Chapter 13-New Ways of Thinking

Only a couple days had passed since Sam returned from Cowslip's warren, and everything seemed to be at peace. They hadn't seen ear or tail of Efrafa for almost a week, and Primrose seemed to be much happier since returning from Redstone.

Sam was eating alone on the top of the hill, enjoying the nice day.

"Hello Sam, how are you today?"

"Oh I'm doing good, how are y-" he froze when he turned around and saw Primrose with a mixture of pain and anger on her face. "I…uh…" He sighed. "How did you find out?"

"Hazel told me on the way back from Redstone," she said in an accusatory voice. "He said I deserved to know everything about this warren before I decided to live here."

"Thanks, Hazel," Sam muttered to himself. Then he said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, there just didn't seem to be a good time. I mean, if you had left the warren just because of me, I don't think I could have forgiven myself."

"You should have told me! You should have told us back in Efrafa! What, do you think we would have given up our only chance of escape just because it was with a humans help? We could have gotten out sooner, maybe we could have gotten more rabbits out. We could have saved Blackavar!"

"Primrose, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Listen. Because I love Hazel and trust him with my life, I will trust you too. But you've been given amazing powers, maybe you should think about how to use them."

She walked away, leaving Sam alone again.

The month that followed was littered with awkward moments. Sam had spent time around pregnant women before, but a pregnant rabbit was an entirely different matter. For one thing, Primrose was cautious to the point of paranoia every time she left the warren. Sam tried to assure her there was almost no chance of elil sneaking up on them, but it did no good. Then there was the digging. A lot of digging. In the first two weeks of her pregnancy, Primrose spent most of her free time expanding the burrow that she and Hazel shared. She accepted no help, regardless of how many times Sam asked.

Then came the big day.

Everyone was outside of the warren except for Primrose. Hazel paced all over the down, trying not to think about what could go wrong. Fiver did his best to keep his brother occupied, but it was obvious he was doing little good.

"I don't get this," Sam said to Blackberry and Glade, "if there's so much that could go wrong, why aren't there, I don't know, like, rabbit nurses or something in there helping? That's pretty standard for humans."

Blackberry stared at him in mild shock, while Glade just started chuckling. "I…no Sam, it just doesn't work that way," Blackberry said as she recovered. "It is an insult to her if any of us were to interfere. Glade, what are you laughing about?!"

Sam looked at Glade who at that point was on the ground rolling in laughter. "He's just so adorable when he doesn't know anything," she managed to choke out.

Sam rolled his eyes with a smile. "So, ignoring her," he said, drawing Blackberry's attention back to him, "how is it insulting? I've never heard that rule before."

"So there is something your legends don't say about us! Well, you know that if there isn't enough food, or if there are a lot of elil, does may take the kittens back?" Sam nodded. "There is another part of that tale, the part you apparently missed, that says does should be the ones to bring their kittens into existence. After all the doe has done to prepare them for lie, no other should have the honor. So for any of us to go in there and try to help her, we would be taking one of her first privileges as a mother away."

"I…see," Sam said. Suddenly, they heard odd little squeaking noises coming from inside the warren. Hazel sped through the warren entrance and disappeared. Sam, too, was on his way in when Blackberry stopped him.

"Wait," she said, "It's not good to have too many rabbits in there at once yet. She will allow others in. Be patient."

So Sam sat and waited, hoping everything went alright. It wasn't long before Hazel came back to the entrance and spoke. "She says she wants Fiver, Blackberry, and…Sam to come and see."

"See, I told you," Blackberry said, barely concealing her excitement. "Now come on!"

She ran after Hazel, followed by Sam. She picked me, he thought to himself in confusion, why me? I could have sworn she was still mad at me.

They followed Hazel into the back of the warren, where their burrow was located. The group came around the corner and saw Primrose lying on the floor with three small shapes pressed against her. Hazel stopped at the entrance to the burrow and nodded to Blackberry to continue. She went up to Primrose and Sam could hear them speaking excitedly, though he could not make out their words.

"Congratulations, Hazel," Sam said. "What are they? Boys? Girls?"

"Um, two does and one buck if that's what you mean."

Sam smiled. "That's great. What are their names?"

Hazel did not answer. He just looked at his new family. So Fiver answered Sam's question. "New kittens don't get names until it's reasonably sure that they will…make it."

Sam looked at Hazel again, seeing that the look on his face was concern. The teen laid a hand on Hazel's shoulder. "Don't worry Hazel, everything is going to be fine. I'll make sure of it!"

