Chapter 33

Sam groaned in pain. His eyes flickered open as he regained consciousness. Ugh, what the hell…Glade! He woke up immediately when he remembered what had happened.

Sam had been about to walk away from the down when Glade tried to stop him. Then, Alice had shown up. The only thing Sam remembered was being hit in the head, and then darkness. Sam got to his feet and looked all around him desperately. "Glade!" There was no sign of her, or of Alice. Sam fell to his knees. He pounded the ground in frustration.

It was then that he saw something he hadn't see for more than a year: a letter. He opened the envelope and took out a piece of pitch-black paper with white, cursive writing on it.

Sammy-boy-

It's game time. It took a while, but Master is finally ready for you. I have left a trail leading from this clearing all the way to Darkhaven. It's so obvious, even you should have no problem following it. Now to be sure you come, I took your little girlfriend as collateral. You have seven days to show up, even though the trip should only take you about four. If you don't show yourself in Darkhaven within seven days, the rabbit will be turned into a servant of my Master. So don't drag your feet.

XOXO

-Alice

P.S: Of course it's a trap, but I think we both know you will come anyway.

The letter burst into flames after Sam finished reading it through the second time. He glared at the falling ashes as the red glow receded from his hands. Looking around the clearing more carefully, Sam quickly noticed an unnatural break in the foliage. He looked down the cleared path and winced. All the leaves had shriveled and died, leaving a black path through the otherwise tangled undergrowth.

Sam took a step towards the path intending to leave, but something stopped him. I can't just disappear on the others, he thought guiltily. I have to at least let them know what's going on. His decision made, the teen turned and went back to the down.

As Sam walked somberly up the hill, Scree winged down next to him. "Sam, where have you been? Hazel has been worried about you and Glade since you ran off." The teen did not answer, and Scree noticed the expression on Sam's face. "Sam, are you alright? Where's Glade?"

"Is everyone still on the down?" Sam asked, waving off Scree's concern.

"Well yes, but-"

"Good." With no further words, Sam continued up the hill. Scree shook his head and flew after him. When Sam got to the top of the hill, the rabbits crowded around him in concern. His emotionless face and sagging posture made them worry.

Clover was the first one to notice the missing member. "Sam…where's Glade?"

Sam looked at the assembled rabbits and was satisfied to see everyone present. "Let's go into the warren first," he said. "I'll tell you in there." The teen watched in satisfaction as his friends nodded and made their way into the warren without argument. All according to his plan. Once everyone was squeezed into the Honeycomb, Sam took the floor. With a lump in his throat, Sam told them of Alice's ambush. He told them of the letter, and what it had said. And he told them that he had only seven days to get to Darkhaven.

"Then we don't have any time to waste," Holly said. "Dandelion, Hawkbit, and myself can go with you immediately, and as soon as Campion and Strawberry recover, they can-"

Sam held up a hand. "I'm going to stop you right there, Holly. None of you are coming with me. I'm going alone to save Glade, and all of you are going to stay here."

"Don't be foolish, Sam," Hazel said with a shake of his head. "There's no need for you to put yourself in such danger."

"We'll come with you," Dandelion added. "We might not be able to help you with Alice or the Black Rabbit, but I'm sure they won't be alone."

"Even you can't do everything on your own," Hawkbit supplied.

"I…I can't just sit here, Sam," Clover said, "not while my best friend is in danger. After everything she has done for me, I can't leave her alone."

Strawberry was quick to jump in as well. "If Clover is going, then I'm definitely going."

"No!" Sam yelled interrupting the other rabbits that were beginning to join in as well. "None of you are coming, understand? I'm tired of my friends getting hurt, and I won't let it happen anymore."

Holly stepped forward. "Well you can't very well stop us lad," the veteran said. "Even if you don't want us coming with, we'll just follow you anyway."

Sam shook his head. "I had hoped it wouldn't have to come to this." He pointed his hands at the group of rabbits, both glowing yellow. If you're up there Frith, I need a hand. After all the crap I've dealt with lately, I think you owe me this one. Sam was barely able to register a burning sensation in his hands before the power started to flow. Before anyone could react, Sam's hands let off a blinding flash that enveloped the entire warren.

