The sun had set on a chilly summer evening while a small group of the rabbits had ventured further away to the bottom hill of the down to either relax, silflay, or engaged in lessons from Holly and Blackavar to help two of Clover's friends learn the ways of surviving in the wild after a long life of living imprisoned inside a hutch. Bigwig and Lily lay beside each other, snuggling or cuddling each other in a playful affectionate manner. Hawkbit often jokingly scolded the two lovers to go someplace private to mate, earning him a reprimanding scowl from Bigwig, whilst he and Dandelion nibbled some of the grass. Taking Hawkbit's advice, Lily escorted Bigwig deep inside the long grass for a private moment of another passionate mating, although their moaning or grunting had to be quieted to a lower volume so not to embarrass themselves in front of their friends.
"It just doesn't get much better than this now, does it?" asked Dandelion.
"Well, we could be chomping up carrots," commented Hawkbit.
"Brilliant weather... not a fox or a hawk in sight... days like this don't come along every day," the blonde buck rambled on and on, but Hawkbit paid no attention to him.
Nearby, Haystack and Boxwood were seated around Blackavar, who stood on a rock, and Holly, who lay on the grass beside him, as the torn dark rabbit continued his lesson, this time it regarded the sense of smell.
"In a hutch, it doesn't have much use, but a keen sense of smell can keep you out of danger," Blackavar instructed, his attention focused on the two hutch does. "Go on. Tell me what you can smell right now."
Haystack volunteered to go first, sniffing the air. "I can smell chestnuts."
"Alright, what else?" Blackavar nodded.
The doe's nose whiffed when she caught another scent. "Err... I smell rabbits..." It felt strange to Haystack that this scent was quite new and unfamiliar. "Lots of strange rabbits."
Intrigued, Holly stood back up as both he and Blackavar started to smell the atmosphere around them to find whatever strange rabbits are close by. Their ears cocked at the sound of pattering feet. Their eyes widened in horror upon recognizing the sound and the scent. It could only mean one thing: Efrafa.
"Oh no," gasped Blackavar.
"Hide, quickly!" Holly ordered, remaining calm.
The two does hid themselves within the long grass, mildly confusing Hawkbit and Dandelion at their actions.
"Ohh, I guess that's the trouble with you, Holly," scolded Dandelion, "you can't see the simple beauty in a-"
"Efrafan patrol!" the Owsla Captain barked, cutting him off. "GET DOWN, NOW!"
Dandelion and Hawkbit gasped, then obeyed his commands to hide in the long grass. Bigwig and Lily scarcely had enough time to be alerted of the oncoming danger, when Vervain's sharp voice rung out, startling the couple. They crept close beside Holly and the others, assuring them of their being aware of the enemy's presence. The rabbits exchanged nervous glances, wondering how could the Efrafans expand their patrol this further, probably since Bigwig and Lily had escaped from their clutches whilst searching for Hazel, Fiver and Hawkbit when the trio had been trapped beneath the cavern, the Efrafans must have assumed their warren is nearby.
Peering through the thick blades of grass, the Watership rabbits saw the Efrafan wide patrol passing through the area. Boxwood and Haystack became squeamish at their massive size and intimidating appearances, but Hawkbit and Dandelion calmed them down and told the does to remain quiet. Everyone held their breath, anxiously hoping the Efrafan Owsla won't locate their hiding spots or their warren.
The Efrafan patrol consisted of Campion, Vervain, Moss and another buck all on alert as they scoured the area, searching for any signs of the outsiders to find and track them down to their warren.
"Something?" Campion inquired, noticing his corporal's nose twitching.
"I'm not sure, sir," Moss replied, shaking his head.
But their conversation was rudely interrupted by Vervain snarling and disciplining the rabbit by cuffing him over the forehead, as the unfortunate rabbit cowered and trembled, he had grown tired by the restless patrol. For a brief second, Lily felt sympathy for the rabbit and angered by Vervain's actions.
"You'll rest when I tell you to and not before!" Vervain growled.
"He's exhausted, Vervain!" Luckily, Campion came to poor rabbit's defense.
"He's Owsla, and he better act like it," Vervain huffed. "Right, move out!" He rushed out further ahead.
Turning back to the exhausted rabbit, Campion spoke encouragingly, "Come on, lad. You can make it."
Nodding, the rabbit stood back up on his feet as he and Moss joined after him and Vervain to continue the search. For another brief second, Lily smiled in admiration for Campion's resourcefulness.
As soon as the Efrafan patrol had gone out of their sights, Bigwig silently ordered, "Let's go, quietly now!"
The Watership rabbits darted out of the long grass and quickly climbed back up to the top of the hill. They knew now the Efrafans were at this point getting too close at locating their warren and to the point of destroying every rabbit living here.
Arriving back inside the Honeycomb's chamber, Bigwig reported to Hazel about their near encounter with the Efrafan Owsla. This forced Hazel to drastic action and ensure that every buck, doe and kitten must be confined to the warren until something was done to draw the enemy away from the high hills. To Lily, it felt like all of the rabbits were being imprisoned rather than kept safe inside their burrows, but she couldn't argue with him cause there was no other choice.
"We're lucky they hadn't found us," sighed Holly.
"Woundwort's patrols are getting closer all the time," Fiver worried.
"If the wind had shifted, they would have been onto us," added Hawkbit, before he stole a smirk at the lion buck and his mate. "Or they would have been onto these two love bunnies mating."
Bigwig growled as he cast a scorning frown at Hawkbit, then he exclaimed, "It's getting to the point where it's not safe to go outside! We got to do something, Hazel. We can't just sit up here, hoping the Efrafans won't find us."
"And you can't just keep all of the rabbits confined to the warren whenever the Efrafans are nearby, it gets overcrowded and some of them are complaining," added Lily, gesturing toward Hyzenthlay ending an argument between a few does over who gets to sit in which open space.
"You're right." Hazel agreed, watching the conflict with a deep sight. "We need to take more direct action." This idea, of course, surprised some of the rabbits present, as Hazel has always suggested more indirect, clever strategies against Efrafa, while Bigwig was pleased at finally getting some action against those Efrafans.
"All right, then! Some raids maybe?" Bigwig suggested, hopefully. "The old surprise attack might make them back up a bit."
Blackavar shook his head disapprovingly at the lion buck's idea. "You don't know the Efrafans, they never give up. Even if we did surprise them with an attack, they'll suspect we live here and plan a raid on our warren."
"Exactly!" Hazel said, understanding Blackavar's warning. "Woundwort's Owsla are bigger and stronger than us."
"Though they're not looking their best," Holly pointed out, remembering how exhausted one of the was during their search. "I get the feeling that Woundwort is driving them too hard."
"Captain Holly is right," Dandelion said. "They're not, how would you say, running at top speed these days."
