The doe's name was Iris. She was the first born in a litter of four, and
Hazel was right, she was a hutch rabbits. She was a Netherlands Dwarf, but
she certainly did not have dwarf-like qualities. The coloring was the same
- black ears, nose, and tail - but she was quite large with long ears and
her body was the shape of an ordinary wild English rabbit's. If it wasn't
for her color, she could easily be mistaken as one.
She lived in a farm about a mile away from Sandleford. She was a restless
and mischievous kit, but very intelligent. When she was about two months
old, she saw a young buck raiding her master's garden. She never realized
that other rabbits besides the hutch-rabbits she lived with existed. She
was amazed by the way it moved, spoke, and acted. Before it returned to its
warren, her master came out of the house with his gun and killed it. Iris
hated and was terrified of humans ever since. She knew she had to leave the
hutch and live the life she admired: the life of a wild rabbit. She
despised the idea of her existence being nothing but entertainment for
humans. She had to escape.
When she grew older, the child of the house would allow her and her family
run around the garden each day. She found every path there was out of the
property, but she wasn't the only one who knew the secret. She had a
younger sister that was only a few months old at the time called
Thlayliroo. Thlayliroo was just as restless and curious as Iris, maybe
more. She idolized her older sister and followed her everywhere. She soon
discovered that Iris was planing to escape, and begged her to come along
too. Iris didn't like the idea of such a young doe going on a journey of
this length, but in the end she gave in. After that, Thlayliroo never left
Iris's side and helped her plan the retreat. Eventually everything was set
and Iris was ready to leave. All they had to do was wait for the right
time.
One day, a man came to their master's house to purchase a rabbit. He
wanted to buy Iris, and even after the farmer insisted that he didn't want
a nuisance like her, he still wanted the lovely and unique doe. Iris knew
that this was the perfect time for her and Thlayliroo to escape. When her
master took her out of the hutch, she remained calm. Thlayliroo ran out of
the wire door before her master had time to close it, and Iris kicked out
of his grasp and ran after her. Their escape was easy, and Iris was glad
that it was slightly embarrassing for her master as well.
Less than a day later, a pfeffa attacked them. Iris pounced at it and began
to attack it. She yelled for Thlayliroo to run, but she wouldn't move. She
wanted to run, but she couldn't leave Iris there to fight the cat alone.
Thlayliroo knew that she herself wasn't strong enough to fight it and that
she'd die if she tried. She reluctantly left Iris to battle alone. Iris got
away easily with only a few scratches that left light scars. Most of them
were unnoticeable under her thick fur. She searched for days for Thlayliroo
until she finally gave up and continued on her journey. She concluded that
Thlayliroo stopped running, and blamed herself for her death.
She continued on generally same path that Hazel, Fiver, and the other
veterans traveled, but went through many different hardships that only she
knows of. She passed the building where Sandleford once laid, and could
almost smell the slight scent of rabbit and poisonous gas in the ground.
She went past it unnoticed.
She also came upon the "Shining Wire" warren. She was greeted by Cowslip
and was welcomed into the warren with opened arms. He asked her the same
question he asked Holly and Bluebell when they were there, if she'd ever
met a group of bucks whose leaders were called Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig. Of
course she said she hadn't, and questioned Cowslip on why he'd asked her.
Cowslip simply said, "No reason," and told her he'd show her where the
burrows were. Iris decided not to pay attention to the response she was
given and followed him. She considered staying, but thought it best to wait
and see what it was like before she made her final decision. The first
mourning she was there the smell of white sticks and the footsteps of man
awaked her. When she heard this, she asked Cowslip where the man came from
and if there was a farm nearby. Cowslip acted like he didn't hear her and
every other rabbit she asked either did the same or talked about the
weather of past winters. She could tell she wouldn't be able to live in
this warren comfortably, so she rested for a short while and left. She went
through a patch of bushes used as a shortcut out of the warren and narrowly
avoided getting caught in a snare. This did not improve her liking for man
or the warren. She slowly walked around it and watched her step closer,
making sure there weren't any more traps or wires set.
As far as we know, the next warren she came upon was Watership. As soon as
she got close to the Down, a rabbit approached her. He was a strong buck
with many scars, probably the deepest on his left haunch. He seemed very
serious and had a look of "Don't-mess-with-me" in his eyes. After he
introduced himself to her as "Captain Bigwig of the Watership Owsla," he
asked her why she had come to his warren. As Iris told him of her past life
and some of the hrair hardships she encountered on the way to Watership,
his stern expression softened, and Iris could almost see pity in his eyes.
