Chapter Forty – Four

A Physical Pain

Fiver stretched and yawned. He looked down at his mate and the small buck beside him. Things were looking promising for his son, being the strongest of the twins Ivy had given birth to was the reason he had survived.

Since they were both sleeping peacefully, he slipped out onto the Down by himself and breathed in the crisp cool morning air. He was glad that the rain seemed to have eased off and for the first time in days he could see Frith shining weakly through.

Just as he was examining the burnt up ground behind his home, he thought he spotted movement. Had anyone escaped Hemlock’s raiding party? His spirits rose and he rushed and slide his way down to the woodland area.

Cautiously, he studied paw prints in the marshy ground. They were all filled up with marshy water, indicating that they were old. It hadn’t rained since last night. The bitterness of this reality was hard to bear for the young seer.

“Fiver?”

Fiver spun around and his eyes searched the wet landscape until he saw a figure on the ground.

“Hazel! Hazel, are you okay?” It didn’t take long for him to reach his brother and help him to stand on his shaky legs. “Did they take them all?”

“The kits and young ones are still here.” Hazel winced as he tried to limp alongside Fiver. “You should go and tell them to come up, I think they are still waiting for the others to come home. They don’t understand.”

“Why didn’t they help you?”

“They didn’t see me,” Hazel panted. “Is the Down definitely safe?”

“Yes, the men are all gone and the fire is out.”

“What in Frith’s name happened here, yesterday? I saw ghosts up there and- Campion’s face?”

Fiver spoke, “Ghosts? Are you sure? And what do you mean, Campion’s face?”

“I’ll tell you all that happened when we get in, I can’t catch my breath right now.”

Campion and Blackberry were in a deep sleep, they had been so exhausted from the day before. It wasn’t surprising therefore, that neither heard the other rabbits enter the burrow, until it was too late to do anything about it.

“By Frith and Inle!” Dogwood sneered. “You just made my job a whole lot easier.”

They both jumped at the sound of his malicious voice and a pit of dread formed in Blackberry’s stomach.

“Take him, lads,” Dogwood said, sitting back easily on his haunches.

One of the bucks behind him stepped around Dogwood and made advances towards the brown rabbit. He was very large, scarred and had fur as black as night, but in spite of his size, Campion rapidly took stance and growled in warning to come no closer.

“Don’t make things harder than they have to be, Campion,” Dogwood warned.

Behind Dogwood stood another buck, one that stopped his own advance with an expression of shock. “Sir?”

“Moss?” Campion asked in disbelief. He thought that his friend was long gone and living the easy life with his mate Heather and the rest of the Efrafan survivors. How did he get into this mess?

“You’re alive, sir!” Moss announced joyfully, bounding over to him.

“Well… yes! How did you manage to end up here?” Campion greeted his friend. He had never noticed that he missed Moss’s company.

“I was out on solo patrol and got captured. Apparently, I’m a threat. But anyway, how did you survive? You don’t even have a scratch on you.”

“It’s a long story,” Campion whispered, keeping an eye on Dogwood, who just sat there with his mouth hanging ajar. The cavern cave in should have been his death, but Moss could wait to hear that story at a more appropriate time.

Dogwood pulled himself together and shouted at Moss, “What are you doing? Arrest him!”

Moss only seemed to remember the other rabbit now. He turned and said angrily to him, “I can’t hurt him, he’s my best friend!”

“You’ll do as you’re told!” Dogwood snapped. Why did everything have to get so complicated?

“I won’t. Before I came here, I was chief of my own warren and won’t do as you say! You’re just a snivelling suck up to Hemlock!”

Dogwood snarled and backed out of the burrow. “Hey, you!” he called to one of the guards at the mouth of the run. “Keep these rabbits in here until I get back!”

Then he looked back for something. “Campion, you will come with me, now.”

Campion scoffed and sat back down. “I don’t feel like playing this game with you today, Dogwood. Sorry.”

“Fine,” Dogwood spat venomously. “I’ll bring Hemlock to you and Blackberry.”

Campion froze and looked at Blackberry in exasperation. He didn’t want her to see this. “Fine, Dogwood, I’m coming,” he sighed.

