In the dark of night, five soaked and exhausted figures emerged from the river: Jamie, Kenny, Celandine, Hickory and Marigold dragged themselves onto the shore, the boys struggling frantically to salvage what little was left of their equipment, which had washed ashore with them.
After going over the edge of the weir, the group had barely managed to escape being swallowed up by grabbing hold onto each other, until they had been washed up onto a sandbank further downriver. Everything they had been carrying in the dingy, including the boat itself, had been lost, save for Jamie's nearly empty survival pouch and anything else the boys had been carrying in their pockets at the time. But that was nothing compared to their greatest loss of all…
"Hannah? Where is Hannah?" Jamie asked, suddenly realising that his little friend was nowhere to be seen. His companions' faces all fell, as they realised the obvious: the mouse, being the smallest of them all, and thus the most vulnerable, had been swept away by the water when they had gone over the weir, and drowned.
The boy sank to his knees, overwhelmed with sorrow. Hannah had been the first friend he had made in this future world, and by far the closest, always looking out for him with her encouragement, high spirit, and gentle nature. Now, because of his utter stupidity in not thinking of grabbing hold of her back there, she was gone. He sat, running his hands through his hair in silent misery, wondering how would he explain what had happened to Rosebud, if he ever brought back help for her?
The moment of silence was broken by Kenny, who grabbed his friend by the shoulders, "Dude, I know this might sound cruel, but you must put Hannah out of your mind right now – the mourning can wait for later. We have to pull ourselves together and fast; we still have a long way to go. Are you listening to me?" Jamie slowly looked up at his friend, fighting the urge to yell at him to bugger off, as the truth sank in. Hannah was lost and there was nothing he could do about it; and meanwhile, he still had the responsibility Ash had assigned to him, of getting his remaining companions to safety.
Using his entire self-will to pulling himself together, Jamie finally stood up, resuming command of his party, "All right, it's too dark to carry on, on foot. We'll spend the night here and continue on to Watership Down in the morning."
Taking shelter in some thickets, the boys started taking inventory of what they had left of their equipment: Going through his kit, Jamie found only the survival tin, containing the flints, marker, whistle, fishing hooks and saw-wire, and his flashlight. He still had his Swiss Army knife, safely tucked in its holster in his belt, much to his relief. His cell phone and survival guide were also safe, by being wrapped in a waterproof plastic bag. As for Ken, he still had his prized pocketknife from the time capsule and his mother's picture, which had been badly smudged by the water, much to his dismay.
The time capsule and all its precious contents had been lost, including the pager containing their map to the HAB, and all that other useful information they might have needed. Although Jamie had found the device in his pocket, it was dead, shorted-out by the water, proving that even this state-of-the-art futuristic technology was quite vulnerable after all. Worst still, Kenny discovered their matches had also been ruined, leaving them shivering wet out in the open, with nothing to keep lurking predators at bay.
Finally, they resorted to huddling close together under a blanket of leaves, cringing at the hooting sounds of circling owls, unable to sleep, despite their exhaustion. That was until Jamie resorted to trying his flints from the tin he had taken from the chopper debris field. Never having used flints before, always being reliant on matches or a lighter during his camping trips with his father, it took quite a bit of experimenting, as well as a couple of bruised fingers, before he finally got it right.
Soon, they had a roaring campfire going and the boys were able to hang out their wet clothes on overhead branches to dry. Wearing only his trousers, Jamie sat beside Hickory and Marigold, as they struggled to make themselves comfortable for the night. The pair huddled up close to him, freely enjoying his company now that they were free of Cowslip's control. In spite of his grief for Snitter, Willow, and Hannah, and even Nose-in-the-Air, whose sacrifice had gotten them out of that death trap alive, Jamie couldn't help but admire his new friends' friendliness.
"You know, that was a very brave thing you did for us back there; at best, we had hoped that you would listen to our warning and leave, find your father, and pass our appeal for help on to him. You could have been killed tonight…" Jamie only smiled at Hickory's praise.
