Chapter Twenty- Four

Homesick

Fiver, Ivy and Yew were quiet and subdued after the men left, each one trying to get over the horror of the loss of a best friend, brother and one of the bravest rabbits they had ever known.

“We should probably get along home soon.” Fiver broke the silence the next evening at a half hearted silflay.

Ivy just looked up and nodded, casting a curious glance at Yew.

“Do you mind if I come with you? I mean…. I have nowhere else to go,” Yew said hesitantly.

“Of course you can Yew, we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Ivy forced a smile.

“Well I think the sooner we leave the better, there is nothing here for us to hang around for,” Fiver spoke the minds of all three.

“Let’s leave now. I don’t like this place very much. What if the men came back?” Ivy whispered worriedly.

The three rabbits set off at a steady pace towards Watership Down, stopping here and there occasionally to smell or study fresh tracks from Bigwig’s patrol.

“Any ideas about what we’re going to say to Bigwig, Ivy?” Fiver asked nervously. “Running off during a patrol is almost a death penalty.”

“All we can do is tell him the truth.” Ivy tried to shrug it off.

“Around the warren now! Top speed and I don’t want to see anyone stopping!” Bigwig yelled across the down.

The three rabbits emerged finally over the hill. Yew sniffed imploringly and thought approvingly that this was certainly a fine warren.

“Oh, great who wants to go and say hi to Bigwig first? He’s in a lovely mood….” Fiver trailed off as Bigwig spotted them.

They braced themselves for the impact as Bigwig came charging over with an unreadable expression.

“Bigwig we…” Fiver started bravely.

“Never mind that lad. Did you find Campion?” Bigwig interrupted, his voice surprisingly soft.

Fiver recovered quickly from the surprise of no scolding but then was filled with dread, how was he to explain what had happened?

“Amm…. excuse me?” Yew said timidly to the larger rabbit. “Here isn’t the place to tell you.”

Bigwig looked the new rabbit up and down and scanned around the down in thought.

“Okay then, follow me,” Bigwig said quietly.

Bigwig turned and made his way towards Hazel’s burrow knowing the chief would want to see them and hear what they had to say.

“Amm, Hawkbit, you’re in charge,” Bigwig shouted recklessly across the down.

Hawkbit paused from the long line of joggers. “What, me!”

Blackberry pricked her ears when she heard Yew’s voice, could that mean….?

Turning and bolting, the silver rabbit quickly made her way over to the warren entrance just in time to follow them stealthily down the burrow.

“Fiver! Thank Frith you’re alright,” Hazel cried when they entered.

“Hazel, it isn’t all good news apparently,” Bigwig interrupted quietly.

“What’s happened?” Hazel turned quickly again to Fiver.

Blackberry hid in the shadows outside the burrow, peeking in and pricking her ears.

Fiver exchanged looks with Ivy and Yew and then sighed, turning to Hazel. “We found Campion and he was in a bad way.”

“Why?” Hazel asked with dread.

“The hunters shot him with a firestick,” Fiver whispered.

“There was blood everywhere,” Ivy pitched in quietly.

“It was his shoulder, it was broken,” Fiver continued hesitantly.

“So…he died from blood loss?” Hazel questioned, not unkindly.

“No,” Fiver spoke almost inaudibly. “The next evening the men returned and took him away.”

“We tried, Hazel,” Ivy said shakily.

“I’m sorry Hazel, there was nothing we could do,” Fiver finished, averting his gaze to the floor.

“Campion…dead,” Bigwig murmured.

“We lost a great warrior and friend,” Hazel said, “and brother.”

“Our hearts have joined the thousand for our friend stopped running today,” Bigwig said clearly.There was silence in the burrow for a moment as each rabbit didn’t know what to say to comfort or reassure the other.

“Bigwig, can you show our guest to an empty burrow, please?” Hazel asked, keeping his voice professional and indicating Yew.

“Sure, mate. Follow me.” Bigwig stepped forward and nodded to Yew then climbed above ground.

“Fiver, maybe you should go and speak to Blackberry, you two are good friends. Anyway I’d prefer for her to hear it from you and not gossip,” Hazel suggested.

Blackberry’s heart split in two. There had to be no pain left to feel, but yet all her mind was burning with denial at the thought. A dull misery pulsed through her being, bringing a fresh wave of agony.

“He can’t be dead.” She crumpled onto the ground and buried her head in her forelegs. “I can’t live without him,” she sobbed. Blackberry was gone into black in minutes and no one could retrieve her. The one rabbit who could have reached her was gone.

Campion stirred, his mind was foggy and heavy and he struggled against the weight of his tiredness.

He was lying on something warm, unnaturally warm and soft. He subconsciously shifted around searching for the warmth of the bodies of more of his kind which he was accustomed to.

Suddenly a fierce burning made it known in his nose and he jerked his eyes open in a flash.

He was behind what looked like a man fence. It looked like the long expanse of wire he had once seen on one of the rabbits boxes down at the farm. It was facing out to a white wall with a few other man made things such as a table, worktops, a computer, cupboards and medicines, though of course Campion did not know the name of any of these.

His wild instincts told him to escape the dreadful stench in his nose so he cautiously leaned against the wire netting to test its strength and if it could hold him.

It was cold and hard and didn’t shift at all from his weight; hopelessly he turned to face the rest of the interior of his enclosure. All the time his heart beat a quick rhythm.

There was a large woollen blanket, two aluminium bowls and a small handful of grass in the small square in which he was confined.

The burning in his nose matched the advancing burning in his throat, which he realised to be thirst. The last time he had had a drink must have been three days ago!