This buck was truly unlike any rabbit she'd ever encountered and hoped his
warren was the same. When she finished he shook of his remorse, remembering
that she could still be an enemy and all she said could be a lie. She was
either very honest, or a very talented actress. He told her that she was
welcomed to join as long as his chief approved of it. "He doesn't seem the
least bit secretive," Iris thought as she followed him to the warren, "and
there aren't any men, farms, or roads near the Down that would be a
threat." She knew this was the place she was searching for. She followed
Bigwig to the top of the Down where she saw three rabbits sitting side by
side looking over the edge. One was a quiet, calmer buck that seemed very
confident, sensible, intelligent, and almost relieved to see her. Iris
could tell that he was the chief rabbit. She was the first one to speak.
"Captain Bigwig informed me that I should speak to the chief of this warren
about my business," she said to Hazel. "Are you he?"
Hazel nodded. "Yes. I am Hazel-rah. And you are."
"My name is Iris, sir. I've come to ask if I can join your warren."
"May I ask you a few questions first?" Hazel asked, quickly looking her
over. He still wasn't completely sure if she was trustworthy or not. "Where
do you come from?"
"Far away," said Iris. "I escaped from my hutch a while ago. I saw some
other warrens on my journey, but this was the friendliest one I came upon."
"What do you mean?" asked Blackberry.
"Well, sir," she said, "one was zorn by men, and the other was very
strange. I asked if I could rest there for a while and they agreed, but
before they let me in the burrow they asked if I knew a few rabbits. I
believe their names were Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig." She realized that these
must be the bucks Cowslip spoke of. "Do you know what warren I mean?"
"Yes," said Bigwig. "To well."
"Anyway," continued Iris, "I said I didn't, and when I asked why they
ignored me. They barely answer a single question I asked, and the warren
smelled more like man than I do. The rabbits were nice, but I didn't
exactly feel safe there, so I left as soon as I was rested. I almost ran
into a wire, too. Hrair days later I arrived here."
"Weren't you afraid of elil?" asked Bigwig.
"Of course," said Iris. "Who isn't. I ran into several on the way, but I
was too fast for them. Oh yes, and I came upon a pfeffa, but I was able to
scare it away." She thought it best not to mention Thlayliroo to them.
"Do you mean you fought it?" asked Bigwig.
"Yes, sir," replied Iris.
"Alone?" he asked, astonished that an inexperienced hutch-rabbit would take
on a cat single-handedly.
"Yes, sir. It was strong, but I gave it a bite to remember. So," said Iris,
turning back to Hazel, "may I join your warren, sir?"
"She seems nice enough to me," Pipkin whispered to Hazel.
"Yes," said Hazel, confidant that she was telling the truth. "I don't see
any harm in that. Bigwig, would you make her feel at home? You know, show
her around the Down.
"Of course," he said. "Come along Iris, we can start at the burrows."
As soon as they started to walk away, a cat jumped out from behind a bush
and pinned Pipkin against the ground. They could see him kicking and
struggling, but the cat wouldn't let him free. An instant later it was
forced off his back. Iris jumped at it and began biting and scratching it,
while Pipkin ran to the safety of the burrows. She jumped up and grabbed
its neck with her teeth. She dug her front claws into the sides of its neck
and started kicking and scratching at its stomach with her back claws. She
hung on for a while, but the cat eventually flung her off. She lay silent
on the ground, not moving and breathing heavily. The cat started to move
towards her, and when it got close enough, she jumped up and kicked it in
its face. The cat yelped and ran off. Pipkin slowly emerged from the
burrows after he was sure it was gone. Iris-out of breath and covered with
cat blood-hopped over him. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," replied Pipkin. "Thank you!"
"Iris," Hazel said, shocked. "Do you realize that you saved Hlao-roo's
life?"
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" asked Blackberry. "And how did
you know that acting like you were hurt would fool the pfeffa. That was
what you were doing, right?"
"I don't know," she said. "It was kind of strange. I just saw - Hlao-roo,
was it? - in danger and had to do something about it. It was like I didn't
even know what I was doing. And yes, acting like I was hurt was to confuse
the pfeffa."
"Strange or not, you saved my life," said Pipkin. "There must be some way I
can repay you."
