Chapter Ten
Challenge to Efrafa
It was a beautiful spring day. Frith was shining brightly and the whole of nature seemed to be enjoying the good weather. That was, with the exception of the eight rabbits who were standing in the field at the bottom of the down. It had been three weeks since Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig had been to Efrafa. Three weeks since Hazel had promised to go back for Blackavar and Primrose.
In that time Bigwig had been training his Owsla. It had been a long and hard business and Bigwig's patience had been stretched to the limit. But all that was forgotten by the small group of rabbits as they stood in the field. Their training was complete and all that was left for them to do was to demonstrate this to Hazel and get his approval.
The first demonstration was one of speed. The rabbits had to hop over the log that was lying at the bottom of the field. Bigwig nodded for Pipkin to go first. Pipkin ran quickly forward, jumped onto Hawkbit's shoulders- for he was crouched and leaning against the log- then up and over the log. Next came Fiver, then Dandelion and Strawberry. Last came Silver, who didn't even need Hawkbit's help. He just jumped clean over the log. After having four rabbits jump on him Hawkbit had a little trouble getting over the log, but he too managed it.
"Well," asked Bigwig as he turned to Hazel, "what do you think so far?"
"They're fast," Hazel replied.
"Yes, but Kehaar's a bit off his mark," Bigwig told him, then ducked as the gull zoomed past with a screech.
"Now, if that doesn't rattle the Efrafans, I don't know what will," the Owsla captain chuckled.
"Very impressive," Hazel agreed.
"It gets better," Bigwig replied with a grin.
Suddenly and without warning Silver, Hawkbit and the others tackled Hazel from behind, sending him rolling. Hazel tried to get up but was prevented from doing so by Pipkin who sat on the other rabbit's chest.
"Got you," the young buck said.
"Alright," Bigwig said with a laugh, "no need to murder Hazel. Well done, lads."
"We're getting so good we could sneak up on a homba," said Pipkin as he and the other six rabbits hopped away.
"Don't let Bigwig hear you say that or that'll be up next," commented Hawkbit.
"Well Hazel, we have an Owsla!" said Bigwig as he watched the others hop away.
"I'd put them right up there with the best."
"Then we're ready," Hazel replied, "We're going back to Efrafa."
...
Another day older, another day of hell. So thought Blackavar as he and the other slaves of the Hind Quartermark hopped back into Efrafa, carrying food for the Owsla. He had already managed to trip up over a branch on his way back and get yelled at by one of the guards for being too slow. As the slaves hopped back into the warren they saw Campion and Vervain standing beneath Woundwort's platform in the main burrow. Neither captain looked happy. Not too surprising considering the fact that the general was yelling at them both. Primrose stopped for a moment at the far side of the borrow and listened.
"Are you incompetent or just lacking in motivation?" the general yelled at the two rabbits. "I have remedies for both problems."
"We did our best sir," Campion replied. "We tracked Hazel and Fiver as far as the wood. Where they went from there..."
"…Is what I want to know," Woundwort interrupted him. "Double the wide patrol," he ordered. "Find the alien warren. Destroy it and bring Hazel and Fiver to me; their lives are mine."
Both captains bowed then hopped away. Having heard enough, Primrose hopped into one of the warrens many burrows to dispose of the carrots she was carrying. The burrow was directly beneath the ruined tree and many of the roots were intertwined with the burrow. A large pile of Flayrah also lay at the end of the burrow. This food was collected by the slaves and then eaten by the Owsla rabbits when they needed it. Blackavar was the only rabbit in the burrow with her. "You heard," she said to the brown buck, "more Owsla on wide patrol means less of them guarding us. This is our chance to escape."
"Alright," said Blackavar as they both hopped back to the main burrow. "But even if we do escape how do we find Hazel's warren if the Owsla can't?"
"One problem at a time, Blackavar."
"No talking," yelled a gray furred guard who was standing at the burrow's entrance.
At that moment Campion and Vervain came towards the food chamber.
