Chapter 19
It had been a week since the death of Cowslip, and Sam still felt the strain of his actions. Beside feeling guilt at having to kill another, Sam now had to deal with the fact that there was something evil out there capable of taking over rabbits' minds. Hazel and the others hadn't returned either, adding to Sam's worries. However, that meant he was still in charge, and responsible for meeting with Campion, which is where he and Glade were headed.
"I wonder if Campion will have anything to report," Glade said as they left the cave into Efrafan territory.
Sam shook his head. "Dear Frith, I hope not. Personally, I think I've already dealt with enough as temporary leader."
"Sam," Glade said, with a sly look, "did you just say 'dear Frith'?"
"Did I? Huh. I guess you guys are rubbing off on me."
Glade just smiled as they entered the woods and went to the meeting place Campion had showed them. They didn't see anyone in the clearing at first, but Campion appeared out from behind a tree as soon as he recognized Sam.
"I didn't realize you would be the one meeting me, Sunflower," Campion said. "It's always Hazel, and sometimes Bigwig. Did something happen to them?"
"Nope, they're just on a little vacation." Sam explained that they were accompanying Kehaar to the ocean. "So," he concluded pleasantly, "you get to deal with me and Glade this time."
Campion chuckled. "There are worse to be around. I do find it strange that Hazel wouldn't have taken you along though. I would think you would be rather useful on such a long journey."
"See, that's what I said! But no, Hazel tells me to stay and keep the warren under control." Sam chuckled and said sarcastically, "He is not utilizing my skills to their fullest extent."
Campion laughed in response, one of the few Sam had heard from the captain. He quickly sobered. "Well, I have something that may put your 'skills' to use. You know of the warren Redstone? Primrose's old home?" Sam's breath caught in his throat as he nodded. Campion continued, "Woundwort says rabbits are there again. He's going to attack it the day after tomorrow."
"Oh come on!" Sam complained. "What else could go wrong? Damn it, we'll have to think of something." Sam thought a moment before realizing. "Wait a second, how does he even know that? The only rabbits who know are them and us." Sam's mind went unbidden to Cowslip. "The only ones living that is."
"It sounds like there's a story in that." Campion replied. "I don't know where he got this information from. A couple days ago, he suddenly announced we were going to attack them. I've asked around, but none of the owsla seems to know anything about it."
Sam shook his head. "Well that's not good. Argh, we'll worry about that later. For now, we need to think about how to save Redstone."
"If I were them, I would run. Nothing will stop Woundwort from getting what he wants. Except humans. Well, full sized humans. I don't know why you didn't faze him, it's almost unnatural." Campion chuckled. "Although, you did cause quite a stir among the owsla. They're still talking about you. They're calling you the Ithe of Inlé, and knowing you're out there makes them much less excited about finding your warren. Our searching has been going terrible because the troops are too nervous about it."
Sam smiled in amusement. "Well, it's good to know that I'm so popular. 'Ithe of Inlé,' huh? Nice ring to it."
Campion looked at the sky, noting the position of the moon. "I need to go. Vervain has been watching me like a hawk lately. I think he's getting suspicious. I'll see the two of you soon and good luck saving Redstone."
Sam nodded, "Sounds good Campion. Good luck, and be careful. Don't endanger yourself on our account."
"I'll be careful. Farewell."
It was with heavy hearts that Glade and Sam relayed Campion's message to the Watership Down rabbits, including Holly and Blackberry, who were back from Redstone. They listened in disbelief.
"What are we going to do Sam?" Strawberry said. "They've worked so hard to turn that place into a home, and now they have to leave? It's going to break their hearts."
"I know, I know," Sam said in frustration, "I'm thinking. It would be best if we could just chase him away or something."
"That would be great," Glade said, "but like Campion said, he's unstoppable. I don't think just keeping him away is an option."
