It was another normal day on the high hills of Watership Down. Rabbits were out and about doing various things; silflaying, training for the Owsla, playing games, telling stories, etc. Hazel and Bigwig had left early this morning for an apple orchard, located just down the hills, eager to see any which have grown in season. The leaves in the trees have changed to a variety of bright colors and the warm summer breeze had become cool for autumn, though not necessarily chilly since everybody decided to spend their activities outside.

A small bunch of kits watched Pipkin telling stories to his siblings and friends, while Kehaar and Fiver kept a close eye on them. Pipkin crawled low to the ground, imitating a predator growling to sound fierce.

"...and the weasel came at me! Eyes glowing in the dark, teeth glinting in the light of the moon..." Pipkin made himself appear scary and threatening when he told his tale, even though he was just exaggerating to impress the others.

"Then you run, didn't you?" asked Daisy.

"Oh! I would!" Rowan stood up and hopped around the older kitten, excitedly. "I'd run like El-ahrairah!"

"Ah, smart thing to do," Kehaar agreed.

However, this only made Pipkin grow aggravated, not just his story getting interrupted, but the idea of running away seemed wrong. "Running away isn't the answer to everything! Now, do you want to hear the weasel story or not?"

"Not unless there's more about you running away like a coward!" Sandwort teased, then ran round in circles to feign fear. "Oh no! It's a weasel! I'm going to run away because I'm a chicken!"

"Nobody's a chicken when you run from danger!" Nyreem scolded, glaring at him.

Ignoring her, Sandwort began boasting as he put his paws, almost imitating a boxer in a fighting ring. "Well, I'm not afraid a dumb weasel! I'm not afraid of Man. I'm not even scared of any elil. I'm not even afraid of General Woundwort."

Just then, Primrose came out, shaking her head at the young buck's bragging. "Will you hush up, Sandwort! It's time for Blackthorn's afternoon nap. Off you go."

"Oh, mother, he was just at the good part," Blackthorn groaned.

Seeing there was no arguing with an adult, the kitten sighed and left for the burrows. No sooner did he leave, Primrose frowned disappointedly at the little storyteller. "Honesty, Pipkin, you're getting bad as Dandelion." Then she retreated back to the burrows to make sure her son didn't try sneaking out like last time.

Fiver turned to the young buck, also frowning with a slight lecture. "'Running isn't the answer to everything.' Oh, really now, Pipkin. That kind of talk will get you into trouble if you believe that's true."

"Well, it isn't! Father says so. And who wants to hear a story about running away?" Pipkin glared up at the older buck, despite being close to his height. "Running away is what a coward does!"

"There, you see?" Sandwort smirked, pleased that somebody agreed with him. "Only cowards run away from danger when they can-" He got interrupted when he noticed his father and Bigwig coming into view.

"Hello, father! Hello, Hazel!" Pipkin greeted them upon their arrival. "Did you find it? Did you find the orchard?"

There was something wrong in Hazel's voice, it sounded like fear. Not to mention the dread in his green eyes told the young kitten that something is amiss. "Yes, we found it."

"Not that it does us any good," Bigwig added, his expression had a more serious frown rather than fear. "There's a snarling great badger living there."

"For now, the orchard is off-limits, Pipkin." Hazel gave his firm restriction to the young kit, then passed that rule down to the other kits listening. "And that goes for all of you. Stay away from the orchard!"

The two bucks headed for the warren to make the warning clear to everybody else if ideas of going down to the orchard crossed their careless minds. Pipkin, Sandwort and Nyreem moped, angered that none of them will ever get to eat apples now. All because of some dumb badger living there.

"Oh, cheer up your faces, little ones." Kehaar consoled, hoping his pep talk will make the children happy. "Come on, no one wants to eat rotten apples anyway."

"We do!" Sandwort declared. "And please don't offer us fish to make up for it."

"Okay." Though upset, Kehaar did not want to argue with the kittens so he left.

Nyreem watched the gull leave with a grumble, angrily directing her disgust at Sandwort. "That was quite rude of you! I hope you apologize to Kehaar when he gets back!"

"Ugh! Fine, I'll do it later." Putting that aside for now, Sandwort hopped towards the edge of the down and looked overheard of the orchard. Thinking of those delicious apples made his mouth water. Nyreem and Pipkin joined him afterword. He could tell judging by the expressions that his friends were thinking the same thing. Nearby, Crowfoot and Foxglove also joined in. They had noticed something was amiss with their buddies, sensing they could use some cheering up.

"Oh, what I wouldn't give for a tasty morsel of a sweet, juicy apple," sighed Nyreem. "Too bad that stupid badger has already occupied the orchard."

"A badger?" Crowfoot shuddered, utterly terrified. "Ohhh, dear!"

"Why can't it just leave the orchard so we can have all the free apples we can eat!" Foxglove complained.

Pipkin inhaled the scrumptious scent of the forbidden fruit hungrily. "Hmmm, you can smell the apples from all the way up here."

With their curiosity piqued, the other kittens came over and sniffed the air, while Foxglove had sighed dreamily, "Nothing like that scent."

"And they only come round once every circle of season. Don't they, Foxglove?"

"And a scent doesn't fill up a stomach, does it?"