"Stand aside for officers," ordered the guard.
Blackavar and Primrose stood to one side. As the two Owsla rabbits passed, Primrose gazed at Campion and watched as he entered the burrow.
"What are you looking at?" snapped Vervain.
Primrose didn't reply but instead just closed her eyes and bowed. Vervain glared at her and hopped after Campion.
"She needs watching, that one does," he said, with a jerk of his head in the slave's direction.
"Duly noted, Vervain," Campion sighed.
"There was something between her and that Hazel," the other rabbit continued.
Campion stopped dead.
"Really?" he said with the hint of a snarl in his voice.
Vervain smiled. His comment had been a casual one, a conclusion reached only because Hazel had promised to come back for the yellow furred doe. But now Vervain saw a chance to hurt his fellow captain.
"Yes," he said," "they're in love, didn't you know? He confessed it to her when he was being held prisoner here. I interrupted their little tête-á-tête when I came to collect him. But didn't someone tell you?"
Campion didn't reply. He just swallowed, hard.
"What's the matter Campion, you don't look very happy?" Vervain asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Did you want her for yourself?" he sneered. "And what made you think she would choose you? You a captain of Efrafa, a symbol of everything she hates, over him- a dashing outsider who promised her freedom? Well it's for the best anyway. The decision would have been too hard for you anyway."
"What decision?" Campion snapped.
"The decision," Vervain laughed, "whether your children would have fought in the Owsla with you or dug in the slave pit with her."
In a flash, Campion slammed the maroon buck against the wall of the burrow.
"One more word and I'll kill you," he roared.
Vervain, knowing it was an empty treat, slammed Campion against the opposite wall with equal force. "Don't make a promise if you don't have the guts to keep it," he snarled. Then letting go of the other rabbit he added; "Now if you would excuse me, I have duties to see to." And with that he walked away, leaving his fellow captain alone in the burrow, tears of rage streaming down his face.
...
Back on the down Hazel was explaining to the others that he was going back to Efrafa and that he would like volunteers to go with him.
"You want to go back to Efrafa?" asked Dandelion in shock "Is your tail on straight, Hazel?"
"I promised Primrose and Blackavar I'd get them out of there," Hazel replied.
"You promised, not me," said Hawkbit.
"That's why he's asking for volunteers, thick ears," Bigwig snapped at the grey rabbit.
"I suppose it'll be a dangerous adventure," said Pipkin.
"I suppose it will," replied Hazel.
Pipkin smiled and raised his paw. "Then I suppose you'll need me."
"And me," said Blackberry.
"Me too!" yelled Silver and Holly, both of them raising their paws in union.
Dandelion coughed and raised his paw as well.
"You're not impressing anyone, Dandelion," Hawkbit told him dryly.
All the others coughed; every one of them had a raised paw. Hawkbit sighed and lifted his paw to join the others.
"I'm going to regret this," he groaned.
...
Not four minutes later all the rabbits stood in the open air preparing to leave. Hazel had decided on taking Bigwig, Fiver, Violet, Blackberry and Hawkbit- something the small gray rabbit wasn't overly happy with.
"I don't know why he picked me," he complained to Dandelion. "You put your paw up before I did."
"Well, the better rabbit won, I suppose," replied Dandelion as he nibbled at some grass.
"Right, wide patrol gather round," Bigwig ordered.
At that moment Kehaar, who would be leading the way from the air, landed.
"Always the same," he sighed, "hurry up and wait. Can we go now?"
Hazel nodded. "We go."
"Give the Efrafans a good thrashing, Hawkbit," Dandelion yelled as he watched them go.
"And one for me as well," added Pipkin, "good luck."
Blackavar was worried silly. Campion and Vervain had been ordered by the general to check all of the warren's burrows for anything out of the ordinary, just in case any of the slaves were trying to escape. Campion and Vervain had nearly finished checking them. The only one left was the food chamber.