"Don't mention it Hickory, I wasn't about to leave you two at Cowslip's mercy. If anything, I am sorry I couldn't save your other friends as well…" Although the two rabbits couldn't find the words to reassure him on this one, given that, technically, it had been Jamie's interference that had caused Cowslip to snap and decide to sacrifice his people as a whole, rather than see them go free. Still, even the survival of just Hickory and Marigold felt somewhat comforting, that all these deaths hadn't been for naught; and the two rabbits had made a personal vow to themselves to make their friends' sacrifice count.
The following morning, the trek resumed. Instead of going on the way they had originally planned – by following the river downstream, which Jamie remembered passed through the vicinity of the Down -, he and Kenny had decided on a quicker route: by diverting away from the river, which went round in a circle to the west, they'd walk in a straight line to the southeast, saving them several miles – assuming of course, they didn't miss the Down on the way.
Sure enough, by midday, when they still hadn't caught sight of Watership Down, the terrain looking entirely unfamiliar to them, Jamie was beginning to question the wisdom of their idea of taking this shortcut. While back in their home time, the two boys knew this part of the countryside by heart, in this future world, everything had changed so much, there was little to no familiar landmarks left. Even their rabbit friends were of little help to them; Hickory and Marigold had never been more than a few hundred yards beyond their home warren in their lives, with Cowslip always keeping them on a short leash, and even Celandine, being a doe, had little experience in Owsla tracking.
Jamie heartedly wished Ash was still with them; following the death of Willow, they no longer had any Owsla rabbit among them, whose valuable training in navigation and combat skills would have been of great help to them now, leaving them more vulnerable than ever. But there was no turning back anymore; none of them had any choice but to keep going and hope for the best.
At noon, they stopped to rest on the edge of a vast grassland, with scattered patches of forest here and there. A hill front was visible in the far distance, which Jamie planned to inspect up close that afternoon; if they were lucky, that had to be White Hill, Watership Down, and Beacon Hill, yet he couldn't be certain until they got closer. With the rabbits on silflay, and Kenny out looking for berries they could eat, Jamie made himself comfortable in the shade under a tree, to get some rest. He was busy making another log recording in his phone, when Kenny suddenly reappeared, looking alarmed.
"What's up with you, mate?"
"There is someone out there on the meadow, over there!" Kenny panted, "A rabbit I think, I couldn't see properly…" Everybody was on their feet instantly. Who could it be? Was it their missing companions or the enemy? Celandine in particular, looking hopeful, was about to dart in the direction where Kenny had come, to see for herself, but Jamie stopped her.
"Wait with the others and stay out of sight; Ken and I will check it out." Although obviously not too happy, luckily, Celandine obeyed without argument. Picking up his knife, to use as a weapon in case there was trouble, and instructing Kenny to do the same with his, Jamie followed his friend to the edge of the meadow. Looking out to where Ken was pointing, he saw the unmistakable figure of a rabbit – two of them actually – lying side by side in the tall grass. From afar, they seemed to be either resting or crouching in a hidden position. Whatever they were, they didn't move, apparently not having noticed the boys by the trees.
Cautiously, Jamie motioned to Kenny and they crept closer. The youngest McEwen couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as they approached the unmoving figures, the hair on the back of his head prickling nervously, and he knew Kenny must also be feeling the same. Something was very wrong. And it didn't take them long to find out what, as they laid eyes on a horrible sight.
"Oh, my God…"
Lying in the grass were the slaughtered bodies of Ash and Nightshade, looking as if the wildest of predators had gotten them; their fur was stained with drying blood coming from ugly claw wounds covering them from head to toe, testifying to the aftermath of a violent struggle. There was no question what had happened; they had run foul of the Efrafans, probably ambushed, meeting the same fate as Stan Hallows.
