Three days after Kehaar started his mission, the weather was not nearly as pleasant as before. It was near freezing, and there was a misty overcast that started the previous night that decided to stay throughout the day. There were periods of sleet and icy rain that made silflaying miserable and the borrows cold. To make it more comfortable for the rabbits, Hazel finally held his meeting in the Honeycomb. He told them about Fiver's prediction although he did not go deep into details and of the missing rabbits. To take their minds off of the dreadful conditions, he asked Dandelion to try to get their spirits up.
"We have a guest," said Dandelion when Hazel was done speaking, "and a new member of Watership Down. Everyone, this is Bugbane, an Efrafan officer. He has come to see if anyone here has seen a group of young bucks."
No one spoke.
"No? All right then. And this is Iris. She has come a long way to join our warren, so let us make her feel at home. She is our new Owsla officer. I will tell you of her journey later on.
"Now to celebrate, I have been ask to tell a story. As you all know, one of our members stopped running last winter. He survived the journey from Sandleford to Watership and assisted in our battle with Efrafa. But one cold winter night the Black Rabbit called his name and he left the warren, leaving his body behind. This rabbit was Acorn, one of the founders of Watership. El-ahrairah went through this nearly the same problem himself once. In honor of Acorn's death, I will tell The Story of The Rabbits' Thlay."
Bringing up the death of Acorn and telling a story about a dreadfully cold winter was not exactly what Hazel had in mind to cheer the rabbits up. Still, Dandelion had a way with words, and their moods could not be lowered much more than they already were. He did not say anything to object and listened to the story silently with great interest.
In El-ahrairah's time, winter was much harder for rabbits than it is now. There were many reasons why, but the main problem was that the rabbits' thlay was as thick as that of a field mouse's, and El-ahrairah's warren was going through much hardship every winter. In one of those horrid years, half of the rabbits in his warren died, including his youngest litter. One snowy January day, El-ahrairah saw Prince Rainbow coming over the hills. He could not stand seeing his people dying, so he approached him.
"Prince Rainbow," he called through the snow, "my people are dying from the cold. There is no way they can keep warm. We've tried everything, but nothing seems to work. My dear friend Rexaranto and his family were doing so poorly that they traveled to a far away farm to become hutch rabbits, and many others are considering joining them. Also, my youngest litter stopped running not long ago. It will not be long before our entire warren is completely zorn. Please, Prince Rainbow, there must be something you can do to help us."
When Prince Rainbow heard this he laughed. Wondering how far he could push El-ahrairah and enjoying the entertainment he said, still chuckling.
"So, the great rascal El-ahrairah has resorted to begging. I am sorry, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, but I cannot help you, although I do know someone who can."
El-ahrairah rejected being called a beggar and almost spoke out when Prince Rainbow called him one, but he knew if he argued he would never get what he needed.
"Who can help me?" El-ahrairah asked, with a slight hint of rage in his voice that amused Prince Rainbow even more.
"Why," said Prince Rainbow, "only Slyrea can give you what you want."
"But what is it I want?" asked El-ahrairah, starting to loose his patients with Prince Rainbow.
"You must seek out the Fuzzy Cattails and eat its seeds. When you do, your thlay will grow thick and warm. Feed it to your people, and their winter hardships will surely vanish. You must go alone, El-ahrairah. Traveling with a large group of hlessil will surely slow your pace. Even one companion will cause trouble."
"I must go alone?" repeated El-ahrairah. "Where are these Fuzzy Cattails located that I cannot reach them with my Owsla?"
"They only grow at The Center of the Earth," replied Prince Rainbow, "with other mystical plants that I am forbidden to speak of. The only reason I tell you of the Cattails is because I guarantee you would just make a nuisance of yourself until you found what you wanted. Much like you are doing now."
El-ahrairah was very pleased with this information, but it seemed to good to be true, and he knew it must be.
"Prince Rainbow," he asked in an innocent tone, "what is Slyrea? Is she a rabbit?"
"Oh no," said Prince Rainbow. "I figured you of all people would know who Slyrea is. She is a vixen, a homba, and one of the strongest around. She has been searching for food all winter, so she did not have much company. I am sure she would love to help you out." Prince Rainbow saw the furious look on El-ahrairah's face, and slyly said, "I am not saying that she would eat you, El-ahrairah, but she might want a reward for her services - I am warning you in advance. Now if you will excuse me, I must report to Lord Frith. Good luck, Prince with a Thousand Enemies. You will need luck on this journey."