As bad luck would have it they were checking them at the same time as Primrose was working on an escape tunnel in the same burrow. Blackavar ran to the back of the burrow where Primrose was working on the tunnel. The entrance to the tunnel was hidden by the roots of the tree. "Primrose, they're checking the burrows," he hissed urgently. "Get out now."
Primrose hopped out of the tunnel just as the two captains entered the burrow. Vervain looked round the burrow until his eyes came to rest on Primrose and Blackavar. "You're a right mess aren't you, Primrose?" he said as he noticed the dirt that clung to her fur.
"Who cares what I look like?" she replied defiantly, "Why should I groom myself in this place."
"Because it's expected," Vervain snarled, "groom yourself, now!"
Primrose quickly began grooming her paws, side and ears. Campion was about to tell the maroon furred rabbit to leave her alone when Vervain spoke again.
"I know you're thinking of escape," he growled at her, "and I hope you try, I really do, because I want to be the one to catch you."
He bent down and pushed his face close to hers, making her squirm.
"I'll make you scream for the Black Rabbit of Inle, Primrose," he snarled, "but he'll be a long time coming."
"That's enough, Vervain," snapped Campion, "we have other things to see to."
Vervain glared at Primrose a little longer then hopped out of the burrow to rejoin Campion.
"I'll have that trouble-maker shaking at the sight of me," he laughed, "you watch."
Campion whipped round, his face inches from Vervain's.
"If you ever treat someone like that again you'll have me to deal with," he roared. "We're Owsla, not mad dogs, got it?"
Vervain gave him a sweet smile. "Perfectly."
As soon as the two captains were gone, Blackavar let out the breath he had been holding.
"They nearly caught us," he gasped.
"We'll have the escape tunnel finished soon," Primrose reassured him. "They won't catch us."
"Vervain will kill us," Blackavar argued.
"I can't live here any longer, Blackavar," she told him, "I'll have freedom or I'll welcome death."
...
Hazel and the others stopped for a rest at the broken wall near the farm. They had just caught their breath when Kehaar flew down, landed on the wall and announced, "Other side of wood, old stone road, follow me."
"Ya, I'll be right with you, as soon as I grow myself some wings," Hawkbit said sarcastically and flapped his arms.
Kehaar ignored him and flew off.
Bigwig hopped forward. "I can hear the iron road", he said. "We're on the edge of Efrafa; on your toes, everyone."
"No visions yet, Fiver?" asked Hazel once the others had hopped a little way off and were out of earshot.
Fiver shook his head, "I can't see anything ahead of us. Just a gray mist of possibilities."
"That's a great help," Hazel snapped, "when I really need to know the future, you can't tell me."
Fiver looked away, hurt.
"I'm sorry Fiver" Hazel said softly, "I didn't mean it."
"I know," his brother said, "you're worried, aren't you?"
Hazel nodded. "Everyone's risking their lives for a promise I made."
"Being a leader means doing what you think is right," Fiver told him, "and living with the consequences."
The golden-brown buck sighed. "This trying to be right all the time gets tiring," he said, then hopped after the others.
...
At Efrafa it was silflay time for the hindquarter mark. The slaves ate quietly without speaking. Campion and Vervain stood on a log near Efrafa's main entrance, watching over the slaves and making sure none of them tried to escape.
"They're being very careful not to make trouble, wouldn't you say?" Vervain said as he watched them.
"Maybe they've accepted their place in Efrafa," replied Campion.
"That doesn't happen until you've crushed their spirit," Vervain told him.
"And you'd know," Campion retorted.
Vervain shot him an icy glare. "The eyes go dull," he explained, "the ears sag, there's no spring in their step- that's when you know."
Primrose, who had overheard the two captains, gave Vervain a look of disgust then went back to eating.
"You see that?" the maroon rabbit said to Campion, "there's no fear in her eyes, let's see if I can change that," then jumping down to Primrose he shouted, "You're half a step ahead of your mark Primrose."
Primrose didn't even bother to look up but just took half a step back.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he roared.
