AUTHOR'S NOTE: this chapter features a minor crossover; this is most likely a one-time thing than a regular occurence.

Chapter 26: Don't Panic!

"It is sometimes very hard to tell the difference between history and the smell of skunk."

-Rebecca West

Blackberry and Primrose had spent the day travelling alongside the canal, searching for a way across. However, they had failed to find one; there weren't even any boats on the river.

Late that afternoon, as Blackberry sniffed the air, a look of disgust appeared on her face.

-"What's the matter?" Primrose asked.

-"There's something nearby, and it smells horrible."

Primrose sniffed the air too; she too immediately noticed it.

-"What could produce such a smell?"

Blackberry, meanwhile, was looking around her, trying to pinpoint the origin of the smell, until she saw a purple spot next to a tree further away.

-"A skunk."

She then hopped closer to her, with Primrose following.

-"Shouldn't we go away from the smell?"

-"Under ordinary circumstances, yes, but she might know a way across."

-"You may be right..."

The two rabbits soon arrived next to the skunk. She was lying against the tree, her overly-large tail wrapped around it. She was looking at a couple of birds in the sky, with a look of peace and happiness on her face.

-"Excuse me, but we're lost," Blackberry said. "Do you know any way to reach the other side of the river?"

Primrose expected the skunk to suddenly spray Blackberry, but this did not happen. Instead, the purple-furred creature looked down at them and did not seem the least bit hostile.

-"My, you're tiny aren't you?"

-"I suppose we are, compared to you," Blackberry replied.

-"No, you're much tinier than my two bunny friends. They are the same size as me."

Blackberry and Primrose looked at each other in disbelief. The skunk was larger than General Woundwort; how could a rabbit possibly be so big?

-"Can you help us get to the other side?" Primrose asked.

-"You're bunnies. Can't you jump?"

-"It's too far," Blackberry said.

-"In that case, perhaps you should just walk over it. If you look at the sky, you won't fall."

-"I don't understand."

-"Gravity only works if you look down."

-"I'm...really confused now. What is gravity?"

The skunk looked at the two rabbits in disbelief.

-"Perhaps I could teach you?"

-"Maybe later," Primrose said. "We're in a hurry to get to the other side."

-"Well, in that case I know of a bridge further away. Shall I lead you there?"

-"Yes," Blackberry said. "Thanks for the help."

With that, the skunk unwrapped her tail and got up. She walked alongside the canal on her hind legs; while both rabbits were confused by this, they did not question her, and simply followed her. Primrose kept her distance, however: she remained afraid of being sprayed.

-"I'm Fifi," the skunk said after a while. "What are your names?"

"Unusual name," Blackberry thought.

-"I'm Blackberry."

-"Primrose."

-"Nice to meet you two. Have you seen any boy skunks around here recently?"

-"No," Blackberry replied, slightly taken aback by the question. "I haven't seen any girl skunks either, other than you."

-"Oh, what a shame, I was hoping you might know of one. You must know this area better than me, I'm just here on vacation."

-"Where do you come from?"

-"Acme Acres."

-"Never heard of that place before."

-"Lots of people haven't." Fifi sighed. "Have either of you ever experienced true love?"

-"My friend Primrose has a mate, and they really love each other."

-"But..." Primrose was about to speak, but Fifi cut her off:

-"How lucky you are! It must be wonderful to have someone who is utterly devoted to you and loves you unconditionally!"

Primrose lowered her head. Fifi had just described Hazel. Despite how much she loved Hazel and Hazel loved her, she still felt guilty over abandoning Campion. She was about to cry, but her thoughts were interrupted as they reached the bridge Fifi had mentioned. It was a wooden drawbridge that was part of a road, and it was up at the moment.

-"I don't understand it," the skunk said, scratching the fur on her head. "There's no boat nearby, so it should be down."

-"Does this mean we can't use it?" Blackberry asked.

-"No no, I'll just have to use some dynamite."