El-ahrairah knew that Prince Rainbow had tricked him. He got his mind set on getting the Fuzzy Cattails, and he knew that once El-ahrairah had his mind set on something he had to go through with it, even if it meant traveling to The Center of the Earth with a hungry mother vixen. It made him sick to think of what her price might be, but he knew he had to get the Fuzzy Cattails. Homba or no, he had to do it.
Rabscuttle was outraged when he heard what El-ahrairah had to do.
"This is absurd!" you could hear him yell throughout the warren. "How does Price Rainbow expect you to travel such a great distance with a vixen? You cannot go through with this! There must be some other way."
"Rabscuttle,"said El-ahrairah in a kind yet firm voice, "you are my Supreme Captain and closest friend, but for once you cannot assist me. I must do this alone. I am going on this journey to keep my people safe, not to endanger their lives. I am sorry, but I cannot risk your life on something like this. I am the chief of this warren and I must fulfill my duties as chief, no matter how dangerous that may be. I wanted to inform you that I am leaving tomorrow at Fu-Inle."
Rabscuttle argued with El-ahrairah all that day and the next. When it was time for him to start on his journey, Rabscuttle reluctantly watched him leave. "It will be difficult to persuade a mother homba to leave its young to help a rabbit," El-ahrairah thought to himself, "but it is something I must accomplish."
El-ahrairah had no idea where to find Slyrea, so he asked every animal he came upon. He was shocked that so many animals had no idea what he was talking about, but in the end Yona gave him the information he needed.
"Ah," he said, "so you seek out Slyrea the homba. I will tell you where to find her, though I am not sure why you would want to. She lives in the forests of Rhubarin, which is just over the River Turbulat. I warn you, El-ahrairah, you should not go near Rhubarin. It is owned by a pack of wolves, and Slyrea herself is not the most welcoming host either. I entered Rhubarin just last week to see if any slugs remained under the rotting leaves and rocks and almost got eaten myself. Heed my warning, El-ahrairah, and never go near Rhubarin or Slyrea."
"But I must go," explained El-ahrairah. "I need to seek out Slyrea so she could lead to the Fuzzy Cattails at The Center of the Earth. If I don't, my people will surely die. You have a long, prickly coat, Yona, but the rabbits have nothing but short, cool thlay. I thank you for your help and warning, but I must leave you."
With that, El-ahrairah set off to the forests of Rhubarin, leaving Yona behind muttering something about ignorant rabbits.
El-ahrairah traveled for a day and a night until he reached the River Turbulat and found a tree trunk suspended to the other side to cross on. Not far off was Rhubarin. He quietly entered the dreary forest. The trees were so thick that there was hardly any snow on the ground and even at Ni-Frith it was as dark as night. He was not in it long when he heard an unnatural rustling, could feel someone watching his every move, and could smell the strong scent of homba in the air.
"I am El-ahrairah," he called out, knowing that someone was listening. "I seek out the vixen Slyrea and ask for her assistance."
In an instant, a homba jumped out from its hiding place and nearly landed on top of El-ahrairah.
"So," said the vixen in a smooth, cold voice that made El-ahrairah shudder, "you are El-ahrairah, The Prince with a Thousand Enemies. I expected your arrival sooner, but I suppose your people cannot travel half as fast as they run. I am who you are looking for. I am Slyrea. Prince Rainbow informed me that you would be coming to Rhubarin in search of me. You come to ask for my assistance in finding the magical Fuzzy Cattail, do you not? Well, I can easily show you where they are. They grow very far away, but I can take you there for a price."
"I will give you anything you desire," replied El-ahrairah, "but I will not pay you in the blood of my people."
"Why not?" asked Slyrea, slightly taken aback. "It is the only payment I know. I need food for my young, and some rabbits would work quite nicely. You are just lucky, El-ahrairah," she said in a deeper voice, "that I will not eat the Prince of Rabbits."
El-ahrairah knew that Slyrea would not give him what he wanted willingly, but he could get it by means of a trick.
"I am sorry, Slyrea," he said with a sigh, "but my rabbits are not riches that I can spend on luxuries. Plus, I could not if I wanted to. All my people are at the Center of the Earth waiting for me at this very moment. I thank you for your time with all my heart, Slyrea, but I cannot use the help you gave me."
