Chapter Five

Digging Does

The large crowd huddled together for warmth under the roof of the Honeycomb, still feeling the frost on their fur that remained from early silflay.

Hazel and Primrose entered the large room and attempted to quiet the excited mob, for today was the end of the trial that would decide whether or not Campion was innocent or guilty, of until recently, a murder charge.

Campion and Blackberry lay at the back of the Honeycomb. Campion was talking to Pipkin until the trail began to help ease his nerves that he didn’t want to admit he had.

“How’s that flying kick coming along Pipkin?” Campion asked.

“I can do it better than you now,” Pipkin teased.

“I highly doubt that.”

“When this is over, we will see,” Pipkin demanded.

“I made that trick up and it is said that the original is the best Pipkin,” Campion said proudly.

Blackberry exclaimed, “I seen Pipkin do that trick in the summer, so that’s where it came from! You passed it off as your own too Pipkin.”

“You didn’t honestly think he made that up did you? It takes discipline, time and skill.” Campion smiled. He quickly ducked and the young buck went soaring over his head.

Pipkin landed with a thump beside his junior owsla that immediately started to tease him. He pulled himself up and said loftily, “I didn’t tell you because when Campion taught me that he forbade me to tell a soul about him being alive!”

Campion froze and his tail started to twitch nervously. Pipkin looked instantly embarrassed and knew he had dropped the larger buck in it. Hastily, with his head down, he left them to it with an apologetic look.

“You did?” she asked with hurt in her voice. “Pipkin had told me that you didn’t want anyone to know but…you forbade him to tell even me.”

“I wasn’t the same rabbit Blackberry, I wasn’t even sure that I was… me anymore.”

“I could have been there with you. You must have been in quite a state, and suffering on your own.”

“I had a bad hind leg and I broke a few small bones in my front paw.” He stopped abruptly when he seen the pain etched on her face. “I’m here now, that’s the main thing.”

“Yes, you’re right,” she sighed. “No point regretting things that happened in the past… but just so I know, where were you that Pipkin met you?”

“I couldn’t get very far. I was just here on the down.”

“You were on the down?” Blackberry said incredulously.

 “I’d better go up now,” Campion said hesitantly. Blackberry just nodded and seemed just as nervous as he. They took their positions: Blackberry in the crowd and Campion on the right side of the pointed rock in the centre back of the Honeycomb.

When the whole of the warren and the jury of other assorted animals had assembled Hazel cleared his throat and began. “Today we are all here to witness the second part of the trial of the day before. The conditions are a little different today since we have found the rabbit that was thought to have been murdered by Campion himself, and she today will give witness.”

Hazel stepped back and allowed his daughter, Snowdrop to step forward.

The small white doe was trembling and avoided looking in Walnut or Honey’s direction as she hastily told the audience of how she was stolen from her burrow early in the morning by Walnut.

Everyone gasped and Hazel and Campion growled angrily at the back of their throats towards Walnut.

“You seriously can’t believe that can you?”  Walnut shouted whilst laughing nervously. “She’s had a bad experience and she doesn’t know what she is saying!”

“Silence!” Hazel demanded as uproar had begun in the room. “Continue Snowdrop.”

“They took me into the wood, to a small cave near a clearing, and told me to stay there and not to move until they would come back for me in a couple of moons to take me to another warren,” Snowdrop finished, voice trembling. “They threatened to kill me unless I moved and when I refused, they cut my shoulder then left me alone in that forest. Then Campion and Bigwig found me,” Snowdrop ended and looked up at her father.

“When you say they?” Hazel asked with a dangerous edge.

“I mean Honey, Walnut and Pebble,” Snowdrop said, pointing hesitantly at the three rabbits in the corner.

“What do you have to say for yourselves?” Hazel asked them, trying to keep calm.

“Campion has told her to say all this!” Walnut replied desperately.

“It’s true, it’s all true, I’m sorry Hazel and Primrose. I’m sorry,” Honey said, hanging her head.

“I think it’s time for the jury to decide,” Hazel said turning to the squirrels, mice and birds. “All in favour of conviction of Campion?”

The animals hesitated and looked to one another, but didn’t move.

 “All in favour of freeing the accused of all charges and convicting the other party?” Hazel asked.

The jury raised their paws and wings and a roar of delight erupted in the Honeycomb. Campion and Blackberry slipped out of the hall, they needed some time to themselves to celebrate in peace.

