Chapter Twenty-Two

Road to Recovery

“Bigwig, what was that?” Dandelion yelped.

“Sounds like the hunter got one of the poor blighters,” Bigwig said sadly, shaking his head.

“We should go help it,” Primrose said anxiously, stepping forward.

“Absolutely not Primrose,” Bigwig snapped. “The men are still out there, it’s too dangerous and anyway the men have probably killed it.”

The does flattened the ears and averted their eyes, feeling sorry for all the lives lost at the hands of men.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Bigwig retorted.

“Why’s he so cold hearted?” Ivy whispered to Fiver.

“He is just trying to hide his true feelings,” Fiver said softly.

“Oh and not a word to Blackberry, I think she is in a bad enough state already,” Bigwig shouted back.

“We’d better follow then,” Ivy replied to Fiver.

Fiver cast one final look in the direction of the men before following the others with a sigh.

Hazel made his way down to Blackberry’s burrow nervously, how was he supposed to ask her about this very sensitive subject?

“Aw watch it!” Vervain cried as he and Hazel collided in the burrow.

“You clumsy, inept, ignorant, good for nothing…” Vervain muttered, continuing on up the burrow.

“Vervain?” Hazel asked smugly, awaiting his surprised reaction.

“Oh Hazel!” Vervain laughed nervously. “Was that you that was just? Didn’t see you there.”

“Where are you going?”

“Me? Well I was just am…. on my way up to find you, to amm….. talk to you about warren defences,” Vervain improvised.

“You, warren defences?” Hazel found it hard not to laugh. “And by the way you know you aren’t allowed above ground.”

“But Hazel, I have to be allowed to silflay at some point. I don’t like having my food brought to me in my burrow all the time, I haven’t seen Frith for moons,” Vervain moaned continuously.

“Vervain this is not the moment,” Hazel said firmly.

Vervain sighed heavily and made his way back to his burrow.

Hazel made sure that he had returned all the way to his burrow before continuing on down.

“Blackberry?” Hazel whispered. There was no reply.

Hazel stepped further in and repeated her name again, louder, and still received no reply.

Blackberry wasn’t there! At first Hazel panicked, then he started to use his thinking skill, where could she have gone?

Suddenly, angry chatter started furiously behind Hazel, from the direction which he had come.

“Vervain, it’s all you!” Blackberry screeched.

“Blackberry, stop screaming at me! I have no idea what you are talking about!” Vervain cried, cowering against the burrow wall.

Hazel rushed in and gently but firmly removed Blackberry from Vervain.

Blackberry froze, as if finally realizing what she was doing, and then she broke down in heart wracking sobs, leaning into Hazel.

Hazel nearly stepped back in shock, then prevented himself at the last minute.

He awkwardly patted her on the back and attempted to comfort her.

“Blackberry, Vervain doesn’t know anything about Campion.”

Blackberry just froze again at the mention of Campion’s name and gently pulled away and left the burrow without a backward glance.

“What happened to Campion?” Vervain asked eagerly.

Hazel just gave him a dirty look and followed Blackberry.

Campion lay still in shock where he had landed from his tumble in the brambles.

His head swam and he forgot where he was, he imagined himself home, on the down around the time when the kits had just been born and everyone was happy with joy of life out of the freedom of Woundwort’s clutches.

His eyes shot open and his heart thumped painfully as he realised his predicament and reality, he was lying injured, unable to move and the men were looking for him.

“Hey, John! Get those boys over there and search in those bushes!”

Campion vainly attempted to move, dragging his stomach across the ground with his good fore leg, trying desperately not to cry out in pain.

Upon reaching the back of the bush he gave up as his strength disappeared and lay tense, waiting for the men to find him.

He felt himself slip into unconsciousness and didn’t fight it.

Seconds later, it seemed he was awake in a meadow lush with long spring grass and he felt no pain nor was he blind anymore, he felt so alive and full of energy he felt as if he could run all the way from Nuthanger farm to Watership Down.

A long, black, gloomy shadow seemed to rise from the bottom of the earth, stretching out its darkness until the meadow had transformed into a bleak grey world.

“Black….Black Rabbit,” Campion whispered, partly out of shock at being here again and secondly out of reverence for this supernatural being.

“Why have you brought me here again? Unless that gunshot finally killed me…” Campion muttered the last bit thoughtfully.

“I have called you here Campion to tell you not to sorrow for the other rabbits, they are well and happy in the kingdom of colours. Do not pity them, pity yourself and the rest of the living.”

