Chapter Twelve
The Vision
A large female swan floated along countryside river in search food. Food for her and her mate, as well as their soon to hatch chicks. The weather was warm and food was plentiful. Her chicks would grow up to be strong and healthy, providing they survived the winter when it came.
At that moment a deafening honking was heard from up stream. It was coming from the direction of her nest.
Quick as lightning she swam back to the nest and got ready to fight.
At the nest the male swan was flapping its wings and honking loudly at a weasel on the show. With an equally loud honk the female swan joined her mate and attacked the predator. The weasel took one final snap at the male then backed off.
"Lucky for you I've got other things to do," the weasel growled, "other places to go. Old friend long ears to visit."
With that he turned and headed away in the direction of Watership Down.
...
Primrose stood at the edge of Watership Down and gazed out across the English countryside. Fiver and Hazel stood alongside her while Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Pipkin played a game of tail-tack a little way off.
It had been three days since Primrose and Blackavar were rescued from Efrafa and they were fitting in nicely at the down. However some of the warren's rabbits had noticed that Primrose seemed to spend a lot of her time deep in thought.
I've been thinking about my home warren, Redstone," Primrose said looking at Hazel. "I haven't seen it since Vervain's raiding party took me away from it. All those seasons in Efrafa I held onto the dream of going home someday."
"So you're not happy hear on the down?" asked Hazel, "You know with us?"
"Oh yes Hazel, I am," she replied, "you're all wonderful and this place is all a rabbit could ask for, but..."
"But it's not home," Fiver finished for her.
"I'd like to see Redstone again," Primrose confessed.
"To stay" asked Hazel.
Primrose looked down at the ground miserably. She didn't want to hurt anyone.
"Then I'll take you home," Hazel said kindly.
"Thank you Hazel," she replied.
Suddenly Fiver began to shake.
"Fiver what is it?" asked Hazel, knowing that his brother was having another vision.
"Redstone warren is empty and dead," Fiver spoke in a faraway voice, "it only lives inside your head."
"What's wrong with him?" Primrose asked fearfully.
"It's a vision," Hazel answered, "he gets them from time to time."
I'm sorry Primrose, I don't mean to see these things," Fiver apologized.
"No you're all messed up," the yellow furred doe told him, "Redstone is still there. It is."
"Primrose," Hazel said, trying to help.
"No I won't listen," she snapped, "you horrible for saying things like that. Redstone is still there it has to be."
Before either Buck could say another word Primrose ran off back toward the beach tree.
"It's not your fault Fiver," Hazel told his traumatized brother.
"The dream of home kept her alive in Efrafa," Fiver replied wretchedly, "and I just stole it away."
"It's hard to let go of a dream," Hazel answered.
"Maybe my vision was wrong," said Fiver, "maybe Redstone is just fine."
Hazel sighed, "there's only one way to find out isn't there."
...
An hour later Hazel and Primrose were getting ready to leave.
"You'll be in charge while I'm away," the golden brown Buck told Bigwig.
"You can rely on me Hazel," The other rabbit replied.
"Good," Hazel said, then looking at Fiver who stood next to Bigwig he added, "you take care of yourself okay."
Fiver nodded.
"Right I'm off," his brother said then hopped away to join Primrose who was waiting further on.
"Let's hope they have a safe journey," Bigwig commented to Fiver as they watched the two rabbits go.
"The journey's one thing," the younger buck responded, "what they find at the end is another.
...
Midday found Bigwig dozing under the beach tree as the other bucks played tail-tag. Dandelion was playing a bit rough as the unlucky Hawkbit soon found out when Dandelion came up behind him with a shout of, "Tail-tag. You're elil."
Before Hawkbit could register what was happening he was smacked hard on the tail and sent flying into Silver. Silver gave a yell of surprise which woke Bigwig.
"Keep it down you lot or I'll really give your tails a smacking," Bigwig growled warningly.
The down fell silent.
