CHAPTER 6: ESCAPE?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you haven't read TFWD, Tindra is another young doe who lives at Watership Down.
"Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house."
-Matthew 12:29 (KJV)
It was fu Inlé. After an exhausting day, Clover had finally brought her kittens underground. As soon as they were asleep, she went back above ground to silflay: having spent most of the day keeping an eye on her kittens, she had not been able to get much to eat. Other rabbits shared her predicament, so she was not alone at silflay. She approached a few rabbits who were having a discussion.
-"Did you come up with anything today, Blackberry?" one of them asked.
-"I thought of something earlier, Bigwig," answered Blackberry. "We have to convince Prince Rainbow that the Black Rabbit is sick and needs to see him. It shouldn't be too hard, considering what the General did to him. And while Prince Rainbow is gone, everyone else sneaks out."
-"That's a good idea," replied Bigwig, "but how are we going to convince him of that? Even El-ahrairah never pulled any tricks like this."
-"Actually, he did," corrected Dandelion.
-"I don't think I ever heard that story," said Clover. "Do you mind telling us more about it?"
-"This is an urgent situation! This is not the time for a story!" complained Bigwig.
-"I know how urgent it is," said Blackberry, "but there is a lot to learn from El-ahrairah stories. Go ahead Dandelion."
-"Vell, eet seems I did fly ye to da moon, ya?"
Pipkin did not reply. He was simply clinging desperately to Kehaar's feathers to avoid falling to his death. He had always wanted to fly when he was younger, and now that he had the opportunity, he realized how terrifying it was, especially since the gull seemed to be rapidly losing strength. Each flap of his wings was slower than the previous one, and Pipkin knew he would soon have to land.
-"Dere! 'ome."
Pipkin opened his eyes, and much to his relief, saw the shape of Watership Down close by. Kehaar gradually flew closer to the ground, until he suddenly fell from the sky.
Meanwhile on the ground, Dandelion was telling his story:
-"And then El-ahrairah said..."
-"Look! What's that thing in the sky?" said a young doe.
-"That's not what he said, Tindra, he said..."
-"I know he didn't say that, I meant there's something in the sky for real!"
-"Tindra is right," said Strawberry, as he stared at the shape in the sky, rapidly becoming larger. "Frith and Inlé, it's Kehaar! Look out, everyone, he's going to crash!"
Everyone bolted away as Kehaar crash-landed where they were moments before. Pipkin was ejected from the gull's back and landed further away in Bigwig's face.
-"Oo! Aa! Sorry for da soodin landin, meester Peepkeen."
Pipkin remained silent, thinking of Bluebell's words the previous summer: "Kehaar'll fly you to the moon, Hlao-roo, and you can come down on Bigwig's head like a birch branch in the frost." Was that a prophetic vision like Fiver and Hyzenthlay sometimes have? His thoughts were interrupted as he was tackle-hugged by a small doe.
-"Pipkin! I missed you."
-"It's great to see you again, Nyreem, but there's something terrible..."
-"What is wrong with you Pipkin?" shouted Bigwig in anger. "Joyriding on that poor gull's back, jumping in my face and ripping off one of my whiskers, I have a good mind..."
Pipkin did not wait for Bigwig to finish his rant:
-"Bigwig, something terrible happened! Prince Rainbow was extremely angry, I was lucky to make it here alive. I ran away like a coward, I left all the others there..."
-"You're not a coward, Pipkin," said Nyreem. "If what you say is true, you had no choice but to run away for your own safety, and there was nothing you could have done to help the others."
-"I appreciate that, Nyreem," replied Pipkin, as he nuzzled his friend.
-"There isn't a moment to lose," declared Holly, "We have to go to that warren now and rescue everyone."
-"And get preyed upon by all the owls and the badgers along the way?" complained Hawkbit. "Not a chance, mates. We wait until morning. That should also give Prince Rainbow time to calm down."
-"Actually, now would be the best time," objected Clover. "I remember Prince Rainbow saying something about sleeping at night. We would have a higher chance of success if he is asleep."