Both of them had been disembowelled, their entrails protruding from gaping wounds, and their throats ripped out, the neck torn down to the neck bone. A ghastly puddle of semi-dried blood formed a trail in the grass beside the bodies. Their eyes and ears were missing, probably the killer's calling card mark of sorts. Flies and insects were beginning to nibble at the bodies, attracted by the smell of blood and decomposition.
No, no, no, no, no…!
For an instant, the two boys were petrified with horror; then Jamie turned away and retched all over the grass, followed by Kenny. No sooner had the vomiting stopped than an overwhelming wave of guilt swept over Jamie…again. Ash and Nightshade were dead because of him; they had been scouting out here for his father on his behalf, costing them their lives in the process. What's more, he had left Willow, Snitter and Hannah get killed on his watch; five of his companions dead, not counting Nose-in-the-Air and his own bunch who had walked out on their group because of their distrust towards him, only to meet a similarly bad end. He sunk to the ground.
Ash probably knew this would happen; that's why he didn't want me coming along… He didn't know how long he sat there before he heard the rest of their companions approaching, uttering gasps of horror at the sight of the slaughtered rabbits. He felt his insides curl up at the sound of Celandine's wail of despair as she caught sight of her murdered lover.
"Oh, no! Please, Frith, no!" Jamie couldn't even find the words to comfort her as she curled up beside Ash's broken body, sobbing her heart out. Hickory and Marigold stood petrified at the grizzly sight, undoubtedly questioning the wisdom of abandoning their old warren. Perhaps Cowslip had been right when he had warned them that venturing out here meant certain death? Before despair could break out amongst the survivors however, Kenny, who had managed to come to his senses first, spoke up.
"Guys, we can't stay here. The Efrafans might return to retrieve the bodies; we have to get the hell out of here now…!" Unfortunately, the deaths of Ash and Nightshade had taken away every ounce of hope the group had left.
"What's the point?" snapped Hickory, "We'll all be dead rabbits if we keep going! It was insane leaving in the first place…" Seeing an imminent collapse of morale, Kenny turned to the one who was supposed to preserve order here; but Jamie sat as if in a trance, fiddling with a twig, his face a blank expression of despair.
"Mate, you've got to pull yourself together and fast; we need your help if we're going to find your dad's group…"
"Give me a break Ken! Dad is dead; and I have been dragging you all on this wild goose chase long enough. My score is five now; what, you want me to improve on that by getting someone else killed?" At this Kenny lost his temper.
"Oh, we're back to that again, are we? Fine, let's say those five deaths were your fault. But if that's the case, then it's bloody well up to you to get the rest of us to safety! If we give up now, we're as good as dead…" Jamie glared at his friend furiously, fighting a strong urge to punch him.
"Since when do you know what it feels losing someone on your account Ken? Your dad treated you like trash all your life and then tried to kill you; and your mother was dead when you were still in diapers. For you, this is just a wonderful new start and all is fine with the world. Well, I have already lost my whole family over this crap and now I am leading those who decided to place their trust me to their deaths, one by one. So just shut the hell up…!"
Kenny was shocked. Although he and Jamie would have their differences every once in a while, he had never expected for one minute his best mate to say something like that; being scorned at because of his broken family background felt nothing sort of betrayal. He rounded on his friend, tightening his hands into fists, his face contorted with rage, "Why, you piece of…!" Jamie's face only showed equal anger as he stood, ready to pick a fight.
Before any blows could be exchanged however, the entire group were suddenly caught off-guard by a strange voice calling them, "Hallo chaps, who are you?" Turning round, they saw two well-built rabbits standing on the edge of the woods, watching them curiously. Both of them looked battered and tired, as if they had recently escaped from some rough struggle.