"But still, they outnumber us."
"What's the plan then?" Bigwig inquired. If they weren't going to fight, what could they do?
Hazel thought deeply for a moment. "We must learn from El-ahrairah."
"Oh, you mean use trickery and cunning." This caught Bigwig's interest as he smirked. "Well, all right, out with it."
"We lay false trails and set clues to lead the Efrafan scouts away from us. It'll mean a lot of work."
"Doesn't it always?" Dandelion asked rhetorically as he scratched his ears with his foot.
The next morning, ten rabbits in their group woke up bright and early to start their plan. Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, Lily, Dandelion, Hawkbit, Bluebell, Silver, Holly and Blackavar left the warren and headed straight for the forest, setting up false tracks to draw the Efrafans away. They laid their foot prints on multiple different trails in the wood, one of them included a small riverbank where Fiver had a brief encounter with a turtle. When everyone had completed their mission, the rabbits met up at the sandy shore of the bank.
"It's hard work, that is," sighed Dandelion.
"But hopefully, it's worth it," added Silver.
"Well, I hope the Efrafans appreciate all the trouble it takes to lead them in circles," said Hawkbit.
"Get a move on!" Vervain's voice was not far from the river, and a bird flew away when the intruders' presence alarmed it.
"Take cover, quickly!" ordered Holly.
The gang took cover in the long grass, concealing their forms and remained frozen, so not to make a sound nor a movement... however, they were dangerously close to a large bee's nest hive hidden beneath a rock.
Efrafan Owsla arrived not long after, they were only a few feet away across the riverbank. The Owsla did not see Hazel or his band, most of them were more concerned about taking a drink from the river. One of the officers bent his head forward to take a drink from the cool fresh water.
"Officers first, thick-ears!" Vervain snarled, scorning at the buck.
"At ease!" Campion arrived on the scene, irked at Vervain's bullying and stood up for the thirsty officer. "Take your drinks."
The rest of the officers, Moss included, lolloped toward the riverbank to earn their refreshed drinks. Once again, Lily smiled warmly at Campion treating his Owsla more fairly than the abusive Vervain.
Vervain had quite enough of Campion deliberately taking over his authority as he approached the brown buck, scorning, "Do you enjoy undermining my authority?"
"Do you enjoy abusing it?" rebuked Campion, coldly.
"We'd better find some sign of Thlayli and his outsiders or Woundwort will have us out here forever!"
"Not questioning his judgement, are you?"
"Of course not. I wouldn't dare."
In that instant, the rock that Fiver sat upon gave way due to his weight and landed on the nest. Disturbed, the bees flew out of their hive, buzzing loudly and angrily. Some of the Watership rabbits came close to freaking out, but Hazel whispered "Nobody move a muscle," and no one dared disobey him in fear of giving away their hideout. One bee landed on Dandelion's nose, but he kept still until it flew off. Bluebell shut his eyes tightly, yet he flicked his left ear when a bee barely touched it.
Nearby, the Efrafan Owsla grew alarmed by the presence of bees on the other side of the river and overreacted. They started to run off for cover in different directions, except for Campion and Vervain, as they tried to maintain order.
"Calm down, all of you!" Campion shouted, rounding up a few officers. "They're not bothering us."
"Just a bunch of bees," Vervain groaned, before deciding their break is over. "Right, we've still got flayrah to find. Let's see if we can do something right, shall we?"
"Move out!" commanded Campion, leaving the riverbank to find and calm down the rest of the panicked-stricken Owsla.
"Afraid of bees," Vervain chucked at the Owsla's cowardice. "That's a good one." And he left.
Once the coast was clear, the Watership rabbits emerged out of their hiding places. Everyone burst out laughing, remembering the Efrafan rabbits will be known as the cowardly chickens when they retell this story to their friends back home.
"Did you see them run?" chuckled Blackavar.
"They squeal like little does!" added Silver.
"AHEM!" Holly cleared his throat loud and clear to be heard, silencing their mockery while he fixed a hard stare in their direction.
"Was there anyone stung by the bees?" Lily checked up on her fellow rabbits, making sure nobody had been stung.
"Nope, we're good here," Bluebell assured her, as did everyone else.
"Let's follow them," suggested Hazel. "You never known what we might overhear."
"The cat becomes the mouse, eh?" Bigwig smirked, pleased at this idea.
"Exactly," Hazel nodded, "and by the looks of them, we probably could outrun them if they did find us out."
Sunset had come as the Watership rabbits kept their distance at trailing the Efrafan Owsla, eager to find out what they are up to and careful not to reveal their location. Thanks to the false tracks, the Efrafans had been lured much farther away from Watership Down. There was a gentle breeze blowing eastward in their faces.
Bigwig sniffed the wind's air, then turned to his Chief Rabbit, "The wind's in our favor. We can afford to get closer."
Hazel nodded, then he crept forward. The rest of the group advanced close behind him. The Efrafans caught the scent of a strange area they'd never been to before whilst trying to find some flayrah to eat. When they left, the Watership rabbits stayed low to the ground as Hazel ventured forward to see where the enemies were going. Then he stomped his foot lightly to signal the others to come out. Their discovery of what located on the other side left them staring in awe and wonder.
"Wow, what is it?" Hawkbit gasped, his eyes widening.
A glass greenhouse stood gleaming in the sunlight, surrounded by the forest by its lonesome. The beams of light shone out of the glass windows and doors, creating multiple mini rainbows. From within the greenhouse, so many plants or flowers of different species were growing on fresh cared for soil.
"It's beautiful!" Fiver was amazed.
"It's like the stories, Prince Rainbow's Gleaming Warren!" recalled Dandelion.
"I've never seen anything like it," astonished Bluebell.
"It looks something like the one I've seen at Nuthanger Farm, only different." Hazel recalled, thinking back to the night he and Lily liberated Clover and her companions from the farm, and that same night when he was brutally shot in the hind leg.
Lily stared at the glass building for a second until another memory came back to her. Henry's family once owned a greenhouse on the farm, but nothing quite so big compared to this one. "I know what it is! It's a greenhouse!"
"A green what?" Bigwig looked at her, puzzled.
"A greenhouse," the doe explained. "Humans make them to keep plants inside, so they can grow their plants inside rather than outside. There was one back home on Ridgeway Farm, though it wasn't as big as this one here."
"Is it dangerous?" asked Holly, warily.
"No, no. It's quite safe inside." Lily assured him.
Then Fiver's nose twitched as he whiffed the strange scents close by. "Faint scent... Man..."
"Let's watch ourselves," warned Hazel.
"Maybe it's time to go back." Hawkbit began to shudder.
"We'll let you know when, Hawkbit." Bigwig shook his head at the buck's cowardice.
Suddenly, a sharp cry struck their hears with dread and horror. Everyone glanced up at the sky when a dark shadow loomed over them.
