Chapter 30
Sam was worried. It had been a week since the last fight with Alice, and Fiver's vision from two weeks ago plagued him. That one part, he thought. "The greatest darkness; buried beneath the skin." That can't be good. The teen sighed, Not that any of his visions are ever good.
"Sam!"
Sam smiled, his worries temporarily forgotten. "Hello, Glade," he greeted the doe as she walked over to him.
She sat down and looked at him sympathetically. "Still thinking about Fiver's vision?"
"Well, someone has to. It seems like everyone else is content to just sit back and let whatever is going to happen, happen."
She sighed as she sat beside him. "That's because the rest of us know it isn't worth the effort. Hazel and Fiver already said that ever since Fiver was a kitten, no one was ever able to discover the meaning of one of his visions before it happened. So stop worrying, Sam," she said with a nudge. "Focus on the here and now."
"But there's nothing happening in the here and now! Not that I'm complaining," he added hastily. "I'd rather be bored than be attacked, any day. But that doesn't mean I want to waste this downtime."
"You could spar with the junior owsla," Glade suggested. "You know they love fighting you."
Sam chuckled. "That's because I'm technically the only opponent they've ever beaten." The junior owsla may have agreed to stay safely on the down, but that did not mean they sat around doing nothing. Even though they were not yet fully healed from their fight with Alice, they insisted on training. Pipkin asked Bigwig to include them in the sentry rotation, two of them for one member of the owsla. Primrose was not entirely happy with the situation, but she was willing to accept it if it kept them safe on the down.
"Even so, Sam, you should do something to get your mind off that vision," Glade said. "Anything's better than sitting here moping."
"Sam!" Sam and Glade turned to see Silverweed walking towards them. "Leafless is here to see you about something. He seems worried."
Sam got up. "I think I just found my distraction." The pair followed Silverweed to the other side of the tree where Leafless was pacing nervously. He perked up when he saw the teen.
"Oh Sam, thank Frith! You need to come with me immediately. There are humans near Redstone. The big, normal ones. They were walking around for hrair days, and just three days ago they put this big…thing up! Hickory and Marigold don't know what to do. We need your help."
"Of course I'll help you," Sam said, reassuringly. "I'll come right now. Glade? Will you let Hazel know what's going on?"
She gave Sam a worried look. "You're going alone?"
"They're just normal humans. I can deal with those better than anyone. If it turns out to be something more, I'll be sure to come and get some backup."
Glade nodded in understanding. "Just…be careful, Sam. We haven't seen Alice in a while, so she's bound to show herself soon enough."
The teen turned back to Leafless. "Alright, I'm ready to go."
The pair turned to go when they heard Silverweed call after them.
"I'm coming too! They're my friends, and I'd like to be sure they'll be alright. And besides, I can feel if Alice is coming."
Sam nodded and the three started towards Redstone. When they got to the bottom of the hill and passed through the barrier, Silverweed slowed. Sam looked back and saw the mystic waver for a moment and hold a paw to his head.
Sam held a paw up to steady his friend. "Are you alright, Silverweed?" he asked in concern.
Silverweed waved him away. "Yes, it's no problem. This isn't the first time it has happened. Fiver says it happens to him whenever he walks through it too. It's just a headache. It goes away quickly."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Sam asked. "If this barrier is dangerous to us too…"
Silverweed shook his head. "I don't think so. Fiver and I think it has something to do with our mystic powers, since none of the others have said anything about it. Don't worry, it's not so bad."
Sam flashed him a concerned look, but nodded slowly. "Alright. Just…let us know if you need to take a break, alright?" The mystic nodded and they continued to Redstone.
The trip to Redstone was blessedly uneventful. With Silverweed along and able to sense any elil, they three were able to travel quickly and in the open. When they got closer, an owsla sentry approached them.
"Hello, Leafless, Sam," he said. "And Silverweed! We haven't seen you around here in quite some time, lad. How have you been?"
"I've been well, Hedgerun," Silverweed replied. "Thank you. I'm sorry I haven't visited lately; Watership Down has been…busy. I'll try to come around more often. I came with Sam to make sure everything's alright. Would you take us to Hickory and Marigold?"
"We're on our way now," Leafless said. "Stay on guard, Hedgerun." The soldier nodded and the three continued on their way. Leafless spoke as they walked. "The chiefs have spent the majority of the last hrair days keeping everyone calm. So far, only the fact that they knew you would come has kept everyone together."
"Wonderful," Sam said with a roll of his eyes. "And what if I can't do anything? There is always that possibility."
"In times like these, you must find hope where you can," Leafless said. "Come on. The chiefs should be at the warren. They can tell you the rest."
As Sam neared the warrens, any of the rabbits that saw him stopped and stared. All of them looked relieved. They murmured excitedly to one another and gestured to Sam. Some of them nodded to the teen in greeting, which Sam returned with a shaky smile.
"You're very popular, Sam," Silverweed said with a worried look on his face. "They're so scared. I've been…peeking, since we got here. There is pervasive fear here, hidden under the surface."
Sam nodded in determination. "Then let's find Hickory and Marigold and get this mess taken care of."
"Sam!"
Leafless smiled. "Found them."
Hickory and Marigold ran up to them. "Thank Frith you came!" Marigold said with relief in her voice. "It's been rather bad around here."
"Of course I came," Sam reassured them. "You're my friends. And humans are my specialty. Now where is this…thing, Leafless said they brought?"