Sam thought hard before responding. "Alright guys, this is kind of a simple plan, but hear me out. We go there first thing tomorrow and get them to leave. We'll just have them come here until it's all over. It's a stretch, but maybe Woundwort will think his information was wrong if he finds an empty warren. If he buys it and leaves the warren alone, well then fine. They can move back in a couple of days. If he doesn't, and puts a watch on it or something, then we'll have to either take them in ourselves, or help them find a new home, broken hearts or not."
The others stared at him until Sam began to feel self conscious about his simplistic plan. Holly finally spoke. "Sam, don't you think Woundwort is a bit too smart for that?"
"Of course I do. To be honest, I doubt he'll fall for the trick. But getting them to safety is the main thing, and if we can make sure Redstone is safe too, well that's all the better. I'm just kind of hoping he gives up. If he thinks they won't be coming back, he won't have any reason to check the warren again, right?"
"Is there no other way?" Primrose asked. "Nothing at all we can do for them?"
Sam shrugged his shoulders. "If anyone else has any good ideas, I'd be glad to hear them." Though they thought hard, none of the rabbits could think of a way to keep Woundwort from getting to Redstone. Sam hung his head sadly. "I didn't think so. We're just…going to have to run with it and hope it turns out for the best. The worst case scenario is that they need to move, and it's really not that bad when you consider the alternative."
Everyone nodded and mumbled their agreement. Nobody was happy with the plan, but they had nothing better.
"Alright everyone," Sam said, "let's get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."
They agreed and dispersed, most going to their burrows to sleep. Soon Silverweed and Sam were left alone.
They exchanged a glance and Sam spoke. "You noticed it too, huh?"
Silverweed nodded. "How did Woundwort know? The only ones who know about that warren wouldn't go to Woundwort about it. Except for…"
To prevent panic, Silverweed, Glade, and Sam decided against telling the others that Cowslip had been possessed. Instead, they said Cowslip had attacked and Sam was forced to retaliate. They planned to tell Hazel, Bigwig, and Fiver when they returned, but no others.
"Do you think that thing has something to do with Woundwort?"
Sam nodded grimly. "It's a very real possibility. It's been quite a while, but I remember that Woundwort was always the most evil one around. Do you think it's possible that he's gained some type of new ability?"
"Nothing's impossible. If Woundwort is the cause of all this, then he's even more dangerous than we thought before."
"It makes sense," Sam said. "I was brought here to take care of Woundwort because he's somehow developed powers that the others can't fight. So Frith and Prince Rainbow brought me here as a little extra help of their own."
Silverweed nodded his agreement. "It's logical, but let's worry about that later. First we have to concern ourselves with Redstone."
Sam sighed. "Yeah. Redstone." Silverweed gave Sam an inquiring look. "I just…feel like I'm doing this all wrong, you know? Like, I bet if Hazel were here he'd come up with some awesome trick to fool Woundwort. Not the crappy little thing I came up with. I just don't know if Hazel was right about me being a good leader."
"Your priorities are in order; I think you're doing fine."
"Huh?"
Silverweed smiled. "You said keeping everyone safe is the most important thing, and that's absolutely right. Saving Redstone would be nice, but they can find another home. This is a tough situation; there's not going to be an easy answer."
"Yeah, no joke. Thanks Silverweed. Good night."
"Sleep well, Sam."
The next morning, Sam, Glade, Blackberry, Holly, and Strawberry were on their way to Redstone to inform its inhabitants of the situation. Holly and Strawberry planned to bring the rabbits back to Watership Down while Glade, Blackberry, and Sam destroyed all evidence they had been at Redstone.
Hickory and Marigold met them as they approached.
"Hello everyone," Hickory said happily, "how is everything? Isn't it just a wonderful day?"
Sam replied morosely, "Ah, not really Hickory. This isn't exactly a pleasure call."
"Is something the matter?" Marigold inquired.
"Yeah. You two were told about Woundwort and Efrafa, right?" They nodded. "Well, it appears that Woundwort has his sights set on Redstone. He plans to attack tomorrow."
The group from Watership Down watched as their faces fell.