With a nod, El-ahrairah turned and left before she could say another word. He hid in the bushes and waited to hear what Slyrea would say.
"Foolish El-ahrairah," she said with a cold laugh. "His people are alone and without their cunning chief. I will go to The Center of the Earth myself and kill the rabbits for my family. By the time El-ahrairah finds his way there my young will already be fed, and the rabbits will be gone."
Slyrea left on her journey with El-ahrairah following far behind. He knew his plan would work and was happy it did so easily.
It was a long journey and more exhausting than El-ahrairah imagined. He saw many elil, but they did not dare approach him with Slyrea so close by. Hrair days later, El-ahrairah could finally see the giant Cattails in the distance. He hid in an abandoned woodchuck hole so Slyrea would not notice him when she went past. When she reached the Cattails, she searched for hours for the slightest trace of rabbit.
"They must have already returned to their warren," she said to herself. "What a waste of time!"
Aftera short rest Slyrea started on her journey back to Rhubarin, never realizing she was tricked.
As soon as Slyrea was out of sight, El-ahrairah ran from his hiding place and to the Fuzzy Cattails. They were more than twice the size of the Cattails near the warren. He pushed one over and broke its stem. Seeds flew everywhere as it fell to the ground. El-ahrairah saw a small bunch nearby and ate them. As soon as he swallowed he could feel thick, warm thlay growing on his back. "One Cattail should be enough for the entire warren," he thought to himself. "It seems as if one seed gives you a full, warm coat of thlay. This is truly an extraordinary plant." He got a new undamaged Cattail and followed the embleer of homba back to Rhubarin. From there he easily found his way home.
As soon as Rabscuttle saw El-ahrairah, he ran to him.
"Master," he called out, "you have finally returned. Your thlay has grown long and has allowed you to survive your journey home. Come rest awhile in your burrow before you faint from weariness."
But El-ahrairah would not rest. He immediately called all the rabbits above ground, where each of them ate a few small seeds of the Fuzzy Cattail. In less than a day, all of El-ahrairah's people went from dying of cold to being warm in their new thlay. The rest of that winter, no rabbits died. And from that day on, few rabbits die from the hardships of winter.
After he finished, the rabbits heard something silf. Hazel, Bigwig, and Iris went above ground to see what it was. Kehaar was sitting under the Beach Hanger, stretching his wings. He appeared to be merely a dark figure through the fog.
"Kehaar," said Bigwig. "Why have you returned so soon? Did you find anything?"
"Ya, ya," replied Kehaar. "I found dem."
"Them who?" asked Hazel.
"Dem rabbit cheecks and dat Voundvort fella," replied Kehaar.
"You mean you've actually found the General?" asked Iris.
"Ya, ya," he said. "Cheecks with 'im. They no far from 'ere."
"Are you sure?" asked Bigwig.
"Ya. Voundvort pig fella, pale eyes, lots of scratches. Dey coming 'ere."
No one spoke for a moment, but then Hazel turned to the others and said as calmly as he could,
"Does anyone have any ideas how to stop this?"
"Um? Hazel-rah," Iris spoke up in a small voice, "I think I have an idea, but it is pretty risky."
"A rabbit's life is one big risk," said Bigwig to Iris. "If you have a plan tell us. There must be some way it can help us."
"All right," she replied. "We will need Holly. And Kehaar, we will need a bunch of your feathers. Everyone should still be in the Honeycomb, shouldn't they? I will tell them my plan now. If that is all right with you Hazel," she added.
"It is," he said. "We better hurry before they all leave."
When they got back to the burrow, they were glad to find that all the rabbits were still in the Honeycomb. When Iris informed them that Woundwort was still alive and coming to their warren there was an uproar of questions. "Where is he?" "How did he find us?" "Are the Efrafans with him?" "How could he still be alive?" "What are we going to do?" "What is going to happen to Watership?" "What is going to happen to us?" When the chaos lessened, Iris told them about her plan, and everyone started filling in the holes at once, while Kehaar took off once again. Iris ran to the edge of the Down and could just make out Woundwort and the other rabbits coming towards them. She went back to the burrow to help fill in the holes. She kept going over the plan in her head, making sure she did not leave room for error. If her plan worked, this would be the first and last time she met the infamous General Woundwort.
