Upon their return to Watership Down after escaping the deadly greenhouse, Lily received a joyful welcome from her kittens, worried over their mother's whereabouts, as they smothered her with hugs and kisses. The tale of her adventures in the greenhouse with Hazel was told that night in the Honeycomb to all of her fellow rabbits, and the story put the kittens to sleep when it was past their burrow time. Lily turned in early for the night because she longed for a goodnight sleep in her comfortable burrow with her mate and her children.

As the days passed, the weather had begun to take a dreadful turn. No one had ever seen the rain fall so hard nor for so long. The fields of the countryside and the farmlands were soaked to the brim. All of the animals struggled to find a decent place to sleep and to keep dry. Sometimes, the downpour often caused multiple landslides of wet mud and rocks near high mountains or hills that animals found themselves to become unfortunate victims if they never escaped in time. The roads were flooded, bringing problems to humans and their vehicles, creating a major traffic problem that everyone had been warned to stay inside.

During the harsh downpour, Silver and Thethuthinnang had become the proud parents of two kittens: Rowan the buck (obviously due to the Threarah's name meaning Lord Rowan Tree) born with tawny fur and red eyes, and Daisy the doe, born with silver fur and red eyes.

Whilst scouting for enemies by air, as well as taunting the Efrafans, Kehaar discovered that the Efrafan Wide Patrol had recently abandoned an officer named Larch. The poor buck grew sicker every day, and today… he could not go any further as he collapsed.

Moss, who was by the officer's side called out to the Captain in charge, who unfortunately was Vervain. "Captain Vervain! It's Larch! He's sick, sir! I don't think he can go any further!"

The dark furred Captain turned back to Moss and the sickly officer with a stern, cold gaze. A moment briefly passed before Vervain ordered, "Then leave him," before turning back to lead the remaining Wide Patrol.

Dejected, Moss left him. Crows began to circle the miserable officer's body, until Kehaar chased them away. The gull felt sorry for him and landed beside the rabbit, hoping he could try to help him.

With not much strength left, all Larch could do was deliver his last words to the gull, "Tell Thlayli-rah... this war must end..." he coughed out drops of blood heavily between his words. "We cannot go on any longer, everyone is suffering..." he gasped sharply, "but at least… I will be free of Efrafa..." And then, Larch died.

Kehaar hung his head in bitter grief, and with a heavy heart, he left the rabbit's lifeless form behind as he turned for home. "Ahh... poor rabbit," he sighed.

Landing at the top of Watership Down, Kehaar slipped on the wet grass and tumbled over a few times before he skidded to a halt. He made sure nobody saw this, then he entered the main warren entrance, finding the Honeycomb crowded with rabbits either talking or eating leftover flayrah they had stolen from the farm days ago. The gull shook the water's contents off his feathery body, which splattered all over an irked Hawkbit.

"Nice weather out there," Kehaar said. "All wet."

"Then why don't you stay out there?" grumbled Hawkbit.

Hazel approached the gull, eager to hear of his report. "Kehaar, what's the news?"

"Efrafan patrol all over," Kehaar replied. "I saw Vervain not far away. Oh, he's still one ugly rabbit. He and Patrol left behind a sick rabbit for dead. Larch, his name was. I went down to him, and he said to tell Thlayli-rah that we must end the war, that Efrafa is suffering and can go no longer, and then..." The gull paused for a second, his eyes shut for a brief second before he continued, " and then he died. Poor rabbit..."

Bigwig stared at the gull, momentarily stunned. "Me? Thlayli-rah?" Of course, he would have liked to keep the nickname, but he knew the title of leadership belonged to Hazel and the lion buck belonged in the Owsla.

"I guess as far as the Efrafans are concerned, Bigwig is the Chief Rabbit," Hazel assumed. "Not surprised, though. Given the size of their Chief, it's no wonder they assumed him to be a Chief as well."

"Regardless, Vervain just left one of his own for dead?" Lily asked, overhearing the gull's report to the Chief Rabbit, shocked and outraged at how a soldier could leave a fellow officer behind like that. "Poor Larch… Why couldn't we bring him back to our warren? We could've saved his life!"

"Why are you showing compassion for an enemy?" Bigwig demanded in disgust. "If we brought Larch here, he'd then report the location of Watership Down to Woundwort!"

"And what if Larch didn't report to Woundwort? We'd be doing him a favor by saving his life!"

"You don't know the Efrafans that well, Lily. Don't you remember how they treated you?!"

"QUIET!" Hazel's voice bellowed harshly, silencing the couple's bickering. "I agree with Lily on one thing. Woundwort is driving his Owsla too far. If they are suffering, then we need a better plan to end this war without a bloodbath."

"There's always a bloodbath in every war, Hazel!" Bigwig retorted. "Woundwort lives for war, and his Owsla will stay loyal to him, no matter how hard he's pushing them."

"What will happen if Woundwort finds us?" Fiver asked, making his way over to the group.

"He'll come down on us with an entire army. And even with our warren having more rabbits, our Owsla's not enough to fight him off." As he spoke, Bigwig noticed the little rabbits playing a game of pebble soccer (obviously a game taught to them by Lily). He gazed at them with deep concern and a dreaded fear if the enemy ever discovered their warren, not only would the Efrafans destroy the warren's inhabitants, but most of all, their precious children. "We'd be wiped out."

"Then we have to keep thinking up tricks to keep the Efrafans off our tail," Fiver stated.

"That's not enough. We need to take more direct action." Hazel thought for a moment while thinking of a plan to stop Woundwort for good, and once he came up with an idea, he said, "What if we attacked Woundwort from the inside? If we had someone from Efrafa willing to overthrow him?"

"He'd have to be fearless or mad," Bigwig added.

"What about Campion?" Lily suggested, remembering his courage and loyalty back in the greenhouse. "I don't think he likes what Woundwort has done to Efrafa. If he was on that Wide Patrol, Campion would've gone back for Larch."

"An Owsla Captain betray his Chief?" Bigwig questioned, laughing as if it was a joke.

"What about the time you went against the Threarah?"

"That was a different time, darling."

"Wouldn't you turn against Woundwort if you were Campion?"

