A rabbit and a mouse were walking along their usual trail along the riverbank. The young doe, Rosebud was holding onto her friend Hannah's tail with her mouth, as her guide-mouse-for-the-blind led her along. Rosebud and Hannah lived in a run-down warren called Thinial, located on the northern bank of, what centuries ago, had been known as the Enborne River. Although once a peaceful and flourishing warren, the rabbits of Thinial now led anything but a happy life.
Rosebud wasn't a native of Thinial; instead, she had been born at a nearby warren called Sandleford, the only doe in a litter of five. Her parents Walnut and Tulip, as well as her brothers Hazel, Fiver, Peanut and Almond had been easy-going outskirters, leading relatively easy lives. As kittens, her siblings would spend most of their time enjoying the company of their friends, mostly fellow outskirters, as well as each other. Rosebud however, had gone as far as to befriend Silver, the nephew of the Chief Rabbit himself.
Although interactions between the elite class and the outskirters were highly discouraged due to social discriminations, the aristocratic rabbit valued his friendship with the outskirter doe more than his social status, which had been thrust upon his shoulders against his will by his family. In spite of his mother's, not to mention his uncle's, disapproval, Silver would often sneak out with some other of his aristocratic friends, who also shared their positive view of outskirters, to play with Rosebud and her brothers.
Despite being forced to keep their friendship a secret from Silver's strict parents, Rosebud and her friends used to get into a lot of mischief together, sometimes even sneaking out of the warren and tailing the Owsla patrols. Back then, Rosebud had regarded her life as perfect. Unfortunately, her happiness had been extremely short-lived.
When she had still been a kitten, a ferocious stranger had come to Sandleford and under, what later was revealed to be, false pretences, sought to form an 'alliance' with the Threarah, who had been absent at the time, on an expedition. Before the stranger could be accommodated however, the Threarah had returned, battered and exhausted, exposing him as a murderous enemy that had murdered the rest of his party and had come to infiltrate their warren. This enemy from the infamous Dark Territory, who called himself General Woundwort, was brutally driven out, but not before swearing cruel revenge.
Sure enough, not long thereafter, as if by supernatural means, the whole area was under attack by an outbreak of White Blindness. All local flees and ticks quickly became carriers of the plague and any rabbits bitten became victims. Thinial, located closest to the river, where those pests flourished best, was the first to fall; a few sick survivors had fled to Sandleford, unintentionally bringing the plague with them from the host flees still nesting in their ears.
Soon, Sandleford was also on the verge of annihilation. With the host flees multiplying uncontrollably in the warm summer weather, bucks, does and kittens alike were dropping like flies; starting with high fever and loss of appetite, the disease would then cause ulcers, tumours and finally blindness and loss of smell. Those lucky to succumb to the disease had been far better off than those who survived it, only to be left almost entirely helpless, as well as a potential threat for any healthy rabbits around them.
In a desperate attempt to save his warren, the Threarah was forced to make the bitter decision to have everyone infected driven out, to control the epidemic. A large group of sick rabbits, blind or going blind, including poor Rosebud, were forced to leave the warren to die, leaving devastated friends and family behind to mourn them.
The last thing Rosebud ever saw, shortly before her vision had left her forever, were the heartbroken faces of her parents and brothers, and even Silver, watching her walking away to certain death. The memory of her hysteric mother, screaming at her to come back, while her tearful father and the Owsla scouts restrained her, still haunted her. Unbeknownst to her, she had died of shock not long thereafter, when her mate and two Owsla-enlisted sons were killed during a disastrous raid.
Utterly hopeless, the sick rabbits had quickly lost the last of their vision and sense of smell, got separated and were soon picked off by elil. Blind and alone, Rosebud had wondered hopelessly for hours, terrified and expecting to die, with the distant sounds of the elil circling her. Then, she had been found by an adult rabbit, who introduced herself as non other than Silver's mother Flyairth, another of the exiled infected. Recognising her as her son's friend, the former elite rabbit had taken pity on her and, putting aside her once discriminating agenda, had taken her under her wing.
The two of them, along with former Captain Broom of the Sandleford Owsla, as well as several others that still hadn't lost their sight completely, managed to reach the deserted Thinial, where they found sanctuary from the elil and the elements.
