AUTHOR'S NOTE: thank you Anonymous Guest for the review!
Chapter 131: The Interrogation.
I lurk in the darkest shadows
Gliding through mists and dense fog
-GKRose, Black Rabbit of Inle
-"According to the app, my order should be arriving right about...now."
At Nuthanger Farm, the officer kept his eyes fixed to the screen of the woman's smartphone, eagerly anticipating his shrimp delivery. Just a few moments later, the doorbell rang.
-"There it is now!" he said in excitement. He ran to the door and opened it.
-"Here you go, sir," the delivery boy said, handing the officer his meal. He removed the lid and took a bite.
While the officer was chewing, the delivery boy was disturbed by what he saw behind the man. He could see the dead dog on the floor, and the handcuffed woman holding two people at gunpoint near the couch. He ran back to his vehicle and drove away. As soon as he was a safe distance away, he stopped and dialed emergency services.
-"Fast, fresh and delicious, just like I like it. This deserv..." the officer started to say, only to realize that the delivery boy was gone. "Well how about that! He left before I could give him a tip!"
Several rabbits were grouped together in the Honeycomb. In the middle was Blueberry, with Flyairth on top of him. The kitten, realizing everyone in the burrow would rush to attack him should he attempt to escape, remained motionless.
-"What do you know about Woundwort?" captain Broom shouted at him.
-"I met him a few days ago, he's seems like a nice rabbit," Blueberry said. "But I'm not spying for him, I swear."
-"A nice rabbit? Don't you see how he treats his fellow rabbits?"
-"Quiet, everyone!" Bigwig shouted. As they obeyed, he continued. "These interrogation techniques might work with a grown rabbit, but we're dealing with a brainwashed kitten here."
-"Nobody brainwashed me," Blueberry interjected.
-"Regardless, shouting at him isn't the way. We need to be calmer and friendlier."
-"If only you would be 'calmer and friendlier' with your owsla, rather than with spies," Hawkbit mumbled.
-"I really doubt that will accomplish anything," Flyairth said. "Let me at him."
-"I'm the captain of owsla, so let's do this my way. If it doesn't work...we may have no choice but to try your way."
Bigwig lied down in front of Blueberry.
-"So, you said that Woundwort 'seems like a nice rabbit'. What makes him so nice, in your opinion?"
-"He's a really strong and talented fighter."
-"That, he is," Bigwig was forced to admit. "But were all your experiences with him positive?"
-"They were, actually. He treated me with respect. His sidekick Vervain, on the other hand..."
-"Are you sure he did nothing wrong?" Primrose asked. "He kept me imprisoned for over a full set of seasons, for no reason. I hardly had anything to eat, and was forced to work like a slave all day."
-"I'm sorry this happened to you," Blueberry replied, "but you're using the past tense. He doesn't seem to be forcing anyone to work as slaves anymore. Or, if he is, I didn't see it."
-"What about his desire to destroy our warren?" Vilthuril said.
-"...oh, so you're the outsiders he's always complaining about...this is awkward..."
-"How much does he know about us?" Bigwig asked.
-"I'm not sure what he already knows, but I haven't told him anything about you."
-"If you're not working as a spy for him, how did you come to join his owsla?"
-"I was out gathering berries, when I met him, and he asked me to join him. I had no reason not to, so I did."
Most of the rabbits stepped away from Blueberry, to privately discuss the situation. Only Flyairth remained, still keeping him pinned.
-"I honestly don't know what to make of this," Hazel said.
-"He says he's not a spy," Hawkbit said. "Which is exactly what a spy would say."
-"Getting a kitten to work as a spy is a cunning tactic, but it's savage," Bigwig said.
-"I don't think Blueberry is a spy," Pipkin said. "He does give off weird vibes, but he's nice, he was going to help me with calling Leo with the phone."
-"The...phone?" Most other rabbits present had no idea what Pipkin was talking about.
-"My idea, long story," Spartina said. She had never seen Blueberry at Darkhaven when she was there, but she did not want to mention her past. "I too think he's innocent."
-"I know Woundwort did some horrible things in the past," Pipkin continued, "but I got to know him when Vervain kidnapped me, and I don't think he would sink so low as to brainwash a kitten."