"HAWK!" cried Hazel.
The frightened Watership rabbits ducked for cover, falling back into the bushes. Lily had almost gone tharn when the memory of Violet's death grasped hold on her like a Man trap. The hawk circled and turned to make a dive for her. Just then, Bigwig managed to push his mate out of harm's way in time and dragged back inside the brambles. The hawk left, then noticed the Efrafan Owsla close by and decided to catch one of them for a meal.
"What's the matter with you, lass?!" Bigwig scolded her, looking very cross. "Do you want to get yourself killed? What will I tell the little ones if I come home without their mother?"
"I... I'm sorry... it's just that..." Lily stuttered over her words, until she blurted out, "Memories of Violet's death still haunt every time I see a hawk."
Hearing this confession, Bigwig's eyes gradually soften. "And you're still blaming yourself for her death?"
The doe nodded, silently.
"It was never your fault, lass." The lion buck pressed his nose against her own to comfort Lily.
Another cry alerted the rabbits as they peered out of the brambles. Apparently, Moss got his foot entangled in a net left by Man whilst the terrorized Efrafans scattered for cover when they realized the hawk was on their tail. Vervain only criticized him for drawing attention, until he ran off when the hawk got closer. The brave and loyal Campion had turned back to rescue Moss, using his teeth to cut the net and free his fellow officer. Just as Moss made it for cover, the hawk caught hold of Campion, its talons buried in his back, as it lifted him up higher and higher away from the earth.
"Frith save us!" gaped Dandelion.
"Oh no!" panicked Lily, surprisingly fearing for the Efrafan Captain's life.
But Campion refused to let it end like this as he gave the hawk multiple kicks in the chest. The hawk screeched in agony and tried to fight back, stabbing him in the face with its beak. Campion wouldn't give up. He continued to kick at the hawk's chest, then aimed for the head with a harsh blow to the head. Fed up, the hawk released its hold on the Owsla Captain.
With a scream, Campion fell into a tree where its sharp branches tore at the rest of his body, although the tree broke his fall as his landing on the ground didn't severely make it worse. The brown buck lay there, badly wounded and scratched up, half conscious and barely aware of a gang of familiar strangers approaching him. Hazel checked for a pulse, then his eyes widened in amazement.
"He's still alive," the Chief Rabbit announced.
"Not many could survive a hawk attack," Dandelion said in awe.
"Campion's in a class of his own," Bigwig admitted, a bit impressed with Campion's courage.
"Well, thank Frith he survived." Lily placed a paw to her chest, relieved. "But he won't last long in the open."
"Fine! One less enemy to worry about," Hawkbit scoffed.
"He's a fellow rabbit, Hawkbit!" Fiver tried to reason with him.
"But he's one of them!" Blackavar stated coldly, trying to remind the runt of whom Campion belonged to.
Dandelion decided to cut in on the conversation. "Smell that?" His nose twitched and he pointed to a door left open to the greenhouse. "Flayrah, and lots of it!"
"But we can't just leave him out in the open, the blood on his injuries will attract elil." Lily defended, feeling an urge to help the Efrafan Captain. "We'll have to get him inside the greenhouse before the hawk comes back."
"Are you out of your mind, lass?!" Bigwig stared at her in bitter disbelief, wondering why his mate wanted to help an enemy rabbit. "Campion is a part of Efrafa, and wherever he goes, Woundwort is always there to stir up trouble!"
"He's Woundwort's Captain of Owsla!" Hawkbit yelled.
"He's Efrafa!" Silver shouted.
"He's out to destroy us!" Bluebell protested.
Lily frowned, disgusted by their refusal. She glanced at Campion as he moaned in pain and agony, until Hazel's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Not today he's not!" She saw her Chief Rabbit gazing down at the wounded Captain with pity. After thinking deeply over it, he made the decision to agree on Lily's plea to help him.
"Kehaar became our friend and ally because we helped him," Fiver pointed out.
"Oh, he's a big silly gull!" Hawkbit snorted, hatefully. "You won't turn around an Owsla Captain that easy. If I remember correctly, Campion was part of the Council when you, Blackberry, Holly and Bluebell were captured. He was going to kill you!"
"We're aware of it, Hawkbit, but right now, I don't give a damn about what you think!" Holly growled, scorning at Hawkbit furiously as his response left everyone speechless. "If we leave him here to die, we're no better than Woundwort! So, either you help carry Campion inside that greenhouse to keep him safe or I'LL LEAVE YOU OUTSIDE FOR THE HAWK TO CATCH YOU!" he bellowed, raising his voice to a high volume as he scowled intimidatingly at the stupefied Hawkbit.
Of course, none of the rabbits protested against Holly's orders so they agreed, though Bigwig did with much reluctance. Lily was so grateful to Hazel and Holly for listening to her. Working together, Hawkbit and Dandelion carried Campion's unconscious body inside the greenhouse, yet he was quite stronger than Bigwig. Upon entering, the rabbits gazed in astonishment at all of the strange and unfamiliar plants.
"By Frith, this is really something!" Dandelion awed, fascinated.
Taking a bite of one of the big plant leaves, Hawkbit felt a tasty sensation overwhelm him. "Oh, you've got to try this! I've never tasted anything like it. Hmm."
Cautiously, Bluebell bit at the plant leaf and then hummed in content. "Mmmmm... this is delicious."
Silver and Blackavar exchanged worried glances, then decided to take their chances of trying something new. Their reactions were just the same as the others at their first bite of the plant leaves. Dandelion munched on a different plant leaf, by now starting a tug of war with Bluebell over the same leaf the blue buck was munching on.
"There's so much new in here," Fiver said, studying his surroundings warily. "It's all so strange, I don't know whether to be worried or not."
"Eat now, worry later." Hawkbit told him as he continued to chew on the leaf.
Bigwig and Holly shook their heads at their Owsla's ravenous hunger. Checking up on their Chief Rabbit, Hazel and Lily busied themselves with either licking at Campion's wounds, or using some herbs the doe discovered growing in the greenhouse, and put her healing skills to use as she gently massaged the herbs on more of the serious wounds on the Owsla Captain's body.
Bigwig eyed his doe suspiciously as Lily tenderly cared for Campion. She mostly cared for him whenever he got injured, but there was something different about Lily when it came to Campion. Why did she care for Campion so suddenly? What did he do in Efrafa to make her care about him? Could it be that Bigwig had another rival for his beloved doe? His green eyes narrowed dangerously at the unconscious rabbit's body, jealously fueled him to the brim. And then, the lion buck shook his head dismissing his suspicions as ridiculous. Orchis was his only rival for Lily out of selfishness. There is no way Lily would have feelings for Campion. He is the enemy, after all. "It's going to be dark soon," he informed his friends when he caught a glimpse of the setting sun.