Bigwig opened his mouth to protest, but he noticed the scowls on Hazel and Fiver's expressions. He stared at Lily's eyes, hard yet pleading. The lion buck thought this over, remembering his short time in Efrafa as a spy. He had witnessed the oppressive abuse, pain and hostility that Woundwort inflicted on the does. He succeeded in liberating the does, but Woundwort's lust for power and control was going too far. If he was in Campion's position, then he would've tried to do something to stop this madness. "Hmmm…I'd think I'd have to," he admitted.

"It's settled, then," Hazel decided, reaching an agreement to the plan. "We're going to find Campion and end this war…once and for all."


Meanwhile, Efrafa was not faring well, especially since the newer slaves the Owsla managed to capture were either small groups of hlessi or a few families in a tiny burrow system. They did not fare well especially in this downpour, as the rain not only leaked into the tunnels, the mud covered up most of the grass in the silflay grounds. Nevertheless, the Efrafan guards kept to the standards that were in place, like its strict schedule for the Marks. The only guard to look upon with any sign of pity was Campion, who watched as the Captains of the current Mark that their silflay was over before leading them back underground for the next Mark's time. Looking away for a brief moment, he saw Vervain returning with his Wide Patrol… with one less Corporal than when they left. He went up towards the Patrol, addressing Vervain. "Any luck?"

"None. The outsiders' gull was spotted earlier, taunting us into following it… again," Vervain boasted. "Of course, I knew better. He's too sly to make such mistakes."

"Well, at least we're not falling for more of its tricks." Campion looked around at the Patrol. "You're missing one of my bucks, Vervain. Where's Larch? Elil?"

"No. He was sick, so I abandoned him. No use for a rabbit near death in Efrafa."

"I trusted you to watch out for my bucks."

"And I told you that I would carry out the General's orders for the Patrol. Either way, Larch was so sick he was going to die sooner or later. If not today, then tomorrow or the next day, or perhaps when Inlé was full. Either way he died for Efrafa, and that is the end of it." Campion let out a bitter growl at how Vervain treated officers not under his command as the ugly buck continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some flayrah in my burrow waiting, and you have yourself a Wide Patrol to lead soon."

Vervain hopped off, leaving Campion very disturbed. He did not want to admit it, but he knew that changes had to be made. Not just for the slaves, but for the Owsla as well. He hopped into the tunnels to speak with the General, suspecting that he may not want to hear his report… but he had to hear it nonetheless.


Before leaving, Hazel instructed Silver to be in charge until his return. Silver eagerly agreed to take the job, having experience from his late uncle. "One more thing. Make sure you all stay alert for Efrafan patrols and make sure no one wanders too far from the warren," Hazel finished on his instruction.

"You can count on me, Hazel-rah." Silver saluted, obediently. "I won't fail you. Besides, the last one won't be an issue, concerning all the rain."

Hawkbit, however, voiced his concern for Hazel's plan to convince an Efrafan captain to join them. "Do you all really think Campion will come in with us?"

"All we can do is ask, Hawkbit," Lily replied, "though I hope Campion will say yes."

"Right then. Let's move out." And Hazel lead his group out of the burrows.


At the same time, Campion had just wandered into the Chief's burrow unannounced to voice his concerns, despite the injuries and deaths endured by other officers who voiced their concerns before.

"The mudslides from all the rain has covered much of the grass in Efrafa, and with the current schedule for the Marks," Campion explained, "your subjects aren't eating enough. They need more time above ground, sir, or at least range farther for food."

The General was silent for a moment before he asked, "Which of the silflay grounds have been least affected by the mudslides?"

"The… the North grounds, sir, but there's not enough to-"

"Redirect all Marks' silflays to the North. Then they'll have enough. Now, if that is all you wish to inform me, then-"

"Actually, there's more, General. Your subjects are weak. Some are becoming ill. If disease breaks out, none of them will survive. I suggest redirecting some of our Wide Patrols to finding herbs and roots to-"

"Doing that would waste precious effort in finding Thlayli's warren… but perhaps we can use this to our advantage. Have all the guards sort out the sickly in Efrafa… and pen them in the Deep Burrows. This will keep disease from breaking out and deter any further escapes from Efrafa. Anything else bothering you, Campion?"

"Yes, sir. The continual Patrols to find Thlayli and his warren are destroying the Owsla. They're exhausted and sick. Vervain lost one of my Corporals due to sickness, and many more good soldiers have been lost to weasels and badgers. We can't risk losing any more, especially in this weather, sir."

"Then find the outsiders' warren, Captain!" Woundwort bellowed. "Bring me Thlayli, Lily, Holly, Blackberry, Bluebell or Fiver, and it all stops. Now, if that all you wish to discuss, you have a Patrol to lead. Dismissed."

"Sir, I…" Campion paused before continuing. "Yes, sir." He turned around and headed out of the burrow, greatly disappointed that even with all that was going on, the General showed little to no concern for his people, shooting down the grievances without giving his Captain's suggestions any consideration.


Taking a short cut beneath the secret underground cavern seemed like a better option rather than going out in the cold rain to find Campion. Hazel took Fiver, Bigwig, Lily, Holly, Hyzenthlay Primrose and Pipkin with him to the stream in the cavern where the exit was located at the far end of the tunnel. To their surprise, the water level had risen higher and became a large underground river, almost to the point of overflowing.

"Look how high the stream's getting," Bigwig commented. "We should be careful when going in."

"From all the rain, I suppose," Fiver added.

"All the c-c-cold rain." Pipkin shivered when he dipped his hind paw in the water and felt the cold temperature.

Hyzenthlay noticed the pale yellow doe had kept her distance a little way off as Primrose stared silently and worriedly at the ground. She hopped over to her, asking, "You're awfully quiet, Primrose. Is something wrong?"

"Efrafa is out there... so close..." Primrose sighed, dismally. "I still have nightmares about it... If Woundwort finds me and takes me back, he'll have me killed."

"Not while I'm here," Hyzenthlay declared, assuring the poor doe her fears will never come true. She calmly placed a paw of solace on her shoulder. "Don't you worry, I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Now, are you ready for this? Or do you want me to go in your place?"

Primrose sighed, bracing herself for her part in the plan to speak peace with Campion. "I'll be fine, Hyzenthlay. I'll do my part."