Sam rapidly blinked the spots out of his eyes as he looked around. He smiled in satisfaction when he saw that all of his friends were asleep. Sam walked over and poked Bigwig in the forehead as a test. The captain grumbled, but showed no signs of waking up.

"I'm sorry I tricked you," the teen said to his sleeping friends, "but you'll thank me when you wake up. You'll all be safe here." Tears flowed down Sam's face as he made his way out of the warren. "Good bye, my friends. Thank you for everything. Hopefully I'll get to see you again."

With nothing else holding him back, Sam went back to the clearing. The path Alice had left cut a swath of death through the undergrowth. The teen felt uncomfortable just looking at it. He sighed and shifted to his rabbit form. I'm coming, Glade, he thought as he began down the path, cringing at the smell of dead plant matter all round him. Just hold on.

Sam followed Alice's path to the south, away from the down. He sighed as he passed Nuthanger Farm, remembering the raids he and the other owsla members had run there occasionally. It was where Glade had proved her worth as a fighter to Bigwig, and where Sam had saved Hazel from the farmer's gun. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, the teen continued on his way. He followed the path for a few hours until the woods in the area began to thin, making way for plains and open farmland. In lieu of bushes to leave a trial through, Alice simply left a line of death through the grass; the blades black, withered, and crunchy. Sam grimaced as he entered a farmer's corn field. A large corridor was cut through the ears of corn. Some were dead, the life sucked out of them like the other plants, and others were completely cut down.

Probably Alice getting bored, Sam thought to himself as he continued to follow the trail. That's fine. I'd rather she take it out on the corn than Glade. He broke out of his thoughts as he heard human voices closing in on his position. Dashing into the corn plants, Sam watched as a pair of farmers walked onto the black path Alice had left.

"What do you make of it, Dad?" the younger one asked. The two looked up and down the path, confused to see two rows dead while the surrounding plants were untouched. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Me neither," the father replied. Both men were at a loss. "There isn't much we can do beside watch this field closely. We can't let this spread to the rest of the crop."

Sam toned the men out as another sight caught his attention and made him groan. Out of the corn from where the men had come, walked a large german shepherd. Sam did his best to slink back further away from the farmers without attracting the dog's attention. Unfortunately though, one of the blackened leaves from the dead plants had blown in his path. Although the farmers did not hear, the dog's ears immediately perked up. Sam cursed under his breath and bolted down the path. Immediately, the dog was after him. The pair tore through the field, the dog gaining on Sam.

I don't have time for this, Sam thought. In one motion, he changed to his human form and faced the dog. The teen readied two energy balls and aimed them at the dog's chest. He was about to fire when the dog came to a stop and sat in front of him.

"Well look at this: a little man! And here I thought you were one of Moss's."

Sam immediately lost his concentration when the dog spoke. "I…what?"

"That explains why you're in the field during the day. Moss and I have an agreement: he keeps his rabbits out of sight of the men, I don't have to chase them."

Confused, Sam lowered his arms. "So wait a second, you aren't going to try and kill me?"

The dog looked mortified. "Ugh, no, of course not. I try not to partake in such beastly behavior. I don't much care for the sight of blood." He shivered slightly in disgust. "Oh how rude of me, I never introduced myself." He held up a paw in greeting, no doubt a trick taught to him by the farmers. "I am Reginald, and you are?"

Sam stepped forward and shook the dog's massive paw slowly. "I'm Sam. Good to meet you…Reginald."

"Now all pleasantries aside, I must ask what you're doing here. As I said, Moss and I have an agreement. I don't know if you are with him or not, but I must ask you to leave. The field is off limits to rabbits during the day. And I suppose that includes tiny men as well." The dog gestured in the direction Sam had been walking before. "Moss is that way if you're interested in joining his warren, but no matter which way you go, I insist you leave."

Sam turned back into his rabbit form. "You'll have no trouble from me; I was just passing through anyway. Thanks for, you know, not trying to kill me and all."