"Follow us," Hickory said.
Sam and Silverweed followed the pair as they walked away from the warren and toward the nearby road. Hickory and Marigold stopped at the edge of the undergrowth. They were so close to the road that Sam was able to hear cars driving past. "It's through here," Marigold said. "Be careful, Sam. It could be dangerous."
Sam nodded and stuck his head cautiously into the open. He saw a large sign placed near the road, and nothing else. He rolled his eyes. "Is that what you were talking about?" They nodded. Sam chuckled. "It's just a sign, you guys. It's totally harmless." Sam hopped completely into the open, followed slowly by the other three. The teen lightly kicked one of the metal poles holding up the sign. "See? Nothing. Humans use it to communicate with each other, that's all." Sam hopped around to the side of the sign facing the road. "It just says that there's a new housing deve…" Sam drifted off as he read the sign.
"Sam?" Silverweed approached him and poked him in the shoulder. "Is something wrong? Are you alright?"
Sam did not respond. The teen's eyes widened as he read the contents of the sign:
Coming in 2014! New riverside property!
Reserve a stake in new, scenic property just 2.5 miles out of Kingsclere!
If interested, call (555)-638-5168
Property of Sutch and Martin Ltd.
Sam saw a map of the area, partially shaded in red. The color was listed as, "Area Designated for Complete Renovation."
Roughly in the middle of the red blob was Redstone warren.
Sam's heart sank as he shook his head in disbelief. "Why here?" he muttered to himself. "Why them? Why now?"
Marigold shook him urgently. "What's wrong, Sam? What does it say?"
The teen hung his head. "I'm sorry, but you can't stay at Redstone anymore."
Hickory and Marigold exchanged a confused look. "What do you mean, Sam? What are you talking about?"
Sam could not bring himself to look them in the eye. "You can't stay at Redstone because it's going to be destroyed. Humans are going to come, and destroy the warren."
Seeing Hickory and Marigold were speechless, Silverweed tried to make sense of the situation. "Sam…what are you talking about? Why would humans destroy Redstone? We haven't done anything."
"I know," Sam replied, "and I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The humans want to build new homes here, and to do that, they need to get rid of everything that is already here. And that includes Redstone. I'm so sorry."
Marigold sunk to the ground. She muttered to herself sadly. "Why Redstone? We had a home here, why do we have to give it up so soon?" She quivered as sobs racked her body. "Where are we going to go? And how are we supposed to tell the others? I don't know what to do."
Hickory nuzzled his mate and did his best to comfort her. "We'll move on. That's all we can do. We've built a new home once, we can do it again."
"We'll help you," Sam said with determination. "My friends and I will do everything we can to find you a new home. It's the least I can do." Hickory and Marigold flashed him relived smiles. "But for now, we have to go back to Redstone and break the news to everyone else. Construction companies aren't that fast, so you should still have some time before they destroy the warren, but the sooner you're out of there, the better. Silverweed, do you think you can make it back to the down safely on your own?"
"Nothing can get close to me without me knowing," the mystic replied. "It would be no problem."
"Good. I need you to go back and get Hazel, Bigwig, and Holly. Maybe Strawberry too; bring anyone you think would help. Tell them to meet us back at Redstone."
Silverweed nodded. "Alright, Sam. But what are you going to do?"
The teen sighed. "I'll go back to the warren and explain the situation to the other rabbits there. They deserve to know what's going on."
"I'll bring them as quickly as I can." With that, Silverweed dashed into the woods, leaving the other three behind.
"Come on," Sam said gently to the still grieving pair, "let's get back to the warren. We should get this over with." They nodded and three began the walk back.
"…And that's the full story." Sam looked around at the faces of the Redstone rabbits. Some were scared, others angry, but all of them shared a deep sadness at the impending loss of their home. "Hazel and a few others from our warren are on their way. With all of us working together, we should be able to find a good place for you to live quickly."
"Why is this happening to us?" a brown rabbit asked. "What gives these humans the right to force us out of our home after all we've done to get here?"
Sam frowned. "They don't have the right, but they're still going to do it. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do."
"Can't you do anything? You're a human, maybe you could talk to them."
The teen shook his head. "It wouldn't work. If I revealed myself to a normal sized human, I'm pretty sure one of them, would capture me and ship me off to a lab somewhere. Even if they didn't take me away, there's no way they would stop the construction project just because the warren is here. I'm sorry, but they just don't care." The rabbit did not look convinced but then nodded and rejoined the rest of the Redstoners. Sam addressed the group again. "Now I don't know the first thing about starting a new warren, so I sent Silverweed to get help from Watership Down. When they get here-"
"We are here, Sam."
The assembled rabbits turned and saw the group from Watership Down approaching. Hazel lead the way, followed closely by Silverweed. Sam's eyes widened when he saw the majority of the warren following them.
Sam shook his head to clear the surprise. "Hazel, what's everyone doing here? I only told Silverweed to bring you and a few others."
"When he told us what was going on, everyone wanted to help. We couldn't let our friends down."
Sam smiled proudly at his friends' generosity. "That…that's awesome you guys! With everyone here, we should be able to find them a new place in no time."
Hazel nodded and turned to Holly and Blackberry. "You two go and speak to Leafless. See who in Redstone can help look. And make sure everyone from both warrens knows what to look for in a new warren. Water nearby, plenty of food, far from elil, that kind of thing."