"Oh no!" said Iris. "It's fine, really. I'm a part of your warren now.
Aren't I supposed to do things like that?
"Yes," said Bigwig, "and from what I see you have the makings and attitude
of an Owsla officer. We could find some room for you, that is, if you would
like to give it a shot."
"Me?" asked Iris. "Of course, if you are sure I could do it. And you are
The Captain of Owsla? I could tell. When you came to see me I thought you
were the chief. You'd probably be strong enough - nothing against you,
Hazel-rah, of course - but it seems like you could kill a cat if you wanted
to."
"I like her," muttered Bigwig to Hazel. "Come along Iris. You look like you
could use some rest. You could stay in my burrow."
When they left, Pipkin turned to Hazel, "I'm glad she joined the warren. To
think, a hutch-rabbit fighting off a cat!"
"Well," said Blackberry, "if the General is alive, he'll have to stand up
to Bigwig and Iris this time."
"I hope you're wrong about the General," said Hazel. "I pray you're wrong."
Iris soon began to prove her worth. Before they came to Bigwig's burrow, Bigwig introduced her to Speedwell, Fiver, Strawberry, Hawkbit, and Blackavar. Blackavar told them he was taking some kittens on an expedition to Nuthanger Farm, and Iris jumped on the opportunity to go. Bigwig said he'd go along too, "Just to make sure you don't run into any trouble." While they were gone, they told Iris about their journey to Watership Down, their battle with Efrafa, and the conversation Bigwig had with the kittens earlier that day. Iris said she hoped Threar was right so she could show Woundwort "a thing or two about fighting". When they were around half way between the Down and Nuthanger Farm, a lendri attacked the kittens. Iris jumped at it and grabbed its neck the same way she did the cat that attacked Pipkin, but even with a good kick in the face this one didn't run away. She drew it off until the others could escape with the kittens and returned to them when it lost interest. Blackavar was as much impressed with Iris as Bigwig was. "I never saw a doe stand up to elil like that," he told her as they returned to the Down. "It looks like you'll have some competition, Bigwig." Bigwig smirked. "A marli- hutch give me competition? Ha! That'll be the day!"
When they arrived back at Watership Down, Iris and Bigwig joined Hazel and Blackberry to discuss what they heard from Threar. "What's to be done Hazel- rah?" asked Blackberry. "We should do something about all this." "Well, I think we should ask Fiver," said Hazel. "After all, he is the one who senses it." "Well, all right," said Bigwig, "but if you ask me, this is all nonsense." "If I remember correctly there was another time you thought what this Fiver fellow said was nonsense," said Iris, "when-" "All right, all right," said Bigwig, recalling when he wouldn't listen to Fiver and got caught in a snare. "Let's get this over with." They found Fiver asleep in his burrow. He was muttering something under his breath, but they could understand what he was saying. "Fiver," said Hazel softly. Fiver instantly opened his eyes. "May I ask you a question?" "Of course, Hazel-rah," Fiver said a little shakily as he sat up. "What is it?" "Young Threar told Bigwig you sensed that General Woundwort is still alive," said Hazel. "Is this true?" "Well," said Fiver, "not exactly. I sensed that something was coming to the Down. I didn't say anything about Woundwort." "Could it possibly be me?" Iris asked reluctantly. "No, no!" said Fiver quickly. "The thing that is coming is - is something. unwelcomed. It isn't you, or anyone else here for that matter." "Is it dangerous?" asked Blackberry. "I - I don't know," he said. "It's something like a hawk or a lendri or-" "A pfeffa?" cut in Bigwig. "No," said Fiver, "it's not the pfeffa. Pipkin told me about that. I can still sense something. The pfeffa is gone, that's for sure. It is something else. I know it is." "Well then, when is it coming?" asked Bigwig impatiently. "Sometime soon. I don't think I can tell you anything more yet," he said. "Thank you, Fiver," said Hazel. "That's all we need to know." They started to walk out of the burrow, when suddenly they heard a terrible squeal. It came from Fiver. They turned around and ran towards him. "Fiver! Fiver!" said Hazel nudging his shoulder. "What's the matter? What's wrong?" Fiver stood up with a dazed look in his eyes and started to talk. "On a foggy evening very soon, a creature is coming to our warren; A creature that is very similar and yet very different than any of us. Everything will be turned upside-down. Confusion! Blood! Squeals! Cries! Death! Darkness! Everything's dark! Dark! Dark-" His voice started to shake and become no more than a whisper. After he said this, he collapsed. "Fiver," yelled Hazel again. "Fiver, wake up!" Fiver stood up with a moan and looked around. "W-what?" he asked. "What happened? Hazel? Bigwig? Blackberry? Iris? What's going on?" "We'll explain later," said Hazel gently. "You get some rest." Fiver lay down and fell back to sleep. He started to mutter again, and this time, they could all understand him saying, "Fill in the burrows! Fill in the burrows! Hurry, there's no time!" The others turned and walked outside.
