A/N: Alright, a few things to be said about this chapter. First and foremost: I am SO sorry about the long wait! Having classes to take over the summer, coupled with two jobs and moving back to college left little time for writing. But things have settled down now, so I'm hoping that I will be updating more frequently (not that I updated all that quick ANYWAY, but still). Secondly, for those that keep track, yes, this is the Christmas episode. Some may be wondering why I wroth this one in when I've glossed over other sections and episodes that didn't add to the main story. The simple answer is that this episode is very important to me, as this was the episode that made me finally decide to write this fic in the first place. Alright, that being said, enjoy. And please review :)
Chapter 22
Sam awoke between Glade and Pipkin as he always did. It had been almost two months since Sam had seen the first snowflakes falling on the down. For three weeks, the snowfall had been steadily blanketing the down and the surrounding countryside in snow. Sam did his best to keep the hill clear of most of the snow using his red power, but he could not keep up with Mother Nature. However, he was able to keep the down relatively clear, for which the rabbits were grateful, since it made finding food much easier than most years. Easier by rabbit standards anyway. For a teenager from New York, it was still rather rough.
"Good morning, Sam," Glade said as she felt him stir.
Sam yawned. "Morning, Glade. How did you sleep?"
"Next to the warmest thing in the warren? I slept like a kitten."
That was another effect Sam was having on the warren. His red power seemed to automatically activate whenever he was cold, which happened a lot during the winter. A side effect of this was that Sam actually served as a furnace, keeping the inside of the warren relatively warm.
"Glad I could help," Sam said with a chuckle. The two got up, being careful to avoid rousing Pipkin, Clover, and Blackberry, their burrow mates. With the coming of winter, Hazel thought it would be a good idea for everyone to cram into as few burrows as they could in order to consolidate body heat.
Sam and Glade walked through the run into the Honeycomb…and into a mess of chaotic movement. Rabbits were hopping everywhere, some moving stones and other debris out of the way of the main floor, others adorning the warren with green plants, the origins of which Sam could only guess. Standing on the small speaking platform against the wall was Primrose, calling out directions.
"Yes Dandelion, put them over there. No Strawberry, the holly should go next to entrance, as a warm welcome to our guests."
"What in the world…" Sam muttered, taken aback by the flurry of activity. He grabbed the nearest rabbit, which happened to be Dandelion. "What's going on Dandelion? What's everyone freaking out about?"
Dandelion looked at him like he had grown a third eye on his forehead. "What's going on? Why, we're preparing for the Feast of Frith of course."
"Of course!" Glade exclaimed. "How could I have forgotten? It's Frith's Eve!"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, that explains everything. How could I have been so silly? What exactly is the Feast of Frith? And Frith's Eve?"
Dandelion sighed patiently before he answered. "It is a feast that is held every year by warrens that can manage it. We do it to celebrate Frith's Eve, the day when Frith begins his return journey back to us. It is when the days start to become longer again, bringing the promise of warmth and green." Dandelion slumped out of his storytelling pose that he had unconsciously slipped into. "Anyway, it requires some serious preparation to do it just right. Don't just stand there! Grab some plants; move some stones. Primrose will tell you what to do."
Sam and Glade looked at each other and shrugged, then moved to help with the preparations. Sam in particular was a large help, primarily because of his ability to attach the ferns and holly that the other rabbits had collected to the walls of the burrow with his human hands. They spent most of the day setting up plants and sweeping away the small stones and other debris that naturally collected. They were just finishing up when Sam noticed Hazel and Bigwig come out of one of the side passages with glum looks on their faces. Knowing that that particular burrow was where they were storing their food, the looks on their faces was worrying.
Sam and Glade hopped over to where the two were speaking with Primrose. "I don't know if we'll be able to have the feast this year," Hazel said sadly. "Our supplies wouldn't be enough, and even if they were, we wouldn't want to feed everyone on the scraps we have."
"Are you certain Hazel?" Primrose asked. "I would hate for everyone's hard work to go to waste like that."
"Unfortunately, Primrose, he is." Bigwig said. "It would be best not to use up the food we have saved. We might need it in case the weather turns sour."
"How do we not have enough food?" Sam interrupted. "There's enough to feed all of us in there, what's the problem?"
Hazel replied, "But there isn't enough to feed our guests."
"We're having guests?"
"Of course. We've invited all the other animals that live on and around the down. Shrews, moles, voles...they're all coming."
Remembering the crowd that had been in the down when they saved Pipkin from Efrafa, Sam began to understand the food problems. "Alright, I see what you mean. In that case, why don't we just go get some more? If there's nothing at the farm, we know where that greenhouse is, let's just go on a little flayrah raid."
Bigwig shook his head. "Not very wise. I've been watching the sky all day. There's a storm coming. It would be stupid of us to go out there." Just as he finished speaking, Pipkin and Silverweed passed by.
"It's absolutely the greatest time of year Silverweed," Pipkin said energetically. "There's food, and friends, and storytelling all night! You'll love it, I swear."
"That does sound rather fun," Silverweed agreed as the pair continued on.
"Although," Bigwig amended as he watched the excided duo, "we have done stupider things."
Hazel sighed. Though he knew it would be safer to cancel the feast, he didn't want his children's first Frith's Eve to be such a letdown. "Make no mistake, it is foolish, but if we can find enough volunteers…"
"That settles it!" Sam exclaimed. "I'll round up a few recruits and we'll be ready to go in no time."
Bigwig and Hazel exchanged a glance before they both nodded. When Sam announced the plan, a surprising amount of rabbits volunteered to help. Besides Hazel, Bigwig, and Sam, Dandelion, Strawberry, Fiver, Pipkin, Glade, and with a little persuasion, Hawkbit, all volunteered to go. Hazel did not like the idea of his brother going out in such bad weather, and tried to convince him to stay back at the warren. Sam had a similar problem.
"No, I don't want either one of you to go," Sam said to Pipkin and Glade. Before either of them could lodge a complaint, Sam pushed on. "It might get really dangerous out there. I looked at the sky, and I think Bigwig is right. There's a storm coming, a big one. Not to mention that with the weather we've been having lately, the elil are probably getting pretty hungry themselves. I'd rather not push our luck by bringing too many rabbits along." He spoke directly to Pipkin, "Besides, you're good friends with most of the other animals that are coming. You should be here in case any of them arrive before we get back."