"We'll get on it, Hazel-rah," Holly replied. The pair went in search of Leafless, with the rest of the Watership Down rabbits in tow, leaving Sam alone with Hazel, Strawberry, Marigold, and Hickory.
"How are the two of you holding up?" Strawberry asked his friends. "This can't be easy on you."
Marigold moved closer to Hickory and rested her head on his shoulder. "We're doing what we can," she replied. "We're trying to stay calm for everyone else. If they saw us get too worried, there's no way they could carry on." She sighed sadly. "I feel the worst for our kits. The rest of us can get used to a new home. It wouldn't be the first time. But them? This is the only place they've known."
"I'm sorry, Marigold," Sam said with a frown. "We'll find you somewhere safe. I promise. Somewhere better than Redstone. I know this place is home, but it isn't perfect." Sam looked through the group of assembled rabbits. "Where are your kids anyway? I haven't seen them since they were newborns."
"They're in the warren with Sorrel," Hickory replied. "She takes care of our kits when we're busy with chief duties. She has been a very big help."
"Oh good. That means Sam won't have to watch over them," Hazel said with a ghost of a smile.
"Yeah, that…what?" Sam exclaimed in surprise. "What are you talking about, Hazel? I'm not going with one of the groups?"
"No, I was going to ask you to stay here. You already said you don't know anything about finding a new warren, and we should have you in a central location in case Alice shows up."
Sam shook his head. "And what makes you think that me sitting here waiting for her to come is better than being out there keeping her away?"
"Because, Sam," Hazel replied, "what if she attacks a group and you aren't there? What would you have them do? Run about, hoping to find you while being chased by Alice? Or perhaps you'd rather they come back here to all the defenseless rabbits that aren't going out? We need you in a centralized location that everyone will be able to find quickly. Hickory, Marigold, and I are depending on you alone to defend those that are staying behind."
"But I-" Sam's protests died when faced with the pleading looks on the three chiefs' faces. He sighed. "Fine. But make sure that everyone receives instructions to come straight back here if anything happens. I can't very well help if I don't know what's happening."
Hazel nodded. "Of course, Sam. Everyone will know what's going on. And…thank you for being so understanding. I know how much stopping Alice means to you."
Sam gave a small smile. "I want to save her, but my friends are more important. Just go out there and take a look. Hopefully someone will find something soon. Until then I'll just…be here. I guess."
Hazel flashed Sam a sympathetic smile before he, Marigold, and Hickory joined the others to assist with the planning. Sam sighed and lay down near the entrance to the warren. He watched as the group of volunteers finished their planning session and dispersed. There were more than ten groups, made up of members of both warrens. Sam was watching Hazel's group depart when he felt someone lay down next to him. He looked over to see Glade's smiling face.
"You looked like you could use some company," Glade explained.
Sam was confused. "You aren't going with the others?"
"One more rabbit won't make the difference, so I decided to stay here. Clover is doing the same. She's staying to make sure that any of remaining Redstone rabbits, the ones that aren't going on the search, are handling the news alright. Not all of them were able to bring themselves to go looking for a new home."
"Many of the rabbits that stayed behind had homes before joining Cowslip." Sam and Glade jumped as an older female rabbit appeared behind them from within the warren. She looked to be almost Holly's age, with a dark black pelt, ending in white patches along her face and head. She gave them a kind smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Sorrel. And, if I remember correctly, you two are Sam and Glade?"
"Yeah," Sam replied, "that's us. Sorry, I don't think I remember you."
Sorrel chuckled. "I don't blame you. You were busy every time you've helped us in the past, and I'm not the most memorable of rabbits. By the way, I never had the chance to properly thank you for all you've done for-"
"Rose is a homba! Everybody run!"
"No fair! Come back!"
Sorrel was interrupted by shouting from within the warren, followed by four small shapes darting out between their feet. A group of young does ran around in the area in front of the warren before shooting off into different directions.
Sorrel sighed. "Those four can be such a paw-full sometimes. Glade? Could you run over and make sure they stay close to the warren? My old bones are rather sore today."
"Sure, no problem," Glade said as she moved to follow the closest doe. "They can't be worse than the junior owsla."
Sam waited until she was out of earshot before turning to Sorrel. "Old bones? You don't strike me as the type. Whatever you have to say to me, you could have said in front of Glade. I trust her."
Sorrel shot him a knowing look. "You might trust her, but I wouldn't think you'd want her around to discuss her fascination with you. Or yours with her." Sam's face was emotionless, and he refused to meet Sorrel's gaze. "It's obvious that she cares for you, if you know what to look for. And you know I don't mean just as friends."
Sam sighed. "I know. It…is pretty obvious."
"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Sorrel asked with concern. "I don't know if you're admitting it to yourself, but it's clear to me that you feel much the same way. The way you act around her, the way you watch her when you think she isn't looking," Sorrel paused to follow Sam's errant gaze, "like you are right now."
Sam blushed and wretched his gaze back to Sorrel. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "And to answer your question: yes, I have thought about it. I just don't think it would be a good idea." A sad look crossed Sam's face. "I don't want to hurt her."
Sorrel stared deeply into Sam's eyes before responding. "I don't think you would ever hurt her. In fact, I believe you would throw yourself in harm's way in an instant, just to keep her out of danger."