She ignored him. With a snarl Vervain raised his paw to hit her. Campion, seeing what he intended to do, gave a growl, jumped off the log and was about to strike Vervain when Woundwort bellowed from the entrance tunnel, "Captains to me."
Both captains ran over to the general.
"You're not on wide patrol." he said.
"We've just got back sir," Vervain explained, "we were..."
Woundwort cut him short with a snarl.
"Then go out again," he ordered, the anger in his voice increasing with every sentence, "until you find Hazel, until you find his warren, until they're all dead, until I tell you to stop".
"Wide patrol Owsla fall in," yelled Campion.
Woundwort glared as the wide patrol left Efrafa, his eye shifting from them to the slaves.
"I've never seen him like this," Primrose whispered to Blackavar.
"He's never met anyone like Hazel and Fiver before," he whispered back.
Primrose was about to speak again when Woundwort, shouting loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear, roared, "There is only Efrafa, there is only Woundwort. Witness the truth," and with that he stormed away.
...
Hazel and the others had made it to the woods.
"You be okay without me watching?" Kehaar asked the rabbits as he flew overhead.
"We'll be fine," Hazel shouted up to him, "meet you at the river."
Kehaar did a somersault in the air then flew away.
"Oh look at him," Bigwig groaned, "he's getting a bit big for his beak, that gull!"
"Yes," Blackberry said, "Bigwig and Bigbeak, I can see it now."
All the rabbits, including Bigwig, laughed at his joke. Unfortunately for them, their laugher woke up the fox that was sleeping behind one of the nearby trees. The fox sniffed the air, got up and decided to go hunting.
...
Campion and the other Efrafans had been on patrol for about ten minutes when they heard a loud screech from high above them.
"Take cover!" ordered Campion.
All of the rabbits ducked under some bushes. Campion peered up at the sky and saw Kehaar as the gull flew past.
"That looks like the same gull who gave us trouble before," he muttered.
"All gulls look alike," replied Vervain, "and even if it is the same one, so what?"
"Every time he shows up the outsiders aren't far away," Campion said as he came out of cover.
"You think they're working together?" Vervain sneered. "Right, and my best friend's a weasel."
"That I can well believe," Campion said under his breath.
Vervain shot him an angry look.
"What was that?" he growled.
"Let's watch our step anyway," Campion replied before setting off again.
...
Bigwig stopped dead. Something was following them. He had caught its scent on the wind. Bigwig sniffed the air.
"What is it, Bigwig?" asked Hazel.
Bigwig sniffed again then turned to him.
"Homba," he whispered, then pointing to a fallen tree ahead of them, he ordered, "Over, now."
All the rabbits quickly ran to the tree and scrabbled over it.
The fox burst out of the bushes behind them just as Blackberry made it over. Bigwig, who was the only one left to get over, gasped. The fox lunged at him, missing Bigwig by a whisker as the rabbit leaped over the fallen tree. The six rabbits sped out of the woods onto a hard rocky stretch of river bank. As they ran, Hazel thought he saw a small ledge behind the fast flowing water.
"Stop," he yelled as he put his paw into the water. He was right, there was a gap.
"We can hide behind it," he told the others, "the water should mask our scent, quickly now."
Fast as lightning the rabbits jumped behind the water and onto the ledge, all with the exception of Bigwig.
"Come on Bigwig," urged Hazel, "there's plenty of room."
At that moment the fox appeared. Bigwig took one look at the river and then turned to the fox and yelled, "Catch me if you can, furry face!" and with that he shot off, the fox in close pursuit.
...
Campion looked up as he heard approaching paws.
"Gorse, Thistle, that way," he ordered the two Efrafan rabbits and pointed to the left. "Vervain, you're with me."
Gorse and Thistle nodded and headed left. No sooner had they done so then Bigwig burst though the bushes. With a yell Bigwig rolled past the two rabbits, landing in a puddle of mud and getting covered from head to tail.
"Stop," Gorse demanded.
"Not a chance," Bigwig gasped and took off again.