"Then you better get home," Hazel told him.
"What about you?"
"I'll stay with Campion, but there's no point in all of us getting captured if the patrol returns."
"I'd like to stay with you until Campion is better," Lily added.
"He'll be fine until morning and Hazel will keep watch over him." Bigwig hoped to change her mind, but the doe's mind was made up.
"But I'd like to stay with Hazel, and I can look after myself."
"You wouldn't have a hope in hell if-" Bigwig came close to reprimanding her until someone else broke up the argument.
"Enough, Thlayli!" Holly immediately stepped in-between them. "There is no point in fighting. It's getting late and we should go. Hazel-rah will look after her, won't you?"
"I will." Hazel nodded.
"I don't like it here, Hazel." Fiver admitted. "There's something alien about it all." His ears dropped and his body quivered as if a cold wind had touched him. "And there's something else... something cold and watchful..."
"It won't be long until Campion can fend for himself," Hazel said, ushering his brother and two Captains to leave. "Now, go."
"Right then, you heard Hazel," Bigwig began ordering his Owsla to move out. "Let's get a move on!"
Silver, Blackavar and Bluebell obeyed his commands, except for Dandelion and Hawkbit as they still ate the leaves. Bigwig cleared his throat loudly to get them to leave the greenhouse. Dandelion took a chunk off the leaf before leaving. Hawkbit was still eating, until Bigwig cleared his throat again. Taking one last bite of this delicious leaf, Hawkbit trotted away. Holly and Fiver lead everyone out of the greenhouse and headed for the forest.
"Fiver's right, there is something wrong about this place." Bigwig shared his suspicions with his Chief Rabbit as he looked around. "Watch yourself, chum." Turning to Lily, he gave her a quick nuzzle. "Be careful," he whispered.
"I will be." Lily returned the nuzzle with equal affection.
She watched as her friends bounded off for the journey home, leaving her and Hazel alone with the still unconscious Owsla Captain. The doe silently dreaded of leaving when she had the chance if there is something wrong in the greenhouse, but she knew a greenhouse is nothing to be afraid of and she was glad to have Hazel for company. To take her mind off worrying, she resumed back to her job of healing Campion's wounds.
By the time Bigwig and the Owsla returned home to Watership Down, the sun had vanished and the night had fallen. Clover, Primrose and Hyzenthlay greeted them at the Honeycomb, until they noticed two members of their party were absent.
"Where's Hazel and Lily?" asked Clover.
"They're staying behind in a Man-made greenhouse to look after Campion," explained Fiver.
"CAMPION?!" Hyzenthlay's eye narrowed angrily. "What's he got to do with this?"
"Oh no! What happened to him?" Primrose gawked at them.
"Uhhh…oh yeah. A hawk got him," Dandelion told her.
"But he'll be alright," Fiver assured the doe.
"I do hope so." Primrose glanced down at her feet worriedly.
"Why bother worrying about him? He's the enemy!" questioned Hyzenthlay, bitterly.
"But he's not all bad."
"You've still got a soft spot for him, haven't you?" Bigwig made it sound more like a statement rather than a question, his scowl said it all.
"He saved my life more than once back in Efrafa," explained Primrose.
"And he defended Clover when she got struck down by one of the guards," Vilthuril added, overhearing the conversation when she came out of a tunnel. "Sometimes it seemed he was the only descent rabbit there." She noticed the hard look in Hyzenthlay's eyes, silently ordering her to refrain from speaking good of Campion.
"He couldn't save me from being executed!" Hyzenthlay snapped. "He's better off dead!"
"How can you say such things?!" Primrose stared at her in disbelief.
Instead of responding, Hyzenthlay turned and lolloped back to her burrow with a bitter scowl.
"Don't mind her, lass. Hazel and Lily are saving his life," Bigwig assured her. "I suppose that makes you even."
"I suppose it does." Primrose sighed sadly, anxious for not just Hazel and Lily, but for Campion included.
Meanwhile, Vervain and the rest of his patrol had returned to Efrafa. While the next patrol set out and the returning patrol took up their guard shifts over the burrows, Vervain was unfortunately in the Chief's Burrow, giving his report to Woundwort with Orchis at his side… albeit a personally-biased one meant to exercise his own fault onto Campion. Woundwort, however, is not one easily fooled by Vervain's attempts, while Orchis smirks at his brother's "report".
"The patrol was exhausted, sir. Campion drove them beyond their limit."
"Did he?"
"Yes, sir. It's no wonder the hawk decided we were easy prey."
"No wonder."
"It was pure luck the rest of us got away."
"Was it?"
"I did my best, General."
The General was silent and stern for a moment while Orchis held a slight snigger. "No information on Thlayli or the outsiders… no flayrah… and my best Captain of Owsla lost. Your best isn't very good… Is it, Captain Vervain?" he asked as he approached the cowardly Vervain, who cringed slightly, until Woundwort struck him across the face with a sharp blow.
Vervain was completely shocked by this sudden act of punishment, he trembled slightly before replying, "No, sir."
"You will be back there by dawn, won't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you will do better this time… Won't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good… it seems we finally have an understanding. Dismissed."
With a fearful bow, Vervain left the burrow, shortly before Orchis was also dismissed for the day as the General's personal attendant. As Vervain prepared to retire to his quarters, a slow firm clap was heard in the tunnel. A growl escaped his mouth as he notices Orchis with a pleased smirk while slowly clapping his paws outside the Owsla branch of the tunnels.
"Bravo, Vervain," his brother taunted. "I must admit: quite the show you put on. Though I couldn't quite decide which I liked better: your little self-indulgent report, or when the General stripped you of your nerve when he beat you."
"You were there with me, brother," Vervain retorted, venomously. "You could have said something in my defense."
"Why would I?" Orchis sneered. "You had no trouble displeasing the General on your own. All the same… remember I once trusted you to help me get something I wanted, and yet you failed at that. Why should I bother helping you out of the burrow you dug yourself?"
"You not getting that hutch doe was hardly my fault. Perhaps she merely preferred the strong, sturdy type. I mean…" Vervain let out a snickering smirk of his own, "she certainly sounded more like a doe in heat under that Thlayli chap." This, of course, let out a deeper growl from Orchis, which is what Vervain wanted. "Oh yes… if you only heard and saw what I heard and saw… You'd definitely question your own prowess as a buck. Just remember that. No matter what you do to me, there is always something worse to be done to you in turn."
Vervain lets out a heartless chuckle as he returns to his burrow, leaving Orchis to stew in his own anger toward his elder brother which quickly turned to more selfish hatred at Thlayli for taking his doe…HIS DOE…
Back at the greenhouse, Campion still remained unconscious, though Hazel and Lily finished their tasks of caring for his injuries. The two rabbits had started to doze off when a sudden and loud squawk from above woke them up with a leap of fright.