Sam sighed again. "That's not really the type of hurting I mean. What do you think is going to happen to me once I beat the Black Rabbit? That's assuming I can beat him. Frith, or Prince Rainbow, or whoever is probably going to send me back home. And then what do I do? I'd rather Glade just lose her friend than someone closer."
Sorrel looked to see that Glade had rounded up the four younger does and gotten them to play only in the area close to the warren. Finished with her job, she was making her way back to them.
Glade flopped to the ground, breathing heavily. "They might not be able to match the junior owsla, but those does can run."
"Thank you very much, Glade," Sorrel said with a smile. "I can take it from here. You two relax until the others get back." With that, Sorrel went over to the young does to keep watch.
"You alright?" Sam asked with concern.
Glade smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I haven't been sleeping well lately."
"Well, why don't you take a nap until others get back? I'll be fine by myself for a while."
"Alright," Glade said. She moved next to him and rested her head on Sam's shoulder. "Thanks, Sam."
Sam sat, smiling sadly, as she fell asleep.
The groups of searchers returned one group at a time, all with bad news. There was no place that would work for a new warren. Any of the spots close enough to a source of water either had too many elil nearby or were too close to man. A pervasive feeling of sorrow filled the warren.
Until Fiver's group returned.
Fiver's group consisted of himself, Leafless, and Blackberry and was one of the last to arrive. Fiver and Blackberry held excited smiles on their faces, while Leafless looked deep in thought.
"Good news, Fiver?" Sam asked as he approached his friend. "So far, no one has found anything."
Fiver seemed nervous to share the results of his search with Sam. "Well…I might have something."
"Sounds great!" Sam said excitedly. "Let's go tell Hickory and Marigold."
Fiver stopped the teen just as he was about to turn away. "Wait, Sam! There's nothing wrong with the location, but it would take a lot of convincing to get them to move there. It's really close to the apple orchard."
Sam shrugged. "So? I don't see what the prob-" He broke off as it dawned on him. "You mean Bark's apple orchard?" Fiver nodded. "Ah, I'm beginning to see your point."
"There might be a chance," Fiver replied. "We took Leafless with us when we looked around the area. I decided to ask Bark if she had any ideas, while Blackberry stayed back with Leafless. Unfortunately, he insisted on following me. Needless to say, things got a little heated when Bark and Leafless first met. After Blackberry and I calmed him down and introduced them, Bark showed us a great place for a warren. It's close to water, with the orchard there, there will be plenty of flayrah in the fall, and Bark says there wouldn't be any threat of elil, because most of them are too scared of her to come anywhere near there."
"It is a good location, from what I could tell," Leafless admitted. "And Bark is…surprisingly kind." He sighed. "You Watership Down rabbits meet some interesting creatures."
Sam chuckled. "You don't know the half of it. Do you think this spot is worth trying to convince the others about? I'm sure there are other satisfactory locations out there."
Leafless shook his head. "Maybe so, but I think they'd be further away from you than we'd like to go, especially with that other human running around. It may take some doing, but I think we can convince everyone that it's for the best. Besides, you can vouch for Bark. Your opinions on matters such as these carry more weight than you think."
"Alright then!" Sam exclaimed. "Let's grab Hazel and go talk to Marigold and Hickory. I'm sure that, with a little convincing, they'll agree it's your best option."
"No!"
"Come on, Hickory," Sam pleaded, "at least give it a chance."
"Absolutely not!" Marigold replied. "How could you even ask us to live that close to a lendri?"
Sam paused before he answered. "Do you trust me?"
Hickory sighed. "Don't start with this, Sam. You know we trust y-"
"Then why won't you?" the teen pressed. "What will it take to get you to listen? What do we have to do?"
Marigold shook her head in frustration. "Fine. Hazel, are you as vehement about this as Sam is?"
Hazel exchanged a look with Sam and Fiver before he nodded. "The last group got back just a little while ago. None of them found anything. So far, it's your only option. So, what do we have to do to convince you?"
Marigold walked over to Hazel and put her face inches from his. "If you want us to risk our kits with a lendri, then you must risk yours."
Hazel's eyes widened in surprise. "So if we let Blackavar, Snowdrop, and Gillia near Bark, you'll believe us? You'll move to the orchard?"
"We will try and convince the others. I can't make any promises."
"Agreed!" Hazel said happily. "Who's in charge if you're gone? Leafless?" Marigold and Hickory nodded. "Good. Let him know what's going on, and let's go."
The Redstone chiefs traded a surprised glance. "Go?" Hickory asked. "Right now?"
Sam chuckled. "Yeah, why not? It's not like this will be the first time they've played with Bark. She's actually really good with kids." Sam turned to Hazel. "I'll go round up the rest of our group. There isn't much else we're going to be able to do today; might as well bring everyone back to the down."
Hazel agreed. Sam gathered the other rabbits from Watership Down and set off with Hickory and Marigold in tow. Despite the size of their group, no elil crossed their paths, making for a safe, quick trip back to the down. Primrose greeted them as they arrived.
"Hello, Hazel," she said as she nuzzled her mate. "Did you have any luck?" It was then that she noticed Hickory and Marigold following behind the rest. "Hello, Marigold. And you too, Hickory." She cast them a sympathetic look. "How are the two of you doing? I know how it is to lose a home. It seems Redstone is just…unlucky."
"I'm still going to miss it," Marigold responded, tears forming in her eyes.
Sam interrupted softly, yet firmly. "We'll find you a new home, a better home."
