Chapter Three

The Departure

Hazel lay in his burrow thinking about the events of last night. The more he thought about them the more he came to the conclusion that Fiver was right, and the more he thought Fiver was right, the more he realised that if they didn't leave Sandleford, something terrible would happen to them. And would it be all that bad to leave? Life wasn't that great here anyway. It would be dangerous, yes, but a rabbit's life was dangerous, and if he and Fiver were alone they could...just then a voice intruded his thoughts.

"Hazel, are you in there?"

"Yes, who is it?" he replied.

"It's me, Violet, may I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

Violet was a bluish-grey doe with green eyes and in Hazel's opinion, very pretty, but he would never say that to her- for some reason she made him feel very shy.

"I just came to see if you were all right." said Violet with concern.

"I'm fine."

"I heard about your visit to the Chief Rabbit and that you and Fiver told him that if we don't leave, something terrible will happen."

"Yes, it will. Fiver's sure of it and I believe him."

"If you do leave the warren, I want you to know I'll miss you."

"Err-thanks. I'll miss you too" he said awkwardly.

"Where is your brother by the way?"

"He's silflaying."(To go above ground to feed)

At that moment Fiver came running in.

"Hazel, he said, Blackberry's outside waiting to speak to you, oh hello Violet."

"Fiver, said Hazel. "Please tell Blackberry I'm in the middle of talking to Violet.

"It's all right." chuckled Violet. "I was going anyway, see you later Hazel, Fiver."

Hazel watched her go. He would miss her indeed.

Hazel found Blackberry in the field, nibbling at some grass. Blackberry was a light- brown buck with characteristically black-tipped ears. He was a quick thinker and one of the most intelligent rabbits in the warren.

"Hazel!" he said cheerfully, "About time you were up and about, Frith rose long ago." Frith was the rabbits' name for the sun; he was seen by them as a god.

"I've not just got up; I've been in my burrow for hours, thinking."

Blackberry laughed. "Take some advice; never think on an empty stomach, it's bad for the brain." Then he added more seriously, "I hear you and Fiver are planning to go away. Is it true?"

"Who told you that?"

"Bigwig told Violet and she told me. Well, is it true?"

"I don't know yet. How can I make a decision? If Fiver's wrong and we leave, we'll have nowhere to run to if elil attack, but if he's right and we stay something terrible will happen. I just don't know what to do."

"Well it all depends on whether you believe your brother or not. The way I see it there's only three possibilities; one, he's right and if so we- for I shall come with you- should get away as soon as possible. Two, your brother's mad as a bubble bee, although what's so mad about a bubble bee I really couldn't say. Last but not least," he said with a grin, "he's doing it for you."

"Me?" Hazel asked in surprise.

"Yes, you. See, if word about Fiver's visions gets around the warren, most of the rabbits here will think he's nuts, and if they think he's nuts some of them, like the does, will feel sorry for you. You having to look after a nutty brother and all, and when they feel sorry for you they'll visit you, see what a handsome fellow you are and before you know it the whole warren will be crawling with lots and lots of little Hazels." Blackberry would have gone on but fell silent when he saw the way Hazel was looking at him, a look that told him exactly what Hazel thought of this likelihood.

Blackberry, seeing that his attempt to cheer the other rabbit up had failed, gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well maybe not, but it's still possible that he's mad."

"Who's mad?" asked Fiver from behind them, making them both jump.

"Oh...well...eer...", stammered Blackberry.

"You mean me, don't you?" said Fiver.

Blackberry looked away sheepishly.

"Believe me, I wish I was mad", sighed Fiver "but I'm not, I'm not and we need to get away from here right now!"

"Calm down Fiver," said Hazel, "We're safe for the moment".

"No you don't understand- we're all in danger. I can feel it coming closer and closer. It's all around us. The field! It's covered in blood!" Fiver rolled over and began to kick about frantically. Hazel ran over to him. "It's all right Fiver, it's all right, you're with me and Blackberry."

After a moment Fiver got up and sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Hazel reassured him, "It wasn't your fault. Now why don't you go and get some rest".

"Well, I'm convinced," said a shaken Blackberry, after Fiver had left. "I think we had better get away as soon as possible".

"Tonight," replied Hazel. "We'll leave tonight. Now if you excuse me I had better go and see if my brother is okay."

"Can I do anything to help?"

Hazel was about to say no but then he had an idea. "Yes, but it will involve a lot of leg work."

"That's fine, what is it?"

"Go around the warren and tell as many rabbits as you can that they are all in danger and that coming with us is their only chance of survival".