Their reactions of running into two strangers out here were mixed; Hickory and Marigold seemed about to bolt, probably thinking they were the very same Efrafans who had killed Ash and Nightshade; Jamie and Kenny, having forgotten their spat already, seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as they nervously looked around, expecting an ambush; Celandine, on the other hand, remained as oblivious to the newcomers as the two dead rabbits beside her. To their utmost surprise, at the sight of the bodies, both strangers gasped in recognition.
"Frith of Inle, is that Liautenant Ash? And Nightshade? And…is that you, Celandine? Where did you all come from…?" Celandine also seemed to recognise the newcomers, as she turned away from Ash's body, gasping in recognition, "Speedwell? Acorn? Oh, Frith…" In an instant, Jamie realised who they must be: more Sandleford survivors, members of his dad's group! At long last, he had finally found a solid lead on his father!
Soon, Jamie and his band were introduced to the two newcomers, who told them their story. Speedwell and Acorn were indeed former rabbits of Sandleford, Owsla scouts who had survived the catastrophe and set off into the wilderness as part of a group of nineteen, including Jamie's father, Dr Johnson, Dr Shaw, and Robbins, in search of a new home. Their journey had brought them to Cowslip's warren, where Robbins had betrayed them and teamed up with Cowslip, to kill them; just like it had happened with them, the humanoids had stormed the warren, killing one of their group, and capturing several others. In the confusion, Robbins had been attacked by a hawk and left for dead.
Following a daring rescue and a narrow escape, the group – including several other liberated captives of the savages – had set off for their ultimate destination: Watership Down. After settling down, while digging a new warren, they had stumbled across the subterranean HAB Jamie had seen on his pager, where they had found evidence that this world was the result of some experiment conducted by one of Johnson's old colleagues from the 21st century, following the asteroid impact that had destroyed civilisation. They had also learned that a certain Lord Hemlock – a direct ancestor of General Woundwort – had started a revolt, destroying the last remnants of humanity and even killing El-ahrairah, the ancestral leader of these rabbits, causing his people to scatter. To this day, the Efrafans remained strong, controlling the Dark Territory by seizing alien warrens and capturing any outsiders they crossed paths with, to serve as slaves under General Woundwort.
Realising they were neighbours to Efrafa and thus in great danger of an imminent attack, Johnson had led an expedition to spy on the enemy warren and study its defences, using Kenny and Stan Hallows' salvaged balloon; the next day, Derek Shaw had returned alone, accompanied by several Efrafan escapees and even Cowslip's runaway mystic Silverweed, which they had liberated from Woundwort's clutches. However, none of them realised their problems were only just beginning…
"Last night, our warren was attacked full-force by the Efrafan Owsla, led by Robbins," explained Speedwell grimly, "They seized the place and captured everyone, except the two of us, who managed to make a run for it…"
"What about my father?" asked Jamie urgently, fearing the worst. Speedwell only shook his head, "I don't know, young bucko; I suspect he was captured back in Efrafa, along with Alan, Hazel-rah, and the others…"
"So Johnson was innocent all along then?" Kenny piped in, intent on clearing up the mystery regarding Johnson once and for all, "That bleeder Robbins was behind all of this from the start, wasn't he?" Both Speedwell and Acorn gave him a hard look.
"I'll have you know that Alan has been a faithful ally and a good friend to us from the moment we met him; so were Derek and Major McEwen. But that cold-hearted scoundrel Robbins has caused us so much pain and suffering, he deserves to die!" Jamie only had a second to reflect on how they had been set up by Robbins and Cowslip – all that cock-and-bull story of Dr Johnson selling their party out to the Efrafans -, letting that conning scum steal his glider in the process, not to mention leading those five to their deaths, before the two rabbits' expressions turned urgent.
"Please," Acorn said, "Our friends have all been captured by those Efrafan scum; if we don't do something, Woundwort will kill them or make them into slaves. We can't allow our friends – especially our does – subjected to the cruelty of that bastard. All those horrible stories that doe Hyzenthlay and her friends have been telling us; all that torture, abuse, misery… You've got to help us!" As if on queue, Speedwell, a more dignified Owsla scout, spoke up.