Hazel sighed and smiled at Sam. "Thank you my friend. I know you will."

Just then, Blackberry came back and Fiver took her place. "I'm so happy for you, Hazel," she said, giving him a friendly nuzzle. "They're absolutely beautiful." She continued on her way and left the warren.

Sam and Hazel stood in silence, listening to Primrose and Fiver converse quietly. Soon enough, Fiver came back too, and it was Sam's turn.

"Don't worry," Hazel said as Sam took a deep breath. "You'll be fine."

Sam nodded and made his way slowly to Primrose and her kittens. He sat down a little way away. "Uh, hello Primrose," he said, "you're looking well."

"You can come closer." Sam moved closer, and he could see the three little kittens still snuggled up next to their mother, eyes still closed. "And this," Primrose said quietly to her children, "is Sam. He's a bit different from the others, but you wouldn't be here without him." She smiled at Sam as she spoke. "He risked his life to get us here. We owe him a lot."

Sam was touched by what she was saying. "Primrose…"

"I wanted to apologize Sam, for what I said before. I…I was just sad, losing Blackavar, and finding all of my old friends gone, it made me say things that weren't true. If we had stayed, we might have died too, and there was no way we could have saved him. I haven't really given you a fair chance, and I'm sorry for that."

"Thank you Primrose," Sam said, fighting tears, "it really helps hearing you say that. And…I'll tell you the same thing I told Hazel: I promise, I will do everything in my power to protect your kittens."

She nuzzled him in the side. "Thank you Sam."

He nodded with a smile on his face and left, passing Hazel on the way out. "I told you so," he said.

The kittens grew quickly and in a couple of weeks, were running around the top of the hill. They played games like Tail Tag and a hide-and-seek type of game they called The Elil Are Coming. Someone was always nearby to keep an eye on them, and they knew that they still were not allowed to leave the hilltop.

Sam was sitting with Clover and Glade, watching the youngsters play. "I like this," Glade said. "This is what was missing here: the boundless energy of young kittens. They really add a breath of life."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sam said. "I didn't really like human children all that much, but rabbit children are fun!"

"You didn't like young humans?" Clover asked.

Sam laughed, "Not really. See, human young are usually very loud and annoying. And it takes them a lot longer to get as smart as Primrose's children are already." And it was true. Though they were only a few weeks old, the kittens were already learning the basics of rabbit survival.

"Um, Sam," Glade said hesitantly, "could I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, I was thinking, there are new kittens here now, and we need to be sure they're safe because they're our future and everything, I was just…"

Sam grew concerned, Glade was usually a very confident rabbit. To hear her stuttering and hesitating so much was unnerving.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She took a deep breath before responding. "I want to join the owsla!"

"Uh…"

"I know what you're thinking: does are not owsla material, but I know I can do it! I just…I hate just sitting here, not doing anything to help this warren get along. Do you think…do you think you can help me? With Bigwig, I mean. Please, Sam?"

Sam listened to what she had to say before he began laughing. "Of course I'll help you, Glade," he said, "I mean come on, it Bigwig took a human, I'm sure we'll have no trouble getting him to take you."

They found the captain in no time, and Sam explained to him about his new volunteer.

"Absolutely not!"

"But Bigwig, why not?" Sam asked. "I don't see what's wrong with letting her in."

"No, of course you don't," Bigwig answered condescendingly. "Sam, does are just not in owslas. They're too small and they just don't have the temperament to be warriors."

Glade couldn't hold in her indignation at his statement. "I don't have the right temperament?! And exactly what kind should I have? Would you prefer if I told jokes and stories like Dandelion? Or perhaps some Hawkbit-like complaining would be better? I'm one of the only ones here who actually volunteered to be a part of the owsla, and you would turn me away on foolish grounds like that?"

"I won't argue about it!" Bigwig roared. "You will not be a part of this owsla, and that's final!"

He walked away towards the warren while Glade stomped off the other way in a huff, leaving Sam staring after them both. "That…could have gone better." Sam decided to let the two cool off and went over to where Dandelion was watching the youngsters play.

"Hello, Sam," he said, "what's with the sad face? Did it have anything to do with the yelling I heard?"

"Ah, yeah. Glade wanted to join the owsla, but Bigwig wasn't very responsive to that idea. Is it true that there aren't any does in an owsla?"

