There was an awful wailing noise. It was too hard to bear. Every screech felt like a thorn jamming itself down Speedwell's ears and into his head. How he hated it.
He called into the fog for it to stop, but the screeching continued. He called again. It still continued. Frustration getting the best of him, he trudged through the frigid fog until he happened upon the wailings source. A limp rabbit lay there, sprawled along the ground with its eyes rolling around in his head.
Speedwell shouted at the stranger, but they did not react. Thinking no better, he nipped at the stranger's flank; this only increased the volume of the wailing. He bit down with force, tasting warmth on his tongue. But the stranger stayed resolute. Again, he tried and again the same until Speedwell scratched the stranger to flesh and bone. But the wailing didn't stop. Speedwell tried to stop the horrid noise until the stranger was truly no more, but the screaming stayed.
He screamed into the abyss trying to get it to stop but it wouldn't go away. He screamed and shouted until he joined the wailing and they became a chorus of madness.
"You look absolutely miserable" Fiver stated plainly.
The stranger and landscape had gone. In its place was the lukewarm burrow with Fiver crouched by the entrance. Speedwell was panting, sprawled across the dusty floor. It must've been a nightmare.
Speedwell struggled to his feet. He felt cold, weak, hungry. His mind spun idly as his vision started to sharpen. He had forgotten that Fiver had woken him, as when the buck spoke again, Speedwell nearly smacked his head on the roof.
"I heard a commotion as I was passing by. I want to make sure everything's alright.
speedwell took in a deep breath and held it for just a second. Then exhaled slowly, watching the breath turn into a light mist.
"I'm fine, Fiver," stated Speedwell. He looked down at his own feet.
Fiver was silent.
"It's just a fright from being out of the warren for so long,"
a long moment passed between the two before Fiver spoke finally: "I understand."
But something told Speedwell that Fiver didn't believe it.
"I believe it's morning again. You might want to come up and silflay." He hesitated a little, "there's not much grass to go around," and with that Fiver was gone.
Speedwell sat in the dim-light of his burrow for some time. He milled over his nightmare. It had felt so real; he had felt so angry. I'm losing it, Thought speedwell.
Fiver was right.
From the edge of the fog wall to the place we're the beech tree stood the grass was miserable. Most of the grass had been eaten to its roots leaving the most inedible short stuff. Patches of dead grass bruised the landscape and were devoid of any rabbits picking around to find a few blades of grass that still had anything worth eating.
Speedwell took a step forward and frowned as the short grassed pricked at his feet. He hopped along down about 5 feet before trying his luck. Nothing worth eating as far as he could tell. He hopped across the Downs for a while before finally calling it in. He nibbled at what little green there was and nearly choked. Eating nothing would be better than eating this.
So he watched over the Downs. Dreadful. It was as if all the life had been scared away leaving only the melancholy shadow of what came before. Rabbits worriedly picked to find anything to eat; a few of the more adventurous ones were silflaying along the fog wall. A ways away, near one of the burrow's entrances a scuffle began that had to be broken up by the Owsla. The two troublemakers looked frail: their pelts thrown over a skeletal frame. The youngsters that used to play and frolic were gone; In their place were dreary-eyed kits who begrudgingly chewed on the short stuff.
Speedwell shuddered. The thought of venturing out into the denser fog crossed his mind but the world had become so strange to him; he wouldn't risk running into the dark rabbits again. And Acorn. What had happened to acorn? Surely he would've been fond to return to the warren.
Oh his head had become so dense with worry. There was hardly any chance he could lie down and rest.
Blackberry-rah came hopping up to Speedwell with bigwig in tow (the owsla comprised of younger bucks following right behind him). Speedwell's ears perked up.
"Speedwell," Blackberry started, he held himself with purpose, a slight tinge of gray speckled his chest. "I'm sure you've noticed that the food here is running scarce, so I'm going to ask you to do me a favor. Bigwig, his Owsla, and I discussed this for a while, and we think that it's in all of our best interests if you agree to it."
"What is it?"
"Well, you see, we know that flayrah is abundant at Nuthanger farm, and getting food for the warren is of the utmost importance. So, I'm asking you if you may lead the owsla to Nuthanger.
"Goodness, No!"
"You're the only one who has managed to navigate through the fog,"
"That wasn't all me," Speedwell paused as he tried to find his next words, "it was acorn. You remember him? Died all those winters ago."
"I do."
"It was him. He guided Thistle and I back to the Downs."
Blackberry-rah and Bigwig glanced at each other.
"He was right there, in front of my eyes! I swear!" Speedwell said, noticing the exchange, "He ran off when Thistle and I finally got to the downs, but he was there, real as my fur."
Bigwig was about to say something before Blackberry-rah cut him off.
"Maybe Speedwell's words have merit. Those dark rabbits we keep seeing out in the fog... Strange things have been happening since the fog descended, and those rabbits in the fog seem to stalk us just beyond where the fog gets dense." Blackberry-rah scanned across the Down; there were no dark rabbits as far as he could tell. "Have you met any other of these 'shadow rabbits?'"
"Yes! The one that led Thistle away from the Down, He said that it was his mother. My dead mate."
"I don't believe him for one second! He's hysterical!" Bigwig blurted.
Blackberry-rah sighed: "Bigwig, we can't just jump to conclusions like that. These times have been stressful on all of us."
"They have! But he's speaking total nonsense! If you ask me, Blackberry, I think he's totally lost it!" Bigwig argued.
Speedwell's heart began to race. "I promise I'm telling the truth" He squeaked out.
Bigwig just looked annoyed and Blackberry-rah looked twice that towards Bigwig.
"Bigwig, take your Owlsa, elsewhere." With that, Bigwig rounded the Owsla and disappeared down a nearby hole.
"I'm terribly sorry for that, Speedwell. Like I said before, everyone has been on edge lately. It's been confusing the past few days. I do want to ask you one final question and then I'll let you on your way." Blackberry-rah looked out into the fog, "Did you come across Nuthanger farm when you were out there?"
"Yes. Thistle and I stopped there for a night"
"And was there any flayrah there?"
"There was."
"Excellent! I'll tell the Owsla. You're free to go. Hopefully there won't be any Elil to get in our way."
Blackberry-rah turned to head down the hole in which the Owsla had gone.
"Blackberry," spoke Speedwell as the leader headed underground, "The world is so empty out there, I don't think you'll have to worry about Elil."
But Blackberry-rah had already disappeared from view.