AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you Bigbobby and TheRanger101 for the reviews :) I'm glad you both like last week's chapter :)

TheRanger101: I always liked Buttercup's warren, and it chronically underused in fanfics, so I decided to do something about that :D

Also, the name "Stormhaven" comes from some picture books released to promote the 1999 WD series.

Chapter 36: Stormhaven!

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

-Napoleon Bonaparte

Woundwort and Silverweed had been travelling almost constantly since their departure from the roundabout. Silverweed, however, was not used to travelling long distances, and was rapidly getting exhausted.

-"Can't we please rest, General Woundwort? I feel as if my legs are going to fall off."

-"Very well, you can rest. By the way, I've been wanting to ask you a question for a while."

-"What do you want to know?" Silverweed asked as he lied down and closed his eyes.

-"You saved my life last night. How did you know the collision between the hrududil was going to happen?"

-"Sometimes, I can see the future. Not always, and when I do, it's often just a vague feeling. I knew you and a few others would be killed if you moved, so I immobilized you. But I didn't know it would be hrududil."

-"See the future, can you? What does MY future hold?"

-"To find out, I would have to look into your heart. I must warn you, however, of an unavoidable side effect. I will also see your entire past, your greatest fears, your hidden desires. I will know everything about you, even things you've done your best to forget. You may not be ready for the shocking information I will obtain."

-"You may look into my heart. I feel ready for anything."

-"As you wish."

Silverweed got back up and placed one of his front paws on Woundwort's chest, approximately where the heart was. His eyes grew wide and started shining. Woundwort remained motionless, unsure how to react to this. After a few moments Silverweed removed his paw and blinked a few times; his eyes faded back to their normal green colour.

-"So, what did you see?" Woundwort asked.

-"Something terrible. Massive destruction."

-"Of the outsiders, I assume?"

-"No. I saw your old home. It was a fine warren, located in the middle of the forest close to a river. Plenty of grass, everyone was friendly, the owsla didn't oppress the outskirters. There were many rabbits living there, and the warren prospered for a long time."

Woundwort listened attentively, amazed at how accurate Silverweed's description was. The silver buck continued:

-"There were many thunderstorms in the area. Nobody really knew why, it was just that way. Nobody minded, it allowed the grass to grow. But as a consequence, the warren was called..."

Suddenly, another creature ran into the two rabbits, knocking them both down. Silverweed could see that it was another rabbit, who instantly ran away.

-"...Stormhaven."

-"That's NOT what it was called," Woundwort said in anger, "but first, let me deal with this troublemaker who attacked us."

Woundwort got up and ran towards the ditch where the other rabbit had hidden. However, just as he was about to pounce, he realized who it was.

After leaving Ahfernwort, Vervain had continued wandering. He had a certain amount of experience in the outside world, from his many patrols while he was in Efrafa, but before, he always had several companions. While he was frequently annoyed at their incompetence, it was much better than being alone like he was now. His former travelling companion, Aspen, had been killed, and it was his fault.

Vervain felt lonely. And to make things worse, he still had no idea where Chibiscuit was. There were no traces of her, not even a faint scent or an ancient pawprint. He wasn't surprised, considering the many seasons that had passed since he had last seen her, but deep down, he felt sad. She was probably still alive somewhere, but he would most likely never find her.

Suddenly, he saw two bright lights coming from behind a bush. While they vanished a few moments later, he was terrified. What type of creature has eyes that glow in daylight? Only one: the Black Rabbit of Inlé. Unable to think rationally, he bolted out of his hiding spot and ran away. In the process, he crashed into two other rabbits, but this didn't stop him; he got back up and kept running.

Suddenly, he stopped. One of the rabbits he had crashed into looked a lot like General Woundwort. "No, it can't be him, I killed him," Vervain thought. "But what if it's...a ghost?" Vervain had always been a very superstitious rabbit.

His thoughts were interrupted when another rabbit jumped into the ditch. It was Woundwort, there was no doubt about that. Vervain gasped in terror, and bowed.

-"General Woundwort, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

-"Vervain! What brings you here?"

-"I'm sorry I killed you, General, I don't know what went over me..."

-"Vervain, you've always been crazier than the average rabbit, but what are you talking about?"

-"I killed you a few days ago in Efrafa, and now you're back to haunt me."

-"Vervain, is it possible to be touched by a ghost?"

-"N- n- no..."

Suddenly, Woundwort cuffed Vervain in the ears.

-"Did you feel that?"

-"Y- ye- y- yes..."

-"Since I touched you and you felt it, I am logically not a ghost. Convinced?"

Vervain remained silent for a few moments. Everything seemed to indicate that Woundwort was alive, which would mean he had survived the attack.

-"...yes."

-"Good. With that out of the way, what's all this nonsense about you killing me?"

-"Since you're not a ghost, I didn't kill you, but I tried! Apparently I failed. I'm sorry General! I don't know what I was thinking!"