Pipkin wanted to argue, but Sam made a valid point. "Fine," he huffed. "But just…be careful, alright Sam?"
"I will buddy, I promise."
Pipkin smiled and hopped away, leaving Glade still standing there.
"It won't be so easy to convince me you know," she said. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, and I barely know any of the other animals. What good reason do you have for me staying?"
Sam lowered his eyes. "Because I'm asking you to, Glade."
"I don't understand, Sam. I'm a perfectly good owsla soldier, and-"
Sam interrupted her. "I'm not asking you as a soldier, I'm asking as your friend. I would consider it a personal favor if you would stay back. Please, Glade?"
"I just…don't understand why. Why are you leaving me behind?"
Sam lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "Because I don't want you getting hurt. I don't know if this is going to end up being dangerous or not. Heck, we might be back in no time with flayrah to spare, but I'm not willing to take the risk. I'm not trying to say you wouldn't be useful to bring, but I would prefer it if you would stay here. Please?"
Glade didn't know how to respond. Eventually, she managed to say, "I…alright. But you have to promise me that you're going to come back, Sam."
He nodded. "I promise Glade, I'll come back. I wouldn't leave my best friend alone. I'll be back before you know it."
Sam moved aside the stone they had at the entrance of the warren to keep out the cold, and the raiding group stepped outside, accompanied by Primrose, Fiver, Glade, and Pipkin. It was early evening, and the sun was closing in on the horizon.
"Let's try and make this quick lads," Bigwig said as he looked at the sky. The rest of them turned and saw dark grey clouds and the dark film hanging in the air. There would be heavy snows soon, probably accompanied by wind. "It's a bad night to be out."
Hazel nodded his agreement. "Then we'd better be off. We'll be back soon, I promise." He touched noses with Primrose and the group set off. Kehaar caught up with them before they went too far.
"I come with. Help you find vay back home in da snow."
"Thanks for the help Kehaar," Sam said. "So, where to first? The farm, or the greenhouse?"
Hawkbit responded, "The farm has had nothing for hrair days. It would be a waste of time to go there."
"Greenhouse it is then," Hazel said. "Let's go."
They continued in the direction of the greenhouse. It was a fairly easy trip at first, the weather wasn't too bad for the season, and the rabbits caught no signs of elil. Everything was going fine. Until the storm hit. Suddenly, they were buffeted by heavy winds and pelted with snow crystals. The wind cut through their fur so badly that they others resorted to huddling around Sam as they walked to stay warm. To add to their problems, they came across a fence made from three lines of barbed wire strung along some metal rods. The fence itself didn't worry them, but the fact that they had never seen it before, did.
"I think we might be lost, guys," Sam said as he stood tall and looked around, trying to see if he recognized any of the surrounding area. "I don't think I've ever seen this place before, and we should have been to the greenhouse by now. If we had been going the right way."
Just as he finished speaking, Kehaar landed in front of them. "Why you stop? Everyting okay?"
"We're lost Kehaar," Hazel said. "Can you get us to the greenhouse?"
"Ya ya, Kehaar never lost. Follow me, I lead da vay." The gull took off again and after taking a moment to get his bearings, he began to fly. The rabbits followed their friend as he led them in what was hopefully the right direction.
They walked for what Sam figured was half an hour. He shook his head as they keep following Kehaar. There's no way we're going the right way. We should have been there and on the way back already. His thoughts were soon confirmed when they came across another landmark they had never seen: a pond. The rabbits stopped at the bank and stared across the ice that covered the body of water. It was not a very big pond by human standards, but to a rabbit's perspective, it seemed like a small lake. Kehaar landed by them again.
"Why you stop now?"
"Kehaar, this can't be the right way," Bigwig said. "I've patrolled all around the down, and I've never come across this before. Are you sure you know where you're going?"
"Of course I do!" Kehaar said indignantly. Then, a bit more subdued, "I tink. Or maybe…not so sure. Rabbits, vait here, I go-"
He was interrupted by quiet growling behind them. The group turned their heads and saw two foxes coming towards them.
Hazel turned toward the pond and yelled, "Quickly, across the ice!"
The others wasted no time in following their chief, except Bigwig and Sam, who lagged behind to hold off the foxes. As the rest of the group made their way across the lake quickly, the foxes spread out to try and surround Sam and Bigwig, forcing the two to stand back to back. Sam quickly stole a glance over at their friends, and saw that they had almost made it to the other side. He looked back just in time to dodge a blow from the fox. It tried to finish the fight quickly with a slash at Sam's neck, but the teen backed up to avoid the strike. He dug his claws into the ice and brought his hind legs around to deliver a powerful kick right to the fox's muzzle. The fox fell with a yelp of pain, but was quickly on its feet again. Sam could hear Bigwig fighting with the other fox, but while his own opponent stood, Sam could not afford to spare him a glance.
The fox struck again, grazing Sam's shoulder. He grimaced in pain. Alright, enough of this, he though as he changed into his human form. He brought his staff around quickly and struck the fox in the side of the head, sending it sliding away on its back. When the fox stopped, it didn't move. Its chest rose and fell; it was only unconscious. He turned to see how Bigwig was doing, and saw, to his horror, that the two combatants were inching closer to a hole in the ice. The fox lunged, and Bigwig rose to meet the charge, planning to fall to his back and flip the fox over. Instead, he sent them both tumbling into the frigid water.
"No!" Sam cried out as he watched Bigwig disappear into the hole.
He looked around urgently, preparing to jump in after the owsla captain. He heard a bump on the ice behind him and turned. There he saw Bigwig, scrabbling furiously to get though the ice. Sam quickly moved to help him break through. He knew that cutting or burning though the ice would take too long. A plan quickly formed in his head. As Sam was gathering the energy for one of his green balls in his head, he prayed that his thought would work. Keeping the energy in his hand, he clenched his fist and punched the ice as hard as he could. He was surprised when his hand flew easily through the ice and into the freezing water. Sam grabbed a hold of the large tuft of fur on Bigwig's neck and hauled him out of the water.
"Bigwig, are you alright?" He asked as he shook the captain's shoulder.