"I can sense things too, you know," said Bigwig when they returned silf, "and I sense that Fiver's hiding something from us." "But Captain," said Iris, "I'm sorry to argue and I don't want to seem rude, but please, be reasonable. It can't be anything that big or Fiver would have just told us. Plus you just said this was nonsense a few moments ago. I think you are over reacting a bit. Probably because of that thing with the snare." "First of all," said Bigwig irritated, "you weren't there. And second, I know he is hiding something. He knows perfectly well what is going on. I say we get the Owsla to go out and patrol for danger. In the meantime everyone can start filling in the burrows." "And I guess we should get the dog too," said Blackberry sarcastically. "Yes," replied Bigwig, turning around and slowly starting to go towards the warren. "Good idea. I'll get Dandelion." "Thlayli, stop," yelled Hazel after him. Bigwig halted and turned to faced the three again. "Look, we can't do anything drastic. We don't even know what's coming or how dangerous it is." "Oh no!" said Bigwig before he could continue. "Blood and squeals won't mean much danger. Why don't we just lie out in the open until that - that thing comes? So what if hrair rabbits stop running? At least we didn't do any thing drastic! And another thing-" "Blackberry," said Hazel quickly, afraid to hear what came next, "what do you think we should do?" "Well," replied Blackberry, "I agree with Bigwig. We should take some kind of precaution, but nothing huge." "All right," said Hazel. "We can hold a meeting tomorrow in the Honeycomb." "Tomorrow?" asked Bigwig tensely. "We can't sit around here like fools while something's planing an attack on us. If it is Woundwort, the more time we waste the more time he gains. We have to do something now." He ran across the Down. Iris turned to Hazel. "What was that about?" "It seems that Bigwig's suspicions are finally starting to get the better of him," replied Hazel. "Don't worry, it'll be all right." Iris, still unsure, nodded and went after Bigwig. Hazel was about to go with her when Hawkbit ran over to him. "Hazel-rah," he said, "there's a rabbit here from Efrafa who would like to see you." "Efrafa?" asked Hazel, wondering if Bigwig was right about Woundwort. Efrafa almost certainly meant trouble. "Where is he?" "In the Honeycomb," replied Hawkbit. "Hyzenthlay-rah's already there. He said he wanted to ask you some questions." "Thank you, Hawkbit," said Hazel, and he ran into the burrows. When Hazel came to the Honeycomb, the rabbit and Hyzenthlay were waiting for him. "Are you Hazel-rah?" the Efrafan asked. "Yes," replied Hazel. "What brings you here?" "My name is Bugbane, sir," said the rabbit. "I've come to ask if you have seen a group of young rabbits. They left Efrafa some time ago, and we can't seem to find them. We were wondering if they had come here." "No," said Hazel. "I'm sorry, but we haven't seen them." "I thought Campion-rah lets his rabbits come and go as they please now," said Hyzenthlay. "Wasn't that one of the reasons Vleflain was established?" "Of course," said Bugbane, "but we do have limits. Most of the rabbits were just kittens when they left. Some of them vanished on their first trip out of the burrows. When rabbits are this young we refuse to let them go unless they're with a group of older rabbits. They wouldn't stand a chance against elil. We'd never let them leave alone. I just hope they are still alive." "I guess that's understandable," said Hazel. "And you have tried Vleflain?" "Yes," Bugbane replied with a nod. "If we find anything we'll be sure to let you know," said Hazel, "but if you want you may stay here awhile. It's a long journey back to Efrafa, and you must be tired." "Thank you," replied Bugbane. "I'll stay here a day or so. Campion-rah is waiting for my return, but I don't expect he'll mind a little delay." "All right," said Hazel. "You can stay in Bigwig's. burrow." "Poor Iris," he thought. "I can't believe I left her alone with Bigwig at a time like this." "Hyzenthlay, I'm sorry but I have to see to something." With a nod to her, Hazel ran silf with Bugbane close behind, wondering what was wrong.