After a while, the disease had run its cycle and the worst was over; a few more of their group had succumbed to the fever but the rest had recovered, but left permanently blind and with no sense of smell, the most crucial gift Frith had bestowed upon rabbits. However, with Flyairth's fierce determination to keep them alive, they had slowly adjusted to a new life at Thinial. After assessing their seemingly desperate situation, they had slowly found ways to cope with their disability and learn a new way of life.
Flyairth had been appointed Chieftess of Thinial, the first known doe leader in history, given that Lapine society was always known to be male-dominated. Yet, because of her restless dedication to help them all readjust to life rather than die, it was agreed that she deserved the title. Captain Broom, the only exiled rabbit who had recovered, retaining his sight and sense of smell due to some unknown natural immunity, but still remained a carrier of the disease, had been appointed the rehabilitation trainer of the warren, teaching the blind how to coordinate themselves using only touch and hearing. Often, he would also be the one sent out to recover rabbits that had gotten lost after wandering off their marked trails.
With the arrival of Hannah and her mother, he had found a couple of useful assistants, each assigned to be the eyes and nose of a training rabbit. Also, as per Captain Broom's instructions, the mice were also able to point out edible vegetation to the blind, as well as teach them how to identify it by feeling the texture. This gave everyone the ability to venture greater distances from the warren, enlightening their confinement, as well as helping them gain greater independence.
Hannah had been appointed Rosebud's personal caregiver and the two had become close friends over the years. Flyairth-rah, who had developed a deep fondness for Rosebud, probably because she was the only remaining link to her son, whose fate she knew nothing about, had become her guardian and raised her as her own. Now, as an adolescent, she and Hannah would spend a lot of time together, often going on long walks along the riverbank, discussing make-belief prospects for the future. Although, deep down, Rosebud knew all too well that she had no chance of ever regaining her eyesight or sense of smell, let alone be a normal rabbit again, she refused to let go of the dream of returning home someday.
Ever since she had been driven out of her home warren, leaving her parents, brothers, and friends - particularly Silver - behind, her painful memories, which was all she had left to penetrate the odourless blackness she now resided in, was pure torture for the young doe. Although Hannah, her 'Aunt' Flyairth and Captain Broom continuously urged her to forget her past, lest it only cause her more pain, Rosebud couldn't help but dwell on her dreams of being a normal rabbit again; to be able to see the beauties of life, be able to mate and have kittens, to see her friends and family again, to be fully independent again…
Today was a day like any other; after morning flayrah, Rosebud and Hannah had set off on their routine walk along the riverbank. Because of her disability, Flyairth had forbidden Rosebud to wonder off the trail and ordered her to stay close to the river at all times. From Captain Broom's disability training, she had learned to find her way around by using the river; when the sound was on her left, she knew she was moving away from the warren and when it was on her right, she was moving towards it. But if she moved away from the river into the woods, out of earshot of the water, would leave her entirely dependant on Hannah to guide her back. Despite her protests, Flyairth, over-protective of her adoptive niece, had bluntly refused to let her venture beyond the boundaries of the woods and ordered Hannah to make sure that rule remained enforced at all times.
Although fully aware that if something happened to Hannah, she would be left stranded and easy prey for the elil, Rosebud, sick of the same trail, had finally managed to persuade her friend to take her for a brief 'extended' walk, without her Aunt Flyairth knowing. Although Hannah had been hesitant, fully aware of the consequences if something happened, her sympathy for her young friend, who had been so wrongly deprived of her happiness in life, finally won out. After making Rosebud promise that she would stick with her all the way and not try anything foolish, the two friends left the river trail and headed into the woods, into unfamiliar territory.
"Think we'll find where those rats come from?" Rosebud asked as they walked along, a hesitant Hannah leading the way. For a while now, Thinial was under assault from a highly unwelcome pest: a swarm of black rats had stumbled across the warren and finding the rabbits blind and without a sense of smell, had marked the warren as their area of invasion. These wretched creatures were ruthless, attacking either at night or in the middle of the day, biting rabbits out on silflay, stealing what little food they had from the burrows, or simply harassing their victims for sport. With all the Thinial rabbits blind and powerless to confront the rats, either by sight or scent, the rats would torment them without end; even Captain Broom, who was getting on his years, was unable to keep them at bay for long.
