AUTHOR'S NOTE: The characters of Rake and Leo are based on real people, and used with their permission.
Chapter 15: The Past and the Future.
"You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope."
-Thomas Merton
Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig peaked out from behind the moss at the exit of the caverns. During the trip, Hazel had disturbed a small boulder, but other than that nothing significant had happened.
As they walked out of the river towards Efrafa, they gasped as they saw the warren's condition. While the Efrafan tree always appeared to be unstable, this time it was worse than ever before. It was leaning precariously into the hole, and several roots and branches were clearly broken.
-"I didn't remember it being that bad!" Fiver said.
-"Must have been the storm last night," Hazel said. "Let's go and see."
-"I'm no digging expert," Bigwig said, "but it doesn't look stable."
As they got closer to the warren, they were stopped by a large rabbit. His fur was black, and the shape of his body was closer to that of a hare than that of a rabbit.
-"Greetings, Captain Rake Nightfur at your service, but just call me Rake. What can I do for you?"
The three Watershippers were taken aback. Rake actually sounded friendly towards them, which was unusual for an Efrafan officer.
-"We would like to see the Chief Rabbit of this place...Rake," Hazel said.
-"Right. Wait here, I'll go and get him."
Moss was underground, supervising a group of slaves. They had been ordered to pack dirt around the remaining roots; hopefully this would make them stronger. So far, a lot of progress had been made, and only a few more roots needed to be stabilized.
-"Hey Moss! Three rabbits outside want to see ya!"
Moss turned at the run from which the voice came.
-"Who are they, Rake? What do they want?"
-"I don't know, I've never seen them before. One of them has a strange overgrowth of fur around his neck..."
-"Oh, I know," Moss said, as he realized that Rake was describing Bigwig. "I'll see them, alone. You stay here and supervise the digging."
-"Right-o."
Meanwhile, Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig were getting nervous. Bigwig was convinced that this was all a trap, until Moss suddenly jumped out of a nearby bush, alone.
-"G'day outsiders," he said. "Don't mind Rake, he was promoted earlier today and it may take him a while to get used to everything."
-"YOU are Chief Rabbit?" Bigwig asked in disbelief.
-"You probably already know about Woundwort's death, or you wouldn't be here. Campion is the new Chief Rabbit, but he vanished shortly after the events, so I'm in charge until he comes back."
-"Hmm. We came here to discuss the end of the war," Bigwig explained. "Now that General Woundwort is dead, we want to know what's going to happen."
-"Before he left, Campion cancelled all patrols due to low morale. But as to whether the war will continue, that's something you will have to discuss with him, after his return."
-"All right," Hazel said. "Let us know as soon as he comes back."
-"But we don't even know where your warren is! How can we notify you?"
-"We'll send Kehaar and you can tell him."
-"Who's Kehaar?"
-"The gull who has been attacking your patrols. Don't worry, we'll tell him not to attack you."
Moss remained silent; Hazel and the others, sensing that there was nothing further to say, left him alone. Once they were back in the caverns, Hazel said:
-"Well...that's rather worrying."
-"Do you think Moss was telling the truth?" Bigwig asked. "If Campion is still blaming us for Woundwort's death, he may be secretly getting ready to attack."
-"No." Fiver spoke for the first time since the beginning of the mission. "I don't think Moss would lie to us like that."
-"Then how do you explain the fact Campion completely vanished?" Hazel asked.
-"That, I can't explain. I don't know why he did what he did, but I have a feeling it's something...I don't know how to describe it...something unusual, something we don't think about."
-"What sort of thing?"
-"I wish I knew. All I have is this vague feeling. I don't even know if it's true. But if I have any more feelings, I'll let you know."
Moss had kept staring at the three outsiders until they vanished from view near the river. He then returned to the warren, where he found Rake at silflay with another buck. His companion had mostly grey fur, but three of his paws were black (the fourth one was white). He also had a black stripe on his back and a white chest and muzzle.
-"What's the matter, Moss?" Rake asked. "Is there something wrong?"
-"Oh, Rake. Last year, I made a bet with another officer: I would have to give him three carrots if it was proven that the gull attacking our patrols was working with the outsiders. I just learned the bird WAS working with them."
-"So you'll have to pay?"
-"Thanks for stating the obvious. But I don't have three carrots and I can't spare anyone to go on patrol to steal them, not at the moment anyway."