"Acorn and I intend to return to the warren after dark to try and save them, before they are moved to Efrafa. I will not ask for anyone to come along on this escapade; if any of you however still wish to volunteer at your own risk, I for one would be eternally grateful for your help…"
"In that case, I'd like to be first in line – Speedwell, isn't it?" Jamie said, standing up, "I have come too far to give up on my father now. And don't you say I can't come; there is no way I am going to let someone else die fighting my battle, while I wait on the sidelines," he said, gesturing at Ash's mangled body. Although Speedwell seemed hesitant about taking Jamie along when they were going up against numerous murderous Efrafans, because of his youth, his sympathy – or rather his anger – for what had happened to Ash and Nightshade, as well as the fact that Major McEwen had done so much for his friends, won out.
"Glad to have you along, young one," he said, giving Jamie a friendly wink, "Anybody else?" Kenny was next to volunteer whole-heartedly, refusing to let his friend go alone. Jamie felt grateful, regretting his harsh words earlier, but Kenny's grin told him he had no hard feelings over their little row and wasn't giving it another thought. Hickory and Marigold on the other hand, were non-too-keen on the idea, undoubtedly afraid of going up against the stronger, savage Efrafans.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways," Jamie told them, "But I suggest you don't stay here, waiting for us to come back for you. By the sound of it, the Efrafans are probably sweeping the countryside for us; if they catch you, you're lost…" These words made the duo reconsider; their human friend indeed had a good point, that the Efrafans would be merciless, whether they caught them out here, or trespassing into their lair. At least, as a group, they stood a better chance…maybe. Finally, they gave in and decided to go along. That left only Celandine, who proved to be the least keen on coming along – or more precise, going anywhere.
"Come on Celandine," Kenny said to the distraught doe, who still lay huddled close to her dead mate's body, as if in a trance, "We have to go…"
"Then go. You can still save yourselves; but this is where I stop running. My place is here, with Ash…" The others listened in silent horror; by the sound of it, Celandine intended to just stay here and die alongside her already deceased mate, which wouldn't be too long coming, when the elil would come swarming by nightfall. Speedwell was about to try and reason with her but Jamie stepped in.
"Don't. You guys just get moving and I'll catch up with you shortly." As Speedwell, the newly self-appointed guide of the group, took the others aside to give them some privacy, Jamie turned to Celandine. Wrapping his arms around her, he gently pulled her into his embrace.
"Celandine, I know this will sound hard to you, but I am not leaving unless you come with us. Ash knew he might never return; that's why before he left on this suicide mission, he ordered me to stay behind for a reason: to watch over you and your unborn kittens…" Celandine looked up at him with wide eyes, surprised that Ash had entrusted their personal secret with a stranger, yet refrained from talking back as Jamie went on speaking.
"He wanted you to be safe Celandine – wanted his children to be born safely in their new home. If you choose to die here with him, you're letting him down; you've got to keep going for his sake. If you can't do it for him, then at least you can do it for the kittens in your belly." This seemed to finally snap Celandine out of her trance as she started sobbing on Jamie's shoulder, realising that, as a future mother, it was her duty to carry on living, for the sake of her family, even without her beloved mate. Slowly, she nodded, struggling to hold back her tears.
"Thank you Jamie. You truly are a good soul…"
Satisfied to see her will restored, Jamie hugged her in reassurance, "Just returning the favour; you persuaded your friends to trust me back at Sandleford when they had no reason to; you nursed Kenny back to health when he was injured and in shock. You are stronger than you think Celandine, make no mistake about that. Come on, we have a long way to go…"
"Wait," she said, turning back to the bodies, "Before we go, let's give them a decent burial. I don't want to leave them here like this, as easy food for the scavenging crows and rats…" Although Jamie knew they had to hurry, if they were to make it to Watership Down in time, his respect for his two dead friends won out.