Woundwort was sitting at the foot of the Down with approximately thirty rabbits. Not one of them was over eighteen months of age. They were the missing Efrafan "kittens." After the war with Watership Down, Woundwort wasted no time and made his way to Efrafa. Because the number of the rabbits was slowly decreasing, the does felt more comfortable and many rabbits were born unexpectedly in the middle of the winter. Since Woundwort was the chief for such long period and everything was so twisted in the warren, nothing surprised the rabbits any more. Whenever he spotted an unattended kitten nearby, he would try to persuade them to come with him, and if they did they would soon be officers in the greatest warren ever. This made some interested, but most were terrified of the huge rabbit and felt as if he would kill them if they did not go along. Now he had a group of fine, highly trained bucks who had much respect for him. He was ready to get his revenge on Watership by destroying it once and for all and resume his position as chief rabbit at Efrafa. He told his followers that it was time to go to the warren and start the battle, and everyone loyally followed him.
Shortly before they reached the top of the down, the Watership rabbits finished blocking the holes. It was a familiar scene to Woundwort. It seemed as if they were doing everything exactly the same as they did in the year past. They dug in through the roof, but this time no rabbits attacked them from underneath. The runs were blocked again, but off hand he could only make out one unfinished hole. It was filled in sloppily and there was a generous pile of dirt lying in front of it. He could hear a little bit of digging coming from the other side. He told his rabbits to wait, and if they saw any rabbits to kill them immediately. They agreed, and Woundwort dug the dirt out of the way and went inside the burrow. A small group of rabbits including Holly, Hyzenthlay, Vilthuril, and Thethuthinnang were in this run. Woundwort approached them slowly.
"Come out," he demanded in a cold, deep voice, "before I kill you." He took another step and his front paw touched a high clump of soft dirt. "Ha!" he said. "Did you think I would fall for that petty trick again?"
Woundwort brutally dug into the dirt. A shower of feathers shot out from under his claws.
"Iris, now!" yelled Holly, and Iris jumped out from behind the does, attacking Woundwort the same way she attacked the cat and the lendri.
Woundwort attempted to fight back, but Iris's white and lilac-gray thlay blended in with the copious feathers fluttering around the run. Holly pushed past them and ran into the Honeycomb. Stopping in front of one of the closed burrows, he said, "Now," and Bigwig ran out of the lightly blocked entrance. He dashed into the run and jumped on Woundwort, biting into the back of his neck.
From outside they could hear the sound of Hazel and the other rabbits in the warren digging out of their runs and dashing above ground. They attacked the young Efrafans, trying more to confuse than hurt them. There were squeals of shock and confusion from the Efrafans, for they did not expect a surprise attack.
It did not take long for Bigwig and Iris to realize that three rabbits, especially ones their size, could not fight in a run as small as the one they occupied. Because of the area each rabbit had very few wounds, but the ones they had were deep. Once when Woundwort's thorn-like back claws met Iris's stomach Bigwig could even feel her flinch. After a short while, Bigwig slowly began to back away from the fighting to rest. Iris realized what he was doing and followed.
"So, it is you, Thlayli," said Woundwort in a low, familiar voice. "I was hoping I would have the good fortune to meet you again. I see this time you've brought a friend along. Is this doe the Chief Rabbit I have heard so little about?" He paused, waiting for a reply that did not come. "I figured as much. You know, Thlayli, I am starting to believe that you are the Chief Rabbit again. If not, then why does he not face me instead of you?" Bigwig was about to reply, but Iris blurted out,
"A rabbit's duty is to protect their Chief from hraka like you. You would know that if all of Efrafa wasn't terrified to do anything without your word."
Iris fell silent. Woundwort turned to her.
"I was wondering if you could speak, doe. Tell me, how would you know what Efrafa is like. You are certainly not one of my rabbits."
Bigwig was about to speak once again, but he stopped. This was Iris's plan, and he agreed to follow her lead. Still, if Woundwort tried to do anything to Iris he would attack whether she approved or not.
"Our rabbits were in Efrafa, and they know what it is like," Iris replied. "I have heard the stories. Everyone has, and anyone can tell you that each Efrafan was at least half tharn when you were the rah."
"You say you've heard of Efrafa, have you?" Woundwort smirked,
"Then you must have courage. It is very rare for a rabbit, especially a doe, to fight me when they know my reputation. They are either very brave or very foolish. What are you?"