"B-But that's…how did he…" Hickory stammered. "Why is this happening? How did he find us? What are we going to do!"
"Calm down Hickory!" Sam said firmly. "What we're going to do is get you guys away from here. Holly and Strawberry are going to bring you and the others to Watership Down, and you're going to stay there for a little while. Meanwhile, Blackberry, Glade, and I are going to try and make it seem like no one had lived here in a while and hope that Woundwort believes it."
"And what if he doesn't?" Marigold asked with a shaking voice.
Sam averted his eyes, he couldn't stand meeting their pain filled gazes. "If he doesn't believe the trick, then I don't know when, or if, Redstone will be safe again. You'd likely have to leave it."
Their heads fell, Marigold's eyes filling with tears while Hickory just looked angry.
"Come on you two, that's enough." Everyone looked at Strawberry in surprise. "I know this is hard, but we need you to stay strong. You have to be there for the others, they're going to need you."
The two looked at their friend before their faces hardened with determination. They both nodded and led the way back to Redstone. They called everyone together outside the warren to tell them the news.
Hickory stepped forward. "Hello everyone. I'm going to get straight to the point: we're in a bit of trouble. Our friends from Watership Down just told us that we're going to be attacked by Efrafa. Tomorrow." The rabbits furiously talked amongst themselves, growing in volume until they were just short of panic. "Everyone! Quiet down and listen!" They calmed and turned to face Hickory. "We can't panic. We won't panic. Our friends have graciously allowed us to stay at their warren for a few days while we try and trick Woundwort away from here." Hickory looked as Sam, indicating that he should explain the plan.
"Okay guys," Sam said, "all of you are going to follow Strawberry and Holly back to Watership Down. It's safe there and you won't have to worry. Meanwhile, Glade, Blackberry, and I are going to try and erase any sign that you were here. Ideally, Woundwort will believe that his information was wrong and leave."
Some of the rabbits wanted to stay and fight for their new home, but at Hickory and Sam's urging, their arguments faded. Holly and Strawberry led the Redstone rabbits back to Watership Down, leaving Sam and the two does to mess the warren up. They stepped inside and Sam's spirit dropped when he realized what removing all trace of life would mean. He remembered what the warren had looked like when they first arrived. The floors and walls had been rough from the natural settling of the earth, and everything had been covered with a layer of dust. Now all the runs were smooth, and the warren looked just as nice as Watership Down.
"Wow," Blackberry said in disbelief, "they really cleaned this place up. I'm going to feel so bad about ruining all their hard work."
Sam shifted to his human form and answered in a sad voice. "I know what you mean, Blackberry. But if Woundwort is going to believe that no one is living here, then we have to trash the place."
Sam walked to one of the burrows in the back of the warren and proceeded to smash the end of his staff against the ceiling, causing a shower of dirt and dust to come raining down. It resulted in the warren looking rundown and disused. He used the same technique all along the warren while Blackberry and Glade dug in weak spots to cause small collapses, sending dirt everywhere.
They were just finishing the back burrows and were starting on the main run when they heard a surprised yell behind them. They turned and saw Marigold at the entrance to the run, staring at Sam with wide eyes. Sam groaned. Not again.
"Hey there Marigold," Sam said casually as he leaned on his staff. "So…did you need something?"
She shook her head in disbelief. "Who…what…Sunflower?"
He chuckled, being fairly used to the reactions by now. "The name's Sam actually, but yeah, same person." Seeing that she was about to continue her questioning, Sam interrupted. "Listen Marigold, I'm sorry that we didn't tell you sooner. But we don't really have much time to talk; there's still a lot to be done. Blackberry, can you take her back to Watership Down?" The doe nodded. Sam tuned back to Marigold. "As soon as I get back, I'll tell the truth to Hickory and the rest of your warren, alright?"
"B-But I-" she stammered.
"You can trust him Marigold, I promise," Glade said. "I know that this seems really strange, but Sam is one of the most dependable members of our warren. He's helped us though so much."
