Chapter 10-The Road to Recovery

A few days after the incident at Nuthanger Farm, Sam was sitting outside, propped up against the beech tree. This was the first time the rabbits had allowed him to walk around, so he was enjoying the fresh air. As he was sitting there, considering taking a nap in the sun, the two new does, Clover and Glade, approached him.

"Mind if we join you?" Glade asked.

"Not at all," Sam replied, "it's absolutely beautiful out here today. Much better than that burrow I've been confined to for the past few days. So, how are you two settling in? Are you adjusting to life outside of a cage?"

Clover answered first in her wispy voice. "It is a large adjustment, but I'm learning. That one rabbit, Strawberry I believe his name is, has been so helpful. And everyone else too, of course."

Sam nodded, "That makes sense. He was kind of in the same situation as you were. He didn't know anything about living on the outside when he first came here either. How about you, Glade?"

"Actually, it's not so much learning for me, but rather remembering. See, I was actually born outside in a warren kind of like this one. When I was just a kitten, there was a fox attack on my warren one day, I think it snuck up on one of the sentries and killed him before he could raise an alarm. When it came to the warren proper, there was so much chaos and even though I knew I should have run to the warren, I turned and bolted in the other direction."

Sam's eyes widened as she told her story. "That's…pretty amazing. But how did you end up in that hutch there?"

She continued, "I remember running and running until I couldn't anymore. I dropped to the ground in exhaustion. I heard the noises of something coming towards me, something big. I opened my eyes and saw a human child in front of me. It picked me up, surprisingly gently, and took me inside one of its large, fast moving creatures. I don't remember how long we traveled, just that when we got to the farm, I was put in that hutch. I was there for hrair seasons, before you and Hazel showed up."

Sam nodded in awe. "Wow. You were pretty lucky, all things considered. I'm surprised you're still alright with humans after that. Most wouldn't have been able to handle being captured like that.

Glade smiles softly. "For a while, I wasn't alright with humans. I hated them for taking me away. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how stupid that was. If that child hadn't found me, I almost certainly would have died. I didn't like being caged, but it was better than the alternative. Clover helped a lot as well. When I was captured, I was really scared, but Clover was there to help me get used to it."

Clover began to fidget in embarrassment. "Glade, I didn't really do anything. I just talked to you, was all."

She responded with in a tone that insinuated they had had this talk many times in the past. "However you want to think of it, Clover. But you are my best friend and you did help me." Sam smiled at the two. It was obvious that they were very close. "So what about you," Glade asked, turning back to Sam. "What's the story of the tiny human living with rabbits?"

Sam chuckled and began telling his story. He told them how Prince Rainbow chose him to come here. "It would have been nice if he had been a bit more specific on what I was doing though." He told them of his powers, and about his knowledge of the future. When he was finished they were speechless.

Sam sat there smiling at the look of amazement on their faces. Surprisingly, Clover was the first to speak. "That's amazing, Sam. What an adventure!"

"Ha! You're telling me. Even though this place can be kind of dangerous, I wouldn't trade it for anything."

The three talked for the rest of the day, becoming fast friends. Clover was just like how Sam remembered from the television series: she was shy and soft spoken, but was very kind and hated the idea of violence to solve anything. And even though he knew nothing about Glade, Sam grew to like her almost immediately. She was quite strong willed, and very protective of her friends. In the passing days, they got to know Sam and the other rabbits even better, and liked to keep Sam company while we was healing.

(One week later)

Sam was recovering nicely. It was a bright morning on the down when he made his way out of the warren using his staff as a walking stick. As he hobbled into the sunlight, he could see the other rabbits already out on morning silflay in small groups. He saw Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, and Kehaar talking a bit further out from the rest of the group, so he made his way over.

"-he best way Hazel," Sam heard Bigwig say as he approached. "I should take a group and…oh, hello, Sam." This made the other three turn their heads and notice the teen walking towards them. "How's the leg coming along?"

"Surprisingly well, actually," Sam replied. "I don't understand it, it usually takes a really long time to heal from a gunshot wound." This has got to be Prince Rainbow's doing. There is no way I should be so far healed so soon. Well, I'm certainly not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. "So anyway, what were you all talking about over here?" The four exchanged glances, seeming to hesitate as to whether or not to tell Sam. Finally, Hazel spoke up.

"Well, we were talking about ways of sneaking into Efrafa. In order to have any chance of getting Primrose and Blackavar out, we're going to have to make our way into Efrafan territory, and with a larger group than last time. I think it would be best to have Kahaar and Hannah make flights over the Efrafan borders so we know where their guards and sentries are."

