Chapter 240: Challenge to Darkhaven.
"[...] went and looked at the notice board again they discovered an noticed paper [...]"
-Kisshu, Running from the world
Orchis was in a good mood. His discussion with Woundwort had gone well, and he was praised for a job well-done. The battle would be happening the next day, and it would be glorious. He had great plans to celebrate this momentous occasion. Recently, he had stumbled upon a glass bottle in an abandoned burrow. There were a few small cracks, allowing him to smell the dried plant inside; it was like the most exquisite flayrah. He saved it for a special occasion; surely this qualified.
After smashing the bottle, he spent several minutes sniffing the plant, the scent now even more intoxicating, before finally taking a bite; this was unlike anything he had ever tasted before. He couldn't help himself, and took another bite. He had initially hoped that he would be able to save some of the flayrah for after the victory over the outsiders, but before he could fully process what had happened, he was down to the final leaf. Would this be enough for the next celebration? Doubtful, but surely had had had enough for one day? He was still debating the issue with himself when he started to feel dizzy.
After digging dozens of holes, Spartina collapsed in exhaustion. Working so heard without taking a break had not been such a good idea, in hindsight. But with so little time left, it had been an unfortunate necessity. And she still hadn't found what she was looking for; she would have to get back to work as soon as she was able to stand again.
Suddenly, she noticed it. That scent. She had smelled it once before: when she caught the Speaker burying the weapon. It was faint, but it was there. Probably. Unless, in her exhaustion, her nose was imagining things. But at this point, she had nothing left to lose; she would follow the scent.
Practically crawling on the ground, she soon tracked down the origin of the scent, just outside Orchis' burrow. She was ecstatic to find that this was real, she had not imagined it. The shards of glass all over the ground, a lone leaf in the middle, the expression on the captain's face...there it was, what she had been searching for all this time. But as she paid closer attention, she found herself dismayed. That was why she had not been able to find it: because Orchis already had. And worst of all, he had been eating it! He was NOT supposed to do that! She did not know what the side effects of this would be for him, but she knew what it meant for her: doom. She would not be able to carry out her planned mission.
-"Yo Sparta!" Orchis said, as he started to laugh. "You have some lettuce in your ear."
Spartina was so downtrodden over this that she was not paying attention to Orchis' words; they only registered when approached her ear and opened his mouth, ready to bite off her feather. She roughly shoved him away in response.
-"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
Suddenly, the Speaker of the Past arrived out of nowhere. Spartina did not see her approaching, as she was facing the other way; but Orchis did see her, slowly descending from the sky before hopping over to him. While this was highly unnatural, he did not quite realize this, due to the state he was in.
-"Have you been eating this?" the Speaker asked.
-"I have, it's delicious!" Orchis proudly shouted. "I would offer you some, but there's hardly any left..."
-"Do you know what this means?"
-"No. What does it mean?"
-"You are going to DIE!" the Speaker suddenly shouted.
-"Die?" Orchis repeated in disbelief.
-"DIE!"
-"Die!?"
-"DIE!"
-"Let me get this straight. Am I really going to die?"
-"YES, you will DIE!"
-"I'm going to die..."
-"DIE!"
-"I'm going to die..."
-"DIE!"
Spartina did not know how to react. The Speaker, whose speech was usually calm and monotone, was suddenly shouting at Orchis that he was going to die. But she had more pressing matters. Her last hope had just been shattered, the weapon was a bust: rather than rendering everyone harmless, it would merely kill one rabbit, while still leaving hrair others. An attack against Watership Down was inevitable. She had tried her best to prevent it, but clearly, her best wasn't good enough. All she could do now was warn her friends. Woundwort said that he would only lead the attack at dawn, giving her a head start.
And she wouldn't be going alone.
Lady May was sleeping in her burrow, when someone violently shook her.
-"Wake up!"
-"Oh, please...let me sleep..." she mumbled. "It's the only pleasure I still have in this horrible life..."
-"I understand that sleep is pleasant," Spartina said, "but we need to go. Now."
-"What's the big rush?"
-"Woundwort is going to war, and he expects you to be ready to fight."
-"But...but...I don't know how to fight!"
-"Exactly, so I want to bring you to a safe place before the battle begins. You don't want to die, do you?"
This was followed by a lengthy pause: it seemed that Lady May was seriously considering the question.
-"Oh for Frith's sake..." Spartina mumbled. "Come on, let's go."
-"Where are we going?"
-"I told you: to a safe place."
-"What place? Aaah!"
Lady May had hardly left the burrow that she stumbled, her paw still weak and unstable. It was clear to Spartina that she would need help to make it all the way to Watership Down.
-"Climb on my back," she offered.
-"WHAT!?"
-"You heard me. If you can't walk, I'll have to carry you."
-"Ew!" Lady May looked away in disgust.
-"What's wrong?"
-"I don't want to lie on your back, that's twisted!"
Spartina was both confused and annoyed. What was so twisted about this? Why was she wasting her time trying to save someone who clearly didn't want to be saved?
-"Fine, stay here. Good luck with the war."
As Spartina hopped away, Lady May became worried. She had not expected Spartina to just leave her there, she thought that the doe would come up with another solution. But now that Spartina was leaving without her, what would happen? Would she be forced to fight? Would she die? As painful as her life had become recently, she did not feel ready to cross over to the other side just yet. She tried to catch up with Spartina, but because she could only crawl, the gap between them was rapidly widening; she was about to start crying.
-"Wait!" she called out desperately.
Spartina stopped, and turned around: had Lady May changed her mind? Did she suddenly want to be rescued?
-"What do you want?"
-"You can carry me..." Lady May said.
-"And you won't complain?"
-"I won't, I promise."
-"Climb on."