Seeing Marigold still unresponsive with surprise, Blackberry smiled understandingly. "I'll take her back. Can the two of you handle it from here without me?" Sam and Glade nodded. "Alright Marigold," she continued kindly, "come on. Let's get you back with the others." Blackberry gestured and Marigold followed wordlessly.
Before she was completely out of sight, she turned back and looked at Sam. "Thank you. For everything." Then she turned and followed Blackberry.
Sam chuckled as he went back to work. "That actually went pretty well, I think."
"Hopefully," Glade said as she dug where Blackberry had left off. "Don't forget: you have to tell the rest of her warren too. I'm sure Hickory will be alright with it, but who knows about the others. They haven't gotten a chance to know you. They might not be so accommodating."
"Maybe not on their own, but with Strawberry, Marigold - and hopefully Hickory - backing me up? I'm sure it will all work out fine."
The two continued to work in silence through the day. When they finished, the sun was just beginning to set, casting a red glow on the boulders that gave the warren its name. They had thoroughly roughed up the inside; anyone who looked at it would not believe anything lived there, let alone a group of rabbits. A strong breeze had started sometime while they had been working, and would hopefully get rid of any lingering scents.
"What do you think, Glade?" Sam asked as they sat outside the warren. "Would you believe this looks deserted?"
"I hope so, Sam. It's really all we can do."
He nodded. "Alright then, let's head back to the down."
They got up to leave when suddenly they heard rustling in the bushes in the opposite direction. The two exchanged a glance and jumped behind the rocks, Sam shifting to his rabbit form. He peeked around the corner, careful to keep his ears down so they didn't stick out. He saw a brown rabbit walk slowly towards the warren, looking around as if he expected an ambush. Sam watched a moment longer before recognizing the rabbit.
"Campion?" He asked, rounding the corner with Glade in tow. They surprised the captain with their sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"
He snorted. "I could ask you the same thing. I was able to convince Woundwort to let me scout out this warren before the attack. I had hoped to warn them about it in case you hadn't done anything, but it appears as though you're ahead of me. Where are the rabbits that were supposed to be here?"
Sam and Glade exchanged a sly look. "Why don't you have a look for yourself," Glade replied.
Campion shot them a questioning glance, but made his way to the entrance of the warren when they didn't respond. They sat outside as he sniffed around. Campion wore a smile on his face as he exited the warren.
"Again I have to ask: are there any rabbits here? That warren looks like it hasn't seen any type of life in seasons."
Glade and Sam flashed each other victorious smiles. Sam replied, "That's exactly how we want it. They're staying at our warren until this blows over. We spent the majority of the day wrecking the place and making it look like this. Blackberry was helping for a while, but she had to take someone back to our warren."
Campion nodded. "Hazel and Bigwig spoke highly of Blackberry. They called her a 'digging expert.' I have to say, this is nicely done. It convinced me, and hopefully it will be enough to trick Woundwort."
Sam frowned. "Let's hope so. We just have to pray that he doesn't get any other flashes of insight like he did when he found this place."
"I still couldn't find anyone that knew about this warren before Woundwort," Campion said. "I'm dying to know how he found out."
Sam pursed his lips before responding. "Actually, we might have an idea about that." Sam told Campion the story about his fight with Cowslip, making sure to fully explain the presence that had been attacking his mind. He finished, "So Silverweed and I think that since whatever that…thing, was escaped, that it might be living in Woundwort now. Or maybe he was the one in control of it in the first place; it's hard to say. But I would bet that's where Woundwort got his information."
Campion, who had been standing speechless during the entire explanation, responded. "It sounds…impossible. I want to disbelieve it, but it would make sense. It's just so strange, almost as shocking as discovering you're a human."
Sam replied, "Most importantly, it means you need to be really careful. I'm serious Campion. If you feel anything start to go wrong, get out of Efrafa. None of us want you getting hurt."