"Yes, well, we'll see," Hickory replied. "Hazel, are you prepared for your part of the deal?"
"Of course I am," the chief responded. "Pipkin!" Hazel called to the buck, who talking with Dandelion and Hawkbit. "Get the junior owsla ready, please. We're going on a trip."
"To where?" Primrose asked with concern.
"Just to the apple orchard," Sam replied. "Hickory and Marigold want proof that Bark won't eat kittens on the spot."
"That's understandable. I would be worried about the same thing." Primrose paused. "Just…please be careful, Hazel. I don't want to see my babies hurt again."
Sam responded, "I promise, Primrose, I won't let anything happen to them. If Alice shows up, Bark and I can handle her."
Primrose nodded. "Alright, Sam. Thank you." Just as she finished speaking, Pipkin and the rest of the junior owsla arrived.
"We're ready, Hazel," Pipkin said apprehensively.
"Don't worry, Pipkin," Hazel responded, "everything is going to be alright. Sam will be with us the whole time." Hazel turned to Hickory and Marigold. "Are the two of you ready to go?" They nodded. "Then let's be off."
Hazel, Sam, Fiver, Hickory, Marigold, and the junior owsla descended the hill and began their trip to the orchard. Sam frowned in sympathy when Fiver crossed the barrier and winced in pain.
"You alright?" Sam asked.
Fiver nodded. "It's fine, Sam. Thank you." They exchanged a wordless smile and followed the rest of the group.
As they approached the orchard, the group of rabbits began to smell the sweet scent of young apples. They emerged from their path through the undergrowth to see the apple orchard. It had not changed since last fall, except for the absence of ladders and apple-picking baskets.
"It's lovely here," Marigold said with a smile. "There will be flayrah to spare when those apples start falling."
"Not to mention the bodyguard you're going to have," Sam added with a smile. "Fiver, will you find Bark for us? I imagine she's in her burrow." Fiver nodded and walked off in the direction of Bark's burrow, leaving the rest of them to wait. Sam turned back to Hickory and Marigold. "So, are you two ready?"
"As ready as we'll ever be," Hickory responded.
Gillia approached the pair with a smile. "You don't have to worry," she said. "Bark is our friend."
"Yeah," Snowdrop continued, "she always gives us apples every time we visit. She's really nice."
Sam moved to stand between the Redstone chiefs. "Here she comes. Just don't panic, keep an open mind, and you'll be fine. Oh, and she likes hugging. Just a warning." A look of panic crossed their faces before their attention was drawn to the far side of the orchard. Fiver was walking back with a smile on his face, followed closely by the large badger.
"You're serious?" Hickory said in awe. "You actually have a lendri for a friend? I didn't really believe…"
Sam chuckled. "So we shouldn't tell you about the hawk we had watching you all day?"
"What?"
"Well I needed some way to keep track of all the groups. Scree volunteered to do his part as well." Sam waved a dismissive paw. "We'll talk about that later. For now, meet your new neighbor."
"Bark!" With no further warning, the junior owsla charged at Bark. The badger crouched low to the ground and growled.
Hickory panicked and was about to charge himself, but Sam put a restricting paw on his shoulder. "Just watch," he said with a smile. Although he looked uncertain, Hickory stayed where he was. The junior owsla pounced on Bark as a group, causing the badger to flip onto her back. Between their wrestling, Sam could hear the rabbits laughing, accompanied by Bark's own, deeper laugh.
"Are they…playing?" Marigold asked incredulously.
Hazel nodded. "Before Alice started coming around, we would bring them down here often to visit Bark. They love playing with her, and she's wonderful with them." Hickory and Marigold still appeared unsure. Hazel cast them a knowing look. "I understand why you're so uneasy. Believe me, it wasn't easy for me to accept, either. But I swear, you can trust Bark."
"You're so certain…" Marigold said in confusion.
Fiver stepped forward. "She saved my life. I don't know where I would have been without her. Please, just talk to her. Give her a chance." Hickory and Marigold looked at each other for a long moment and nodded.
"Alright!" Sam yelled, walking towards Bark and the junior owsla. "Time to break it up! Bark needs to have a chat with her new neighbors."
The junior owsla got off of Bark and let her up. The badger let out a giant smile as she finally noticed Sam's presence. "Sunflower!" She grabbed Sam with her forepaws and held him tight. "Bark worried about you! Not see you in so long, thought got hurt by other human."
"Sorry Bark, I know it has been a while. I've been really busy trying to make sure everyone stays safe. I promise, if we win against the Black Rabbit, I'll come and visit you more often." Bark nodded and set Sam back on the ground. The teen looked over to Hickory and Marigold. "See what I said about the hugging? Hickory, Marigold, let me introduce you to Bark. Should you choose to move here, you'll be seeing a lot of each other."
"H-Hello," Hickory said nervously.
"You Hickory and Marigold? Friends of Fiver? I, Bark. Good to meet you. You going to live here?"
Hickory looked to Marigold. "I…think we may," she said. "Hello, Bark. Yes, I'm Marigold and this is my mate, Hickory. We're the chiefs of Redstone warren." She frowned. "For a little longer, anyway. We may choose to live here, if that's alright with you. Hazel, Sam, and the others have said many good things about you. And from what I've seen, we have nothing to worry about from you."
Bark smiled. "Of course rabbits can live in orchard! I show you best trees for apples in leaf-fall season, and paths safe from other meat-eaters."
