The Gang of Five
Role Play => Random Role Play => Topic started by: Raptor on May 04, 2009, 06:27:45 PM
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"All the World will be your enemy, prince with a thousand enemies, and when they catch you, they will kill you.
But first, they must catch you."
All rabbits know the words of El-ahrairah's blessing. They all rely on trickery and cunning to avoid the thousands of enemies who would rob them of their lives.
But one of the worst of these enemies isn't a living creature at all. It is called the White Blindness, a horrific disease that causes rabbits to wander, pained and blinded, to their deaths.
A warren has surcumbed to this terrible fate. But before the entire warren was doomed, several rabbits, too frightened to remain, fled from the warren, in search of a new, safer beging. They were uninfected, and have been seeking the safety of a new warren ever since they set out.
Only time will tell if the find it.
Common words:
To get the true feeling of Watership Down, I've included a list of common "lapine"(the rabbit languge in the book) words.
bob-stones: A type of guessing game with stones played by rabbits.
elil: Enemies of rabbits, including fox, stoat, weasel, cat, owl, man, etc.
embleer: Stinking, the word for the smell of a fox.
flay: Food, specifically grass or other greens.
flayrah: Unusually good food, such as lettuce, carrots, etc.
Frith: The Sun, viewed by the rabbits as a god.
Frithrah: "Lord Sun", used as an exclamation. Analogous to "My God!"
fu-InlÈ: After moonrise.
hain: A song.
hlao: A depression in the ground formed by a daisy or a thistle, specifically one that can hold moisture. Also used as a rabbit's name.
hlessi: A rabbit who lives aboveground or otherwise out of a warren; a wandering rabbit. Plural hlessil.
homba: A fox. Plural hombil.
hrair: Many, uncountable, any number above four.
hraka: Droppings, excreta.
hrududu: Any type of motor vehicle, such as a tractor, car or train.
InlÈ: The moon, moonrise. Also means fear, darkness or death(as in the Black Rabbit of InlÈ)
lendri: A badger.
li: Head.
marli: A doe, mother.
m'saion: "We meet them"
narn: Nice, tasty.
ni-Frith: Noon.
nildro: A blackbird.
Owsla: A group of strong rabbits second year or older surrounding the chief rabbit.
pfeffa: A cat.
-rah: A suffix denoting meaning prince, lord or Chief Rabbit(as in Threarah, Hazel-rah)
-roo: A diminutive suffix meaning "little".
silf: Outside.
silflay: To eat above ground; to graze.
tharn: A state of paralyzed fear or confusion. Can also be used to mean "looking foolish", "forlorn", "heartbroken".
thlay: Fur.
threar: A Rowan or Mountain Ash tree.
u: The.
U hrair: "The Thousand". The term used by rabbits which refers to all their collective enemies.
vair: To excrete, to pass droppings.
yona: A hedgehog. Plural yonil.
zorn: Destroyed, murdered. A catastrophe.
Bios:
You will play as either one of the rabbits who escaped the White Blindness, or one they will meet along the way.
Name:
Gender:
Age(Rabbits commonly live for about four years):
Personality:
Appearance:
Backstory:
Note:
Your character is a rabbit. The average rabbit CANNOT make friends with foxes, consort with humans, talk to humans, or do anything that your average rabbit cannot do. This also includes magical powers. While Watership Down certainly hinted at the supernatural, with Fiver's foresight, and the ending, this does not at all mean that you can have rabbits that transform into hawks.
On a lighter note, your character can tell any of the numerous stories mentioned in the novel, if it suits the situation and the character him/herself. If you're feeling especially creative, you can include you own, brand new stories.
-
"Embleer Frith."
The rain wasn't accompanied by thunder. At least there was that consolation. However, the rain did come pouring down, non-stop, drenching anything and everything unfortunate enough to be caught out in the downpour.
One of these unfortunates was a rabbit, by the name of Thistle. He was not the only rabbit to be wet through. There were several others, hopping through the fields.
"Thistle, are we going to be alright?" Asked a nervous voice beside him. It was a much smaller rabbit, named Walnut. He was shivering, not only because of the cold, but because of obvious fear.
"We'll be fine. We just need to get out of this blasted rain." Answered Thistle. In truth, he wasn't quite sure if they'd be fine. But he didn't want Walnut to miserable and terrified, so he felt reasurring Walnut was the best thing to do.
"Besides, elil don't like the rain either." Thistle added. He'd hoped this would brighten Walnut's mood, but the mention of the Thousand only served to make the little rabbit speed up slightly.
'Well, it's true.' Thought Thistle. 'We won't have to worry about that.'
-
I'll post my OC's info here as ewll...
Name: Mayberry
Gender: Doe
Age: 1 year
Personality: She has a major temper and is absolutely NEVER afraid to show it…which might explain why she has no friends.
Appearance: Her fur is white with a grey underbelly. She is the smallest doe in her warren but her ability to fight and vocalize her opinion is the only reason her warren recognizes her at all.
Backstory: Contrary to the standard Warren, Mayberry was the first and only Owsla captain ever in her previous warren. In order to gain this position however she literally had to fight and bad mouth her way up to through the ranks. This would also explain why the two friends she did have were Owsla guards.
Unfortunately a routine patrol ended in the death of one of the scouts in her command and as per the warren rules she was to be executed for her failures.
This obviously didn’t sit well with Mayberry who ran the first chance she got and hasn’t looked back since.
~~~~~
Mayberry was sitting in the rain, not really caring if she got wet. She'd been running for days and she was unbelievably tired. If an Elil attacked now....she wouldn't have the strength to fight or run. She slowly hopped forward in the grass until she thought she could see something that looked like the outline of other rabbits.
She wanted to be cautious about just waltzing up to other hlessi...if that's what they were. She decided the best move would be to simply follow them and see where they were heading and wait for them to rest.
-
Thyme stopped running for a moment, as he shook himself in attempt to dry his fur. It worked a bit, but after few seconds he was again soaking, as rain didn't cease to rain. Thyme snorted with annoyance.
"First was disease and now we are running about in the rain. Could it get any worse?" he asked aloud, not really expecting that any of the other rabbits is going to answer that question. Nonetheless someone answered:
"It always can, Thyme." He looked to the right. It was Neltita who spoke.
"Oh... Yes. Knowing that really cheers me up." he said, rolling his eyes.
"Look at that in this way: we could catch White Blindness back in the warren, but we are here, safe and sound. Little rain is not so bad. In fact, I like it." Neltita said.
"I like it too, but only when I am in a dry burrow." Thyme retorted, shaking his body again. The water from the sky didn't just make his fur wet, but also made his body shiver from the cold. He sneezed strongly, for which he received a look of worry from a doe.
"Are you alright, Thyme?" Neltita asked.
"No. I think I may caught cold." He answered.
