Hardly a day had elapsed since Pipkin and Aubretia had come home safe and sound after their dreadful imprisonment in Efrafa. Yet already the youngsters seemed near to recovery, neither of them seemed less the worse when discovering General Woundwort's dark past and felt a tremendous sympathy toward the Chief Rabbit of Efrafa. Their fellow kittens asked multiple questions about what life in the enemy warren is like. Pipkin and Aubretia answered one question at a time, expressing no fear or concern over their adventures like it was no trouble at all.

As several of the rabbits began to silflay above ground one morning, Pipkin and Aubretia noticed how alert Bigwig behaved as he stood on his hind legs and kept a stern lookout everywhere on the down, almost expecting an Efrafan soldier or an elil to jump out any second now and snatch up his kittens. Ever since their homecoming, Bigwig started acting strange. Whenever the kits ventured outside, he often accompanied them and made sure whatever places to silflay or pass hraka is a safe distance away from the edge of the hill. Lily just stood to the side calmly nibbling on the grass looking quite content, though she grew disturbed by her mate's behavior and rolled her eyes.

"Bigwig, will you relax? Nothing's going to happen," the doe scolded him.

"You never know when something will happen," the lion buck responded. "Besides, I'm Captain of Owsla and it's my job to make sure my family is protected."

"That's very sweet of you, darling, but you mustn't worry so much."

"He's just being the overprotective father who-" Bluebell began, who remained at a distance beside Holly to silflay.

"Don't make a joke!" growled Bigwig. "You seem to think-"

"I wasn't going to. I was just saying a protective father who looks after his mate and kits excessively could lead to unhealthy relationships with his family."

"He's right," agreed Holly, impressed by the blue buck's wise words. "I'm afraid you might become more anxious enough to keep your kits from growing up to become independent rabbits."

Although he understood what they're saying, Bigwig tried to explain reasonably on his part, "I lost Lily because I was careless enough to let her get captured. It was that same carelessness that got Aubretia and Pipkin kidnapped. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes again in the future. So, would you please let me stand sentry just in case?"

"Absolutely not, Thlayli! I understand how you feel, but there is no need to stand guard all the time. So for the sake of your family, please take the day off."

There was no point in arguing with his commanding officer, so Bigwig gave up reluctantly and got back down on all fours to silflay, but his fierce eyes scanned the area like a hawk. Holly groaned, shaking his head in dismay at him.

"I have an idea!" Bluebell perked up. "How about I tell a story to lift everyone's spirits? Maybe a story of El-ahrairah?"

"That's a wonderful idea!" Lily praised, intrigued. Truthfully, she had never heard of any other El-ahrairah stories other than Frith's Blessing and Rowsby Woof. This might be a good time to hear one or more. "I know you mentioned the story of the King's Lettuce back in Cowslip's warren, but to tell you the truth I never stayed to listen. I sort of got distracted by their does chanting at the pink glittering shape."

"Oh, don't worry, lass. I can tell it again." Bluebell waved it off like it didn't matter.

Then Strawberry lolloped over to them. "Are you going to tell a story of El-ahrairah? I'd like to hear one," she said, intrigued.

"Didn't you ever learn the stories?" asked Aubretia.

"No, sweetheart. Cowslip says they're full of lies."

"Shows what that bastard knows," scoffed Bigwig, under his breath.

"Watch your language!" Holly grunted, giving the lion buck a small cuff on the head for using a bad word when the kits are close by.

"I want to hear a story!" Young Threar came galloping out of the grass, joined by the rest of the kittens and their parents.

Apparently, the news of Bluebell telling the tales of El-ahrairah brought the whole colony of rabbits to gather around in a misshaped circle, almost as if telling stories was a very popular hobby to do in a warren as Lily assumed. But this is El-ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits and the Prince with a Thousand Enemies, the most popular and most legendary hero to all rabbit-kind.

Bluebell cleared his throat dramatically and spoke in a loud and clear voice, "There was a time when El-ahrairah and his people had lost all their luck. The Thousand drove them out in exile and they were forced to live in the marshes of Kelfazin…"

Where is this Kelfazin place? Lily wondered, baffled. She had never seen it on a map of the world whenever Henry needed to use a map for a part of his homework.