“But why does man do such terrible things?” Campion said his tone coloured with rage. “Why must they find it necessary to destroy the earth and all that live in it?

“The actions of man are influenced by Lord Frith and I carry out my appointed task, it is only Lord Frith keeping his promise to El-ahrairah and only just that Campion.

“But why do I have these visions or whatever it is I’m having?” Campion asked incredulously. “Why not Fiver and his seer gift?”

 “Campion you were chosen to free all the rabbits from the imprisonment of Woundwort, and you succeeded. I am merely passing on a message or rather a reminder to you, all rabbits are friends of Lord Frith and I, be cunning and full of tricks and your people will never be destroyed.”

Campion thought about those words and knew they were true. “Are you going to take me with you now Black Rabbit?”

“That is entirely up to you.”

“Since when do rabbits get to decide if they want to die or not?” Campion asked in surprise.

“Never.” The Black Rabbit shook his head. “But it is your reward for ridding the world of a massive evil, you can finally rest, if that is what you choose.”

“Then I want to go back,” Campion said firmly.

“To the land of suffering and unhappiness? If that is what you choose.”

Before Campion could reply he felt the darkness embrace him until it swallowed him completely and he once again returned into a deep sleep.  

“Stay close and don’t let anyone wander,” Bigwig shouted back to the group as they continued at the fast pace home.

Fiver gently tapped Ivy so as not to surprise her and slipped behind one of the trunks of the surrounding trees.

“We have to go back,” Fiver said simply but surely.

“Why? what can we do?” Ivy asked, somewhat desperately.

“We can try to help,” Fiver said miserably. “We can’t just leave them, there might have been a few that escaped and need our help.”

Fiver’s voice became desperate, “Please Ivy?”

“Oh okay,” Ivy agreed. “But quickly, let’s go before Bigwig notices we’re gone, he’d chew our ears off.”

Fiver and Ivy watched the men pack up their nets and rifles from a safe distance. They both closed their eyes in horror as the men’s catch, mostly the mark rabbits as they were loaded into the hrududo as well as the rest of the equipment.

Fiver and Ivy nodded to each other as the hrududo made its way back down the grass verge parallel to the iron road.

At first Fiver and Ivy hurried over into the clearing but upon entering it they searched cautiously, afraid of what they would find.

Ivy wrinkled her nose in disgust as she scented blood again, sighing she went over to Fiver to see if he had any findings.

Fiver was deeply engrossed on something in the ground, Ivy eagerly pressed her nose down beside his and took a sniff.

Fiver slowly looked up at Ivy and said, “Campion’s scent, I was hoping he would have gotten out before today.”

“He might be alright, the hunters couldn’t have gotten everyone,” Ivy said in a brave attempt.

There was a faint rustle behind them but there sharp ears picked it up.

“Fiver you don’t think it could be the men back?” Ivy asked fearfully.

“No,” Fiver shook his head. “They wouldn’t be as quiet and anyway we would have smelt them.”

“What is it then?” Ivy whispered as it continued.

“One way to find out,” Fiver replied quietly.

When he started to approach it, he heard a voice speaking in low tones though frantically.

“Come on please get up, we need to go to those high hills you speak of, oh please get up,”

“Amm hello?” Fiver said inquisitively.

“Who’s there?” the voice replied immediately.

“It’s” Fiver started, until he felt himself pinned.

“Ouch! Get off,” Fiver moaned.

“Oh I’m sorry,” Yew said, withdrawing quickly.

“We saw what happened,” Fiver said, picking himself up and turning to face Yew.

Yew’s ears dropped down to his face. “Will you help me? I don’t know how to move him.”

“Move who?” Ivy asked, stepping forward and looking round to where Yew was indicating.

“His name is Campion, we were just about to escape together then the men came and trapped us. Campion risked himself to distract while I escaped first, he wasn’t so lucky,” Yew explained sadly.

“I was afraid of this,” Fiver said, shaking his head in anguish.

“How badly is he hurt?” Ivy asked nervously.

“Pretty bad, his shoulder… I think it’s broken but I think he’ll live. But I’m no expert on healing.”

“How do you think we should move him?” Yew interrupted the tense silence again.

Fiver and Ivy were silent and didn’t even look at him.

“What’s wrong you two?” Yew said looking between Ivy and Fiver.

“We know Campion,” Fiver explained.

“How?”

“We’re from Watership Down,” Ivy sighed.