Before either of the Efrafans could move, a fox leaped at them from behind, mouth wide open.
...
The five rabbits jumped as a terrified scream reached their ears.
"Bigwig," Hazel gasped.
...
Campion and Vervain sped back the way they had come as soon as they heard the scream. Upon reaching the clearing where they had left the other two Owsla rabbits, Campion took a quick look round- nothing. Noticing a pool of blood off to the left of him, Campion took a sniff.
"Homba," he said. "It got Gorse and Thistle."
"What if it comes back?" Vervain asked nervously.
"Not likely," the other buck replied. "There's another scent, it looks like the homba was chasing something else, Gorse and Thistle must have got in the way. Now, let's be on our way."
"Humph," Vervain snorted, "you stay out here and get killed if you want. I'm looking after my own neck," and with that he disappeared into the bushes.
"Slimeball," Campion muttered.
...
Hazel and the others hopped cautiously back onto the bank then tensed as they heard someone approaching. To their great relief it was Bigwig.
"Bigwig," sighed Fiver, "thank Frith."
Bigwig gave them a nod then came over.
"We thought we'd lost you this time, you old rascal," said Hawkbit.
"Takes more than a homba and a couple of Efrafan Owsla to bother me," Bigwig replied with a grin.
"That was an idiotic risk," Hazel shouted angrily.
"What's tickling your ears?" asked Bigwig indignantly as he hopped over to his chief.
"You're no use to us if you're dead," Hazel snapped.
"And what was I supposed to do?" Bigwig replied with equal anger, "let the homba find you and the others?"
"He might not have found us."
"That's your trouble Hazel, you want the world safe and nice, well the world isn't like that, get used to it."
Glancing at the others, the Owsla captain said, "Let's get a move on to Efrafa," then glowering at Hazel he added, "unless you think it's too dangerous."
Hazel didn't answer; he just pushed past him.
...
Primrose dug the last few inches of the escape tunnel and popped her head out of the hole at the end. She was only a few hops away from the trees at the edge of the warren. Quickly she turned round to see what was behind her and had to bite her lip to stop herself from gasping. Standing directly in front of her was a grey Owsla rabbit. Luckily, he was looking the other way. Her stomach flipped as she realized she had come out just behind the guard post. Quickly she ducked down into the tunnel and let out a long sigh, this was going to be a problem.
...
Kehaar shot his head into the river, snatching up a fish and gobbling it down. He was standing under the stone bridge that crossed into Efrafan territory. He had flown to his original destination to wait for the rabbits at the wooden plank bridge. The plank bridge was gone however so Kehaar had flown to this one. Not that it mattered to the bird whether it was gone or not, for the fish here were just as good. He was just going to catch another fish when a voice said from behind, "Kehaar, you were supposed to meet us at the plank bridge."
It was Hazel and the others.
"Plank bridge gone," the gull replied.
"I know it's gone," Hazel said in exasperation, "we were waiting there for you."
"You here now," Kehaar said in a matter of fact way, "cross this bridge."
Hazel rolled his eyes and then he and the other rabbits ran up the grassy slope and across the bridge. The bridge had a huge chunk missing from the middle of it, leaving only a thin strip for the rabbits to cross. The rabbits had no choice but to cross single file. Once on the other side Bigwig sniffed about.
"Efrafan patrol," he told the others, "fresh scent. I'd say they just left."
"Wonderful," Hazel sighed.
"Oh, I bet bob-stones to beach nuts that Woundwort's got his troops watching all the bridges," groaned Blackberry.
"So they'll be back soon," Hazel said and hopped down the slope, the others hopping after him.
"We need to rethink this raid," he told the others.
"We came to get Primrose and Blackavar out, what's to think about?" asked Bigwig.
"Getting out in one piece," the golden- brown rabbit replied.
"He's got a point," Hawkbit added, "let's rethink it back home."
Bigwig silenced him with a glare.
"I've had just about enough of you," he growled, then turning back to Hazel he said, "I say we get it done now."