"I have a good news for you then. I see a good place for shelter." she said pointing to some thick line of bushes up ahead...
-
Thistle noticed that the doe who had warned of the impending disease was pointing out a nearby grove a thick brush.
'What was the doe's name? Nel.. Neltita, that's it.'
Thistle looked at Walnut. Walnut's ears drooped slightly, drenched with water. He looked terrible.
Thistle wasn't thrilled about heading into the thick brush, for fear of elil hidden in the darkness.
But... it was out of the rain.
Still, Walnut looked even more terrified about heading into the dark brush.
"Thistle.. are.. are we going in there?" Walnut gulped, shivering.
"It's out of the rain." Thistle replied, a shiver shaking the moisture out of his fur. Moments later, he was drenched again.
"But I don't like it either. Still, it's better then standing out in the rain."
-
Mayberry could see the other hlessi wondering into a set of brush and she assumed that they were doing it to get out of the rain. After the last one had entered the brush she hopped forward still being cautious about this whole idea. Against her normal nature she stood meekly outside the bushes and shook herself off to try and keep her fur dry, but all she accomplished was getting more water in her fur than she wanted.
She then spoke up by accident and said,
"Oh...this is great! I hate getting wet...This is humiliating!"
-
After entering the bush, Neltita noticed that one doe is still out in the rain.
"Come here then. It is safe now and dry too." she said loud to the doe, who wasn't known to her. She shook herself off to dry herself, but a few drops of water fell on Thyme.
"Watch it, Neltita! Some of us have enough of their own water on their fur." he exclaimed and then he sneezed again. She turned back to say sorry, but as she noticed Thyme's state - ears dropped, body shivering, sneezing - she stated instead:
"You don't look good."
"What can I say to that? You are not exactly my type either." Thyme answered, trying to joke.
"I am not talking about your looks, silly, but about your health." Neltita said "We need to warm you up or you will get seriously ill." She cuddle to Thyme, so he could get some warmth. She felt that his body was very cold. Perhaps he was in worse condition than he seemed.
-
Thistle looked around in the brush. It seemed alright enough.
He pricked his ears up, listening for any unusual sounds. There was nothing other then the other rabbits.
Thistle didn't even smell a trace of elil. It was almost too good.
Walnut had haulted at the edge of the brush, so quickly that Thistle hadn't even noticed.
The little rabbit's ears were down against his back, and his eyes were white in terror.
"I-I-I don't... I don't like that place, Thistle!" He said, shivering in the rain.
Thistle hopped back to him. "You need to get in here. It's safer in here then it is out there! There's not a trace of elil, and it's dry."
"Bu-but-"
"Frithrah!" Thistle exclaimed. He went around behind Walnut and pushed him into the brush. Thistle didn't like doing this, but it was either pushing him in or leaving him outside, and he wasn't going to leave Walnut outside.
As soon as he looked up, he noticed another rabbit still out in the rain. It was a smallish doe, one that he didn't recongnize. Thistle notice Neltita invite her in, and suddenly a little on guard. 'I don't recongnize her...' Thistle thought. 'But... there isn't any harm in letting another hlessi stay come with us. I just hope she isn't from the old warren. But I don't recongnize her... so she's probably not.' Thistle scratched his behind his right ear with his back leg. Water droplets scattered from his fur.
-
Mayberry was stunned that these hlessi were just inviting her to stay with them...but it did seem rather silly to just sit in the rain and catch a cold, so she shrugged and after watching one buck rush out and push another one into the bush, who looked extremely hesitant to go at all she slowly followed after them and stepped inside the bushes.
She then shook the water off her fur and sighed as she felt dry, and more importantly somewhat safe in quite a while.
She looked around at the other rabbits gathered in the thicket and decided that staying on edge was the best choice in case any of them were hostile.
-
"Thank you for your care." Thyme said "I think I will take a nap. I am tired of this running and... and..." he sneezed again "and this darn cold." he muttered.
"I am not sure if this is good idea. If some elils came while you are sleeping..." Neltita stopped talking, as she noticed that Thyme had already fell asleep. She decided that it is better for him to get some rest and if need emerge she could always wake him up. She looked around, at other rabbits and she wondered what they will do next now, after they left their warren. Where would they go? She glanced at dark brown rabbit, called Thistle. If she remembered right he was the one who thought about leaving the warren immedietely after she gave her warning to Chief Rabbit. Perhaps he was the right rabbit to talk to about next actions.
"You are Thistle, right?" he said to him, not moving from Thyme's side, as she was still helping him get warmth "Dont you think we should talk about what we are going to do now?"
-
Walnut had finally overcome his fear, well, partially, and nearly collapsed with exhaustion. Thistle watched for a second, to ensure he wouldn't wake up, and turned to Neltita. "I agree. I haven't had much time to think since we left the warren." He said, shaking a bit more water out of his fur.
"But we can't stay here too long. I need to rest as much as anyone else, but the brush is as good a place for elil to hide as it is for us." He added.
"We should stay here until everyone's rested enough to move on. I don't want some embleer homba finding us here."
-
Mayberry growled as she spoke up.
"I demand to speak to your chief rabbit NOW!" she stated as she stamped her foot twice. "Now which one of you is the leader?" She then looked over at Walnut and asked, "Why is your friend so scared..he should be ashamed to be a rabbit with such a fear of everything! Why if I weren't so tired and wet, I'd cuff him across the nose I would!"
-
"Yes. We have to move out soon. It is safe here for now, though." Neltita said, then she glanced in direction which they had been moving before they stopped "We will go that way, won't we?" she asked Thistle, not looking directly at him "Hrududu's trail, water and men's warren. We will come through these and then..." she was interrupted by this other doe's words, which she didn't find very nice, but she still remained calm when she answered:
"Our previous Chief Rabbit died back in the warren and we don't have any... Or at least we don't have any at this moment." she added, looking at Thistle for a second.
"Anyway, I think you should leave Walnut in peace. He has a hard time and teasing him won't make it better for him or anyone else."
-
Thistle glared at the new doe. He would've snapped, would have stood up for Walnut, but he didn't want to wake his friend, who was still asleep. He was also tired. Thistle was tempted to cuff the doe, but he realized that would serve no purpouse other then making both him and the doe angrier.
Instead, he said "If you had just fled from a warren that is infected with the White Blindness, and had been running in the rain since fu-InlÈ, wouldn't you be rather frightened and tired as well?" Thistle looked at the doe, not angrily, but with what appeared to be a questioning glance.
-
Mayberry scoffed aloud and was tempted to laugh as she heard Neltita speak.
"Well then...I suggest you find one! Wandering around here like a bunch of lost fools will only attract more elil than I care to admit! Of course until then I suppose I'll have to watch over you all...as its clear for the moment you have no chance without an Owsla authority."