"I am only determined."
"Determined?" Woundwort asked with a chuckle. "Determined to do what? To prove your worth?"
"Determined to protect Watership Down and its rabbits."
Bigwig nudged Iris. She was starting to go too far with this. She acted as though she didn't notice his warning.
"Right now you are only determined to die," said Woundwort. He glanced at Bigwig whose eyes never left his since he broke away. "Do you intend to protect Thlayli as well? After all, he is part of Watership Down. Or are you both going to fight me and end up hurting each other more than anything else?"
Iris was puzzled for a moment, but then she realized what he was saying. When Iris withdrew she did not pass Bigwig. She was facing Woundwort the entire time and Bigwig did not say a word to him yet, nor could he pass her even if he wanted to.
Bigwig came closer and gently pushed her side as if trying to tell her to move aside.
"Let me pass," he said quietly in her ear. "You have stalled him long enough. I will finish this."
Iris did not budge. Her blood red eyes remained fixed on Woundwort.
"I said I will protect my warren and that is what I intend to do, even if it means sacrificing my own life," said Iris. "If Captain Thlayli wants to fight you he can, but I myself will not give up. If my fate is to stop running this day then I embrace it without a second thought, but I will not follow the Black Rabbit unless you are there with me. I guarantee it."
"Then you admit that Thlayli is your captain?" Woundwort asked. "If he is not your rah, then who is?"
"This is not an interrogation," said Iris. "Why should I tell you who our rah is? I am here to fight, not to give out information."
With that, Iris leapt at Woundwort's neck, holding on for her life as Woundwort tried to get her off. Bigwig joined again as well.
"You don't think I am going to let you have all the fun," he said to Iris as he jumped on Woundwort's back.
They continued the battle, trying to stay out of each other's way.
Outside the burrows it was beginning to pour and becoming even colder. Hazel was fighting a young tan buck that couldn't be more than a year old when Silver joined in. Knowing he couldn't fight the two rabbits he retreated and Bluebell, realizing what was going on, ran into the burrows. Silver spoke to Hazel in a low voice, and the two of them ran off the Down. They saw a group of rabbits from Efrafa and Vleflain approaching Watership Down with Kehaar flying close behind. They were glad to see that both warrens came, and there was something about seeing Buckthorn and Strawberry approaching the Down that gave them an even larger reassuring feeling. They greeted them and explained what was happening on the Down but did not mention Woundwort or that the rabbits were the lost kittens. Kehaar quickly flew to the top of the Down and joined the battle while the rabbits followed Hazel and Silver.
When they reached the top of the Down, the young buck that was fighting Hazel yelled, "It is Campion-rah!" All the Efrafans stopped fighting, wondering what would happen now that their real Chief Rabbit was here. Campion turned to Hazel.
"What is going on here?" he asked. "These are the bucks who were missing." He looked at the one who cried out. "Dogweed, why did you leave Efrafa? Who told you to attack Watership Down?"
"Please don't be harsh on him," said Hazel as calmly but firmly as he could. "Everything will be clear soon enough, or at least as clear as it could possibly be."
Campion, not knowing what to say, simply nodded and tried to get his rabbits situated.
When Bluebell left the fighting he ran into the burrows and looked in the run where Bigwig, Iris, and Woundwort were fighting. Bigwig noticed him at once. Bluebell nodded and ran out. Bigwig waited a couple of minutes, but then he looked at Iris.
"This is ridiculous! It is impossible to fight like this." He said as he broke off. "I want to make it clear, General, that I will not quit, but refuse to fight in these conditions."
Iris smirked, and they ran above ground. Woundwort, wondering if his ears were deceiving him, followed close behind.
When they came silf everyone fell silent. The elder Efrafans were shocked to see the chief they thought was dead standing before them. The others were wondering if Iris's plan was going to work or if they were in more trouble than before. Campion was the one to break the silence.
"It is you!" he said. "You are alive!"
Campion looked around at his fellow Efrafans. Seeing their inert bodies sent a chill down his spine. He could tell that they all went tharn, and he was close to it himself. All he could think of was the past Efrafa - cold, silent, hidden - and the present. He gave a low growl and turned to face Woundwort again, and said,
"But not for long."
