One day, Hawkbit was hopping down to the lower burrows of the warren. He had been hearing strange noises coming from there, and decided to investigate. As he came in closer, the sounds became louder, and a crack appeared in the floor, it grew larger and larger, and the ground started to fall away, Hawkbit gaped as he watched a bright light come out, illuminating his shadow, than a great mound of Earth fell from the roof, making his scream!

Outside, the other Rabbits were playing Bobstones.

"Bob Stone guess…" Said Pipkin carefully. "Is one."

Dandelion removed his paws, revealing not one, but three stones.

"Aw, bad luck Pipkin." Said Dandelion.

"Well Dandelion." Said Rosemary. "You've got the makings of a bob stone champion."

"He's only played me, Clover and Pipkin so far." Said Strawberry. "And we're nowhere near as good."

"I'll take on all comers!" Dandelion boasted. "Dandelion, the first bobstone champion of Watership Down, has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"You haven't played me yet chum." Said Bigwig.

Dandelion playfully jabbed at Bigwig. "Set 'em up Bigwig, I'll tear you apart!"

"Tell you what." Said Bigwig. "After Owsla practice, we'll set up an official competition and settle this what you say-"

Bigwig was cut off by the loud coughing and spluttering, everyone turned to see Hawkbit coming out of the Warren, covered in grime.

"Hawkbit?" Asked Bluebell. "Where have you been?"

Hawkbit said nothing, he just moved closer to the others, his ears sagged.

"Blimey Hawkbit." Said Nettle. "You look like you've seen the Black Rabbit of Inle!"

"The Black Rabbit?!" Exclaimed Pipkin.

Everyone murmured in alarm and began asking Hawkbit various Questions.

"Did he call your name Hawkbit?!"

"How did you escape?!"

"That's enough!" Said Bigwig. "Hawkbit hasn't seen the Black Rabbit, have you Hawkbit?"

"Uh… No, No of course not!" Said Hawkbit speaking up for the first time.

"So… why are you covered in dust?" Asked Violet.

"Well, a little dust never hurt anyone, did it?" Hawkbit replied.

And he shook himself off, making a big dust cloud that made everyone cough up.

"Bloody Inle Hawkbit!" Coughed Blackberry. "What happened down there?"

When Hakbit didn't respond, Hazel spoke up.

"The rest of you get about your day, Blackberry, Fiver and I will sort this out."

As everyone hopped off, Hazel spoke again. "What happened?"

"I… I discovered something…" Hawkbit trailed off. "Very strange."

"We ought to have a look." Said Hazel. "Fiver, Blackberry, you come along now."

And with Hawkbit in the lead, they went back into the Warren, and Hawkbit explained everything.

"I was going about my day." He began. "When I heard…"

A loud rumbling was heard from somewhere. "That! It came from down here!"

And Hawkbit led them down a run that no one, ever went in before.

"I don't like the sound of that." Said Blackberry. "Dewdrop and Rosemary told us to stay out of this section."

"I'd sooner agree with them." Siad Hawkbit. "Look!"

And there was the hole that Hawkbit left behind, the four rabbits peered into it.

"It's deep." Said Hazel and a gust of wind blew out.

"Is that… wind?" Asked Fiver.

Then suddenly, the ground began to shake, and collapsed under them, sending them all falling down the hole as the Earth buried them!

Meanwhile,

Back on top, Bigwig was drilling the other bucks at Owsla practice.

"Cut and run!" Barked Bigwig. "Right! Right! Left! Left!"

Bluebell veered to the right instead of the left.

"Your other left!" Bigwig called out.

"Sorry!" Said Bluebell as he turned around and bumped into Strawberry.

"Duck and Cover! Duck and Cover!" Ordered Bigwig.

Both Rabbits scrambled into the grass.

"You call that cover?!" Bigwig exclaimed.

Meanwhile,

Beyond Watership Down, The Rabbits of Efrafa were out on wide patrol, searching high and low for the Outsiders, with Campion, Vervain, Orchis and Sainfoin at the lead.

"We'd better find Thlayli this time, Campion." Said Vervain. "Or Woundwort will have our hides!"

"Thlayli is skillful and crafty." Said Campion. "If we're gonna find him, then keep quiet Vervain."

And he hopped passed.

"Sadly, quiet is not exactly in his vocabulary." Orchis joked. "Isn't it Vervain?"

Vervain growled at the other Rabbit, before hopping along and bumping Sainfoin. "What did I do?"

Meanwhile,

Back at Watership Down, Bigwig was still drilling Owsla practice.