"That's not Kehaar, is it?" Hazel grumbled.
"No, look up there." Lily pointed up to a tall tree where two macaw parrots stood on the branch of a small palm tree.
The first parrot had green feathers, a red beak and a yellow chest, and the second parrot had red and yellow feathers, a blue streak on his wings, and a white beak. Hazel stared at them in bewilderment, never have he seen such unusual looking birds in his life.
"Bad place to be night times," said the red parrot.
"Uhh, hello?" greeted Hazel, awkwardly.
"Do you live here?" asked Lily.
"We live here sometime," answered the green parrot. "Night times bad enough up here…"
"Night times very bad down there," finished the red parrot.
"Why?" Hazel frowned suspiciously. "What's down here?"
Just then, a human entered the greenhouse. A man, most likely, and he was moving in their direction. Hazel and Lily immediately hauled Campion's body out of sight, including them as they needed to hide from the Man. The two rabbits watched as the Man walked toward a large bowl and filled it with bird seed from a big sack. Then he filled up another bowl with a canteen of water. Finished, the Man walked out of the greenhouse and closed the door behind him, locking it.
"Damn it!" Hazel hissed, furious at himself for not having figured it out that a human would come here and imprison two rabbits inside.
Lily despairingly pawed at the glass barrier that prevented her from the outside world. "I guess we're stuck in here, huh?"
"Man not like you here. Oh no," the red parrot explained, having flown down with his companion to eat the bird seed. "Should have left when you could. Oh yes."
"Hide good now, furry long ears," the green parrot chuckled, drinking from the water bowl.
"From what?" demanded Hazel, starting to dislike the parrots' rudeness. "What else is in here?"
"Slither Thing!" the green parrot squawked.
"What's a Slither Thing?" Hazel raised a baffled eyebrow, and he hoped Lily knew the answer since she's more aware of human things or different creatures, but the doe shook her head when she didn't understand.
"It hide quiet… and wait," replied the red parrot.
"It kill all animals who live on ground," followed up the green parrot.
"You will see," the red parrot laughed, flapping his wings.
"And we'll watch you see," the green parrot laughed, flapping his wings.
Laughing at the two rabbits' misfortune, the two parrots flew back to the safety of their tree. Lily rolled her eyes at their arrogance. Hazel fearfully looked around, hoping this slither creature wasn't close by. So far, nothing. He and Lily decided to sleep closer to Campion this time to feel better.
"Oh, I wish you'd wake up, Campion," hoped Hazel. "We're feeling awfully lonely all of a sudden."
"And I do hope you don't die in your sleep," prayed Lily, slightly nuzzling his head, thinking some movement will awaken him.
But Campion still did not budge an inch. Lily checked for a pulse, and instant relief came when she felt it. Hazel kept his guard up to look out for this mysterious Slither Thing. It didn't help with the parrots spent the majority of their time mocking them.
"You should fly up here! Oh yes!" the red parrot taunted.
"Don't be stupid, you embleer fools!" Hazel cussed at them. "We can't fly!"
"Flap your ears. Might work!" the green parrot chuckled.
"If Kehaar were here, then he'd give them a load of-" Lily's own cuss was cut short when she heard a groan from Campion. "Ah! He's waking up at last!" she cheered.
Slowly, Campion opened his eyes though his vision was blurry for a second until it faded. He gave a cry when he saw standing in front of him were two of the outsiders. He recognized Lily instantly, but he didn't know Hazel quite well. "AH! Lily... What happened? And who is this?"
"This is Hazel, a friend of mine," she explained. "A hawk nearly got you. Your patrol left you for dead, especially that scum, Vervain. You needed help."
Campion growled, mixed with a sigh. "Good old Vervain. Solid as a marsh, that one." Taking a moment to study his surroundings and the presence of outsiders with him, he realized, "And you just happen to save me, eh? I suppose your warren is nearby then."
"Let's not play war games, Campion," Hazel quickly eluded a conflict the brown buck would've started. "We're stuck in here, and there's something in here with us."
"What? Elil?" Campion's eyes widened, looking around.
"Something like that," said Lily.
Hazel glared up at those two nuisances of birds, still watching them. "They call it a Slither Thing," he said.
"Oh, that doesn't sound good," Campion groaned, and after considering the situation he got himself into and the only company he had to chat with are two of the enemies, he decided, "A truce then, until we get out."
"Agreed." Hazel nodded, and Lily repeated the gesture in understanding. "Rest now, I'll keep watch."
"Okay, I'm gonna get you some flayrah and water." Lily lolloped off toward the water bowl. It looked too big to push toward her patient. Noticing a few smaller leaves that resembled teacups, she got an idea on how to bring the water to Campion. Tearing off the cupped leaf, she used it to scoop up some water and carefully nudged it in front of Campion, who guzzled it down quickly. Then she ripped off the half-eaten leaf that Hawkbit had been chewing on and gave it to Campion, who nibbled at it slowly.
"Thanks," Campion mumbled gruffly, but she smiled softly at him. He stared at the two outsiders curiously. "I've been wondering why you'd both risk your lives for an enemy."
"Just eat and get your strength back," Hazel replied, almost as if avoiding the question.
"Because you're a fellow rabbit, enemy or not," Lily told him.
"Are..." Campion hesitated, before asking what of the escapees' fates, "Are the does still with you?"
"Yes, and they're all happy."
"And what of Primrose? Is she safe?"
"Primrose is safe and happy."
Hazel gave the doe a silent scorn, warning her to stop revealing too much. Lily didn't understand why he would ask her to keep quiet, as she found no harm in telling Campion of how the does or Blackavar are doing in their new home.
"Oh, well that's good... I'm glad..." Campion didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointment.
"She says you don't belong in Efrafa," Lily continued. "That you're better than the rest of them."
"No worse, anyway."
"You can't like the way Woundwort rules, can you?" Hazel questioned, perhaps trying to get some sense knocked into him.
Momentarily distraught, Campion sighed, "Look, we're getting along. Don't spoil it."
"He's leading Efrafa down a dark trail and you know it."
"He wasn't always this way."
"Blind loyalty is a fool's choice!"
This made Campion livid as he stood up on his hind legs, and for a second he reminded Lily of Bigwig whenever he came close to unleashing his temper. "Before he came, Efrafa was starving, falling apart! He made us great again! No one else could have saved us!"
"Maybe not..." Hazel retorted, "but who's going to save Efrafa from Woundwort?"
Instead of answering the buck's question, Campion turned away in slight disgust.
"Umm... I wanted to ask Primrose this, but with you here, I wanted to know what is she to you?" Lily implored softly, deciding to change the subject.
