"I'm guessing this wasn't part of your plan," Kyle said to Kenny.
"Nope," Kenny replied sadly.
It was the next morning, and Kyle, Kenny, and Stan were tied to the railroad track that they had crossed over when they first entered Efrafa. Woundwort and his officers had bound them in place with thick ropes that Woundwort had stolen from a farmer's barn a few months ago. Per Woundwort's orders, all the rabbits of Efrafa had gathered to see the fate that would befall the three heroes. Craning his neck, Stan could see Hyzenthlay and Blackavar standing in the crowd. Tears glistened in their eyes, but they didn't dare make a move to help Stan and his friends. They were afraid of what Woundwort would do to them.
"Hear all ye rabbits!" Woundwort declaimed. "These three traitors disobeyed my orders. Now ye shall witness their punishment. They refused t'help me kill the filthy humans who were ridin' the train, so now they will be killed by a train. Sure, an' ain't that a fittin' comeuppance?"
"Aye, that it is indade, Chief!" a sycophantic rabbit named Vervain called back. "Yer a grand ould one, all right!"
In the distance, a train horn sounded. Stan shut his eyes and waited for the end to come.
And yet, the next thing he felt wasn't the train running him over. Instead, he felt something crawling about on his chest. He opened his eyes again and saw a mouse standing on him. It was the same mouse his sister Shelly had saved from the kestrel! There were two other mice standing on Kyle and Kenny and they were all nibbling away at the ropes that held the rabbits in place.
General Woundwort saw what was happening. "Stop those mice! Seize them!"
But by then the mice had already finished gnawing through the bonds. They leaped off of the rabbits' stomachs and vanished into the grass. Stan, Kyle, and Kenny sprang to their feet and jumped off the track, just before the train came roaring by.
Fortunately, this train was a long, slow-moving goods train, and it was between them and the Efrafans, which meant that Woundwort would not be able to pursue them for a long while.
"I can't believe it!" said Kyle. "We've escaped!"
"All thanks to the mice," said Stan.
A mouse's head popped out of the ground at his feet. "I told ya," the mouse said. "You 'elped a mouse, and now we 'elp you."
"But how did you even know we were here?" Stan wondered.
"Oh, my sister 'as funny dreams," said the mouse. "Rather like ya friend Butters. She sees things that are gonna 'appen inna foocher. Now get movin' afore ol' Roundwart catch ya agin!" He disappeared underground.
Stan smiled. "Roundwart, that's a good name for him. All right, guys, you heard the mouse. Let's go!"
They took off running, back toward South Down. They hadn't gone far when they saw Kehaar. High in the sky was Kehaar cruising. When he saw the three friends below him, he flew down to meet them. "So, you escaped?" he said.
Kenny nodded. "Yeah, but it all went wrong and now they're out for our blood."
"Vell, you'll never outrun dem on land. But dere's another vay. Not far from 'ere, dere is a poat."
"What's a poat?" Kyle asked.
Kehaar cocked his head irritably. "You know. Poat, poat! Sail on vater!"
"I think he means a boat," Stan said.
"Ya, ya!" Kehaar squawked. "De poat is by de river. You sail avay in dat und Voundvort neffer catch you!"
"Okay!" said Stan. "Lead us to it!"
Kehaar took off flying north, and the rabbits followed. Soon they came to a riverbank. Just as Kehaar had said, a rowboat was moored beside it.
"And this river will take us back home?" Stan said.
"Ya," said Kehaar. "Follow de river vest until you come to a vaterfall. Den get out de boat und valk south, und you vill come right to de big hill."
"Sounds pretty straightforward," said Kyle. They started to push the boat into the water. While they were pushing, General Woundwort and a bunch of his officers came running up.
"Halt right there!" Woundwort yelled.
"Sorry, but we've got a pressing engagement elsewhere," Stan said.
The boat slid into the water, and Stan and his friends jumped into the boat just before Woundwort and his cronies could grab them. Kehaar fluttered onto the prow of the boat like a figurehead. As they sailed away, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny looked back at Woundwort, dancing with rage on the riverbank. In perfect unison, they all put their middle fingers up at him.
"So long, General Roundwart!" Stan called.
Woundwort's curses gradually faded away as they got farther and farther from him.