"Of course," Reginald said with a bow of his head. "Safe travels to you."

Sam nodded and turned to continue on his way. He tried to focus on running, but something that Reginald said kept entering into his mind. He kept mentioning Moss. Could it be the same one from Efrafa? I never really asked Hazel or Campion which direction they decided to settle in, so it could be them. The teen sighed. I better go check. If it is them, they should be made aware of what's going on. The way Reginald had spoken made it apparent that the rabbits lived outside of the field, so that was where Sam was headed. The rest of the journey through the field was uneventful. A few crows called out, but Sam heard no other signs of life.

Soon, he emerged from the other end of the field. In front of him was a lightly treed area covered in thick, scraggly grass. Aside from Alice's path, it looked completely undisturbed. Sam walked along the path as he thought. Alright, now I just need to find Moss. Reginald said they were this way, so maybe if I-

"Oy! Hlessi! I'd stay away from that if I were you."

Two rabbits appeared out a particularly thick patch of grass to Sam's right. The one that had called out to him continued, "That thing just appeared the other day. There's something off about it. Our warren is nearby if you're looking to…join…" The rabbit trailed off as he got a good look at Sam. "Hey, aren't you…you are! Bugloss, look," he said as he turned to his companion. "It's Sunflower."

The other rabbit, Bugloss, did not look pleased. "I see that, Dogwood." He turned back to Sam. "What do you want here, ithe? Here to destroy our warren again?"

Dogwood cuffed Bugloss on the side of the head. "Knock it off, Bugloss! That place was terrible and you know it." He turned back to Sam. "I assume you want to see Moss?"

"Uh, yeah. That would be great," Sam said hesitantly.

"Get to it, Bugloss," Dogwood said. "Bring Moss out here, would you?" The rabbit grumbled, but hopped back in the direction the two had come from. Dogwood sighed. "Sorry about him. It's…difficult for some of us to get used to being out of Efrafa."

"I can see," Sam said as he watched Bugloss go. "Thank you for helping me. Both with Moss, and with him."

"It's the least I could do after what you did for us."

Sam smiled. "We were glad to help. I take it you were one of the ones that rebelled with Moss then?"

Dogwood scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Actually, I was on the frontlines fighting for Efrafa. I took a hard kick to the side of the head, and ended up unconscious. When I woke up, one of the rabbits from your owsla gave me a choice: submit to Moss's command, or become a casualty. I'm not stupid, so I decided to buck up and make the best of it."

"You certainly seem to be taking it better than that Bugloss fellow," Sam replied. "It's good that you're happier without Woundwort. Moss must be doing a good job."

"As good as can be expected," Dogwood said. "Many of the owsla are still trying to fall back into their old ways of bossing around the other rabbits. Moss and those of us that agree with him do our best to keep them in line, and we're succeeding for the most part. It feels good being able to fight for something other than power and position, for a change."

"I'm glad you approve, Dogwood." The pair jumped as Moss appeared from the patch of grass followed closely by Bugloss. "Thank you, Bugloss and Dogwood, for telling me Sunflower was here. You can return to your patrol." The two owsla soldiers nodded, Bugloss rather stiffly, before walking away. Moss watched them go before turning back to Sam. "This is quite the surprise, Sunflower. After how we treated you the last time we met, you're the last rabbit I would expect to visit. How have you been?"

Sam chuckled. "This isn't really a pleasure visit, Moss. I've been much better." Sam told the chief about Alice's most recent attack, and her kidnapping of Glade. When the rabbit expressed concern at his former captain's health, he was quick to reassure Moss that Campion would be alright. He finished his story by telling how he put his friends to sleep, and set out on his own.

Despite his experiences in the Efrafan owsla, Moss was stunned at Sam's story. "That's terrible! I'm sorry, Sunflower. I remember Glade. She was the one that threatened some of the owsla when they threatened to attack you while you were recovering. I think she said something about ripping their tails off and shoving them down their throats."

Sam laughed harder than he had in weeks. "That's her alright." He sobered quickly. "I'm on my way to save her right now. I just thought I would let you know what's going on in case… well, in case you have to end up running."