Campion's eyes enlarged as he fixed a hard stare at her. He opened his mouth to deny it, but he noticed Hazel scowling at him, thinking he was going to attack the doe. The brown buck sighed in defeat as he fessed up, "To Efrafa, Primrose may have been a slave... but to me, she was the only doe I have ever loved."
Hazel and Lily gawked at the Owsla Captain in shocked disbelief.
"Y-You mean... you and... P-Primrose were..." Lily stuttered, her eyes grew wider than saucer plates.
"Lovers? Yes. We used to be mates," corrected Campion. "Whenever the Owsla chose a doe to mate with, Primrose had always been the one for me. I never allowed any officer to touch her... let alone hurt her. I talked of starting a future with her, but she only wanted to talk of freedom and peace. Even tried to convince me to join her. But my loyalty stayed with Efrafa. It was around that point that… she broke up with me. Well, almost did, until she was branded a troublemaker for her involvement in the escape attempts with Hyzenthlay."
Suddenly, there came rustling and some movement in the shrubbery. The three rabbits froze and waited. Then came a strange sound neither of the bucks ever heard before, a hissing sound like steam escaping from a kettle. Unfortunately, Lily put two and two together when she correctly deduced what the Slither Thing truly is.
"NO!" wailed Fiver, sitting straight up and panting from what he seemingly had a nightmare.
Bigwig, Clover and Vilthuril were at his side in a flash, dreadfully concerned.
"What's the matter, Fiver?" asked Bigwig.
"A bad dream... It has to be..." Fiver stammered, a look of utter horror seized upon him. "A thing like that can't be real! It can't!"
It was then Bigwig realized the danger his beloved mate and his Chief Rabbit had gotten themselves into. His pulse raced faster Kehaar's wings when he flies, realizing he shouldn't have left her back in that greenhouse. He should have convinced her to come home when he had the chance.
"But I don't understand, Fiver, what exactly did you see in your dream?" asked Dandelion, coming over to them.
"A monster!" Fiver said. "A thing from another world. Hazel, Lily and Campion don't stand a chance."
"And you think it'll turn tail and run once it sees us?" Hawkbit asked, sarcastically.
"If it knows what's good for it," growled Bigwig, eager to put an end to this monster that threatened his mate and his friend.
After rousing the members of his Owsla, Bigwig and the others lolloped down the hill, hoping to get back to the greenhouse in time to save their friends, and strangely, Campion too.
"IT'S A SNAKE!" Lily squealed.
The creature himself slithered out of nowhere from the potted trees and crept downward to their level on the ground. His green head reared up, exposing sharp fangs and a flickering tongue and burning yellow eyes that could stare right into their souls. The three rabbits were nearly paralyzed with fear, almost going tharn, but this was not the time to let fear stop them.
"Can you run?" Hazel asked, stunned.
"El-ahrairah couldn't catch me," replied Campion.
"Go, now!" Lily cried, as she and the two bucks swiftly dodged the snake's jaws.
The trio raced through the thick forest of plants, with a new elil in pursuit of them. They hurried deep into the shrubbery and flowers in a blind attempt to escape their enemy. Hopping out of the plant forest, Hazel thought he saw an open door that lead to freedom, but instead he ran face first into the glass door. The impact would have knocked him out cold, but thankfully he wasn't. Campion and Lily caught up to him. The snake had lost them, apparently.
"What in Frith's name was that thing?" Campion panted, his brown furry face turning slightly pale.
"That's a snake!" explained Lily, through mild panting. "All I know is they can wrap their coils around you, squeeze you so hard until your heart stops and then... well, they swallow you whole."
Hazel and Campion didn't like the sound of that, especially an elil that can move like lightning and devour them in one gulp.
"You right, long ear!" the red parrot spoke, laughing.
"It find you. It taste your heat, it get you. Oh yes," the green parrot chortled.
By now, Hazel was fed up with their arrogant mockery. "WHY DON'T YOU SHUT YOUR BEAKS?!"
The two parrots stopped laughing, then exchanged odd looks at each other.
"You ever shut your beak?" the red parrot asked.
"No, have you ever shut your beak?" the green parrot repeated the same question.
This went on for a while, so an irritated Lily mumbled under her breath, "I wish that snake could've gobbled them up instead of us!"
"Any ideas on how we get out?" Hazel asked, hopefully.
"I don't even know why you both dragged me in here in the first place." Campion shrugged his shoulders.
"It seemed clever at the time." Then Hazel noticed a small pile of dirt near the door of the greenhouse. If he could dig, then he and the others will be out of here. "I might have an idea. Keep watch while I dig." He bent forward and started to dig, trying to create a tunnel to escape.
Campion stood up tall and high, keeping his eyes open for the snake. Lily decided to help with the digging, but try as the rabbits might, there was a no chance of digging a tunnel. The greenhouse was built around cement to keep it firmly on the ground.
Suddenly, Campion's ears twitched when he heard that eerie hissing. "It's here," he whispered.
Hazel and Lily were on alert, and in a flash, the snake burst out of the shrubbery and propelled his body. The rabbits scurried, but Hazel was cornered by the monster. Just as the reptile reared up to prepare for the final strike, Campion shouted, "HAZEL!" as he threw his body against Hazel, pushing him out of the way before the snake clamped his jaws shut, barely missing them by an inch.
Hissing furiously, the snake maneuvered his way in the direction where the two bucks had gone. However, Lily noticed the water sprinklers high above and the knob that could turn it on and off. An idea came to her, hoping it would be enough to keep the snake at bay while she and the bucks figure out a way to escape. She examined the blue and red colored lines, figuring out which color meant hot or cold. Something came back to her about Henry watching National Geographic on television, snakes included. The show probably mentioned snakes are cold-blooded because they grow up in warm atmospheres. Using her paws, rather unrabbit-like, she twisted the knob to the left, turning on the cold water. A deep rumbling sounded in the pipes as the water was turned on.
Meanwhile, the snake had cornered Hazel and Campion at another dead end. The monster began to use a hypnotizing trick on the bucks, his head swayed softly from side to side. Then, Hazel and Campion felt a strange dizziness overwhelm them. Their visions a blur, solely focused on the snake. Neither of them could speak nor move. They were powerless. The snake began to wrap his extremely long coils around their bodies, until a shower of cold water exploded from above. Feeling the icy cold water touch his scaly skin, the snake released a blood-curdling shriek. Releasing his captives, the snake retreated to find the culprit. Hazel and Campion collapsed to the floor, gasping and catching their breath.
"What happened there?" Hazel panted. "I couldn't see or think straight."
"It must have some sort of power to control us," Campion gasped for air, then he looked around and up at the pouring shower from the ceiling. "Where is Lily? And where did this rain come from?"