So far, any efforts to locate the den had been fruitless, forcing the rabbits to sleep close at night, guarding their precious little food with their lives, and living in fear. To add to their misery, with the rats constantly swarming the warren, Captain Broom had privately expressed concern to Flyairth that they might soon attract elil, which would spell out their doom.
"How should I know Rosebud? Careful, you don't lose your grip on my tail now!" Hannah snapped, cross at her friend's stubborn recklessness, "What we are doing is stupid and dangerous Rosebud! If your aunt finds out, she'll have my ears for this! Mind you, she'd have my life if something happens to you on my watch!" Rosebud sighed in exasperation.
"Oh, come on Hannah, where is your sense of adventure? When we were children, you were the one urging me to make the most of life…"
"I had only just grown my first fur then," Hannah snapped indignantly, "I was young and foolish; but I got a brain after that incident with the hornet hive!" Rosebud couldn't help but snort at the memory, remembering her friend's moaning and complaints as her mother had picked the loose stings of the hornets that had stung her. They had been playing Rolling Acorn at the time, with Hannah picking and throwing acorns for Rosebud to catch blindly, using her hearing, when she had accidentally disturbed the hive, causing the hornets to go into a feeding frenzy. Hannah narrowed her eyes at the memory, "Well, ha ha, very funny! Come on, we are supposed to return to the warren before nightfall."
A little way further, they came to a meadow. Rosebud looked skywards, her sightless eyes staring vacantly at the sun, "I feel the warmth of Frith; how I wish I could see His light again…" But Hannah, who had full use of her eyesight, suddenly had her eyes pinned to the sky; flying over the trees on the horizon was a strange-looking creature, unlike anything she had ever seen before. It looked like some sort of bird, with white wings and a tail, yet didn't seem to flap them as it flew along. Rosebud, noticing her friend's silence, nudged her to get her attention, "What's the matter Hannah?"
"I don't know dear. It looks like some strange bird…" Rosebud felt alarmed; for rabbits, a 'bird' usually meant flying elil, which were second best killers to the White Blindness. But Hannah's voice sounded more confused than fearful, "I've never seen anything quite like it before. Where did that thing come from…?" Unfortunately, in the distraction with the 'mysterious bird', which was Jamie's glider, the two friends had let their guard down. That instant lack of vigilance was a big mistake; without warning, the screeching sound of an attacking hawk sounded above their heads, as the flying monster swooped down on them for the kill.
Rosebud didn't see it happen; she only heard the screech of the hawk, the whooshing of its wings, followed by the agonizing screams of Hannah as the hawk snatched her guide-mouse away. Panic struck instantly; Rosebud broke into a run, blindly running for cover. Ducking into the foliage on the edge of the meadow, she curled up into a ball, feeling her heart beating wildly against her chest with fear, expecting the hawk to make another run and take her too. But it never happened; only the sound of the breeze and the singing of distant birds could be heard. Soon, her fear gave way to guilt.
Hannah was dead because of her; all because of her desire for a little fun. If she had taken her Aunt Flyairth's warnings of the danger of her disability more seriously, this never would have happened. Now her only friend from her exile was gone, devoured by that monster. And, to make matters worse, because she was off the trail, now she was lost, unable to make her way back to the warren alone. Her stomach bottomed out as she realised, with sick dread, she was now a sitting duck for elil.
Fighting the urge to be sick, tears of fear and guilt pouring from her milk-white eyes, she tried to get a grip on herself and think straight. She knew that if she didn't return to the warren by nightfall, Flyairth would send Captain Broom out to look for her and Hannah. But with her being off the trail, he would of course find nothing and assume they were lost. And what was the likelihood of an aged, semi-cynical rabbit, who could barely walk anyone, to track her down out here? There was no other way to put it; she was lost and alone, with the prospect of being eaten by the elil that came out hunting after sunset. Without her sense of smell and her vision, she was helpless as a kitten, with the Black Rabbit coming for her.