"Twice around the beech tree, top speed! Hop to it!" He ordered.

Pipkin, Dandelion, Silver, Bluebell, Buckthorn, Acorn, Speedwell, Strawberry, Holly and Blackavar dashed around the Warren as fast as they could, until Dandelion, Pipkin and Bluebell dropped dead from exhaustion.

"This is top speed?" Bigwig asked.

"For a half dead Rabbit, yes it is." Replied Bluebell.

"Can we have the Bob stone challenge now?" Asked Dandelion.

"Oh all right." Said Bigwig. "We'll get Hazel to set it up."

"Where IS Hazel?" Asked Holly.

"With Fiver, Blackberry and Hawkbit last I saw." Said Acorn.

Meanwhile,

Back with the four Rabbits, they were coughing up dust as Hazel regained his senses. "Fiver! Hawkbit! Blackberry! Are you all alright?!"

"Of course!" Coughed Hawkbit.

"Where in Frith are we?" Asked Fiver, looking around.

"It… It looks like a cavern." Said Hazel. "Underneath the Warren."

"I don't see any way back up." Said Hawkbit.

"The ruble would just keep falling in on us." Added Blackberry. "It might take days to dig through it all."

"What are we going to do?" Asked Fiver.

"Find another way out, obviously." Said Hawkbit.

"Or we could just stay where we are." Said Hazel. "Once the others see we're missing, they'll find us and dig us out."

"Blackberry said it might take days!" Hawkbit protested.

"With all the Does working." Said Fiver. "It won't take that long."

"The Abandoned Burrow is the last place they'll look." Said Hawkbit. "I saw we get moving."

And he hopped down one of the caves.

Meanwhile,

On the surface, Bigwig and Hyzenthlay gathered all the other Rabbits together, all having searched the Warren.

"We haven't been able to find Hazel." Said Dewdrop.

"Blackberry, Fiver and Hawkbit are missing too." Added Vilthuril.

"Missing?" Asked Speedwell as he started to panic. "Four of us are missing! It's the Black Rabbit!"

"He always takes us in threes!" Said Bluebell.

"I thought it was three." Said Pipkin.

"No ones missing." Said Bigwig sternly. "They're merely absent."

"I say we start with a look around." Said Holly. "Followed by, if necessary, a thorough search of the burrows."

"I um, I don't want to go into the Burrows." Said Bluebell. "Not if the Black Rabbit is in there."

"I'd worry more about me, up here!" Snarled Bigwig.

And with that, Bluebell and Pipkin bolted.

Meanwhile,

Back in the caverns, Fiver shivered. "It's cold Hazel, and freezing!"

"There's probably nothing to eat down here." Said Blackberry. "Remember the Weasel?"

"Of course we remember!" Said Hawkbit. "But he's not here!"

"Come to think of it." Said Fiver. "He probably ended up down here after Silver and the others blocked him into that tunnel."

"Hmm, must be where he ended up." Deduced Blackberry. "And then found a way out."

"If he did, then we ought to go find it." Said Fiver.

"No, we wait here." Said Hazel. "The others will find us."

"Sure, If Hazel says we wait, we wait." Said Hawkbit. "And what happens, happens."

Meanwhile,

Everyone searched all over the hill and found nothing, not even a scent.

"They're not here Bigwig." Said Hyzenthlay. "There's nowhere they could be."

"Then they're below ground." Said Bigwig. "That's the only explanation."

"Your Right." Said Holly. "I believe we ought to look there."

"Hyzenthlay, Clover, Rosemary." Said Bigwig. "You check the furthest burrows, Dandelion, Silver and I will check the middle, and Strawberry will take Pipkin, Bluebell and Thethuthinnang to search on either side."

"And the rest of us will keep a lookout up here." Added Holly. "Everyone fan out!"

Meanwhile,

Back in the caverns, Hazel, Fiver, Blackberry and Hawkbit remained where they were, Until Hazel began to smell something like fresh air.

"There's fresh air coming from somewhere." He sniffed. "Maybe there is a way out."

"That's what I've been saying all along!" Said Hawkbit.

"Which way though Hazel?" Asked Fiver.

"What difference does it make?" Asked Hawkbit. "As long as we're moving!"

"Might I suggest that Tunnel." Said Blackberry, pointing towards the right Tunnel and they hopped through it.

Meanwhile,

Away from the Down, The Efrafans were still on the prowl, Sainfoin reported to Campion and Vervain.

"We picked up some Rabbit tracks." He reported. "But they disappeared at the stream."