After digging two shallow graves – Celandine insisted on digging Ash's all by herself – they laid Ash and Nightshade to rest with all the decency in their power. Kenny also dug a small hole beside the graves and placed Stan Hallows' wallet, which he still carried on him, in it, giving him the closest he would ever get to a burial. Jamie's mind flashed back to their other companions who had perished but would never be given a proper burial: Pine-Needles and Butterbur had been lost out there; Nose-in-the-Air, Willow, and Snitter had been taken by the humanoids; and Hannah had been swallowed up by the river. He felt his heart sink…
The orange glow of sunset had started appearing on the western horizon by the time the group of seven finally set off towards Watership Down on their rescue mission, leaving the three unmarked graves behind them. Speedwell, being an experienced Owsla scout, had assumed command, replacing Ash, although Jamie was technically still leader of the group.
In spite of their heavy hearts for the deaths of Ash and Nightshade, not to mention dreading the peril of their upcoming mission, their renewed hope of finally reaching the end of their journey had boosted their confidence, restoring some good mood. Speedwell and Acorn in particular were eager to hear Jamie's story, amazed to find another talking human stranded in their world, not to mention accompanied by several of their so-far-presumed-dead fellow Sandlefordians, and two of Cowslip's rabbits, which had finally decided to give up their tharn life.
Jamie told them of his amazing journey to find his father and all the adventures he had had on the way: his visit at Thinial, the rescue of the trapped Sandleford survivors, their escapades at Cowslip's warren, everything that had finally brought them here. Speedwell and Acorn were amazed – and impressed - beyond belief.
"Frith of Inle, young bucko, your escapades are worthy of those of El-ahrairah himself!" the Owsla scout praised Jamie, "Oh boy, Bigwig is going to be so happy when he hears old Cowslip has been ruined, good and proper. More than what that rotter deserves, after what he tried to do to us…"
"Then I take it, you might have some problems admitting us into your warren?" asked Marigold nervously, afraid that perhaps the Watershipers' grudge for her insane father's actions towards them would colour their fresh start at this new warren. Speedwell however smiled reassuringly.
"Never fear; Hazel-rah holds no grudges and will be happy to have you all. We must also tell the others about those poor chaps out at Thinial. Maybe Alan can come up with another of his brilliant schemes to help them… Say, can anyone else hear that?" Suddenly, they were all caught by surprise by a new sound that filled the air: the sound of a plane!
"It's coming from the direction of Efrafa," Speedwell said, his ears extended, as his superior hearing pinpointed the source of the sound, "Look, there it is!"
Staring in the distance, they saw a familiar Cessna soar skywards and fly straight into some storm clouds on the western horizon, heading towards the former New Forest area, where the mysterious Aurora had been. Kenny let out a yell of joy at the sight, "We are saved! We have to signal them. Come on, everyone gather wood for a fire…!" But Jamie only shook his head, barking at his friend to pipe down.
"Put a sock in it Ken, goddamn it! They couldn't see us from that far even if they were looking for us!" They continued to watch as the plane disappeared into the storm and was gone from sight. Kenny groaned in exasperation, "Good luck to those blighters, whomever they may be…" Soon, the whirring sound of the plane's engine had faded away and there was only silence.
Nobody dared uttered a word as they pressed on, their minds pondering on the same question: who had been flying the Cessna? Since it had taken off from Efrafa, then there were two possibilities: it could either be Johnson's infiltration party making an escape, or it could be Robbins out doing more dirty work for Woundwort, probably doing an aerial search for the escaped Speedwell and Acorn. However, they had no way of knowing for certain from down here, and with no way to attract attention, they soon put it out of their minds. They pressed on.