Blackberry give him a nod and then hopped off to run his errand

It was Ful Inle (after moonrise) when Hazel and Fiver once more came out of their burrow behind the brambles and slipped quietly along the bottom of the ditch. Fiver was about to ask his brother if Blackberry was coming with them when they heard a movement above. "Blackberry, is that you?" asked Hazel. "No, I'm Hawkbit," replied the small grey rabbit who was peering over the edge. He jumped down among them, landing rather heavily. "Do you remember me, Hazel? We were in the same burrow during the snow last winter." Hazel could recall Hawkbit-a sarcastic, grumbling twit, whose company for five snow-bound days underground had been distinctly tedious. Still, he thought, this was no time to pick and choose.

"We're very glad to have you," he replied.

"That I doubt." Hawkbit snorted. "Personally if you ask me I think this leaving the warren business is stupid and I think your brother's mad, Hazel, mad as a bubble bee." He then turned to Fiver. "No offense."

Fiver scowled at him. "If you think leaving the warren is stupid then why are you?"

"Because Dandelion's leavening and where Dandelion goes so do I." Dandelion was the warren's storyteller and Hawkbit's best friend. They had been friends since both of them had barely been able to walk.

"Well, where is Dandelion then?" asked Hazel impatiently.

"He's with Blackberry and the others up ahead, I came back to look for the two of you."

At the other side of the ditch they found Blackberry sitting with a yellowy furred buck, with black tips at the very end of the ears. This was Dandelion. Hazel looked at the other two, crouched behind Blackberry and Dandelion. One was Violet and the other was a very young buck named Pipkin. "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring Pipkin along," he whispered to Blackberry. "He's so young".

"What other option do we have, leave him here to die?"

"Okay point taken."

"Well", asked Dandelion. "Shall we go?"

With Fiver beside him, Hazel led the way out of the ditch and down the slope. He was just about to lead them into the woods when a voice made them all jump. "I say, there aren't many here, are there? Do you think it's really worth going on with this idea?" It was Bigwig. Next to him was a hefty, brisk-looking rabbit, something over twelve months old. He was well-known by sight to the entire warren, for his fur was entirely grey, with patches of near-white that now caught the moonlight as he sat scratching himself without speaking. This was Silver, Threarah's nephew, who was serving his first month in the Owsla.

"Bigwig, what are you doing here?" asked Hazel. "Are you off duty?"

"Off," said Bigwig, "and likely to remain off."

"How do you mean?"

"Silver and I have left the Owsla, that's what I mean."

"Not on our account?"

"You could say that. Threarah's rather good at making himself unpleasant when he's been woken up in the middle of the night for what he considers a piece of trivial nonsense. He certainly knows how to get under your skin. I dare say a good many rabbits would have kept quiet and thought about keeping on the right side of the Chief, but I'm not much good at that, so I left. As for Silver, well, some of the fellows in the Owsla have been giving him a bad time, teasing him about his fur and saying he only got into the Owsla because of Threarah."

"Well, we're very happy to have you Bigwig", said Hazel, "You too, Silver."

Silver seemed about to say something when suddenly three big rabbits came running up to them.

The leader was an old grey buck called Holly. He was a captain of Owsla.

"You're all under arrest," he snapped.

"Under arrest?" asked Bigwig," "Why, what for?"

"Spreading dissension and inciting to mutiny. Silver, you're under arrest too, for failing to report to Toadflax this evening and causing your duty to fall on a comrade. You're both to come with me."

Immediately Bigwig fell on him, scratching and kicking. Holly fought back. His followers closed in, looking for an opening to join the fight and pin Bigwig down. Suddenly Silver flung himself headlong into the scuffle, knocked one of the guards flying with a kick from his back legs and then jumped on the other one. Both guards broke clear, looked round for a moment and then ran back towards the warren. Holly struggled free of Bigwig and crouched on his haunches, growling angrily. He was about to speak when Hazel faced him.

"Go," said Hazel, "or we'll kill you."

"Do you know what this means?" replied Holly. "I am Captain of Owsal. You do know that, don't you?"

"Go," repeated Hazel, "or you will be killed."

"It is you who will be killed," replied Holly. Without another word he too ran back towards the warren. "He'll be back soon, said Violet.

"Then we had better move," said Hazel.

The small group of rabbits ran though the wood as fast as they could. When at last they had put some distance between themselves and the warren they stopped. "Right", said Hazel, "we'll stop here for tonight."

All of the rabbits slumped to the ground exhausted and fell asleep immediately.