Chapter Seventeen

Repeated Time

It was the morning of the day after Ivy, Fiver, Campion and Blackberry had left the down on their adventures, and since Campion and Blackberry hadn’t returned everyone on the down was worried. Had something happened to them?

Rosa, Spring, Iris and Ash had slept in Primrose and Hazel’s burrow last night for comfort and weren’t fairing so well without their parents at their young age.

Ivy and Fiver were just beyond the woods that were at the bottom of the down before they were forced to rest for the night.

Fiver gently roused Ivy and the pair once again set off into the beautiful spring morning, jumping and kicking the air with joy at the warmth and very smell of spring.

They stopped just before the iron road to catch a quick silflay, though were cautious for potential patrols.

“We’d better have a look then, we could make it back to the down before nightfall if we’re quick,” Fiver said reasonably.

Ivy agreed and they snuck into the bushes, ears flat against their backs, stomachs crawling across the prickly undergrowth until they reached the edge and saw the gleaming iron road glinting in the sunlight.

“I don’t see any rabbits, do you?” Ivy asked, her eyes scanning the gentle, quiet morning.

“No but I smell them, a great many,” Fiver murmured uncertainly.

Just then they saw a small patrol of rabbits crossing the iron road and disappearing into the undergrowth behind it.

Fiver and Ivy nodded to each other and slipped cautiously across in the direction they had seen the other rabbits take.

“Look!” Fiver exclaimed.

There were about twenty or so rabbits working hard, digging, against a bank in a small glade. They were making terrific progress in the dry, airy soil.

“I didn’t realize there were so many,” Ivy whispered.

“Wait, what’s that?” Fiver said quickly.

There was a terrible commotion in the bushes directly behind Fiver and Ivy, so the pair had to move quickly into the opposite bush, risking being seen.

“That was close,” Fiver panted.

“Cut it out!” a strong voice carried across the clearing.

“I will not cut it out, damn you! I demand you let me go!” a familiar voice answered incredulously.

Fiver gasped, and Ivy was forced to jump on him to prevent him from making a further sound.

The figures emerged from the bushes. It was Campion, there were two bucks on either side of him, trying to calm him or prevent him from escaping. Blackberry was putting up a pretty good fight with her guards too.

“What is it with these rabbits we bring in?” a grey buck muttered angrily as Campion stamped on his toe.

Campion froze. “What did you say? What other rabbits did you bring in?”

“Oh just a young buck yesterday…” started the buck that quietened with the stern look of another guard.

But Campion had learned what he wanted to know and turned quiet as he and Blackberry were dragged down one of the finished burrows.

“We have to get home and tell Hazel, quick!” Fiver urged.

“But what about Campion and Blackberry?” Ivy asked, reluctant to leave the doe that had really made her feel at home and had become her best friend.

“We can’t help them now, come on!”

Hawkbit sighed depressingly. Why was he always sentry, guard, or something else boring in this warren?

He did his routine squint across the bottom of the down. Nope nothing, he thought and was just about to leave when he saw a flash of white.

Hmm, that was quick, Hawkbit thought as Fiver and Ivy came dashing uphill. Wait something’s wrong.

“Fiver, Ivy what happened?” Hawkbit demanded.

“Hawkbit, get Hazel and Bigwig please, quick!” Fiver gasped.

“Hey, but what,” Hawkbit began.

“PLEASE Hawkbit?” Ivy burst out.

“Oh right that’s just fine, that’s just Frithing fine. I’ll be your servant, oh yes just come to Hawkbit whenever you’ve got a chore to be done because he’ll be happy to do it without thanks…..” Hawkbit said darkly as he hopped towards the warren, not afraid of them overhearing.

 “Where do you come from? And what were you doing in my territory?” asked the chief rabbit, a big fawn coloured rabbit.

“My mate and I were just passing through you see, we weren’t aware this territory belonged to someone else,” Campion said. He thought it was best to not say they were from Watership Down in case these rabbits had any Darkhaveners amongst them.

“So you’re not from the bunch of rabbits I kicked out of this half dug warren about a moon ago?” the chief asked suspiciously.

“No I assure you we are alone,” Campion answered.

“So you haven’t had a litter recently?”

“Well, actually we have just a solitary buck,” Campion agreed, guessing that this rabbit was thinking of Swift. Did that mean they had picked him up?

“Quite unusual to have just one in a litter, don’t you think? And where would he be?”

Blackberry spoke up for the first time, “We were running from a lendri* and he wasn’t strong enough to keep up, we don’t know if he survived or not.”

*lendri-badger

“We might have solved that problem, we acquired a young solitary buck kitten yesterday, and if I do say he looks just like you,” the chief finished, looking at Campion.

Blackberry and Campion were silent in suspense.

“You,” the chief called towards a guard. “Bring the prisoner in.”

Shortly after, he returned with Swift following close behind.

“Swift!” Blackberry cried, she ran over and rubbed noses in affection.

“Thanks for your help, we’ll just be on our way…” Campion said hesitantly, guessing that they wouldn’t be allowed to go.

“I think not, where would you go? You have nowhere to return to so I think you will be staying with us.  Guards give them a burrow and resume your duties.”

“Yes sir,” the guard replied.

Campion was cursing himself for the lie about them having no warren, but looking around for an escape route he saw no way out of this burrow except deeper into the warren.

They were led to a small burrow in the heart of the warren, but at least they weren’t with others.

“Swift how did you get here?” Blackberry asked as soon as they were alone.

“One of the bucks caught me when I was playing hide and track.” he whispered, still scared.

“I just hope he didn’t see any of the others or else he might realize our lies,” Campion muttered.

“Marli, parli, why aren’t we allowed to go home?” Swift asked miserably.