Sandwort smirked when he deduced what his friends were implying. They could sneak down in the orchard, and get out of there quick as a wink before anybody notices where they had gone. If they cross paths with the badger, they will fight it. "Soooo…what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The small group looked over their shoulders to make sure nobody close by was watching them. With the coast clear, the five kits rashly raced downhill with lightning speed.


"I've never seen a badger up close before," said Pipkin. They had gone a few minutes halfway down the hill when they had stopped just beyond the orchard. "Except that time a few seasons ago when Hazel got us out of Sandleford. We saw one with blood on its lips."

"You don't want to," warned Foxglove. "Mom and dad told me about them. They're a nasty lot, I've heard they don't even like each other."

"What about when they want to fall in love and have a litter?" suggested Nyreem, although her question made the others raise puzzled eyebrows.

By now, Sandwort was getting fed up with all this hesitation and questions. He so badly wanted to go into the orchard and eat an apple. "Enough already, you guys! Are we going for apples or not?"

"Well, I know where there's a lovely patch of sorrel," Crowfoot advised, hoping he could at least change their minds at the last second. "How about that instead?"

"Oh, please, Crowfoot! We can't turn back now!" Pipkin pleaded, getting more desperate than ever.

"I know, and if our parents find out we disobeyed orders, they'll drop on us like a falling tree!"

"I won't tell if you won't. Is that good with everybody?"

The other kittens agreed, then every single one of them stole a hard gaze at Crowfoot for his backing out.

Poor Crowfoot felt like he had no other choice but to go along with it. He sighed dismally, "I was going to be such a sensible rabbit when I grow up, until I met you guys."

No more arguments or questions were needed, so the kittens bounded forward, approaching the orchard without hesitation. They entered, and soon found themselves entranced by a world of sweet smells and shining red fruit glistening in the sun beams. Their eyes widened in excitement.

"Frith in a basket!" Nyreem gasped, taking in the sight before her. "Apples!"

Crowfoot kept silent, his ears alert and open, listening for any noises this mystery badger might make if waiting to ambush them. So far, there was none. "I think we're alright, but let's make it quick now."

"Bah! You worry too much. What could go wrong?" Sandwort snubbed his concerns off, hopping forward to grab the first apple he laid his paws on. He took a huge bite, savoring the fruity taste in his mouth. "Wow! This is delicious. You guys gotta try them."

Plenty of apples were left lying around the orchard, easy for pickups and enough for five hungry kits.

Sniffing at an apple, Pipkin made sure it was in good condition before taking a bite. In instant, he was lost in a world of scrumptious fruit. "Hmm! I've never had anything like them."

Nyreem's eyes rolled in the back of her head when she tried her first apple. Foxglove would not stop eating one apple to the next, leaving behind a short trail of thin apple cores.

"All right, you've had your taste." Crowfoot was the only one not eating, keeping watch for anything suspicious. "C'mon, let's go."

"Forget it!" Sandwort had grown frustrated by the young buck's persistence to leave. He stood up, scorning directly in his terrified eyes. "You're just afraid that something bad will happen and you'll run away like a coward!"

"I'm not afraid! I just want everybody to be safe!"

"Then why don't you eat an apple?!"

Groaning, Crowfoot hesitated when he poked at an apple. He sniffed to make sure it was edible and bit the side. The young buck felt a sweet sensation of the taste in his mouth. "Hmm, it's good."

The five kits had become so engrossed in devouring the apples they had no idea that someone had just entered the orchard. Someone who had seen them leave the warren and disobeying Hazel's orders. Someone who was not afraid to defy his friends if his visions proved correct. A shadow fell over Foxglove, preventing him from munching on yet another apple.

Foxglove gave a squeal of fright, alerting his friends. The other kits raised their heads up, wondering why Foxglove sounded the alarm. To their surprise, there stood a very angry Fiver. His glowering face seemed to resemble Hazel whenever his older brother lost his temper. He stared fiercely at them, not saying a word, although the kits suspected what he was going to say.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL DOING?!" he growled, furiously.

"Uhh...we were just...err, uhh..." Foxglove stammered, growing fearful by the second.

GRRRRR!

A deep growl hushed them up, making their ears go up and their eyes widened. They turned round, and there stood a huge, terrifying badger who had just come out of her hiding spot in the tall grass. She snarled slightly, but she made queer noises as well. The rabbits froze, trembling. Nobody tried to move. Their minds had gone tharn, paralyzed with fear. Even Sandwort was rooted to the spot, no longer feeling braver when he actually saw a huge, scary badger.

All his anger vanished as Fiver backed slowly to a tree, sending out instructions to the scared kits, "When I give the word, run. If we get separated, I'll meet you all on the hill."

Pipkin was the first to snap out of his tharn trance, cuffing one kit at a time slightly to bring them back to earth. He led them to a pile of towering baskets, where Nyreem kicked one to send the whole pillar tumbling down near the badger. The creature backed off, snarling. Fiver took this chance to make a run for it. In the midst of their flight, Crowfoot accidently bumped against an abandoned ladder.

"Fiver, look out!" warned Pipkin.