Hickory recovered from his surprise quickly. "Thank you, Bark. That's very generous of you. But now we have to convince the others to come here as well."
"Leafless can help us," Marigold said. "The three of us working together should be able to convince some of the more…open-minded members of the owsla. Do you think they'll all agree with us?"
"It's this, or stay and die in Redstone," Hickory replied. "I imagine even old Sage will agree with us."
Marigold sighed, "I should hope so. He's such a grump some days. Come on, we have a lot of convincing to do. It was good to meet you, Bark. I hope we'll be seeing more of each other in the future."
"Good bye, new friends," Bark responded. "See you again soon!" The rabbits said their farewells and made their way back to Watership Down.
"So, how are you going to handle this?" Hazel asked as they walked back. "It's your warren and your rabbits, so it's your call. Just know that we're here to help you however we can."
Hickory nodded. "Thank you, Hazel. For everything. We may take you up on that offer. I was thinking we'll bring a few members of our warren over every day. If we can get enough digging done each day, hopefully we can convince them to stay at the new warren as we bring them over. If we could use Watership Down as a waypoint, that would be very helpful."
"Of course you can," Hazel replied. "I'm sure you'll have volunteers from our warren to help you with the digging. Just let us know when you need us."
"Then be ready, Hazel," Marigold said, "because we're about to be very busy."
Marigold had not exaggerated. Over the next week and a half, rabbits came and went daily between Redstone and the orchard. With the help of the rabbits from Watership Down, the new warren was dug out in a clearing far enough from the orchard to avoid notice from the farmers. Many of the rabbits from Redstone were nervous upon meeting with Bark for the first time. But they soon got over it upon seeing their chiefs get hugged by the large badger. Although the warren was functional during its construction, the rabbits chose to stay in Redstone for as long as possible. They were still sad about having to leave their first real home.
After almost two weeks of work, the warren was complete, and it was time for the final move. Sam, Hazel, Fiver, and Strawberry stood with Hickory and Marigold as they addressed their rabbits for the final time at Redstone.
Hickory looked upon the assembled rabbits with a mixture of pride and sadness. "We've come a long way since living under Cowslip. With the help of our friends from Watership Down, we were able to find freedom and peace here at Redstone. For a time, this was our home." He cast a wide smile to his kittens, who sat next to Marigold. "For some, this has been the only place they've known. But today, we find a new home! A home we built! We will make this our home, and it will be better than Redstone ever was!" Hickory smile as the Redstone rabbits began to cheer. "Now, let's go."
Hickory set off towards Watership Down, followed closely by Marigold, Hazel, Strawberry, Fiver, and Sam. The rest of the Redstone rabbits followed after them.
"Nervous?" Hazel asked Hickory.
The Redstone chief checked to be sure none of his rabbits could hear him before he answered. "Incredibly. Moving to Redstone was easy. The warren was ready, and rabbits had already been living there. We knew we would be alright there. All we can do in this new warren is hope."
Sam moved to stand by Hickory. "Don't worry, Hickory. You've always got us there. And don't be afraid to ask Bark for help. Neighbors should be able to count on each other. By the way, what did you decide to call the new warren?"
"Actually, we decided to call it, Applebark," Marigold responded. "We thought it was a fitting name, considering."
"Well that's stupid."
A collective gasp ran through the group of rabbits as a teenage girl appeared from the nearby bushes. She carried a wicked smile on her face and her sword was slung nonchalantly over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as she noticed Sam. "Oh Sammy-boy, I've been waiting to see you."
"Can't say I feel the same," Sam replied.
"Of course you don't. Maybe you forgot, but you tried to blow me up the last time we met! You ruined my hair!" Glancing at the girl's head, Sam saw her signature pigtails were gone. Instead, she wore her hair down. It looked like it had been haphazardly lopped short, probably with her sword. Alice swung her sword down. "I don't take lightly to people messing with my hair."
Sam turned to his human form and positioned himself between Alice and the group from Redstone. "Get them out of here, Hazel," he said. "Get them to the down, quick as you can." The chief nodded and started to run, the rabbits from Redstone following him.
"I'll stay with you, Sam," Strawberry said, positioning himself next to his friend. "We can fight her together."
"You should go with them, Strawberry. I need you to keep them safe."
Strawberry shook his head. "They have Leafless and the rest of their owsla. They don't need me. I'm staying, Sam. You aren't doing this alone."
Sam sighed. "Fine, Strawberry. Just…be very careful."
Alice smirked as her hand began to throw off dark sparks. "I don't think 'careful' covers it, bunny." The sparks grew until there were small arcs of dark lightning dancing across her hands. "I've learned a new trick since last time we saw each other. I think you'll love it." With no further warning, Alice threw her hand toward Strawberry and chuckled as a streak of black lightning raced towards the rabbit. Strawberry cried out in surprise and tried to move out of the way, but the bolt hit him in the side. He fell to the ground, convulsing slightly.
"Strawberry!" Sam fell to his knees next to the rabbit and examined where the bolt hit. There was a wicked burn mark, but no other visible damage. He was breathing shallowly. Sam stood back up and glared at Alice. "How dare y-" He froze when he saw Alice's hand pointed at him.
"That was the practice shot," she said. "I won't miss this time."
Sam's eyes widened as he saw the lightning come screeching toward him. He flung his hands up in panic and waited for the pain. But none came. After a moment, Sam opened his eyes to see a film of green coming from his hands and spreading out in front of his body like a shield. Sam's mouth opened in shock.