Woundwort stared at Vervain for what felt like a long time. Vervain expected Woundwort to attack him, and probably kill him, but nothing happened. The delay was making him increasingly nervous.

Finally, Woundwort spoke:

-"No. You wouldn't do that."

-"But I tell you, I did!"

-"No. I know you, Vervain. You've been in my owsla for seasons. You would never be brave enough to attempt anything like this."

-"I did do it..."

-"Shut up. You didn't do it, and repeating it won't make you sound more convincing. While someone did try to kill me, it wasn't you; it was the outsiders. I don't know how the killer managed to sneak inside the warren, though. My officers are supposed to be skilled guards, yet someone managed to sneak inside the warren and try to kill me without anyone noticing. And then, they just bury me as if I were dead! Didn't they even bother to verify whether I was still alive?"

Vervain remained silent, as Woundwort rambled about his "death". He was not really paying attention; instead he reflected on how nobody ever took him seriously.

-"Come on, Vervain," Woundwort eventually said. "Follow me. I'm off to build a new owsla so I can destroy these outsiders."

-"And you want me in your owsla?"

-"Not really, but you're the only rabbit with me at the moment, so you'll have to do."

-"What about that half-sized creep on the other side of the bush?"

-"Oh. I forgot all about him." Woundwort hopped over to Silverweed, who was nibbling some grass. "My warren was not called Stormhaven, it was called..."

-"Darkhaven. I know, but it used to be called Stormhaven. Until the humans came, and built something there. A place where all the stuff they don't want anymore goes. Anything from rotten food to broken hrududil, it all goes there. The rabbits stayed, but life changed drastically and the name was changed to Darkhaven."

-"That's perfectly true. Keep going."

-"However, the humans didn't like the rabbits' presence, so they tried to dispose of them, using fire. The rabbits ran away in terror, but the humans were waiting with guns. Your mother, Laurel, was killed by a weasel as she tried to help you get away."

As Silverweed recalled these tragic events, Woundwort struggled to hold back his tears. That day, his previously peaceful life had turned into a terrible nightmare. However, he refused to show his emotions: he did not want to appear vulnerable in front of Vervain. The bearded rabbit would never shut up about it.

-"You've done a good job telling me about my past. What does my future hold?"

-"It seems like you're going back to Darkhaven. Some of the rabbits came back, but it's not the Stormhaven you grew up in. The humans are still dangerous, although now it's cluelessness rather than malice. I wouldn't go back to that terrible place if I were you."

-"If my destiny leads me to Darkhaven, that's where we shall go. Come on, both of you! Follow me. We're going to Darkhaven!"

-"With a name like that, it doesn't sound like a nice place," Vervain said.

-"It doesn't really matter; I'll make Darkhaven great again!"

-"I still have a bad feeling..."

-"Are you questioning my authority, Vervain?"

-"...no, sir."

With that, Woundwort dashed off, with Vervain and Silverweed doing their best to follow him. Everyone remained silent for a while, until Silverweed finally spoke:

-"Vervain, I know he doesn't believe you killed him. If it makes you feel any better, I believe you."

-"Heh. How did I convince you?"

-"I saw it in your heart. While the tongue can lie, the heart always tells the truth. Vervain, your heart is full of anger towards Woundwort. Why do you feel this way?"

-"Did you ever try to break free from the past, only for it to come back to haunt you?"

-"I've never had the opportunity to think about this before, I'm afraid. But it sounds terrible."

-"It is. It absolutely is."

-"But if you hate Woundwort so much, Vervain, why do you follow him?"

Vervain shot a look of anger at Silverweed. He knew that there were no valid answers to that question, but he was unwilling to admit it.

-"I didn't ask you for advice. Leave me alone."

Silverweed sighed. Vervain was clearly unhappy about his current situation, but you can't help someone who doesn't want help.

The rabbits continued to travel until after a while, Vervain suddenly gasped.

-"What is it now, Vervain?" Woundwort asked.

-"I smell a fox."

-"Let's fight it."

-"Fight it, sir? But that's madness!"

-"It's glorious madness!"

Woundwort stayed motionless as he waited for the fox to become visible. However, it did not come; a few minutes later, an unusually small rabbit with dark black fur arrived instead.

-"Are you sure that was a fox you smelled, Vervain?" Woundwort said, annoyed.

-"Sorry to bother you," the black rabbit said as he hopped closer to Woundwort, "but I've been searching for berries. So far I have blackberries and strawberries, but I still need some blueberries and raspberries for my project. Do you know where I can find some? Also I hope that fox didn't attack you before I scared it away..."

-"See! I told you there was a fox, sir!" Vervain said.

Woundwort glared at Vervain, angry at having been corrected, especially in front of a stranger. He was eager to change the subject.

-"Follow me, little one! We're going to Darkhaven!"

-"Are there any berries there?" the black rabbit asked.

-"Just follow me!"

-"All right then."

-"Didn't his parents ever tell him not to trust strangers?" Vervain mumbled.

-"His parents are dead," Silverweed said. "But there's something else about him, that I don't quite understand..."