The ladder came crashing down, barely missing Fiver as he ran past it. But it struck Fiver on his hind leg, making him cry out in agony. He tumbled over and landed on his back. The force of the injury knocked him unconscious.

"Fiver!" Worried, Pipkin rushed back to help him. "Fiver, get up!" The young kit desperately shook in attempt to revive him, to no avail.

The snarling badger was growing closer by the second, and the rest of the kits had already fled the orchard. Pipkin tried to move Fiver by himself, but he was not strong enough. Pipkin frantically looked to the exit, then back at his friend. He refused to leave Fiver behind. There had to be something he could do.

A paw touched him by the shoulder, startling Pipkin. He turned to see Nyreem forcibly urging him to get going. Pipkin refused to budge, but the young doe cuffed him on his bottom to force him to move. There was a look of utter distress on her face as she whined, "There's nothing we can do!"

Just as the badger caught up to them, the two kittens dashed forward to escape her. The badger watched them leave, a slight confused frown crossed her face. Her long muzzle sniffed at Fiver's unconscious body. Then she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and carried him back to her den, a tree where a huge hole had been dug and properly made.

Peeking out from behind a tree, Pipkin and Nyreem stared at the scene, horrified. "Oh no!" they gasped, believing they had just witnessed Fiver being dragged into the bowels of the badger's den to be killed and eaten.

Pipkin's face blanched with terror. "Oh, please Frith! No!" Blind with tears and guilt, he hurried out of the orchard.

"Pipkin, wait!" Nyreem called out to him, passing an exhausted Sandwort, Crowfoot and Foxglove along the way.

Before either of them questioned what happened, no words were needed when they realized the ugly truth. Dejected, the five kits began shedding tears of grief and guilt as thy returned to the high hills, though none was more devastated the most than Pipkin.

Pausing halfway up, Pipkin gazed up at the sky as if he sensed Fiver looking down on him. "I'm sorry, Fiver... I'm so sorry."

Afterword, the group bowed their heads and uttered the prayer, "My heart has joined a thousand, for our friend stopped running today."

"HEY, KIDS!" Kehaar's loud voice cut off their mourning. "Where you been? A big game of Bob-Stones going on."

The guilt stung Pipkin on the inside so much, he could not bear to keep quiet for long. "Kehaar, wait!" But the seagull had already reached the top, leaving Pipkin alone. His vision blurred by the tears he shed. "He's gone... and it's our fault..."

An agitated Sandwort came over and roughly pulled him aside. "You can't tell anyone! We'll be in big trouble if we do!"

"But, Sandwort..."

"No, we can't tell them!" Despite his firmness, Sandwort could not mask his emotions.

The other kits agreed with him, silently dreading the kind of punishment they might receive if word got out of what they had done. Will they be beaten? Banished? Or worse, killed? None of them wanted to think about it.


Back at the top of the hill, just outside the warren, Pipkin and the returned children witnessed Rowan and Daisy repeated Pipkin's weasel story as they advanced on each other like they prepared to fight.

"...And the weasel came closer and closer, and..." Daisy leapt forward, imitating a weasel's growl. To her surprise, her brother neither moved nor ran off. "You're not playing right! You're supposed to run!"

"No, I'm not!" Rowan scorned. "Running away is for cowards! Right, guys?" He had seen Pipkin and the others trudging miserably, though he failed to sense why they looked so downhearted. "Only quivery whiskers run away all the time."

Those words made Pipkin feel like not only was he a coward, but a true quivery whiskers who runs from danger... a danger which had taken the life of a good rabbit. "Only quivery whiskers..." he sniffled, heading toward the burrow.

Nearby, a small crowd had gathered round to witness the ultimate Bob-Stone challenge between Hazel, the chief rabbit, and Bigwig, the captain of Owsla. Once the guilt-written kits separated to be alone, Nyreem noticed the big game going on. Her conscious nagged her to tell the truth, so she decided to give it a shot.

"Come on, Hazel. You might as well guess or lose gracefully," Bigwig teased, playfully.

"Don't rush me." Hazel gave a determined frown, still concentrating on which paw he should pick.

In the midst of the game, Nyreem shyly approached him and began to speak, "Uh, Uncle Hazel..."

"In a minute, Nyreem. I'm about to give young Bigwig here a thrashing."

Thrashing? Oh, Frith! Nyreem trembled violently. The way Hazel spoke, he sounded like an angry parent prepared to thrash a disobedient kitten. Her courage went down the drain when she feared the chief rabbit will thrash her in front of everyone. She turned tail and ran off to the warren.

The only rabbit who witnessed the kit's scared behavior was Primrose. Something must be wrong with her, otherwise she would have stayed to watch the game. Concerned, the doe headed over to the warren's entrance, hoping she could try to help her.

"Is something the matter, Nyreem?" Primrose asked, softly.

"Well, I-" Just as Nyreem readied to confess, the distance voices of Rowan and Daisy fighting cut her off.

The two kits were screaming at each other, accusing the other with vicious nicknames or insults, making Primrose shake her head in annoyance, "They're at it again. I'm sorry, dear." The talk will just have to wait, as Primrose immediately broke up the fight between the children. "That's enough!" Her voice drowned out when Nyreem decided to go into the warren, no longer having the courage to confess to anyone.