Cursing herself in frustration and self-hatred for her inability to save herself, as well as for her recklessness that had landed her in this mess in the first place, not to mention having cost the life of the friend, Rosebud made up her mind. Helpless and in a hopeless situation as she was, she wasn't going to give up so easily; if she just sat there, waiting to be saved or to die, she would be letting Hannah to have died in vain. Although she had no idea how she was going to do it, she would make her way to safety…or die trying.
Fuelled with determination for the seemingly impossible task, she set off. Struggling to remember the way she had come and reverse it in her mind, she made her way through the woods, ignoring the thorns and brambles brushing against her face and fur, keeping her ears extended for the sound of the river. For a while, she got nowhere and feared she was going round in circles. Then, after what seemed like hours, just when she was about to give up hope, she finally heard it; the distant sound of water. The river was back within her hearing range; safety was close! Now if she could only reach the riverbank and follow it downstream, she would reach the warren. In spite of her relief, her heart sank at the thought of Hannah and what the others would think of her when she told them what had happened.
Suddenly, as she neared the river, she heard something that sent chills down her spine; the squeaking of approaching rats. The same rats that had been molesting the warren for the past few moons were returning for another assault and she was currently standing right in their path! Before she could decide in which direction to run, she felt a small creature latch itself onto her shoulders, chewing away at her ear. Screaming at the pain and feeling the blood from her torn ear pouring down her cheek, she struggled furiously, trying to shake the rat off. The excited squeaking in the distance told her there was probably a whole crowd of them approaching.
Breaking into a run, she fled into the direction of the river, the rat in hot pursuit. For a healthy rabbit, which had eyesight and a good sense of smell to dodge its attacks, a rat wouldn't pose any significant threat; but in Rosebud's case, the foul creature had her entirely at its mercy. A crowd of them would certainly kill her and then feast on her remains! Before she knew what was happening, the rat was upon her again, this time going for her neck.
Suddenly, without warning, she heard a fierce growl and felt the rat being torn from her shoulder by another assailant; the painful screeching told her the rat was being viciously mauled. Cold dread built up inside her as she recognised the barks of a dog; undoubtedly, all the commotion and the smell of her blood had attracted elil. The panicked squeaking in the background told her, the rest of the rats, also having sensed the dog, were fleeing. Now it was only a matter of time before it finished with the rat and turned its attention to her.
Silently praying for Frith's help, she backed away, trying to put as much space as possible between herself and the eli. Unfortunately, in her state of terror, she had forgotten another very important danger Captain Broom had warned her about: the river! Before she could realise her mistake, the damage was done. Losing her footing, she fell over the edge of a ledge and plummeted into the churning water.
Fear, unlike anything she had ever experienced before, struck, as she felt the cold water engulf her and start dragging her along. Rabbits by nature aren't very good swimmers; and Rosebud, who had never been in open water in her life, but had heard so many stories of blind rabbits falling in and drowning because they couldn't find their way out, could no longer control her panic. She let out a scream for help, one that was instantly gagged by the water, which started pouring down her throat, causing her to choke and splutter. Feeling herself drowning, Rosebud realised it was all over for her; she was going to die, but at least she will have done her best to save herself.
Silently, she blessed her parents and brothers who undoubtedly believed her long dead, if they weren't dead themselves; soon, her suffering of being helpless and exiled would be over. Before the water in her lungs caused her to slip into unconsciousness, she felt something grab hold of her ears… Then, she knew no more.
After what seemed like forever, Rosebud felt herself return to consciousness; the first thing she realised was that she couldn't breathe. As she tried to take a breath, she instantly felt a chocking fit erupt in her throat from the water she had swallowed, which was obstructing her airway. As she coughed and spluttered, she felt something slap her on the back, helping her choke up the water and breathe normally. Panting for air, she suddenly realised, to her utmost amazement, she was back on dry land, tucked beneath something warm and cosy, almost as good as her mother's embrace. What had happened? Was she dead and in the afterlife? Then why was she still blind and without her sense of smell, since the dead were supposedly reborn in eternally young, healthy bodies after dying?
