Disclaimer– I do not own anything in the Watership down franchise and any plot lines, characters, dialog you recognise belongs to Richard Adams and Alltime Entertainment and Decode Entertainment.
Thank you to Chipster-roo for reviewing – I have fixed the mistakes, thanks for spotting them. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
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Chapter 10 – Storm
As Skylar and Selene ran through the woods, the rain hammered down. The thunder was defending and as they neared the edge of the woods they spotted an Efrafan patrol, ducking into the undergrowth, they took shelter under a bush during the heavier part of the rain. As they sheltered something rustled behind them as Skylar spun round, two eyes appeared.
As Skylar prepared to run Selene exclaimed "Storm!" A small red vixen cub emerged from the hedge, "hi Selene, you have grown since I last saw you" Selene smiled and replied "well it's been a few seasons now, you have grown too."
The fox cub smiled "well I'm glad you think I have, my dad has finally had enough of me being nice to creatures and as I am so small even for a runt, I am a disgrace to the family, so I have now been kicked out, I'm now alone, oh and I do believe I am making your long eared friend nervous" Selene chuckled "Skylar come here"
Skylar hopped over and Selene continued "this is my friend Storm, we met when I was alone in my dray, I used to play on the ground, Storm would come to play with me" Skylar looked at the small vixen cub and said "well I don't mind you joining us, but the others in the warren may object" Storm looked at them both and said "well I can ask, I don't want to cause any trouble, I can stay in the woodland and visit"
Selene says "well lets go up, you can defiantly stay tonight as it is such nasty weather, we could find you a den nearby if the others make a fuss." They all nodded and as they headed back up to the warren they spotted the Efrafan patrol leaving the area and Kehaar flying away from them. As they made it back, Kehaar landed beside them "it bad landing sorry, who is this?" gesturing at Storm.
"This is my friend Storm, she has no home, so she is staying with us for tonight" Kehaar nods and they all head down into the burrows. Skylar looks at the vixen and says "I'm going to warn them that you are coming down, so they don't have a shock" Storm nods and waits with Selene at the entrance to the burrows. "Hi everyone, Selene's friend is joining us tonight, she wants to stay with us, but there is a small problem" everyone looked at Skylar so she continued "she is a fox cub"
Bigwig hops over and asks "and how do we feed her? One rabbit a night?" Skylar looks at her brother and snaps "no, ask her if you like, she is Selene's friend and if Selene trusts her, I trust her" Bigwig starts to retaliate and Hazel hops over to lower the tension "let her come down, we can then talk properly then" Skylar nods and runs back to where Selene and Storm were sitting "you can come down" Skylar informs the vixen.
"Is everyone afraid?" Storm asks "I mean them no harm" Storm reassures as they head into the burrows. As they enter the honeycomb everyone stares at the small vixen. "Hi, my name is Storm. I won't hurt you" suddenly Blackberry hops over and says "well someone has hurt you, let me look" Storm whimpers and shows them the claw marks on her leg and belly.
Selene gasps "who did that?" Storm looks at the ground and whispers "my father, he wanted me gone, ether by running away or by death" everyone looks at the cub with sympathy. "Well, you may have some scaring but I will minimise it as much as I can, Pipkin could you get some healing herbs from the store please?" Blackberry asks Pipkin nods and hops off to get the herbs for Blackberry.
Kehaar then announces that the Efrafan patrol is getting closer. "We need to do something Hazel" Bigwig demands. Fiver then says "we need to come up with more tricks to keep the Efrafans off our scent" Bigwig says "that's not enough, if Woundwort finds us before we are ready" Dandelion then interrupts "what will happen if he finds us?"
Skylar answers "he will attack with everything he has." Bigwig continues "we will be wiped out" Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig exchange a look as Hazel and Primroses kits play. "What if we had someone on the inside willing to over throw Woundwort?"
Bigwig then says "he'd have to be fearless or mad" hazel then thinks for a moment and says "I don't think Campion like what Woundwort has done to his warren" Bigwig and Skylar look surprised "an owsla captain! Betray his chief" Bigwig exclaims. Skylar then says "Campion wouldn't even talk to me in Efrafa because he was afraid of causing conspiracy theories and you think he will go against Woundwort?" Bigwig continues "do you really think he would go against his chief?"
Hazel then snaps back "wouldn't you both go against Woundwort?" Bigwig and Skylar sigh "I think we'd have to." They decide that they should go and grab Campion while his is leading a patrol. "Right we need something to make him stand still long enough for Hazel, Bigwig and Skylar to pin him." Fiver says. Primrose hops over and says "I will come, he should pause when he sees me" Hazel looks at her and nods.
Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, Primrose and Pipkin start to descend into the caverns and Skylar asks Selene if she is coming, Selene says she will stay with Storm while she is being healed, so Skylar has to go without her. Just before Bigwig leaves, he asks Hawkbit and Dandelion to make sure no one goes too far from the warren. Hawkbit and Dandelion joke saying in the current weather it won't be a problem. As they reach the stream Bigwig comments "look how high the streams getting" Hazel says "must be all the rain we are having"
Pipkin goes to the edge of the stream and puts his foot in and gasps "all the cold rain" Skylar chuckles "come on Pipkin, I will follow you" as they all leave the cavern Pipkin says "some adventures are better than others, right Bigwig?" Bigwig chuckles and says "well I've been on a few dryer ones." They make their way to the bridge to wait for Campion to cross the bridge.
"Sooner or later Campion has to come over the bridge, and we will be ready" Hazel states as they settle down to wait. "Oh sooner is better" Pipkin states as a rain drop lands on his head. As they wait the rain starts to come down heavier. They then hear Campion reach the bridge and address his patrol. As they all get into position, Kehaar swoops down to the Efrafans patrol knocking two of the patrol into the river, as the rest of the patrol ran away, Primrose steps out to catch Campion's attention.
"Campion" she says. Campion spots Primrose and he hops over. "Primrose! You came back, you look well" Primrose looks away and suddenly Bigwig, Hazel and Skylar appear and pin Campion to the floor. Campion starts to struggle and cry out "settle down Campion, we just want to talk" Hazel reasons. Campion then says "it appears I have no choice" as they all head into the bushes primrose looks back to the bridge. "Are you ok Primrose?" Skylar asks Primrose looks at Skylar and nods, they both join the others in the hedge.
Hazel says to Campion "I want your word as an officer, you won't run until you have heard us out" Campion growls "you have it, un-like Bigwig my word means something" Pipkin looks confused "what does he mean Bigwig? You always tell the truth, don't you?" Bigwig looks sheepish and says "well yes mostly, Campion has a stiff neck over my spying at Efrafa" Campion then growls "my patrol will be looking for me, what do you have to say?"
Hazel growls "this war between our two warrens is hurting all of us, it has to stop" Campion looks at them and says "and it will, when you have been destroyed" Bigwig steps forward and snaps "not likely chum" Hazel then says "give us your answer here tonight as the moon shines high" as they finish talking Bigwig, Fiver, Pipkin and Hazel leave and as Skylar and Primrose turn to leave Campion calls "Primrose, Skylar. Are you happy where you are now?"
They both turn back and Primrose answers "yes Campion, we are" they then leave the cover and head out after the rest of their group. As they make their way back to the cavern Kehaar swoops over and shouts "run like bunnies, Vervain he comes" they all run as fast as they can and Bigwig shouts "stay off the sand, no tracks!"
They all hop across the stones and they all dive under the willow tree and run up the tunnel to the cavern. "Phew that was close" Skylar panted as they all shook their fur dry "well, we couldn't cut it any closer" Bigwig replied "thank frith we have this tunnel or we may have been silflaying with Woundwort tonight" Skylar replied.
Fiver chuckled "no, you would have knocked Vervain and the owsla out, they would have ran at the sight of you" Skylar then says "oh thanks Fiver am I that hideous to look at?" Fiver looks shocked and stuttered "no, that's not what I meant, you are very beautiful and funny and amazing" Skylar starts to laugh "relax Fiver, I'm only pulling your leg"
Bigwig then splits them up and says "right while we are waiting who wants a game of bobstones?" Pipkin hops forward and they start a game. Hazel hops over to Fiver to talk to him and Primrose sits next to Skylar by the stream. "So it appears you have an admirer" Primrose states as they watch the water rush past them. "What do you mean? Surely Fiver was only joking" Primrose looks at her and shakes her head, Hazel then calls her over, so she moves to him muttering about how Skylar is clueless.
Skylar then moves to watch Bigwig and Pipkin play bobstones. She chuckles as Bigwig loses to Pipkin. "Right all night has fallen lets go and meet Campion. Primrose, Pipkin I want you two to stay here" Primrose then says "what if we are wrong about Campion, what if it a trap" Skylar looks around and says "well, I guess that's why you're not coming."
As they head out, the rain is getting heavier and they are immediately soaked from the swim down the stream and the rain. As they reach the meeting place Kehaar meets them "I try to scout the woods, but it's bad seeing, could be army of Efrafa hidden in mist" Kehaar informs them. Hazel nods and replies "stay close and out of sight" Kehaar nods and takes off into the mist surrounding the area.
As they get to the meeting point, they see Campion already waiting for them. "Well campion, have you thought things over?" Campion looks at them all before nodding "yeah and you are right, there is no reason for our warrens to fight" Skylar looks at Campion and immediately gets uneasy, the response seems scripted and forced, his body posture also seems stiff and unnatural.