Night had fallen by the time they reached the foot of Watership Down. Although the daylight was long gone, the boys didn't dare light a flashlight or a torch, knowing they were now venturing into enemy-occupied territory, and likely to attract unwanted attention. With Speedwell in the lead, they noiselessly made their way through the thickets, careful to remain out of sight, weary of Efrafan patrols.
Suddenly, as they were crossing through Caesar's Belt, they found an interesting surprise. Looking out on the plains at the foot of the hill, they could see something lying in the grass, which, from afar, resembled a curiously shaped collapsed tree trunk. Then, as the light of the moon fell upon it, Jamie gave a gasp.
"Hey, that's my glider!"
Sure enough, they recognised the white plywood fuselage of Jamie's glider, sitting abandoned on the meadow. A fading, narrow tyre trail was visible in the grass behind it, where Robbins had landed it. The pilot seats were empty and the harnesses from the chopper, which they had used to strap passengers down on the wings, lay discarded on the ground. They hurried up to it.
The boys, realising their lucky find, immediately started examining the glider; if it could still fly, then they had just found the perfect means of escape from hostile territory. By air, they could spy on the stronghold of the enemy on the Down without fear of being captured, and even make a hasty retreat when they had found the rest of Speedwell's friends…if they found them alive that is.
Unfortunately, things weren't going to be that easy as Jamie flicked the master switch on the pilot's console to check the power reserves. As he had expected, the batteries had been sucked dry, explaining why Robbins had ditched and abandoned the glider out here in the first place, rather than fly it all the way to Efrafa. He shook his head in disappointment, "Dead. No go."
With nothing useful to salvage from the grounded glider, other than the two emergency parachutes on the pilot's seats, which the boys distributed between them, the group started climbing Watership Down. Even from here, they could hear loud voices and the sound of many individuals moving to and fro. Lying down flat on the side of the slope to avoid being spotted, they chanced a peak over the edge of the peak.
Situated beneath a lone, massive beech tree on the highest point on the Down was the entrance to the Honeycomb, Speedwell's short-lived new warren, which he and his fellow Sandleford survivors – and Dr Johnson's party - had built here. However, rather than being the ultimate safe haven, the place had now become the conquering enemy's new camp.
Burly, stern-faced Efrafan Owsla rabbits stood at attention in neat rows outside the warren, while vigilant sentries circled the perimeter. Other rabbits – presumably officers – were shouting orders to soldiers, who hurried about to carry them out. Also, among the rabbits in charge was Robbins, arguing with a skinny, mean-looking rabbit with a goatee, while another well-built one with rich brown fur and a stern gaze, supervised the reinforcements.
"See what I told you dude?" whispered Kenny to Jamie as they finally saw that Robbins was indeed working with the Efrafans with their own eyes, "I remember that guy from the ambush when Hallows was killed. That creep with the goatee looks familiar too…"
Retaining absolute silence, on Speedwell's direction, they crawled on their stomachs, getting as close as they dared to eavesdrop, all the while taking great care to remain upwind, so the night breeze wouldn't carry their scent to the sentries. Straining their ears, they were able to make out the conversation between Robbins and the two Efrafan officers.
"…The remaining prisoners are safely locked away down below, Campion," said Robbins, "I've checked the schematic; there is no other way out of there, other than through the warren and we have all our lot stationed up here. They aren't going anywhere."
"Good enough," said the stern-faced rabbit called Campion, "Corporal Moss has just returned from Efrafa with a message from the General. He says we are to postpone the rest of the prisoner transportation until tomorrow; Woundwort will be coming here in person then to inspect that secret man-warren the outsiders found at his leisure, to determine whether or not we should set up a permanent outpost here."