They found Bigwig and Iris sitting near the Beach Hanger. There was a huge seagull standing next to them that they were talking to. Hazel and Bugbane hopped over to them. "Is - is that the white bird?" asked Bugbane. "The one that attacked General Woundwort and then turned into a bolt of lightning?" "Well," said Bigwig, "not exactly. His name is Kehaar. He did attack Woundwort but he didn't turn into anything. Don't worry, he won't hurt you. I am Captain Thlayli. I've never seen you around here before." "That is because I am not from here," he said more calmly. "I am Officer Bugbane of Efrafa. I've come to ask if you have seen a group of young rabbits. They left Efrafa some time ago, and we want to make sure they're okay." "No," replied Bigwig, "we haven't." "I go look for dem too?" asked Kehaar. "I go find dem?" "Too?" asked Hazel. "Who else are you looking for?" "Don't answer that," Iris muttered quickly to Kehaar. "Hello Bugbane. I am Officer Iris. You look tired. Why don't you go rest awhile? That's Hawkbit right over there, I believe. He can show you where our burrow is." Bugbane nodded and hopped away. Iris could tell Hazel was upset, but Bigwig was beaming. "So," she said, "what were we talking about again?" "What Kehaar is looking for," said Hazel irritated. "Go on Kehaar." "Meester Pigvig and Meess Irees. They says 'go find Voundvort'." "No," said Bigwig. "We said to try to find the danger. He wanted to know what the danger was and, well, the General was one of the options." "I have a feeling it was the only option," said Hazel, "but it is a good idea anyway. Kehaar, while you are looking for the danger and the rabbits, could you fly over to Efrafa and tell Campion-rah that we did not see the missing bucks and that Bugbane will be staying with us for a while." Kehaar nodded. "And Kehaar, one more thing," said Iris, "could you ask Campion-rah to come to Watership Down?" She glanced over at Hazel to see what he would say. "What for?" he asked. "Well, I just figured that with all these rumors about Woundwort floating around he should be the first one to know about them. It would be easier to tell him ourselves than to try to send the message." Hazel agreed. What Hazel didn't know was that Iris was a visionary. Her powers were slightly weaker than Hyzenthlay's. She didn't know she had them, but like Fiver, she felt that something was going to happen soon. She didn't want to start rambling and make the whole warren think she was mad, so she figured if Efrafa was here maybe they could make some sense out of the situation. Plus it would make things much safer. "Ya, ya," said Kehaar. "I go find dem." And with a loud "Yark!" he flew off over the Down into the sunset.
Iris soon began to prove her worth. Before they came to Bigwig's burrow, Bigwig introduced her to Speedwell, Fiver, Strawberry, Hawkbit, and Blackavar. Blackavar told them he was taking some kittens on an expedition to Nuthanger Farm, and Iris jumped on the opportunity to go. Bigwig said he'd go along too, "Just to make sure you don't run into any trouble." While they were gone, they told Iris about their journey to Watership Down, their battle with Efrafa, and the conversation Bigwig had with the kittens earlier that day. Iris said she hoped Threar was right so she could show Woundwort "a thing or two about fighting". When they were around half way between the Down and Nuthanger Farm, a lendri attacked the kittens. Iris jumped at it and grabbed its neck the same way she did the cat that attacked Pipkin, but even with a good kick in the face this one didn't run away. She drew it off until the others could escape with the kittens and returned to them when it lost interest. Blackavar was as much impressed with Iris as Bigwig was. "I never saw a doe stand up to elil like that," he told her as they returned to the Down. "It looks like you'll have some competition, Bigwig." Bigwig smirked. "A marli- hutch give me competition? Ha! That'll be the day!"