"Good," Bigwig said and settled down again.
Just as he was beginning to drift off, Violet appeared next to him.
"You do know we need fresh straw for bedding don't you?" she asked him.
"Err..." Bigwig began.
"I can't abide a stale smelling burrow," Violet continued.
"Violet you're a tyrant," the Owsla captain replied, "we haven't stopped slogging it since we got here! Wouldn't it be nice just to spend one day laying in the sun?!"
Violet thought about this before saying "Hazel does keep us running, doesn't he?"
"We seem to keep ourselves running!" Bigwig replied with a grin and pointed over to Pipkin and Fiver who were still playing. As they watched, Fiver suddenly stopped dead, causing Pipkin to bump into him.
"Ow! Not fair Fiver!" Pipkin complained. Fiver didn't respond, he simply stood there shaking. "What is it Fiver?" Pipkin asked as the others came over.
Fiver let out a moan. "Revenge" he began, "the killer comes back, hate and revenge drive his attack..."
"Great, more trouble on the way" groaned Hawkbit.
"Hush" said Holly, then looking down at Fiver he asked "What's this about a killer?"
"That weasel we fought in the summer, he's coming for us" Fiver answered.
"Well, let him come!" said Silver, "We'll just kick his hide again"
Meanwhile Hazel and Primrose had run into a slight problem. They had made it to a river, but this river had high stone walls running along both sides of it. The water was too low for them to swim and climb out on the other side and there seemed to be no other way across as it was too far to jump.
"I don't think we can get across" Hazel told the doe, "swimming's no good, we'll never be able to climb out"
"Well Redstone's on the far side" she replied, "There's got to be a way over and we won't find it sitting here!"
"Look, Primrose-" Hazel started.
"Oh come on Hazel!" she interrupted and hopped forward.
"Primrose! Wait!"
"What?"
"Are you sure you want to return to Redstone? Frith meant us to live for today and tomorrow, not yesterday"
"All those seasons in Efrafa I had no future" Primrose replied bluntly, "Now you want me to forget my past?!"
"Look" Hazel began, "I didn't mean-"
"I'll find a way across Hazel" she said, cutting him off, "with or without you". With that she began to hop off. Hazel sighed. Does! he thought.
Back at the down the rabbits were preparing for the arrival of the weasel. Bigwig had ordered most of them inside to set up a few booby-traps, leaving Blackavar, Dandelion and Strawberry to fill in all the side burrows.
Pipkin and Kehaar stood in front of the beach tree, awaiting orders. "Kehaar" ordered Bigwig, "you go and scout the land for that stupid weasel and report back if you spot him"
"Okay" the gull replied and took off with his usual screech.
"As for you" Bigwig said, turning to Pipkin, "Your job is to warn everyone around the down"
"I'll tell them the weasel's coming and that they should leave or get far underground" the young buck replied.
"Good lad. If that Elil thinks he's going to find a meal up here then he's in for a surprise! Now off you go."
Pipkin nodded then took off. Bigwig watched him go then hopped to where Dandelion and the others were filling in a side entrance. "Come on you lot, put your backs into it!" he told them, "I want every side entrance filled in by Frith-set"
"Ease off Bigwig" Strawberry panted, "We're just about all in!"
"I don't need any backchat!" the Owsla captain snapped, "I'm going to make this warren safe if you have to dig till you drop. Clear?" That said he hopped off to check on the others in the warren.
"At lease when Hazel's pushing us he's polite about it" Dandelion muttered once Bigwig had gone.
"Believe me" Blackavar replied, "Compared to Vervain and his ilk Bigwig is as sweet as can be..."
In one of the warrens many burrows Fiver, Violet, Hawkbit and Silver were digging a large hole to trap the weasel. Violet and Fiver were digging at the top; the other two were inside it digging at the edges in an attempt to make them steeper.
"Right, that's it" Hawkbit groaned, after he was accidentally hit for the third time with dirt from above.