-"What do you think, Fiver?" Hazel asked.
-"I don't know," the seer replied. "I haven't had any visions about this. Both versions of events are plausible."
-"When I first met him," the female Strawberry said, "he seemed disoriented. I highly doubt he has malicious intents."
-"Feelings, feelings!" Flyairth said. "You all talk about your thoughts and feelings, but we have no proof of his innocence."
-"I understand if you don't trust me," Blueberry said. "In that case, I'll just leave and..."
-"And go tell Woundwort about our warren?" Flyairth shouted. "Not a chance!"
She seemed about to bite his ear again, but Bigwig stepped in and held her paw back.
-"This is not the answer." He then turned to the kitten. "Consider yourself confined to your burrow until further notice."
-"Fine, I'll go..." Blueberry grumbled, not unlike a young child just grounded by his parents. "But I swear I'm not guilty."
As Blueberry hopped towards his burrow, the other rabbits continued their discussion.
-"If he IS a spy, perhaps we should hold him for ransom," Bluebell suggested.
-"In exchange for what?" Nyreem asked. "What does Woundwort have that we could need?"
-"Ending the war?" Dandelion suggested.
-"Yeah right," Hawkbit rolled his eyes. "You seriously think Woundwort would keep his word?"
-"What if one of us gets kidnapped like Pipkin was last summer? It could be considered then," Holly suggested.
-"That might not be a good idea," Hazel said. "There wouldn't be anything stopping Blueberry from giving away our location once the exchange is complete. And we still don't know if he is a spy or not."
-"We could perhaps try to 'test' Woundwort," Hyzenthlay said. "We could tell him that we 'found out about his spy' and, depending on the way he reacts, figure out which side Blueberry is on."
-"That could work," Hazel said, only to then find out a flaw in the plan. "But how would we notify Woundwort? If Kehaar was still around, it would be simple, but he's gone back to the Big Water."
-"We could have used the hawk that saved me," Violet said. "But he's dead, while I'm alive for some reason. Unfair, isn't it?"
-"What about Campion?" Bigwig suggested.
-"Perhaps," Hazel said, "but it might be difficult without compromising him."
-"What about Silverweed?" Fiver suggested; as he heard this, Hazel chastised himself for not having thought of it earlier.
As Hazel and Fiver entered Silverweed's burrow, they found him lying down. He was, however, not asleep, and turned his head towards them.
-"I'm afraid," Hazel said, "there's one more rabbit I would like you to look..."
-"I'm sorry, Hazel, I can't. You had me look at hrair already, I'm drained, I need to recharge. Could I take a look tomorrow instead?"
Unbeknownst to the brothers, Silverweed was still coming to terms with the information he had obtained from his look into the hearts of the Efrafans. Hazel simply nodded.
-"It's fine. It can wait until tomorrow morning," he said, before hopping out of the burrow, with Fiver following.
-"Does this mean Blueberry will be staying in his burrow until tomorrow morning?" Fiver asked.
-"I'm afraid so," Hazel said sadly. "I wish there was another way, but Silverweed is the only one who can find out the truth about him, one way or the other."
As the two rabbits returned to the Honeycomb, the others stared at them with great anticipation.
-"We'll have to wait until tomorrow," Hazel said.
-"Delays, delays," Flyairth mumbled. "But if he turns out to be a spy, I say we kill him."
-"Spy or not, I don't fancy killing a kitten," Bigwig said with a shudder.
-"That might not be necessary," Hyzenthlay said. "I've seen what Silverweed can do. He might be able to reverse the brainwashing, turning Blueberry into an ally."
-"It seems," Hawkbit said, "that every time we ask Silverweed for help with something, he's more powerful than last time. Is there no limit to what he can do?"
-"Honestly, this entire situation feels like a big mistake." Clover asked. "Blueberry said that Woundwort treated him with respect, which would make sense considering what happened with Pipkin. Meanwhile, we ignored him, then attacked him, accused him, confined him to his burrow. Even if he's not a spy, he might just betray us anyway, since Woundwort treated him more nicely than we did."
-"Let's not speculate too much," Hazel said. "We should wait and see what Silverweed finds out, and how Blueberry reacts, then work from there."