"I know you will." Hyzenthlay nodded.

"Right, if we're going, let's go!" Bigwig shouted, gaining their attention so they could get started on their quest.

Together, the rabbits leapt into the water. It was very cold, but it never prevented them from swimming their way through the tunnel. It wasn't long before the group reached the end of the tunnel, passing through the willow curtain and headed for the river's bank underneath an old tree.

"Some adventures are more fun than others, aren't they, Bigwig?" Pipkin questioned.

"Well, I've been on a few dryer ones," Bigwig answered, smiling.

"Took you long enough! I'm ready for action!" Kehaar shouted as he flew over their heads close by.

The Watership rabbits headed for the half-broken bridge, where they knew the Efrafan guards will be coming soon. They concealed themselves underneath the bridge to avoid detection.

"Sooner or later, Campion will come across the old bridge," Hazel instructed, "and we'll be ready."

A few drops of water landed on Pipkin's face, to his chagrin. "Sooner is better."

No one had long to wait, because the Efrafan Wide Patrol had finally approached the bridge from above.

The Watership rabbits huddled together, getting into positions. Primrose decided to wait until Kehaar performs his hawk act to scare off the guards, then she can talk to Campion. She hoped this plan will work to convince Campion to join their side.

Campion and his Owsla had stopped to rest on the bridge, after a long and tiresome journey throughout the area still searching for the outsiders. The rain made it more difficult of finding them, especially making some of the Efrafan bucks catch a cold, but none was worse than the unfortunate Larch. Learning of his death, Campion boiled silently in a rage at Vervain abandoning Larch to his death. By the time Campion and his patrol discovered Larch's corpse, all they found was his body with little fur and flesh left when he had been eaten by wolves.

"Right, I know you're all tired," the brown buck calmly yet sternly addressed his officers, "and you've seen what happened to poor Larch, but the future of Efrafa depends on us finding Thlayli and his warren. Let's do it this time."

No sooner had the patrol set one step upon the bridge, Kehaar swooped down on them with a violent screech. He struck two officers in their faces, the impact sent them flying over the edge and landed in the river. Luckily, they swam for shore and ran off. The other two officers decided to turned tail and retreated.

"Come back!" Campion roared, furious at their cowardice. "You're Owsla!"

Kehaar maneuvered and headed for the Owsla Captain, but Campion tried to swipe his claws at this nuisance of a bird. Fortunately, Kehaar dodged those claws and knocked him off his feet. Anger fueled his core as Campion struggled to get back on his feet and resume his attacking the gull, when he heard a female voice.

"Campion... Hello, Campion." There stood Primrose at the edge of the bridge, looking so graceful and beautiful in the rain.

Campion's blue eyes widened, and his anger instantly replaced by joy. "Primrose, you've come back!" he cried, thrilled to see her as he hurried over to her. "You look well," was all he could say, trying to start a conversation.

For a brief second, Primrose let her guard down as she began to smile at him. It had been since she had seen him smile before, it's like he'd become a different rabbit, one who'd be worthy of joining her warren. "Same to you," she replied.

Witnessing Campion letting his guard down, Bigwig suddenly lunged out of his hiding spot and roared, tackling the Efrafan Captain to the ground. Primrose was too stunned to do anything, but the guilt of tricking Campion gnawed at her insides. Lily was shocked by her mate's actions and tried to stop him from starting a brawl with Campion, but her pleas were ignored.

Hazel and Holly rushed in to put an end to this, although they assisted in subduing the Owsla Captain so he could not free himself. Realizing it was a trap all along, an enraged Campion struggled to claw or bite at his captors to escape. It was no good, as the bucks had him restrained.

"Settle down, Campion," Holly reasoned. "We just want to talk."

"Seems I have no choice," Campion panted, reluctantly giving up.

The Watership rabbits ushered the Owsla Captain to follow them through a bush, whilst a saddened Primrose lolloped far behind them. She noticed Hyzenthlay gazing at Campion with uneasy distrust.

"This better work," the doe grunted, "because if it doesn't-"

"It will work!" Primrose snarled at her, but in silence she began to have mixed feelings about this. On the one paw, Campion can be persuaded on Woundwort leading his warren down a dark path and agree to help spy on Woundwort's latest moves. On the other paw, Campion might falsely pretend to work for us and betray their warren's location to Woundwort. The doe didn't know what to think anymore, but she wanted to remain hopeful this will work.

"I want your word as an officer you won't run until you heard us out," Hazel warned the Efrafan buck to keep this promise.

"You have it," Campion accepted, but he stole a cold scowl in Bigwig's direction. "Unlike Thlayli's, my word means something."

"I'd watch your lip, old son!" Bigwig growled as he gave him a scathing glare.

"What does he mean, Bigwig? You always tell the truth, don't you?" Pipkin asked, curiously.

Bigwig began to stutter, slightly embarrassed that the young buck wouldn't think he'd tell myths. "Uhh… Usually, yes. He's just got a stiff neck about my spying on Efrafa."

Campion raised an eyebrow, puzzled at this new name. "Bigwig? Wasn't your name Thlayli?"

"It is, but everyone calls him Bigwig," Hyzenthlay cut him off with an icy venom. "And you're not the only one with a stiff neck about Efrafa... especially when it comes to old mates."

"Why is that?" Pipkin inquired.

Lily decided to briefly explain the Efrafan buck's history with their friend at present. "Primrose used to be in a romantic relationship with Campion, until they broke up due to their different opinions about Woundwort and Efrafa."

"You claimed to have loved her when in reality you never did!" Hyzenthlay scowled, her icy blue eyes narrowed at the Owsla Captain.

"I do love her!" Campion retorted, burying his claws in the dirt. "She may have abandoned me, but do you really think I'd let her be tormented by Vervain or anyone else?!"

"And why should we believe you?" Bigwig refused to believe him. "When it seemed like you're trying to steal my doe back in the human greenhouse!"

"I never tried to steal Lily from you!"

"You're a liar!"

"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!" Holly snapped, pushing himself between the two bucks before anything else could happen. "We came here to talk, not to quarrel!"

"Fine, but my Owsla will be looking for me," Campion said. "What do you have to say?"

