AUTHOR'S NOTE: thank you TheRanger101 for the review :)

Chapter 64: The Jumps and Dances.

"Belief!?" He said in an almost maddening voice, "This has nothing to do with what I think! The only reason why all those things happen is because I was there. Face it, I bring death to all I come across; I'm surprised this place is still standing! If I am allowed to stay here I will bring about your demise, that's why I must leave. I shall leave and rid the world of my presence! Not one shall suffer because of me ever again!"

-Pineapple Girl, Zorn

Crackers, Tumbler and Rosie were travelling from one tree to another. Progress was slow: while the two squirrels were used to making high and long jumps from one tree to another, Rosie, being a hedgehog, was unable to do so. Therefore, the three creatures had to take several detours through smaller trees, in order for Rosie to be able to follow.

After a while, the destination was in sight.

-"Here we are," Crackers said. "This tree is where the competition will take place tonight."

-"It looks far," Rosie said, looking worriedly at the ground.

-"There's a problem though. There is only one way to reach it, and it involves one of the hardest jumps of the entire path."

-"One of us will have to carry you on their back, Rosie," Tumbler said.

-"That will have to be you, Tumbler," Crackers said. "I'm sorry Rosie, but with my paw, I'll have trouble making it even without someone on my back."

-"Sure enough."

Rosie carefully climbed on Tumbler's back and tail, doing her best not to prickle her friend.

-"Let me know when you're ready," Tumbler said.

-"I'm ready whenever you are."

-"All right. Hold tight..."

Tumbler looked closely in front of her, to calculate the best angle from which to jump, while also considering the extra weight. Once she was satisfied with her position, she made the leap.

Tumbler glided through the air for a few seconds, before she managed to grab another branch. It shook dangerously, and a few acorns fell off. She carefully pulled herself onto the branch.

-"You can get off now, Rosie."

"Thanks for the trip," Rosie replied.

-"No problem."

Moments later, Crackers too jumped, and landed on the branch next to Rosie and Tumbler.

-"Oof! Who did that?" came a sudden voice.

-"I guess one of those acorns hit some creature a few branches down," Tumbler said. "I'll go see if they're hurt."

Hannah spent a long time sitting on the branch with the leaf on her head. Kehaar really could do some ridiculous things sometimes. Now, she was all alone, and while she had said she wanted to go see Tassel, she was unsure how the squirrel could help her. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt something hit her on the head, and she was knocked off the branch. She landed on a leaf further away.

-"Oof! Who did that?" she shouted in anger.

A few moments later, a squirrel suddenly jumped in front of her.

-"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

-"Ye threw sometin on me head. Bit it don hurt too bad."

-"Glad it doesn't hurt. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were there..."

-"It's ma fault, ah had a leaf on me 'ead. I'm Hannah. You are..."

-"I'm Tumbler. Since you're all right, I'll be going back to my friends."

-"WET! Iz one of yur friendz Tassel?"

-"No, I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name. Some of my friends might though. Do you want to climb on my back and I can take you to them?"

-"Nah, ah can clim on me own."

-"You sure about that?"

-"Ye. Less go."

-"Is the creature all right?" Rosie asked as Tumbler returned.

-"She's fine. She's a mouse, she's looking for someone called Tassel."

-". . . . . that's the one organizing this dance contest," Crackers said. "She should be here already."

As if on cue, a shadow appeared overhead, and a third squirrel soon jumped onto the branch.

-"Woah, Crackers, you're here early," Tassel said. "And you brought friends?"

-"Rosie, Tumbler, meet Tassel. She's my dance instructor, taught me most of what I know on the subject."

-"And you did a great job teaching her," Tumbler said, shaking Tassel's paw.

-"Thanks. So, Crackers, we should probably wait until a few more contestants arrive, and then we can get started?"

-"Sounds good."

Tassel nodded, and soon scurried away towards a hole in the tree trunk, and went inside.

-"What do we do until then?" Rosie asked.

-"Something I spend way too much time doing," Crackers said. "We wait."

The three creatures sat down on the branch, until Hannah returned, and looked at the two squirrels in confusion.

-"Which on o' ye is Tumblee?"

-"I am," Tumbler said. "Over there is Crackers."