"And I," Bigwig interrupted, "think that while that's all well and good, we need more information than that. We can't assume that every patrol is going to be the same as every other one. I want to take a team and…test them."

Hazel shook his head. "He means he wants to bait them into chasing him to see which ones are the fastest, which the best trackers, and so forth. Bigwig," he said, turning back to the large buck, "it's too dangerous. We can't risk anyone from our warren on such foolhardy behavior."

"Embleer Frith, Hazel! What happens if we don't check them out and we try and escape through Woundworts best guards? It makes more sense to take the risk now than when we have the rest with us!"

"Oh would you stop this bickering," Fiver said in a tired voice. It was obvious he had been trying to work this out the whole time. With little success.

Sam decided to intervene. "Calm down guys," he said. "How about…a compromise? Kehaar and Hannah will scout the Efrafans for a while, and tell you where their weakest looking rabbits are stationed. And then Bigwig can try his testing idea."

"It's still foolish," Hazel replied.

The teen nodded. "Yes, it is." Bigwig was about to argue for his plan, but Sam ignored him. "It's still good though, Hazel. Bigwig has a point. I certainly wouldn't want to fight the best guards Woundwort has. It isn't ideal, but I think it's the best we have."

The two considered that idea, and reluctantly agreed. Kehaar and Hannah began their scouting the next morning.

(Two weeks later)

Sam was walking with Bigwig and the rest of the owsla toward their training ground. As he walked, he could not help but feel amazed that his wound was better in so little time. Blackberry, who as it turns out was the resident medic for the rabbits, gave Sam the all clear the day before. So of course the first thing Sam did was to talk with Bigwig about getting some exercise to get back into fighting shape.

The owsla, now consisting of Bigwig, Holly as second in command, Sam, Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Strawberry, came to the same obstacle course that Sam had run for the first time a month ago.

"Alright," Bigwig yelled, "everyone line up for a run through. Sam, you're going last. Seeing as this is your first time back, you're going to run it slower to make sure you're ready for full duty again."

"Of course he doesn't take it easy on the rest of us," Hawkbit muttered.

"Oh my apologies, Hawkbit," Sam answered sarcastically, "next time would you like to be shot in the leg instead?"

The gray rabbit glared at Sam before he laughed. "Not likely mate. You see, some of us are quicker than others."

"Then maybe you'd like to prove that on the obstacle course, eh Hawkbit?" Bigwig interrupted. "You've just volunteered to be first. Ready? Go!" Hawkbit shook his head and muttered something about having a big mouth and took off through the course, followed by the others.

Sam watched in amazement as they sped through the course. "Wow, they got a lot better since last time I was here."

"Yeah," Bigwig replied, "they're a right proper owsla if I do say so myself. Just wait until we get to sparring, Strawberry might be able to give you a pretty good match. But enough talking, it's your turn. Remember, this is a test run, so take it slow and easy."

Aw, that's boring, Sam thought to himself. He ran the course about half as fast as he did before the injury. His leg gave him very little trouble, just some issues whenever he had to make small, careful movements.

Bigwig seemed satisfied with the results. "Looks good, Sam. Now, run it again. Move!" Bigwig had Sam run the course a few more times, then they went to join the other rabbits who were sparring with each other under the direction of Holly. Sam was paired up with Strawberry, and like Bigwig had said earlier, they were a good match. Strawberry had slimmed down considerably since coming to Watership Down, and was surprisingly fast despite his size. The two circled each other and feinted, each trying to find a weakness in the other's defense. Strawberry finally saw his chance when Sam's leg trembled a bit: he launched himself at Sam's left side and used his size to make Sam's weakened leg give out. Before Sam realized what had happened, he was pinned with Strawberry on top of him.

Strawberry quickly moved off of the teen with a worried look on his face. "Are you alright, Sam? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit your leg, I saw it was weak and just...went for it."

Sam was laughing as he got up. "Don't worry about it, Strawberry, no harm done. The leg is still kind of weak, but it doesn't hurt anymore. Dang though, you turned out to be a pretty good fighter."

"Thanks. I never had a chance to do stuff like this at Cowslip's warren. Being part of a real owsla is an interesting experience for me." He lowered his voice, "And I'll be completely honest, I think sparring is pretty fun."

"It can be," Sam replied, "but don't forget what you're practicing for. Real fights aren't nearly so fun."

Strawberry's ears lowered at Sam's words and he began quickly trying to explain what he had said. "Oh, of course. I…I know that, and I wasn't trying to say hurting and killing is fun, I just meant…I…oh…."