“No, not without me,” Blackberry said desperately, planting herself in front of him. She had spent enough time away from him in the last season and she was coming.

“Isn’t this cute?” Dogwood said falsely and snarled. “Campion, come with me right now or else Blackberry shares the same fate as you.”

He hated the power Dogwood had over him, but went quietly, carefully moving around her. Sparing a glance at her was not an option. He paused at the mouth of the burrow and said soberly to Moss, “Take care of her for me, please.”

He resisted the urge to attack the defenceless rabbit with self control he didn’t know he had on the journey to the chief’s quarters. He wanted to survive long enough to see what Hemlock had to say.

“Go in,” Dogwood said smugly, stepping back as if politeness mattered. Campion rolled his eyes and reluctantly entered first.

Hemlock looked up, taken aback. “Dogwood, what is this common buck doing in my burrow?”

Dogwood cleared his throat and poked Campion in the back with an arrogant claw, but he didn’t move or speak.

The smug rabbit huffed in annoyance and stepped around Campion to say to his chief, “This is Campion, I found him.”

“We agreed last night that this rabbit was not Campion!” Hemlock retorted angrily.

“I know he doesn’t look like he did before, sir, but I found him in Blackberry’s burrow this morning. That’s how I know.”

Hemlock started to look interested and hopped over to Campion. He eyed him up and asked, “So what happened? Why didn’t you come forward when requested and where are your scars?”

Campion didn’t blink or even direct his eyes to Hemlock. “I don’t think that is any of your business,” he answered sourly.

“Oh, but I think it is,” Hemlock whispered dangerously. “Last chance.”

Campion wasn’t scared, not of Hemlock or any of his owsla. “No.”

“I’m tired of this tirade, Dogwood, bring who you need and get rid of him,” Hemlock exhaled.

Campion’s heart sank but accepted it. “You think you have it all planned out, don’t you? Killing all of us will never make the does call this place home.”

“And you’d know.”

This comment was so below the line that it rang hollow in Campion’s ears. “In all my time in Efrafa I have never done anything that resembles your actions. I am nothing like you.”

But Hemlock wasn’t listing to him. His ears were strained forward and he had a look of disbelief on his face. “Seriously, Dogwood, can you not get that sloppy Owsla to control our prisoners?”

Dogwood stood stuttering, still in his fighting stance. “Sir, I left my Owsla in charge-”

Just then there was a commotion at the mouth of the large burrow and Bigwig came tumbling in alongside Moss.

“What is the meaning of this?” Hemlock groaned.

Campion went over to help his friends up. “Are you crazy?”

“Hazel wouldn’t want us to be split up,” Bigwig said back. “Anyway, he’s going to kill us later, what’s the difference?”

“The difference is you could stay alive by joining his Owsla.”

“Not likely,” Bigwig scoffed. “Come on, Campion, don’t make me face this… thing with just Moss.”

“If it makes you feel better about dying.” Campion shrugged, feeling lightheaded.

Hemlock growled deep in his throat in aggravation. “Dogwood! Take that hairball back to the other prisoners, now!”

“But, but…” Dogwood looked disappointed at missing some sort of show and tried to get Bigwig to move quickly so that he could return faster.

Bigwig didn’t shift a paw. Raising his brow in question, he shoved the fawn rabbit away easily. “Another Vervain, huh?” he asked Campion.

Campion was surprised at Bigwig’s cool but went along with it. “I think Vervain was slightly stronger.”

Hemlock went over to Bigwig and looked as if he was about to sort this out for himself when a young grey buck stepped hesitantly into the burrow, throwing everything out of balance.

“Sir, I heard commotion and wondered if you needed any assistance?”

Campion and Bigwig exchanged knowing glances. This was the young buck Cloud that they had met on the edge of the warren not so many days ago.

Hemlock appeared as if he was about to dismiss the young male impatiently before his expression changed to one of wonder. “Actually young Cloud, come in, you and I should have a chat.”

Cloud was mystified, but hopped over slowly to stand in front of the large chief.

Hemlock waved Moss and Dogwood to attention. “Take these two back.”

Moss bowed down, hiding his look of disgust, but Dogwood just stood with his mouth hanging open. It was now a familiar expression for him.

