AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I will post one new chapter every Sunday for the next few months.

Thank you Anonymous Guest for the review! Choosing only five episodes wasn't easy, but, in airing order: Escape from Efrafa, Prisoner of Efrafa, The Stand, Winter on Watership Down, The Eyes of Silverweed.

Chapter 128: The Spy Who Loved Blackberry.

"He raised his head and cried out to them, it was a risk he knew, but nothing told him that there was reason to worry, so he allowed the small white birds with their sleek grey-white plumage to land around him."

-YouGottaSingAlong, In Search of the Black-Headed Gull

Campion went above ground. Some distance away, he saw Hyzenthlay; although he did not know her name, he recalled how she had attacked him during the battle. They would have to repair this relationship eventually, but for now he decided to stay away from her. He could recognize Blackberry further away, nibbling the grass; she was facing the opposite way, and did not notice his presence. This was one reunion that would hopefully go well. He was about to hop over to her, when suddenly...
-"Campion! Nice to see you're up. Is this a bad time?"

-"No, Hazel-rah, not at all. What is it?"

-"There's some things we need to discuss," Hazel explained. "About Woundwort."

Campion nodded; it was at that moment that captain Holly hopped over to them.

-"Hazel-rah, I assume you're going to talk to Campion," he said. "Would it be all right if I joined?

-"I don't mind," Hazel said. The three rabbits lied down in a secluded corner of the Down, where they could have their discussion without being interrupted. Campion was the first to speak:

-"So, as you know, Vervain tried and failed to kill Woundwort. We buried him and everything, but clearly he wasn't dead after all."

-"From what Moss and the others said..." Hazel started to say, but was cut off by Campion.

-"Moss is here? Oh my, I'll have to talk to him. The last time we saw each other, we were both dead..."

-"That's something I really don't understand," Holly said, shaking his head.

-"I don't understand it myself either, but that's the way it is," Campion said. "By touching him, I brought Moss back to life, and also Blackavar. Speaking of Blackavar, did he make it back here safely?"

-"He did," Hazel said with a smile. "But anyway, Moss said that Woundwort never came back to Efrafa."

-"Right. He didn't. I don't know exactly what he did, but eventually the Black Rabbit of Inlé told me he was in a place called Darkhaven, and I went there to find him."

-"And the rabbits who attacked us two days ago, are the Darkhaven owsla?" Holly asked.

-"The entire warren, actually. They are all fighters, except one elderly doe, the Speaker of the Past. She's really creepy."

-"The entire warren? Don't they have any kittens?"

-"Well, they had one, his name was Blueberry, and he was a fighter too. I don't know what happened to him, though; he was weirdly absent from the rabbits Woundwort had me train yesterday."

-"I assume they are all too busy fighting to worry about mating?" Hazel asked.

-"Pretty much. They would be doomed to die out, but they pick up enough hlessil for the warren to survive."

-"We may have come out on top two days ago, but there's no guarantee that we will in the future," Holly said. "What are their weaknesses?"

Campion remained silent for a few moments, thinking about possible weaknesses that the Watershippers could exploit.

-"Intelligence," he finally said. "They're big and strong, but they are also, for the most part, idiots. Except captain Orchis. He's a really talented schemer, and a sadist."

Hazel was about to reply, when Hyzenthlay ran over to him.

-"What's going on?" she asked, before turning to Campion. "I fought this rabbit, he works with the enemy."

-"Hyzenthlay," Hazel said, "meet Campion. He's one of us, and has been working undercover against Woundwort."

-"Oh..." A look of sadness appeared on the doe's face. "I'm sorry I attacked you, I didn't know..."

-"No, don't apologize, you had no way of knowing my situation," Campion replied.

-"You mention that Orchis is a sadist; which one is he?" Holly asked, hopping over to Hyzenthlay.

-"He has grey fur, and a weird, un-rabbit-like face," Campion explained. "He spends a lot of time with Vervain."

-"Doesn't Woundwort hold the attempted murder against Vervain?"

-"No, because he doesn't believe in Vervain's guilt."

-"Has the attempted murder changed Woundwort in any way?" Hazel asked.

-"It's made him even more determined to destroy you, since he thinks you're the ones who tried to kill him. But beyond that, he's just the same old Woundwort."

-"Do you want to stay here with us, at Watership Down?" Hazel suggested.

-"What? Why would I do that? You need me to work against Woundwort from the inside."

-"I don't know if you would still be useful there. Your time might be better spent here, helping Bigwig with owsla training."

-"But if I'm here, I couldn't steer the patrols away from the warren."

-"They already know in what area to look for, with their recent encounter," Holly pointed out.

-"I wouldn't be able to try to convince other rabbits to switch sides."