Mayberry then laid down on her side now feeling far more tired than she'd realized.
"My name is Mayberry. You all do well to remember it." she said aloud before closing her eyes and trying to rest her body.
-
Thistle wanted to argue, but Mayberry had already gone to sleep.
"Thank Frith she's not awake anymore. I couldn't take much more of that." Before he continued, he added "I've half a mind to chase her out. But that really wouldn't achieve anything." The excitiment had nearly made him forget about Neltita's trance-like state.
Thistle was about to lie down next to Walnut, when he remebered, and looked up. "Neltita, what was that you were saying before? About the 'man's warren' or something?" He asked.
-
"I think I've just met a rabbit that is so much more annoying than Thyme could ever be." Neltita mumbled, glancing at a new doe. Then she turned to Thistle who had asked her about her vision.
"I was talking about the places that we have to come through, if we want to find a really safe spot. At least I have a feeling this is right way for us to travel." she answered Thistle question "I am not sure what exactly 'men's warren' is, but perhaps we will find out once we see it."
-
Mayberry may have been asleep, but her dreams continued to take her back to the day her patrol was attacked and the scout under her command was lost, and in a moment she began to cry and whimper aloud as she whispered in her sleep, "M-my brother....I'm..I'm sorry...this is...my fault." Then the scene in her mind switched to her standing before the warren council and she spoke aloud once more.
"I did what I needed to do...nothing more...and i-if you don't like it then go ahead...and kill me."
-
Thistle looked to Mayberry's twitching form. "What's that all about?" He questioned, getting to his feet. He listened for a moment.
"What sort of chief would kill his own rabbits? Questioned Thistle, quietly. It was slightly disturbing... "Well, she's probably just dreaming." Moments later, he dismissed Mayberry's sleep talk.
It might be important, but they all needed rest, and the weight of the journey had finally caught up to Thistle. He blinked blearily, turned back to Neltita, and said "Well, that's right. We can't really know what to expect until we find it." He laid down, blinked again, and went to sleep.
-
Neltita was not so tired as the rest and besides someone was needed to watch for elils. Everybody else was sleeping anxiously now. The rain kept falling for a long time, hour or two, before it slowly started to cease. Neltita looked up to the sky, but Frith's light was still blocked by wall of clouds. She could tell, thanks to that particular knowledge about time, which was possessed by every adult rabbit, that it was long after ni-frith now. She thought it might be a good idea to move out, so she decided to wake up Thistle first:
"Thistle. Wake up, Thistle." she called to him, nudging him in the process.
-
Mayberry blinked as she opened her eyes and sighed. She'd wanted to Silflay earlier than this, but with her being so tired she wasn't surprised that she'd slept so late. Mayberry then sat up, and simply out of instinct stomped her foot on the ground several times to make sure everyone was awake.
"Come along now! Everyone up! I won't be responsible for those left behind after we silflay...now rise with Frith or I'll kick you awake!"
-
Thistle had blinked awake when Neltita nudged him, but had now fully risen to his feet by the time Mayberry woke up and started shouting. He hopped over to the doe, and said, hastily, "What are you doing?! You'll-"
There was a loud, piercing cracking sound. Any rabbits that had not been awakened by Mayberry's shouting and stamping stood up and froze.
The crack was from a man's gun.
And it was very, very close.
The whites of his eyes showing, Thistle looked around to the others. His ears were flat against the back of his neck, but soon raised again, listening a sign of just how close the man was.
Walnut, who had been awakened by Mayberry's shouts, whimpered "What... what's a man doing out here.. it's still raining..."
Thistle shushed him, and then whispered "I'm trying to listen..."
The scent was hard to discern due to the drizzle. But Thistle heard a rustling as the man moved through the nearby brush.
"We can't stay here." He whispered. "I think he's still far enough off that we should be able to get away."
-
"Agreed. We have to reach that tree line over there." Neltita said pointing to the edge of the forest that was several leaps from a bush they were hiding in. There was a chance that human might spot them, while they will be running through the clearing though.
"Can't we just wait here for man to go away?" Thyme asked "It looks like he doesn't have a dog with him and he can't smell us so... so... aaa" rabbit was about to sneeze, but luckily Neltita lied down her paw on his nose, stopping him from making any loud sound.
"He can still hear us, Thyme, and he can still see us if he will come close enough." she said quietly "Are we going now, Thistle?" she asked the other rabbit.
-
Thistle seemed a little distracted for a second, perhaps with panic, but then looked to the nearby treeline. "Yes, we have to go now or else he might get too close."
Thistle looked around to the other rabbits. Most of them seemed ready to run. Thistle was a bit worried about Thyme, however.
"Thyme, you get in the middle. Walnut, you too. Hurry!" Thistle whispered hastily. If the rabbits were towards the middle of the group, it would be harder for them to get left behind.
As the rabbits did so, Thistle looked out to the clearing, and to the woods beyond. As soon as they were ready, Thistle bolted towards the woods, with the others following. Thistle's mind was set on one, sole objective: Make it across.
-
Mayberry heard the shot as well and didn't move...even after the other rabbits had begun to move away. She stared at where the sound of the shot had come from simply too scared to move as her fur stood on end and she slowly began to back away still far too afraid to think straight. It took Mayberry a few moments to realize she was now alone...again and had no way of catching up to the other rabbits without being seen by man.
-
Rabbits reached the other side of the clearing without being seen by a man, but there was one problem, wich became evident to Neltita only when they entered the forest...
"Umm... Thistle? It looks like we have lost one of us along the way. That doe is not here." she said "She must have stayed in that bush."
"Wasn't she the one saying that she 'wont be responsible for those left behind'?" Thyme asked with obvious sarcasm. "I wonder if she expect us to go back for her or she will understand if we leave her?" Neltita frowned at him:
"It is not time for holding a grudge, Thyme. We will survive only when we will be working together. We have to help her. There is no other way." she stated firlmly.
"I guess you are right, Nel." Thyme said, sighing "I only hope she will appreciate your concern for her."
-
Thistle took a deep breath. "I might not like her... but I'm not going to let her get shot." He hopped back towards the edge of the forest. The scent of man had only gotten stronger since they had bolted.
"Neltita, take the others to that tree. The hole nearby should cover you." He said, looking back to the others. "Stay covered regardless of what happens."
Thistle looked ou, and bolted out of the forest.
There were two men. One of them saw him.
"There's a rabbit there! Don, you still got a shot left?"
"Yeah, one left!"
The man took aim, and raised the gun.
Thistle hadn't known they had been that close.
The gun fired.
Thistle's eyes closed....
... and he kept running.
"You missed? How'd ya miss?"
"Oh, shut up."
"Whatever. We already got those pheasants."
Thistle made it the the brush, where Mayberry was still cowering.
"Come on!" He went around and pushed her, thinking the whole time that the doe better be grateful.