-"Let's have a vote," suggested Thethuthinnang. "All those in favour of waiting until morning raise their paws." Hawkbit, Speedwell and Scabious voted. "All those in favour of leaving now?" Hrair rabbits raised their paws. "Hrair against three. We leave now."
Holly looked at the crowd, and selected a small group of rabbits to take part in the mission: Dandelion, Thethuthinnang, Blackberry, Strawberry, Pipkin and Threar. They made their way towards the edge of the Down, when they heard Bigwig's voice:
-"What about me? Why am I not coming along?"
-"Well, Prince Rainbow evicted you, didn't he?" replied Strawberry. "I don't think he would be very happy to see you come back."
-"But Pipkin was evicted too! Why does HE get to go along?"
-"I already failed Hazel and the others once. I won't fail them again," said Pipkin.
-"The truth, Bigwig, is that if something goes wrong, you will be our backup," explained Holly. "If we're not back two days from now, you will have to come and rescue us."
-"And besides," added Clover, "you're needed here. To help me keep the kittens safe."
Bigwig wanted to argue, but he realized that Holly and Clover made some valid points, so he quietly nodded in agreement. A few minutes later, the rabbits left the Down and were on their way to Prince Rainbow's warren, while Clover went back underground. Bigwig remained on the edge of the Down, staring at the patrol and praying to Frith that they all remain safe throughout their journey, especially his mate Thethuthinnang.
-"What's going on?" came the sudden voice of Hawkbit. "Where are they all going?"
-"To rescue Hazel and the others, of course," replied Bigwig.
-"Why am I not coming along?"
-"Did you forget that you didn't want to participate, because you wanted to wait until morning?"
-"'I can't win, can I?" asked Hawkbit with a sigh.
-"Hawkbit!" shouted Clover out of the warren's main entrance. "Kehaar woke up the kittens when he crashed, and now they refuse to go back to sleep unless someone tells them a story. Since Dandelion is away on patrol, you'll have to do it instead."
-"So sorry, meess Clover..."
-"Do you think I could try and catch up with the patrol?" whispered Hawkbit. "I would rather do that than deal with those kittens again."
-"Just do as she says," said Bigwig, doing his best to contain his frustration. "Go tell them a story..."
Hazel was asleep, pressed tightly against Hyzenthlay, when suddenly he felt someone caress his fur.
-"Your fur is so soft, Hyzenthlay my dear..." he mumbled in his sleep.
-"This isn't Hyzenthlay, Hazel. It's Fiver."
Hazel slowly opened his eyes, and looked at his brother.
-"Sorry Fiver. Anyway, what's going on? Why are you waking me up in the middle of the night?"
-"Vilthuril wants to show you something. Now. She says it can't wait until morning."
Hazel got up, doing his best not to disturb his mate. As he left the burrow, he cast a last glance at her. She was still sound asleep in the middle of the burrow.
Fiver led Hazel to a small burrow; it used to be Clover's before she ran away. Vilthuril was sitting in the middle of the burrow, her fur covered with dirt. At the back of the burrow, there was a large rock, the same one that would have killed Campion a few days before had Hyzenthlay not saved him. Vilthuril pushed it into a corner, revealing a secret tunnel behind it.
-"Clover started digging this escape tunnel during her first night here. After she ran away, I've been continuing it with Nelthilta and Bluebell. It ends in the woods just beyond the spot where Prince Rainbow dumped the twig fragments after he finished inspecting the anti-detoxiculation thing...you know what I mean. That's not as far as I would have hoped, but if we run fast, we may be able to make it far from here before Prince Rainbow notices our absence."
-"I don't think this is a good idea," replied Hazel. "What if things go wrong? You saw how he nearly killed Pipkin with his fireballs earlier. He will burn us all alive!"
-"I have a bad feeling about this whole idea," came a voice from just outside the burrow. Everyone turned to see who had spoken; it was Hyzenthlay.
-"I tried not to disturb you when I left," said Hazel sadly. "I'm sorry I woke you anyway."
-"Don't blame yourself, Hazel, it's not your fault. I had a dream that we all ran away through a tunnel, and one of us was lost in the process. So I got up to investigate, and it's a good thing I did. Or something terrible would have happened."