Campion didn’t know what to say, and just looked at Blackberry.

“I don’t know dear,” she whispered to Swift.

The time Campion, Blackberry and Swift spent in that burrow was the longest time of their lives and they thought they were going to go mad if they didn’t see the sky soon.

“Father….. why?” Swift stopped and looked at Campion shyly.

“What, what is it Swift?” Campion asked.

“How did you get those scars?” he said finally.

Even though Campion realized that he would have eventually asked it didn’t lessen the dread of explaining to his son what had happened.

“It’s a long story,” Campion said tensely.

“We have time.” Blackberry placed her paw on his guessing that he needed comforting.

“Okay,” he sighed, starting to groom himself so as to have a reason not to look at them while he talked about it. He hadn’t even discussed it with Blackberry, ever.

So he told Swift of how the battle in the back burrows had come about when Vervain had found them and reported back to Woundwort.

“You mean that Vervain?” Swift interrupted.

“Yes, now you understand why I was slightly annoyed at him? And there are more things he had done, but anyway I went to check if Vervain’s story was true and to warn Hazel if it was…..” Campion continued.

Suddenly a hard voice entered the burrow, “You, doe! You are required for digging, hurry up.”

Campion growled and blocked the entrance to the burrow.

“I wouldn’t do anything stupid if I were you, I have quite a few warriors out here,” the voice returned.

Blackberry saw that he was right. “Campion it’s all right, you stay with Swift.”

She left the burrow with the other bucks sneering at Campion.

“Father continue please,” Swift begged, not wanting a fight to break out.

So Campion finished the story and sat in silence with Swift in the stuffy burrow.

They were both dozing off when the one of the bucks that had spoken to Campion returned and dragged him out of the burrow, but not without a fierce fight.

“Parli…?” Swift whimpered, but there was no reply as he had gone with the other rabbits.

 “This is bad,” Hazel agreed. “Any ideas on how we are going to get them out of this one, Bigwig?”

“Not yet, we need time to think of something.” Bigwig shook his head in anguish.

“Fiver can you and Ivy meet me and Bigwig in my burrow after silflay? We need to discuss ideas,” Hazel said.

“Sure, we’ll be there Hazel,” Fiver agreed.

“Oh and Fiver,” Hazel said quietly after the others had left. “Do you mind taking care of Campion and Blackberry’s kits? We already have our own to care for you see.”

“Yes of course Hazel, though I may not be much help, I’ll try. Where are they?”

“Having a nap in my burrow. They haven’t said much since Campion and Blackberry had been missing.”

“Hazel, do you think Campion and Blackberry will be alright?” Fiver asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know Fiver, they’re strong so I hope so,” Hazel said going underground.

 “I heard you attacked my guards?” the big chief accused.

“Not exactly, I just growled at them,” Campion answered, bored of the tirade.

“On the other hand… you seem to be quite a warrior yourself. Ever been in an owsla?”

“Am… yes in a warren called Sandleford, far away,” Campion lied.

“Why did you leave?”

“We escaped when it was destroyed by man, and have been wondering ever since.”

Campion felt extremely like Bigwig since this was nearly what he had said to Woundwort when he had been brought in. Now when he thought about it… this rabbit looked a bit like Woundwort.

“Do you think you would be fit for my owsla?”

Campion was shocked and didn’t know whether or not to accept, would it help them escape?

“I’ll give it a go,” he replied hesitantly.

“Receive your mark and then follow Captain Yew, he will show you the ways of Shadowsky warren,” the chief replied lazily.

“My…. mark? What?” Campion nearly shouted, surprised.

He felt a fierce slash behind his flank, and he looked down in surprise at the large cut slowly oozing blood.

“Captain Campion of the left hind mark, you will be marked every season to maintain the injury until it scars and your mate and kitten will be marked when my owsla get round to it.

Campion was about to protest but thought it would be wiser to be quiet so that they didn’t get any more suspicious of his motives than they might already be.

“Oh, nearly forgot. You have to prove yourself first. My owsla are all highly trained and I’ll have no slackers.”

Campion looked confused, until he seen a dapple grey buck come over and get into a fighting stance.

“I have to fight?”

“Yes, of course. What way did Sandleford do it?”

“Oh, the same way of course…. I just forgot.”

Hemlock settled himself down on the ground to observe and his owsla did the same.

Great, I have an audience, Campion thought wryly. He eyed his opponent up. He was all muscle, which would make him too heavy to be quick. Fine, he, himself won’t use his weight. He would try and not let the other rabbit touch him.

The fighting position was natural to him. He waited patiently for his opponent to make the first move, and eventually he did. Quickly, stealthy, Campion moved to the side and there was a heavy thud.

He let his gaze wonder from the still figure to make sure he had room behind him if he needed to back up. The breath was knocked out of him as he slammed into the hard walls. Coughing desperately he swivelled his head around so that he could see his attacker. His blind side hadn’t helped him there because he hadn’t been able to see that coming.

He slyly pretended he was hurt and lay on the ground where he had fallen, panting, but his muscles were tensed and as he predicted his opponent jumped at him, planning an easy victory.

Campion sprang into action and shot under the rabbit above. He heard a loud crunch and winced despite himself. He hadn’t wanted to seriously injure the other rabbit.

But the grey had a head of stone and got up despite the blood pouring down onto his face.

Campion let the grey run at him again and he had to simply stick out his foot and help him along with a kick from his back feet to get him to where he was, sprawled out on the ground.

This time, the other buck didn’t stir and Campion knew it was over.

“Good enough?” he asked Hemlock.

He was just rewarded with a signal to proceed on with his tour.

“We’ll have a look around the boundaries first,” the rabbit called Yew said.

Campion followed him up the run thinking wryly, I’ve been here before.