Bigwig opened his eyes weakly. "N-N-Never b-b-better."
Sam hauled Bigwig to his feet. "Here, lean on me, Bigwig. We need to get you somewhere warmer."
"Come on Bigwig," a voice said on Bigwig's other side. Sam looked over and saw Strawberry propping up Bigwig's other side. He hadn't even seen the other buck approach, but was glad for the help. The three walked slowly towards where the rest of the group was waiting.
Hazel met them half way across the ice. "Frith above, Bigwig, are you alright?"
"Of c-course Hazel-rah," Bigwig responded, trying to keep the shiver out of his voice. "It would t-take more than a l-little ice to k-k-keep me down."
"Even so, I'll tell Kehaar to scout around a find us some shelter. We need to get you warmed up." He ran back and Sam saw the gull take off before they reached the opposite bank. The rabbits all huddled around Bigwig to keep him warm while they waited for Kehaar to return. It wasn't long before he was back.
"Follow Kehaar, I find good place."
Hazel nodded, Sam and Strawberry took their place on either side of Bigwig and the group continued on. As they walked, Sam saw a line of trees appear in the distance. But something was odd about the trees: they were in a perfectly straight line. The approached the trees and made to go around the tree on the end, only to come to a clear, well tended dirt road. Sam followed the road and saw a large house at the end. Kehaar led them to a pine tree alongside the road. Its branches hung low to the ground, weighed down by snow. Dandelion and Hawkbit moved to hold a branch out of the way so Sam and Strawberry could lead Bigwig under the tree. The ground near the trunk of the tree was free of snow, owing to the thick needles that caught the flakes. It was relatively warm under the tree. They lay Bigwig down close to the trunk as the other rabbits gathered around him again. Sam ran his hands along Bigwig's back, trying to use his red power to warm the captain. It seemed to work, as Bigwig soon became more active and aware.
"Thank you lad," he said to Sam. "I'll be alright now, save your energy." Never one to waste time, Bigwig turned his attention to Hazel. "What now Hazel-rah? Should we try and press on, or go back home?"
"Kehaar said he was going to fly above the cloud to check the stars so he could guide us back. All we have to do is wait for him."
Sam stood and turned back into his rabbit form. "Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to go take a look at that house. It looks like a pretty nice place."
"Are you sure that's wise Sam?" Hazel asked. "We need to be careful. Men are dangerous."
Sam just smirked. "I'm not all that worried. The type of people that would live in a house like that aren't the type to pull out a shotgun when they see a rabbit. They are definitely not farmers."
Some of the rabbits exchanged nervous glances at their friend's bravado, but eventually everyone followed him. Hazel reasoned that Kehaar would be able to find them easily enough. Sam led the way toward the large house. It was wide, almost twice as wide as the houses Sam was used to seeing in the suburbs of New York. The house was a beautiful ruby red, with a snow covered rooftop. Though there were three floors, the top two were dark, with light streaming out of windows on the first floor. As they approached, Sam saw that there were three marble steps leading up to a white door. On either side of the door were marble pillars, holding up a stretch of roof that blocked the stoop from the worst of the weather. Sam turned towards the large window, intent on seeing the inside. The snow had drifted high on that side of the house, allowing the rabbits to walk right up to the windowsill and get a good look in the room.
Even the rabbits had to admit the room looked inviting. There was red carpeting to match the exterior of the house, and ample, comfortable looking furniture. In the middle of the room, set into the wall, a fire burned nicely behind a grate. Sam looked at the far end of the room and saw a group of people standing around a piano. He heard them singing, but he couldn't quite make out the tune.
"They have a tree in their warren!" Hazel exclaimed in surprise. Sam looked where Hazel was indicating. In the corner of the room, close to the window, stood a Christmas tree. Sam saw all the familiar decorations: tinsel, lights, multi-colored balls, and a beautiful golden star on top.
Sam frowned and said quietly, "I didn't realize it was so close to Christmas…"
"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" All of the Watership Down rabbits whipped around at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Behind them stood a cream colored doe staring at them with curiosity. "Hello, I'm Buttercup. Are you lost? I've never seen you around these parts before."
Seeing the others weren't going to speak up, Sam stepped forward. "We are, actually. We have a friend that's currently figuring out our way home. He should be back soon."
"Well, would you like to stay in our warren until he gets back? The weather is terrible out here, and you look like you could use a good place to rest."
Sam turned to Hazel for an answer. He just stared back with a guarded look on his face. Huh, what's his problem all of a sudden? "Sure, thanks for the offer."
Buttercup smiled and nodded. "Well of course, it is Frith's Eve after all. No rabbit should be away from a nice, warm burrow tonight. Follow me." She turned and began to walk behind the house.
Sam turned to see that the other rabbits had looks of uncertainty on their faces. He shot them an odd look and gestured for them to follow as he rounded the house as well. Buttercup led them to a line of well cared for bushed a small distance from the house. As she led them to a square opening, Sam realized that the bushes were, in fact, a maze. Buttercup led them through quickly, obviously having traveled the path many times.
Sam heard a whisper behind him. Still following Buttercup, he looked back and saw Hazel beaconing him closer. He slowed until the two were walking side by side.
"Are you sure about this Sam?" Hazel whispered as soon as he was close. "Do you really think it's a good idea to just follow her blindly?"
"Well," Sam said hesitantly, "I suppose, technically, this isn't safe. We don't know her, or her warren. But does she really seem like the type to trick us? She's nice Hazel. Besides, if she wanted to hurt us, she would have been smarter to just leave us out in the cold."
"Perhaps, but what kind of rabbit just wanders up to a human warren with no concerns? Something is off about this."
Sam laughed. "In case you forgot, Hazel, we walked right up to the house too. Maybe she only approached because she saw us."
Hazel replied sternly, "In case you forgot, we followed you. I would have been just fine waiting under the tree for Kehaar."
"Maybe so, but can you honestly say that a warm burrow doesn't sound nice right now? Is something wrong, Hazel? You seem awfully uptight all of a sudden."
"I just…don't feel completely safe being so close to man," he replied with a sigh. "There was a reason we decided to live so far away from them. Just keep your guard up, alright?"
