Chapter Thirty – Three

Come Home

It had been a whole day and night since the does had gone missing and the owsla were out in the rain scoring the ground for any possible tracks.

Bigwig lent back on his hind legs. “Nothing.”

“They can’t have just disappeared without any trace at all,” Fiver said miserably.

“They would have left a scent of course, but it’s washed away in the rain,” Campion said and squinted away into the rain as if hoping for the does to suddenly return.

“But why would they all just run off like this?” Fiver looked near tears.

“They didn’t leave, they were taken,” Bigwig mused quietly.

“What are you thinking Bigwig?” Campion asked quickly.

“You and Hazel told me that those rabbit you fought off the other night, they were all bucks?” Bigwig turned round to Campion. “And Shadowsky was all bucks?”

“That’s right.” Campion narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Fiver gasped, “They’re after does!”

“Wait, what? They’re after does, for what?” Campion asked incredulously, looking between the two.

Bigwig looked back at him steadily. “My guess is that they are having the same problem we were having when we first came to the warren. They must have wanted to increase their warren; they can’t do that without mates.”

Campion and Fiver growled in synchronisation, looking even more menacing in the rain.

“Hraka! We have to go home and gather the rest of the owsla and get them back!” Campion said quickly.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Fiver joined in.

Blackberry and Ivy were discussing tactics on how to escape, Spartina was trying to fight the guards and Primrose was sitting miserably in the corner, miserable because she was worried about Hazel, and Clover was comforting her.

“Is there any way we could dig out of here?” Blackberry tested her claws against the soil.

It crumbled away easily enough to reveal a sticky layer of moist soil, which Blackberry recoiled from.

“It would collapse on us if we tried in this weather.” Ivy shook her head in despair.

Blackberry stopped for a minute to rub her wound on her side, struggling when they were captured hadn’t proved much use.

“Spartina!” Blackberry cried out. “There’s no point fighting, I know you’re a good fighter but you’re very outnumbered.”

“Yeah, I guess I know your right Blackberry,” Spartina gave in.

“That’s a sensible friend you have there,” Dogwood sneered, entering the burrow.

Every one of the Watership Down does growled and backed off together in a tight knit group.

“How’s Campion doing?” Dogwood grinned at Blackberry. “You know I need to get revenge on that buck for embarrassing me in front of Hemlock.  I wonder what I should do that would make him regret his actions enough?”

“Come anywhere near Blackberry and you’ll face us.” Ivy steeped forward. “And we’re nowhere as near as pleasant as bucks when it comes to fighting.”

The rest agreed, and Spartina stepped forward as if to fight Dogwood.

Dogwood actually looked surprised and shocked and exited the burrow.

“Cut their rations again!” He left with an important air.

The two brown bucks standing closest to the burrow entrance turned towards each other.

“We both know that he has no authority to do that,” The first brown said worriedly.

“If we keep this up, they’ll end up hating us!” his brother replied.

 “So we’re going after them,” Bigwig finished.

The three bucks were in Hazel’s burrow, talking or rather arguing with their injured chief.

“We might be walking into a blind trap, it might just be a ploy,” Hazel repeated.

“So, what if it is?” Fiver cried out.

“We can’t just leave them there, Hazel. What if they’re there because that warren just needed does?” Campion stepped in front of the shouting Bigwig and Fiver.

“My argument still applies,” Hazel said calmly.

“Don’t you care about Primrose?” Bigwig snapped.

Hazel’s anger flared. “Don’t use that against me Bigwig, you know I do!”

“How can you bear to leave her in that warren full of weirdoes then?”  Fiver asked.

Hazel sighed and it made him look very old. “Get Keharr or Skree to check out the area first at least, to see what you are all letting yourself in for.”

The three bucks got their answer and all left the burrow. “Do you think the rest of the warren will support us in this?” Campion asked.

“They all want everyone home,” Bigwig reasoned. “And they’d better.”

It was night in the new warren that had been renamed Shadowsky after the old one, and all the does had agreed on one thing, whatever happened they would not show any signs of appreciation, affection, toleration or weakness to the owsla.

Also they would not eat the food that was brought down; they would only eat if they were allowed to silflay outside.

“I wonder where they have gotten all the new rabbits from,” Blackberry mused, sticking her head out of the warren to survey the guard posts, they were still all bucks.

“Probably kidnapped them from some other warren,” Ivy said sourly.

“Yeah,” Blackberry sighed and went to sit with the others.

“What do you think everyone at home is doing about this?” Spartina asked suddenly.

“Probably still wondering is this some sort of trick we’re playing on them,” Primrose said quietly.

“I’m sure Hazel has come up with something,” Ivy replied.

“How long have we been under here?” Clover questioned.

“About two days now, I’d say,” Blackberry mused.

“Hey, has anyone else noticed that they didn’t take Brunnea?” Ivy sat up.

“Hmm she wasn’t with us in Hazel’s burrow,” Primrose answered.

“Yeah but neither was I,” Blackberry pitched in.