The Marshes of Kelfazin were a dreary place where there was no food but coarse grass, and even the grass was mixed with bitter rushes and docks. The ground was too wet for digging: the water stood in any hole that was made. But all the other animals had grown so suspicious of El-ahrairah and his tricks that they would not let him out of that wretched country.

Prince Rainbow, a spirit whose body shone more colors than any rainbow in the sky or any field of flowers, and his appearance when appearing in person might resemble a human except for his pointed elf ears told he was probably a fairy, would come every day to check up on the rabbits, for he was Frith's messenger. Knowing how Frith granted Prince Rainbow the power to command the sky as he thought best, El-ahrairah complained to him about his people's misery in the marshes. "Prince Rainbow," he told him, "my people are cold and cannot get underground because of the wet. Their food is so dull and poor that they will be sick when the bad weather comes. Why do you keep us here against our will? We do no harm."

"El-ahrairah," replied Prince Rainbow, "all the world knows that you are a thief and a trickster. Now your tricks have caught up with you, so your people must live here until you can persuade me that you will be an honest rabbit."

"Then we shall never get out, for I would be ashamed to tell my people to stop living by our gift, no more than Frith be if asked to not serve by his. Would you let us out if I could swim across a lake full of pike?"

"No, for I have heard of that trick of yours, El-ahrairah, and I know how it is done."

"What if I can steal the lettuces from King Darzin's garden? Would we be let go, then?"

Now King Darzin ruled over the biggest and richest of the animal cities in the world at that time. His soldiers were very fierce and his lettuce garden was surrounded by a deep ditch and guarded by several sentries day and night. It was near his palace, on the edge of the city where all his followers lived.

When El-ahrairah talked of stealing King Darzin's lettuces, Prince Rainbow mockingly replied, "You can try, Prince Rabbit. If you succeed, I will multiply your people everywhere and no one will be able to keep them out of a vegetable garden from now till the end of the world. But what will really happen is that you will be killed by the soldiers and the world will have one less trickster."

"Very well." El-ahrairah nodded. "We shall see."

Prince Rainbow? King Darzin? I never heard of such royalties. Lily pondered over what kind of mythical creature this Prince Rainbow might be, or what sort of creature this King Darzin must be. She poked Blackberry in the shoulder and whispered, "What sort of creature is King Darzin? And who is Prince Rainbow? Is he really a fairy or a spirit god?"

Blackberry shrugged her shoulders and answered quietly, "I have no idea, though our people often assume he is either a hare or a beaver. As for Prince Rainbow, perhaps he is a fairy lord of the rainbow."

Bluebell cleared his throat a bit to draw back their attention. "As I was saying…"

It was at that moment, a hedgehog named Yona, not the Yona we have as our neighbor, had overheard this conversation while out foraging for snails and slugs. He traveled hastily to the great palace to warn the king.

"King Darzin," he sniffled, "that wicked thief, El-ahrairah, said he will steal your lettuces and he is coming to trick you and get into the garden."

Angered, King Darzin hurried down to the lettuce garden and sent for the captain of the guard, telling him to double the guards, gardeners, and weeders around and inside his royal garden, and make sure that not a single head of lettuce leaves without his command. The captain of the guard did as he was told.

That night, El-ahrairah came out of the marshes of Kelfazin and went secretly up to the great ditch. With him was his trusty Captain of Owsla, Rabscuttle. They squatted in the bushes and watched the doubled guards patrolling up and down. When the morning came, they saw all the gardeners and weeders in the garden as well. El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle came away in perplexity when neither of them could come up with a plan to steal the lettuces and that very day, when Prince Rainbow came walking through the marshes, he asked, "Well, well, Prince of a Thousand Enemies, where are the lettuces?"

"I am having them delivered," answered El-ahrairah. "There will be rather too many to carry." Then he and Rabscuttle went secretly down one of their few burrows where there was no water, put a sentry outside and talked for a day and a night over the situation.