Dandelion thought before answering. "Well, I know there have been some in stories. El-ahrairah once traveled to a far warren composed almost completely of does. The ironic thing is, they didn't allow any bucks in their owsla, or the doesla as they called it. I don't remember hearing of any recently though."

Sam sighed, "Thanks, Dandelion. Bigwig apparently hasn't heard that story."

"How about something to take your mind off of it? Me and some of the others were going to head down to the farm to grab a bit of flayrah for the young ones. Primrose says they're about old enough now to try some."

Sam shook his head. "No thanks Dandelion, I'm going to try and cheer Glade up. I figure the anger has almost worn off, so the disappointment will be setting in."

"Alright. Good luck."

Sam walked away from the playful group and looked around for Glade. He found her lying beside Clover a little ways down the hill, her ears drooped in a posture of sadness. Clover tried her best to comfort her friend.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about Glade. You'd make a great owsla fighter!"

"She's right you know," Sam said, getting the does' attention, "you would be, and we'll prove it."

Glade sighed, "It's no use Sam. Bigwig said I wasn't going to be in the owsla, so that's the end of it."

Sam chuckled, "He said the same thing about me. And Kehaar and Hannah, and they're pretty much the back bone of our reconnaissance. He also didn't think Strawberry would be all that good of a fighter. I'm just saying, although Bigwig might know the mechanics of fighting, he's not the best judge of talent."

"What's your point?"

"My point is," Sam said, nudging her up so she was standing, "that if we can prove that you would be a good asset to the owsla, he will take you. I have a plan: Dandelion said that some of them are going to the farm to get some flayrah for the kittens. While they're gone, I'll do my best to teach you how to fight."

Glade's ears perked up a bit. "This…could really work?"

"I'm sure of it. And we won't know until we try."

The three walked back up the hill just in time to see the raid group about to leave. It consisted of Hazel, Bigwig, Dandelion, Hawkbit, and Fiver. They asked Sam to come along, but he declined, explaining that he didn't feel like another trip to the farm after what happened last time. The group turned in the direction of the farm and departed.

"Alright, let's go," Sam said as soon as they were out of sight.

Sam led Glade, along with Clover, who came along to watch, down the opposite side of the hill to the area where Bigwig had trained him. He tried to remember the lessons Bigwig taught more than two months ago, but something was not going right.

"I don't get it," Sam said after watching Glade lose her balance while trying some of the attacks he had demonstrated, "I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Are your feet placed how I said?"

"Yes Sam," Glade responded, annoyance plain in her voice, "they're exactly how you told me, and yes, I'm shifting my balance right."

Sam shook his head in confusion. "I just don't understand what the problem is."

"You're teaching her the wrong way."

Sam, Glade, and Clover all jumped, not having heard Holly approach. "Holly!" Sam said, trying to cover up what they had been doing. "We were just…um…stretching! Yes, stretching, because we were going to have...a race! Right Glade?"

She was about to agree when Holly cut them off. "Knock it off. If I can see through the lies some of the recruits back in Sandleford told, you think I can't see through this?"

"But I-" Sam tried to explain.

"You, quiet!" Holly shouted in an authoritative voice. Seeing Sam was listening, he turned back to Glade. "Now," he continued in a nicer tone, "as I said, the techniques that most owsla soldiers use aren't going to work for you Glade."

"I…but…why not?" she stuttered.

"Because you're a doe." Seeing she was about to react badly, Holly quickly added, "It isn't a bad thing, you just need to learn to fight differently. Use the body Frith gave you. Most bucks that make into an owsla are large and bulky like me, Bigwig, and the ithè over there, so they learn to fight head on, using their weight as a weapon. But it isn't the same for does. Because they tend to be smaller and lighter, does have to fight using speed and flexibility. Here, try it this way."

Sam watched in amazement as Holly helped Glade learn how to fight. It was similar to the style he learned, but it focused more on subtle changes in her balance to dodge attacks and strike an opponent's weak point. Sam could see that she was catching on fast.

"Alright," Holly said, "I think it's about time to put this into action. Sam, I would like you and Glade to have a sparring match."

He has to be kidding, Sam thought to himself. She's been doing this for maybe two hours, does he think she can actually win? "Sure," he answered out loud.