His first question concerning the doe was answered when a scream sounded. Hazel and Campion knew it was Lily, and she was in trouble. Neither of them could think they'd find her in what appeared to be a rain storm inside a Man-building. Fortunately, they found the snake had backed up the helpless doe to a corner close against the sprinklers, where the snake began to speak to her in a taunting, sly and foul voice.
"You have just made a sssserious missstake, long ear..." he hissed, "a very ssstupid…"
"N-Now, now, Mr. Snake, I-I was just..." Lily's words stumbled out of her mouth, finding herself helpless and frenzied with terror as the snake was about to subdue his prey.
"…missstake…" The snake began to perform that same hypnosis on her. "Now you have just ssssealed your doom, delicioussss long ear…"
Suddenly Campion darted out of nowhere and clawed the reptile across the eye. The snake drew back with an angry hiss, giving the brown buck enough time to lift Lily onto his back and carry her to safety. Whilst catching up to a concerned Hazel, Lily had regained her senses until she caught hold of Campion's arms grabbing her and placing her upon his back, and she grasped her arms around Campion's neck, surprisingly feeling how strong and muscular he felt to her paws. The Owsla Captain glanced over his shoulder when he felt her holding onto his body. Lily turned away, trying not to let him see the red shade on her cheeks. She began to understand why Primrose loved him; Campion is a resourceful, compassionate, and fair rabbit, to both officers and imprisoned rabbits. He would have been a great addition to Watership Down had he not lived in Efrafa.
Meanwhile, the Watership rabbits had taken a path down the same Man trail where they last left the greenhouse. Kehaar accompanied them, keeping a look out for Efrafan patrol, which he located on the far side of the forest but in the same direction to the greenhouse.
"Ugly Vervain is going where we going!" the gull warned his friends. "He got patrol with him."
"Great!" Hawkbit scoffed. "Efrafans and monsters. How much worse can today get?"
"I just hope that Lily and Hazel will be alright," added Bigwig, rushing up farther than his group or Fiver, who had originally taken the lead.
Back at the greenhouse, Hazel and Campion and Lily were completely exhausted. They had been dodging or avoiding the snake all night, and the snake was not tiring himself out, despite the sprinklers having turned on. He seemed determined to kill them, but it appears the rabbits gave the creature the slip right after Campion clawed his eye. The three rabbits took a break beneath the palm tree to catch their breath, their bodies soaking wet by the water.
"We can't keep running," panted Campion.
"I'm all worn out," added Lily.
"And we can't exactly fight the Slither Thing either," agreed Hazel.
At that moment, a familiar and rude voice interrupted their thoughts as the rabbits looked up to find the red parrot looking down at them, not expecting the rabbits to survive that long, saying, "Oh… you last all night, furry long ears."
"Arrk! Pretty smart for furry things," the green parrot chuckled.
Hazel wanted to throw a clever retort back at them, until an idea struck him. "Not as smart as you, though. I bet you know a way out of here." He noticed Lily and Campion staring at him, then he winked at them to go along with it and the duo understood instantly.
"Sure, we go out once, oh yes!" the red parrot answered, unknowingly taking the bait.
"But we come back. Too cold out," the green parrot explained. "Slither Thing hate cold too."
"I don't believe they ever got out!" Campion retorted, as he played along with Hazel's plan. "They're fibbing."
"Yeah, how could a bunch of bird brains like you know exactly how to get out when you're trapped in here as much as we are?" Lily shouted while trying not to smirk.
"We show you, big silly furry ears!" taunted the red parrot, before both parrots took off to fly toward the far end of the greenhouse.
The three rabbits followed, secretly pleased that their plan had worked. Reaching the far end of the greenhouse, there was a large hole in the glass of the bottom wall. A thick white sheet, probably an old bird seed bag, had been shoved through to block out the outside air.
"We go out there," boasted the red parrot, pointing at the cloth-covered hole. "Smart, oh yes."
With no time to waste, the three rabbits got a grip on the sheet with their teeth and began pulling with all their might. Lily first wondered why neither of them had bothered to notice it before, yet decided to forget it as escaping was all that mattered. But the sack was too heavy for them as they kept tugging at it.
"It's packed hard as a burrow floor," Hazel grunted.
At that moment, the Watership rabbits had found them as they appeared on the other side of the glass. They were quite relieved to see their friends are still alive, but concerned over what they are doing.
"Hazel!" Fiver cried.
"Help us!" his older brother pleaded. "Hurry!"
"Don't worry, we're getting you out of there!" Bigwig used his teeth to grab the sack and, with the assistance of Hawkbit and Holly and Silver, started to yank at it, trying to tear it out of the hole.
"How is it raining inside that place?" Dandelion wondered, noticing the sprinklers still pouring water inside the building, so he turned to Bluebell for answers, but the blue buck shook his head in confusion.
Then, Fiver noticed a strange slithering creature emerging from the shadows as the creature stealthy crept towards his prey. "The monster!" he warned them.
The trio froze as they whirled around to find themselves confronted by the giant reptile, hissing callously. Their friends on the other side of the glass stared at this strange and unfamiliar elil they had never seen before, stupefied at the sight before them with utter horror.
"I'll lead it off, then circle back!" Hazel decided, before bolting off into the plant-infested jungle and leaving everyone dumbfounded by his actions.
Around that time, Vervain and the Efrafan Owsla had arrived, searching for flayrah. Noticing the rain shower inside the greenhouse, Vervain peered through and thought he saw a strange rabbit hopping past him, but the rushing water blurred his view.
Bigwig took control of the situation when he shook his head in annoyance at his Owsla's weak attempts at tugging the white sheet, almost paranoid at the supposed fate of his beloved doe and his best friend imprisoned inside that Man-place where a slithering monster could devour them at any second now. He silently muttered a prayer to Frith to give him strength to free his mate and his friend. The lion buck pushed everyone side before he gave one mighty yank at the sheet with a cry. The sounds of tearing and glass shattering filled the air. When the sheet had been torn from the entrance, the impact broke a part of the glass above the hole. Multiple thick shards of glass and drops of water flew everywhere that everyone had to shield their faces. No one was hurt, but the shards had cut Bigwig's face slightly. "Hurry, Lily!" he urged, panting.
Lily crawled out of the hole, careful not to step on the pieces of glass, where she immediately checked over Bigwig for any smaller injuries by the glass explosion, then she gave him a big hug. "I guess you don't know your own strength, huh darling?" she smiled.
"Come on, Campion!" the lion buck ordered, noticing the Efrafan Captain staying behind. "Don't dally about!"
Campion glanced back at the plant jungle, looking a bit concerned for Hazel. That rabbit had saved his life, even the doe who accompanied him. Being a member of the Owsla, he never left a fellow rabbit behind, even if he is the enemy, so he refused to move from his spot, just in case Hazel needed help. "Not without Hazel," he replied.
Just then, Hazel burst out of the shrubbery with the snake right behind him, shouting, "Go!"