She wouldn't move, so Thistle pushed harder. He didn't know what the men would do, but they seemed to be leaving. But he couldn't quite tell, and was going to take no chances.
-
After hearing the second gun shot and feeling Thistle attempting to push her out of the bush, she shook her head and bolted from her surroundings and literally bolted for the forest where she assumed the others were and as she did, the smell of man was stronger than before, meaning they were closer...and this only forced her to run faster putting more and more effort into each push of her legs.
She was then so worried about getting away that she in fact ran head first into a tree and rolled onto her back.
"Ow..." she muttered while on her back, she looked up to face Thistle and she frowned, however as she spoke her voice held a hint of respect and admiration. "Thank you....Thistle."
-
Thistle didn't speak. In fact, it was evident to anyone that he was rather delirious from the escape. Thistle had felt the rush of air from the bullet's passing as it skimmed just above the fur on the back of his neck, a little behind his ears. His eyes were wide with a sort of half euphoria, half terror.
Finally, he spoke. "You're... you're welcome..." As the men rustled off, Thistle started to snap out of it.
"Frithrah!" He exclaimed, now fully realizing what he had managed to do.
-
Neltita, Thyme and other rabbits were waiting in the hole, like they were told. Hearing another shot surely didn't make them calmer, but they were still safe though.
"Do you see any of them?" Thyme asked eagerly. As everybody else he wanted to go away from this place, but they had to stay there till Mayberry and Thistle will return.
"No and I don't see a man either. I have a feeling they are safe though." Neltita answered quietly.
"This is a shame you didn't have the feeling that man is coming. It would safe us a lot of trouble." Thyme stated, rubbing his nose with his paw. When he glanced again at a doe he noticed that she became visibly sad and hurt, probably by his words.
"Oh... I am sorry, Neltita. I did not want it to sound like this, you know that?" he said, nuzzling her neck. She was one of his few friends and he didn't intend to worsen her mood.
"It is not that. Well... Maybe it is, partially... I've just thought that if I was more resolute with warning Chief Rabbit, there would be more survivors." she said gloomily "Rather than keep trying to convince him and others about this threat, I just kept silent and did nothing untill it was too late for doing anything else than leaving the warren."
"You couldn't do more than you did. After you warned him it was up to him to decide what to do and he chose not ro listen to you." Thyme said, trying to reasure her "I hate to remember that I did the same and only by luck I wasn't one of those who had caught the White Blindness. However, none of those thing that happened was your fault."
"Yeah... Right." she answered after a long moment of silence, not entairly convinced by Thyme's words.
-
Mayberry then turned and stood up on her hind legs and could no longer hear the men, and she gave a sigh of relief that she didn't notice she was holding. She then turned to Thistle and asked, "Where are the others? Are they safe....and how by Frith did you avoid being shot by man?! That must've been frightening for you!"
-
Thistle's eyes were still wide, but he seemed to calm down. "The gun... it missed." He shuddered, and his demeanor went back to normal. "The others are behind that tree. There's a hole in the roots that was large enough to keep them safe." Thistle said, going up on his hind legs and looking to the tree.
He went back on all fours and hopped around behind the tree.
"It's safe. The men left." He decided not to mention how close he had come to the Black Rabbit. "But I don't want to risk staying here."
One of the others spoke up. "Here now, some of us need to silflay!"
Thistle shot him a look. "We can silflay once we're beyond these woods. The men might come back, we can't stay here."
-
Almost immediately Mayberry curbed her initial wave of fear and resumed her natural hard attitude. "Here now! All of you up and out of the tree, Silflay can wait and you know it...now come along!" said commented as she stepped up next to Thistle with a frown on her face.
-
Walnut spoke up. "Thistle?" He questioned, his voice trembling with fear, yet happiness. "I thought you'd been shot!"
"I'm fine, Walnut." Thistle said to the little rabbit. But he looked back up to the others. The rain seemed to have finally stopped.
"We need to get out of here more then ever, now." He said, nervousness entering into his voice. He realized that he'd never been in a forest this long, or even this deep. It frightened him, but Thistle was determined not to let it show.
-
Thyme whispered to other rabbits, standing in the hole "I just love how she gives us orders all the time. I am starting to wonder if she is not descendant of our last rah. It would explain her being so bossy." Neltita could hear that, but she told nothing about it. Instead she asked Thistle:
"Should we send a scout first? I am pretty fast, so I could be back here soon after I will check if the way through this forest is clear."
-
Mayberry nodded as she heard Neltita's request.
"Yes, that sounds wise, but are you sure you're the fastest? If you then I say go for it, but if not, then send someone else!" She then turned her attention to Thistle. "I say once we send the scout we should all move to the edge of the forest so we can get clear of it immediately should our way be clear. If not, someone will have to be..." She hesitated for a moment before she spoke again. "...sacrificed to make our escape. And that is all there is too it!"
-
Thistle didn't like they way Mayberry spoke about someone being sacrificed to get away, but he ignored it.
"Neltita, you go ahead and scout out the forest ahead." He turned to the others.
"After Neltita returns, we can find out for sure if it's safe to move on. Then we can silflay."
The rabbit who had spoken up about waiting before groaned. Thistle didn't seem to take notice, although it was slightly irritating. He pricked his ears up one more time, to make sure the men gone. They were.
"Alright. Neltita, move up."
-
Doe just nodded to Thistle, starting to run silently through the forest. From time to time she stopped for the moment to look around her, before she resumed her scouting. After awhile she heard a weird sound coming from a distance ahead. It was strange, because Neltita coul not recognize what thing was making that sound, although she had felt that she heard it before. Especially when it seemed to fade after a second and then resound again, with irregular periods of silence between each time of noise. She listened to this, when suddenly she heard another sound, a rustle behind her. Neltita turned around to see a hare coming to her. He stopped a leap from her and they observed each other without saying a word. Finally, the silence was broken by hare:
"You are rabbit doe, not hare." he said with a slight tone of disappointment "What you are doing here alone?" he asked, tilting his head in display of curiosity. The hare was brown-fured and like all of his kind he looked as a strong and fast creature.
Neltita thought about the answer for only a moment. Being honest would not cause any harm probably and this hare could have a value informations about the surroundings.
"I was send to scout the way for others, to make sure it is safe to go through this forest." After saying that she asked "Do you know what lies there?" she pointed in direction of the source of noises she was still hearing.
"You know... When I saw you running that fast, I thought you might be another hare... It is shame you are not. I've not seen any hare in this forest for many moons." he said giving her a somber look. "Answering your question: there is a... what you call it? Hrududu? Yes, that is it. There is a hrududu's trail there. You can cross it without a trouble, if you do it quickly. After that, you will be going though the woods for a days, before you will reach the other edge."