Sam laughed at the flustered buck, "Don't worry, Strawberry, I was just teasing. I know what you mean: it's nice to try something new."

"Sam! Bigwig! Can the two of you come here?"

Hazel's words echoed down to the owsla training ground. The two looked at each other and began to walk up the hill, leaving Holly in charge of the owsla exercise. They crested the hill and saw Hazel, Fiver, and Blackberry waiting for them.

Hazel waited until they joined the circle before he began speaking. "Alright everyone, now that Sam is ready to go, I think it's time to start thinking about Efrafa again. It seems so long ago that I promised Primrose and Blackavar that I would get them out. I hope they haven't lost faith."

"Don't worry, Hazel," Fiver said, trying to comfort his brother, "I'm sure they haven't. They, above anyone else, would understand how carefully this has to be planned out."

Bigwig, growing impatient, interrupted. "Alright then, Hazel, what's the plan? The owsla is ready for anything."

"If everything goes according to plan, the owsla won't have very much to do. No, we're not going to try an attack. We're going to use trickery worthy of El-ahrairah. Blackberry, if you please?"

Blackberry nodded, "Sure Hazel. The three of us have been talking about this for the past two or three days, and we think we've come up with a very workable plan. To begin, we won't be able to sneak into Efrafan territory like we have hoped before. After observing the Efrafan guards for hrair days, Kehaar and Hannah say that there really are no weak points in their borders. At least, none big enough to sneak a large group in. Their guards are all competent, and it seems as though they're rotated between positions randomly. However, they did notice a bridge made of stone that is on the edge of their territory. They keep two guards along the tree line facing towards the warren. We can hide underneath the bridge on their side. They never check it, so they'll never notice us."

Sam was impressed. Wow, I don't believe that they already have all this information. You know, maybe being shot was a good thing if it made Hazel this careful. With this kind of recon on our side, this might actually go pretty well.

Blackberry continued, "Now as for actually getting them out, we think it would be easiest for one rabbit, maybe two at the most, to approach Efrafa and get in their owsla. Once in, they would locate Primrose and Blackavar. Three days after that, the rest of our owsla would run a fake attack to draw out the guards, weakening resistance at the warren. They will meet back at the bridge. Then, whoever goes in, accompanied by Primrose and Blackavar, will escape, and they will also meet at the bridge."

Bigwig, who had been listening rather patiently, interrupted when he saw a flaw in the plan. "So what you're telling us, is that a group of owsla fighters, being followed by Efrafans, and the rescue team, who will likely also be followed, and going to meet in the same place? How exactly are we supposed to escape?"

Blackberry gave him an annoyed look. "If you would be a bit more patient, I'll tell you." Bigwig rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut as Blackberry finished her explanation. "Under the bridge, Kehaar says there's something he called a 'boat' that we can use to escape. He said we can travel on the water with it, away from the Efrafans."

Sam nodded as she finished. "You know, that sounds like it might actually work. If whoever goes in can be careful and not risk blowing their cover, we should be fine. So, who is going in anyway?"

Fiver was the one to answer, "We were going to leave that to Bigwig. He's the captain of our owsla, so he would be the one to know who stands the best chance of getting into theirs."

Bigwig answered immediately, "Oh, I know exactly who to send in."

One week after they had their planning session, the members of Watership Down set off towards Efrafa in hopes of freeing Primrose and Blackavar. Early in the morning, the group set off. Hazel was surprised that when he asked for volunteers, almost every rabbit wanted to come with. Eventually, the group was narrowed down to Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Sam, Blackberry, Hawkbit, and Dandelion. Kehaar and Hannah were following in the sky.

The group traveled the same route that Hazel and the others had taken a month earlier. They crossed the train tracks and entered the woods beyond, signifying that they were getting close to the edges of Efrafa, when a scent caught their noses. Smelling a fox, the rabbits looked around to find the nearest cover, but there wasn't nearly enough underbrush to hide them all.

Fiver got an idea, "Hazel! That cave we slept in! It's close by and I'm sure it was big enough to hold everyone. This way!" He led the group to the cave hidden by the waterfall that they had found on their last visit. Everyone began squeezing into the cave while Sam and Bigwig stood watch.

After everyone else was in, Bigwig turned to Sam and said, "Alright lad, you next. Quickly now."