Her confusion was broken at the sound of two concerned voices speaking in Hedgerow beside her. One was an unfamiliar male one, which sounded rather young. Had some passing hlessi saved her? Finally finding her voice, she muttered, "Where…Who is there?" The sound of the second voice nearly took her breath away as she realised it belonged to non other than…
"Hannah?!"
"Rest heart-sister," said Hannah's southing voice, nuzzling her under the chin, "I am here now." Rosebud felt as if she was losing her mind as she realised her friend was indeed still alive, "I… I thought you were dead! Oh Hannah, I am so sorry," she said, her pain of guilt once again building up inside her, "I should have listened to you…"
"It's all right dear," Hannah said warmly, not showing the least anger for endangering her life, "No harm done; mind you, I would have become a meal for that monster if it hadn't been for this strange fellow, who also saved you from the water. I want you to meet him…" At this, Rosebud remembered the second voice. Who was this stranger who had apparently saved both her and Hannah? Remembering her dangerous condition and the warnings by Flyairth that an infected rabbit could easily pass on the Blindness to others, Rosebud felt alarmed.
"Hannah, you shouldn't have let a hlessi help me! I might have gotten him infected too…" To her utmost surprise and outrage, Hannah only laughed. "What, you think this is funny? I thought I knew you better than that…!" she snapped. Recovering from her laughter, Hannah explained.
"He isn't a rabbit, Rosebud. Dear, our saviours are non other that an ithe who can speak Hedgerow and his dog…" That was the wrong thing to say for, in an instant, Rosebud had leapt to her feet in terror. An ithe and a dog were standing beside her? Although she had never actually seen a human in her life, her parents, as well as her Aunt Flyairth used to tell her many terrifying stories of these strange, brutal creatures, which were often referred to as 'masters of the Thousand' because of the grave threat they posed to rabbits. She had heard of many rabbits that had had the misfortune of witnessing their savagery and ability to kill up close, who claimed that if there was anything to be feared of more than the White Blindness, it was the ithel.
In spite of her fear however, Rosebud suddenly realised what Hannah had just said. Talking ithe? But that was impossible! Talking humans were only heard of in stories Flyairth and her mother used to tell her as a kitten. On the other hand, this human standing before her didn't seem to be acting hostile in any way. Undoubtedly, he had had her at his mercy while she had been unconscious, yet he hadn't ripped her to pieces as one would expect. And that dog of his that had tackled the rat; had he sent his dog to protect her?
Sure enough, she suddenly felt the human gently caressing her between the ears and realised the stranger was standing right in front of her. She cringed, her instinct shouting at her to claw at his hand and bolt, but the sound of his voice kept her petrified in amazement, "It's all right, I am not going to hurt you!"
Having been living with Hannah since childhood, Rosebud knew good Hedgerow; although she rarely used it and even Hannah had become accustomed to communicating in Lapine, she knew enough to understand what this strange human was saying to her. There was no doubt about it; this human could actually talk and think like her, and apparently had no ill intentions. Finally, her curiosity overpowered her fear and, hesitantly, replied in Hedgerow, "Who…who are you?" Before the human could formulate any sort of response however, another voice sounded from nearby.
"Rosebud, where are you? Answer me!"
The sound of the voice was a source of relief for Rosebud, as she recognised it as Captain Broom's; help had arrived for her and Hannah! But then she remembered the human standing before her. Having known the aged Captain of Owsla all her life, although she knew him to be kind-hearted, if not a bit of a bore with his storytelling, she also knew him to be highly suspicious of strangers, possibly as a result of the incident with Woundwort, for which he still blamed himself to this day. The sight of a human near her would definitely be something to stir up his warrior instincts. Sure enough, she heard a rustling in some nearby bushes, followed by some swift running and then the human gave a loud yell of pain as the aged rabbit tackled him to the ground.
"Get away from her you damned beast of Inle!" Captain Broom roared, giving the human a fierce hind-leg kick that sent him flying, "Hannah, get Rosebud out of here now! I'll keep him busy…" Suddenly, Rosebud heard an angry roar, followed by Captain Broom's own roar; the dog, defensive of its master, had launched itself at Broom and the two were engaged in a furious fight. Although neither was strong enough to kill one another, painful blows, bites and clawing were exchanged, with Hannah trying to break up the scuffle, "Captain Broom, stop! He isn't a threat!"