"That doesn't do us any good!" Said Vervain. "The Outsiders have to be close, I know it!"

Campion looked up and saw Kehear flying overhead.

"Into the grass!" He ordered and the Efrafans quickly ducked, Vervain in particular looked up and stared at the gull.

"If we stay on the trail of that gull." He suggested. "He might lead us to the Outsiders."

"I don't think he'd make a mistake like that." Said Campion, unsure.

"He's a gull Campion!" Said Vervain. "Gulls are stupid!"

And so they followed after Kehear, unaware that Watership Down was already right in front of them.

Meanwhile,

At the warren in question, Bigwig and the others were searching the burrows, looking for any trace of Hazel, Fiver, Blackberry and Hawkbit.

"Anything?" Bigwig asked Hyzenthlay, who shook her head, he then noticed Bluebell and Pipkin waiting about, as if they were twiddling their thumbs.

"I thought you were with Strawberry and Thethuthinnang." He said.

"Oh uh… They went on ahead." Said Bluebell.

"Yes, In case they saw the Black Rabbit first." Added Pipkin. "Or something… Then maybe we wouldn't disappear like Hazel, Fiver, Blackberry and Hawkbit."

Bigwig goraned. "I know you two are afraid, use that fear, It will make you alert, Fear can make you stronger."

"It can?" Asked Pipkin and Bluebell together.

"Yes!" Said Bigwig.

"Oh… then we better catch up with Strawberry and Thethuthinnang than." Said Pipkin.

And the two Rabbits hurried off.

"Bigvig!" Called Kehear, The Lion maned rabbits went up to see him. "I see the Efrafa!"

"The Efrafans?!" Exclaimed Bigwig. "Where?"

"Was pretty close." Said Kehear. "I lead them avay though, they hide when see Kehear too!"

"Because they didn't want you to see something?" Asked Bigwig. "Of course, a sensible explanation!"

"What you mean?" Asked Bigwig.

"I mean there's a chance they capture Hazel and the others!" Siad Bigwig. "Come on!"

And he hurried off, with Kehear flying after him. "Where we go?!" Kehear called.

"If they did take Hazel." Siad Bigwig. "They'll be heading back to Efrafa, We're going after them!"

"Oh… not good." Kehear said.

Meanwhile,

Back with Hazel and the others, they continued down the tunnel's path, until they came to a bottomless pit.

"Damn, We'll have to go back." Said Hazel.

"All this way!" Exclaimed Hawkbit. "We come all this way for nothing!"

They quickly hurried back to the paths, and headed through another one.

Meanwhile,

Bigwig and Kehear quietly snuck up to the Efrafan bridge and saw two sentries posted there.

"So what we do now?" Asked Kehear.

"Find out if they do have Hazel and the others." Said Bigwig.

"How we do that?"

"Ask them."

Bigwig than jumped onto the bridge and alerted the two sentries.

"I hear you lot are looking for me!" He said. "Names Thlayli, and I'm waiting!"

The two brutal looking guards gawked and snarled menacingly at the intruder.

"Come on lads." Bigwig said charmingly. "I haven't got all day."

"You betrayed Efrafa!" Said one of the guards. "Insulted General Woundwort and kidnapped our fellow Rabbits! We're taking you in!"

"Well if you're gonna fight, fight!" Said Bigwig. "Don't talk!"

And he launched himself at the two Rabbits, knocking them down and pinning them effortlessly. "Now then, unless you're keen on meeting the Black Rabbit of Inle, you'll tell me if any of my fellow Outsiders were taken prisoner."

"...No…!" Coughed the guard, his throat under Bigwig's paw. "...No one…!"

"You wouldn't fib to ole Thlayli would you?" Bigwig asked.

"No!... Owsla's honor…!" The guard choked.

Satisfied with the answer, Bigwig released the guards. "Run along now chaps, tell WOundwort his Owsla isn't worth an acorn!"

And he hopped away, he hadn't gone a mile before being confronted with Campion, Vervain, Orchis, Sainfoin and several other rabbits.

"Ah, Campion, Vervain, Orchis, you in the back." Said Bigwig, hiding his surprise. "Fancy seeing you chaps here.

"Take him!" Growled Vervain.

And Bigwig dashed off into the grass, with the Efrafans on his tail, he quickly made his way to a river and hid behind a log as the Efrafans almost caught up.

"Orchis!" Odred Vervain. "Take three others and secure the bank, he's trapped between us and the river!"

He perched on a log and searched for Bigwig, a great noise from Kehear distracted him long enough for Bigwig to bolt.

"This way!" He cried. "After him!"