"What's it?" Violet asked.
"I need a breather, that's what" Hawkbit answered as he climbed out of the hole and nearly collapsed.
Unfortunately for the grey buck, Bigwig happened to enter the burrow at that moment. "Get back in there now!" Bigwig roared at him.
"There's no need for that tone Bigwig" Violet replied angrily, "Hawkbit's been digging as hard as he can"
"I'm not asking for a debate" Bigwig cut in "I'm in charge and what I say goes! Now get at it!"
The moment Bigwig had gone Hawkbit turned on Fiver. "This is all your fault" he snarled, "you and your blighted visions. I bet if you didn't have them we wouldn't have all this trouble"
"Hey, it's not Fiver's fault" Violet began.
"You're a curse on this warren, you are" Hawkbit continued.
Fiver gasped in horror and sped out of the burrow.
"Brilliant" Silver sighed, "Absolutely brilliant..."
Hazel was beginning to lose patience with the light-furred doe. She had spent the last quarter of an hour trying to convince her that there was no way across the river and that they would either have to go back to the down or circle down and hopefully come out on the far side. Primrose however wouldn't listen to reason.
"Look" Hazel began again but before he could continue both he and Primrose heard the neigh of a horse and the sound of approaching hooves. Quickly they jumped into the bushes and peered out. As they watched a dark brown horse came trotting along the path. The horse was wearing a harness. One end of rope was attached to the harness and the other was secured to a boat which the horse was pulling along.
"It's a boat!" exclaimed Primrose.
"Yes" agreed Hazel "a barge I think"
"What's a barge?" asked Primrose.
"I'm not sure" he confessed.
"Then how do you know that this is one" she asked in exasperation.
"Blackberry told me about it, said his grandfather knew a toad that was once thrown off one by a human female, though what a toad was doing on a barge I couldn't say"
They were both quiet for a minute or two, then Primrose yelled "Stepping stones! We can jump onto the barge then onto the far side"
"I don't think-" Hazel started, but she was already leaping onto the barge, so he had no choice but to follow. "Look..." Hazel began again, but before he could continue, both he and Primrose heard the neigh of a horse and the sound of approaching hooves. Quickly, they jumped into the bushes and peered out.
As they watched, a dark brown horse came trotting along the path. The horse was wearing a harness. One end of a rope was attached to the harness, the other was secure to a boat, which the horse was pulling along.
"It's a boat!" exclaimed Primrose.
"Yes," agreed Hazel, "a barge, I think".
"What's a barge?" Primrose asked.
"I'm not sure," he confessed.
"Well then, how do you know this is one?" she asked him in exasperation.
"Blackberry told me about it, said his grandfather knew a toad who was once thrown off one by a human female. Although what a toad was doing on a barge in the first place, I have no idea".
They were both quiet for a minute or two, then Primrose yelled "Stepping stones! We can jump onto the barge, then onto the far side!"
"I don't think..." Hazel started, but she was already leaping onto the barge, so he had no choice but to follow.
"Right," he said once he was standing next to Primrose, "now on to the far side. I'll go first".
"Ok", she replied, with a nod.
Quickly, the golden-brown furred buck leapt on the barge to the opposite bank. Primrose waiting until he was safely on the bank then jumped after him.
Hazel watched in horror as the doe failed to reach the bank and fell with a cry into the water below. "Primrose!" he yelled.
Primrose coughed and spluttered, trying to swim, but the current was too strong and it pulled her along with it downstream. "Hazel, help!" she cried.
"Keep swimming!" he told her. "You're doing fine! You'll find a way out. Remember Redstone! Home- that's the dream that kept you alive in Efrafa! Don't let go of it now!"
As Hazel ran along the bank, he saw a large wooden canal gate up ahead of Primrose. If she hit it, she would be killed. At that moment, a boat came speeding towards the doe. Hazel had to act fast. Without thinking, he leapt into the water and pushed Primrose under. The boat sped harmlessly overhead and stopped at the gate. A man got out of the boat and pulled a lever on the stone wall opening the gate.