The two faced each other and got into their respective fighting stances. Sam was crouched nearer to the ground to protect any vulnerable areas, while Glade was almost standing up, putting little weight on her front paws. Sam didn't waste any time. He closed in on her and aimed a weak cuff at her shoulder and hit…air. Wait, wha- his thoughts were cut off as he was suddenly hit from behind, causing him to lose his balance. He whipped around and saw Glade standing there. How did she…fine then. If that's the way she wants to play. He suddenly lunched himself at the smaller doe, planning on pinning her using his larger size. He was about to hit her when his vision suddenly spun and he was lying on his back with her claws resting gently on his throat. He looked over at her smiling face.

"Gotcha," she said.

She moved aside and to let Sam up, but he was stunned. She's so quick! He managed to get to his feet and said, "That…that was amazing!"

"Indeed it was," Holly agreed. "You seem to be made for this. I'm glad to finally have a chance to pass this knowledge along."

"Holly," Glade said, "how did you know that? It doesn't seem like the type of fighting style a normal owsla soldier would learn."

Holly chuckled. "That's a story for another time. As for you two though, don't you have something to do? I believe it involved 'proving Glade was an asset'? The others still aren't back from the farm yet…"

"That's a great idea," Sam said excitedly. "We can go there now and prove that you know your stuff!"

Glade nodded. "Right, let's go!"

Holly watched them go with a roll of his eyes and a ghost of a smile on his face.

"We're almost there, Glade," Sam said as they came upon the stone fence.

"I can tell," she responded with a melancholy tone. Sam looked at her questioningly. "I'm sorry, it's just that I can smell all the familiar scents that were part of life in that stupid hutch. It took me forever to get them out of my nose when I first came to the down. It just feels odd being back here. Bad odd."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sam said, nudging her side, "you're with us now. You have the power to come and go as you like. It's all going to work out fine." They passed through the hole in the fence and snuck along the bushes, searching for any sign of their friends. "Hey, I think I see them over there."

Glade looked where Sam was gesturing and saw the group that had left earlier. All except for Fiver. "Hey guys," Sam said as they got closer, surprising the group. "What's going on?" They didn't answer, instead looking towards an overturned wheelbarrow laying next to a newly-installed fence surrounding the garden. The farm cat was pacing in front of it. Sam didn't like the looks on their faces. "Where's Fiver?" he asked worriedly.

Hazel answered with a tight voice. "He's in there. The cat snuck up on us and that…thing flipped over when he tried to jump up there to hide. Now he's stuck and we don't know how to get him out."

Sam barely gave it a thought before he told them his plan. "Alright, I'll go and distract the cat, giving you time to free him." Before any of them could say anything, Sam was sneaking further along the bushes, away from the garden and the cat. He went until he thought he was a good distance away, then slowly left the cover, trying not to draw attention to himself just yet. He spied a decent sized rock, and with a kick from his hind legs, sent it flying towards the cat. The rock ricocheted off of the wheelbarrow with a loud noise, starting the cat and making it turn its attention on Sam.

It got to its feet and slowly made its way over towards Sam. Sam waited until it was about ten feet away before he suddenly turned and sprinted back towards the bushes, prompting the cat to give chase. Sam dove into the most tangled part of the bush, moving swiftly through. As soon as he heard the frustrated noises of the cat getting stuck, he turned and left the bush further down, seeing the cats backside sticking out with its hind legs flailing in frustration.

He slashed at the cat, leaving three parallel scratches on its rump, then turned towards the barn and ran. The cat broke free quickly from the offending branches and gave chase. Sam led the cat on a merry chase through the barn and around the house, being careful to avoid waking the dog. As he was running, Kehaar suddenly swooped down and flew just above him. "Sam! They have Fiver, you're good to go!"

"Thanks," Sam answered breathlessly, swerving to the side to avoid a scratch by the cat. "I'll be there soon."

"You want help with cat?"

"No, it's fine. Don't put yourself in danger, I'll lose the stupid thing and be on my way."

"Alright," Kehaar said before flying away again, "be careful."

Sam veered towards the line of bushes again, intending to lose the cat there like he did the first time. Easy enough, this dumb cat sucks at running thorough those bushes. All I have to do is- But his thoughts were cut off as he felt his foot strike something and he went flying. He landed close to the bushes and was about to get up, when suddenly the cat was on him.

It dug its claws painfully into Sam's shoulders. It chuckled before saying in a smooth voice, "Not so clever now, eh longears?" It raised its paw to strike the killing blow, when suddenly the cat was sent flying off of him.

