him, Orchid, for he belongs on Watership Down. He has no clue as to how to get there, but I expect you, a certain clever rabbit's son, to find him and bring him here."

Later, when Orchid woke up, his sister, Cranberry, was waiting outside, hesitant and flighty. "What is it, Cranberry?" asked Orchid. "I was trying to sleep before you woke me up. If it's anything like last time, count me out of it, okay?" Last time it had been a cruel joke that they and the rest of their siblings had played on Threar's younger brother, Butterbur, who also shared his father's visionary powers.

"No, no, Orchid. It's nothing like that. Don't you think I learned my lesson last time when we were lectured sternly by Hazel-rah for harming one of our younger cousins? Anyway, it's something entirely different. In fact, Hazel-rah wants to see you. Alone." The way she added the last word didn't make Orchid feel any easier as he worked his way down the run to the Chief Rabbit/his father's burrow and cast a shadow of foreboding over the meeting.

"Come in."

Hazel's strong voice called out into the passage as Orchid reached it. From the nervous sounds of moving in the burrow that echoed out into the run Orchid could tell that this meeting wasn't going to be entirely alone. Taking a deep breath and feeling calmer, Orchid came into his father's burrow.

Fiver was there. The Chief Rabbit's visionary brother (Hazel's only sibling on Watership Down since he couldn't convince his other siblings to come) was fidgeting nervously in a corner, his ears turning to listen to something the rest of them couldn't hear, his paws shaking slightly, and his eyes as wide as a kittens are it's first time outside.

With him there, Orchid's mood of calmness was short-lived. His uncle's presence made him feel uneasy and oppressed, same as with Orchid's cousins.

"Orchid," said Hazel in his steady, sturdy voice, "Fiver wants to speak to you. He says something very important is going to happen. And that it involves you." Hazel choked on the last sentence and he moved toward his brother, as if to converse with him. Instead he just gave Fiver a lick and without another word went to silflay.

"Come here, Orchid. I have a job for you. You know your marli, Hyzenthlay? I want for you to find her, she went missing quite a few months ago, but El-ahrairah just now revealed to me that you're the right rabbit to find her. She—"

"Whoa, wait up a moment there. This Hyzenthlay rabbit is not my marli, Gladiolus is. And another thing, why should I go looking for a rabbit that I have no relation to whatsoever? I shan't do it I tell you, I shan't!" though even as he said this, Orchid felt slightly guilty. Hadn't he, after all, been planning on searching for this weird rabbit that he also had no relation to? But he pushed that thought away hurriedly.

After all, he thought, it isn't the same thing. At least I'll be searching for this other rabbit with Fireweed, and it's not my marli we're talking about. Is it? My marli is Gladiolus, not this Hyzenthlay doe. I of all rabbit's know who my marli is!

"Goodbye." stated Orchid. And without another the brown buck sauntered out of Hazel's burrow and went to silflay with the other rabbits of the warren, thinking all the while of what Fiver was talking about.

When Orchid left the burrow, Fiver was at a loss. At first he considered calling after Orchid, but he knew that that wouldn't work. Fiver knew that if he was to get Orchid to believe that Hyzenthlay was his real marli, he would have his work cut out for him. He sighed heavily, why wouldn't Orchid listen to him?

El-ahrairah, please help me! I can't get Orchid to believe my vision, but you told me that it was urgent that I do. begged Fiver silently. He hadn't expected an answer, so when he got one he was rather surprised.

Don't worry Fiver. It may be important, but Orchid is busy enough as it is. Just leave the job of convincing him to me, I think I really shouldn't have burdened him as much as I did.

Oh, thank you El-ahrairah, thank you! replied Fiver silently. He knew El-ahrairah would hear him and help him whatever and wherever. With that he joined Hazel and Vilthuril at silflay.

El-ahrairah placed a paw to his forehead and gave a sigh of relief. From his burrow high up in the sky he watched Fiver feeding with Hazel and Vilthuril from a crystal ball that he could use to look down upon his rabbits and others. He had almost been discovered.

Next to him sat his dark brother, the Black Rabbit of Inle' and three members of his shadowy Owsla. They were immensely interested in what El-ahrairah was seeing, though none but Inle' and El-ahrairah could see. Inle' looked disapprovingly at El-ahrairah. This look was accepted.