"Do you know well this forest?" Neltita asked, to which hare simply nodded. Then, acting on impulse she asked:
"Maybe you could help us go through it?" This question really surprised the hare and he just stand there speechless. Neltita used that silence to explain her idea "If you know well this area, then you would make a perfect guide for us and I am sure that in the place we are going to there are other hares living, so you wouldnt be alone anymore."
"How can you know that?" hare asked doubtfully.
"I have a feeling." she answered.
"A feeling. You mean the 'I had a vision about it' kind of feeling?" he asked.
"Well... Yes." after that answer there was again a silence between this two. The hare was obviously thinking about doe's proposition, but she couldn't tell if he was going to agree for it or not. Finally he spoke:
"I dont know if you have a real feeling or not, but I will have better chance finding a mate by moving out here than staying. I will join you." he stated firmly "And by the way... My name is... Well... I dont think you know how to speak hare language, so you may call me... Basil."
"Alright, Basil. I am Neltita. It is nice to meet you." she said.
"It would be a lot more nice, if you were a hare." he said, but this time he didnt sound sad, but it seemed more like as he was joking. "Where is your companions?" he asked.
"Follow me." Neltita said, going back the way she came...
-
Thistle was getting a bit worried. It seemed like it was taking a bit too long.. Had he just sent Neltita to her death?
Walnut was even more worried. "Thistle, what if one of the Thousand found her?!" He said, his voice shuddering with nervousness. "I can't bear to think-"
Just then, Neltita came into view. Trailing her, was a large Hare.
"Neltita, what did you-is that a hare?"
The other rabbits hopped over to see what had happened. Indeed, Neltita had brought a large hare with her.
Thistle hopped closer, his nose twitching, to get a better look. "Hello?" He asked the hare. "Did Neltita ask you to follow her? Do you have information about the forest?"
-
Mayberry was hopping around in circles trying to keep calm, but when she heard something she turned and almost immediately had her claws bared and ready for a fight as she hopped forward and growled, not sure what to expect but ready for anything that might attack. "If you are Elil show yourself and you may not die!" she said aloud still looking around the forest.
-
"Yes. He is called Basil. He decided to join us and help us get to the place we are going to." Neltita answered.
"Whatever that place is. You didn't say much about it." hare said, looking around the rabbits "But I can surely lead you through this forest... Anyway, who is in charge here?" he asked. "If I heard correctly, you rabbits can not move far without some sort of leader around. Is that right?"
-
"Um..." Thistle stopped speaking. He wasn't really sure. He'd made several chief-like decisions, but hadn't considered himself a true leader. However, when faced with the questions, he had only one answer.
"I guess I'd be the leader. At least for now." Answered Thistle. He couldn't see any of the other rabbits calling him Thistle-rah, except maybe Walnut and Neltita, but he'd led them for short time now.
-
Mayberry stood stock still and looked over at Thistle for a moment. She then did the one thing she vowed never to do again...pledge her loyalty to another rabbit.
"Thistle...I mean Thistle-rah, if you are indeed chief rabbit....then you'll need Owsla officers, and as I was a former captain it is the wisest for you to rightfully appoint me as captain once again...and of course I will accept with honor."
She then scowled and replied, "But don't think that this will change anything else...I will still be as aggressive as I need to be to keep these other rabbits in line!"
-
"You will keep us in line? How you planning to do that if you couldnt keep yourself in line, when we were running from man?!" Thyme asked angrily. He didn't have much problem with accepting Thistle as leader, but he simply could not stand Mayberry's bossy attitude. She had joined barely this morning and she was already trying to order them about, not asking them if they had somethng against her being in charge. From his point of view it was a case of insolance on her part.
"If you are so confident in your ability to rule us, oh great 'former captain', then maybe you should suggest Thistle to abdicate on your favour?" he countinued his tirade. "'Thistle-rah, I think I am far more competent as a leader than you will ever be, so it is wisest for you to step aside. Appointing me as a rah will be your first and last best decision." he said, mocking Mayberry's way of speaking.
-
Mayberry's anger rose almost immediately and at once she tackled Thyme and began scratching at his ears. "How dare you mock a Owsla captain! Try it again, and I'll take your life! Now step aside!" She said with an air of hostile authority.
-
Thyme was surprised by doe's attack and in effect he was knock over, but he quickly recovered himself as he strongly hit Mauberry's stomach with his back feet. Maybe he wasn't a very experienced warrior and he still wasn't cured from his earlier sickness, but he had a determintion to put up a fight.
-
The kick to her stomach was enough to get Mayberry to back off from her attack. She then stared Thyme down and said, "Now...WHO is Owsla captain?! Let me hear you say it!"
-
Thyme got up from the ground and faced Mayberry. "I am sorry, but I didn't hear your question. It is perhaps because of scratching my ear. Could you repeat it to my other ear?" Thyme sneered with evil grin.
"Stop this at once! Both of you." Neltita shouted hopping between Mayberry and Thyme. She was determined to end this fight, before somone would get seriously hurt. "We have enough trouble without bickering among ourselves. You are acting like a kittens!"
"Or like two bucks in mating season." Basil stated calmly, almost as if he was bored with all this accident "Actually, we have a late spring now, so it would fit, if it wasn't for the fact we have a female fighting against a male here."
-
Mayberry turned to face Neltita and frowned for a moment as she spoke.
"Fine...but only if Thyme agrees that I AM Owsla captain! If he does not agree then you will have to get out of my way!"
-
"Well... Technically, Thistle-rah hasn't made you an Owsla Captain yet, Mayberry." Neltita said patiently. "Untill he does that, I dont think that anybody has an obligation to recognize you as one. Being once a Captain in other warren doesnt automatically make you an officer in every rabbit group under the Frith's gaze. You surely realizes that, right?" she asked, trying to be polite.
-
Despite Mayberrys current mood, she kept her mouth shut as she nodded her head in response to Neltita's comment. "I...I suppose you are right...but Lord Frith has always looked after me, so what ever choice Thistle-rah makes...will be under Friths order." said Mayberry with an air of calm in her voice.
-
Thistle broke in. "We haven't found anywhere safe enough to settle down yet. I'm not going to make any decisions like that until we've settled down." His expression betrayed his shock. He'd be thuroughly suprised at everyone's willingness to accept him as Chief Rabbit.
Thistle hadn't really thought about being Thistle-rah, at least not until the Hare, Basil, had asked about who was leader.
The rabbit who had complained about not being able to silflay, a rabbit by the name of Birch, said "Thistle-rah? I'm not calling him that." Thistle heard it, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
Thistle turned to Basil, and hopped a bit closer to him. He turned back to Thyme and Mayberry, and said, angrily, "You shouldn't have fought like that. If either of you were injured, you'd have been forced to travel with injuries." But he couldn't dwell to long on the fight. They needed to eat, and the hare knew about the path ahead.