-"Which one of us was lost?"
-"I don't remember. All I know is it wasn't Cowslip or Woundwort."
-"What do you think, Fiver?"
Fiver was in a corner of the burrow, hopping in circles, seemingly out of touch with reality. Hazel had to call out to him a few times before he finally responded.
-"Hyzenthlay is right," he said. "The tunnel looks suspiciously like the pit leading to the Black Rabbit's warren. If we use it, one of us will be lost. But I have a feeling that even if we don't use the tunnel, one of us will still be lost."
-"Which one of us?"
-"I don't know..."
-"Maybe you're both right," said Vilthuril sadly, as she pushed the rock back into the tunnel's entrance. "Maybe we shouldn't use this escape tunnel. I'll sleep on it; maybe, in the morning, we will all feel differently."
Hazel and Hyzenthlay went back to their burrow, where they lied down close to each other and fell asleep almost instantly. Fiver and Vilthuril went to their own burrow, but they had trouble going back to sleep, as Fiver was still worried about the potential risks of the tunnel.
As they left Clover's burrow, none of the four rabbits noticed the overweight rabbit who had been spying on their conversation, and sneaked away to tell General Woundwort what he had heard...
Early that morning, just as the rabbits were starting to wake up, Prince Rainbow announced a new challenge.
-"Today, you shall have to raid the garden at Nuthanger Farm, your goal being to bring as much flayrah as possible back to the warren. The winner gets to eat the two losers' flayrah in addition to their own, with the one bringing the least amount of flayrah being evicted. This time, Cowslip, Fiver and Vilthuril shall participate. You all leave now! And don't you dare stray away from the path to the farm. If you try to run away, I can promise you a quick but painful death."
He threw a fireball at Fiver and Vilthuril, and they immediately ran out of the warren to begin their journey to the farm. They were both rather anxious about the whole idea, especially after the vision Fiver had had during the night, but they didn't have much of a choice, after what Prince Rainbow had said.
Meanwhile, Prince Rainbow was scanning the various burrows, looking for the third contestant in the farm raid challenge.
-"Where is Cowslip? Where is he? Where? Where where where! If nothing else makes him show up, I might as well try to annoy him. WWHHEERREE!"
By ni-Frith, Fiver and Vilthuril had reached the farm's garden, and Vilthuril started nibbling a beautiful head of lettuce in the garden.
-"That's strange. Cowslip isn't here," she suddenly said. "I don't remember seeing him at warren either today."
-"This is not the time to worry about Cowslip!" said an alarmed Fiver. "This place stinks of humans! We have to get out of here."
-"Are you sure we really should leave? You don't know which one of us is going to be lost. Maybe it's Cowslip, and that's why he's not here. Besides, it would be a shame to leave all this flayrah to rot in the ground."
-"O Vilthuril, my dear, this place is terrible! Hyzenthlay said it wasn't Cowslip, so it may very well be one of us. And if it is someone who is still at the warren, we won't be there to help them."
She paused for a few seconds, before saying:
-"You make some valid points. Let's get out of here."
The two rabbits turned towards the lane, when they saw the farmer with his gun, hiding pitifully behind a tree. He had seen Prince Rainbow's fireballs the previous day and was on his way to investigate, when he had caught the rabbits in the act. They began running as fast as they could, but it was already too late: a shot rang out, and both rabbits collapsed.
Cowslip and Woundwort travelled all night before they finally reached the Warren of Shining Wires. When they arrived early that morning, Cowslip was surprised to find everyone above ground, but strangely, nobody was eating the flayrah.
-"What are you doing here, Cowslip?"
It was Silverweed who had spoken, and he was staring at Cowslip. The large rabbit was perplexed by this question.
-"My friends, we now have the opportunity to destroy those hostile hlessil who gave us so much trouble la-"
-"You really are mad, Cowslip. I'm going to the warren where they are, but not to destroy them. We will free them. Anyone who wishes to help is free to come."
-"Why are you all leaving? Think of everything you're just throwing away! Those lettuces, those carrots, all that flayrah..."
