AUTHOR'S NOTE: real life strikes again, there won't be any chapter next week, sorry. Chapter 273 will be posted on 7 July.

Chapter 272: The Kittens, Again.

""Why?" Keena inquired, looking at the squirrelmaid fondly. Ever since the otter leader had mystically healed Lilianna, she'd loved her as a daughter.

"I just have a feeling," Lilianna replied, her hair glinting beautifully in the morning sun.

Riphley looked frightened. Lilianna had had feelings twice before, and both times something dreadful had happened. "Ohmygoodnesseverybeastweneedtoworry'causeLilianna'sgotafeeling!" he screamed."

-Jukka the Sling, Strangers at Redwall

Despite travelling by night, the rabbits' journey went mostly well: they did not encounter any elil along the way. However, the mood was extremely negative.

-"I'm so sorry, Rosie," Leo said, lowering his head. "I told you so many stories about this place and how amazing it is. And now that I finally manage to bring you here, it ends up being in the middle of a battle, and less than a day later, we are all forced to leave."

-"Don't worry," Rosie replied. "I still managed to briefly experience the wonders of Watership Down before the battle started. It was just as wonderful as in your stories."

Flyairth was also rambling about how everyone should have abandoned the warren long before. However, nobody bothered to answer her snarky remarks, so after a while, she stopped talking. At one point, Lady May, who was being carried by Captain Broom, complained about what a bumpy ride it was, but Bigwig soon threatened her into silence.

At first, Hawkbit and Dandelion were a bit worried that they wouldn't be able to find the warren, since their last visit had been in the winter, but Hazel and Bigwig had visited it again earlier that summer and remembered the way. After a while, the rabbits spotted a gate in the distance; they had almost reached their destination.

As they got closer to the gate, however, Primrose collapsed. Hazel hopped over to her, but she immediately got back up.

-"I'm all right..."

Hazel remained unconvinced, but nevertheless let her alone. Moments later, however, she collapsed again.

-"The kittens..."

Hazel immediately realized what was going on. and panicked.

-"We're not far now, do you think you can make it?"

Primrose tried to get back up, only to fall back down instantly.

-"I don't think so."

-"Twice in one day, what are the odds?" Blackberry said. This was especially awkward considering the sad outcome last time.

-"What is going on?" Bigwig asked.

-"Primrose is about to give birth," Fiver explained.

-"Wait what?"

-"Why is it so shocking? The timing seems about right."

-"I didn't even know she was pregnant."

-"You really are clueless about love, aren't you?" Spartina said. "It happened the day after she came back. Didn't you notice her gradually getting more plump afterwards, almost as plump as you?"

Bigwig was about to voice his objections to being called "plump" again, but Blackberry spoke first:

-"Our priority should be getting her to a safe place, not argue over something completely unimportant. Giving birth above ground, near a human pathway, is the worst possible place."

-"I'll carry her," Hazel decided, as he placed Primrose on his back.

-"Be careful," Blackberry warned. "You might strain your back."

-"I'll be all right."

-"I can help you carry her," Hyzenthlay offered.

-"Thanks, but I would rather do it alone," Hazel insisted.
With that, the group continued their journey, crossing the gate and approaching the maze. However, progress was slower than previously, as several rabbits were getting tired following the lengthy journey, and Hazel, burdened with the heavy weight of his mate, could not go as fast as the others.

-"Hazel, stop trying to be a hero all the time," Hyzenthlay said. "You really could use some help."

-"I failed her once before, and I'm not about to let that happen again. I'm carrying her."

Realizing she wouldn't be able to get Hazel to change his mind, Hyzenthlay fell silent. The group continued their way, and soon, they reached the entrance of the hedge maze.

-"The warren is located in the middle," Fiver explained to those who had never been there before. "But there are many dead ends in there, and it's very easy to get lost."

-"Humans like getting lost, it seems," Bluebell joked.

