Twenty – Nine

Bright Eyes

The rabbits all made it home to the down at around dusk, all glad that their hard day of tracking and patrolling was over.

Hawkbit and Dandelion collapsed at the very edge of the down, whilst Blackavar, Primrose and Blackberry waited until they had reached the warren entrance.

Vervain was standing beside Campion and glancing around the other rabbits muttering to himself, it was becoming one of his hobbies.

Campion just looked down in disgust. “Don’t stand beside me Vervain.” He stared pointedly for him to start to slink away.

Vervain looked as if he was about to reply before Hazel came over, then he backed down quietly and went to silflay beside Yew and Brunnea, the only two rabbits in the warren that would speak to him without disgust.

“Blackberry spoke to me on the way home,” Hazel said quietly, looking at Campion with meaning.

“Yes,” Campion sighed. “What you planning to do?”

“We’re already keeping our security pretty tight, I suppose we can just increase that.”

“Hmm, that’s not going to make the others any happier,” Campion mused.

“Yeah, they do look a bit….. tired.” Hazel laughed in spite of himself.

Most of the rabbits had fallen to a doze straight away without bothering to move from where they had collapsed, therefore blocking the entrance in and out the warren.

“Hazel?”

Campion and Hazel watched Bigwig climb with difficulty over the bodies. “Did you have a chat with that Shadow fellow?” he asked.

“I thanked him for saving us, he accepted, that’s all there is to it,” Hazel said quietly.

“Right, if you think its best.” Bigwig rolled his eyes.

“I told Bigwig and Fiver about what Blackberry told me,” Hazel explained to Campion. “We were planning to discuss it in the meeting tonight.”

“About that Hazel, most of the rabbits would be too tired to attend and we have no flayrah to share out,” Fiver pointed out, coming over drowsily.

“Oh alright, but I won’t be able to wait much longer before I hear what happened at Shadowsky warren,” Hazel said good humouredly.

“We’ll need someone to stand guard tonight up here Hazel,” Bigwig said expectantly. “I would wake Hawkbit and Dandelion up but they do look as if they had just sprinted to the big water and back and  would be less terrible guards than usual if I forced them.”

“That’s alright Bigwig I’ll do it,” Campion offered.

“But you were on the patrol all day too.” Bigwig sounded shocked, as if the chances of a rabbit offering were little to none.

“In Efrafa we had to march for days sometimes. I’ll be alright,” Campion offered as an explanation.

“Okay Campion and thanks……. do you want to keep Vervain for company?” Hazel indicated to the black buck, who seemed to be talking to himself under the beech tree.

“Hazel, if you value my sanity and his life at all, I would bring him safely underground,” Campion said, smiling.

“Point taken, we’ll see you in the morning.” Hazel turned to follow the rabbits filing down to the burrows.

“Swift, Ash, Iris, Spring?” Campion called across the down. “Want experience of night duty?”

“If it is all the same to you…. not really,” Swift yawned, whilst Ash nodded in agreement.

“Kill joys, where is your sense of adventure?”

“I’m sorry if I don’t see the adventurous side of sitting around in the dark studying inle.” Swift rolled his eyes in an obvious matter.

Campion just looked at Blackberry with his eye arches raised. “When did they get so cheeky?”

Blackberry just shrugged, her mouth full of kitten as she struggled to bring them underground.

“I’ll stay,” Iris offered, excitedly.

“Oh, good.” Campion smiled. “See you tomorrow, Blackberry.”

“I’ll take guard duty over by the opposite side of the down,” Fiver offered.

“You don’t have to Fiver, they have already gotten someone,” Ivy said in surprise.

“I have to Ivy,” Fiver said desperately. “I have been feeling really unsettled all day, as if something is wrong, really wrong.”

Fiver shivered violently, his eyes glowing faintly in the fading light and his fur seemed to stand on edge.

“All right Fiver, do what you have do,” Hazel said firmly, guiding Ivy underground with a firm glance.

“Keep an eye on him Campion, something isn’t right,” Bigwig whispered to Campion.

Campion nodded firmly, watching Fiver’s retreating back with concern.

Bigwig and Hazel stopped in the Honeycomb together and waited patiently for Vervain. The sneaky dark grey rabbit was supposed to meet them for a regular check-up to check things like his attitude towards them and the Down. It had been Hazel’s idea.

Finally, all the rabbits were underground leaving the three rabbits remaining.

Campion settled down with Iris to watch the silent, black down for any signs of movement. Was it his imagination, or did he see a pair of glowing, predator like eyes piercing the night?
A blink and they were gone, leaving Campion uneasy.

“Parli, what’s wrong?” Iris asked innocently.

Campion looked down at the young kitten. “Nothing,” he reassured.

To distract Iris from further probing questions Campion attempted to show her the legendary star shapes.

“See that shape there? That’s El-ahrairah.” Campion pointed to a sequence of stars.

“I see it!” Iris cried excitedly.

“And that one,” Campion started then hesitated. “That’s the Black Rabbit.”

Iris paused and lent her head to one side. “That face with the large eyes?”

“Yeah, it’s….” Campion started, when a terrible cry startled the quiet night.

“Fiver!” Campion shouted, recognising the voice, “what is it, what’s wrong?”

When he received no reply he rushed over and bent down to examine the traumatised rabbit.

Usually when Fiver was having a vision he reacted badly, but this time he was completely still and this scared Campion more.

“The field, the field……. it’s covered in blood!” Fiver cried out.

“What?” Campion turned quickly to look out at the fields at the bottom of the hill, they remained black and normal.

“It’s coming nearer, it’s…. it’s coming! Can’t escape the noise, the groan, the screams!”

Now Campion was really frightened and he felt his body grow cold, he was going tharn at Fiver’s strange moaning.

Campion turned back to Iris with difficulty. “Quick, go and get Hazel, Blackberry, whoever and quickly!”

Iris was wide eyed and trembling slightly but found the courage to overcome her fear and obey.

“Fiver, wake up, you’re all right!” Campion pleaded as his silent suffering increased when Fiver’s terrible cries erupted into the otherwise silent night.

Hazel soon returned, followed closely by Blackberry and Bigwig.

“What… what happened to Fiver?” Hazel panted.

“He said the field was covered in blood,” Campion started then paused at Hazel’s reaction. “Hazel what is it? What’s going on?”

Hazel exchanged looks with Blackberry and Bigwig.

“Iris, go back to the warren, now,” Blackberry commanded gently but firmly.

Campion looked at Hazel and Bigwig questionably. “Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess?”

Hazel sighed and said, “It is the same thing he said about Sandleford before it was destroyed.”

“But they can’t! I mean, when you first arrived at the down Fiver told you all it was a safe home forever,” Campion insisted.

“Yes, but men are unpredictable and their decisions change,” Hazel mused, more to himself than the others.

“He’s waking up properly!” Bigwig shouted urgently.

The four rabbits peered down at Fiver anxiously.

He stirred and finally stopped his moaning, He looked around each of the faces slowly, before turning to look at inle.

“They’re coming, we’re not safe,” Fiver breathed out slowly and turned to face the rest. “The dream will die and there is nothing we can do about that, our future is in the hands of man. The eyes that were once so bright will all dim and fail,” Fiver ended.