For the rest of the day, nobody bothered to check or ask for Fiver. However, Hazel became the first to suspect his absence. He questioned Clover or his children if they had seen him. Nobody had the answer to that. This only made Hazel grow anxious as he searched the burrows for his brother. No such luck. Hazel found Bigwig boasting how he had won three games in a row to Dandelion and Hawkbit, despite both having grown bored at the time.

"Anyone seen Fiver lately?" Hazel implored.

"Uh, not since we got back from the orchard," replied Bigwig.

"I suppose they're around here somewhere." The chief rabbit turned back to the warren, hoping he could at least try asking anybody else. He met Lily on the way. "Lily, have you seen Fiver?"

"No, I haven't." Lily shook her head, baffled. "Where do you suppose he is?"

"I wish I knew." Hazel's ear twitched when he heard Bigwig still boasting to Hawkbit and Dandelion. Ever since the lion maned buck won, the victory's been going to his head. And it was beginning to get on his nerves. "Perhaps you could do something about Bigwig."

Lily stifled a playful chuckle. "Leave him to me." She approached her mate, rolling her eyes at his bragging.

"So, there I am with one stone, I tilt both ears forward," Bigwig boasted with smug pride, "and Hazel thinks it means-"

"And when our ears are tilted like this," Hawkbit cut in, finally fed up with him as his ears tilt in lopsided directions, "it means we're bored stupid."

No sooner did they leave, Lily tried not to laugh. She could not blame them for growing bored of Bigwig's stories, watching them hop off to do something else.

"You're just jealous!" Bigwig harrumphed, deciding to find someone else to brag to. The first rabbit he found was Captain Broom, who looked less than pleased about it.

Luckily for the old retired captain, Lily quickly managed to jump right in and block her mate's path with incredible swiftness. "How about we celebrate your victory with some alone time?" The doe batted her eyelashes, nuzzling his neck with her head and giving his cheek a little peck.

This started up Bigwig's inner desires when a huge devious smirk filled with lust spread across his lips. His tail wagged so fast that anyone would think it would fall off. "Oh, I thought you'd never ask, love!" And with that, he ushered her to a quiet corner under the trees for a secret place to mate in private.

Around that time, Pipkin sat by his lonesome in the burrow, sulking. His quiet weeps did not go unnoticed when Primrose found him. She was growing concerned about him by the minute.

"Pipkin, are you alright?" she asked. "I didn't see you at silflay with the other kits."

"I'm not hungry!" Right now, food was the last thing Pipkin would not dare think of. If only he never let those apples, the forbidden fruit, tempt him and his friends to a dangerous orchard, where Fiver met his doom.

Primrose sighed. Whatever is troubling his little mind, she hoped that he will change his mind and talk to her. "Well, if there's anything I can do, let me know."

As soon as she left, Pipkin started to tear up. No matter how much he wanted to tell Primrose, he promised Foxglove to keep their secret, out of fear of cruel punishments. Not only that, but remorse was eating away at him from the inside. "There's nothing anyone can do! I ran away and left Fiver when he needed me the most! Primrose, I feel so...awful!"

By sunset, the entire warren had been alerted to the disappearance of Fiver. Everyone worried where on earth he went or what had happened to him. Search parties had been initiated by Bigwig and Holly to scour the area for the missing buck. As it turns out, nobody could find him all day and Hazel began to feel anxious for the absence of his little brother.

Using air travel, Kehaar and Hannah searched the land from high above. Again, no such luck. Kehaar landed carefully on the grass, letting Hannah get off so they can make their report. Hazel, Bigwig, Lily and Primrose waited patiently to hear from them.

The seagull shook his head, indicating he could not find the missing rabbits, whilst Hannah sighed dismally, "We've looked all over for Fiver. No sign."

Hawkbit emerged from the burrow, looking equally disappointed. "He's not anywhere around here, neither. Not even in the underground caves."

At that time, Holly returned with Bluebell, Blackberry, Hyzenthlay and Blackavar when they searched a few known places off the high hills they had been to. "We checked the pound, the woods, even the fields. We don't know where he's gone."

Dandelion came back, running at such a fast pace that he screeched to a halt. "No sign of him on the down. I asked the neighbors to keep an eye out."

"Well, you could've at least tried harder!" Vilthuril demanded, completely agitated. Her eyes blurred with tears, even distressing her children as they wept for their father.

This did not seem to help Hazel's nerves at all. He was close to losing his patient, angry and frightened, for the safety of his brother. Bigwig taught him to keep his temper in check though, recalling how he went through the same situation when Hazel got lost in the underground caves.

"Then we better keep searching!" Hazel continued to give out strict instructions to everyone on the down. "Dandelion, you take Primrose and Bluebell to double check the farm. Bigwig, take Hawkbit and Silver to the river trail. And watch out for Efrafan patrols! The rest of you, continue your search party." He turned to Kehaar and Hannah. "You two fly wide cover. Keep an eye on everyone. Lily and I will search the woods." His voice had grown so serious, anyone think he would make a great Owsla captain. "If anyone sees anything, signal Kehaar and Hannah immediately! They'll bring us all on the run! DON'T STOP FOR ANYTHING!"

Everyone nodded obediently.