"Thank you, Sunflower. I'll be sure to have the owsla keep a close watch on things."

"That's good," Sam responded. "Now I'm going to be on my way. I only have a few days to get to Darkhaven before Alice turns Glade into one of them. Take care, Moss."

"You as well, Sunflower," the rabbit said sincerely. "You know, this situation reminds me of something captain Campion told me when I first joined the owsla. He said that the job of an owsla soldier is to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of rabbits. Even if that means making sacrifices."

"I'm not going to leave Glade," Sam insisted.

Campion turned to go back to his warren when he glanced back at Sam. "I wasn't saying you should. It's just something to keep in mind. Farewell, Sunflower."

The next day was largely uneventful and Sam made good time. He left the farmland behind and walked along open plains. On the third day, the plain grass began to yellow and turn scraggly. Sam was following the train burned in the grass, when it suddenly stopped. In front of the teen was a large crevasse stretching far in either direction. When Sam looked on the other side, he could see the trail pick up again.

What did she do, jump? He thought in annoyance. The crevasse was not terribly deep. Sam imagined getting down would be little problem, but he was not sure if he could get up the other side. As he looked to his right, the teen spotted something: a large tree had fallen across the gap, creating a bridge. Jackpot, Sam thought with a smile.

He made his way over to the log, but slowed as he saw a rabbit sitting in front of it. Sam's eyes widened as the rabbit's features became clear. A dark grey coat with white tipped ears. He had only seen one rabbit with that particular coloration.

"Vervain?" Sam asked incredulously. "I thought you died in the battle at Efrafa."

Vervain's gaze slid over to Sam. He gave a wide smile. "Yes, I suppose you would think that." There was an odd tone to his voice that Sam could not place. The rabbit continued speaking. "After you and those miserable vermin you call friends ruined my life, I didn't know what to do. What could I do? I was better than that fool Moss. He and his so-called warren are nothing. Worthless. Meaningless. Neither was I weak like Campion. What a joke, a once proud Efrafan captain betraying his chief and siding with the enemy."

Sam watched Vervain's face twist more and more as he spoke. It became clear that the rabbit was completely insane.

"I was there that day, you know," Vervain continued. "I watched you defeat the General. Such a good, pure rabbit defeated by an embleer ithe. But you see, I saw him. I saw the General's power. Such power, kept hidden all that time. That…That was real strength. I knew then that it was my destiny to wield such power for myself. So I approached Alice, and begged for a chance to prove myself. She took me to see our master. And it was glorious! Frith be damned, siding with the Black Rabbit is the only way to live."

Sam finally had to interrupt. "Don't be stupid!" he yelled. "The Black Rabbit isn't someone to follow or worship. He's evil! He thinks nothing of killing and corrupting innocent creatures just to suit his own selfish ends. Come on, Vervain, you're a terrible rabbit, but I can't believe you're so bad you would willingly side with something so terrible."

Vervain let out a chilling, insane laugh. "My master will cleanse this world in fire. Everything will die, and there's nothing you can do to stop him."

"Bet me." Sam began charging a Frith Beam. "I'll give you one chance to move, Vervain. I'm getting to Darkhaven, even if I have to go through you to do it."

"You just try," Vervain said with a bored tone, "see how that goes for you."

Fine, you asked for it. With no warning, Sam fired the beam at Vervain. The rabbit smirked and watched as the beam closed on him. As it connected with Vervain, Sam was shocked to watch as the Frith Beam passed through the rabbit, leaving him unharmed. The teen paused. "What did you…how did you…?"

"Would you believe that Master has never had a willing host before?" Vervain asked with a smirk. "Here's the difference: if Master takes control of someone against their will, they try and fight him off. They fail, of course, but they try all the same. They retain some part of themselves that even my master, with all his glorious power, cannot penetrate. In my case, I welcomed my master to use me as he wished. I allow him within me; I let him take refuge in the deepest part of my soul. Now Frith, being the weak fool that He is, will not harm one of His subjects. Even one that has turned their back on Him. I can protect Master from Frith, while he can still continue to grant me strength." Vervain was suddenly surrounded by a black aura. He began to float into the air. "Of course, this means that I have quite the advantage over you."