Lily snickered a tiny giggle at the name Rabscuttle. She had never heard of such a name, nor know of a plant or flower by the name of Rabscuttle. The doe ceased snickering when she noticed Bigwig glaring in her direction, silently ordering her not to make fun of Rabscuttle's name as he admired him.

Many moons passed as the two rabbits ventured around Darzin's vast domain, looking for a way to steal the King's lettuce. One day, they found the King's many children playing and frolicking out in another garden with their mothers and nursemaids. Hatching an idea, El-ahrairah told Rabscuttle to sneak into the garden by posing as one of the King's children before whispering the rest of his plan into his ear and handing him a pawful of nightshade petals. Once inside the garden, Rabscuttle eagerly befriended one of the King's sons, who then unwittingly escorted him inside the palace. When the son wasn't looking, Rabscuttle made his way to the storeroom where the lettuces were held. He then began chewing on the petals before placing a bit inside each lettuce before sneaking away to hide.

All of the lettuces would then be eaten by the King and his people when he held a grand feast that night before falling ill soon after. At first, they thought nothing of it until they found themselves growing sicker than ever due to eating the lettuces which Rabscuttle would secretly poison each night. Meanwhile, on the fifth night, back in the marshes, Rabscuttle escaped the palace and returned to the marshes to report his progress. El-ahrairah would carry out the next part of his plan. Painting his tail white and covering his fur with mud, blackberries, and different grasses, he disguised himself as a healer sent by Prince Rainbow to examine the King before telling Rabscuttle to arrange an all-out raid on the King's Lettuces.

After making for the kingdom and "examining" him and his subjects, he explained to King Darzin that the sickness came from the spoiled lettuces. He told the King that source was an illness that weakens all animals, but none more so than to rabbits: the dreaded "Lousepedoodle" which flew in ever-decreasing circles through the Gunpat of the Cludge, isolated by the purple Awago and maturing in the grey-green forests of the Okey Pokey.

A chorus of laughter erupted from the audience. Bigwig burst out laughing, his voice creating a booming echo that Lily never heard before. Now she knew why he claimed this story as one of his favorites. She started to laugh alongside him, glad to see him enjoying himself. Strawberry released a high-pitched squeal of laughter, now finding the story more interesting instead of behaving the opposite as she did before in Cowslip's warren.

It was then that the Captain of the Guard came in to report that El-ahrairah's people were preparing a siege on the palace to steal the lettuces. Deciding to rid his people of sickness and rid himself of one of his most dangerous enemies, King Darzin ordered that all the lettuces from his royal garden would be thrown over the walls and down on the raiding rabbits, believing the rabbits would become ill themselves from eating the lettuces.

At that time, Rabscuttle and his Owsla had just reached the wall when they saw heads of hearty lettuce rain down from beyond Darzin's walls. After quickly departing from the King's Court, El-ahrairah discarded his disguise and rejoined Rabscuttle and the Owsla to bring back the lettuces to the marshes of Kelfazin. Upon return, El-ahrairah found a stunned Prince Rainbow, who was shocked to find all the lettuces having been delivered. He was flabbergasted at being unwittingly deceived by El-ahrairah, but he knew a messenger of Frith is bound to his word, just as El-ahrairah was true to his own. Honoring the promise, Prince Rainbow agreed to let the rabbits go free out of the marshes of Kelfazin, bringing them to a new warren where they multiplied ever more in their new home…

"…and from that day on, no power on earth can keep a rabbit out of a vegetable garden, for El-ahrairah prompts them with a thousand tricks, the best in the world!"

The rabbits cheered and praised Bluebell for his talent in telling the story, even the kittens applauded to show their approval.

"That is the funniest story I have ever heard, and the best in the world!" Lily echoed the blue buck's words of the story's epilogue, her tail wagging ecstatically. "Now I wish I had stayed in the Great Burrow to listen to it."

"Whatever do you mean?" Hazel asked.

"I got distracted by Cowslip's does chanting whatever they said, 'Devoted are we to the path he decides,' or some other nonsense. I forgot the rest."

"That's all right. At least you got the chance to hear of the King's Lettuce."