Hazel decided to get straight to the point of their visit. "This war between our warrens is hurting us all. It has to stop!"

"It will, when you've been destroyed."

"Easier said than done, mate." Bigwig snorted.

"Remember what I told you about being a good rabbit than being a good solider?" Holly attempted to reason with the brown buck. "I've been through exactly what I have back in Sandleford. I followed orders from the Threarah, unaware of the coming danger to our warren. When it was too late, I realized how wrong I've been about Hazel-rah and his companions."

"Woundwort preaches hate and violence." Primrose wanted a say in this as well, hoping to knock some sense into him. "You don't believe in him, Campion. I know you don't."

"He's my chief!" Campion declared his loyalty to Woundwort.

"You risked your life to stop his cruelty. You saved my life..."

"And then you left... with Hazel and the outsiders..."

"Because life inside Efrafa... without freedom and hope isn't worth living."

"Do you think watching your officers take advantage of does through rape and abuse is worth living?" Lily questioned, recalling everything she witnessed in Woundwort's tyranny. "Do you think forbidding the does to sing is worth living? Do you think Larch's suffering is worth living? Why do you think the does wanted to leave? They wanted a better life. They wanted happiness and freedom that has been stolen away long ago. And now, your Owsla is suffering just as much as the does did."

Primrose gazed up at him with pleading and hopeful eyes. "Help us, Campion. Help Efrafa."

"Humph! How?" Campion demanded.

"Lead your Owsla against Woundwort," Hazel answered, providing words of encouragement and motivation. "Take command. Save your people!"

Campion's stomach churned uneasy. Their words pierced through his stomach like a rifle's bullet. He turned away, miserably. He remembered seeing his officers and the slaves silflaying in the rain, their appearances thin and worn out. He recalled how cruelly Vervain abandoned Larch to die. He recalled how Woundwort couldn't care less about his own people and dismissed the Captain's concerns. But most of all… he remembered Larch, a buck that was under his command, left for dead all too soon. Campion could see at once that Woundwort's leadership is destroying Efrafa, but he grew torn between his conflicted feelings for helping his people and his loyalty to the General.

"We'll meet you here at Frith-down." Hazel didn't want to push Campion any further and give him time to think about it. "Give us your answer then."

As the rabbits turned to head back to their warren, Campion called out to his old girlfriend, "Primrose, are you happy where you are now?"

Pausing, Primrose turned around and smiled at him. "Yes, Campion. I am." She rejoined the others, where Hyzenthlay waited impatiently for her.

"I still don't trust him," she grumbled, following her comrade across the field to keep up with the others.

"We just need to take Campion with a pinch of salt every now and then," Primrose advised, using the same words that Blackberry used against Hawkbit when it came to questioning Fiver's visions one time.

Along the way, Lily grew quiet for a second as Bigwig's accusations against Campion for being a rival in love never left her brain. When he reached her side, she asked softly, "Bigwig, why would you accuse Campion of trying to steal me away?"

"It's just that..." Bigwig hesitated, "when you talk about him, I see a look in your eyes that sounds like you're smitten with him."

To his surprise, Lily began to giggle like a school girl while she assured her mate, "There's no need for you to think such things, Bigwig. I have no romantic feelings for him, but it's called an admiration for Campion." Her face fell in a dismal frown. "But I also feel sorry for him. He loved Primrose so much, and to not being able to love her the way Blackavar does... It's somewhat tragic, but noble at once, since he still wants to protect her from a monster like Woundwort. I mean... how would you feel in Campion's position? If either our kits or even I were ever put in a situation, whether or not we were mates or not, I mean?"

Bigwig stiffened as he drew in a sharp gasp, almost reminding the doe of the time he was caught in a snare. He grabbed her shoulders, eyes filled with alarm. "Lily, don't ever talk such nonsense! You should never speak like that! I don't want to lose you. You're my doe, and I love you and our babies. I'd never let Woundwort or anyone else harm you... and our children. So, don't ever speak of getting yourself or our babies killed by Woundwort again! CLEAR?!"

Lily was slightly disturbed to see her mate's violent reaction, but he loved her more than life itself and therefore had the right to be concerned. "I-I understand, Bigwig." She felt his paws tightened on her shoulders. "Can you let me go now, please?" And he released his hold on her, resuming their journey home.

The second Campion left the Watership rabbits, he had no idea that Vervain and his patrol had just arrived at the river for a drink when the bearded buck noticed Thlayli and his band of outsiders emerge from the undergrowth on the other side of the bridge, later on Campion appeared not long after heading toward the bridge. Vervain was surprised when he witnessed Campion glancing over his shoulder to watch the outsiders leave. He ordered his Owsla to take cover in the brambles as Campion passed them by. Suspicious of Campion's behavior, Vervain decided to interrogate him later. Right now, the outsiders were more important.

Too bad for Vervain that Kehaar had spotted him and alerted the outsiders, warning, "Run like bunnies! Ugly Vervain is after you!"

"Everyone, to the cave!" Bigwig commanded. "Stay off the sand so not to make tracks!"

The Watership rabbits darted across the grassy embankment, staying together so not to get separated nor fall into the river if one of them slipped. Hazel ordered everyone to hop over the embedded boulders when he heard the Efrafans were gaining on them. Luckily, they managed to find their warren's secret tunnel entrance through the willow tree's curtain that lead them back to the caverns. Again, the rabbits had to swim inside the tunnel until they got back to dry ground. In the distance behind them, they could listen to Vervain commanding his officers to move out.

"I think they're going away," Pipkin reported, sighing in relief.

"That was a near thing," Holly panted.

"Campion looks so thin and sad," Primrose said. "Things must be bad in Efrafa. No wonder Larch wanted the war to end before he died."

"Do you think he'll throw in with us?" Fiver asked.

"Even if things are bad enough, it'd still be hard to betray your chief," Bigwig added, "…even if it is Woundwort."

"But what if Vervain saw us with Campion?" Hyzenthlay worried.

"If he did, Campion may not have the chance," Hazel agreed, but he knew something else. "Woundwort trusts Campion a lot. Campion is too clever to be deceived by Vervain's methods if he tries to overthrow him. But we can't forget about Orchis. He's worse than Vervain when he had Nettle for a spy."