Though Sam thought Hazel was overreacting, he nodded his agreement. Soon, they reached the middle of the maze. Sam stopped and stared. In the middle of the maze was a huge tree decorated for Christmas. However, unlike the tree in the house, this one was dark.
Good lord, he thought in amazement. How did they even decorate that thing? Realizing he was being left behind, Sam picked up the pace and caught up with the group. I hope Kehaar can find us again, he thought as he entered the warren.
"Kehaar go find vay home, okay Hayzel?" Kehaar asked as the rabbits got Bigwig settled under the tree. Hazel nodded to the gull and went to help his friends. Kehaar backed out from under the tree and took off into the sky. He pushed past the strong winds that only got worse as he got closer to the low lying clouds. Water and ice collected in small quantities on his wings as he flew through the clouds, but Kehaar kept pushing. Soon, he broke into the calm skies above. Ya, he thought as he appreciated the calmness of the sky, dis much better den the ground! Kehaar flew around for a bit before he got to business figuring out their location. Using the stars, Kehaar soon realized they had actually passed the green house. Positive that he knew their location, the gull dove back to the ground to reunite with his friends.
Kehaar found the tree that he had left the rabbits under and called out to them. "Hayzel, Pigvig, I find vay home!" When no one answered, Kehaar poked his head under the branches. No one was there. He looked around, trying to find where his friends had gone, but the wind had smoothed over any paw prints that had been left. Kehaar took off and rose higher, trying to get a better view of the area. "Hayzel! Sam! Vere are you?" Kehaar looked up and down the path trying to find any clue as to where the rabbits had gone.
Suddenly, a furry shape emerged from one of the other trees. Unable to make out exactly who the shape was, Kehaar flew in to get a closer look. It was a fox. Kehaar recognized it as the fox that Sam had fought with on the pond. "Hey, vat you do with Kehaar's friends!" he yelled angrily as he dove toward the fox.
The canine looked at him with a sly, cruel grin and licked its chops. "Wouldn't you like to know," it responded.
Kehaar's wings froze and he almost crashed into the ground before he regained control. "No! Evil fox, you lie! I find Hayzel, find them before you!" Kehaar flew off towards the house, the fox's sadistic laughter echoing through the storm. He flew all the way around the house. Twice. He checked the nearby grounds and the hedge maze, but found no sign of any rabbits. Growing desperate, Kehaar turned and flew towards the greenhouse, in case the rabbits had somehow figured the way out on their own. He approached the glass roof having seen no sign of them. Tears had begun to fall and freeze on his beak. Hayzel, Sam, all Kehaar's friends…gone. Moving slowly, Kehaar began his flight back to Watership Down to deliver the awful news to the other rabbits.
The entrance to Buttercup's warren was dug into the roots of the large tree, similar to their own on the down. The run wound through the ground, probably around roots, until it opened into a large chamber. Other rabbits were there, talking amongst each other cheerfully. The chatter stopped when Buttercup entered followed by a group of strangers.
"Hello everyone," Buttercup greeted them, "we have some guests this evening. Hazel and his group here got lost looking for food for their own Feast of Frith, so we're going to let them stay the night. Or at least until the storm breaks. Let's all make them feel at home. Willowort, show them around, will you please?"
A tall, grey rabbit hopped closer to their group. "Of course Buttercup-rah. Greetings everyone, you may call me Willowort. Oh my, are you alright?" The last was aimed towards Bigwig, who was again showing signs of hypothermia.
"I-I'm fine," he replied through gritted teeth, trying not to let the stutter reappear.
Sam sighed in annoyance. "We had a tangle with a couple of hombil and Bigwig here fell through the ice. Is there any way we can get him somewhere warm?"
Willowort was about to speak when Buttercup answered. "Of course we can. They can stay in the burrow in the back, Willowort."
"Are you certain, Buttercup-rah?" She nodded. "Alright. Follow me then, please. We'll get you warmed up in no time." Willowort turned and headed towards a burrow located opposite the entrance, gesturing for Bigwig to follow.
"Go with him," Hazel said to Hawkbit and Strawberry. "Keep him warm and keep an eye on him. The rest of us will stay out here for now." The two nodded and followed Willowort and Bigwig into the burrow. As soon as they were out of sight, Hazel put on a good face and turned to Buttercup. "Thank you again for allowing us to stay in your warren. I only wish we could return the favor."
Buttercup thought for a moment before she said, "Do you have a storyteller in your group? Unfortunately, we lack a storyteller in our warren, and it would be quite a treat to hear someone skilled tell the story of Frith's Journey."
Hazel and Fiver looked to Dandelion, who stepped forward. "I do believe I can help you there," the lanky buck responded. As Dandelion prepared to tell the story, the rest of the rabbits in Buttercup's warren gathered around the speaking dais to hear the story. Dandelion cleared his throat dramatically and began.
Glade stood at the entrance to the warren, shivering against the cold as she gazed out at the storms fury. She had volunteered to be the first to welcome the guests as they arrived to the warren, partly so she could contribute in some way. But mostly she worried for her friends, one in particular. She shrunk back against a particularly cold blast of wind as she continued to watch. Soon, a familiar shape appeared in the sky. Glade watched as Kehaar made for a landing in front of the warren, only to lose his footing and slide into a snow bank.
Glade ran over to the gull as he shook the snow and ice from his wings. "Kehaar! Are you alright? Where are the others?"
Kehaar fought tears as he spoke. "We should go into warren. Talk to others. Kehaar has bad news."
Although Glade's heart screamed question after question, she managed to only nod and lead the way into the warren. She pushed aside the rock and the two walked in. Because it was still early in the night for the feast, there were very few animals at the warren yet. Yona the hedgehog was present, a few mice from Hannah's family that lived nearby, and Darkling with two of his bats. Glade quickly gathered all the rabbits and led them to one of the side burrows. As soon as everyone was assembled, she turned to Kehaar. "Alright Kehaar, please, tell us what's going on. Where are the others?"
The gull fought down a lump in his throat and told them the story. He told about them getting lost, and about finding the pond. Some of the rabbits were very concerned when he told them about the fight with the foxes and Bigwig falling in the pond, but Kehaar assured them that that was not the bad news. He told them that he left the rabbits to look at the stars, and when he got back, they were gone.