Sam glared at the rabbit. "That isn't the only trick I have."

With a swipe of his hand, Sam sent a wave of fire through the air at Vervain. The rabbit held up his paw, and a gale of black wind stopped the fire cold. Vervain smirked and flicked the tip of his paw.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Sam's feet began to shift. The teen barely jumped out of the way before a black spire pierced up through the ground. It was covered jagged spikes, one of which left a deep scratch up Sam's back. The teen grunted as he felt blood begin to leak down from the wound.

The ground continued to shake, and Sam jumped out of the way again as another spire appeared. He continued to dodge as Vervain summoned more and more spires.

When the shaking finally stopped, Sam looked around with a feeling of dread. He had not looked where he was jumping, and consequently, had become trapped. The spires formed a crude circle around him. They were too tall to jump over and too close together to slip between. Each one was covered in spikes, making climbing impossible.

Sam fired another Frith Beam in desperation, but it passed through Vervain as well. "It isn't going to work, Messenger," the rabbit gloated. "There is no power greater than Master and I working together."

Vervain smirked as a ring of floating black spears appeared around him. Each one of them looked wickedly sharp, and they were all pointed directly at Sam.

"Now I take my revenge for the life you stole from me!" The first of the spears began to move, when suddenly the cry of a hawk cut through the air. A brown blur crashed into Vervain, sending them both down into the crevasse.

Sam stood in the stone cage, wondering what had happened, when someone flew out of the pit. The hawk hovered above him, and Sam was shocked to see it was Scree. "What are you doing here?" Sam asked in confusion. "I thought I put all of you to sleep!"

"Grab on!" Scree yelled, ignoring the teen's question. He extended his talons so Sam could reach. Once he felt Sam's hands wrap around his legs, Scree pumped his wings as hard as he could to lift the pair out of the stone circle.

Once they were safely outside the prison, Scree landed on the ground next to Sam, breathing heavily. "I'll ask again," Sam said, "what are you doing here? I put you to sleep specifically so you wouldn't follow me."

"How long did you think we would stay asleep?" Scree asked. "I was the first to wake up, so I took off after you as soon as I could. Some of the others were stirring when I left, so I imagine they should be on their way by now, too."

Sam groaned in frustration. "You just can't stay safely away from me, can you?"

Scree smacked Sam in the face with one of his wings. "Of course we won't, you embleer idiot! We're your friends, and we're going to help you whether you like it or not!"

"Why can't you just- "

Sam was interrupted when a burst of energy erupted from the crevasse. Scree and Sam were both blow off their feet as a very angry looking Vervain floated out of the hole. His eyes were like two black holes.

"Damn bird!" Two large boulders floated up next to Vervain before they began to crack. Sam jumped in front of Scree and managed to bring up a shield to protect them both just as tiny shards of rock began flying at them like bullets from a machine gun.

"See?" Sam said as he strained to maintain the shield against the stone onslaught. "This is why I didn't want any of you following me! I'm barely able to stand up to Vervain. What chance do any of you have?"

"Can we beat him?" Scree asked, again ignoring Sam's worries.

"I…I'm not sure," Sam admitted. "The Black Rabbit's powers block all of mine, and Vervain lets the Black Rabbit resist the Frith Beam. I don't have anything else."

Scree stood and flared his wings slightly. "Then the only thing left is to attack him directly. And tell me who's better suited to that, you or me?"

The shield in front of them almost failed as Sam lost his concentration for a moment. "No, Scree! You can't attack him, he'll kill you! Just…give me a second. I'll think of something."

"Sam, do you want to save Glade or not?"

"Of course I do! Why would you even ask-"

"And how do you plan on doing that if Vervain keeps you stuck here? Or kills you!? I can distract him, and you can cross the bridge. Even if he beats me, hopefully you'll have enough of a head start to make it to Darkhaven."