"I'd like a turn to be a narrator in telling another El-ahrairah story," Speedwell volunteered.

"Really?" Dandelion raised an eyebrow, doubtfully. "You tell as many jokes as Bluebell, but I've never heard you tell a story yet. I'm sure all those jokes ought to add up to a story, that is if they're laid to end the story properly."

"Give Speedwell a chance," convinced Clover. "It'd be fair to take turns so that anyone can tell an El-ahrairah story."

Hesitating, Dandelion gave in to the former hutch doe's request. "All right, but don't say that I didn't warn you."

Speedwell excitedly took Bluebell's place in the center of the misshaped circle, clearing his throat to make sure his voice was perfect enough to tell a good story. Then clearing his throat, he began. "It happened after El-ahrairah had gotten his people out of the marshes of Kelfazin. They went to the meadow of Fenlo and dug their holes there to make their homes. Prince Rainbow still kept an eye on the Prince Rabbit, and determined to see that he didn't get up to any more of his tricks..."

Again, another place even I have never heard of on the map. Where does the name Fenlo come from anyway? Lily wondered in her thoughts.

One evening, El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle were sitting on by the riverbanks when Prince Rainbow came through the meadows, bringing with him a hlessi, a rabbit that El-ahrairah had never seen before. Prince Rainbow told the Prince Rabbit that Lord Frith had decided that El-ahrairah would no longer be allowed to share a burrow with Rabscuttle because of their bad influences on each other. Rabscuttle was to move in another burrow at the other end of the warren. Prince Rainbow then introduced the hlessi to El-ahrairah, his name being Hufsa, and told him that he wanted to make sure that Hufsa was taken special care of in the warren by having him share a burrow with El-ahrairah.

Hufsa is what Bigwig used to call me when he lost his temper, Lily thought to herself after hearing that name. As much as Lily hated to be reminded of that word, she was eager to learn why the two rabbits insulted her as a Hufsa hence this story seemed to mention him.

Despite the desperate annoyance that El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle felt when no longer allowed to share a burrow, it was one of the Prince Rabbit's rules to never let anyone see when he got angry. And besides, he felt sorry for Hufsa because he seemed lonely and awkward, so El-ahrairah welcomed him and promised to help him settle down in the warren. Hufsa was very friendly and anxious to please all of the rabbits. Rabscuttle grew jealous of this newcomer and distrusted him, but he had to remain polite to Hufsa. After a short time, El-ahrairah noticed how things always gone wrong in his schemes from a man armed with a thunder stick in the cornfield he and his people had planned to raid to finding wire in a hole that El-ahrairah dug into a cabbage garden.

The Prince Rabbit could only conclude a spy in the warren, a rabbit who was reporting to either the farmers…or someone who told the farmers. but he trusted all of the rabbits he knew the longest… except for Hufsa who arrived moments before things went wrong. Rabscuttle came to him one night to share his suspicions, and those suspicions also landed upon Hufsa. They soon figured that this was Prince Rainbow's idea to keep the rabbits in line. They knew they had to remove Hufsa before their people would starve, but without drawing the wrath of Prince Rainbow, and by association Lord Frith.

Nobody needed to tell Lily what the word Hufsa meant after all; traitor. This deduction discouraged her, but she continued to listen more.

One day, Prince Rainbow paid a visit to the warren to congratulate El-ahrairah on having reformed himself, and even invited El-ahrairah, Rabscuttle and Hufsa to watch him plant a brand-new garden full of delicious carrots, all the while warning the Prince Rabbit that any rabbit caught stealing from the garden will be severely punished. While this whole business infuriated El-ahrairah from Prince Rainbow's subtle taunt, it DID give El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle a stroke of genius. That night, they began devising a plan to get rid of Hufsa once and for all, and not only that, but to steal the carrots...

"…Uhh, is he supposed to be doing that?" Speedwell inquired, stopped in his train of thought.

Baby Rowan was tinkling on a cluster the dandelion puffs. By the time most of the rabbits discovered whom Speedwell pointed out, everyone had bust a gut. An embarrassed Silver immediately pulled his kit to the side, apologizing for his infant son's actions, but Speedwell waved it off since everyone found it amusing before continuing on.