When they arrived back at Watership Down, Iris and Bigwig joined Hazel and Blackberry to discuss what they heard from Threar. "What's to be done Hazel- rah?" asked Blackberry. "We should do something about all this." "Well, I think we should ask Fiver," said Hazel. "After all, he is the one who senses it." "Well, all right," said Bigwig, "but if you ask me, this is all nonsense." "If I remember correctly there was another time you thought what this Fiver fellow said was nonsense," said Iris, "when-" "All right, all right," said Bigwig, recalling when he wouldn't listen to Fiver and got caught in a snare. "Let's get this over with." They found Fiver asleep in his burrow. He was muttering something under his breath, but they could understand what he was saying. "Fiver," said Hazel softly. Fiver instantly opened his eyes. "May I ask you a question?" "Of course, Hazel-rah," Fiver said a little shakily as he sat up. "What is it?" "Young Threar told Bigwig you sensed that General Woundwort is still alive," said Hazel. "Is this true?" "Well," said Fiver, "not exactly. I sensed that something was coming to the Down. I didn't say anything about Woundwort." "Could it possibly be me?" Iris asked reluctantly. "No, no!" said Fiver quickly. "The thing that is coming is - is something. unwelcomed. It isn't you, or anyone else here for that matter." "Is it dangerous?" asked Blackberry. "I - I don't know," he said. "It's something like a hawk or a lendri or-" "A pfeffa?" cut in Bigwig. "No," said Fiver, "it's not the pfeffa. Pipkin told me about that. I can still sense something. The pfeffa is gone, that's for sure. It is something else. I know it is." "Well then, when is it coming?" asked Bigwig impatiently. "Sometime soon. I don't think I can tell you anything more yet," he said. "Thank you, Fiver," said Hazel. "That's all we need to know." They started to walk out of the burrow, when suddenly they heard a terrible squeal. It came from Fiver. They turned around and ran towards him. "Fiver! Fiver!" said Hazel nudging his shoulder. "What's the matter? What's wrong?" Fiver stood up with a dazed look in his eyes and started to talk. "On a foggy evening very soon, a creature is coming to our warren; A creature that is very similar and yet very different than any of us. Everything will be turned upside-down. Confusion! Blood! Squeals! Cries! Death! Darkness! Everything's dark! Dark! Dark-" His voice started to shake and become no more than a whisper. After he said this, he collapsed. "Fiver," yelled Hazel again. "Fiver, wake up!" Fiver stood up with a moan and looked around. "W-what?" he asked. "What happened? Hazel? Bigwig? Blackberry? Iris? What's going on?" "We'll explain later," said Hazel gently. "You get some rest." Fiver lay down and fell back to sleep. He started to mutter again, and this time, they could all understand him saying, "Fill in the burrows! Fill in the burrows! Hurry, there's no time!" The others turned and walked outside.
"I can sense things too, you know," said Bigwig when they returned silf, "and I sense that Fiver's hiding something from us." "But Captain," said Iris, "I'm sorry to argue and I don't want to seem rude, but please, be reasonable. It can't be anything that big or Fiver would have just told us. Plus you just said this was nonsense a few moments ago. I think you are over reacting a bit. Probably because of that thing with the snare." "First of all," said Bigwig irritated, "you weren't there. And second, I know he is hiding something. He knows perfectly well what is going on. I say we get the Owsla to go out and patrol for danger. In the meantime everyone can start filling in the burrows." "And I guess we should get the dog too," said Blackberry sarcastically. "Yes," replied Bigwig, turning around and slowly starting to go towards the warren. "Good idea. I'll get Dandelion." "Thlayli, stop," yelled Hazel after him. Bigwig halted and turned to faced the three again. "Look, we can't do anything drastic. We don't even know what's coming or how dangerous it is." "Oh no!" said Bigwig before he could continue. "Blood and squeals won't mean much danger. Why don't we just lie out in the open until that - that thing comes? So what if hrair rabbits stop running? At least we didn't do any thing drastic! And another thing-" "Blackberry," said Hazel quickly, afraid to hear what came next, "what do you think we should do?" "Well," replied Blackberry, "I agree with Bigwig. We should take some kind of precaution, but nothing huge." "All right," said Hazel. "We can hold a meeting tomorrow in the Honeycomb." "Tomorrow?" asked Bigwig tensely. "We can't sit around here like fools while something's planing an attack on us. If it is Woundwort, the more time we waste the more time he gains. We have to do something now." He ran across the Down. Iris turned to Hazel. "What was that about?" "It seems that Bigwig's suspicions are finally starting to get the better of