"Right, let's move!" And with that, Hazel watched as everybody left to search in places where their chief assigned to and headed for the edge of the down with Lily.

From the burrow's entrance, Pipkin overheard their plans. Everyone was searching for Fiver. Maybe if he joined the search party, perhaps he might find Fiver, if he's still alive. He caught up with Hazel and Lily, unexpectedly making a suggestion which they never thought he would make, "Um, how about looking in the orchard?"

"The orchard? I thought the place was off-limits!" she replied.

"I told him not to go there," Hazel added. "Fiver doesn't disobey orders."

"I want to come with you," offered Pipkin.

"I thought you weren't feeling well," Primrose reminded him.

"PLEASE!" Pipkin begged, desperately.

Hazel and Lily exchanged unsure faces, considering the matter over, until they reached a decision as Hazel said, "Alright, but we'll be moving fast."


Nightfall had come by the time the three rabbits cautiously reached the orchard. Hazel, Lily and Pipkin started searching by sniffing the atmosphere and looking for tracks, even calling out Fiver's name as loudly as they could.

"FIVER!" Hazel bellowed, his echo answering back.

"Where are you, Fiver?!" Lily called out to nowhere. "Fiver answer me!"

"Not a scent of him nor a trail." Hazel sighed, worriedly. "If anything's happened to him, I don't know what I'll do."

Little did they know that an owl heard their cries, his golden eyes gazing down at them with malicious hunger. None of the rabbits heard or saw him, as the owl slowly edged along the branch, preparing for a strike.

"I'm sorry." Pipkin apologized.

Hazel sniffed the ground, before he looked over at the little one. He smiled reassuringly at Pipkin. "It's not your fault, lad."

"Why would you think otherwise?" Lily asked.

Ready for the ambush, the owl swooped down without making a sound and swiftly caught hold of Hazel by his left hind leg, its talons buried in his flesh. Hazel let out a horrified cry when he realized the tremendous height lay beneath him as the owl carried him higher and higher away from the earth.

"HAZEL!" Lily and Pipkin screamed.

The two rabbits quickly dashed through the orchard, keeping up with the owl at a ground's distance. In the air, Hazel struggled to free himself. Recalling how Campion used a similar technique when he got caught by a hawk, the chief rabbit starting kicking the elil multiple times in the chest. The owl screeched in agony and tried to fly off with him one last time. But Hazel refused to give him. He continued kicking at the owl's leg, then aimed for the chest with a harsh blow. Finally, the owl released its hold on the chief rabbit.

With a scream, Hazel fell into the trees where the branches slowed his fall, although his landing did not sound good when Lily and Pipkin heard him cry out the second his body made impact with the ground. Horrified, the two rabbits rushed to the brambles where their friend had fallen.

"Hazel! Oh, please be alright!" Pipkin pleaded, on the verge of crying.

When the owl made an attempt to come back, most likely making Pipkin its next target, Lily pounced and rolled over the owl with a severe throw, hearing a slight snap of the bones. With a screech, the owl stood its ground and charged at the enraged doe. Lily managed to stand on her hind legs to keep fighting, slashing and clawing and biting it in a fierce combat. At last, the owl gave up when the rabbit refused to surrender. It screeched one last time before it took to the sky and disappeared from view.

No sooner did the owl leave, Hazel's head popped out of the brambles. His combat with the owl and the fall scratched up his fur and injured his leg, but he was incredibly lucky that he survived. "I'm fine. No harm done..." He groaned, still sore from the attack, "well, not too much." He noticed Lily gasping for air, her chest heaving and scratched up, piecing together the events of what she did. "Lily... did you actually...?"

"Yeah, I actually fought an owl!" Lily was quite proud and pleased with herself for what she did. "I'm glad Bigwig taught me how to fight, otherwise I'd be worthless."

However, witnessing Hazel's close call with the owl caused Pipkin to break down, starling the two adults as he finally confessed the burden weighing over his shoulders. "Aaah! I didn't know how to tell you! I tried; I really did! It was horrible!"

"Here now. Calm down." Hazel spoke soothingly to him, patting his shoulder.

"Pipkin, what's wrong?" Lily implored, baffled and worried for her son's behavior. "Please, tell us."

"The owl nearly got you, because I'm a coward! I'm such a quivery whiskers!" Pipkin wailed, throwing himself at his mother's waist to embrace her and wept miserably. "I should've told you right away - it's Fiver! We went to the orchard; me, Sandwort, Foxglove, Crowfoot and Nyreem. Fiver found us and got angry. The badger got him. And I ran away and left him. I wish it had gotten me! It hurts so much!"

Lily and Hazel gasped softly when the young kit confessed everything, letting his words sink into their brains. Surprisingly, neither of them grew angry. They could see how guilty Pipkin felt and sorry he is.

"I know, Pipkin...I know." Hazel comforted the weeping kit and joined in the group hug, as if they were members of his family.

"I just wish you had told us from the start," Lily lectured, quite softly. "Why didn't you tell us from the start?"

"Because Sandwort told me not to because we feared what you will do to us!" exclaimed Pipkin.

"Well, you let us worry about Sandwort later. Right now, we need to inform everyone about what happened."