That night, El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle enlisted the help of Yona the hedgehog and Hawock the pheasant, offering them favors and food in exchange for their cooperation, while whispering their roles unto them. Soon after, El-ahrairah asked Hufsa his help in stealing the carrots, insisting they depart for tonight. Hufsa considered this would be the opportunity to end El-ahrairah's career and become the new Prince of the rabbits, so he agreed, unknowingly falling into El-ahrairah's great game against Prince Rainbow.

"What is going to happen to El-ahrairah next? He's gonna get into trouble," Aubretia whispered to her parents, looking worried.

"I don't know, sweetie." Lily shook her head.

"Just be patient, darling. The best part is yet to come," Bigwig assured her, grinning.

The next morning after a very successful raid, Prince Rainbow came over the fields accompanied by two vicious black dogs, both of them snarling at the terrified rabbits. He angrily announced that El-ahrairah is under arrest for stealing his carrots and that Hufsa agreed to testify against him. To showcase his "fairness", Prince Rainbow organized a show trial with the jury consisting of animals who would gladly testify against any rabbit. The jurors – a wolf, a fox, a weasel, a stoat, a hawk, an owl, and a cat - all stared hungrily at El-ahrairah, who was placed between the two dogs, promised the task of carrying out the death sentence. The rabbits also attended, all wailing in despair as they felt sure it was all over for El-ahrairah.

"Ohh, this is gonna be good," Hawkbit muttered, excited for his favorite part of the story to come.

Prince Rainbow brought in the witness, Hufsa, to testify against El-ahrairah. The pathetic Hufsa told the elil how El-ahrairah had terrified him into helping him steal Prince Rainbow's carrots. He had wanted to refuse, but he was too frightened by El-ahrairah forcing him to go along with it. But after Prince Rainbow's questioning, El-ahrairah began his questions, this time about their supposed journey to steal the carrots, all while pretending he cannot remember anything about it. Hufsa recalled the strange details from the raid the night before: a singing hedgehog covered in dog-rose petals, a pheasant that swam to grow new tail feathers, and Frith's messenger, a rabbit with green ears, a red tail, and a white stick in his muzzle.

Little did Hufsa know that El-ahrairah planned these details ahead of time along the path of the raid, growing disbelief within the jury of elil, whilst El-ahrairah kept an air of fatherly patience with Hufsa's rambling, denying ever seen such creatures. Hufsa denounced the Prince Rabbit as a thieving liar. However, by the time Hufsa was done, the elil jurors were all convinced the rabbit had either gone mad or had been a liar himself. When Hufsa even led Prince Rainbow to the hole where the supposed carrots were hidden the night before, they found no carrots at all. The wolf, who led the jury by virtue of his great teeth, told Prince Rainbow that they could not convict El-ahrairah due to the lack of evidence and for the sheer tall tale Hufsa had spun. As a result, El-ahrairah was found not guilty and released back to his people, while Prince Rainbow took Hufsa away in a scorning huff. El-ahrairah and his people were left in peace…

"…although the Prince Rabbit and his people suffered quite the indigestion brought on by eating too many carrots, and it would take a while to wash off Rabscuttle's ears and tail before his fur would be normal again," Speedwell concluded.

There came another round of cheers by the adults and applause by the young kittens. Lily remained frigidly silent the whole time, despite the happy ending of the story. Only Bigwig took notice of her behavior, his cheerful demeanor replaced by concern for his mate.

"Darling, what's wrong?" he asked.

Lily gave no response at first, but then she spoke in a soft whisper, "Hufsa... it's what you called me at Cowslip's warren, it means 'traitor,' doesn't it?"

Bigwig clenched his jaw, stupefied. "H-How did... look, I never meant what I said back then, but I know I was wrong to even say it, especially to you." Remorse pierced his stomach while he recalled back to that time in Cowslip's warren where his accusations against her, Hazel and Fiver almost brought his death.

"I know you are wrong, but I was afraid to find out what it means." Lily turned away, her eyes averting from Bigwig momentarily.