"Now, where to we go from here?"
-
"The shortest way through this forest is the way I and Neltita have came here." Basil answered "We will have to cross hrududu's trail, so I hope you all are able to run fast for short distance." he added, looking at Walnut meaningfully, who was probably the smallest rabbit in a group. Neltita seeing his look said firmly:
"We will make it." Basil just made a motion, which would have been an hare's equivalent of human's shrug.
-
"We have to make it." Said Thistle. Walnut hopped up next to Thistle. "A.. a hrududu's trail? Thistle... Thistle-rah... don't the hrududu go.. very fast on there?"
Thistle hadn't ever seen a road. But he'd heard stories. "They do, Walnut." He answered, turning to the nervous rabbit. "But we'll cross before one of them comes." In truth, he was very worried about that, but he mentally reassured himself that they'd be able to cross without hassle.
'The stories say that rabbits can get across if they move quick enough.' He thought. 'We'll be fine.'
Thistle cleaned his paws, then rubbed them over his nose, a common habit in rabbits, and turned back to Basil.
"Lead the way."
-
"Alright. Just stick close to me." hare said, hopping towards the centre of a forest. The rest of rabbits followed him as closely as they could. Neltita didn't have much problem with keeping up, as she was a very fast runner. Thyme on the other hand was slower, as he hadn't recovered fully from a cold and fight with Mayberry yet. He still did his best not to lag behind.
-
Mayberry despite her reservations of following a hare through the woods, and although she wanted to take the lead behind Thistle she settled for staying at the very end of their group so should they come under attack from any Elil behind them, she'd be the first to know about it. "I do wonder if that hare is to be trusted?" she said aloud while keeping her place.
-
Walnut, who was lagging behind, heard Mayberry's comment. He'd overcome most of his fear, although he was still edgy.
"Why are you so suspiscous of him?" He asked, looking back over his shoulder as he hopped along. "Thistle-I mean, Thistle-rah trusts him, why don't you?"
However, the reached the road before an answer.
Thistle hopped to the edge. Every instinct was screaming that the large expanse of concrete was dangerous. It smelled of noxious fumes from the hrududu, and it also smelled of death.
However, Thisle was determined to keep reseverved. There were no hrududu nearby. "Well, now's as good a time as any. Let's cross."
-
Mayberry turned to Walnut and replied as she waited to cross the Hruduru trail.
"I know nothing about this Hare, and personally even if I did know him better I still wouldn't completely trust his word! I'm just not the kind of rabbit to give trust to anyone other than the chief rabbit...who in this case is Thistle-rah."
-
Thistle started across the road, along with the others. The crossing seemed to take forever, although it was really only a few seconds.
The concrete was still wet from the rain, so it wasn't dusty, and most of the debries had been washed off the road.
Thistle was the first to reach the other side, and as soon as he did, a feeling of relief washed over him.
He remebered the others, still crossing, and turned to watch for any oncoming hrududu.
There were none.
Several of the rabbits were a little slow to cross. One of these rabbits was Walnut.
He was still on the road when the others had made it to the other side.
"Walnut!" Called Thistle. "You need to hurry, a hrududu-"
Walnut screamed, and fell.
Even from here, Thistle could see a splash of blood from the bottom of Walnut's front right paw.
"Walnut!" Thistle made towards where Walnut had fallen-
And then there was a rush of sound and fear. A massive blue shape obscured Walnut from view, passing directly infront of Thistle. Thistle's ears went flat, and his eyes widened. A cloud of water vapor was thrown up, further obscuring what had happened.
Then, the hrududu was gone.
All that was left was clearing water vapor, and some sad, pathetic, unmoving shape in the road.
-
Mayberry still not having crossed the road was visibly shaken by what she could see and ignoring her own safety ran out onto the Hrududu's trail and stopped next to Walnut. She could see his front paw was injured badly...in another moment of terror she turned to Thistle and screamed "THISTLE-RAH! H-help....Walnut is hurt badly! Please...come and help me carry him across!!!"
-
The fear had momentarily immbolized Thistle, but moments after the hrududu had passed, Thistle bolted towards Mayberry and Walnut. Walnut was still unmoving, but is eyes were wide with terror, and he was mumbling.
"It... it went over me..." He panted. While Walnut was normally scrawny, he looked worse the usual. The fur clung to his body from the wet, and his ears lay against the ground, limp. A large shard of glass was imbedded in his paw.
Thistle was terrified. He'd never carried another rabbit before, even one so small as Walnut, and he simply couldn't think. What's more, another hrududu could arive at any second.
-
Mayberry at seeing Thistle so distraught she thought on her paws and hopped over to Thistle and promptly cuffed him across the nose with her paws. "Get a grip Thistle-rah! You need to help me bring Walnut to safety! Now help me!" She said with the authority a Owsla captain should.
-
Thistle's eyes were still wide, but it was evident that the sudden shock of being cuffed had brought him back to reality.
"Alright." He said, hastily. "I'll support his head. Birch, I don't care what you think of me, but for Frith's sake, watch for hrududu!" He called back to the other rabbits.
Thistle gentally lifted Walnut up(OOC: I'm not actually sure how they carry other rabbits, it's never really specified), being sure to support his neck as best he could.
Walnut had gone completely still, his eyes still wide and staring. Thistle could hear the little buck's heart racing, and hoped that Walnut would not die, out of terror, before the got him to safety.
-
Mayberry was supporting Walnuts rear legs and made sure to keep as still as possible, while trying to move as quickly as she could to get Walnut to safety. "Please hold on Walnut...we're almost there. You'll be alright...I promise." she said aloud hoping to calm down the little buck.
-
The others were just watching, while Mayberry and Thistle took care of Walnut. Once they reached the side of a road, Neltita hopped to them:
"Is he alright?" she asked looking at small rabbit. In this moment another hrududu has passed, so she had to repeat her question.
-
They were almost to the other side, when Birch thumped.
Thistle knew that, although they were almost to the others, they weren't close enough to get out of the road in time.
He wasn't going to abandon Walnut in the road. Thistle kept carrying.
The moment they reach the other side, there was a sudden rush of air, and a grinding noise. Thistle didn't dare look around, but he knew the hrududu had just passed directly behind them, by the look on the other's faces.
Never had Thistle been more relieved then when the made it to the shrubs on the other side. Gentally, he sat Walnut down.
Walnut started to move, as soon as he felt grass beneath him. However, when he tried to push up on his right paw, he squealed and collapsed again. The glass was slick, and had imbedded itself deep.
Thistle finally got a good look at it, and realized the gravity of the wound. The glass had not just become lodged in the corse hair and flesh, but almost came out through the other side of Walnut's foot.
How were they going to get it out? Biting would do no good, the glass would simply break.
Thistle looked all away around the paw, desperate to find some way of removing the shard.