"Thank you," Campion said with a smile. "I will be careful, I promise. And I'll let you know if I see or hear anything else strange." He chuckled. "Well, I suppose I had better go back and tell them the truth: there are no rabbits here."
Sam grimaced. "Oh right, and I need to go drop the 'I'm a human' bomb on the others from Redstone."
"Good luck Sunflower."
"You too."
"…and so that's the whole story," Sam, in his human form, said to the rabbits from Redstone. Aside from Marigold, they all had surprised looks on their faces. Many also had fear. "But like I said," he continued, "I'm here to help. You can ask anyone here, including Strawberry and Silverweed."
Sam watched as the Redstone rabbits just sat and stared at him. Hickory stood and all gazes shifted to him. "I…don't know what to say. We will have to discuss what to do about this. It isn't a decision I can make without their input."
"I understand," Sam said. "Of course you're all still welcome to stay. A couple of us are going to hide at Redstone tomorrow to see if the trick works. You can talk about it while we're gone."
Hickory kept an emotionless face and nodded. The rabbits turned and headed to the burrows that had been cleared out for them to sleep in while they were at Watership Down. Even though there were a few empty burrows because Hazel and the others were gone, the Watership rabbits condensed themselves even more so their guests could be comfortable. Clover, Glade, and Sam slept in one burrow, while Silverweed, Holly, and Strawberry slept in another. Primrose, Blackberry, and the three kittens took up a third burrow.
The next morning, Sam, along with Glade and Strawberry, hid in the bushes on a hill outside of Redstone waiting for the Efrafans. They didn't have to wait long before they saw Woundwort's large frame emerge from the bushes on the other side. Followed by his owsla, Campion included, Woundwort made a charge for the entrance to the warren. They watched as the owsla surrounded the warren while Woundwort himself went inside. A few minutes passed until he came out again.
"Where are they?" he yelled. From their position on the hill, the group from Watership Down could hear the conversation taking place below.
"I told you sir," Campion replied, "there wasn't anyone here. I looked everywhere, including inside the warren, but I couldn't find any traces of rabbits."
Woundwort fumed. "That's impossible! I know they were here! Where could they have gone?"
"Perhaps they didn't like the location?" Campion suggested. "That warren is in pretty rough shape; it might have been easier to just find a different place."
"I have another idea." The group turned to face the new speaker, and Sam bristled when he heard the familiar voice: Vervain. "If I may sir, I believe Campion betrayed us."
"What?" Campion yelled, feigning outrage.
"That is a serious accusation to make about my most loyal soldier," Woundwort said, ignoring Campion's outburst. "What proof do you have?"
"I've been watching him. Campion came here just yesterday, alone, to 'scout,' or so he says. I think he warned them about it. I've caught him on more than one occasion sneaking out of and back into the warren at night. I think he's meeting with outsiders, possibly the ones that were at this warren. Also, for the past few days, he has been asking around the owsla to see how you knew about this warren. I believe he was looking for whoever told on his friends."
Campion shook his head fiercely. "General, surely you can't-"
"Explain yourself, Campion," Woundwort interrupted.
"I-I…"
Woundwort's voice hardened. "That's what I thought. Owsla! Take the Captain back to Efrafa for questioning. We'll find out who he's spying for."
Sam's eyes widened when he heard that. "No…" he said in denial. He didn't realize he had begun to move towards them until he suddenly found himself pinned down by Glade.
"What are you doing, Sam?" she asked quietly. "You can't go out there; there are way too many!"
"Let go of me, Glade," he said, struggling. "I'm not letting them take Campion too. I have to try."
"You can't, Sam," Strawberry said, moving to help Glade hold Sam down, "you'll be killed!"
"But…Campion!" Sam said desperately.
Glade held him tighter. "No Sam, I care too much about you to let you do this." At her words, he stopped struggling and stared desperately at the Efrafans. The owsla, with Campion in tow, had begun to move to the bushes to go back to Efrafa. Woundwort and Vervain held back.
"Should we leave some sort of watch here, General?" Vervain asked. "Just in case the rabbits return."