Sam, still keeping the shield in place, was in no position to stop him. "Please, Scree, don't do this! There has to be another way!"

"If you could get him off balance, that would be a big help," Scree replied.

"That's not what I meant! I…" Sam wracked his brain trying to find an argument to keep Scree in one spot. He knew it was not possible, however. As it was, he could not beat Vervain. And Scree really was the best candidate for a physical attack on the rabbit.

In a flash of inspiration, Sam held the shield with one hand, and began building fire in the other. Once there was a break in Vervain's attack, he shot the fire into the back of the shield, sending it flying directly into Vervain. It crashed into the rabbit and sent him to the ground. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Sam asked Scree once more.

The hawk shook his head. "You need to go, Sam. Leave this to me."

Scree was about to take off after Vervain when Sam put a hand on his chest. "Let's see if I can help you at least a bit." Sam let Frith's power flow through him and into his friend, sending a prayer to Frith to keep Scree safe. When the teen opened his eyes, he saw a glow fading from Scree's body. The hawk's legs now bore identical golden anklets, and his talons were glowing faintly.

Scree took a practice swipe, and was pleased to see a trail of light cut through the air. "Thank you, Sam," he said simply. "Now go, leave this to me. I will be sure to clear the way for the others."

Sam nodded sadly and ran for the log bridge. Vervain yelled something and moved to intercept him, but Scree attacked the rabbit from the side, his glowing claws cutting deep furrows in Vervain's back and chest. Sam got to the other side of the crevasse and looked back. Vervain now focused entirely on Scree, attacking him with savage ferocity. The hawk dodged to the best of his ability and counterattacked when he could, but it did not look good for him.

Sam cursed under his breath and turned to continue running before he another thought struck his mind. He quickly set three explosives at the base of the bridge and stepped back. With a snap of his fingers, the log plummeted into the pit, unusable. Sam nodded in satisfaction before continuing on his way, the sound of fighting behind him.

A day had passed since Scree had told him to leave, and there had been no sign of either him or Vervain. And it had been a day and a half since Sam had seen any water. Alice's path now lead through a very dry area, and Sam had not had a drink in far too long. The teen's mouth was painfully dry as he walked along the path on shaky legs. Only thoughts of saving Glade kept him going.

As the hot sun beat down on him, Sam tried to take stock of how far along he was. This is my third day, he thought wearily. Moss knows. The path is destroyed so the others can't follow me. And Scree… he shook his head to clear the negative thoughts out of his head. It was hard enough to continue walking without remembering what he had lost.

Far in the distance, he could see a cloud of black smoke rising into the air. But it did not seem to get any closer with how slow he was walking.

"Things can't get any worse," Sam said in a raspy voice, looking at the sky. He chuckled to himself as he continued to walk.

Darn. When someone says that in the movies, it always starts raining. His foot slipped into a hole, sending the teen to the ground. He could not manage to stand again. So after all this, I get taken out be dehydration? What a rip-off.

The last thought before he fell unconscious was of apologies to Glade, and despair that he would not be able to save her.

...

*splash*

…

*splash*

"Mmm…"

*splash*

"Uhh…what…?" Sam's eyes fluttered open. His face was wet. As his vision cleared, Sam saw something that made his heart leap: water. The teen crawled forward and plunged his head into the clear, cool stream. He took in a few mouthfuls of water, smiling in relief as the liquid ran down his parched throat. Soon, he had to pull his head out of the stream to breath. As the water ran down his face, Sam heard a voice behind him.

"Oh good, you are awake. I was worried for a moment that I had been too late."

Sam was so surprised that he almost fell into the stream. He turned around quickly and gawked at the source of the voice. Standing behind him was a snow-white stag. Sapphire eyes seemed to stare directly into Sam's soul as the stag look down at him in concern. "Are you alright?"

Sam nodded. "Um, yes, I am. Did you…save me?"

"I did," the stag responded. "I found you collapsed in the Bad Lands. I have a particular fondness for rabbits, so I could not sit idly by while one suffered."