But Sam knew what Bigwig was planning. "No thanks," he said quickly, followed by shoving Bigwig backwards through the entrance to the cave. He switched to human form and turned towards the sounds of the fox following with one of the green balls he had thrown before in each hand. Needless to say, the fox got a surprise when it burst out from the bushes.

"What?!" it exclaimed in confusion. "No longears? Only…very small man. Why?"

Sam glared at the fox. "I suggest you just don't worry about it…if you want to keep breathing that is." The fox looked at the small human in disbelief, so Sam threw one of the balls at the fox's feet, causing a small explosion of dirt to fly into its face, scaring it. "Now," Sam began, "get out of here. I won't miss next time." The fox didn't waste a moment, taking off into the woods. Once Sam was sure it was gone, he lowered his arms and let out a deep breath, only to have it knocked out of him by an angry Bigwig.

"And just what do you think you were doing," Bigwig demanded. "I could have stayed here and helped you take that fox on. Why did you shove me?!"

"Yeah right Bigwig. That might work on everyone else, but I know exactly what you had in mind to deal with the fox."

"But-"

"No! You were going to try and lead it away from the rest of us, putting yourself at needless risk." Bigwig averted his gaze and got off the teen. Sam got up and dusted himself off. "I understand what you're going through Bigwig, but we need to keep our heads right now. This mission depends on it."

Bigwig looked as if he were going to say something when Hazel approached. "Are you two alright?" he asked. They both nodded. "Listen, I'll say it again, if you don't want to go through with this, we'll find another way. This isn't the only way."

"But it is the best way." Bigwig said it as a statement rather than as a question. Hazel said nothing, which was as good as a yes. "Come on, Hazel-rah, we're getting close now." Hazel nodded his head and the group continued on.

Hazel and the rest of the rabbits, minus the infiltration team, were waiting on the opposite side of the river for the Efrafan guards to leave their posts so they could sneak across. They waited until Kehaar gave a harsh cry in the air, the signal that it was safe to cross. The group hopped onto the stone bridge. The bridge was nearly broken through in the middle, but there was a large enough stretch of intact stone for the rabbits to cross. Once on the other side, they scrambled under the bridge where the boat Kehaar had mentioned floated in the water, held by a thick rope.

Hazel took in the sights under the bridge, knowing that it was where he was going to be spending the majority of the next few days. Fiver stood next to his older brother. "Do you think they'll be alright, Hazel," he asked.

Hazel nodded, "They will, I'm sure of it. There is no better team to send in than them."

Meanwhile, on almost the other side of Efrafa, two rabbits came out of the brush in front of a guard who stamped an alert on the ground immediately. "Is this the warren called Efrafa?" the larger of the two asked.

This made the guard suspicious, very few came looking for Efrafa. "It might be, though you're going either way. Who wants to know?"

The two looked at each other and nodded. "Take us to see your chief," the second one said, ignoring the guard's question. "We think he'd be very interested in our skills."

The guard's reinforcements had arrived by then, so the two strangers were taken to the warren with a four rabbit guard. They came out of the bushes to see the toppled tree that housed the warren. They were led through a depression in the land with rabbits on silflay. As they looked around, they saw the guards watching the rabbits of the warren, not outside for trouble.

They were led through the dank passages to a larger chamber in the middle of the warren. Standing atop a plateau on the back wall was the massive chief, Woundwort. On the ground in front of Woundwort, there stood a smaller black rabbit who was in the middle of being yelled at.

"Are you incompetent, Vervain?" Woundwort's deep voice echoed through the cave. "Or perhaps you are lacking is sufficient motivation. I have remedies for both. If it is motivation you require, then I can begin with your ears." The smaller rabbit, Vervain, cringed at the words. "I can take them, one piece at a time, every time you come back and tell me that you did not find Hazel's warren. But if you are incompetent, then you are of no use to me." Woundwort finally noticed the guards standing behind Vervain with the two newcomers. "What is it!?" he yelled.

Trying to keep the trembling out of his voice, the lead guard answered, "G-General Woundwort sir, these rabbits wish to speak with you."

Woundwort turned his hate-filled gaze back to Vervain. "Get out of my sight!"

"Yes General," he responded in a servile voice before leaving quickly.

"Now," Woundwort continued, "what makes you think you are important enough to warrant my attention?"

The larger of the two spoke up. "Sir. We have traveled far from our home warren. It was destroyed by men. We are looking for a powerful warren to make use of our skills. I was Captain of Owsla in my old warren, and my companion was one of our top warriors."

Woundwort nodded his head slowly. "I will decide your worth. What are you called?"

"General, my name is Bigwig."

"And I'm called Sunflower…sir."