"What?" Alice yelled angrily. "How. Is. This. Possible?" Each work was punctuated with another blast of lighting that crashed harmlessly on Sam's shield. Alice threw her sword to the ground and crossed her arms petulantly. "That's not fair! I spent two weeks getting this right, and you pull that out of nowhere? That's cheating, Sam."
Sam lowered his hands slowly and watched the shield dissipate. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't know I could do that either," Sam replied in awe, flexing his fingers slowly. He smiled. "Well, I guess I'm alright with this." He glanced back down at Strawberry. His friend was beginning to stir. "Take it easy, Strawberry. I'll handle it." He glared at the girl. "What now, Alice?"
She grabbed her sword and looked at Sam in irritation. "Now? I do things the old fashioned way. I was so excited to use my new lighting power, but no. You have to ruin everything."
"Pardon me if I don't start crying." Sam clenched his fists, hoping to hide the yellow glow forming on his palms. "What do you want with the Redstone rabbits, anyway? They've done nothing to you."
Alice stared at Sam before she started laughing. "What, those stupid rabbits? You think I came here for them? Oh no, Sammy-boy, I don't care about them. I wanted you. You think Master cares about some meaningless little rabbits? Yeah right!"
Sam's eyes narrowed. "Fine. If you want me, here I come!" He threw his hands up and launched two Frith Beams at Alice. The girl panicked for a moment, then calmed and stood still. The beams rushed to either side of her, leaving Alice uninjured. Sam groaned in frustration. "You were supposed to try and dodge."
"I never like doing what I'm supposed to," Alice replied. "Unless Master asks me, of course." She pointed her sword at Sam. "My turn, Sammy-boy."
With that, Alice rushed at Sam and made a broad swing at his face. Sam ducked, feeling the blade cut past his hair. Before he could react, Alice took another swing at him. Thinking quickly, Sam concentrated and formed a small, green shield on his forearm. Sam's arm shook with effort, but the shield held Alice's sword at bay. Sam gathered more energy into his other hand, causing it to glow green. With a yell, he drove his fist into Alice's face, knocking her backwards. He quickly charged and launched another Frith Beam, but Alice knocked it out of the way with her sword.
"You hit me!" Alice yelled. She rubbed a hand to her cheek and frowned as it came back red. "And you made me bleed!" She clenched her fist and glared at Sam. "Now I'm angry!"
Without warning, she launched at Sam. She made a low swipe at his legs, but pulled back when he bent to block. Instead, she drove the hilt of the sword into Sam's temple, sending him to the ground. Before he could react, Alice had him pinned. Her left hand held his right to the ground, and her leg stretched forward to pin his left wrist. Her other knee sat heavily on Sam's chest, restricting his breathing. With her remaining hand, Alice held her sword against Sam's throat.
"Looks like I win," she gloated. "Any last words?"
"Does this count?" Sam took a deep breath, gathering energy in the back of his throat. He was about to release a stream of fire when Alice suddenly punched him in the mouth. Sam lost his concentration and the fire dissipated, causing him to cough up smoke.
Alice waved the clouds away and repositioned her sword. "That won't work, Sammy-boy. That trick is old news. Now like I said: any last words?"
"No!"
Suddenly, the weight lifted from Sam's chest. Strawberry crashed into Alice's back, sending the pair of them to the ground. Before Sam could react, he heard a loud yell of pain. He got up to see Strawberry lying on the ground, a large gash in his side.
He was not moving.
Tears sprang to Sam's eyes. "Strawberry?" No answer. "Please Strawberry, you can't be-"
He was interrupted by Alice's laughing. "Nice try, big boy, but you're just too slow. You get an A for effort though. Well Sammy-boy, what do you think abou-"
"Shut up."
"What did you just-"
Sam shifted his gaze from Strawberry's fallen form to Alice. His eyes were shining with white light and his face was clenched in a vicious scowl. "I said, shut up!" He walked slowly towards Alice. "I've tried to defend you from the others. I've tried my best not to hurt you. To free you from the Black Rabbit's hold. But you don't care. I've been hurt for you. My friends have been hurt for you. And you don't care!" Alice recoiled as he yelled. "Well that's it. I'm done caring. If I free you, if I kill you, I don't care anymore. Anything to keep you from hurting my friends."
Sam immediately fired a huge Frith Beam directly at Alice. The girl barely managed to dodge when another came at her. Alice danced left and right, dodging Sam's attacks. Sam glowered in grim satisfaction as he fired relentlessly at the girl. Eventually, one of the shots hit its mark. Alice cried out in pain when one of the beams nicked her leg.
"Game over," Sam said as he fired one most Frith Beam. Alice held her sword up desperately. The beam connected with the sword, throwing the girl against a tree with a harsh crack. Her sword fell to the ground as a pile of dust. "It's interesting being on this side," Sam said as he approached. "Now how did this go? Ah, right. Any last words?"
Alice's eyes widened in terror. "Master! Help me!" She was immediately engulfed in a cloud of darkness.
"No!" Sam cried out in frustration. He fired a Frith Beam at the ground, but it was too late. She was gone. Sam lowered his arms in defeat. He suddenly dropped to his knees and held his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were normal. Ugh, my head. What was that? It felt like I…Strawberry! With a flash of remembrance, Sam rushed to his friend's side. Tears came to the teen's eyes again as he viewed the damage from Alice's attack. A deep gash ran from Strawberry's shoulder all the way down to his haunch. His side was slick with blood, and the wound was still bleeding. "Strawberry," Sam choked," "I'm so sorry. I should have made you stay with the others."