"Well, I'm sure Campion can outsmart those two idiot brothers if either one of them tried to expose him," Lily said, hopefully.


Meanwhile, Campion made his return to Efrafa, where to his surprise, a majority of the Owsla, save for the guards on duty watching the slaves, were not present above ground. Suddenly, Corporal Moss emerged from the main entrance to approach his Captain.

"We wondered if you'd get back. The General's waiting for your report from the Patrol," he told the brown buck before hopping with him to lead him to the General's burrow, this time with a majority of the Captains and the entire Council in the burrow.

"You're overdue, Captain Campion. What kept you?" General Woundwort questioned.

Campion briefly surveyed his surroundings, figuring this was the same situation they put Bigwig in during his interrogation in Efrafa. And no doubt Vervain, Orchis, or both of them were responsible for orchestrating this. He had to tread carefully as Bigwig did. "I was touring the perimeter, sir. Thinking."

The General turned to Vervain, silently signaling him to give his report. "Captain Campion… met with Thlayli and a small band of his outsiders…and one of them drew him into it. There was no fight, no attempt at capture," he reported as he slowly circled around the brown buck. "Do you deny it, Campion?"

"No," Campion replied straightforward.

The General let out a deep growl at this response while the Owsla and Council looked on. "No?...Is that all you have to say, Campion?"

"No, sir. They asked me to betray Efrafa."

This comment, of course, got a subtle but visible remark from Campion's fellow Owsla members, save for Orchis with a weaselly smirk and Vervain who appeared vindicated at a chance to tear his rival down.

"I knew it! I told you!" Vervain exclaimed.

"What's more..." Campion added with a sly grin, "I let them believe I would. Once I have earned their trust, they'll lead me to their warren. Then we'll destroy them all."

Vervain and Orchis immediately changed their faces to shocked silence as their plot to remove Campion from his position had taken a turn for the worse, while Woundwort himself allowed a slight smirk at this plan.

"Mmmmm… you're a rabbit after my own heart, Captain Campion. We've got them now. We will grind their bones…" he remarked before letting out a low, sinister chuckle.

"And you two dolts accused Campion of treason like fools." Sainfoin seethed in haughty disbelief at the speechless Orchis and Vervain.


After their first meeting, everyone decided to rest in the cavern and wait until sunset, so they can return to the meeting place where Campion will make his decision. To take their minds off the boredom, Holly challenged Fiver in a game of Bob-Stones. The Owsla Captain found himself baffled by the runt maintaining his dominance whenever he played. Hyzenthlay joined in and the doe won her first game of Bob-Stones against Holly, but he never complained. Pipkin wandered off to explore the cavern's little waterfall, until a little high-pitched voice alarmed him.

"HI, PIPKIN!" It was Aubretia, wagging her little tail and smiling at him.

Poor Pipkin lost his balance and fell on the little waterslide, carrying him to a small pool where he landed with a splash. Hazel, Bigwig and Lily worriedly rushed forward to fish out the young buck, but Pipkin emerged from the water, shallow enough for him to stand in. He crawled out of the pool and shook the water's contents off his fur.

"Aubretia, what are you doing here? You're supposed to stay with the other kittens!" Bigwig sternly scolded his young daughter.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. But I missed you and Mommy a lot," Aubretia explained, sadly. "I like playing with the other kittens, but Basil is so mean and Blackthorn is so bossy. Can I stay with you?"

"Of course, you can, sweetie." Lily nuzzled her daughter's forehead. "But your father and I will have important business to attend to in a while so... uhhh, how long has it been since we got back, Hazel?"

"I don't know," Hazel said. "Pipkin, go out and make sure if it's Frith-down."

Pipkin obeyed and he bounded off toward the stream by the tunnel. When he left, Aubretia decided to play on the little waterfall slide. The three adult rabbits simply gazed up at the cavern's ceiling in wonder, lost in thought.

"Strange that Frith would make something so beautiful, then hide it away beneath the world," Hazel commented.

"He does it with his creatures too," Lily replied, glancing over at the lion buck. "Like Bigwig... and Campion."

"What do you mean?" Bigwig inquired, puzzled.

"On the outside, you're both hard, cold and unfeeling..." Lily noticed the hard frown Bigwig gave her so she quickly explained her comparing the lion buck and Campion to the Chief Rabbit of the warren, "but inside... you're both a bit like Hazel."

Her answer was proven correct when Aubretia climbed out of the pool, Bigwig picked her up and gave her head tuft a quick washing before she pulled away, rubbing her head in disgust, but the lion buck just chuckled.

"Well, I'm just looking out for my little ones and for my mate!" Bigwig boasted with pride, giving Lily a quick kiss on the cheek that made her blush.

"Frith creates us, but we make ourselves who we are," Hazel said, grinning at his Captain's affectionate attention toward his mate and daughter.

Just then, Pipkin swam back to shore when he returned from the outside. "It's nearly Frith-down," he reported, panting. "And it's still raining."

"Right, we better get to the meeting place." Hazel gestured the male members, minus Pipkin, to head for the stream.

But as Lily came close to joining them, Bigwig firmly placed a paw on her chest to stop her as he said, "Stay here, darling. We don't know what will happen when we get there. You can help Primrose and Hyzenthlay keep an eye on Pipkin and Aubretia."

"Come along and stay here, fine!" Pipkin pouted, for he had been so eager to go with the bucks.

"Don't worry, we can play tail-tag before they come back," Aubretia suggested sweetly, much to Pipkin's chagrin.

Hyzenthlay came towards the shore just as the bucks jumped into the water, still doubtful about Campion. "What if you're wrong about Campion? What if it's a trap?"

"That's why neither of you arecoming," Hazel answered, sharing his thoughts with Bigwig of fearing the does will be captured or killed.

The three does understood that their Chief Rabbit and friends only wanted to keep them safe, and who knows what's going to occur at the meeting place with Campion. They silently prayed the hope of winning Campion over will be worth it.

"They'll be all right," pointed out Pipkin, hiding behind Lily from Aubretia. "They're the smartest rabbits in the world… except from El-ahrairah."

As soon as the buck rabbits of Watership Down made it outside the tunnel and out of the water back up on shore, they met up with Kehaar as the gull circled and hovered over their heads.