“Yes, but you were outside and they probably wouldn’t have taken you if they hadn’t seen you on their way out,” Ivy pointed out.

“Poor Fiver, he must feel so bad now,” Blackberry said sadly. “They knocked him out cold from behind before he had even seen them.”

Ivy’s ears flattened.

“Anyway, there is no point dwelling on things that are in the past, the question is how are we going to get out?” Blackberry said determinedly.

“I’ve got an idea!” Ivy burst out. “Though it might involve breaking some of the rules we set ourselves earlier.”

“Let’s hear it then, any chance we have is a chance worth taking,” Clover replied quickly.

“Okay we all know the real reason they stole us away, don’t we?” Ivy looked around the group.

“So they could have mates.” Blackberry nodded.

“How about we pretend to surrender, well not really surrender, more pretend to finally settle in and…..” Ivy suggested slowly.

“And be their mates?” Blackberry finished with an expression of disgust.

“It’s the only way out I can see,” Ivy said defensively. “And it’s pretend to be their mates.”

“Yep, its official Campion is going to kill me for even thinking it if he ever finds out,” Blackberry sighed dramatically.

“Yeah, same here,” Primrose agreed.

“So are we in?” Ivy asked.

“Let’s do it!”

Campion, Bigwig, Fiver, Hawkbit, Dandelion, Strawberry, Blackavar, Vervain, Holly and Yew stood at the bottom of the hill, discussing tactics.

“Keharr told us that he had seen no signs of rabbits in this surrounding area when he reported back,” Campion said, looking at the sky.

“You seen them the other night here though, right?” Bigwig checked.

“Yeah they were definitely here then.”

“Figures,” Fiver said wryly. “If they have all the does they wouldn’t stick around for us to catch them.”

“That means they could be as far as Darkhaven away,” Bigwig pointed out miserably.

“Don’t worry we’re not going to give up that easy, I’d travel as far as Sandleford to get them back as I’m sure we all would,” Campion said.

“Speak for yourself,” Vervain muttered.

Campion looked down and gave him a glare. “Remind me again why we brought him.”

“Hazel said we needed as many fighters as possible just in case,” Fiver reminded.

“My question still applies.” Campion rolled his eyes and took a step forward. “Let’s get some ground covered at least, maybe the further we go the more slack they might have become about covering their tracks.”

“That is, if we choose the right direction,” Fiver said.

………..

The Watershippers were out for silflay after they had, reluctantly, apologised to the guards for being a nuisance and promised to be less trouble in the future.

“Have any idea where we are?” Blackberry raised her head and chewed the grass thoughtfully.

“Looks like the wood near the bottom of the down,” Primrose answered thoughtfully.

“If it is, it’s deep in the heart of it. I can hardly see any sunlight,” Ivy replied, casting her eyes to the surrounding canopy of trees.

“Why would they make a warren here though? It’s damp, the warren is uncomfortable, there isn’t much edible vegetation and it’s very dangerous country for elil,” Blackberry said, glancing warily in the dark bushes.

“Unless…..” Ivy began, sitting back on their haunches.

“They didn’t want to be found!” Blackberry exclaimed. “That would make sense, Campion, Bigwig. Fiver and the others would never think of looking for us here.”

“Looks like we’ll have to go with our original plan then,” Ivy said finally.

The others looked unsure and nervous, and looked down at the grass avoiding conversation.

“Look, all we have to do is act as if we want to be here,” Ivy pressed.

“That’s going to take some acting,” Primrose answered.

“Look here comes Dogwood now,” Blackberry said quickly.

The does abruptly stopped grazing and tried to look at Dogwood with respect or at least, not undying hatred.

“Glad to see you have finally accepted your place here,” he spoke more to Blackberry, Ivy and Spartina.

Blackberry stuck her chin up and looked him in the eye, making no attempt to answer him.

“Hemlock wishes to see you all,” he sneered. “You are to follow me, and if you try any funny business we have permission to do what it takes to eliminate it.”

They glanced at each other, realising fully what that hint really meant and that they were probably going to have to go with Ivy’s plan whether they liked it or not, unless they were ready to die.

 “Campion, Bigwig I found something!” Fiver cried out, bending over his discovery.

The two bucks didn’t take long to run over to him and examine the low strip of barbed wire that he had indicated to.

It had a tuff of blue grey fur with a faint red stain on it entwined on it.

Fiver looked grim and joined Bigwig in watching Campion’s reaction worriedly.

He was bent over, sniffing it as if to make sure, the he quietly sat up again.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” he said shakily. “She might have just tripped or something.” The normally composed captain was looking vulnerable and unsure.

“Yeah….. let’s keep going shall we? We must be getting near; I think I picked up faint signs of rabbit life further back.” Bigwig laughed nervously.

“We are near,” Fiver said to Campion, who just continued to look at the wire. “I can feel it, come on now.”

Campion nodded slowly and rejoined the group, whilst Fiver went up to the front to lead the way as he followed his seer instincts.

“We’re nearly there,” Fiver repeated to the group. “Nearly there.”