Later, the threesome regrouped with everybody else at halfway on the down. Soon, Hazel signaled Kehaar and Hannah to spread the word. Both the gull and the mouse located the other search parties to regroup at the down after informing them of Pipkin's confession.

Moments after, Kehaar landed whilst Hannah told the others of Bigwig's return, not to mention Buckthorn, Acorn and Clover joined them, all three adults looking very cross. The disgruntled parents had brought Sandwort, Nyreem, Foxglove and Crowfoot with them, furious when they discovered their children's secret.

In that instant, Bigwig appeared with his group, along with a strict scowl on his expression. "What's this Hannah tells me about Pipkin and the others leaving Fiver behind? Especially disobeying orders?"

Fearing he might strike their son, Lily swiftly placed herself between her mate and Pipkin. She strongly believed using corporal punishment against a kit felt wrong and cruel, even though it's never happened before, she heard stories how Hazel and his friends suffered it in their childhood. The concerned mother noticed her son cowering behind her, afraid of his adopted father's infamous temper. Sandwort, Foxglove, Crowfoot and Nyreem quickly hid behind Lily as well, hoping for protection from the disciplinary parents.

"Leave it alone, Bigwig," Hazel scolded. "Pipkin and the others feel bad enough."

"They'll feel a lot worse when I get done with them."

"Don't even think about raising a paw on them!" Lily growled, displaying tiny bits of blood on her teeth, having received in her brawl with the owl. This momentarily shocked Bigwig, yet he managed to regain himself.

Luckily, Hazel put himself between the two mates to prevent another fight. "I said that's enough!" he scolded, then gazed sadly at Pipkin. "They made a mistake. We make them too."

"We only wanted to eat some apples," admitted Nyreem.

"That's still no excuse for your disobedience!" Buckthorn lectured, angrily. "There's a badger living in the orchard, and when someone tells you someplace is off limits, you don't set paw in that area!"

"Do you know how much you worried Vilthuril and her children when Fiver was gone?" Clover scolded, crossly. "You could've done something to help Fiver!"

"But if they stayed with Fiver, the badger would have caught them as well," Primrose added, rushing in to defend the little ones.

"They should have told us!" Bigwig tried to protest.

"Oh, they were afraid, Bigwig, just like when we got lost in the caverns," Hawkbit cut in, defending the kittens and recalling his past experience when he got lost in the underground caverns. "I didn't cut myself in glory down there, lad. I was a blubbering mess."

Sniffling one last time, Pipkin asked hopefully, "You don't hate me, then?"

Bigwig's eyes widened that his own son would ask such a question. He looked at his mate. Lily's eyes were not only protective, but pleading for him to listen to reason. His rage faded, this time his voice grew softer, "Don't talk rot. We don't hate you." The lion buck winked at him to show assurance.

"However..." Acorn interrupted sharply, "we should discuss some form of punishment after finding Fiver. So, don't think you kids are off the hook that easy. Understand?"

The five kits lowered their heads, ashamed. They knew this was coming, despite no beatings, banishments or death penalties like they feared. Nevertheless, they had to accept it and nodded to show they understood.

"Well, if Fiver's still alive, he's down there." As Bigwig spoke, he and the entire rescue cavalry lolloped downhill toward the orchard.

Some of the adult rabbits stayed behind to watch the warren. The kits had to go with the cavalry, in order to show where they last saw Fiver before the badger took him away. It brought back terrifying memories for the kits, but they had to be brave. Surprisingly, Pipkin was the first to recover from his guilt as he eagerly cooperated. This only made Sandwort fume in eerie silence at Pipkin for not just selling them out, but for behaving like a goody two shoes.

When they found the badger's home, especially her tracks, Bigwig quietly crept toward a tree for cover to make sure the badger did not know of his presence. After waiting a few seconds, the coast is clear. So Hazel, Pipkin, Lily, Primrose, Hawkbit, Dandelion came over. Sandwort, Foxglove, Crowfoot, Nyreem, Silver and Bluebell joined them after. Once everyone rejoined Bigwig, they needed to figure out a plan to rescue Fiver and defeat the badger.

"So, what's the plan, Hazel?" asked Bigwig.

"Badgers are night watchers," Hazel explained, "when she comes out, I'll ask her what happened to Fiver."

For a moment, nobody said a word, that is until Silver spoke with a lot of sarcasm, "Can I just say that this plan of yours is completely nuts!"

Bluebell nodded in agreement. "That's right! Don't you remember the corvil whom attacked us a few seasons ago?"

Everybody knew the blue buck spoke the truth, even Bigwig thought the plan was totally ridiculous. "You can't talk to a badger! They're savage brutes! Remember the badger we saw in the woods after we left Sandleford?"

"I believe, Bigwig, you said something along those lines when Kehaar and Rascal dropped in on us," recalled Dandelion, who began to snicker.

The lion maned buck just gave Dandelion a hard look filled with annoyance, heck, even Foxglove and Crowfoot started giggling, only to stop when Hawkbit and Silver glared at them to shut up.

Suddenly Lily stomped her foot and pointed to a streak of black and white fur emerging out of the den. It was the badger. To Lily, she was the biggest badger she had ever seen, much bigger than the one she saw in the forest when she left Sandleford. Nodding, the rabbits headed forward to hide behind multiple trees. The kits began to tremble, so Lily decided to stay with them, just in case the badger tried to harm them.