The lion buck would have given anything to take it all back, until Hazel's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Well done, Speedwell. You told it marvelously!" the Chief Rabbit commended.

"I told you I can be just as good as Dandelion and Bluebell," said Speedwell.

"Speaking of myself, I'd like a go at telling a story!" Dandelion raised his paw to volunteer to go next, of course nobody objected, so the blonde buck took his place in the circle's center. "This is a story of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé."

Voices murmured and the rabbits shuddered, as this tale is known to be fearful and downright supernatural. Some of the adults worried their kittens wouldn't like it, however, Bigwig urged him to continue and tell the story. Lily's eyes lit up instantly. Although she didn't smile, the doe wanted to hear of what El-ahrairah had done in his adventures to catch the attention of this mysterious Black Rabbit.

Dandelion stood up tall with dignity and began telling the tale, "It happened after the King's Lettuces, because King Darzin found out about El-ahrairah's deception. He began scheming his revenge against the Prince Rabbit, whom learned what the King is up to, warned his people to be careful when out alone or to stay in their burrows..."

One day, the threat that El-ahrairah warned his people about came: King Darzin had ordered his soldiers to besiege the Prince Rabbit's warren in the fields of Fenlo. There were guards at every entrance, all with orders to kill any rabbit that approaches or leaves the warren, save for the Prince Rabbit who was to be captured. The King planned on making an example of the trickster by making him into a servile work beast in his kingdom, toting heavy loads like a horse. But as much as El-ahrairah wanted to remain free, he loved his people too much to risk their freedom for his. With only one other recourse to take, El-ahrairah and his faithful friend Rabscuttle decided to seek out the one being in the whole world with the power to save their people: the Black Rabbit of Inlé himself.

For many moons, as King Darzin's soldiers watched the entrances to the warren, El-ahrairah had Rabscuttle and his Owsla dig a long tunnel beneath them, reaching towards an unguarded clearing. Soon after, they quietly slipped out to set forth on their journey. After many days and nights, the duo came to a desolate place and misty place, where a huge black hole awaited them in the center. Within that hole was the warren of the Black Rabbit himself. Rabscuttle at first urged the Prince Rabbit to reconsider, but El-ahrairah would dare anything, even face the Rabbit of Death eye-to-eye while risking his doom for theirs.

With that conviction, they jumped in, finding themselves running down tunnel after tunnel until near the core of the world, they saw in the main burrow the Black Rabbit. Noting the living among his dead Owsla, he asked El-ahrairah why he had come here. El-ahrairah explained that he had come to trade his life for the lives of his people. However, the Black Rabbit told him that he never took bargains from the living, and knew that even if a deal was made, the Prince Rabbit would eventually think of ways to trick the black spirit into letting him leave the warren alive. Nevertheless, the Black Rabbit allowed El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle to stay in his warren as guests.

Night after night, El-ahrairah would be invited to entertain the Black Rabbit with bets. Should the Prince Rabbit win one of them, the Black Rabbit would accept his bargain to take his life for his people. But should he lose, the Black Rabbit would take something from El-ahrairah save death itself. However, for each bet made, the Black Rabbit would win and take something from the Prince Rabbit, starting with his tail, then his whiskers, his ears, and so on. With each bet lost, the Prince Rabbit became less and less rabbit, all the while a concerned Rabscuttle would beg him to give up and leave this place. But El-ahrairah remained determined to save his people, no matter the cost.

Despite the conviction, El-ahrairah felt his spirit begin to wane until one moon, he decided that if the Black Rabbit would not take his life by a deal, then he would have to find another way to help his people, even if it meant his own end. He had overheard from Owsla soldiers outside his and Rabscuttle's burrow about a place in the warren that carried the worst disease known to all rabbit-kind, the White Blindness. Deciding on one last recourse, the Prince Rabbit snuck out of his burrow and into that diseased area in the hopes of contracting the disease to spread among Darzin's soldiers.