"Our life's moment of ultimate glory has arrived," said the evil-faced rabbit gleefully, "Just imagine: for generations, the filthy ithel harnessed the powers of the gods at our expense, but now, fate turns all that power over to the might of Efrafa, where it rightfully belongs. Destiny has finally chosen General Woundwort as the new master of our world – the best choice I say." His expression suddenly turned from nasty to sinister, "In celebration, I say we make an example out of those scum outsiders below, by using them to demonstrate any new powers of war the General acquires tomorrow…"
"Captain Vervain, those outsiders are fellow rabbits and we will certainly not be using them for Owsla sport!" snapped Campion, disgusted by his fellow officer's sadist nature, "No, they will be placed either under arrest or in the slave squads for rehabilitation. Perhaps, over time they can learn the error of their ways and become honest fellow Efrafans…"
"Worthless, human-sympathising filth like them can never hope to be redeemed Campion," sneered Vervain, giving Campion a cold shoulder, "Which reminds me," he added, turning to Robbins, "What do we do about that bunch that escaped from Efrafa today?" From their hiding place, Jamie and the others perked their ears, overjoyed at the news that some of their friends – perhaps even including Jamie's father – had escaped.
"You know, this wouldn't have happened if we had gotten the lot of them at the same time, when we had the chance, rather than sending them round in circles with those hostage ploys and intimidation games of yours…" Robbins only shrugged it off.
"What's your worry, Vervain?" asked the man, looking unconcerned, "Their friends are all in our custody now, we've captured their warren, and we have the HAB; they, on the other hand, have no outside help to turn to, no other place of refuge, and only had half an hour of fuel when they flew into that storm. How far do you think they'd get? They are as good as dead…"
"You know, you are building a reputation of letting enemies slip out of our grasp on your watch," sneered Vervain, still refusing to drop the subject, "First you let that nosing man-kitten go free, and now we lose the outsiders' ringleaders, whose capture would be far more important to us than all their minions put together. The General will be very displeased if they show up again, to ruin our plans…"
"A minor problem that needn't concern us," snapped Robbins, now getting really annoyed, "If they show up, they can share the fate of those two nosy idiots we met back in the woods, simple as that. Then again, I suppose you'd take every available soldier and go blindly sweeping the countryside for them. For crying out loud, you don't have to be Winston Churchill to realise what a tactless, reckless strategy that would be. What's the point of wasting your time picking up breadcrumbs when you already have the loaf at hand? Stupid idiot…"
"Look, I am just saying," persisted Vervain, ignoring the insult, "we should have gotten rid of them just like with those two cheeky fools that troublesome young ithe sent here to spy on us. And I am not entirely convinced that mad rabbit Cowslip had taken care of the rest of them as he promised…"
"All right, that's enough!" barked Campion, ending the argument, "We still have a lot to do before we can sleep. Vervain, you go and arrange the digging of scrapes; there isn't enough room for all of us in the outsiders' cramped warren. I'll assign night watchers in shifts…"
Having heard all they needed to know, Jamie's group retreated to a better hiding spot, to assess.
"I counted twenty or thirty of those bastards up there," said Jamie, "And we have no weapons. It would be suicide trying to take back the warren as we are." Beside him, Speedwell, who had been weighing the odds, based on his Owsla training, spoke up.
"The young bucko is right; a direct counter-attack would be futile. However, we might be able to chance sneaking in there after those scoundrels are asleep, to free our remaining friends, before they can be moved to Efrafa, where they'd be completely beyond help. At least, that's a start…"
"Are you crazy?" said Kenny, "You heard that guy; there will be night sentries out keeping watch. For all we know, they are expecting possible trouble. We'd be caught before we get ten paces…"
"Not necessarily," Speedwell said, his face curling into a smile as he worked out a plan, "El-ahrairah is known to have gone up against greater odds but always pulling through in the end with his cunning and trickery. If we are truly worthy of representing his legendary name, then so can we. What we need is a little distraction…"
Author's note: Sorry for the delay, but I am currently also working on my first Secret of NIMH fanfic, for those who are interested. In the original draft, Ash turned up alive, but then I decided to have him die for greater drama, and had Speedwell and Acorn show up and join Jamie's group instead. Until next time then. Enjoy and please review!