As they edged themselves closer to the den, they watched the badger picking up apples one by one. It seemed strange for a badger to take apples, although she could be hungry and planned to eat the fruit. The rabbits quietly discussed who should go into the den to find Fiver. The others hesitated, so Pipkin took the risk. He leapt over the thick roots and inside the den's entrance, where he found Fiver, alive and well. Except he licked his leg as he winced in agony. Pipkin's mind clicked when he registered that Fiver is injured.

"Do you see him?" asked Hazel, while he and Bigwig waited at the entrance outside.

Pipkin leapt over the roots to rejoin them and make his report, "I saw him, Fiver! He's still alive. He's just inside the den, but he looks hurt."

"Fiver is alive?" Nyreem's eyes shone with relief, just as the male kits behind her stared in surprise and disbelief at the revelation.

"Primrose, help Pipkin to get him out. We'll buy you some time." Hazel instructed. His green eyes gleamed with rage, fixing a hard scowl at the badger. In his mind, he believed the badger wounded his little brother and most likely keeping him a prisoner against his wishes. "Ready..."

Everybody nodded, determined to put an end to that monster's life. Quick as lightening, the rabbits came charging after the badger with their famed battle cries. The badger looked up with her eyes widened in fear. Before she could do anything, the rabbits head-butted her with brute force, sending her tumbling over. While Lily watched from a distance with the children, she noticed the badger got back up and seemed to be heading in their path.

"It's coming after us! Run for your lives!" Sandwort squealed. The paralyzed kit dashed toward a different path to escape, leading the other frightened kits with him.

"Wait, come back!" Lily tried to stop them, only to come face to face with the badger. She felt so small and helpless against a huge creature. But there was something off about the badger. She stared at Lily with a face filled with horror and fear and turned back around only to get cornered by a snarling Hazel.

"No, please! Stop!" the badger pleaded to no avail.

Hazel cuffed her across the face, making the badger cry out in anguish. A fearful commotion happened on the other side of the brambles. The kits were in trouble, but the badger is cornered by the rabbits. Alarmed, Lily forced herself forward into the brambles to see what occurred.

Around that time, Pipkin and Primrose rushed inside the den, startling Fiver, who clearly did not expect to see them here. The two rabbits gently pushed him out in the open, where Fiver gasped in horror. He saw his brother and the other rabbits encircling the badger, who covered her head with her arms. She peeked one eye open to see Hazel raise his paw, claws unsheathed, and prepared to finish her off.

"HAZEL! NO, STOP IT!" Fiver shouted. He ran over to stop the brutal assault, placing himself between the badger and his friends. If they hurt her, they would have to go through him. "She didn't hurt me! Stop it! She's a friend, my friend."

"SAY WHAT?!" Silver gasped in disbelief. "Have your visions driven you mad?!"

"No, it's the truth! I hurt myself. Bark was just trying to help me. She gave me apples to feed me."

"Wait a second! Bark?"

"That's her name. This is Bark. Now, please, stand down!"

Everyone grew silent with shock. Hazel realized that he made a terrible mistake in jumping to conclusions too fast. The chief rabbit glanced at Bigwig, who shared his understanding in the horrible brutality they wrongly inflicted upon an innocent creature.

Meanwhile, Lily found the kittens and prepared to scold them for running away when she noticed they were all in a panicked state. In front of them lay a pit, dug up by humans for who knows how long.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Crowfoot timidly gestured to the opening deep within the pit. Peering downward into the depths, Lily's breath got caught in her throat. There in the bottom lay Sandwort. He had been running from the badger like the others did and, not looking where he was going, fell into the pit. There was no water in it, so it was not a well. The young kit just lay there like he was dead. Except his silent breathing reached her ears, making her sigh in relief to know he was still alive.

"Oh, my Frith! Don't worry, Sandwort! We'll get you out!" Quick as a wink, Lily made a mad dash back through the brambles and to where her friends still stood, surrounding the badger who had just got back on her feet. "Sandwort's in a pit, you have to come! Quick!" she hurriedly informed them of the problem.

Alarmed, the rabbits turned to follow Lily, who guided them back to the spot where Crowfoot explained their friend's current dilemma. They reacted just as much as Lily did when they found Sandwort lying unconscious in the bottom of the pit, though non reacted the worse than Hazel did when he took in the sight in front of his distressed eyes.

"Sandwort! Can you hear me? Are you okay?" he called out to him.

The young buck made no reply, except his ear twitched to signal that he heard his father's voice.

"How do we get him out of there?" asked Bluebell, who thought for a moment until his eyes lit up. "I'll get Blackberry! She's always got a brilliant scheme!"

But Bigwig shook his head disapprovingly. "No, she doesn't have an answer for everything. We need to figure this out thoroughly."

This discouraging situation drained their spirits. Sandwort was beyond their help and may be left to die if they do not come up with a plan to rescue him. Even though Sandwort was a pain in the tail, the kittens still liked him and his parents adored him, and those who disliked him because his meanness would have tried to liberate him from his dreadful predicament, if only they could.