Throwing the dog off of him, Captain Broom got to his feet, panting and bruised. His aged eyes, one of which was lined with a cataract, shone with fearless determination, as he stood in front of Rosebud and Hannah, shielding them from the dog, "When I say, run for the warren! Don't wait for me…" But Rosebud, finally having regained her confidence, stood forward, "No, Captain, please listen to me! That ithe just saved my life and Hannah's. He is not a threat…" At this, Captain Broom's shocked expression turned furious.
"What! You mean to tell me, you willingly approached this foul creature? Have you lost your minds, both of you? He could have killed you! And what in Frith's name are you blabbering about, 'he saved your lives'?"
"I…We wondered off the trail," Rosebud explained, earning her another frown from Captain Broom, "And Hannah was snatched away by a hawk. She claims this human saved her." Broom turned to stare at Hannah, who showed him the band-aids dressing the scratches on her haunch, "I can vouch for Rosebud's story, Captain Broom," the mouse said, "One of those rats had her cornered and this human – his name is Jamie – sent his dog ahead to drive off her assailants."
"In the commotion, I panicked, tripped and fell into the river," Rosebud continued, causing the aged rabbit to gasp in shock, "And if it hadn't been for this stranger, the Black Rabbit would have me now!" Captain Broom's face softened somewhat, as he turned to look at Snitter, who stood in a protective stance in front of his unconscious master, glaring dangerously at the aged rabbit, as if daring him to come any closer.
"But…I saw that human about to seize you by the throat! And that dog certainly doesn't give me the impression of meaning no harm!" he retorted, wincing at the bites Snitter had given him in the fight.
"Well, you did attack his friend," Hannah said, as-a-matter-of-factly, "What did you expect?" Although Captain Broom was beginning to realise his mistake, as well as taking in Jamie's peculiar appearance, which was unlike any human he had ever seen before, he still had serious doubts, "I don't like this. Let's just go; he can go his own way when he wakes…" Unfortunately, neither Rosebud nor Hannah were satisfied with the idea.
"You mean we leave him here like this?" Hannah protested, "He won't survive the night out here if he can't defend himself! Even his dog can't protect him from the elil!" Of course, Broom, understanding where they were getting at, looked outraged, "There is no way we are taking this…this ithe back to the warren with us! If he learns the location, he could easily lead the rest of his tribe there! We wouldn't stand a chance against an invasion. No, it is simply out of the question!" he said with a firm air of finality. Before Rosebud and Hannah could continue arguing however, another voice sounded from the footpath that led to the warren.
"Captain Broom? What's all the commotion about?" A large, aged female rabbit had emerged from the foliage; like the other Thinialns, Flyairth was blind and sickly-looking, with greying, once silvery-white fur, which resembled her brother and children's. Despite her advanced age and poor health, even a retard could sense the strong authority that radiated from the Chieftess of the quarantine colony.
Although she rarely left the warren anymore due to her old age, her concern for her people's well-being remained as strong as ever. Over time, she, like her friends, had also adjusted to making her way around using only her hearing and touch, something she could manage better than anyone. Displaying not even the faintest signs of being blind, excluding her milk-white eyes, Flyairth made her way up to the others, "What in Frith's name is going on here? And where you been Rosebud?"
"It seems our dear young Rosebud decided to get into some mischief today and had a strange encounter…" Captain Broom explained sternly, as he told his Chieftess what had happened. Flyairth nearly uttered a gasp of terror and surprise at the mention of a 'talking ithe', yet managed to maintain her composure as Captain Broom explained, with obvious disapproval of Rosebud and Hannah's actions, yet fortunately, without omitting the fact that it had been this strange human that had saved her niece and her guide mouse from certain death.
"I don't know Rosebud or Hannah to be prone to lying," he concluded, "Maybe it all happened as they said. However, I will leave it up to you to determine the appropriate action."