-"Ye look so alik. Ar ye siblins?"

-"No, I'm afraid not," Crackers replied. "But it would be nice if we were."

-"Anyvay, 'as anyon seen Tassel?"

-"She's down the hole," Rosie said.

-"Wha 'ole?"

-"The hole over there on the trunk."

Hannah walked over to the hole, and put her head inside.

-"Hey Taaasseeell!" she shouted. She waited a few moments, but no answer came. "Ye sur she's in 'ere, Yonee?"

She received no response; the two squirrels were watching Rosie carve something on the branch with one of her quills.

-"OY WHY YE DON ANSWER MEH?"

This caught everyone's attention.

-"Didn't realize you were talking to us," Crackers said. "I thought you were talking to Tassel."

-"Nah, ah wuz talkin to Yonee 'ere, but she ignored meh!"

-"But there's nobody called Yona here."

-"Whose da hedgehog behine ye?"

-"Rosie."

-"Eek, this is confusin..."

-"Hi Hannah!" came the sudden voice of Tassel as she poked her head out of the hole. "What brings you here?"

-"Oof!" Hannah leaped in fear, nearly stepping off the branch in the process. "Ye scard me 'ere for a momen. Anyvay...how's life?"

-"Life is life, and the tree is doing great. I assume you've already met Crack..."

-"Ye, I met 'er an 'er frends."

-"You're unusually impatient, Hannah. Is there something wrong?"

-"I'm not vere good a heeding feelins, am I? Ah might as well tell ye."

With that, Hannah explained the events of the past few days, how Blackberry and Primrose had left Watership Down, and how everyone had failed to find them. It took her quite a while, as the squirrels and hedgehog were full of questions.

-"I don't know what to say," Tassel finally said once Hannah had finished. "It all seems very complicated."

-"Oof, quit an udrstamet."

-"I'm afraid I can't help you myself, but I know someone who could."

-"Who?"

-"The hedgewizard."

-"Ooooh mysterious!" Rosie said.

Hannah thought back to something that had happened the previous fall. As part of an elaborate scheme to convince Woundwort that Vervain was insane, she had dressed up as a hedgewizard. Basically, she put a flower on her head and petals around her neck, and then cast a few magical "spells". However, there was no actual magic involved: the Watershippers had already arranged the situations to make them look magical. Against all odds, the plan had worked, and Vervain was expelled from the Efrafan owsla. She burst into laughter as she thought about the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

-"What's so funny?" Tassel asked.

-"Ooh, notin, I just ha a prev dealin wit a hedwizard. It was amazing."

-"Weren't you creeped out by her fireflies?"

-"Fireflies?"

-"Yeah, didn't you see them?"

-"Well, Hazel didn say anyting aboot fireflies..."

-"Who's Hazel already?"

-"The leader of 'em Watership Down bunns."

-"Oh him. What does he have to do with the hedgewizard?"

-"...I guess we not talkin aboot tha same hegeiward."

-"The one I'm talking about is a turtle."

-"Oof! Then I don know 'er."

-"I think I know who you're talking about," Crackers suddenly said. "Don't trust her, Hannah."

-"Why not?"

-"She's crazy. What she's saying makes absolutely no sense, and she keeps mixing up the past and the future."

-"Perhaps we should help her try to sort out her confusion," Rosie suggested.

-"I already tried," Crackers said sadly, "but it didn't work. By the time I left, she was just as confused."

-"But if she's magic..."

-"She's not. Magic doesn't exist. But it's actually pretty sad. She really believes in it..."

-"Could she be right?" Tumbler asked. "If you say she's crazy, you're probably right, but even the craziest creatures are sometimes right."

-"That's true. But I've seen so-called 'magic' ruin so many lives, I would still recommend to stay away even if I believed in it."

-"I got nofin to lose," Hannah said. "So ah might as weel see zis hezwidar, even if se's faek. Were can I fine 'er, Tassel?"

-"She lives on an island some distance from here. There's an old brick road nearby; if you follow it long enough, you will reach the lake and island."

-"'kay. Ah better be goin. Tanks fo the advic."

Before anyone had the opportunity to reply, Hannah had started to climb down the tree.