him," replied Hazel. "Don't worry, it'll be all right." Iris, still unsure, nodded and went after Bigwig. Hazel was about to go with her when Hawkbit ran over to him. "Hazel-rah," he said, "there's a rabbit here from Efrafa who would like to see you." "Efrafa?" asked Hazel, wondering if Bigwig was right about Woundwort. Efrafa almost certainly meant trouble. "Where is he?" "In the Honeycomb," replied Hawkbit. "Hyzenthlay-rah's already there. He said he wanted to ask you some questions." "Thank you, Hawkbit," said Hazel, and he ran into the burrows. When Hazel came to the Honeycomb, the rabbit and Hyzenthlay were waiting for him. "Are you Hazel-rah?" the Efrafan asked. "Yes," replied Hazel. "What brings you here?" "My name is Bugbane, sir," said the rabbit. "I've come to ask if you have seen a group of young rabbits. They left Efrafa some time ago, and we can't seem to find them. We were wondering if they had come here." "No," said Hazel. "I'm sorry, but we haven't seen them." "I thought Campion-rah lets his rabbits come and go as they please now," said Hyzenthlay. "Wasn't that one of the reasons Vleflain was established?" "Of course," said Bugbane, "but we do have limits. Most of the rabbits were just kittens when they left. Some of them vanished on their first trip out of the burrows. When rabbits are this young we refuse to let them go unless they're with a group of older rabbits. They wouldn't stand a chance against elil. We'd never let them leave alone. I just hope they are still alive." "I guess that's understandable," said Hazel. "And you have tried Vleflain?" "Yes," Bugbane replied with a nod. "If we find anything we'll be sure to let you know," said Hazel, "but if you want you may stay here awhile. It's a long journey back to Efrafa, and you must be tired." "Thank you," replied Bugbane. "I'll stay here a day or so. Campion-rah is waiting for my return, but I don't expect he'll mind a little delay." "All right," said Hazel. "You can stay in Bigwig's. burrow." "Poor Iris," he thought. "I can't believe I left her alone with Bigwig at a time like this." "Hyzenthlay, I'm sorry but I have to see to something." With a nod to her, Hazel ran silf with Bugbane close behind, wondering what was wrong.
They found Bigwig and Iris sitting near the Beach Hanger. There was a huge seagull standing next to them that they were talking to. Hazel and Bugbane hopped over to them. "Is - is that the white bird?" asked Bugbane. "The one that attacked General Woundwort and then turned into a bolt of lightning?" "Well," said Bigwig, "not exactly. His name is Kehaar. He did attack Woundwort but he didn't turn into anything. Don't worry, he won't hurt you. I am Captain Thlayli. I've never seen you around here before." "That is because I am not from here," he said more calmly. "I am Officer Bugbane of Efrafa. I've come to ask if you have seen a group of young rabbits. They left Efrafa some time ago, and we want to make sure they're okay." "No," replied Bigwig, "we haven't." "I go look for dem too?" asked Kehaar. "I go find dem?" "Too?" asked Hazel. "Who else are you looking for?" "Don't answer that," Iris muttered quickly to Kehaar. "Hello Bugbane. I am Officer Iris. You look tired. Why don't you go rest awhile? That's Hawkbit right over there, I believe. He can show you where our burrow is." Bugbane nodded and hopped away. Iris could tell Hazel was upset, but Bigwig was beaming. "So," she said, "what were we talking about again?" "What Kehaar is looking for," said Hazel irritated. "Go on Kehaar." "Meester Pigvig and Meess Irees. They says 'go find Voundvort'." "No," said Bigwig. "We said to try to find the danger. He wanted to know what the danger was and, well, the General was one of the options." "I have a feeling it was the only option," said Hazel, "but it is a good idea anyway. Kehaar, while you are looking for the danger and the rabbits, could you fly over to Efrafa and tell Campion-rah that we did not see the missing bucks and that Bugbane will be staying with us for a while." Kehaar nodded. "And Kehaar, one more thing," said Iris, "could you ask Campion-rah to come to Watership Down?" She glanced over at Hazel to see what he would say. "What for?" he asked. "Well, I just figured that with all these rumors about Woundwort floating around he should be the first one to know about them. It would be easier to tell him ourselves than to try to send the message." Hazel agreed. What Hazel didn't know was that Iris was a visionary. Her powers were slightly weaker than Hyzenthlay's. She didn't know she had them, but like Fiver, she felt that something was going to happen soon. She didn't want to start rambling and make the whole warren think she was mad, so she figured if Efrafa was here maybe they could make some sense out of the situation. Plus it would make things much safer. "Ya, ya," said Kehaar. "I go find dem." And with a loud "Yark!" he flew off over the Down into the sunset.