However, after a day and night, the Black Rabbit approached El-ahrairah, telling him that his attempts were in vain, for the White Blindness was carried by fleas who would then spread it from the ears of rabbits. And because the Black Rabbit had already taken his ears, he could never contract the disease and die. Nonetheless, the Rabbit of Death had seen that the Prince Rabbit was clearly desperate if he was willing to risk illness to save his people, showing that there truly was no end to El-ahrairah's love for his people, even if it meant losing his own life, proving his offer to be true. But to save face, he told El-ahrairah that he would save his people if he and Rabscuttle left and never returned, that he would come for them when their time had come and not before.

After a long and dangerous journey, the two have returned to find their warren not only surviving but thriving. It turns out the Black Rabbit indeed kept his word as he had claimed all the soldiers that Darzin sent and cast them beyond this world, to a place even more treacherous and desolate than the Black Rabbit's warren. As they looked on, Lord Frith shined upon El-ahrairah, for having gained wisdom from even the desolation that was the Black Rabbit's lair, gifting him with all that the Prince Rabbit had lost to the Black Rabbit, each gift restoring a bit of his true nature…

"…It was said that there was a little starlight in them, but it was really quite faint, so not enough to give away a clever thief and caring leader like El-ahrairah!" Dandelion finished.

A faint applause started within the crowd, and everyone turned to see Lily applauding. She may have been disturbed by the details, but she grew relieved that everything turned out all right for El-ahrairah. This motivated all of the rabbits to applaud Dandelion, who smiled and gave a small bow.

As the applause died down, Hazel glanced up at the sky. The rabbits had been so enthralled in El-ahrairah's stories that no one realized how late it had gotten. The last rays of the sun peeked over the distant hills, and the owls will be out hunting soon. "It's almost Frith-down. We'd better get inside," he instructed.

The rabbits scurried off to their burrows underground to retire for the night. Whilst Lily prepared her bedding to make it look comfortable for her kittens to sleep in, Vilthuril entered her burrow, her expression a miserable frown.

"What's the matter?" Lily asked. "Didn't you like the stories?"

"Oh, I do. Very much, I do." Vilthuril nodded. "But there's something I need to tell you." She poked her head out of the burrow to make sure nobody is listening, then spoke in a whisper, "I just overheard Bigwig talking to Hazel-rah. They're both extremely concerned by what happened to Pipkin and Aubretia, and they fear the rest of the kittens might suffer the same fate if Woundwort caught them. They both talked it over and decided to confine all of the kittens to the warren, until Woundwort is defeated."

Lily gasped, staring at the runt doe and unable to process over what she just learned. "Are you serious?!"

"I am, serious."

"But they can't do this! It's not fair to keep all kits confined to the warren!"

"Apparently, Hazel is sharing his concern with Bigwig over their safety."

Lily's face tightened in raw anger. She wanted to go out and confront them, but a fight will only make things worse. "Those two are more stubborn than El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle!"

"I understand, but there's more of what I have to tell you."

"What is it you want to tell me, Vilthuril?"

Vilthuril spoke in a voice barely a whisper, "I had another vision... a few rabbits from Cowslip's warren wish to leave that dreadful place and start a new life, but there are dangers along the way... Ohh, I don't know what sort of dangers they are. My mind is so clouded."

Lily stared at her for a second, trying to process this information. "Didn't you confine in Fiver about your vision? If there are rabbits in Cowslip's warren who want to leave, it might be good for them." On the inside, she was relieved that Cowslip is losing the loyalty of fellow rabbits who strongly oppose the shining wires.

"Yes, but he said to wait until tomorrow if my visions prove true if we meet Cowslip's rabbits," Vilthuril added. "I wanted to tell you first because you are just as important to this warren as Hazel-rah, Fiver and Bigwig are. That's when I heard what they intend to do for our kittens."

"Look, we'll discuss this tomorrow with Hazel and Bigwig. Right now, go back to your burrow and sleep." Lily decided, ushering the runt doe to return to her sleeping quarters. Then she took her place in the nest beside her kittens, unable to sleep at first cause she grew angry at what her mate had done behind her back. It wasn't long until Bigwig came back and fell asleep beside his family, acting like nothing happened.