All of a sudden, Bark entered the small opening with...the giant ladder shoved forward in a straight line. It did not take long for her to cautiously edge it over the pit's edge. Her actions caught the rabbits completely off guard, not quite understanding what the badger was doing.

"Bark, what are you doing?" questioned Fiver.

"Bark use ladder, humans use to go high and to go low," she explained in a strange sentence the rabbits never heard in their lives.

Everyone exchanged confused glances, except Lily because she had seen her human owners use a ladder plenty of times when they needed to go on or off the roof. Her eyes sparkled with delight when she understood Bark's plan. "By Frith! You're right!"

Bigwig exchanged baffled glances with Hazel, saying, "I'm missing something here."

"What she means is humans use ladders to climb up to higher places," Lily explained, "but they can use them to climb downward."

Now Hazel understood what she meant, deeply impressed. "Oh, that's brilliant! But will it work?"

"Plan will work!" The badger replied confidently, carefully pushing the ladder's end into the hole until it touched the bottom.

She climbed down the ladder with impressive skill, leaving the other rabbits stunned and their jaws dropped open. Lily giggled at their reactions. Once she got closer to the unconscious kitten, Bark scooped Sandwort up in her teeth by the scruff of his neck and climbed back up the ladder to rejoin the group. She laid Sandwort on the grass, where Hazel rushed to his side.

"Sandwort, wake up!" the agitated father shook him, trying to revive him.

To give father and son a bit of space, Bigwig commanded in his strict Owsla tone to the others, "Everybody stand back, give him some air!"

Everyone watched in dreadful silence and deep concern, waiting to see what will happen. After Hazel licked his nostrils and forehead for a moment, Sandwort's head moved slightly and his eyes shot open. "D-D-Dad..." he groaned, staring up in his father's relieved eyes.

"He's okay!" exclaimed Hawkbit.

The rabbits smiled in ecstatic relief to see the young buck is still alive. Pipkin and all his friends dogpiled on top of Sandwort, knocking the wind out of him. All were laughing and hugging him joyously. Sandwort grunted in anguish, not by the physical contact, but visibly weakened in his fall.

"You're hurt. Let me carry you." Hazel offered kindly as he gingerly scooped him on his back to give Sandwort a ride homeward. But first, he turned to the badger with a smile of everlasting gratitude. "Thank you, Bark. I'm so sorry for striking you."

Bark nodded, then she lowered her head in shame, despite her victorious rescue. "Bark sorry... Bark sorry she's a badger," she apologized meekly.

"Why are you sorry for being a badger?" asked Primrose.

It was then Fiver explained everything about Bark's backstory. After he got injured, she took him to her den so he can heal and fed him apples. She was very lonely, long after her clan had "moved away and crossed into the shadow lands". The rabbits all understood what happened when a rabbit crosses into the shadowlands for the first and last time. All of the other animals were afraid of Bark because of her huge size and fierce combat skills. They would run from her when she tried to communicate with them. Bark heard of the rabbits on Watership Down and how she longed to make friends with them, until Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver and the kittens ran away from her, discouraging her attempts to gain friendship.

"We're so sorry, Bark. I know what it is like to be the last of my family, too," Lily consoled. Her heart reached out to the poor badger, understanding the loss of family like Bark has.

"It's alright, Bark. They won't hurt you now that you saved Sandwort," Fiver assured her gently. "We understand, we all do."

Tears ran down her furry cheeks as Bark smiled, happy to have found friends at long last. Her embarrassment and shame for being a badger had gone away. "Friends understand."

"Always." Fiver confirmed with a smile.

"Always!" Pipkin agreed.

Later on, the rabbits said farewell to Bark when they needed to return home, and Bark was allowed to visit whenever she liked so she will never feel lonely again. The badger offered the group apples as a peace offering between them, to which the gang gladly accepted.

"Come back soon, friends!" she called as everyone left the orchard.

The rabbits carried apples in his or her mouth up the hill and back to the warren so they can eat them for morning breakfast. As for the kittens, their punishment for their disobedience was being kept in their burrows until said others. Although, the kittens cared more about sleeping in their burrows rather than lament after a long night. Even Pipkin accepted it without complaint.

Stopping halfway up the hill, Bigwig sighs in amazement at their newfound friendship with Bark. "Friends with a badger. Bless my tail! Will wonders never cease?"

"Not as long as we live in Watership Down apparently," added Hawkbit.

Everybody grabbed an apple and headed for home. Only Fiver left behind his apple, much to Lily's surprise when she pointed it out to him, "Fiver, you forgot your apple."

Fiver looked back at the abandoned fruit still on the edge of the hill and shook his head dismissively. "The fact is...I've had enough apples for the moment."

Lily shrugged her shoulders and both left to rejoin the rest of the gang as they returned to the warren, where everyone greeted Fiver upon his arrival. Vilthuril had thrown herself in his embrace, smothering him with snuggles and kisses. Even his children dog-piled on top of him, making Fiver grunt at the weight of his loving family on top of him.

And Sandwort, he was a changed rabbit. He never bullied the other kittens again, nor did he boast or brag to his friends. Although he can brag at times, but not too often. The young buck had become excessively respectful to his family and friends.