"Leave him alone! Ugly Face!" Kehear squaked as he knocked Vervain off his log, While Campion and the others followed after Bigwig.

Meanwhile,

In the caves, Hazel and the others made their way through a cave of solid glass, smelling the fresh air they pressed on, eventually, they came upon an even bigger cavern, full of stalactites that hung from the roof, a small ledge with a tiny waterfall that ran into a stream.

"Frith hides beauty in the strangest places." Said Fiver.

"Frith wouldn't make all this for us not to see it." Corrected Hawkbit.

"Look!" Said Blackberry. "The stream leads to an opening, that must be a way out!"

They entered another part of the cave and stopped as Hazel sniffed. "I can smell a river, reeds, water lilies! They can't grow here without sunlight!"

"We've found a way outside!" Hawkbit cheered.

Meanwhile,

Bluebell and Pipkin joined Strawberry and Thethuthinnang as they searched the abandoned burrow.

"This is the last place they would be." Said Bluebell.

"Not from where we're standing, look!" Said Strawberry, as they found cracks in the floor.

"Hazel! Fiver, Blackberry! Hawkbit!" Called Thethuthinnang. "Are you down there?"

"I'll get the others!" Said Pipkin as he hurried out of the burrow, Bluebell looked up and saw a great shadow illuminated by the cavern's light.

"They had to have bean here." Said Strawberry. "They must have fallen through."

"Agh! The Black Rabbit of Inle!" Screamed Bluebell.

"The Black Rabbit!?" Thethuthinnang cried. "Where?!"

Strawberry looked behind him and stared straight up at his shadow, waving his ears and hopping up and down in accordance with his own movements.

"I don't think he's after you today, Bluebell." Strawberry said, just as the others arrived.

"Did you find Hazel?" Asked Hyzenthlay.

"We think he, Fiver, Blackberry and Hawkbit fell into this hole." Said Strawberry.

"Oh I was afraid of this." Said Rosemary.

"No sign of them below." Said Dewdrop. "Must have gone looking for another way out."

"What do we do?" Asked Violet.

"We'll have to dig a passage down." Said Hyzenthlay, as she started digging. "I just hope they haven't gotten lost down there."

Meanwhile,

Bigwig hurried along the River bank, looking frantically for somewhere to hide.

"Bigwig!" Called Hawkbit. "In here!"

Bigwig heard Hawkbit's voice and dived into the reads, just as Campion and Vervain caught up.

"We've lost him!" Said Campion.

"Impossible!" Said Vervain as he looked through the reeds, finding nothing but a small hole with a stream coming out of it. "Not here?" He wondered. "Spread out! Find him!"

Bigwig joined the others as he heard the others leave. "Get a move on!" Vervain shouted from outside.

"They're moving on," said Bigwig.

"We'll wait here till dark, then make our way home." Said Hazel.

"What is this place?" Asked Bigwig. "How did you end up here?"

"You wouldn't believe it if we told you." Said Hawkbit.

Later on.

That night, Hazel, Bigwig, Hawkbit, Fiver and Blackberry returned to Watership Down, where they were met by a returning Kehear and Haystack.

"Hazel!" She said, "Your back!"

"Where is everyone?" Asked Hazel.

"In the abandoned Burrow." She said, "Looking for you and the others."

She led them to the abandoned burrow and there they found the others, Inside the hole.

"Now we're through!" They heard Rosemary say. "Well done everyone!"

"Here's their trail!" Said Buckthorn. "Right this way."

"Everyone go back up." Said Holly. "Buckthorn, Silver, Blackavar and I will investigate."

"Hyzenthlay! Holly!" Called Hazel. "We're up here!"

Everyone looked up to see Hazel and Fiver looking down at them.

"What are you doing up there?" Asked Dandelion. "We're down here, rescuing you!"

After everything was explained, the Rabbits all settled down to that Promised Bob stones competition.

"Come on Dandelion!" Said Acorn.

"Get this one and you win!" Added Clover.

"You know it's funny." Fiver said to Hazel. "Not too long ago, we were alone and terrified down here, now it's a part of our Warren."

"And we've got a secret way into Efrafa territory." Said Hazel. "Funny how things turn out."

"Bob Stone guess… is one!" Dandelion finally said.

Bigwig lifted his paws and revealed that Dandelion was right. "So, we have our first Champion! Dandelion!"

Everyone cheered and congratulated Dandelion on his victory.

To Be Continued.

Happy Holidays everyone, and be sure to look out for the next Chapter of Power Rangers and the Phantom Menace, coming this Christmas. :)