Chapter 280: The Run Has Started!.
"I had hoped to come back with you, but it looks like things haven't turned out that way."
-Quincy Connally, Silent Down
The Watershippers were faced with a dilemma, but the urgency of the situation forced them to make some hasty decisions. In addition to Clover and Hyzenthlay releasing the dog, Blackberry, Hawkbit and Campion (in that order) would then take turns leading it to the Darkhaveners. Hazel had initially volunteered to assist, but instead, Spartina suggested that he stay underground, to handle a backup plan (everyone fleeing) should the dog chase fail.
-"We don't have much time," Bigwig shouted, as they all stepped out of the warren. "Let's get going, move!"
-"You're always shouting, aren't you?" came Spartina's voice.
-"It's just the way I speak," Bigwig said. "Are you coming?"
Campion and Hawkbit took their spots for the upcoming chase; Campion stayed at an important junction inside the maze, while Hawkbit hid in the hedges by its entrance. Blackberry, meanwhile, joined Clover and Hyzenthlay; he would wait by the door while they got the dog out of the building.
Bigwig and Spartina meanwhile hopped towards the gate. The Darkhaveners had just arrived, but a few of the larger ones had gotten stuck, the gaps between the bars being too narrow for them to fit. Other owsla officers were trying to push them through, but some of them remained firmly stuck, and blocked the way for several of the smaller ones.
-"Ah, General," Bigwig said mockingly, from a distance, "I see you have found us."
-"We have," the General said. "Prepare to die."
-"But first, you must catch us," Spartina said, kicking dirt into the General's eyes before fleeing away.
Woundwort quickly cleaned his face, before turning to his troops.
-"What are you waiting for? ATTAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
-"That's what we're trying to do," Shale said stupidly, stuck in the gate. "But we can't move."
Woundwort considered his options. If his owsla could not cross the gate, they would have to find another way in. He looked at the ground; the alley was paved, therefore it was impossible to dig through. He tried chewing through the bars, but quickly realized that they were made of solid metal, it would take way too long. It was also too high to jump over. To his great annoyance, the only way in was straight through.
Meanwhile, Hyzenthlay, Blackberry and Clover were sitting in front of the mansion's front door, staring at it.
-"Any idea how we can get in?" Hyzenthlay asked.
-"This seems to be an entrance of some sort," Blackberry observed, as he scratched the door. "It is currently closed, like a burrow entrance filled in. But unlike a burrow, we can't dig through this substance."
-"You're perfectly right. Fortunately, there's that small round thing higher up," Clover explained, pointing to the doorbell. "Pressing it causes a loud noise to happen, at which point the humans will open the entrance."
-"It seems too high to jump to. We could use Acacia's pebble thrower." Hyzenthlay glanced at the maze in the distance. "I don't know if we have enough time to make it there and back..."
-"Why don't you ask him from a distance using your mind powers?" Clover suggested. "You did something like that when Fiver was being invaded while digging when you first arrived at Watership Down."
-"It wasn't exactly the same thing, but it's worth trying."
Hyzenthlay fell silent, and closed her eyes, concentrating her energy on Acacia. Clover and Blackberry stared at her, periodically glancing at the maze and the Darkhaveners, before Hyzenthlay spoke again.
-"I couldn't contact him."
-"In that case..."
-"But I managed to contact Nicole, since she also has some mind powers or something like that. She will tell Acacia and he will come."
The two does waited for a few minutes, growing progressively nervous, wondering if Acacia would get there in time. Fortunately, he soon arrived, carrying his slingshot and a few pebbles.
-"I hear you want me to shoot some rocks," he said. "What do you want me to hit?"
Hyzenthlay gestured at the doorbell.
-"Wow, that's high up. But I think I can make it to save the bunnies."
Acacia took a few moments to adjust his aim, before firing. The first pebble did not hit its target, but it came close. Fortunately, the second one was spot-on.
-"Good hit," Clover praised. "Now we just have to wait for the humans to arrive and open up."
-"Is there anything else I can do to help?"
-"No, not unless you fancy being chased by a dog."
-"I see. Good luck! I will go throw my remaining pebbles at Woundwort."
It only took a minute or so for the humans to answer the door, but to the rabbits it felt like a long time, considering the urgency of the situation. Hyzenthlay frequently looked in the direction of the maze, wondering how long it would take for the Darkhaveners to reach the entrance.
The first human to arrive was female, a young adult, who looked around in confusion, wondering where the visitor had gone. The rabbits could see, further away in another room, the dog that Nettle had mentioned; it seemed to be napping at the moment.
-"We need to wake it up," Hyzenthlay said. "It's our only chance."
The two does and buck stamped; this attracted the attention of both the dog and the human. The dog woke up instantly and walked over to the door, curious as to what was going on. The woman looked down and saw the rabbits. She tried to close the door before the dog could escape, but it was too fast for her.
-"You two hide in the bushes, I'll let it run," Hyzenthlay said.
-"I'm not letting you take this risk alone," Clover insisted.
-"That was supposed to be my job," Blackberry said.
-"Please no arguing!"
The former hutch doe pounced on Hyzenthlay, causing them both to fall into the nearby bushes. With the dog dangerously close, Blackberry bolted. The dog was running after him, getting closer and closer, ignoring its master's repeated calls of "Chester, no! Sit!" Blackberry could smell its breath near his hind legs, and felt himself grow tired; thankfully, it did not him long to reach the maze's entrance, and he ran into the hedge.
-"Your turn, Hawkbit!"
-"Right-o."
The dog Chester stopped at the maze's entrance, confused as to where his prey had gone.
-"Oy! Smelly breath!" Hawkbit shouted from further down the path, borrowing words from Hannah.
While Chester did not understand the words, he did hear the sound, which had the desired effect: he charged down the path after the grey buck.
While Blackberry, Hyzenthlay and Clover were waiting for the humans to open the door, Woundwort was continuing to assist his owsla past the gate. By this point, they had all managed to cross the narrow opening, except for one: Granite. As possibly the largest Darkhavener, he remained firmly stuck. No amount of pushing, pulling, or squirming changed anything, and Woundwort was losing patience.
-"I can't believe that a single rabbit is holding up this entire war. This is beyond ridiculous!"
He continued grumbling while several other officers kept trying to assist the oversized white buck, when suddenly, he felt something hit hin in the back.
-"WHO DID THAT!?" He turned around, furious. He quickly zeroed in on Vervain as the prime suspect; while there was no evidence, he certainly had a strong motive.
-"I'm sorry sir, it wasn't me..." Vervain said, terrified, as Woundwort pounced on him.
-"If I didn't need you for the upcoming battle, I would kill you right away."
At that moment, Woundwort felt another hit, this time on his forehead. He had not seen it coming due to his one blind eye, but he knew one thing: this couldn't be Vervain, not while he was pinned. Looking in the distance, he spotted Acacia (although he did not know him by name), proudly holding his slingshot. While Granite was stuck, the rest of the owsla were sitting ducks!
Acacia aimed a third pebble, but Woundwort dodged it just in time; instead, it hit Vervain in the ear. By this point, Woundwort had had enough.
-"All right, that's it! No more waiting!" He turned to Granite. "If you ever make it through, follow our scent and join us. Otherwise, you're on your own. The rest of you, ATTAAAAAACK!"
All Granite could do was stare helplessly as everyone else moved forward, leaving him there, alone and trapped.