"And Kehaar look and look, but no rabbits. I thought they lost, then...I see fox." Kehaar looked at all the shocked and apprehensive faces before him as he continued. "Evil fox kill them all! Fox was right there, and they were novhere." The gull finally broke into tears of his own.
Through her own despair, Glade barely registered Primrose, her kittens, and Pipkin bursting into tears. Clover looked crushed, like she had just lost her best friend. Fiver shook his head in denial while Silverweed tried to comfort him. Holly had a sorrowful, yet relatively stony look on his face. Glade was about to break down, when Sam's promise echoed in her head.
I promise Glade, I'll come back. I wouldn't leave my best friend alone. I'll be back before you know it.
With Sam's words ringing through her head, Glade began to think. Something did not add up. "Kehaar," she said, quieting the sounds of mourning, "did you say there was only one homba?" The gull nodded. "I don't think you saw it right, Kehaar. There's no way that only one homba could kill all of them." Her throat threatened to close when as she thought of any of her friends dying, but she continued. "It would take an entire family of hombil to take on Sam alone, but with Strawberry, Hawkbit, and Dandelion there as well? Even Hazel can hold his own in a fight, and I'm sure that if the others were in danger, Bigwig would be able to fight, even if he did fall in the water. It just doesn't make sense."
The others quieted their crying and whimpering and began to think about it as well. Glade was right: it would take hrair foxes to stand a chance against the group. All heads slowly turned to Kehaar, but the gull was speechless.
"Kehaar," Glade continued softly, but kindly, "did you see any blood? Or," she shuddered, "any bodies? Was there any sign of a fight?"
Kehaar thought back. He wasn't gone in the sky for very long. Maybe long enough for the fox to kill all of them, if they did not put up a fight. But he was definitely not gone long enough for any signs of a fight to be wiped away. "I don't tink I saw anything. No, I didn't…I saw nothing!" he said excitedly. "Kehaar stupid, stupid gull. I must go. Have to find Hayzel and other rabbits!"
Glade moved the stone out of his way again and watched him take off and fly quickly. Be safe Sam, she thought as she turned back to the warren. She was about to go back inside when she heard voices. Glade looked around and saw a large crowd of animals approaching from all directions. The rest of their guests had arrived. Glade let them in with a forced smile, too focused on Sam and the others to be bothered with pleasantries.
Primrose and Pipkin did their best to keep all the animals happy, but there were murmurs about "where's the food?" Primrose knew that the raiding group would not be back in time, and that they would be forced to send everyone home. We might as well give them something at least. She approached Pipkin and ushered him to an unused corner of the Honeycomb. "Pipkin, would you be up to telling the story of Frith's Journey?"
The little buck was surprised at the question. "Me? What about Dandelion? He's our storyteller, he should be the one to do it."
Primrose gave him a small smile. "I don't think they're going to be back in time. I know you've been telling the story to Snowdrop, Blackavar, and Gillia, and they tell me that you're very good. Would you, Pipkin? Please?"
After some hesitation, he nodded and stepped up to the speaking platform.
"The first Frith's Eve happened early in El-ahrairah's life. It was during a period of peace and tranquility that Frith announced to all the animals that He was going to take a journey. Lord Frith would leave to seek out the secrets of the universe, for even though He is powerful, He is not the most powerful. El-ahrairah and leaders of the other animal species wished their lord well on his journey, then went back to their lives."
"All was well for a time, until El-ahrairah began to notice something troubling. Because Frith was leaving, the land was not receiving His life-giving rays. Flayrah would not grow, the air became uncomfortably cold and the rain and water turned to snow and ice. Soon, El-ahrairah realized, there would be no food left, and all of his people would starve. He traveled to the top of the highest hill he could find and begged Prince Rainbow to speak to Frith, and bid Him return. But Prince Rainbow could not. Frith had instructed that He not be disturbed while on His quest for the secrets of the universe. El-ahrairah despaired. But then, he thought of a trick that might convince Frith to return, and bring His warmth back with Him. El-ahrairah told Prince Rainbow that he himself held the secrets of the universe, and that he would share the secrets with Frith if He returned. Of course Prince Rainbow knew it was a lie, but he told Frith anyway, in hopes that El-ahrairah would be severely punished and would no longer be a thorn in his side."
"Upon hearing that El-ahrairah had the secrets, Frith turned around and came back. His rays melted the snow and ice and brought flayrah back to the lands. When Frith confronted El-ahrairah about the secrets of the universe, He was enraged to find out that El-ahrairah had lied to Him. Before Frith could punish him, El-ahrairah explained himself. 'My Lord Frith,' he said, 'I deeply apologize for deceiving you, but we needed you here. While you were gone on your journey, all the food disappeared and the weather turned cold and unforgiving. Had you continued in your departure, all of my people would have died.' Frith considered El-ahrairah's words. He agreed with El-ahrairah, and vowed that He would never leave the animals. He proposed this compromise: once every season cycle, He would again journey in search of the secrets of the universe. But He would always come back, so the animals would never have to worry. Times may be tough, but Frith would never abandon His subjects. So every season cycle on this day, when the days begin to grow longer once again, we celebrate and give thanks to Lord Frith for keeping us in His heart, and never turning His back on us."
As Dandelion's voice faded, Sam stood there in awe. Unlike the informal telling of The Trial of El-ahrairah, this was an official telling, and Dandelion hadn't held anything back. He changed his voice for each character, giving each a spark of life. The descriptions Dandelion used were so vibrant, Sam could see it in his head. He watched the land grow cold and lifeless, and watched as El-ahrairah shouted to the sky for Frith to return. Sam was so taken with the story that he did not hear the applause of their hosts.
"That was beautiful, Dandelion," Buttercup said, "thank you so very much. It has been many seasons since we have heard a story told so well. Lacking an official storyteller, we often take turns telling stories, but it just isn't the same." Dandelion bowed in response and again took his place next to Hazel and Sam. Buttercup turned to Willowort. "It's getting close to feast time. Collect a few volunteers and let's go get some flayrah."
"I'll come too," Sam said as Willowort left. "It's the least I can do to repay your kindness." Buttercup thanked him and the group left.