Fiver felt contented as the light evening breeze met his pricked ears and gently blew his whiskers. Honey and Pebble were leaving of their own free choice with their friends that evening, and if Walnut hadn’t left by that time also the owsla would make him.

“Well Fiver, if it wasn’t for you Blackberry and I would be far gone by now so I thank you,” Campion said sincerely, standing beside the young seer.

Fiver turned his grey eyes to Campion and smiled. The brown buck joined him at looking up at Frith.

“That’s alright Campion, maybe now the peace really begins.”

“Oh I really hope so, we haven’t had a rest since we left Sandleford and that was a whole circle of seasons ago,” Blackberry said, dropping her mouthful of bedding to come over.

“I didn’t think you know the meaning of the word peace Blackberry,” Campion laughed looking at the large pile of fresh bedding Blackberry had collected.

“I need fresh bedding for when the kittens are born you know,” Blackberry said looking at Campion in a matter of fact way.

“Oh, let me do that,” Campion said hurriedly and guilty, picking up the grass and disappearing down the hole.

Blackberry watched him laughing quietly then turned to Fiver. She hadn’t noticed until now how big he had grown since Sandleford and she said so.

“Yeah I’m no longer the runt of the warren am I?” Fiver asked happily.

“Don’t you think it’s time you should start looking for a doe?” Blackberry suggested gingerly.

Fiver blushed and said, “But there aren’t any that aren’t taken already.”

 “Hmm you’ve got a point, maybe you should talk to big brother about it,” Blackberry suggested.

At that moment Campion emerged to pick up another bundle with difficulty and turned to go back down.

“I should probably go help,” Blackberry said, laughing again as Campion tripped over his own feet at the steep descent into the warren and feel on his face in the dirt. “Bucks just don’t know how to do these things.”

Fiver sighed as he realised the wisdom of Blackberry’s words. He was starting to feel lonely for a mate but he would talk to Hazel when the warren life had settled into a normal routine again.

Primrose was busy at work grooming her three kittens, ignoring their annoyed comments.

“Mother we are clean!” Gillia said, finally losing patience and bolting out of the burrow.

Primrose sighed as she watched her babies go one by one, she didn’t want her kittens to grow up, yet she wanted them to have the wisdom and sense of an adult.

“Oh, hello Clover,” Primrose said politely as she met the yellow doe on her way above ground.

“Oh hello there Primrose, you haven’t seen Hawkbit anywhere have you?” Clover inquired in her usual hurried manner. “He was supposed to help me expand my burrow then he said he had to go and have an owsla meeting with Campion and I haven’t seen him since.”

Primrose, after a moment of translating what Clover had said, replied, “No sorry.”

Clover went on up the run shouting loudly for Hawkbit.

“Poor fellow,” Bigwig said appearing behind Primrose and shaking his head. “I just ran into Blackberry further down the run looking for Campion as well,” Bigwig continued.

“So there’re probably hiding somewhere to avoid the digging, just like a buck,” Primrose teased.

“Oy, I’ll have you know I have done quite a lot of digging in my time….” Bigwig started then cut off as Spartina’s voice echoed along the walls. “Bigwig?”

“You know, I might just try and find where Campion and Hawkbit are hiding,” Bigwig said hurriedly.

Hazel and Fiver lay sprawled out on the grass just as the first snowflakes started to fall upon the Down, drifting, twirling and dancing.

“It’ll be Frithmas soon; we had better have enough food prepared this year,” Hazel chuckled looking in the farm’s general direction.

“I think Hawkbit and Dandelion were up for a bit of an excursion why don’t we go now?” Fiver asked eagerly enough.

“Yes but the does still haven’t found Hawkbit, Bigwig and Campion yet,” Hazel said shaking his head while grinning.

“Shhh what was that?” Hawkbit asked tensely.

A bit of soil dribbled from the roof onto Campion’s noise. He shook it off with his face scrunched up in disgust and then he sighed. “I don’t know about you fellows but I’m getting kind of bored.”

“Yes, and I’m starting to dread what will happen when they find us,” Bigwig said apprehensively.

“What? The mighty Captain of Owsla scared of a doe?” Hawkbit jeered. Bigwig thought that he really shouldn’t anger him in such a confined space.

“Hey! Mind your lip, at least I’m not jumping at every little noise like a mouse in a stoat’s nest! Anyway, does are scary beasts when they are angry…..”

“And I think we are just about to find out,” Campion finished as a piece of the wall crumbled and fell away to reveal the faces of three annoyed looking does.

“Busted,” Campion sighed, setting his head on his paws.