Chapter Forty – Three

Deception

Everyone was still.  Campion’s and Hazel’s breathing stopped when they recognised the crazed leader who had been intent on killing them.

 Automatically the rabbits looked to Hazel, thinking that he could somehow solve this.

Hemlock chuckled, and started to approach the rabbit splayed on the grass. Hazel used the last of his strength to left his head and tried not to show the pain in his eyes.

“Well, well, how’s my friend, Hazel, doing?” Hemlock said pleasantly, grinning falsely.

“Not fantastic,” Hazel said sarcastically. He tried to quieten the shivers that rocked his body, why was it always so cold?

“Oh what a shame, I was hoping you and your friends could join me for a spot of evening silflay back at my place?”

“It getting late, I’m sure everyone just wants to go back to their burrows actually.”

Campion eyes shot to Hazel, he must know the men are gone .That’s goanna be hard to explain later, if we get that far.

“Too bad,” Hemlock spat out, dropping the act. “You will all follow me now, and leave the kittens and yearlings.”

Blackberry was about to speak up angrily, but Campion covered her mouth with his paw. She shot him a vaguely annoyed look. “They can’t do that, they’ll die!” she mumbled.

He removed the paw and whispered in her ear, “I can see Fiver and Ivy through the trees, they haven’t been caught. The children will be safe with them.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Blackberry sighed.

Hazel managed to pull himself up slightly more and asked, “Why?”

“They are not of Shadowsky blood at all. We want the next generation to follow on in our path. These young are worthless to us.”

“So are we, what do you plan to do with us?” Hazel snapped. “We have none of your warren’s filthy blood in any of us.”

Hemlock smiled again, and leaned forward. “We are taking everyone back, I haven’t decided yet which way to kill the bucks. And with your does and our bucks, we will have half bloods.”

This time it was Blackberry who had to stop Campion saying something. “Don’t draw attention to yourself, you know what he thinks of you!”

Hemlock widened his grin and turning his back on Hazel, he started to hop smugly back to his owsla.

“Oh and you can remove yourself from…. that hairball you’re on. They won’t give us any trouble,” Hemlock shouted to one of the owsla members.

Dogwood got up from pinning an extremely angry Bigwig and went to sit at Hemlock’s side with the same smug expression painted on his face that Hemlock had.

Blackberry shied back slightly closer to Campion as she watched Dogwood nervously. Campion looked down at her and his mind clicked. He suspiciously narrowed his eyes and glared at Dogwood.

“Don’t just stand there, go off and get them all back to Shadowsky!” Hemlock exclaimed. He looked to be tired of standing in this rain. “Hazel and I are going to have a chat.”

Bigwig went over and stood in front of Hazel. “Then so am I.”

“Bigwig! Don’t be reckless, you’re going to get yourself killed!” Hazel said desperately as he saw anger etched on Hemlock’s face.

“He’s going to kill you Hazel!” Bigwig cried out.

“If he is, he’s a coward.” Hazel looked over at Hemlock. “He’s going to be attacking someone that can’t even fight back. Anyway, Bigwig you leave now! Now Bigwig!”

Bigwig looked as if he was going to disobey for a couple of seconds then he respected his leader’s wishes and went to stand with everyone else again.

“Oh,” Hemlock spoke, as if he had just remembered something. “I think we are missing someone from our privet party of old friends. Come on out Campion.”

“Crap,” Campion muttered, but started to step forward.

“Don’t you dare,” Blackberry said quietly.

“But, but…..”

“Hazel will understand, please Campion don’t just walk out to your death.”

Another voice whispered over, “Campion are you mad? Get down, he’s going to see you!”
Hesitantly, Campion obeyed Bigwig and dropped his stomach onto the wet earth and flattened his ears.

“Just so you know, I’m not happy about this,” he muttered.

“I don’t care,” Blackberry replied forcefully, “you step one paw out there and you’ll be dead within minutes.”

“Really Campion?” Hemlock asked his voice held a tinge of surprise as he looked around. “Turned mellow after our last fight, have you?”

“Okay now I’m really not happy about this,” Campion sighed, he wanted to go and fight.

“Don’t go for the bait!” Bigwig hissed.

“Aw well, we’ll have to leave that meeting for my chamber at home I suppose.” Hemlock sighed dramatically. “Okay everyone you may begin the moving.”

Unconsciously, the Watershippers had bunched up together in a large circle in the middle of the confrontation. Now it was only a matter of the Shadowsky owsla to cut out the adults and be on their way.

“Hopefully, they won’t recognise you without the scars on the way to the warren,” Blackberry mused.

But Campion was too down to hear. What was going to happen to Hazel? Did he think he had left him alone with that fate?  What was going to happen to them? In fact, the only thing he wasn’t worrying about was his kits, he trusted Fiver completely to keep them safe, even in the bereavement he was going through.

