Chapter Fourteen

Christmas Special Part 2: Not Over Yet

Fiver and Ivy had left Hazel and Bigwig on the edge of the Down and were making their way over to where Pipkin was talking to his junior owsla, when Fiver stopped Ivy.

“I was just wondering whether or not I should tell you… before we came to your warren I had a vision….” Fiver began.

“What, was it something bad?” Ivy asked with concern.

“It was about a weasel…. and you,” Fiver ended.

“Me? It wasn’t bad was it?” Ivy said starting to feel panicky.

“It…” Fiver was cut off by Hawkbit who came over grumbling.

“Oh, Fiver!” He moaned as a pile of snow fell from the branch of the large beech tree.

“Is what I’ve been hearing true?” Hawkbit asked, somewhere under the snow.

“Well I don’t know what it is until you tell me Hawkbit.” Fiver smiled struggling not to laugh. “And I’m sorry Ivy sometimes I don’t remember my visions, I only know what the witnesses tell me.”

“Is it true that you and Ivy are mates?” Hawkbit asked sceptically.

“Oh Hawkbit! You are so funny!” Ivy laughed.

Hawkbit looked miffed and left in the same manner which he had came, grumbling and trying to avoid slipping on the snow.

Campion lent his head to the side and looked at interest in the runt of the litter who was getting pushed away by the others.

“Is that the buck or the doe?” Campion asked, he gently pushed the four others aside.

Blackberry glanced at it. “It’s the buck that we decided to call Ash.”

“Do you think it will be strong enough to survive?” Campion questioned not unkindly.

Blackberry laid her ears on her back and looked worriedly at the buck. She pushed the rest away from her side to make room for him to feed.

Campion finally pulled himself away to let Hazel know that he wouldn’t be in the owsla until Blackberry was able to fend for herself. As it was, the first time mother was visibly struggling; five kittens required a lot of care and tired her out.

“Hazel?”

“Oh hello Campion, I’d been wondering where you went to, you are starting to disappear quite a lot you know,” Hazel said cheerfully. “We are just waiting for Frith, care to join us?”

Campion decided to tell Hazel later that Blackberry had delivered, when the other animals went home just in case they overcrowded Blackberry in excitement to see the kittens.

“Is it always this peaceful at Frithmas here? It never seems to be any other time!” Campion joked.

“Enjoy it while it lasts, it won’t be long before we’re all ambushed by an army again,” Hawkbit said bitterly.

“What does it take for you to be happy round here?” Bigwig sighed dramatically.

“I choose not to jinx myself,” Hawkbit replied simply.

“There it is! There’s Frith!” Pipkin cried.

The sun rose above the frozen white patchwork of rolling hills, casting its golden glow across the rabbits and their friends casting shadows on the bark of the beech tree.

“Happy Frithmas everyone,” Hazel said, turning to face the creatures.

“Why thanks long ears, the feast is looking very juicy……” An unknown voice said menacingly.

The rabbits gasped and swung round, there were five weasels all together. One of them was the injured weasel Hazel and Bigwig had met on their way home and which at the claws Captain Broom had died.

“Bigwig, organize the owlsa. I’ll go and get everyone else away into the deeper burrows then I’ll be back,” Hazel whispered urgently breaking the frozen silence.

Bigwig nodded solemnly without breaking his eyes away from the weasel’ glowing eyes.

“Fiver, get Ivy and the other does and young ones down and make sure they stay there. I’m counting on you,” Hazel said.

Fiver gathered Pipkin and the junior owsla under first before turning to get Ivy to go down himself.

“Ivy?” Fiver asked panicked, as the sound of furious battle went on in the background.

Ivy was gone and Fiver couldn’t see her anywhere on the down. He ran around frantically, oblivious to the growling, snarling weasels.

“Fiver either help us or get underground, you’re getting in the way!” Bigwig shouted, dodging a heavy blow from one of the weasels.

Campion was shocked at the sudden battle scene but soon became occupied with a battle with a particularly nasty looking russet brown weasel.

Suddenly a white rabbit skimmed fleetingly over the icy snowy ground, her eyes wide with terror.

“Everyone run! There is an army of elil, weasels, coming over the back of the down!” Ivy shouted, running straight into one of the weasels.

Everyone paused, before the rabbits starting zig sagging in all directions, all heading for the bolt holes or cover.

Hazel panted and landed beside Bigwig in a brambled ditch.  “Where’s….where’s Fiver?” Hazel said between gasps.

“By Frith! He’s out fighting the weasels!” Bigwig said in shock.

Fiver was flinging himself repeatedly into the side of the lead weasel, a chestnut red, who had Ivy pinned into the snow.  Not in the least bothered by the attacks of the scrawny buck.

Ivy was struggling wildly, thrashing her legs and squealing.

“Drop it Thorn! Let’s go, before those other weasels get here! Move!” said one of the vixens.

Thorn hesitated but followed the other fleeing weasels, which were slipping and sliding their way down the steep hill.

Ivy lay still when released until the weasels had disappeared out of sight into the shrubbery below the down.

“Ivy are you alright?” Fiver asked, running over to her and nudging her with his nose.

Ivy laughed, causing Fiver to baulk and back off as if terrified that she had lost her mind.

“I’m alright Fiver, it worked!”

“What worked?” Fiver asked bemused.

“You mean that was all a trick?” Campion asked coming over.

“Yes and I had them all running like mice!” Ivy said triumphantly.

“What an idea! Thank you Ivy, that was very brave,” Hazel said with gratitude.

“You are all very welcome, it’s the least I can do.  You have all been so kind to me here.” Ivy smiled.

“Fiver can you go under and let the others know that everything is okay? Bigwig and myself will go and gather the other animals from around the down,” Hazel asked.

Fiver nodded and went off with Ivy underground.

“Some Frith’s day this has turned out to be,” Hawkbit said sarcastically.

“It could be a lot worse Hawkbit,” Strawberry said, combing the blood out of his fur.

“Strawberry, things only seem to get worse at this warren.”

“I thought you weren’t going to jinx yourself?”

“And look where that got me!” Hawkbit cried.

“Right everyone is okay, and the guests are all going home now,” Hazel said, returning.

The hedgehogs, squirrels, mice and other creatures tottered out of the warren with their favourite food left over from the feast held in their mouths.

“Goodbye now and have a nice Frith’s day,” Primrose said politely.

It started to snow again, the dancing icicles melted into the present snow, building it higher.

“Everyone underground, unless you want to become a snow rabbit,” Bigwig joked.

The rabbits returned to their burrows and fell asleep at once, worn out from their adventures, but resting assured that that would not be their last living at Watership Down.