"Alright," said Hazel in irritation, "say we do get them out and Woundwort sends his army after us?"
"Then Kehaar does his hawk act to keep them occupied and we run like mad back here."
"Right, and there's an Efrafan patrol blocking the bridge, then what?"
"Then we're trapped on this side of the river," Fiver finished before Bigwig could speak.
"All talk, no action," Bigwig huffed then added, "I'll watch for the bridge patrol while Hazel decides how fast we should run away," and with that he stormed off.
"Hazel-rah, come and look at this," cried Blackberry excitedly.
Hazel, Fiver and Hawkbit hopped over to him. Floating in the water was a long hollow wooden object with a green cloth draped over it. Blackberry was sitting atop with a grin on his face.
"I think I've found our escape route," he said, tapping the object, "it's just like the plank. Remember when Pipkin and Fiver floated across the river, well this is the same thing."
"By Frith you're right Blackberry," laughed Fiver.
"Is boat," Kehaar told them as he came over on the water.
"Boat?" Hawkbit asked in puzzlement.
"Sure," the gull told him, "lots of them on big water, some big as whole city".
"What's a city?" the gray rabbit asked, even more confused.
Kehaar rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Rabbits," he muttered.
"With this boat we wouldn't need the bridge," said Hazel. "Blackberry, you're a wonder."
"Oh, thank you Hazel-rah," the other buck replied.
Hazel hopped out from under the bridge and up the grassy slope to tell Bigwig what Blackberry had found.
"Bigwig, guess what," he shouted.
No reply. Hazel looked around but could see no sign of the Owsla captain. Confused, he was about to shout again when he heard a voice.
"Come on," it yelled.
It was an Efrafan patrol coming towards the bridge. Quick as a flash, Hazel ran back to the others.
"Efrafan patrol, heading this way," he told them.
"Where's Bigwig?" Fiver whispered.
Hazel blinked at him. "He's gone."
...
Back at Efrafa, Primrose was giving her paw a quick wash after she had hopped out of the tunnel and back into the food chamber.
"I came up on the outskirts," she told Blackavar.
"Then we're still in the boundaries," he groaned.
"Worse, we're right near the guard post. I've been watching, hoping he might move off. No luck."
"That we'll have to dig further," he told her.
"No," she replied, "It's only a matter of time before someone stumbles across the tunnel. We'll wait until dark and then we go."
All of a sudden, Woundwort's voice echoed loudly from the main burrow.
"Fools, cowards and traitors," he roared in fury.
"He knows," Blackavar gasped in fear.
"Are you incompetent or just lacking in motivation?" the general boomed again.
"No, it's not about us," Primrose said as she hopped to the burrow's entrance, "something's happened."
"You're a stain on the glory of Efrafa," the general continued to rant. "You call yourself Owsla?"
Primrose hopped forward again.
"Primrose, you'll be caught," Blackavar warned.
"Not me," she said with a smile and hopped into the main burrow.
Woundwort, a look of fury on his face, stood in the centre of the burrow glaring down at Vervain who was cowering on the ground.
"Forgive me, general," he pleaded, "but the Homba came."
"The first sniff of danger and you run," Woundwort spat. "You abandon Captain Campion, desertion in the face of the enemy, the judgement is death."
Woundwort raised his paw but before he could strike, Campion appeared.
"General, please," he said.
"Well?" Woundwort demanded.
"I sent Vervain ahead," Campion explained.
"Your loyalty does you credit, Captain Campion," the general said, then he glared at Vervain.
"You owe Campion your life, not that it's worth much." he said and hopped into his burrow.
A few moments later he reappeared atop his ledge.
"Report," he ordered Campion.
"I've brought an outsider, general. An experienced captain of Owsla. He wishes to join our warren."
"Bring him to me," the general ordered.
"Alright, you," shouted Campion in the direction of one of the side tunnels.
A few seconds passed and then Bigwig hopped into the burrow.
"General Woundwort," he said and bowed, "Thlayli, sir, at your service."