“You know Dogwood, if you stay like that for too long, you’ll end up looking like it,” Bigwig snickered.

“But, sir-” Dogwood started.

“Now!” Hemlock interrupted. “Take them all above ground for a short time, just so they don’t die of hunger on me until I decide something…..”

“Fine,” Dogwood huffed.

“What do you plan to do with them, sir?” Cloud asked quickly.

Hemlock smiled darkly and said in satisfaction, “I’m going to hurt that traitor in a way he can’t fathom, a way that will stay with him forever.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Cloud asked, already having a sickening twist in his gut.

“I’m going to hurt him inside of his head. Forget physical pain, Cloud, this is permanent. I will do it using you, Cloud.”

Fiver settled Hazel into the burrow beside his own, where he could keep an eye on him. Then he hopped to his family and met Ivy’s steady gaze. “Who was that?” she asked quietly.

“Hazel,” Fiver said joyfully. “I met Keharr and Hannah too. They’re going to ask the young ones to come up here faster than I could.”

“What about everyone else?” Ivy asked in suspense. “Blackberry, Bigwig, Campion?”

“Gone, all gone,” Fiver whispered. His throat had started to sting and his eyes prickle.

“What will we do, Fiver?” Ivy asked, seeking comfort and solace that Fiver felt he didn’t have the strength to give.

“We have our young son to live for, Ivy. He is a spark of hope in this dark time.”

Ivy smiled through her silent tears and glanced lovingly down at the kitten. “Have you thought of a name yet?”

“You want me to name him?” Fiver questioned timidly.

“Yes.”

Fiver thought slowly. “I’ve got one… but it’s not an ordinary name.”

“An ordinary name wouldn’t be him,” Ivy encouraged. “I’ve a feeling he has some of his father’s seer sight in him. He needs a special name.”

Fiver took a deep breath and suggested, “Wish?”

Ivy didn’t try and stop the tears this time and they feel freely. “Wish… we’ll set a wish on our kitten that everyone comes home.”

“Hurry up! I don’t have all day!” Dogwood moaned as Bigwig checked his reflection in the overflowing stream.

Bigwig’s good mood was sapping now, but his earlier efforts to annoy Dogwood had amused Campion, Yew and Hawkbit. The rest of the warren males had been taken out by Moss and weren’t with them at the moment.

“Shut it, Dogwood!” Bigwig snapped back, but bent down to drink. “Some of us have to keep our appearance in check, you know? Maybe that’s just the ones that have something worth keeping in check.”

Despite themselves, Hawkbit, Campion and Yew paused from their drink and sniggered heartily.

Dogwood looked more and more fuming as the minutes ticked by. At this point, the bucks were in the river splashing water at each other and acting like young obnoxious yearlings.

“Get a grip on yourselves and act your age!” Dogwood shouted over the splashing and the steady pouring of rain.

“Act our age? Lighten up Dogwood and don’t be so depressing.” Hawkbit sighed dramatically and slapped his paw down on the water’s surface, drenching Dogwood.

Dogwood growled and shouted to Moss who was approaching his back. “Have you got the others into the warren already?”

“Yes, they were so hungry that they started to eat straight away.” A smile crept onto his muzzle as he saw the nuisance Dogwood’s charges were creating.

“Do you want me to take over here?” Moss suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Dogwood sneered. “They would be gone by the time Frith is in the middle of the sky.”

“Asides from the fact that Frith isn’t even visible through the clouds, I’m insulted.”

“Shut up, Moss.”

Moss turned away from Dogwood and went to the water’s edge. “I’ll get them out for you anyway.”

He made a beeline to Campion and began whispering. “Hemlock’s got a plan to hurt you, Campion. He is going to use one of our young officers to-”

“Moss! Get your backside out of that water and join the guard underground!” Hemlock’s voice rang through the rain.

“One moment, sir,” Moss called back.

“Now!”

Moss regretfully hopped out of the river. Campion stopped the mucking about and climbed out of the water, shaking his coat semi-dry.

He was worried, now. He hadn’t liked what he had managed to hear and he disliked even more that he didn’t know the end of the sentence.

Bigwig saw Campion’s worried look and climbed out to the bank as well. “What’s up with you all of a sudden?”

“Moss told me something… very strange.”