-"I'm not sure I like the idea of going to a warren in the middle of something created by humans," Flyairth said.

-"That's still where we're going," Bigwig said. "Of course, if you would rather not, you can always go back to Watership Down."

-"And face Woundwort alone? Bigwig, be serious, the priority right now is Primrose."

-"Yes, and to help Primrose, we have to go underground."

-"Hmm. I suppose, given the urgency of the situation, this the least bad option, assuming we don't get lost..."

-"Can I help you with anything?"

Bigwig and Flyairth turned around, and saw that there was another rabbit nearby, not from Watership Down; as she hopped closer, Bigwig instantly recognized her as Meadow, the warren's captain of owsla.

-"Bigwig?"

-"That's me. We're coming for a visit, and we brought several other rabbits from our warren with us."

Meadow smiled.

-"We're always glad to have visitors here. Follow me, I shall guide you all to the warren, so you won't get lost."

One by one, the rabbits entered the maze, following Meadow to the warren. Hazel was among the first to go, eager to give Primrose the help she needed. Flyairth, meanwhile, was one of the last: she wondered whether she should follow everyone or try to find another shelter, further away from humans. However, looking in the other directions, she spotted an unusual shape, close to the building, looking vaguely familiar. Feeling it was worth investigating, she suppressed her fears and hopped towards it.

At the centre of the maze, there were several rabbits at silflay; a few of them had made it into some pathways further away in search of dandelions. Buttercup was among these rabbits, and she warmly greeted the new arrivals, one after the other. When it was Hazel's turn, however, the look on her face changed to one of worry.

-"What's wrong with her?" she asked, referring to Primrose.

-"She's about to give birth," Hazel explained.

-"She should be brought underground as soon as possible. Do you need help?"

-"No, I'll carry her myself."

Hazel made his way towards the warren's main entrance. Meanwhile, more rabbits kept arriving.

-"There's quite a lot of you," Buttercup remarked.

-"The whole warren came," Hawkbit said; the doe was unable to figure out if he was serious or sarcastic, but she dared not ask. Instead, she followed everyone else underground; Hazel had dropped Primrose off in the first empty burrow he could find.

-"I'll try to assist her," Buttercup said. "I have a lot of experience helping does give birth to their kittens; she should be just fine."

-"Can I help?" Hazel asked.

-"I'm afraid not. Just let me work, and make sure everyone else stays quiet."

As much as it disappointed him, Hazel was forced to leave his mate in Buttercup's care, and follow the others into the warren's largest burrow. It was extremely crowded; some of the Watershippers were forced to go to other tunnels and burrows.

-"Sorry about the small burrow," Meadow said, "but we're not used to having such a crowd in here. How long do you plan to stay here? If you're planning to stay overnight, it would be worth considering digging more burrows."

-"How long ARE we staying here, anyway?" Hyzenthlay asked Bigwig. "You said we were 'just visiting', but when are we going back to Watership Down?"

-"You should ask Hazel. It was his idea to leave."

-"I'll try to find him."

Hyzenthlay hopped around the burrow; it was sometimes difficult to make it through the crowd, but she eventually located Hazel near the middle of the chamber.

-"Hazel, there's something I need to ask you, about..."

-"Have you seen Fiver?" Hazel asked, worried.

-"I haven't, but he's probably in this burrow somewhere. But this question I have, it's really important."

-"What is it?"

-"How long are we staying at this warren? When will we return to Watership Down?"

-"I suppose we'll have to send a patrol out there in a few days to see what is going on with the Darkhaveners, and if it is safe to return. But until then, we'll be staying here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find Fiver..."

With that, Hazel hopped away, to continue searching for his brother. Hyzenthlay assumed that Hazel's anxiety was due to his mate giving birth; Heather's premature death had no doubt contributed to this negative feeling. Maybe Fiver would be able to help, considering his visions. Until then, she had to explain the situation to Meadow, if she could find her in the crowd...