Campion jumped onto Woundwort's back and dug his teeth into the side of his neck. When he did this, the other Efrafans came out of their shock and ran over to help.
Bigwig and Iris collapsed on the ground, knowing her plan worked and that it would all be over soon. Buckthorn and Strawberry rushed over to them to make sure they were all right.
"You did it, Iris," said Bigwig softly. "You've saved Watership."
Iris smiled. She wanted to reply, but her throat - along with the rest of her body - was frozen.
Not long after did Woundwort collapse as well. Covered with blood and scratches he looked up at Campion, a former Captain of Owslafa and one of his most trusted allies who now had his claws on his throat. He turned his head and suddenly discovered what he should have years ago; that he deserved to die. He treated his rabbits like hutch-rabbits - never letting them live their own lives; never letting them free. He realized that a rabbit was not a chief just because of how powerful they are, but also because of how loyal, honest, and caring they are. Campion was the Chief of Efrafa because of how strong and determined he was. Not determined for power, but for the respect and honor of his rabbits. He protected them, but he also made sure they were happy and independent. Woundwort knew he could never compete with Campion. He wished he could go back in time and change the way he governed Efrafa completely. He looked up at Campion.
"I am sorry, for everything," he said in a soft whisper before taking his last breath as the rain turned to snow.
Everyone was quite melancholy when they heard what happened and that Woundwort was proclaimed dead, but none took it harder than Iris. She felt as if she did not even know him, but it was her that had killed him.
Iris knew the reason why Woundwort came to Watership Down was to take back what was his. At the time it was the rabbits that escaped, but she knew it would eventually lead to him gaining hit title of The Efrafan Chief back. She did not wish his death to be in vein, and they could not leave his body in the middle of the Down, so she took Bigwig, Hazel, and Campion to her burrow to try to figure out what to do with him.
They put his body on an old piece of plywood they found at Nuthanger Farm, and Campion and Groundsel carried his body to Efrafa escorted by Bigwig, Iris, Hazel, and the fellow Efrafans. When they arrived there, they dug a hole in the Crixa and placed his body in the hole. They decided he should stay in Efrafa, even if his soul was not there. They filled in the hole, and the rabbits returned to their burrows.
Iris went above ground to think. She was close to tears. She looked towards the sun.
"I am sorry," she whispered. "I had no right to do what I did to you," she sighed and bowed her head. "I should have never left the hutch."
When she looked up she saw a shining buck the size of a hare sitting across from her. It seemed almost translucent and looked as if it were pure white. There was no sun that day, but the great rabbit's thlay still seemed to glow brighter than the snow it stood upon. Iris knew at once who he was. The figure spoke, but it did not move its lips. No, its words seemed to echo within her head.
"I am the one who should be sorry for what I have done. I had no right to do what I did to your warren, and never think that way again. That is an order," it ended gently. The rabbit smiled and Iris knew it was trying to encourage her. "What is your name, doe?" it continued.
Iris did not know if she could speak. She was more frightened than she had ever been in her life, and yet she had a strong sense of security and felt as if noting could harm her even if it tried.
"I-Iris," she said in no more than a whisper.
"Iris," repeated the figure. "You are a great rabbit, Iris. Watership is lucky to have you in their Owsla."
When she started to calm down, she heard a squeal coming from the warren. She ran inside and dashed to the burrow where it came from. When she entered, she saw a dark colored Efrafan doe called Blackthorn lying on her side, about to have kittens. She ran over to her and tried to help. Soon, the doe gave birth to four kittens, but one was strangely born dead. Iris took it aside and tried to help it, but there was nothing she could do.
She looked up. She saw the glowing buck looking down at the dead kitten and then glance at Iris.
"Don't tell, or I will die."
Iris smiled and nodded her head. She had no idea what was happening, but she did not want to argue with something twice her size that could only be one thing, the ghost of General Woundwort. He could tell what she was thinking and gave a short laugh. He closed his eyes and bowed his head.
"Lord Frith, please give me a second chance to do what is right and fix my mistakes," said the echo.
He opened his eyes and jumped. He was about to land on the kitten when he disappeared.
When Iris shook of her confusion she noticed that the kitten was moving. When the others saw this, they all gathered around it. Amazingly, it opened its eyes and looked around the burrow. Iris knew what happened, but she didn't quite understand. "Woundwort is in the kittens body," she thought. "He has been reincarnated, but how can this be?"