No one made any attempt to fight back as they were herded away from the down. There was a small commotion at the back of the group, and everyone turned to see who the rebel was. It was Swift, he growled, but at his young age it wasn’t awfully threatening and the owsla laughed.

Hemlock just chuckled and went to stand in front of him. “Who is this young fellow then?”

Swift tried to stand tall and said, “Swift.”

“Ah Swift, I remember you. Got your father’s fighting spirit then?”

Swift tried his little growl again. “You won’t get away with this.”

“Of course not…” Hemlock said smoothly. “Do tell me when you and your small army are ready to fight, won’t you?”

“I’m ready to fight you at any time,” Swift hissed.

“No, Swift,” Blackberry whispered, despite knowing he couldn’t hear her.

“It’s just too bad that you aren’t of worthy blood. You would have made a fine asset to my owsla.”

Swift, in his young innocence, was confused. “My father is captain of owsla.”

Hemlock laugh rang out over the rain. “Don’t even get me started on your father! He’s nothing to be proud of now, maybe in the past…. he even managed to give me a scar then.”

Campion muttered, “Good.”

“But, he’s a coward now; he can’t even show himself to me.”

Yew and Blackavar came over to help hold Campion down whilst looking extremely confused at his dramatic appearance change.

“I didn’t actually move, I don’t need to be held down,” Campion mumbled, reminding himself that he couldn’t hurt his friends.

“We’re not taking any chances for losing anyone else,” Bigwig explained. He tried hard to keep the hurt out of his voice. “He’s really playing with your emotions now.”

Hemlock went on to explain how brave rabbits came to be cowards, pushing Campion to close his eyes and try to block it out. This was driving him crazy, Hemlock knew exactly what annoyed him the most. Swift, though, did not have anyone to stop him speaking his mind. “My parli is not a coward!”

Hemlock’s mood turned dark again and he spat out, “Too bad I’m going to have to kill him then!”

Swift gasped, he hadn’t really believed someone could be so brutal and when Hemlock had earlier said he was going to kill all the bucks, Swift hadn’t thought him serious. “You… you can’t!”

“Oh wait, sorry, is this not the cue for you and your little owsla to attack me?” Hemlock scoffed and turned his back on Swift to discuss travel with his owsla.

Swift didn’t hesitate. The young buck used his full weight to try and pin Hemlock from behind, but was no match for the massive rabbit. Hemlock didn’t take any nonsense and hit Swift angrily across the face. This time a gasp of shock escaped from both Campion and Blackberry and this time Campion was needed to be held down. “He can’t treat Swift like that! And for goodness sake, STOP holding me down!”

There was an ultimate stillness and Hemlock turned curiously to the group. “Well, well, well.”

He was about to continue when an owsla member whispered something in his ear.

“Men’s scent you say? We’ll get a move on then….” Hemlock, without paying any more attention to Swift, gave the final signal for his owsla to continue.

Remorsefully the Watershippers give in to the owsla threats and dragged their weary selves further, leaving behind their home, kittens and their faithful leader.

…….

Fiver took Ivy back up to the warren as soon as he thought they wouldn’t be noticed. He wanted to go with his friends and share their fate. They had started this warren together and if it was going to end, it would be together. But Ivy was very weak and he now had a son.

They ignored the smouldering ashes and clammy air on the down and went straight down the burrow. Ivy cast a doubtful look in the direction of the caverns but collapsed on her nest, setting her kitten down beside her.

Fiver closed his eyes and tried to block out the image of Hazel laying on the ground, defenceless in front of that mad rabbit.

Ivy looked up from grooming the little buck to try and comfort Fiver. “Frith will help them, and so will Shadow.”

……….

It was around midnight when their long trek was over, but there were still things to do.

Hemlock ordered them to all stand in the dense grazing grounds until he sorted them out into groups that were allowed to be together. He had been close on their tail for the whole journey. He must not have spent long with Hazel.

“Bucks and does must be separated until I say otherwise, you never know…. I might have mercy on any that show potential for my owsla.” He glanced at Bigwig who just muttered, “In your dreams.”

Thankfully he was not heard. The owsla cut through them and easily parted them into two sides, five does and ten bucks.

“Why you’re not even big enough to call yourselves a warren, are you?” Hemlock looked amazed as he realised the numbers.

“How on earth did you manage to take down my son and his warren?” Hemlock continued to look surprised.

Bigwig’s firm mask slipped and it was his turn to look confused. “How does he know?”

Campion whispered behind him, “I told him that night he was at the down, we had a deal.”

“Obviously he decided not to keep it,” Dandelion said angrily, looking back at Hemlock with his eyes staring.

Hemlock didn’t look bothered that he received no reply; he just motioned with his paw for the owsla to take the bucks away.

Bigwig and Campion were positively seething that they were forced to leave the does, but caused no trouble.

“In there,” Dogwood laughed and indicated towards two small, cramped burrows. “Split up.”