Woundwort shook his head angrily. "No. I have no doubt Campion told them to run and not come back. It isn't worth our time. Let us leave this place, Vervain." They turned and followed the owsla back to Efrafa.
Glade and Strawberry got off Sam slowly, making sure he wouldn't try and run. He turned to them with sadness. "Let's just get back to the down." The two nodded and they set off.
"I'm sorry, Sam," Glade said on the walk back. "I know you wanted to help Campion, but I couldn't let you do it."
Sam gave her a weak smile. "You don't have to apologize for anything. You were right: there was no way I could have saved him. I probably would have gotten us all captured. Or worse. You did the right thing. Thanks."
The rest of the walk was spent in silence. They crested the top of the hill and found all the rabbits outside. Although the Watership rabbits were spread around the hill, the Redstone rabbits stayed together. The only rabbit from Redstone that wasn't with them was Marigold. She was talking with Primrose and helping her watch Snowdrop, Gillia, and Blackavar. All heads turned to the trio as they came over the hilltop and all chatter ceased.
"Hey everyone," Sam said, sadness and fatigue in his voice, "I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Efrafans bought the trick, and with our own ears we heard Woundwort say it wasn't worth their time to watch Redstone. You guys can probably head back today if you'd like, or you can wait a while if you want to be sure." The Redstone rabbits muttered excitedly amongst themselves at the news, all except for Hickory.
"And the bad news?" he said skeptically.
Sam's ears fell and he looked away. "They captured Campion." The Watership rabbits, as well as Hickory and Marigold, were shocked. "Vervain caught him sneaking out to meet with us and told Woundwort. He blamed Campion for your disappearance and took him captive."
Hickory stepped forward. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope he'll be alright. However, I think we should be on our way."
"Already? Are you sure you don't want to wait at least until later in the day?"
Hickory shook his head. "No, I think it would be better for everyone if we left now."
Strawberry hopped forward. "What are you talking about, Hickory? It's no problem having you here with us."
Hickory glanced back and forth between Strawberry and Sam. He sighed. "It isn't a problem with staying here, Strawberry, it's staying with him." Hickory gestured at Sam.
"What's your problem with him?" Glade said, anger entering into her voice.
"It's just…after all we did to escape Cowslip's warren and the man's snares, I don't know if we want to associate with humans anymore. At all."
Fury appeared on Glade's face. "All you've done! If it wasn't for Sam and the others, you cowards wouldn't-"
"Glade!" She stopped at Sam's interruption. He moved closer to her and whispered, "Don't make this any worse than it already is."
"But…"
"Let's just let it go and give them a chance for it to really sink in. Hickory and Marigold are reasonable; I'm sure they can talk to the others."
Hickory moved closer to them and lowered his voice. "Please forgive me. The others in our warren can't get it out of their heads that human means danger. Don't get me wrong, I know you're nothing like the farmer. You and the others have done more for us than we can ever repay. I'm so sorry it came to this, but the others are just too afraid. If you give us some time, hopefully Marigold and I can get them to see the truth. I'm sorry Sunflower. Or Sam if you prefer."
Sam gave a weak smile. "I'm getting pretty used to either one. Are you sure there's nothing you can say to convince them?"
Hickory shook his head. "I'm sure. Marigold and I argued with them for the majority of the day. We had to give in to keep their trust in us."
"So you betrayed Sam for your position as chief?" Glade whispered accusingly.
Hickory replied hastily, "No, no, it's not like that. I just…I knew that if the two of us didn't stay in their good graces, that contact between our warrens would be cut off entirely. As it stands, we can communicate with you easily enough without them realizing."
"He's right, Glade," Sam said, cutting off a scathing comeback from the doe. "Considering the circumstances, it would be best to have rabbits we know we can trust in power." Sam chuckled. I'm starting to sound like a politician.
Hickory nodded. "Thanks for understanding. We should probably go; the others are getting restless. We'll keep in touch though, I promise."
"Take care, and don't be afraid to come to us if you need help."