Suddenly, Fifi pulled a red cylinder out of nowhere and lit it on fire, before throwing it into a small cabin next to the bridge. A few moments later, there was a loud explosion, and the drawbridge dropped back into place. Now that it was closed, the rabbits were able to cross it.

-"How did you do that?" Blackberry asked.

-"A squirrel taught me," Fifi replied.

-"Well, thanks for helping us reach the other side, Fifi. We really appreciate it."

-"No problem." The skunk grinned. "And if you ever meet a pretty boy skunk, please let me know!"

-"We will."

-"Let's get going," Primrose said, eager to forget the entire incident. They had not been sprayed yet, and she was in a hurry to leave before it happened.

After they had crossed the drawbridge, the two rabbits realized that the area around them was virtually unrecognizable. They had strayed away from the path they had taken during their initial journey, and they failed to recognize any familiar landmarks. They were both exhausted; they would have to stop, but where? As far as Blackberry knew, there were no warrens nearby, and being forced to sleep above ground had been one of the most difficult aspects of the journey from Sandleford Warren to Watership Down.

She considered digging a scrape, but after she and Primrose started scratching the ground, it became obvious that they were too tired to dig. They were forced to lie down in a small ditch, filled with tall plants. While it was not as good a hiding spot or as warm as a hole, it would have to do until they had rested enough to continue their journey. They both fell asleep almost immediately, lying right next to each other.

Blackberry woke up in the middle of the night. After stretching, she hopped out of the ditch for a quick silflay. However, there was something unusual, which she could not understand: an unusually loud sound of footsteps, as if many creatures were approaching. She turned, and saw many shadows in the distance, rapidly approaching. She bolted back into the ditch, only to land on Primrose, who was immediately woken up.

-"Don't move," Blackberry urged. "Our lives depend on it."

Time seemed to go by very slowly for the two does. The footsteps kept getting louder until the creatures stopped just outside the ditch. It was a group of rabbits, but all of them were extremely large, some of them as large as General Woundwort. Suddenly, one of them stopped and sniffed the air. It was a doe, with brown-purple fur and a green feather was hanging out of her right ear. She sniffed the ground, coming closer to the ditch with each step. Blackberry and Primrose huddled together in a far corner of the ditch. This rabbit did not look friendly, and neither did any of her companions; if their presence was noticed, an attack seemed likely.

Blackberry thought about how she had decided to take on this journey a few days before, to impress Bigwig, and how she had taken Primrose with her to show her the way, and because she thought this would cheer her up. This whole mission, Blackberry thought, had been a failure. The odds were that they would be killed right then and there. Not only would she have failed to impress Bigwig, who would remain forever ignorant of her motivations, but she would have also caused the death of one of her closest friends. Primrose, meanwhile, was thinking about Hazel and the kittens. She was going to die, and nobody would ever find out what had happened. They would be heartbroken.

Suddenly, a voice was heard:

-"Let's get going. There's nothing in that bush, Spartina."

Instantly. the doe turned around and hopped away. The footsteps resumed, and gradually faded away until the air became silent again. Primrose peaked out of the ditch; the rabbits were gone, and only a faint smell proved that they had ever been there.

-"We're...safe?" Blackberry asked.

-"It looks like it."

-"Thank Frith! Who were these rabbits? Are there any other warrens near Redstone?"

-"Not that I know of. But I tell you, I haven't been so afraid in seasons."

-"Neither have I. For a moment, I was sure we were off to Inlé."

The two rabbits remained silent for a long time, reflecting on their lucky escape.

-"Why do you suppose she left us alone?" Blackberry said after a while. "I was sure she had smelled us."

-"I don't know. It probably has something to do with that other rabbit calling her. Maybe she was straying too far away from the group? I've heard of things like this happening on Efrafan patrols."

-"That could make sense. But altogether, I wouldn't feel safe staying here. They might come back. Do you think you would be able to continue travelling?"

-"Yes, I would be ready, whenever you are."

Blackberry nodded; she and Primrose walked away from the ditch, hopefully towards Watership Down.