Sam walked in the back with Hazel, who had been unwilling to leave any of his rabbits alone in with the strangers. They followed Buttercup through the maze again, this time down a different section. They exited on the other side of the maze, the side facing away from the house. Off in the distance, stood a tree with a scarecrow propped up against it. On the ground were baskets filled with good quality flayrah. Although it appeared to have been sitting there for a few days, none of it was rotten. It was the best looking food Sam had seen all winter.
While Sam and the others walked up the basket with no hesitation, Hazel hung back suspiciously. "What is all this flayrah doing here? Where did it all come from?"
"Isn't it wonderful?" Buttercup replied. "Man leaves it here. For us and all the other animals that have trouble finding food during the winter."
"You would trust food left by man?"
Buttercup smiled knowingly. "I understand your concern Hazel, but there's really no danger here. We've been eating this food all winter. These men are kind, they care about the animals and want to help us through the hard times."
Hazel scowled to himself as he approached the pile and cautiously grabbed some flayrah to bring back to the warren. We thought the elil killing man at Cowslip's warren cared too. The group returned with the flayrah and passed it out among the rabbits there.
Sam and Hazel brought the flayrah they were carrying to the other Watership Down rabbits in the back burrow. They were greeted by the others, including Bigwig, who was looking much better.
"This is an awesome place guys," Sam said happily as he walked in. "The people in that house are actually good people, as far as I can tell. They left this food out for the rabbits and other animals around here, can you believe it?" The rabbits shared a few suspicious looks before Hazel assure them that the food was indeed safe to eat. Even then, they still ate slowly, being mindful of any strange smells indicating poison. Buttercup came and spoke with them for a while, but soon left so the group could sleep.
As the sounds of the other rabbits faded from the warren as they too went to sleep, Sam closed his eyes, feeling better fed than he had been in a while. Sleep was not to last though, as Sam was woken up by the sounds of his friends quietly talking and moving about the burrow.
"What are you all doing?" he asked groggily. "It's the middle of the night."
"We're leaving," Hazel whispered, "we can't stay here. It isn't safe."
Sam snapped awake at Hazel's words. "Leaving? Why would we leave in the middle of the night?"
"We can't stay here, Sam. These rabbits eat from the hands of man, we can't trust them. I'm sure they plan to betray us like Cowslip did."
Sam was confused. "What are you talking about, Hazel? So there are some humans around, so what? I'm telling you, the humans here are fine."
"I can't take that chance, Sam," Hazel shot back. "We've been hurt too many times by man already to tempt fate again. Men are good only for stealing food from. Let's go."
Hazel turned to leave when Sam jumped in front of him. "So that's why you're leaving? Because you don't trust the humans? Please Hazel, I know these humans mean us no harm. Why can't you just trust me?"
"I won't argue about this, Sam. Not every human is as good as you are."
"And not all of them are as bad as the farmer! With all due respect Hazel, you don't really know anything about humans. Stop trying to demonize all humans just because you've had some bad experiences."
Hazel was about to continue arguing, but thought better of it. "We're leaving, Sam, right now. Come on."
Sam moved out of his way. "You can go if you want, but I'm going to stay the night here. It's stupid to go out into the cold when there are no threats here. I can find my way back to the warren."
Bigwig was about to reprimand Sam himself, but a look from Hazel stopped him. "Fine Sam, stay if you want. If you prefer this warren, then so be it."
"Hazel, I didn't mean-"
"We're leaving," Hazel said to the others, interrupting Sam. Bigwig and Strawberry followed Hazel right away, both wanting to be as far away from man as quickly as they could. Dandelion and Hawkbit looked back at Sam, hesitating. He flashed them a forced smile and gestured for them to follow Hazel and the others.
"Don't you think that was a bit harsh, Hazel-rah?" Hawkbit said quietly when they caught up with their friends.
The chief replied, "He made his choice."
"Hazel, you know Sam," Dandelion added. "He would never abandon us without a good reason. Maybe we should trust him and take a chance."
Hazel sighed. "Let's just go." As the others walked in the direction he indicated, Hazel held Bigwig back. "Have you ever wondered if you're doing the right thing, Bigwig? I'm sure some soldiers have argued with you at one time or another. How do you handle it?"
"It's never easy, Hazel," Bigwig replied thoughtfully. "But if I may offer some advice? Even if you don't know if you're making the right decision, it's always best to follow it through. If you always stop and regret what could have been, you and others will end up getting hurt."
Hazel nodded, "Alright, Bigwig. Thank you."
Sam sat alone in the burrow, trying to get some more sleep, but failing miserably. I can't believe they didn't trust me! And now Hazel thinks I've abandoned them for Buttercup. Fan-freakin'-tastic. He was broken out of his thoughts as he heard the sound of at least two rabbits coming around the corner.
"Hello?" Sam recognized Buttercup's voice. Sure enough, she and Willowort rounded the corner. "Sunflower? Why are you here alone? Where are the others?"
Sam shook his head sadly. "They…they left, Buttercup. I'm really sorry about all this. They just didn't feel safe in a warren so close to man." Then, much quieter, "I thought they would have trusted me, though."
Buttercup gave Willowort a small nod and the buck left the burrow. She then turned her attention to Sam. "If they didn't stay, why did you? I understand them leaving, how we live isn't for every rabbit. Many are distrustful towards man and rightfully so. But why do you feel safe here?"
"Uh…" Sam hadn't seen this line of questioning coming. He couldn't just tell her the whole story. "I…was…born in a hutch, actually." Sam hoped he could lie convincingly enough. "So I grew up around man. Hazel and the others freed me one day while they were on a flayrah raid at the farm. It wasn't the greatest life, I greatly prefer living on the outside, but it was good for a few things. Ever since Hazel freed me, I've seen the harm that man can do to us, to all animals, but living with them for a while showed me that not all humans are like that. Some of them are kind. I tried telling Hazel that, but he just wouldn't listen."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Buttercup said sincerely. She hesitated before continuing, but came to a decision. "Listen Sunflower, if you were interested, there's always room in our warren for one more. Not many rabbits are as open minded as you, so we don't have very many rabbits here. What do you say? Would you like to join our warren?"