Hickory nodded and turned back to his group. They spoke quickly, then began walking in the direction of Redstone. Few of them met Sam's eyes as they walked by him, but the ones who did had sorrowful faces, suggesting that Hickory and Marigold weren't the only ones on Sam's side. Marigold hurriedly said good bye to Primrose and the kittens as she followed, apologizing to Sam as well before she left.
As soon as they were gone, Sam shifted to his human form and flopped down on his back. "That sucked," he said morosely. "I was waiting for it too; I knew my being human was going to screw something up."
"There's nothing you could have done Sam," Holly said, approaching the teen. "Their minds were already made up. It's nothing you did."
Glade nodded in agreement. "Yeah, those fools don't know what they're talking about."
Sam sighed. "Thanks guys, but the fact of the matter is that they want nothing to do with us because of me. I don't have to have done anything for it to be my fault."
"I wish I would have thought of that back as Cowslip's warren," Silverweed said regretfully. "I could have easy worked 'human tolerance' into their minds."
"No, I'm glad you didn't," Sam replied. "That wouldn't have been the right way to get them on our side."
"It will be alright Sam," Primrose promised. "You're with us, not them. And we know who and what you are."
"Just forget about them Uncle Sam," Blackavar said, nuzzling his cheek. "We love you." Snowdrop and Gillia echoed his sentiments.
Sam couldn't help but smile. "Thanks buddy, I love you guys too."
Just then, a loud cry pierced through the air. Sam and the others looked up to see a familiar gull flying above the down.
"We back!" Kehaar yelled as he landed beside the group. "We back from Peeg Vater." They saw Hazel come over the top of the hill, followed by the others who had gone. The two groups ran to meet each other, glad to see everyone safe.
Hazel walked up to Sam. "Hello Sam. How was your time as chief?"
Sam gave Hazel an emotionless look. "You are never allowed to go anywhere ever again!"
"What happened?"
"I don't even know where to start, Hazel. I can honestly say I have no clue how you do it. I was in charge for a week, and I'm ready to retire. But hey, we'll talk about that later. How did your trip-oof!"
"Sam!" Pipkin yelled, having just tackled the boy. Sam laughed and wrapped his arms around the small rabbit.
"Hey there Pipkin, I missed you too. How was the trip? Did you have fun?"
"Oh it was incredible! We met a pig, and a puffin, and we rode a hrududu to the big water!"
Sam's mouth dropped open in shock. "You…what? Explain. Now."
"Oh, we might have take a trip through a human town to get there," Hazel said innocently. Sam noticed Dandelion and Bigwig glaring at Hawkbit when he said that. "It was alright though, a nice pig showed a hrududu that took us right to the big water."
Sam held up his hands. "You know what? I don't want to know. I'm just glad you made it back safely."
"Alright Sam, but I want to know what's been happening around here. You don't look like you had a good time."
Sam looked away.
"I'll tell them," Glade said to him softly. Sam nodded and she began. The travelers didn't speak through the story. Some of them reacted with surprise when they heard that Sam had killed Cowslip, but Pipkin just snuggled closer. Glade told them everything except for Cowslip being possessed. When she was done, the down was quiet.
Hazel was the first to break the silence. He turned to Sam. "Can you forgive me Sam? I never…I wouldn't have left if I had known half of this would have happened."
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Hazel," Sam replied. "There was no way you could have known. But I would love your help fixing all this."
Hazel smiled. "Of course. We'll start working on Redstone and freeing Campion. Tomorrow, that is. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm much too tired to do anything more today."
"Shouldn't we at least discuss it tonight?" Sam asked.
Hazel gave him a wry look. "No, we'll wait for tomorrow. It's my decision now, remember?"
Sam shook his head good naturedly. "Thank Frith."
A/N: Alright, I'm not sure when the next chapter might be up. I'm currently on vacation in California (woot WOOT), so it doesn't really give me much time to write. ANYWAYS, let me know what you thought of this chapter :)