Well that's ironic, Sam thought with a chuckle. "Well, thank you," he said out loud. "I really owe you; I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"You would have died, I imagine. What would a rabbit be doing out there all alone?"

Sam hesitated before deciding there would be nothing wrong with telling the stag his story. "I'm going to save a…friend. She was taken by something evil, and I'm going to save her. I was following the path when I-" Sam froze. He sprang to his feet and looked around furiously. Alice's path was nowhere to be seen, and Sam did not recognize the area at all. He had lost the path! "Hey, thank you very much for saving me, but do you think you can take me back to where you found me? I was following a trail you see, and-"

"If you insist." The stag went to his knees. "You can climb aboard, if you like. I can travel much faster than even the fastest rabbit, and from what you tell me, time is of the essence."

Sam was about to object, but then reconsidered. He's right; the quicker I get there, the better. It's a little weird, but what do I have to lose? "Alright," he said out loud. "Thank you." Sam crawled on the stag's back and positioned himself between his shoulder blades. "Okay, I'm on."

The stag stood and, making sure Sam was secure, began to run. Sam looked around, and saw that the area they were in was desolate compared to the Watership Down area. Thin, saggy trees grew sparsely among short, brown grass and weeds. As the pair traveled, the stag spoke once more. "Again, I must caution you that attempting this alone sounds very risky. You go to face a very powerful opponent. I am certain that if you waited for your companions to join you, you would still make it in time."

"I can't do that," Sam said hesitantly. "Too many of my friends have gotten hurt because of me already. This…is my fight. I'm the only one that can win, and anyone else nearby would only be in danger. I've been prepared to do this alone since day one."

With a patient sigh, the stag changed tactics. "Perhaps you are right. If your friends are as useless as you make them out to be, then it would be better for you to go alone."

"I didn't mean it like tha-"

"I imagine it must have been very difficult for you so far, trying to fight off these forces all on your own while your so called friends got in your way."

Sam was beginning to get annoyed. "That's hardly the case; they've helped me a lot!"

"You realize they are not here, correct? You do not have to try and justify their actions any longer. I believe you to be an intelligent rabbit, certainly smart enough to leave those that would hinder your actions. That you did not allow them to come with you, leads me to believe they are not worth bringing."

"That's enough!" Sam yelled, causing the stag to stop. Sam jumped off his back and looked the large animal in the eyes. "You don't know my friends. You have no right to say anything about them after everything they've done for me. They gave me a home when they could have easily killed me on the spot, they became like a family to me when they had every reason to distrust me, and they've saved my life more times than I can count. I would do anything for them…" Sam sighed and spoke with less fire, "and that's why I couldn't let them come. Of course they would have been able to help me. I'm not stupid, I know the Black Rabbit won't be alone. Besides Alice, who knows how many rabbits he has under his control? And he'll throw every one of them in my way. But I can handle it. I'm strong in ways they aren't. I just…I would rather take the risk of dying by going in solo, rather than let anything happen to them." He looked up to see the stag smiling. "Listen, if you don't want to give me a ride anymore, I understand. If you could just point me in the right direction, I would be grateful."

"That won't be necessary," the stag replied. "Look."

Sam turned around and grimaced. Maybe a mile away from where they stood was a factory. Mountains of trash and debris surrounded the building itself. Atop the dingy, metal structure sat a trio of smoke stacks, all spewing black smoke. The entire area was covered in a rain of ash. Sam had never seen a location more befitting of the Black Rabbit's lair. "Oh my…"

"That is where you enemy lies," the stag said, ignoring the awestruck teen. "And this is as far as I can go. I regret your decision to undertake this battle alone, but I cannot stop you. Just remember: although you may believe no one is there to help you, I will always be with you."

"Wait, but you just said-" When Sam turned around, the stag was gone. He was alone. What in the world… Sam looked all around, but there was no sign of any other living being aside from himself. With a shake of his head, Sam turned back to the factory. Well, I guess this is it. Don't worry, Glade, I'm coming.

A/N: The next chapter may be a long time coming. I have zero free time for the next ten days or so, and I'm maybe 500 words into the chapter. Sorry for the inevitable wait...