Sam was surprised at the offer, but knew he couldn't accept. "I'm sorry Buttercup, but I can't. Those guys are my friends, and even though we may fight, I wouldn't give them up for anything." A small smile spread across his face. "Besides, I promised someone I'd be back."
Buttercup nodded in understanding. "Alright Sunflower, I unde-"
"Buttercup!"
Sam and Buttercup looked in alarm at Willowort, who had run into the burrow. "What is it?" Buttercup asked.
"Our food! Hazel and the others took the food that we had stored away!"
Buttercup was shocked at the news, while Sam hung his head. Really, Hazel? That's how you repay their kindness? What's wrong with you today? When he snapped out of his thoughts, Sam realized that Buttercup was gone, and he and Willowort were alone.
"Buttercup-rah has taken a group to do and confront your friends," Willowort told him bluntly. "While they are gone, you will stay in this warren."
Sam grew suspicions. "As a prisoner?"
"More like…as a forced guest. We aren't going to allow you to leave until Buttercup comes back. Now, whether this means that Hazel has seen the error of his ways, or that she failed to find him, does not matter. You will be free to go after she returns. Rest assured that no harm will come to your friends, that is not the way of this warren."
Sam nodded in agreement, but kept silent. He followed Willowort out of the burrow and into the main chamber of the warren. Most of the rabbits were gone; only three does remained behind with Willowort. Sam wasn't in the chamber long before he heard a familiar sound outside of the warren entrance: humans singing. Glancing over at Willowort and finding him distracted talking to one of the does, Sam made his way to the entrance. As approached, he was able to understand the words they sang:
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa la la la la la la la la
'Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la la la la la
Sam smiled as he moved out enough so that he could see the peoples' feet, but they couldn't see him. This was my favorite song, Sam thought fondly. Molly's too. Thinking of his little sister made Sam's ears lower. I wonder how she's doing. Or my parents, for that matter. I wonder if…Hazel? Sam was broken out of his moping thought as he saw his friend dashing toward him, despite the humans in the way. As he brushed their legs, the people jumped out of his way, clearing a path for the other Watership Down rabbits, followed by Buttercup's group. All had a look of panic on their faces. Sam moved aside to let them all through, and looked to the other side of the clearing to see what they were running from. He was able to make out a fox, the same one he had fought at the pond. It had come all the way here! Unlike the rabbits, the fox was not about to wade in the middle of a group of humans.
"Mama! Look at the rabbits!" Sam smiled as one of the children in the group stared, wide-eyed as the rabbits ran by him.
"And look, there's a fox!" One of the other children yelled. "Go away you mean old fox, leave those poor rabbits alone!"
The fox was scared away by the children's yelling. Sam returned to the warren. All the rabbits that had gone in before him were lying in the central chamber, out of breath. Sam walked over to his group.
"Are you guys alright?"
A few of them cast grins his way, showing they were fine, if a bit tired. Hazel hung his head and didn't meet Sam's eyes. "We're as good as can be expected, considering how foolish we were."
Before Sam could reply, he heard the people outside resume their singing, and went back to the entrance again to listen. They were singing the same song as before, having started over due to the distraction of the rabbits. As he listened, Sam heard two rabbits join him. He looked over to see Hazel and Buttercup.
"What are they doing?" Hazel asked distractedly, as he too was listening to the singing.
"They're celebrating Frith's return as well," Buttercup said with a smile. "For the two winters I've been at this warren, the humans have come and made this beautiful noise. I think they're ready for Frith to return as well."
"Um, actually…" Sam began, but then thought better of it. There's no harm in letting her think what she wants. Why should I ruin her good spirit?
"You should listen while you can, Hazel," she continued, "it doesn't sound like you'll have much of a chance at your warren." She turned and went back into the warren, leaving Hazel and Sam alone.
For the first time since coming to live with the rabbits, Sam felt truly awkward sitting with the chief. "Hazel…" Sam began.
"I'm sorry, Sam," Hazel said, interrupting the teen. "I made a mistake. Distrusting humans is a smart thing to do, and I know we're going to live longer if we stay away from them, but I should have trusted you. You understand humans far better than I could ever hope to, and I should have believed you about these ones from the start. Can you forgive me?"
Sam draped a friendly arm across Hazel's shoulders. "You're my friend Hazel, you know I can. Besides, technically, you were right. It was stupid to walk up to that house without actually knowing anything about the people inside. I just got too caught up in seeing other humans again that I just barreled ahead. Tell you what: let's make a deal. From now on, I'll play it your way: humans are dangerous and while I'm with you, they shouldn't be screwed around with. But in the future, if I say that some humans are safe, you have to trust me, alright?"
Hazel nodded. "Agreed. Thank you, Sam."
"So anyway, what happened when Buttercup and her crew found you? I didn't see anyone bleeding, so it can't have been too bad."
"In short, she caught up with us, and yelled at us for stealing their food. And for not trusting you. Bigwig wanted to fight our way out, but Buttercup said we could go if we wanted, but that we at least owed her out attention. She made some…compelling critiques of our behavior. Our talk was cut short when the fox appeared, and back here we all came."
Sam nodded. "Well, it's good that none of you got hurt. I'm not going to lie, I was getting pretty worried, despite what Willowort told me about them not attacking you."
Hazel was about to respond when they heard a familiar voice yelling in the night.
"Hayzel! Sam! Pigvig! Where are you?"
They looked at each other in realization. "Kehaar!" they said simultaneously. The pair ran out into the center of the maze, the humans having returned to the house as they were talking. In no time, Kehaar had spiraled down to meet them.
"Kehaar," Hazel said, "where have you-OOF!" Hazel was cut off when Kehaar did not land on the ground, but rather crashed directly into the two rabbits, throwing a wing around each.
"Kehaar's friends alright! Kehaar so glad! Where you run off to? I look for you for a very long time, but you nowhere!"
"Sorry, Kehaar," Sam said as he pushed the gull off of him with a smile, "we got a little side tracked." Sam explained what had happened since Kehaar had seen them last. He finished, "So we're going to have to stay the night here and return to the down in the morning."
"Eh…Kehaar not sure if that's a good idea." It was Kehaar's turn to explain about what happened when he went back to Watership Down. Even though Glade was able to calm most of the rabbits, some of them, particularly Primrose and Pipkin, were still very worried. "Is nice night for traveling now. Storm all gone, and no other bad animals around."