Hazel was too tired to swim, so he let both himself and Primrose float in the water until a second canal gate opened, letting them both drift downstream until the canal widened out and joined a river and they were able to scrabble onto a dry bank. Once on the bank, they collapsed, exhausted, and fell immediately asleep.
Bigwig was imprested. All the side burrows had been filled in and it wasn't even mid-day yet.
"Good work lads," he told the exhausted Dandelion and Blackavar who were lying on their backs panting.
"Not a problem," Dandelion gasped.
"Oh well in that case you can both help Violet with the traps," Bigwig replied.
"But I can't feel my back feet," Blackavar moaned.
"You'll feet mine in a minute if you don't hop smartly," Bigwig growled.
The two rabbit shot him a glare but didn't protest again.
"Oh thanks a lot Dandelion," Blackavar said sarcastically to the yellow furred buck as they hopped away.
"What did I do?" the other asked.
"You had to open your mouth and tell him the work wasn't a problem didn't you, you great twit."
"Oy," the storyteller said, "whatever happened to the timid, mild-mannered Blackavar?"
"He got fed up of digging," Blackavar retorted before vanishing down the warren's entrance burrow.
No sooner had the two bucks gone then Pipkin arrived. The young buck hopped over to Bigwig and began his report.
"I've warned about the weasel," he said, "the moorhen, the moles, mice, voles, shrews and squirrels. But the hedgehogs are a bit scared," he told the Owsla captain as two of the creatures turned up, "There'd like to stay with us."
"Pleased to have them," Bigwig answered with a smile, "show them inside Pipkin."
Pipkin nodded and hopped off with the hedgehogs in-toe.
Next Bigwig hopped over to where Violet and Hawkbit were taking a nap, just outside the warren's main entrance.
"Having a nice holiday?" he asked the sleeping Hawkbit irritably.
Hawkbit jumped awake (waking Violet in the process) and glared at Bigwig.
"We're finished, he told the Owsla captain, "pits, traps, the lot. You could learn a thing or two from Hazel, unpleasant leadership made easy."
"I'm trying to keep everyone alive my old son," Bigwig growled, "Not win a popularity contest."
"No fear there," the gray buck shot back.
"Watch it Hawkbit," the other rabbit said dangerously then turning to Violet he asked, "So where's Fiver then?"
"He when off to eat," she replied, "I suppose he isn't back yet."
Bigwig rolled his eyes, "Oh I'd better go find him," he groaned then added, "You two find something to do or I'll find something for you."
"I'll be glad when the weasel arrives," Hawkbit told Violet once Bigwig had gone.
"You will?"
"Yes, it'll give grumpy face something to do to take is small mind off us."
...
Bigwig looked everywhere for Fiver. He looked in the burrows, nears the far side of the down and even at the down's base, all without success. It wasn't until the sky was glowing golden-red with Frith-set that he found Fiver, lying in a small gap under some large stones, looking very miserable.
"What's the game Fiver?" the Owsla captain asked, "It's getting dark and the enemy's on his way."
"And it's my fault he's coming," Fiver replied wretchedly.
"How's that then?" Bigwig asked, eyebrow raised.
"Hawkbit was right Bigwig,"
"Well that's a first," Bigwig joked then added, "What's he right about?"
"My visions. What if I'm not seeing the further, what if my visions make things happen?"
"Don't be silly, come out of there."
Fiver shook his head.
"What if I caused Sandleford's destruction," he continued to the other rabbit, "and Hazel nearly died because of me, and you, caught in the shining wire."
"None of that was your fault," Bigwig tried to explain to him, but Fiver wouldn't listen.
"Hawkbit was right," he said, "I'm cursed. I have to stay away. My visions can't hurt anyone if I'm out here on my own."
At that moment Kehaar came flying up.