The two rabbits scrambled through the hole, barely missing the jaws of the serpent as he landed face first at the spot where Campion once stood. All of the rabbits moved away from the greenhouse when the snake slithered out of the hole in attempt to go after them. However, the weather outside was chilly, much colder than the sprinklers inside. Reluctantly, the snake gave his prey a vengeful hiss before he retreated back to his lair. "Oooohhhh… Bbbrrrr… Cold… Too cold… Thisssss isssssn't the end, long earsssss…"
"Did you see that?" Hawkbit pointed out, amazed. "It took one look at us and turned tail."
"The cold... The birds said the snake didn't like the cold..." Hazel panted, out of breath.
"Are you alright, Hazel-rah?" Holly asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, Holly," the Chief Rabbit responded. "Lily and Campion are fine, as well."
Upon noticing the Efrafan patrol hurrying to the other side of the building where his friends stood, Kehaar came soaring over them. "Ugly Vervain coming around. You hiding or fighting?"
"We got out," Hazel said, realizing their alliance is done. "The truce is over."
"Thank you for your help," Lily added, very grateful.
Campion looked at the rabbits, realizing this was his chance to capture the outsiders. But after the dangers he faced with Hazel and Lily, today was not the day to do it. As an honest officer, honor convinced him to let the outsides run free for now. "I'm too tired to fight," he sighed.
"I'm not!" Bigwig prepared to start a combat with him, still fuming over what events that occurred inside the greenhouse.
"Let him go." Lily instantly grasped at her mate's arm, pulling him back.
Bigwig stared at her for a second, then he noticed his Chief Rabbit frowning at him to withdraw. "Hazel... Lily... just remember that whatever happened in there..." as he left with his beloved doe, he added with a scorn, "he's the enemy."
Hazel nodded, then turned to address the Efrafan Captain, "I asked you who'd save Efrafa from Woundwort. You didn't answer."
"You ask too many questions, Hazel," Campion replied, bluntly.
No sooner had the Watership rabbits left the area, the Efrafan patrol turned a corner and came face-to-face with Campion. The bucks stared in shock and disbelief, not sure if this was real or a figment of their imaginations.
"C-C-Campion?!" stuttered Vervain.
"Bless my tail!" Moss exclaimed, relieved and overjoyed to see him as were the rest of the officers when they crowded around their wounded captain. "It's good to see you again, sir."
"But... but... the hawk got you! You should be dead!" Vervain was clearly disappointed that he was still alive.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Vervain," growled Campion, sarcastically.
"I saw one of the outsiders in that place... he was being chased by some creature..."
"No, you didn't. That was me, Vervain. You saw me."
Eavesdropping on their conversation, Hazel were surprised and that Campion lied to protect them whilst Lily gave the brown buck one last smiling glance before leaving. She was looking forward to a good rest at home with Bigwig and their kittens at her side.
Night had fallen again at the lonesome greenhouse, minus the sprinklers had been turned off by the visiting Man and the two parrots exchanging a humorous conversation regarding the rabbits. However, they remained ignorantly unaware of ominous visitors approaching the greenhouse.
"What you think it's like out there for furry long ears?" asked the red parrot.
"Boring!" answered the green parrot. "Cold and boring!"
As the two parrots chortled, the sound of movement entered the greenhouse. A dark shadow slunk inside through the foliage, briefly looking up to see the chortling parrots before making a light sniff in the air. "Hmmmm… enemies of the Dark One were here… along with one of His followers…" a cold and husky female voice spoke to herself, catching the scent of enemy rabbits in the air.
The concealed creature roamed through the foliage until it caught sight of the snake warming himself near a warm light of a few gooseneck lamps. "Much better… But if I never sssssee those ssssneaky little long earsssss, it will be too ssssoon…"
"Perhaps sooner than you think, elil..." the same cold, husky, female voice spoke loudly, startling the snake who looked around the foliage.
"Who'sssss lurking about?"
"Just someone who knows how tiresome those rabbits can be, long one. Always scurrying about outside in front of you, you with very little to eat…"
The snake flickered his tongue to smell the intruder. "Hmmm… and yet, you ssssmell of long ear… I may sssstill have a tasssste today…"
"And then what? You eat me and you'll just grow hungry again. The way I see it… you eat one meal and no more for the rest of your life, however long that might be… or you listen to my offer and end up feasting for the rest of your life…"
The snake contemplated the options. While he could eat the potential prey, it would then be some time before getting his next meal. "Hmmmm… I'm lisssstening."
"I offer you the chance to join me, as a new subject to the coming of a new age for all animals; one where Frith will smile upon all who support it and bring death to all who oppose it, especially… Man. I present you the opportunity to be of value to the Dark One, to fight and kill for Him… and when He finally comes to claim his army, He will most assuredly show His gratitude upon you."
The snake looked around, hearing the feminine voice come from all directions which made it difficult for the serpent to pinpoint her location, all the while thinking only of one thing: the thought of a never-ending feast of prey for the rest of his natural life. But one thought had come across his mind. "But to take thisssss offer, I'd have to go outssssside… and I ssssso dessspissse the cold."
"Fear not. Where you shall serve, it will be warmer than this Man prison. Now come! Free yourself from Man's bonds and join the Elil Owsla of Darkhaven! Discover what comes to all followers of the Dark One, and to all who oppose him!"
The snake was about to consider the offer more when he overheard the continued cackling of those parrots, whose infernal squawks have always intruded his slumber many times. Looking up at the two birds with such hatred and with his ever-growing hunger, he made a cruel decision. "I will join you. But firsssst, you won't mind me grabbing… a couple of ssssnackssss for the road, do you?"
"Make their ends swift, for the Dark One's arrival is soon upon us…"
Meanwhile, back in Efrafa, Campion was resting, recovering from his wounds. After returning to Efrafa, he received a welcome from the General, both pleased that his most loyal Captain of Owsla had returned and that Vervain had done something right, to the cowardly Vervain's displeasure. Due to his injuries, Corporal Moss had temporarily become Probationary Captain until Campion's recovery, which would be in a few days. However, as the brown buck rested, voices rang through his mind; voices from Thlayli and the outsiders. However, of all the voices he heard, Captain Holly's voice rang through his mind over and over, mentioning Hazel with one word. Just one word over and over until Campion would wake up from his rest with both shock and realization that the situation was either far simpler… or far more complicated than Efrafa had assumed.
"Thlayli's not the Chief… The other rabbit… Hazel-rah!" He managed to find the strength to look out his burrow, checking for any listeners before returning to rest. "Hmmmm… looks like we've been dealing with the wrong rabbit… but I wonder… If Thlayli's not the Chief, and he's as strong and disciplined as any Owsla I've seen… I wonder what makes Hazel-rah so dangerous as Chief of his warren."