Blackavar, Holly, Strawberry, Dandelion, Vervain and Hawkbit stepped hesitantly into the first leaving Campion, Yew and Bigwig to go into the slightly smaller second one. Dogwood’s eyes grew wide for a second when he saw Yew and he stuck out his foot. Yew, exhausted as he was wasn’t quick enough and tripped heavily. Campion helped his friend up without making eye contact with Dogwood, he didn’t want to be recognised and couldn’t believed he had gotten away with it for so long. Dogwood tried the same trick on him when he turned to go back in first but he nimbly hopped over it and didn’t break stride.

Bigwig waited until they had both joined him before turning his back to the entrance and laying down his exhausted head. His actions were mimicked until the burrow was still, worries and questions could wait until they had the energy.

………….

Campion’s foggy mind cleared and he opened his heavy eyelids. What was that sound? It was like heavy footfalls…. It was heavy footfalls. There was some whispering in the burrow beside theirs that contained their friends and Vervain. It wasn’t long until it entered the one he was in. Acting impulsively, he closed his eyes and held still. Hemlock made no move but sent the other rabbit in, as it did so hesitantly.

“No sir, not in here either,” it whispered in return.

“Oh get out of the way, Cloud,” Hemlock snapped a little too loudly. Bigwig stirred but was soon still again. “Dogwood, you go.”

Campion tensed as he felt the other rabbit’s presence near him, and he felt the earth’s vibration as Hemlock also entered.

“That’s him, is it not?” Hemlock hissed.

Dogwood timidly rolled Campion over onto his stomach to reveal the left side of his face.

Stay still, stay still, Campion reminded himself. He let his limbs fall limply to the ground and his ears sagged onto his back.

“No scars, sir,” Dogwood said, surprised and looked at the larger rabbit.

Hemlock grinded his teeth and snarled quietly, “Did we lose him on the way here? He couldn’t have got by my guards!”

Dogwood didn’t know what to say so he kept quiet until Hemlock decided. “Bring Blackberry to my chamber now, maybe then we’ll find some answers.”

Dogwood nodded tiredly and left with Hemlock, giving Campion a chance to open his eyes.

Sliding into a sitting position, he appraised his coat. It was still damp and contained mud and grass seeds. There was also soil, dust and a fine layer of ash to top it off, no wonder he wasn’t identified.

With this and his scars gone, he was slightly surprised to notice that his friends had recognised him.

He knew he couldn’t return to sleep after what had just happened. By his level of tiredness he guessed it was not yet dawn, but he couldn’t be sure since he had been more exhausted than usual.

He wanted to go and see what was going on with the does but he was sceptical about his chances of straying away from this cell.

To his amazement there was only one guard outside both of the burrows… and he was asleep!

That decided it for him, he was going out. Since the warren had been recently dug it was still small and wasn’t very hard to navigate through.  He had to pull up sharply as he saw a large entrance just as he rounded the first turn. The closeness of Hemlock’s burrow to his own temporary one surprised him, but he supposed it made sense. He could keep a close eye on them that way.

Blackberry was already present and by her expression of worry and fear he realised she knew the meaning of this meeting. Hemlock and Dogwood sat in silence as if waiting for her to speak but she refused and stared anywhere but at them.

“So do tell me Blackberry….. where has he gone?”

“How would I know? You split us up and put us in two different parts of the warren.”

“You know what I’m talking about, he wasn’t here when we entered the warren, Dogwood had looked.”

Blackberry shot Dogwood a dirty glance and sighed heavily, dramatically as if she was just about to reveal a large secret.

But Hemlock spoke, “Was he even there when we first captured you? It was…… unlike him not to step forward.”

“Yes he was, if you can’t find him it’s not my problem.” Blackberry said it short and obviously meant it to be the last words but of course, there was Dogwood.

“You don’t seem to care that he is not here,” he stated.

“If he got away from this horrible place I would be glad,” Blackberry shouted and ran out of the burrow. Campion quickly stepped back as she nearly ran into him.

“Campion?” she asked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“That doesn’t matter now, run!” Campion whispered. Dogwood was coming.

Blackberry saw he was right and started to run in the direction right of the chief’s burrow.

A couple of minutes later they stopped and lay panting in Blackberry’s new burrow.

“You get a burrow all to yourself?” he asked with interest.

“They said it’s best until I settle,” Blackberry said shortly then changed the subject. “Where were you and the rest?”

“Just around the corner beside Hemlock’s burrow, but we had to share. Bigwig and Yew are probably wondering where I am.”

“When they went searching…… they really didn’t recognise you?”

“The last time they saw me was at night, the scars were probably what they remembered me most by.”

“Anyway, I’m glad they haven’t hurt you.” Blackberry placed her head under his and sighed.

“Yet,” Campion corrected, nuzzling her. “It is inevitable Blackberry, I’m not a phantom or invisible.”

Blackberry looked suddenly worried. “What if they find you here?”

The thought has crossed his mind but he quickly banished it. “So what if they do? This might be the last time I see you.”