-"What in the name of the Black Rabbit is happening around here?" asked Woundwort, who had witnessed the entire conversation.
-"The price is too high to pay," said Silverweed. "We're through with the wire, Cowslip. It's over now. While you were gone, I managed to make everyone realize that all this is wrong."
-"No...no, that's impossible...this cannot be! Why this sudden change of attitude? Why have you all turned against me...why? Why is life so terrible? This is not happening. No...this is not happening! No! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
At that point he burst into a run, hopping as fast as if he was being chased by elil, squealing all the way.
-"What's the matter with that buck?" said a perplexed General. "Has he gone crazy or something?
-"He was crazy all his life, General Woundwort," said Silverweed simply.
-"Oh, well that expla...hey, wait a moment! How do you know my name? Oh...I assume you're that mystic rabbit Cowslip told me about? Good, I have a mission for...why are you staring at me like this? You're not seriously thinking...I am the mighty General Woundwort! I defeated even the Black Rabbit himself! You cannot penetrate my mind! You cannot defeat me! It is impo-AAAAA!"
He then collapsed to the ground, twitching and screaming as Silverweed penetrated his mind. His entire life went past his eyes, from the death of both his parents, to his own death fighting the dog the Watership Down rabbits had unleashed on him during the battle. Then he saw his life after his return from beyond, his time at Prince Rainbow's warren, and finally he saw himself inside a human building he had never seen before. With that, he lost consciousness; his body lay motionless in front of Silverweed.
At that moment, the farmer got out of his house to check the snares for victims. Silverweed shot him a quick look, at which he screamed and ran back inside his house, where he collapsed on the floor. Meanwhile, all the rabbits (except Woundwort, who was still unconscious) left the warren, hopping towards Prince Rainbow's warren.
The human was laughing, very loudly. In one hand, he held the body of a rabbit, and in the other, his gun. Next to him was General Woundwort, smiling cruelly.
-"No! Please don't take her! Take me, but leave her, please!" begged Fiver, who was standing in front of the human.
-"Nah, I wont, see? I wont! Ill tek er and you too! I only got som o er fur, but I want er whole! An I want all dem bunnies! Ill tek em all! All of em! Just tray an stop meh!"
-"No! You have to let her go!"
The human continued laughing and just as he was about to shoot the rabbit in his hand, a rainbow fell on his head. He screamed, and started pulling at his neck, which was now caught in a shining wire. The wire kept getting tighter, until it cut his head off. It fell on the General, crushing him with a gruesome noise.
Fiver woke up. The human and the General were gone. It was all just a dream, but a really terrifying one. He turned around and saw his beloved Vilthuril, lying on her side. Further away in the grass, he could see a little black stone, just like the ones Kehaar had removed from Hazel's leg the previous summer. Only then did he remember what had happened, how they had gone to raid the farm and the farmer had shot at them. He must have gone tharn and blacked out as the farmer fired. He immediately ran over to Vilthuril.
-"Vilthuril! Vilthuril how badly are you hurt?"
The doe opened her eyes and looked at her mate.
-"I'm all right..."
-"The human shot you! Look at the black stone over there."
She got up and shook herself.
-"I think it just scratched me. I'm not really hurt."
-"Thank Frith you're all right. I don't know what I would have done if you had stopped running."
-"I'm sorry I didn't listen to your warnings earlier. We might have avoided this whole situation if I had."
-"There is no point in regretting the past. Let's just take some lettuce and go back to the warren, before the human returns."
The two rabbits ran back to the garden. Each took a small head of lettuce, and bolted away. Once they were a safe distance from the farm, they decided to take a break to nibble their flayrah. The leaves were soft and tender; it was the best thing that had happened to them since they had first arrived at Prince Rainbow's warren.
-"Fiver dear, while I was unconscious back then," said Vilthuril, "I felt something. I don't know how to describe it, it was an idea, a really crazy one, but it is absolutely true. I know it"
-"I know what you mean, Vilthuril. I've had a few ideas like this over the seasons. What did you feel?"
-"I think I know why Prince Rainbow brought us to that warren."
-"I have been wondering that ever since Kehaar brought us there. Why?"
-"You see, it's..."