"Bigwig," he called franticly, "I see weasel, he close and he plenty mean."
"Come on Fiver," Bigwig said turning to the younger rabbit, "we haven't much time."
"You go," Fiver replied, "they need you."
Bigwig sighed in exasperation and turned to Kehaar.
"Stay with him," he ordered, "I'll be back when I can."
Kehaar nodded and came to land beside Fiver.
"Don't worry Fiver," he said reassuringly, "I not leave you."
….
Hawkbit, Dandelion and Silver were standing on guard near the warren's entrance when Bigwig returned.
"Did you find Fiver then?" Dandelion asked.
"I did," he replied then turning on Hawkbit he growled, "and you and I are going to have a serious chat when this is over."
"What did I do now?" the grey rabbit asked in surprise.
"Fiver's lying under a pile of rocks thanks to you," the Owsla captain roared, "something about you calling him a curse on the warren, you little insect."
"Hey there's no need to talk to Hawkbit like that sir," Silver said.
"Oh isn't there? The other rabbit snarled, "Hawkbit had no right to talk to Fiver like that, he needs to watch his temper."
"Oh that's rich coming from you;" Silver snapped back, "Hawkbit would never have said those things to Fiver if you hadn't yelled at Hawkbit in the first place. It's as much your fault as it is his, sir!"
Bigwig was nearly shaking with fury but he didn't say anything more because in truth he knew that Silver was right, this was partly his fault and therefore his responsibility to make sure Fiver didn't come to any harm.
"I'm sorry Hawkbit, very rude of me I'm sure," Bigwig said through clenched teeth then added to then all, "get below; we won't have a second chance if the weasel gets though our defences."
The three other rabbits nodded and did as ordered.
...
I was dark when Hazel woke to the screeching of an owl in the distance. He knew that he had to get to cover and before the elil found him and Primrose. Turning to Primrose he nudged the yellow furred doe awake.
"The owls are out hunting," he told her, "we've got to get moving."
"You came into the water after me," she replied, "even when you weren't sure we'd make it."
"I promised you I'd get you home to Redstone and I meant it."
"Hazel, thank you," she said with a smile.
He smiled back then replied, "Come on we'd better get moving."
...
Back on the down Snapper the weasel had arrived. He was slightly surprised to find no one about but he supposed the rabbits must all be underground. Quietly Snapper crawled through the warren's main entrance, down the tunnel and into the Honeycomb. He was just about to enter a side burrow when the earth beneath him gave way and he fell into a small pit, the rabbits had made traps for him.
Quick as a flash Bigwig and Hawkbit darted out of one of the side burrows and began kicking dirt down on top of the enraged weasel. Snapper gave a furious snarl and leaped out of the pit. Bigwig and Hawkbit bolted. Snapper tore after then, not seeing the hedgehogs who were lying in his pathway until it was too late. The weasel gave a howl of pain as he landed on them. Getting to his feet he turned to the rabbits with a glare, only now the two of them had been joined by Dandelion. All three rabbits advanced towards the weasel growling. Snapper turned tail and ran up the tunnel and out of the warren.
"Go find easier pray belly crawler," Bigwig shouted after him, "there's none here."
"I'll wait out here to you come," the weasel replied from a distance, "sooner or later you'll come."
"Wait all you want," the Owsla captain retorted, "We've plenty of food. We won't be out for a long time."
"And you won't find any pray out here," Hawkbit added from behind Bigwig, "everyone's cleared out until you're gone. Stay here and you starve, mate."
Snapper gave one last snarl of anger then stormed away. He'd find food somewhere, they just see if he didn't.
...
"Hazel we're here," Primrose cried after they had been wandering about for what seemed like hours.
Hazel turned his and got quite a surprise. He had thought that Redstone was named so because its rabbit had mealy liked the name but now he saw that it really was a warren of red stone. Several huge ones were sticking at an angle out of the ground. The entrance to the warren was located at the base of one of the stones.