"I try to scout the area, but it's not easy seeing in this damn weather," he informed them. "Could be a whole Efrafan army hiding in mist to catch you."

"I suppose we'll just have to risk it," Hazel suggested, unsure. "Stay close, Kehaar, but out of sight."

"Near but far… this I like..." Kehaar remarked with intrigue as he flew back into the air.

The rabbits shared their small doubts of Campion's loyalty, but like their Chief said, they will just have to risk finding out when they get there. The group took the same path where they located the bridge in the first place, and to the disclosed clearing where there stood Captain Campion, whose eyes widened upon their arrival.

"Well, Campion, have you thought things over?" Hazel asked.

"Yes, and I've decided that you're right," Campion responded, sincerely. "There's no reason for our warrens to fight. It's time to stop this madness."

"Well said, Campion." Bigwig smiled with relief. "It's a new day for all of us."

Before any of the other Watership rabbits could speak, a familiar and weaselly voice sneered, "Hah! It's your last day, Thlayli!"

To their horror, Vervain emerged out of the bushes accompanied by eight other officers as they all surrounded the petrified Watership rabbits, all instantly scowling in Campion's direction, believing what they suspected could happen all along: an ambush. But Campion was clearly not expecting the most hated Captain in the Owsla to follow him, let alone ruin the moment.

"We might fall, but you'll die before me, Campion!" Bigwig snarled, enraged at this unexpected turn of events and turned on the mortified Campion.

"I knew nothing of this!" the Efrafan Captain tried to explain himself. "If we fall, we fall together!"

Vervain gasped at the brown buck's treachery. "Oh, I knew you were a traitor, Campion! Attack! KILL THEM ALL!"

"Don't move until I tell you." Campion murmured to the distrustful Watership rabbits.

"Not sure I trust you anymore, sport," Bigwig grunted.

"We have nothing to lose. What else can we do?" Holly knew this was no time for an argument as they needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Follow me!" Campion ordered, lunging himself at Vervain, knocking him to the ground.

No one needed to be told twice the Watership rabbits took off, keeping close to Campion. The bucks still didn't trust him after accusing him of betraying their trust, but no one wanted to start a fight whilst being pursued by the Efrafan Owsla. They made it to the riverbank, their powerful back legs assisted their escape as they raced across the field, almost as fast as El-ahrairah.

"Once we've lost them, we'll need a place to hide!" Campion shouted.

"We head back to the cave!" Bigwig yelled.

"No, it's too close!" Hazel refused. "Vervain will find it."

"Well, where then?"

"Follow me, I have an idea!"

Some of the Efrafan Owsla membered cornered them when they lunged out at them from the brambles, but Holly and Bigwig rushed forward and tackled the officers, sending them falling into the river.

In the back of his mind, Bigwig silently prayed that Lily and Aubretia, including Pipkin, are still safely hidden within the cave and out of danger.


Back inside the cavern, Lily tried to keep herself amused by playing Bob-Stones with Pipkin so not to fret worriedly over her friends' visit with Campion. Aubretia and Hyzenthlay played a game of hide and seek, but remained to stay close to their friends. Primrose kept pacing back and forth, leaving trail marks in her steps, quietly muttering nonsense that Lily could hardly understood, and it was beginning to bother her.

"WILL YOU CUT IT OUT?!" the ginger doe snapped, her reaction startled everybody. "I'm sure Hazel and the others will be alright. Why don't you find something to do to keep yourself amused?"

"I can't help it!" Primrose shook her head in deep concern. "They should have been back by now."

"I'll go look for them," Pipkin offered, hurrying over to the edge of the stream.

"I wanna go, too!" Aubretia hopped over, eager to join him.

"No way! You're too young!"

"I am not!"

The two kittens started to bicker and scuffle like immature children, but they failed to realize the stream had begun to overflow due to the rainstorm, and in the process, they tumbled over and plunged into the water. Breaking the surface, the kittens gasped and coughed, then struggled to get back to shore but failed.

"Primrose! Hyzenthlay, help!" Pipkin yelled, helplessly drifting along the current. "I can't touch the bottom!"

"Mommy, help me!" Aubretia wailed, as she couldn't swim properly, being a very young kitten.

Frenzied with distress, the three rushed over to the streamline and jumped into the water to save them.

"We're coming!" Primrose cried.

Hyzenthlay dashed forward in attempt to grab the kittens, but she missed. The current was picking up speed and it was too strong. It carried the helpless kittens toward the tunnel's exit. As soon as the little rabbits were out of the cave, the current from the river was too strong as it carried them downstream.

The two kittens tried to grab hold of the willows by the entrance, but the branches broke off. Lily and Primrose soon became caught in the current, but they grabbed ahold of a stronger branch, watching helplessly as the poor kittens cried out for help. Fortunately, Hyzenthlay was there to help Lily and Primrose out of the water.

"We must find the others and tell them!" Lily cried, almost close to a panic as she feared for her kitten's life, including young Pipkin's life.

Hyzenthlay and Primrose nodded in understanding, and the three does took off to find their friends.


Meanwhile, Hazel and his bucks had to escape from Vervain as quickly as possible. Although Campion made it quite clear of remaining unaware of the ambush, he felt an uneasy pain in his stomach of the accusations of treachery and betrayal aimed directly at him from both warrens. He was quite good at lying to get himself out of trouble with Vervain, but how could he fix this mess he had gotten himself into? He noticed a bunch of cows grazing in the field close to a nearby abandoned tractor. This gave Campion an idea to escape their pursuers.

"Quick, over there!" the Owsla Captain shouted.

The rabbits, though still doubtful of him, decided to take their chances and followed the Owsla Captain into the cows' field. They made it in time, just as Vervain and his officers arrived. Fortunately, neither of the Owsla members could find them as most of them were intimidated by the cows glaring in their direction.

"Heh! First, they're afraid of bees; now they're afraid of cows," Vervain chucked. "Now that's a good one."

All of a sudden, a disgruntled bull rammed his horns at the intruder, sending the cowardly buck flying through the air and tumbled a few acres away from the field. Vervain was more than badly hurt, but not enough to be seriously hurt. The Efrafan officers retreated when the bull snorted and bellowed angrily.