-"In that case, all I can suggest is: as soon as we have recovered from the recent events, get the carrots, and don't make any more crazy bets."
-"I'll have to keep that in mind."
-"Don't worry," the grey buck said. "Everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure everything will be all right Moss, sir."
-"Thanks stranger. I've seen you around the warren a few times, but I don't think I caught your name..."
-"Leo, sir."
-"Nice to meet you, Leo."
The two rabbits looked at and sniffed each other for a while, as Rake awkwardly stared at them.
-"I'll have to go see how things are going underground now and bring out the next mark," Moss said after a while, before hopping away. "See you again soon, I hope."
Primrose had been at silflay for a while, before she finally decided to take a look at the area. She climbed on top of the largest and highest rock, and tried to lie down. She was not very comfortable due to the rock's rugged shape, but she didn't mind too much. The warren itself had changed very little since the time when she had lived there when she was a kitten, although grass seemed more scarce.
What had changed, however, was the rabbits living there. When she was a kitten, the warren was quite large and prospering. She let her mind drift away from her current problems, to reflect on the past instead. She thought back on how amazing life was.
It had all started with a tragedy, with a weasel attack when she was just a few days old. By the time the owsla had managed to drive it away, it had already killed everyone in her litter, except her and one other kitten.
As the months went by, she managed to lead a fulfilling life. She fondly remembered all the time she spent playing games and telling stories with the others. Her first bite of fresh lettuce. The day her sister was allowed to join the owsla, the second doe in the warren to get that privilege. It was a simple life, but a happy one.
Until one day, when she was not even one year old, everything changed.
At first it seemed like any ordinary day, until a bunch of Efrafans, led by Vervain, attacked. It soon became clear to the enemy that they would need more rabbits to take the warren by force, but returning to General Woundwort without having destroyed the warren would have been very humiliating. Therefore, Vervain decided to simply wait for a few days and, once they let their guard down, capture a few prisoners. Primrose had been perhaps the first rabbit Vervain had chosen to take back to Efrafa; he had said something about her fur, but she never quite understood what he had meant.
Once they had returned to Efrafa, the prisoners were split between the marks. Primrose never saw any of the others again, but later heard that nearly all of them had died from starvation the next winter.
Those who had remained at Redstone were not much better off. Soon after Vervain's raid, the warren was struck by the White Blindness. Everyone died, with the exception of Captain Broom who, for some reason, was immune to the disease. Vervain, while responsible for all of Primrose's suffering in Efrafa, had ironically saved her life.
She fell from the rock.
Meanwhile, Blackberry had just finished telling Marigold about Woundwort's defeat.
-"That's almost unbelievable," Marigold said. "But it's all for the best, I'm sure."
Suddenly, she stopped and stamped, before trying to push Blackberry towards the nearest entrance to the warren.
-"What's going on?"
-"There is something lying in the grass over there. I don't know what it is or how it got there without anyone noticing, but it's very bad."
Blackberry peaked out from behind Marigold. The thing in the grass was plainly visible, but as she saw what colour it was, she immediately calmed down.
-"That's not elil. That's Primrose."
Marigold remained silent, rather embarrassed at mistaking a rabbit for elil. Blackberry approached Primrose; she was lying in the grass, her head buried beneath her front paws, and she seemed to be crying.
-"What's the matter?" Blackberry asked.
Primrose raised her head; she stared at her for a while, before grabbing her, so tightly that this upset their balance, causing them to fall over on their sides.
-"What's the matter?" Blackberry asked again. She had never seen her friend cling so desperately before.
-"Blackberry," she said weakly, and remained silent for a while. "They are all dead. My friends, my sister probably, they are all dead. I miss them."
As she heard this, Blackberry became sad. One of the reasons why she had brought Primrose to Redstone was to take her mind off her current problems, but instead the visit brought back painful memories from the past.
-"Primrose, Frith never meant for rabbits to live in the past. The past is gone, it cannot be changed. But think of the present, and the future. You still have other rabbits who care about you. You've got Hazel, you've got me, and pretty much everyone else back at Watership Down."
This seemed to calm Primrose down, somewhat. She stopped crying and managed to get back up, but the preoccupied look on her face remained. Perhaps there was truth in Blackberry's advice. However, this did not solve her current problems, as she still didn't know who she could ask for advice.
-"Come on, Primrose," Blackberry said. "Marigold here will show you around."
Primrose nodded, and the two does went back to Marigold; the guided tour continued.