Nervously, he made his way over to the two bowls where he had scented water and another unknown scent. At first he avoided drinking out of these man containers but finally his thirst drove him to it. The water was unnaturally still and had a different taste to what he was accustomed to. A sort of metallic edge lodged in his throat, making him uncomfortable, but at least the searing burn was gone.

He was staring at the water thoughtfully, trying to remember how he had gotten here in the first place when a different thought crossed his mind, what was his purpose in this box?

For the first time he noticed something different in his reflection…… there was a white man cloth covering his ear!

Gasping, he inspected his ear with his paws. It was the scarred one and, reassuringly, it felt exactly the same shape as it had been before he had found himself here. Overall it felt normal apart from a slight tenderness. He let his paw drop and wasn’t sure what to feel towards men at this moment.

He decided to inspect the rest of himself and see if there were any more men cloths.

There was one covering his whole shoulder where he had received the gun shot, one covering his hind leg where he had gotten his mark from Shadowsky warren, another across his chest where there had been an old scar from the cave in and finally a curious looking patch on the left side of his face.

When did all these get on me? He thought frantically.

Realising that this was where the majority of the horrible smell was coming from he attempted to chew the one on his shoulder off, but in vain. It was tight and strong and he kept nipping his shoulder accidently. Sighing, he rested his head on his paws and stared hopelessly out of his cage, dreaming of home. The flayrah in the bowl remained untouched.

Blackberry nuzzled her sleeping kittens goodbye. She had decided that they were old enough to care for themselves. She just couldn’t bear the thought of remaining at Watership Down without Campion. Blackberry hoped fervently that the kittens would eventually understand the aching pain of losing a partner, a soul mate. The fear they would not wasn’t clear in her mind, nothing was clear to her anymore.

She stepped out into the brisk spring night and stood undecided. Where would she go, or more accurately, where could she go?

Darkhaven, Blackberry thought, it was empty and a readymade warren. Her heart clenched when she realised that this was what Campion had said when he had been banished from the warren.

Get a grip, Blackberry shook her head in despair and hopped off speedily into the night.

Bigwig and Hazel watched her go from their sentry posts.

“Shouldn’t we stop her?” Bigwig demanded, leaning forward readily.

“There would be no point Bigwig, she isn’t happy here and if we confined her she would become more depressed.” Hazel shook his head and didn’t move from his sitting position.

“What about the kittens? Shouldn’t they deserve to have a least one parent?” Bigwig said.

“I dare say Blackberry will return eventually. She just has to get to grips with the pain again. Remember Campion had been thought dead before? She pulled herself together but you could see the agony in her eyes. I give her a moon before she returns home.”

“When did you get so wise Hazel?” Bigwig shook his head in wonder. “Okay, you’re right. We give her a moon.”

Blackberry travelled on into the night and far into the morning, only stopping when she was beyond exhaustion and she couldn’t feel the hurt anymore.

She curled up under a sycamore tree and closed her eyes, drifting off into a deep sleep.

……

Campion’s hunger grew worse and worse until he could bear it no longer and he was forced to limp over to the ceramic food bowl. Swallowing his disgust he chewed listlessly at the flayrah, its only purpose to him was to fill his stomach.

He abruptly stopped eating and froze as the door of the surgery opened and a man entered. He dropped the lettuce and shifted back. His nose twitched rapidly as he tried to scent any clues to what was happening.

It was not the same man that had removed Campion from the clearing, this one was younger and taller and carrying a clipboard.

Campion eyed him suspiciously from the back of his cage as he arranged little bottles of medicine on the examination table and laid down a rubber mat. Finally he slid back the bolt and reached for Campion.

Campion stamped his hind foot in warning to come no closer but couldn’t move fast enough as the hands came and gripped him behind the neck at his scruff and lifted him easily onto the table.

Campion shook his head in anger to make sure that he was no longer in touch with man. How dare he touch him!

Glancing down he realised that the space from the table to the floor was too high to jump if he were to attempt some crazy escape; also the table was too small for him to dodge the hands. All he could do was follow the man’s movement warily as he picked up another needle.

He squirmed as he was once again injected in the back of the neck and lay very wary, waiting nervously for the next attack. This was like no battle he had ever fought. Knowing that pain was coming and without having the option of defence was terrifying. He tried a growl and started to grind his teeth. His danger sign was ignored.

Instead, the next time he was touched by the man it was gentle as his bandages were removed and replaced. Campion twisted his head around and watched in amazement as the Shadowsky mark was wiped down and cleaned. He had to admit to himself the soft cloth didn’t feel unpleasant across his fur. The experience wasn’t quite as enjoyable when his shoulder was treated. The pain still cut into him, hiding the gentle caress of the cloth.

The man wasn’t the only one aware that at any moment Campion could create a deep wound in his hand which worked just under his jaw.

“There little bunny, the pain will go away. Just stay calm now for me.”

But Campion did not make any move to attack and moved his ears from side to side uncertainly as he was talked to calmly.

 He hadn’t been expecting this at all and didn’t hurt the human as he was not hurting him. When the needle was produced again Campion tensed up. The pain was rubbed away by the surprisingly gentle hand and he was lifted back into his prison.

Campion watched him close the cage door carefully, in case it was loose or not and if there was any chance of escape.

But, I can’t escape anyway, I can hardly move as it is, he reminded himself.

He felt himself grow drowsily again and his pains lessoned. To his surprise he realised that whatever the man had given him in that sharp object had helped his pain. He rubbed his chin across the smooth white on his shoulder. Bandage, that’s what he had called it. Why is he helping me?