Chapter Five

Watership Down

Part 2: Hallucination

Just then, Ginger's bliss was interrupted. A voice, one he only faintly remembered as that of his mother, was calling to him from a place that seemed very distant indeed. It was calling:

"Ginger. Ginger."

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you." The voice was closer this time, like it was coming from right next to him. Turning round to where Bigwig had been, he saw that the rabbit was no longer Bigwig, but a doe much older than himself who was speaking to him.

Ginger shrank away instinctively, but a strong sense pulled him back. Slowly, unsurely, cautiously, Ginger crept forward. His nose was working overtime, trying to identify the scent of this strange rabbit. It was just as he was coming up to her that he realized, she had no scent at all!

"I'm all around you, Ginger." the voice seemed to sing. It was a sweet voice, and sounded good to his ears. "Do you know who I am?"

Ginger looked at her quizzically. How could she be all around him if she was right in front of him? Than he shook his head and answered, "No, I don't know who you are."

The other rabbit shook her head slowly, and blinked her beautiful eyes twice. Then she said, "Think back, Ginger. Think back. Back to your earliest memories. You'll recognize me then."

Ginger shook his head slowly. He didn't want to go back, not there. Not now. Not when he had finally found happiness, but the doe next to him was persistent. He felt a force that was not of his own creation probing his memory. Bringing up the roots of that horrible memory. Than the doe said, "Only you can see the light, Ginger. Don't be afraid, I'll be with you." With that she pulled the memory to the front of his mind, Ginger closed his eyes, and was instantly lost in the memory.

The memory was like a dream, a nightmare. All was dark, and although he couldn't see, he could smell a great deal of rabbits next to him, though none of them seemed to be moving. But at the same time, there was a pulse, loud in his ears, right next to him. He turned his head sharply, and banged his nose against a furry shoulder.

The voice of the doe reached his ears, "It's only me, Ginger. And welcome, to your memory."

"Where are we?" asked Ginger his curiosity finally kicking in.

"Guess." said the teasing voice of the doe in his ear. "It is your memory, after all."

Just than Ginger heard a voice, faint and distant up a run. Ginger followed it.

"Come back, you fools! Dogs aren't dangerous! Come back and fight!" There was a sound of snarling, a growl, the sounds of a tight scuffle echoed down from above, and than silence. Ginger, pulled despite his own common sense, hopped up to see what it was. Although he knew that dogs were dangerous, he didn't feel afraid, in stead he felt exhilarated.

"Ginger! Where are you going?" the doe's voice reached him as he was creeping up the run. From the sound, she was still in the burrow below.

"I'm just going for a quick look." answered Ginger from up above. "I'll be back soon!" With that he pulled himself out of the hole.

Outside, the grass was stained with rivulets of blood. Barely more than a nose-length away was the body of a dead rabbit, warm, hot blood pouring out of a gaping hole in its side. This was one of many. Rabbit bodies were scattered everywhere, but it was right outside the run that the carnage was the worst.

All of the bodies were unfamiliar to him, but when he looked at them more closely, he saw that he did recognize all of the bodies. Than he looked at them again. No. He didn't recognize all of the rabbits, but the fact that he recognized any of them frightened him.

He cautiously hopped towards the rabbit he didn't recognize. It was enormous, the largest rabbit he had ever seen. It looked dead. Blood splattered it's ripped, torn body, it's great pale eyes were rolled into the head, and it's neck looked broken. Ginger could tell it was a buck, and that the blood on him wasn't all his.

He prodded the carcass with a careful forepaw. Nothing happened. He was just about to do it again when he noticed the slight rise and fall of the great buck's chest. At first, all Ginger could do was stare at this strange buck, then he shook himself and moved into action. If this other rabbit was going to survive, he would need his help. Using the most effort he had used in his entire life, Ginger dragged the large buck into some nearby beech woods.