Cowardly as ever, Vervain shouted, "Let's get out of here!" And they all retreated.

Bigwig almost snickered at the Efrafans' being attacked by a cow, but he sensed there was something amidst going on here at present. "We lost them a little too easily, don't you think?" The lion buck scowled at Campion, silently scorning.

"It was supposed to be harder," Campion explained.

"What are you playing at, Campion?" Hazel demanded, looking just as cross as Bigwig is.

"And just what are the rules?" Fiver added with suspicion.

"Woundwort planned the ambush," Campion confessed. "You're supposed to think I'm on your side."

"And are you?" Bigwig inquired, frowning.

"I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't. I'm expected to find your warren and report back to Woundwort." Poor Campion sighed miserably, leaning his head against the cows' feeder box. "I hate this... I don't know who I am anymore."

Giving the brown buck his space, Hazel ushered the others a little further off and whispered, "Is he really on our side or is it just an act?"

"I just don't know anymore," Bigwig confessed, looking equally as lost as his friends are.

"It's all rather unrabbit-like. Lies are so confusing," Fiver added.

"But what if he is serious about it all?" Holly guessed, noticing the similarities between himself and Campion when he once felt himself in that position after his warren was destroyed.

Before anyone else could speak, the rabbits' ears pricked up when they heard three distressed female voices in the mist.

"Pipkin! Aubretia! Can you hear me?" That came from Primrose's voice.

"Aubretia, it's mommy! Answer me!" The second voice was obviously Lily.

"Children! Where are you?" And the last voice was no doubt Hyzenthlay.

Alarmed, the Watership rabbits ran as fast as they could to where Lily, Primrose and Hyzenthlay are. Campion also heard their calls and he grew concerned when he realized something was wrong. The bucks located the three does at the river, where a frantic Lily was already crying her eyes out and Hyzenthlay scouring the riverbank.

"What happened?" Hazel asked, urgently.

"It's Pipkin and Aubretia!" Lily shouted frantically, her eyes red with tears and her voice choked through shuttered breathing. "They're gone! We tried to save them, but the current was too strong!"

"The water just stole them away, Hazel!" Primrose's voice was broken and miserable, on the verge of crying. "We looked for their tracks, but we don't think they made it to shore. There was nothing we could do. Frith forgive me!"

"We can't find them anywhere! What if they drowned?!" Hyzenthlay exclaimed, lowering her head guiltily.

Bigwig was stunned, his eyes widened in horror. How could this happen to his daughter and to poor Pipkin? If only he had stayed behind or sent them back to the warren. He placed a comforting arm around Lily's shoulders and stroked her back soothingly. The lion buck was always good at masking his emotions, but his heart broke now that he lost his daughter, but to Pipkin, he felt like he had lost another son if Basil had been taken away by the river.

Hazel and Fiver exchanged concerned faces, but neither of them knew what to say to help the situation. Holly pressed his forehead against Hyzenthlay's head, noticing a small river of tears streaming down her cheeks.

"If they're alive, we'll find them," Campion consoled softly, trying to reach a paw out to comfort Primrose.

But Primrose grew furious, refusing to allow her old boyfriend to comfort her in the midst of a dire situation. She turned on him and scratched his paw away to prevent him from touching her. "IF THERE WAS NO EFRAFA, NO WOUNDWORT, WE WOULDN'T BE OUT HERE!" she screamed at the brown buck. "PIPKIN AND AUBRETIA WOULD STILL BE WITH US! NETTLE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!"

Campion regretted his choice of words, he only tried to help but it made the situation far worse, now that two small kittens were lost out in the rain storm. The rest of the bucks aimed dirty looks in his direction, except for Lily. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Just as Primrose left to keep searching, Kehaar came to a crash landing. He had been searching for the Watership rabbits when he found their location. "What's wrong? Bad things happen?" he asked.

"Very bad! Pipkin and Aubretia are missing, we need your help in finding them!" Hazel yelled. "Take Fiver and the others, and search down-river."

"Don't worry, we find the lost kits!" Kehaar obeyed, now suddenly concerned for the missing little rabbits.

No sooner had the others left, Bigwig stayed behind with Hazel and Campion. The two of them were debating on what to do with Campion. If he left them, he might reveal the location of their warren to Woundwort. Neither of them trusted the Owsla Captain. Lily noticed their vexed eyes slightly twitching as they stared at him, worrying her.

"Why don't we kill him, just to be on the safe side?" Bigwig raised his paws, extending his sharp claws as he prepared to draw blood. If anything happened to Aubretia or Pipkin, he would kill this hufsa for good.

"No, Bigwig!" Lily immediately threw herself between the two bucks.

"Stand aside, lass!" The lion buck commanded angrily, but the doe refused to bunch an inch and not even Hazel trying to pull her aside would succeed.

Instead of putting up a fight, Campion stayed calm and spoke reasonably, "I know you don't trust me."

"You've got that right, hufsa!"

"I'm going back to Efrafa. I'll tell Woundwort you saw through my ploy. I'll work against him from the inside."

Hazel and Bigwig's angered distrust faded to shock and disbelief, especially Lily. Hadn't Vervain figured it out when Campion saw them with him? He might report to Woundwort of Campion's betrayal and the brown buck would be slaughtered to death.

"You're mad!" Hazel warned. "They won't believe you! Woundwort will kill you, just to be on the safe side!"

"I can make him believe it... if you help me." Gradually, Campion focused his attention at Bigwig. "It has to look as though I fought for the honor of Efrafa. You understand, don't you, Bigwig?" This time, he no longer called him Thlayli.

Bigwig stared at the Owsla Captain, then he felt something other than hatred or jealousy toward him. It was admiration. Campion was willing to go this far to help them, even if it killed him. The lion buck slowly began to realize this might be one of the reasons why Lily admired Campion so much and how wrongly he behaved when he jumped to conclusions of questioning Campion's loyalty. "I'll take care of it," he agreed.

"What? No, you can't!" Lily realized what was about to happen and she immediately disapproved of the idea.

"You two, you'd best go help look for the kittens. Go catch up with Kehaar and the others."