"Some on Hazel let's go." Primrose yelled excitedly and took off towards her old home, Hazel close behind her.
Both rabbits came to a stop just outside the entrance. The warren looked cold and empty and it was strewn with cobwebs. Slowly then entered the warren and hopped though empty burrow after empty burrow.
"Poppy, Lavender?" Primrose called out desperately, "anyone?"
No reply.
Hurriedly Hazel took a sniff around then turned to Primrose.
"Old scent," he told her, "there's been no one here for seasons."
"Then Fiver was right," the yellow furred doe replied, hanging her head, "everyone's gone, long ago."
Suddenly a voice called out of the darkness.
"Who's there?" it demanded and soon it was followed by a rabbit hopping out of one of the side burrows.
The rabbit was a buck with gray fur and he looked very old but still with a youthful twinkling to his blue eyes.
"Captain Broom," Primrose exclaimed.
Broom stared at her blankly for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise.
"Primrose is that you?" he said, "But you've been gone I don't know how long."
"What happened here Captain?" Primrose asked, "where is everyone?"
"All gone." Broom replied sadly, "There was a great sickness. The Black Rabbit of Inle took everyone but me...that was a few seasons ago...oh yes, a few."
The old captain was silent for a moment before pointing behind Primrose and Hazel and saying, "Look, there's Lavender!"
Hazel and Primrose turned around but saw no one.
"Hello Sage," Broom continued, "Look who's here. Primrose has come home! What's that? A carrot? Good work Lavender!" and with that he began to hop off.
The other two watched him go, realising that he must be mad. "Poor old captain Broom" Primrose said, shaking her head in dismay.
Snapper was in a foul mood. He had waited most of the night away expecting the rabbits to come out of their stupid warren. But he hadn't seen so much as a whisker of them. He was on the verge of giving up when he caught the smell of another rabbit on the breeze. Following the scent he saw a group of large rocks a little way from the warren. A rabbit was sleeping in a gap beneath the rocks. And the gull who was a friend of the down was nearby.
Snapper raced towards them and leapt at the gull. Unfortunately for him the bird woke up just in the nick of time and shot into the sky and back towards the downs beech tree. No matter, the weasel thought to himself, I still have longear.
Snapper reached through the gap in the stone with his paw and tried to get a hold of the young buck. The rabbit cowered back, then kicked the weasel's paw hard with his back leg. Snapper drew back his paw with a hiss.
"Come out, little longear," he taunted, "No more waiting. I'm hungry for longear tonight!"
...
Hazel and Primrose stood under one of Redstone's large stones, gazing up at the night sky. Primrose was in a bad way. She had taken the fate of her warren hard. Hazel was trying to comfort her but he wasn't sure what to say.
"Every night in my dreams I'd leave Efrafa and come home," the broken-hearted Primrose told him, "They were all here...all alive..." she shook her head sadly "but they weren't really," she continued, "they've all gone with the Black Rabbit of Inle."
"Their spirits stayed on because you needed them." the golden-brown buck replied, "Now it's time to set them free. You still have Watership Down, and everyone there who cares about you."
Primrose nodded and gave a weak smile, "And all my tomorrows," she added and looked at the moon as if to say to her old friends that she was letting them go.
The two rabbits turned their heads at the sound of Captain Broom approaching.
"I can't find anyone around here all of a sudden," the old Owsla captain told them, "The whole place in empty. Odd that. I was just talking to Lavender, she said good-bye, so did the others, it's strange."
"We're going home now Captain Broom," Hazel said, placing a paw on the old rabbit's shoulder, "to a place in the high hills. You'll like it there."
"Can't stay here with no one about can I?" Broom replied then added, "High hills you say, sounds lovely."
"It's the most beautiful place in the world," Hazel answered before setting off.
As the three rabbits walked away from the warren of Redstone, Primrose took one final look back at her old home.
"Good-bye everyone," she whispered, "thank you."