-"If they are all as unintelligent as you say they are, is it really worth trying?"

-"I wouldn't be able to provide you with updates on the situation anymore."

-"You sound like you WANT to stay in Darkhaven," Hyzenthlay said.

Campion fell awkwardly silent. A life of freedom at Watership Down was very appealing, but he felt an obligation to return to Darkhaven. As long as Woundwort was a threat, he had to do everything he could to stop him.

-"I really do think I would be more useful there," he finally said. "I'm the only one who can work as a spy against Woundwort; he knows the rest of you all."

-"I'm afraid he's right," Hazel said, turning to Holly. "With Kehaar gone, he really is the only one who could provide us with information about happenings at Darkhaven, without arousing suspicion."

-"That appears to be the case," Holly said sadly.

-"You have all been fighting this war longer than I've been at the warren," Hyzenthlay said. "You know so much more than me."

-"Don't underestimate yourself, Hyzenthlay," Hazel said. "But Campion, you are welcome to stay here as long as you wish, before returning to Darkhaven."

-"Thanks, but no thanks, Hazel. I need to get back before anyone notices my absence. Before I leave, though...would it be all right if I spoke with Blackberry?"

-"Of course. Which one?"

Campion's ears dropped to the sides of his head.

-"You mean there's more than one?"

-"Yes. One of them is a buck, and the other is a doe," Hazel explained.

-"Oh. I was thinking of the doe."

-"I'll go find her."

Hazel hopped away, leaving Campion behind with Hyzenthlay and Holly. Apart from the battle with Hyzenthlay, he had never interacted with either rabbit before, leaving him unsure how to act around them.

-"Have you two had any good flayrah lately?"

Holly and Hyzenthlay, confused by this random question, looked at each other.

-"We have an underground supply, if you want some," Hyzenthlay said.

It was at that moment that Hazel returned with Blackberry.

-"Hazel tells me you wish to speak with me," the doe said.

-"I do," Campion said. "If you don't mind, could we do it alone?"

-"We'll leave you to it," Hyzenthlay said, as she and Holly hopped away.

-"When you two are done, Blackberry, could you check to see if any burrows are unstable?" Hazel asked. "The rain last night might have damaged some of them, and you are our digging expert."

-"I'll do my best, Hazel," Blackberry replied.

He then hopped away, leaving Blackberry and Campion alone.

-"First off, I want to say...I'm sorry," Campion said.

-"Why are you sorry?"

-"I tried to eat you."

-"On the island?"

-"Yes."

Blackberry fell silent for a few moments. Campion's statement showed that at least part of her dream had really happened. However, it would probably be best not to mention the rest of the dream for now.

-"And I'm sorry I ignored you when we met by the iron road," she said.

-"Not your fault. Primrose was the priority."

The two remained silent, each waiting for the other to speak.

-"So, what's next for the two of us?" Campion eventually asked.

-"What do you mean?"

-"I'll be going back to Darkhaven now."

-"Are you sure that's really a good idea? It's a terribly unsafe place."

-"You're right, but the truth is, I must. I just want you to know that..."

-"Yes?"

Campion was about to ask Blackberry to be his mate, but he quickly realized it wouldn't be fair to do so now, with his imminent departure. Asking her to come with him wasn't an option either: he wouldn't inflict a stay in Darkhaven upon anyone, let alone such a kind doe. The sudden rush of emotions prevented him from speaking clearly.

-"I'll be back for you, please wait for me. I'll bring back news when I can, but I have to go now, before Woundwort suspects. See you later."

Without waiting for a reply, he ran away, towards the bottom of the Down. Blackberry was taken aback by Campion's request that she "wait for him" because he "would be back for her". Was he in love with her? She wanted to run after him to ask him for clarifications, but as she looked in his direction, and saw how far away he already was, she realized that there was no way she would be able to catch up with him. With a sigh, she went underground, to inspect the burrows as Hazel had asked.

Hazel, meanwhile, had hopped back underground. There were still many tasks that needed to be done. Once in the Honeycomb, he saw Silverweed sitting in a corner.

-"Silverweed, there's something I would need you to do."

-"What is it?" the pale-furred rabbit asked, hopping over to Hazel.

-"You know the Efrafans who arrived recently?"

-"Yes, I've seen them around."

-"Moss warns me that one of them may be a killer. Could you find out which one, if any?"

-"By looking into their hearts?"

-"Yes, exactly."

Silverweed was unconvinced. There was no way for him to search for a single piece of information in the Efrafans' hearts. He would have to look at everything, including things they wouldn't want known, in order to find out the killer. It would be terrifying for everyone involved. But the alternative was even worse: a killer going free, and possibly making more victims.

-"I'll do it."