When Neltita asked about Walnut's injuries, Thistle answered "There's a piece of glass stuck in his foot. It's almost gone through. I can't bite it. It'll just break. But we can't just leave it stuck there!" Thistle's frustration was evident in his voice.
-
Mayberry could tell Thistle was telling the truth about the shard of glass. She carefully stepped over so she was standing in front of Walnut and sighed. She then turned to Thistle and said, "Hold him down...this may hurt but it's the only way to get it out...is to push it through. I'll push, but someone needs to hold Walnut down. Can I trust you to do that Thistle-rah?"
-
Thistle looked back to the glass shard. It was their last hope at removing the shard, truely the only way to remove it.
"Do it." Thistle said, simply, to Mayberry. He placed his paws over Walnut's legs, not too hard, but firmly, to keep him from further injuring himself.
To Walnut, he said "Walnut... Walnut-roo, This is going to hurt horribly, but I need you to hold still as best you can. Do you understand?"
Walnut, who's eyes were still wide with terror, answered "Y-yes.. Thistle-rah."
-
Mayberry took one last look at the shard and then at Walnut and sighed.
"I'm sorry Walnut-roo..." Was all she said before pushing down hard on the glass shard and forcing it through the bucks forepaw onto the ground. "There! It's out!"
-
Walnut's eye's widened in shock, fear, and pain as the shard stabbed through the top of his paw, ripped further upwards, and finally was forced out. Walnut was so shocked the he didn't even squeak in pain.
Thistle looked at the shard. It was now stained with blood, and dripping onto the grass. Thistle looked back to Walnut's paw. Aside from the gash in the top and bottom, it didn't look too bad.
"Walnut-roo, can you stand? I'm sorry for rushing you, but the blood might attract elil." Thistle said, concern evident in his voice. Thistle, taking a closer look at the paw, thanked Frith, silently. The shard hadn't struck bone.
"I- I think so.. Thistle-rah.." Said Walnut. He pushed himself up on his left forepaw, awkwardly righted himself, then gentally placed his right forepaw on the grass.
"It hurts, but I think I can move..." Walnut added. He pressed down a little harder, squeaked after feeling a twinge of pain, but kept his paw on the ground.
"Thank Frith." Thistle said, relieved. "You need to keep it clean. We can't risk it getting infected. But first, we need to get away from here."
-
Mayberry sighed in as she could see Walnut would be okay for the moment.
"Thank Frith you are alright Walnut." She then turned around and said aloud, "I'm still covering our backs, now get Walnut moving! We don't have time for games!"
-
"Walnut-roo, we need to hurry." Thistle said, as Walnut started to, rather feebly move forward.
"I know it hurts, but it'll hurt more if a homba finds us!"
With that encouragment, Walnut started to move a great deal faster, although he still had a pained expression on his face.
The other rabbits, already frightened and hungry, started to run for the other side of the brush, in hope that there would be something to eat there.
OOC: Alright, I don't want to leave Myrkin to far behind, so let's wait a bit.
-
Basil looked at slowly hopping Walnut, then he turned to Thistle:
"If we want to move fast, then I could carry your little friend. It won't be much of a burden for me and we will be able to get away from here much sooner." he proposed. He knew that group of lagging rabbits will attract predators and they will be lagging as long as Walnut had to cure his paw's injury.
-
Mayberry looked at Basil for a moment and then to Thistle. "As much as I hate agreeing with him....Basil is right...it would be faster if he carried Walnut...but I'll stay close to make sure he's safe...if that's alright with you Thistle-rah." she said aloud.
-
Thistle looked to a lagging Walnut, to Mayberry, and then to Basil. "Yes, I agree. Walnut-roo, I understand it's going to be frightening for you. Just try to keep still so you don't hurt yourself. When we get to the other side of the shrubs, well, I can smell grass. We'll be able to silflay."
Walnut stopped hopping, and Thistle stood by and waited for Basil to pick him up, to make sure it was completely safe.
-
"She hates to agree with him? She barely met him." Thyme said under his breath. In meantime Basil lyied down on the ground, so Walnut could climb up on his back. Hare was much bigger than this outskitter, then it was the only way for him to get there.
-
Walnut clumsiy tried to get on the Hare's back, his first attempt failing as he slide off. The second time, Thistle helped by pushing Walnut upwards until he was on Basil's back, relativly safely.
Thistle made sure that Walnut was safe, and ran for the shrubs.
-
"Alright, kid. Hang on." Basil said, before he hopped after Thistle. It took only a moment for hare to caught up with rabbit newly appointed leader. He slowed down, so the others would not be left behind...
-
Mayberry kept pace fairly well, despite Basil being far bigger and faster. As she cleared the path through the shrubs she sighed as she stopped. "This is far too much adventure for an ill prepared bunch of hlessil like us."
-
Thyme and Neltita kept hopping after Thistle. The good news for Thyme was that he wasn't ill anymore. The bad news was that he was starving, which was signaled evidently by his stomach...
"I dont think we have much choice there, Mayberry. Unless you know about some warren lying nearby, in which we could find refuge..." he said grumpily.
"Warren... I already miss our home." Neltita said absently "Sleeping in warm, safe burrow..."
"...With so many rabbits in it that it became stuffy down there." Thyme finished, but doe didn't take notice of it, as she kept saying:
"Eating a fresh grass, with a few cowslips..."
"...Which were usually taken by Owsla right from your mouth."
"Listening to stories of El-ahrairah..."
"Being kicked by Owsla for not moving fast enough from their way..."
"Watching kittens playing on sunny day..."
"Being burried under the snow on frosty one..."
Neltita sighed aloud and said: "Yes... I miss all of these..." Thyme just chuckled.
-
Thistle heard the wistful remarks, and replied "Don't worry. We'll find someplace to settle down."
However, he added, to himself 'If only I knew where...'
The shrubs suddenly stopped, out into an clearing in the shrubs, which gave way to a stretch of distant farmland.
Plenty of the rabbits were all too relieved. They settled down to silflay almost as soon as they entered the clearing.
Thistle stood up on his hind legs, ears poised high, and nose twitching to detect any sound or scent of any danger. Sensing none, he turned around called to Walnut and Basil, who had yet to enter the clearing, "It's safe."
Upon hearing Thistle's call, Walnut relaxed, relief spreading through his limbs. He hadn't said anything, but he was starving.
Thistle went back on all fours and started to silflay, finally realizing how hungry he was.
-
Mayberry who had also heard Thistle's call of safety merely stood on her hind legs and kept her ears outstretched and her nose twitching for any signs of danger. She wasn't as hungry as the others and figured having someone as a lookout would be a good idea. After a moment though she looked behind her and asked a question.
"How are you feeling Walnut?"