Lily still protested, but Hazel nudged her to go onward. What Bigwig will do next to Campion would be unpleasant for Lily to witness. With no other choice, the ginger doe trudged after Hazel.

"I'll make it quick, Campion."

In the distance behind Lily and Hazel, the two rabbits could hear Campion's cries of pain and agony when Bigwig did what he always did in combat. To Lily, the cries felt like nails on a chalk board. Hazel put a comforting paw on her shoulder, assuring her that Campion will be fine. He, too, started to feel an admiration for Campion, nor did he approve of Campion's plan. The two rabbits caught up with their friends at the riverbank, all of them were in miserable silence.

"Did you find them?" Lily asked.

"No, there's not a trace of Pipkin or Aubretia," Holly reported, lowering his head in shame.

"Little ones still not here... nor anywhere," Kehaar added, sadly.

At that moment, Bigwig arrived with a saddened yet sickening frown. His paws and mouth stained with blood, which the rain water washed away. "Campion's gone back to Efrafa," his voice was dry and hoarse.

"What happened back there?" Holly demanded, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"I'll explain later. Right now, Aubretia and Pipkin are more important!" No sooner Bigwig spoke, the rest of the gang rushed further downstream to continue their search for the missing kits.


However, neither Pipkin nor Aubretia were still lost in the river. They had the unfortunate rescue from drowning by Vervain and his Owsla, right after their escape from the cows. Realizing these two lost kits were members of Thlayli's warren, Vervain forcibly dragged them back to Efrafa. The two kittens shuddered at the state of the warren, all of those staring cold eyes of the Owsla officers and the darkness of the warren's tunnels.

When learning of whom Vervain found, Woundwort correctly deduced by Aubretia's appearance that she must be Thlayli and Lily's daughter, but he wrongly assumed Pipkin must be their son. He carefully thought up a devious plan that could destroy Thlayli and his outsiders forever. He met the frightened kits in the Council's chamber whilst the youngsters stared at him with a mixture of fear and awe.

"Uncle Bluebell is right," Aubretia whispered to her friend. "Woundwort IS the biggest rabbit in the world."

"You're lucky that Captain Vervain found you, little ones." The General smiled at the scared young kits.

Pipkin bravely shielded Aubretia as she trembled at this massive heavily scarred rabbit before them as he boldly replied, "We won't tell you anything, so you might as well just kill me! But leave Aubretia out of this!"

Woundwort chuckled at the young buck's courage, masking his wickedness with a false kindness as he feigned shock. "What sort of stories have you been hearing about me? I'd never do that. You're both my guests." He glanced down at Groundsel and Moss, ordering, "Show the little ones to the best quarters in Efrafa, and make sure they get flayrah from my private store."

Stunned, Pipkin and Aubretia shared confused expressions. Neither of them understood why the General was behaving so politely to them. Although a warm and dry burrow was better than a cold and dangerous river, and a taste of flayrah did sound quite delicious to them.

"Umm, thank you... General Woundwort," Pipkin said, as he and Aubretia were led down another tunnel with Groundsel and Moss as their escorts.

"Yes... thank you, Mr. Woundwort," Aubretia added, her fear of him naively evaporating.

No sooner had the young kits left the Council's chamber, some of the bucks started to question what on earth is going through the General's mind to invite two small kits from the enemy's warren as his guests, although the rest of the officers correctly understood what game their leader is playing at.

"I'll have those young kits thinking I'm their dear old uncle before long," Woundwort muttered, pleased to put his plan into motion.

Moss entered the chamber, looking very upset. "General, Captain Campion's returned. He's in his burrow, but it looks like those outsiders gave him a nasty thrashing."

Though slightly concerned, Woundwort left the Council's chamber and headed for his Captain's burrow, where he found Campion lying on the floor. His face and chest caked in blood and open gashes left bleeding to stain the floor. His legs were stretched far out like he had been asleep, only he wasn't tired. Bits of his ears had been chewed off. He was in a bad shape that even Woundwort found him unrecognizable as his mismatched eyes fixed upon him.

"They didn't believe me, General..." the Owsla Captain spoke weakly, "they were going to kill me... I had to fight my way out..."

"I suppose I wouldn't have believed you either, Campion." Woundwort gently took the Captain's face up to examine him and his body, but thankfully, neither of his gashes were serious. "No matter. I have a new game to play now. But for now, as soon as Vervain comes back, I'm going to have a… chat with him and his brother about their recent accusations."

When the General left the burrow, Campion began to wonder what his Chief was up to. Probably something far worse than what he always seen the General does to his slaves. But he hated himself for lying to his Chief and to betray him... it was tragedy he will never get over.


The rain had finally stopped and the skies were beginning to clear up, revealing a beautiful half-moon and dazzling stars in the heavens above. But this was not the time to rejoice over the weather changing while the Watership rabbits searched high and low all over the riverbank for Pipkin and Aubretia, their search party coming to a high old stone wall in front of the tall grass.

"We'll never find them," Hyzenthlay sighed, fearing the worst.

"We have to keep searching!" Bigwig insisted, fiercely determined to find the kits.

Suddenly a familiar figure appeared at the top of the wall. It was Vervain, though his ears scratched up by the General as a punishment for his unjust accusations against Campion, and his presence forced the Watership rabbits to take cover in the tall grass.

"Outsiders!" he shouted. "I know you're out there. General Woundwort sends you a message: Thlayli-rah and Lily, you have till the moon is round to surrender to Efrafa or you'll never see your children, Pipkin and Aubretia, alive again! Remember, till the moon is round!" He pointed to the half-moon in the sky before he disappeared.

Vervain's words shot the Watership rabbits like a farmer's gun as they were filled with absolute terror. Pipkin and Aubretia had been kidnapped by their enemies, and the next round moon is only a few nights away. So, unless Bigwig and Lily give themselves up for the safety of their kits, the poor children will die.

"No..." Bigwig gasped, his eyes radiating a cold fury when he buried his claws in the ground.

"They've got Aubretia and Pipkin!" Lily cried, taking the news really hard as much as any mother would when her children are threatened.

"Hazel?" Fiver spoke solemnly, voicing everyone's thoughts. "What do we do?"

For the first time in his life, Hazel had no plan whatsoever to rescue two of the most precious lives everyone ever knew in their warren.