Strawberry let out a strained cough. "But then…you would have…" Another cough racked his body and kept him from speaking.
"Strawberry…"
"Please, Sam," Strawberry said weakly, "I don't want to be like them. Please don't let the Black Rabbit take me. Not the way he took Alice." Sam looked into Strawberry's eyes. They were beginning to mist over in black.
Sam wiped the tears from his eyes. "I won't, buddy. I promise." Sam held his hands up and let them glow a soft yellow. He set his hands gently across Strawberry's wound. Thin tendrils of smoke drifted up into the air. Sam concentrated and let the energy flow gently across Strawberry's body, enveloping it in a warm, yellow glow. Strawberry took a deep, shuddering breath, and then fell silent.
Tears ran down Sam's face. "I'm sorry, Strawberry. I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes and cried over the body of his friend.
*cough*
Sam's eyes snapped open as a series of coughs spread through Strawberry's body. The buck opened his eyes. "I'm…alive?" Strawberry asked. "What in Frith's name…?"
"You're alright!" Sam exclaimed in joy. He flung his arms around the buck's neck, and immediately retreated when he winced in pain. Sam examined the cut and found it improved, though still open and slightly bleeding. The burn from Alice's lighting was all but gone, leaving a hairless patch of pink skin. "Sorry. How are you feeling?"
"Alive. Which is better than I should be feeling. Thank you, Sam. You're the best."
Sam smiled. "Come on," he said as he helped Strawberry stand, "let's get you back to the down."
It was almost nighttime when the pair climbed the top of the hill. A group of rabbits immediately ran to meet them.
"Sam!" It was Hazel who had yelled. "Are you alright? Frith above! What happened to Strawberry?"
"He got injured fighting Alice," Sam replied. "Can you help me get him into the warren? Take the other side, but be careful. That's where Alice cut him." Hazel nodded and carefully propped up Strawberry's other side. As the pair led Strawberry to the warren, Sam saw the Redstone rabbits milling about outside. A loud cheer rang out once Sam and Strawberry were spotted. Many of the Redstone rabbits tried to crowd closer and speak to Strawberry, but Leafless and Bigwig kept them back, allowing the group to get into the warren.
Sam got Hickory and Marigold's attention and motioned them to walk alongside him. "Just so you know, you'll be safe to leave for Applebark tomorrow. Alice won't bother you." He chuckled. "Heck, I don't expect she'll bother us for a while."
"You beat her?" Hazel asked. "You really beat her?"
"I didn't defeat her for good," Sam replied, "but I gave her a send-off she won't soon forget." They got into the burrow and lowered Strawberry down to the ground gently.
"That's good," Hazel said. "The less we see of her, the bett-"
"Strawberry!"
Sam and Hazel barely turned their heads in time to be shoved out of the way by Clover. She screeched to a halt next to Strawberry and lowered her face close to his. She nuzzled him gently. "Strawberry, are you alright?" she asked gently.
Sam felt someone slide in next to him, and turned to see Glade standing there. Her eyes were focused on Strawberry and Clover. "She came as soon as she heard. She was so worried about him. And how about you?" she asked as she nudged Sam. "Are you alright?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to Strawberry. He got the worst of it, but I think he's going to be alright."
"I was so scared when everyone else got to the down and you weren't there," Clover said, ignoring Sam and Glade. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you."
"I'm going to be alright, Clover," Strawberry responded. "It's going to take more than Alice to keep me down. You won't have to worry about me leaving any time soon."
Clover smiled and touched her nose to Strawberry's. "Good," she said as she lay down next to him, careful to avoid irritating his injury.
"Come on," Glade said to the others in the burrow, "let's go. I think they'd like a bit of privacy." Everyone agreed and walked back outside the burrow. Sam watched the others exit the warren, but hung back a bit.
"Are you sure you're alright, Sam?" Glade asked in concern. She saw the teen waver in his stance a bit, and moved to stabilize him.
"I'm alright," Sam responded. "I'm just really tired. Something weird happened while I was fighting Alice, and I think it wore me out a little."
Glade smiled. "Well then, you need some sleep too. Come on, let's get you into the burrow. Sam nodded and leaned on her to keep his balance as she led them to their burrow. "So, what happened during the fight?" Glade asked while they walked. "It had to be pretty odd for you to call it weird."
"It was," Sam replied. "My eyes were glowing. And I was strong, really strong. And I was…mean. Angry. I don't really know, Glade. I'll explain the whole thing in the morning. For now, though, I'd just like to get some sleep."
Glade nodded. "I understand," she said as she lay down next to him. "I imagine all the rest will be as well, soon. I heard you tell Hickory and Marigold that you beat Alice and that they don't have to worry any more. They'll want to get an early start tomorrow, I'd think."
"That's good," Sam said with a yawn. "The sooner they get to their new home," and away from me, "the better."
Glade nuzzled the back of his head. "I'm glad you're alright. Good night."
"Good night, Glade."
A/N: The next chapter might be a little longer in coming. I think it's going to end up being very long, and there will be a lot of interesting things going on, so I want to be sure I get it right. I'll write as quickly as I can though!