Flyairth frowned in silent thinking; after everything she had just heard, in contrast to Captain Broom, who thought little of it, she realised that this talking human could actually be part of a great secret of their ancestors, passed down to her through her family. If the Gift of Prince Rainbow - as the legend was known - was actually unfolding, then it was time for her to make a difficult decision: she could either follow her brother's advice and turn this human away, or she could admit him, to try and determine whether or not he was the foretold Messenger of Destiny, who was meant to resurrect the suppressed legacy of El-ahrairah, their ancestral Prince and founder of their world.
"Aunt Flyairth, please," Rosebud begged her guardian, "I have never doubted your judgement before, so could you please trust mine for once? This human had done us nothing but good when he had no obligation to risk himself on our behalf. Besides, if he's as young as Hannah says, then what threat could he possibly pose to us?"
"Even elil may appear tame when they are young," retorted Captain Broom indignantly, "But then they grow to be monstrous killers! And I wouldn't say that this runt is that young and helpless," he said, studying Jamie's form, which looked much smaller and underdeveloped than the humans he had encountered during his long career as Sandleford's Captain of Owsla, "I recall a time when the Threarah and I run foul of…"
"That's enough Captain Broom," Flyairth said flatly, before he could launch into another of his boring, exaggerating stories of his past adventures. She turned to Rosebud and Hannah, "Are you absolutely certain about this human meaning you no harm?" Both of them muttered their replies of positive belief in Jamie's trustworthiness, "Very well then. Captain Broom, we are taking this strange human back to the warren with us."
Then came the problem of actually reaching Jamie, to move him to safety; Snitter remained standing in a defensive stance between them and his master, as if protecting him from what, he now saw, as a potential threat. Sure enough, as Broom tried approaching, the fox terrier growled dangerously, causing them all to jump back in alarm.
"Let me try," Hannah suggested, "That dog has already met me and seems to have a certain…soft spot for me," she said, causing the others to raise their eyebrows.
Carefully approaching Snitter, who seemed likely to strike at any moment, she walked up to the dog and let it sniff her. For an instant, she thought he was going to grab her it its jaws and kill her; instead, it relaxed, recognising her as a friend and let her pass.
It took quite a while to persuade the vigilant dog to let them all get close to Jamie. Finally, after a while of gentle and methodical approaching, with Hannah letting herself get licked and sniffed at by the excited dog as a distraction, they finally managed to hoist Jamie onto Captain Broom's shoulders, who staggered, his aged bones creaking in protest. With Hannah riding on Snitter's shoulders, the dog circled the group restlessly, as if making sure they wouldn't snatch Jamie away from him, as they made their way downriver, towards Thinial.
Although still unconscious, Broom and Hannah had confirmed the boy was still alive, the blow he had taken to the head having only caused a mild concussion, without having penetrated the skull or blood vessels. As they made their way back to the safety of their warren, Flyairth kept questioning her decision to bring this strange, talking human into her home. While it was within every moral rabbit's code of honour to repay such a valiant favour to any stranger, it wasn't everyday that the hero was an ithe, much less a talking one. Humans were always known to be violent, dangerous creatures that couldn't be trusted; and even if this stranger was indeed the prophesized Messenger, the legend never explained whether the Gift would bring good or harm to their world. Her brother had always stressed that letting the Gift unfold meant tempting fate and that they were far better off keeping things as they were.
Personally, Flyairth, after having suffered so much in life, had little reason to trust this human, no matter how honest his intentions seemed. Her niece and Hannah might have developed a soft spot for this youngster for saving their lives, but what did they know?
Praying that her bold decision wouldn't bring a calamity upon them as her brother had always warned her, she decided to banish the fearful thoughts from her mind and focus on nursing this strange human back to health, before getting to the bottom of this business once and for all. Like her niece had requested, she would pass judgement only after observing this human for herself.
Author's note: Coming up next, Jamie meets the Thinialns. For those of you who have read Tales from Watership Down will notice that the Flyairth in this story differs from her novel counterpart, as to trusting humans. This stems from the fact that in the New World series, White Blindness is known as a natural enemy, unrelated to humans (the savages of the future don't use White Blindness against rabbits). For those of you who have read my first story will remember that Flyairth is the Threarah's sister and Silver's mother. Also, the Gift of Prince Rainbow, which involved Alan in the previous story, would be familiar to Flyairth, and think Jamie is the Messenger. Enjoy and please review!