...
Fiver shrank back as once again Snapper swiped a claw at him, missing him by a hair's breath.
"Get away from me," Fiver yelled, panic gripping at his chest.
"Don't worry little long ear," the weasel laughed callously, "you won't feel a thing."
"And neither will you," a voice growled behind him.
Snapper whipped round with a start. The last thing he ever saw was Bigwig, Silver and Holly as they leaped on top of him and sank their teeth in.
...
Morning found Hawkbit filling in one of the traps that Violet had dug to protect the warren.
"You dig a pit then go back and fill it in again," he complained to himself.
"And a good job you're doing of it too," a familiar voice said.
Hawkbit looked up and was overjoyed to see his chief was back.
"Hazel," he shouted, "welcome back, I've missed you and I mean that sincerely."
"What's been going on?" the golden-brown rabbit asked as he looked at the still filled in burrows.
"Bit of bother with a weasel but we sorted him out," Hawkbit replied, then said, "but Fiver's in a bad way…and it's my fault."
"Things tend to happen round here," Primrose told Broom as the two other bucks hopped off.
At that moment Blackberry popped up from the entrance tunnel and looked at the two rabbits.
"Hello Primrose," he said, "welcome back, who's your friend?"
"Blackberry this is captain Broom," Primrose said, introducing them, "Captain Broom this is Blackberry."
"We're very pleased to have you with us captain," Blackberry said politely.
"Very nice spot you have here," Broom replied, "quite nice, not Redstone mind you but then what is?"
At this point he let out a small chuckle before hopping forward and prodding Blackberry in the stomach with his paw.
"Yes quite solid," he said, "most satisfactory. Right let's take a look then shall we?" and with that he disappeared into the warren.
Blackberry stared at Primrose dumfounded, looking for an explanation. Primrose just shook her head and smiled.
...
"I've told you," Fiver said once again, "I can't live at Watership Down anymore, please go away."
"Not likely," Bigwig replied.
Fiver was about to speak again when Hazel and Hawkbit turned up.
"Morning all," said Hazel.
"Morning Hazel," replied Bigwig, "Fid Redstone did you?"
Hazel nodded then crouched down to Fiver.
"Hawkbit told me what happened," he told his brother, "your visions don't cause thing to happen Fiver, you are seeing the further."
"You can't know that," Fiver replied, "Hawkbit was right."
"Some of us palm the massager when we don't like the message, that's all he meant," Hazel replied.
"That's right," Hawkbit nodded in agreement.
"I don't think so," Fiver answered.
"Look," said Hazel, "just the other morning you had a vision about Redstone warren."
"I saw you'd find it abandoned, everyone gone."
"And you were right but they left seasons ago, your visions didn't cause anything."
"It happened seasons ago?" Fiver gasped in disbelief.
"Yes," his brother replied, "and we've brought back someone who can tell you about it."
"So my visions don't cause things, I am seeing the further."
"That's what I've been saying half the night," Bigwig said in frustration.
"Yes but not the way Hazel said it," the younger rabbit responded.
"No of course not," Bigwig said slightly offended.
"Right are you going to come out of there?" Hawkbit asked Fiver.
The other rabbit nodded and hopped over to Hazel.
Hazel hugged his little brother then asked, "Where's Violet, I haven't seen her yet."
"Here I am," Violet answered from behind him, "I came to see how Fiver was doing but I can see he's just fine. Did you want something Hazel?"
"Well," Hazel began awkwardly, "I wanted to ask you something, I've been meaning to ever since we arrived at the down but with all that's been going on I never..."
"Yes I will," Violet interrupted.
"Yes you will what?" asked the warrens chief in confusion.
"Yes of course I'll be your doe."
Oh," said Hazel and smile, "that's wonderful, you have no idea how happy you've just made me but err...how did you know that was what I was about to ask?"
"Call it female intuition," she replied with smile and nuzzled her nose with his.