"Wha-"

"Come on Sam!" It was Glade, pushing him in the side trying to make him get up. "Let's go!" Sam nodded and the two of them ran for the bushes before the cat righted itself, and soon they rejoined their friends far away from the farm.

Bigwig was the first to see them. "Sam! Glade! Are you two alright?"

Sam smiled. "I'm fine, thanks to Glade. If she hadn't been there, that cat might have gotten me. But it sure was a good thing she was there, huh Bigwig?"

Bigwig narrowed his eyes and said in a completely even voice, "We'll talk about it back on the down, Sam."

Sam returned his look with one of equal heat. "Yes, we will." He looked over and saw Fiver sitting among the others with two carrots in his mouth. "Fiver! Are you alright? And where did those come from?"

Fiver dropped the carrots before answering. "Yes, I'm alright Sam, due in no small part to you…and Glade. As for the carrots, well, I was stuck under there an awful long time, so I decided to at least do something while I waited for Hazel and Bigwig to come up with a plan. I dug a short tunnel under the fence and was able to grab them. I would have gone for more, but as I brought the second one back, a loud noise echoed through that place. As my ears stopped ringing, I heard the others trying to get me out. And so, here I am."

"Alright everyone," Hazel said, "I think we should be getting back to the down. It's getting late." And it was, the sun was beginning to set, so the group made their way back to the down, with two fresh carrots for the kittens.

It was late evening when they got back to Watership Down. Most of the rabbits were eating or watching the joy on the young kittens' faces as they bit into their first bit of flayrah. But elsewhere on the down, there was still an issue to discuss.

"For the last time, Sam," Bigwig said in annoyance, "does do not belong in an owsla. I don't care if she knows how to fight, I've never known an owsla to have a doe in all the time I was at Sandleford, and I don't intend to change that."

Sam was similarly annoyed, but still managed to stay civil. "That's no reason Bigwig. Hazel is always saying how we need to adopt new ideas living here, and that includes you too. How can you justify allowing a human, a seagull and a mouse into your owsla, and they were not even trained, mind you, but you won't allow Glade in?"

Bigwig had had enough arguing and decided to end it. "Because at the end of the day, it's my owsla, and it's my call who to allow in."

"But-"

"Thayli, don't you think you're being a bit rash?" The pair turned and saw Holly walking over. "She's really a very good fighter. Why won't you let her in?"

Bigwig shook his head. "Holly, you know as well as I do that there aren't any does in any owsla."

Holly's eyes widened in disbelief before he answered. "Is…is that the reason you won't let her join?" Bigwig nodded. "Bigwig, where do you think I learned the techniques I taught her?"

"I had assumed you learned it from whoever was Captain of Owsla before you."

Holly chuckled. "No, I learned them from the Captain of one of our allied warrens, Bright Sky. A warren I can only guess you never actually went to?" Bigwig shook his head. "Bigwig, their captain was a doe."

Bigwig's mouth dropped and Sam got a huge grin on his face when they heard that. "But…" Bigwig stuttered, "you mean to tell me she taught you how does fight?"

"Yes, she did," Holly replied. "We became fast friends, and decided to share training tips with each other for the collective good of both our warrens. I taught her some of the finer points of training bucks, and she taught me what I taught Glade. It isn't a rare thing for a doe to be in an owsla."

"So," Sam said hopefully, "what do you think, Bigwig?"

Bigwig looked away and shook his head in defeat. "Fine," he mumbled, "she can join." Sam let out a yell of success and ran off to tell Glade the good news. "Holly," Bigwig said, turning back to his mentor, "did you ever have to deal with odd things like this back in Sandleford?"

Holly thought for a moment before responding. "Well we certainly didn't have ithèil sticking their noses into things, but I do remember this one young upstart. He got into the owsla at such an early age and rose so quickly, I seriously thought he was trying to take my position. "

"Really?" Bigwig asked. "Who was that?"

Holly looked at him and gave him a sly smile, "Oh don't you know? He's the Captain of Owsla in this warren."

"Are you serious?" Glade asked with joy. "He said yes?"

Sam smiled at her excitement. "Of course he did. I told you, he just needs to be shown. Congratulations, newest member of the owsla."

Glade smiled and nuzzled Sam under the chin. "Thank you Sam. You always come through."

"Don't thank me yet. Drills are in the morning at first light. Anyone who's late has to run the obstacle course until Bigwig gets tired of watching you."

"Really?" Glade asked nervously.

Sam chuckled. "Welcome to the owsla."