Skylar hops over to Fiver to express her concerns but Bigwig replies "well said Campion, it's a new day for all of us" that must have been a signal for the Efrafans as they suddenly appeared and Vervain declares "ha, it's your last day outsiders and Skylar I will take you back for the general" Skylar gasps and starts to shake.
They all observe the Efrafan owsla now surrounding them. Bigwig growls "we may fall, but you'll die before me Campion" Campion suddenly hops beside them and declares "I knew nothing of this, if we fall, we fall together" Skylar still thought it was forced and scripted but she does not dwell on it as the owsla gets closer as Vervain shouts "I knew you were a traitor Campion! Kill them all, but leave Skylar unharmed, for now anyway."
Campion then states "right, when I move follow me" Bigwig growls "I'm not sure I trust you sport" Hazel and Skylar say together "we've nothing to lose." As Campion jumps forward he knocks Vervain to the floor, Skylar spin kicks one owsla member over and Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig take down their own attackers. As they run they hear Vervain shout "tear them up!"
They all disappear into the woods and Campion shouts "once we've lost them, we need someplace to hide" as they run towards the river Hazel shouts "the cavern" but Bigwig declines "no somewhere else" they all make a quick turn and run into a field. Campion then shouts "we should be able to out run them, their exhausted" Skylar turns around to see Vervain chasing them, but the rest of the owsla fall in to the river. Skylar shouts "he's right."
As they duck behind a hay feeder the Efrafan owsla run past. Bigwig and Skylar instantly pick up on the easy escape, Bigwig voices their concerns "we lost them a bit too easily don't you think?" Campion startles them by agreeing "it was supposed to be harder" Skylar hops forward and asks "what game are you playing Campion?" Fiver then continues "and just what are the rules?" Campion looks at the rabbits in front of him and says "Woundwort planned the ambush, you are supposed to think I'm on your side" Skylar then says "and are you?"
Campion looks at her incredulously "I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't, I'm supposed to find the location of your warren and report back, I hate this I don't know who I am anymore" Hazel, Bigwig and Fiver exchange a look with Skylar and they all move out of Campion's hearing to discuss the new development "is he really on our side or is it just an act?" Hazel asks. Bigwig says "I just don't know anymore. What do you think Skylar?"
Skylar thinks for a moment and replies "he was very tense during the set-up, his replies were all planned, but now he is more like himself" they all nod. As they sit they suddenly hear Primrose calling out "Pipkin! Pipkin can you hear me?" they all run to where Primroses voice is coming from. As they reach Primrose she cries out "the water just stole him away Hazel, I looked for his tracks, but I don't think he made it to shore. Frith forgive me!"
Campion tries to comfort her as she sobs "if he's alive we will find him" Primrose suddenly sits up and snaps at Campion "if there was no woundwort or Efrafa, we wouldn't be out here! Pipkin would still be with us" Campion looks at them all with a sympathetic expression "I'm sorry" he says. Kehaar suddenly drops from the sky and asks "what's wrong? Bad thing happen?"
Hazel looks at him and says "very bad, Primrose, Fiver go with Kehaar and start searching for Pipkin" Primrose, Fiver and Kehaar leave to start looking. Bigwig spins round to face Campion "why don't we kill him? Just to be on the safe side?" Campion looks at Bigwig and says "I know you don't trust me" Bigwig and Skylar scoff "you have got that right" Bigwig replies. Campion continues "I'm going back to Efrafa, I will tell Woundwort you saw through my ploy, I will work against him from the inside"
Skylar gasps "you're mad, Woundwort wont believe you, look at what happened to my mom when they only planned a rebellion, they didn't even carry it out, he will kill you to be on the safe side, you said he wanted to kill me for just being her daughter" Campion looks at Skylar and replies "I can make him believe me, if you help. It has to look like I fought for the honour of Efrafa, you understand, don't you Bigwig?" Bigwig nods and says "I will take care of it, Skylar, Hazel go and help the others."
They both look at Campion and nod slowly. They both leave and start to look for Pipkin. They catch up with Fiver and Primrose, Kehaar was circling them and as they reached the bridge, Bigwig joined them. "Campion has gone back to Efrafa."
They all nod and start shouting "Pipkin, Pipkin where are you?" Suddenly they heard Vervain shout "outsiders" they all dived into the undergrowth as Vervain continued "outsiders I know you are out there. Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver and Skylar. You have till the round moon to surrender, or you will never see your young friend Pipkin alive again. Remember till the moon is round." They all exchange looks and Hazel says "what now?" they all make their way back to the warren to break the bad news to the rest of their friends.