"In that case, I suppose we had better get back," Hazel said to Sam. The teen nodded and they walked back into Buttercup's warren to explain the situation to everyone.
"Do you have to leave so soon?" Buttercup asked Sam. "It was quite fun having company for a change. Even if there were some…issues."
Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, Buttercup, but our friends are really worried about us. I know we'd prefer to just relax and start fresh in the morning, but we have to go back. Thank you for everything, and I'm sorry about all the trouble we caused."
"It's no trouble," she reassured. "This was certainly one of our more exciting Frith's Eves." She led the group out of the maze, but not the way they had come in. They left the maze from the exit closest to the food the humans had left. "Take as much as you like, there's plenty to go around."
Hazel and the others went to grab some flayrah as Sam spoke to Buttercup. "Thanks again for everything. Don't worry, we'll be back around in spring, after all the snow is gone."
"Alright," Buttercup responded. She blushed a bit as she continued. "Just so you know, my offer to stay is always open."
Sam gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Buttercup," he responded politely. "Alright, it looks like everyone is ready. We'd better be off. Thank you again for everything."
The night storm had calmed, like Kehaar had said, so the rabbits were able to make much better time on the return journey to the down. With Kehaar leading the way, now that he was able to see the stars, the group was home in no time.
"Oh thank Frith," Hawkbit said as they approached the down, "I don't think I've ever been so happy to climb this hill before. I'm ready for a full day of non-stop sleep!"
"I agree," Sam replied. "Their warren was nice, but it's going to be great being ho-" That was all the further he got as he was tackled as soon as they crested the hill.
"Oh thank Frith you're alright!"
Sam opened his eyes and saw Glade's worried face inches from his own. He heard another grunt and looked over to see Hazel similarly on the ground with his entire family piled on top of him. Sam smiled at the touching scene before he turned back to the rabbit sitting on his chest. "Of course I'm alright. I promised you I'd be back, didn't I?"
"You did, it's just…" she smiled and nuzzled his face, "it's still good to see you're alright." After Glade got up, Sam saw that the other rabbits that had been left had come outside as well. Holly and Silverweed were talking with Hawkbit, Dandelion, and Bigwig, while Fiver waited his turn to speak to his brother. Clover was speaking animatedly to Strawberry, who just looked guilty. That only left…
"Sam!" Sam was able to brace himself just as Pipkin leapt into his arms. Sam hugged his friend tightly for a moment before Pipkin began to speak. "I knew you would come back Sam. I just knew it! All the others were worried, but I knew that there wasn't a homba alive that would stand a chance against all of you. It's a good thing I was there, so everybody didn't panic."
Sam chuckled. "Oh yes, Pipkin, I'm so glad you were able to be a pillar of strength in everybody's time of weakness. And of course you were right, those foxes were no match for Bigwig and me. It's a good thing you weren't worried at all."
Pipkin gave a nervous smile. "Well, maybe I was a little nervous. I just…didn't want to lose you, Sam."
Sam gave him another squeeze. "I know, buddy."
"I'm going to see if Hazel and Bigwig are alright too, okay?" Sam nodded and Pipkin left to give his attention to his other friends.
Glade watched him go before she turned her attention back to Sam. "So what happened out there? That was a really long time for you all to be gone on what was supposed to be a simple raid. We actually had to send all the other animals home because there wasn't enough food. Did something happen?"
Sam gave her a smile. "The short of it is that we got lost, then Kehaar got us more lost, we were attacked by some foxes, and Bigwig fell in the water. Then we came across a human house, where we met a doe named Buttercup that offered to let us stay the night in her warren. Hazel and the others didn't like how close it was to the humans, even though I promised them it was going to be alright. So they tried to leave in the middle of the night, and I stayed. The fox chased them back to the warren, Kehaar found us, and we came back home. Simple as that." While Sam had been talking, neither of them noticed the others go back inside the warren.
Glade stared at him in shock. "You call that simple? That…sounds like a very long night. And I can't believe that Hazel and the others didn't trust you! Did they just leave you there? Is that how you got separated?"
"Not exactly," Sam said nervously, "I made the choice to stay…" Sam's voice drifted off as he became wrapped up in his own thoughts.
"Is there something wrong, Sam?"
Sam considered a moment before answering. "When I got to the house, and saw all the decorations around, I didn't realize it was so close to Christmas. Oh, that's kind of like Frith's Eve for humans. I just… it made me wonder how my family is doing. I haven't seen them for a long time. It just feels weird."
Glade smiled in understanding. "Sam, I think you're homesick."
"Maybe…"
Glade moved closer to Sam until they were sitting right next to each other in the snow. "But if it helps, you know you have a family here, right? We all care about you, Sam. I know you miss your real family, but we're here for you."
Sam smiled at her simple, sincere words. "Thanks Glade, I know I can count on all of you. Come on, let's go inside. It's getting colder out here." Glade nodded and the two went back into the warren, Sam moving the stone out of their way. As soon as the two of them were in the passageway into the Honeycomb, every rabbit there stopped and stared at them. Gillia and Snowdrop were chuckling to themselves. Sam and Glade froze under the sudden attention. "Hey there everyone, what's going on?" Primrose laughed to herself before motioning upwards with her paw. Sam and Glade both looked up and instantly began blushing furiously.
"Where did they find Frith's Breath?" Glade muttered to herself. Sam didn't hear her, too focused on the plant that he didn't remember being there before they left: mistletoe.
Surely rabbits can't have the same tradition humans do with this stuff, right? Sam looked around. Hazel wore a small smile and looked at Sam knowingly, Bigwig and the rest of the owsla were looking in with excitement plain in their faces. Pipkin wiggled his nose around in what Sam assumed was the rabbit equivalent of making a kissing face. Wrong again. Sam looked back to Glade and saw her looking back shyly, an expression he had never seen on her face.
They both smiled at the same time and slowly began to move closer. Sam closed his eyes and chuckled internally. My first kiss and she's a rabbit. I always knew I was weird. As their noses touched, Sam felt a jolt of lightning surge though his body. He barely had time to register the feeling before it was over.
Glade chuckled. "Happy Frith's Eve, Sam."