When the kitten saw her it smiled and said, "Iris."
Everyone was shocked. What made Iris stand out to the kitten, and how could he know who she was? There was much of commotion after that moment. Everyone was talking at once and trying to get a better look at the kitten.
After a while, it muttered, "Firecrest."
Everything was silent.
Iris took Campion aside so no one could hear them talk.
"It seems to me that there is something very special about this kitten," said Iris softly. "He seems like someone who can change Efrafa completely."
Campion nodded his head and looked at the kitten. He could tell that there was something he didn't know about him, but he agreed with Iris that there was something special - something familiar almost - about this young buck.
"Firecrest," he said, "shall be the heir of Efrafa."
Iris kept the promise she made to Woundwort that fateful day at Efrafa. She never completely discovered why Woundwort returned to Earth, and why he chose her to carry his secret, but she knew he was disappointed about how he spent his past life and wanted to fix the mistakes he had made. It was possible that this was the only reason why he did, but she would never know until she asked him herself in Frith's palace. She knew his death must have been hard to him. He was a chief who was shot down by his most trusted Captains and then resurrected by the enemy who planed his death. Iris knew that if she muttered one word about what happened that day Firecrest would die. Woundwort had to have great trust in her to give her such a great responsibility. In truth, even though it was her plan that had killed him it was meant to be. El-ahrairah wanted it to be her. It was extremely hard for Iris to keep this secret from the other rabbits in the warren - especially those she was closest to - but Iris was a loyal rabbit, and although a great secret rested on her shoulders, she never spoke a word about Woundwort. He knew this, and the next time they met in Frith's palace he praised her for her loyalty.
Campion and Iris were right about Firecrest. When he got older he became a member of the council. He made many decisions that helped Efrafa but made the rabbits happy, and when Campion stopped running he became Firecrest-rah, The Chief of Efrafa.
After Hazel, Iris, and Bigwig returned to Watership Down they made a decision. They would have an assistant Captain of Owsla. No one could think of a better rabbit than Iris to do the job, and she became the first Marli-Captain of Watership.
It was no surprise to anyone that Iris and Bigwig mated. They had extremely strong feelings towards each other. Iris gave birth to three beautiful kittens, two does and a buck. The youngest, Orchid, had the hutch-rabbit gene in her. She was light brown and was very small, timid, and weak. She was the runt of the litter, but what she lost in size she made up in intelligence. Her older brother, Zeneleer, was her idol and protector. He was pure white but was like his father more than anything. He was powerful, loyal, and caring. He was also very short-tempered, and his favorite hobby was to get under his marli's skin. The oldest kitten was Frithvaorah, which means "Frith's Blessing". Somehow she was born a week before Orchid and Zeneleer and was much too frail to survive. Amazingly she lived, and was even able to scuffle with (and beat) Zeneleer when she grew healthier. Once she became older, Frithvaorah was like a smaller version of Iris. She looked identical and was strong, intelligent, determined, and kind. She had her mother's attitude and would do anything for Watership Down. Frithvaorah and Zeneleer became officers in the Owsla themselves, and Orchid became a chief advisor.
Bigwig and Iris loved them more than anything. Unfortunately, their love for Watership Down and its rabbits may have destroyed them.
Iris and Bigwig were getting on in their years, but they still had most of their strength, speed, and spirit from when they were young. One day, a homba came to the Down. Luckily, everyone got underground safely, but it would not leave. Any rabbit that tried to go silf would either be chased back into its hole or captured and killed. It did not kill enough rabbits to destroy the warren but certainly enough to persuade it to stay. After a meeting in the Honeycomb, Bigwig and Iris agreed to do their best to get it away from the warren. They lead it off the Down and it never came back, but they also were never seen again. No one knows what happened to them, but there are endless stories. Some say that the homba killed them both; that they died to defend their warren. Some of them said that only one was killed, but the other was so crushed that they did not have the will to return. And yet some say that they survived; that they escaped from the fox, created their own warren, and lived there until the day they stopped running. But no matter what their fate may have been there is one legend that many agree upon.
It is said that if a rabbit is far away from their warren and is attacked by elil, the courageous Captain Iris and Captain Bigwig will lead it away from them and watch over them until they return safely home. The tale is still told today that the two Captains' spirits are protecting rabbits in need for the rest of eternity.