-
"I'm okay... My foot just still stings... but I think I can walk from here..." Walnut made to get off Basil's back and place his wounded paw on the ground, then recoiled in discomfort.
"Nevermind." Walnut said.
Thistle lifted his head up, and looked around. The other rabbits were, as calmly as they could under the circumstances, at silflay. But they still looked worn out and frightened.
Thistle was about to continue feeding, but then had a sudden thought. If there was one thing that could cheer the others up, it was a story of El-ahrairah.
Thistle hopped over to a nearby rabbit, a rabbit with a reddish tinge to his otherwise brown fur, and said "Soapwort, perhaps you could tell us a story of El-ahrairah? I reckon that would brighten everyone's mood considerably."
The reddish rabbit, Soapwort, looked up and said "That's a good idea, Thistle-rah. I think I shall."
The others, who had heard the discussion, started suggesting stories.
"The Blessing of El-ahrairah!"
"The Hole in the Sky!"
"El-ahrairah and the Pike!"
"El-ahrairah and the Field of Sharp Grass!"
Thistle's ears pricked up at the last suggestion. "The Field of Sharp Grass? I haven't heard that one before."
Soapwort replied "Well, then I suppose I should tell it." He hopped to the center of the group of rabbits, and began.
OOC: Now here's the real creative challenge. We'll all take turns posting as Soapwort as he tells the story, continuing from where the other leaves off until it ends. Whoever posts next gets to start it.
-
"One evening, when El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle had returned to the Meadows of Fenlo from a triumphant raid on a nearby farm, they found Prince Rainbow waiting for them.
'Ah, El-ahrairah. I have come plant these new seeds around your warren.' Said Prince Rainbow.
El-ahrairah was immediatly supiscous. Prince Rainbow never did anything that would help him and his tricks. 'Why, whatever for?'
Prince Rainbow did not answer his question, and instead continued. 'I hope that this new grass will grow strong and thick.'
El-ahrairah could not directly stop Prince Rainbow, and could only watch as he spread the seeds all the way around the Warren. When Prince Rainbow left, El-ahrairah was suprised. He'd thought that Prince Rainbow would have waited to make sure nothing happened to the seeds. Never the less, turned to Rabscuttle and said ' I'm not going to let that grass grow. It can't be anything good.'
So El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle went look for the seeds, but when they got there, there were no seeds to be found. This confused them both. They hopped all the way around the warren, but there was nothing. Not even the trace of a seed. They were on their way back to the warren, when Rabscuttle suddenly let out a small noise of discomfort.
'Something in the grass pricked me.' He said, as he hopped over to El-ahrairah's side. They inspected the area, and found nothing at first. But when they took a closer look, they discovered new grass, rigid with a pointed end.'
OOC: Hopefully, with this start, you'll be able to think of a continuation.
-
OOC: Eh, I'll just post the rest.
IC: "Right before their eyes, the grass grew. It grew larger and larger until it was taller then even a horse.
'What has he done?" Asked Rabscuttle, staring around at the massive grass. All of it was sharp and stiff.
El-ahrairah was angry, fo he knew exactly why Prince Rainbow had planted this new grass. He went over to one of the grasses, and started to try and bite through it. However, not only was it bitter, but it was dry, and impossible to bite through. El-ahrairah realized that Prince Rainbow's trap would be incredibly difficult to escape from. Him, Rabscuttle, and his rabbits would all be confined in their own warren until Prince Rainbow saw fit to release them.
A day later, all the rabbits had already grown listless with boredom.
Prince Rainbow returned, and surveyed the grass, and the rabbits trapped within.
"It seems that you can't be up to your old tricks, El-ahrairah." He said, upon finding the Prince with a Thousand Enemies.
El-ahrairah was sitting next to the grass. He said nothing.
Prince Rainbow became worried. "What, no reply?"
El-ahrairah did not make to reply.
Prince Rainbow left, feeling that, if El-ahrairah was planning something, perhaps he should be prepaired.
El-ahrairah had found a gap in the grass, and had Rabscuttle working at it to bend the grass. Once it was large enough, El-ahrairah himself started working at it, to make it large enough for most of the rabbits to fit through. However, one day, when he went to widen it further, he found a man with a gun waiting outside.
The man had a burning white stick in his mouth, and the gun was just beside the hole El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle had made.
At first, El-ahrairah was frightened. But then he remembered how dry the grass was. When he saw the man's burning white stick, he had a sudden idea. If the stick burned, wouldn't the sharp grass burn as well?
El-ahrairah went and got Rabscuttle, and they both waited outside the hole in the grass.
El-ahrairah explained his plan, then told Rabscuttle to get all the rabbits underground. After he had done that, El-ahrairah slipped through the grass hole. The man saw him, and ran over and prepared to shoot. However, El-ahrairah went back in.
The man made to leave, but El-ahrairah popped his head out again. The man came back, but El-ahrairah retreated. The man went to leave, but El-ahrairrah popped out again.
They repeated this several times, until the man was so frusterated that he too the white stick out of his mouth and threw it into the sharp grass. El-ahrairah bolted for a nearby burrow, and the grass burned almost instantly. Normally, the wet would have put the stick out, but this grass was dry as straw in a barn. It burned away in moments.
The man left in anger, and El-ahrairah came out of the burrow and looked around. Rabscuttle and the others left their holes too. Joyfully, they all went to silflay, free at last.
Prince Rainbow returned the next day, shocked by what he saw.
'El-ahrairah, did I not see a thick field of sharp grass here just few days ago?' He asked.
'You did. Sometimes grass dies very quickly.' El-ahrairah replied.
Infuriated, Prince Rainbow left without another word.
From that day on, no fence can keep a rabbit from betting where he wants to go."
-
"That was a great story, Soapwort." Neltita exclaimed "I dare to say that was something we needed." Thyme snorted at that.
"Rest and food. This is what we really needed, Neltita. Story can't feed your stomach. Therefore it is not much priority for me to listen to it." he said, before returning to eating grass. One thing doe couldn't stand was a disrespect for stories of El-ahrairah, as she believed telling them was more than a way to pass the time. It was a way to teach rabbits an important lessons about their life and their past. It was almost like a religion and in her opinion it wasn't supposed to be taken lightly.
"Maybe for 'a stomach-on-legs' as you the food is the only priority, but not everybody is so narrow-minded." she stated angrily. These words, heard from the one Thyme considered to be his friend, hurt him much, but he didn't show it outside. Instead he kept his sarcastic attitude as he retorted:
"Then I will leave you for a moment, 'bright rabbit', so you could praise Soapwort more. Maybe you should become his life-mate. Then you would have a chance to listen to his stories all of the time, if you like them so much." he sneered, before hopping away (but not very far from the group).
-
Mayberry had taken the time during the story to Silflay shortly and then although she did enjoy a good story every now and then, she decided it would be better spent patrolling the area...and that is just what she did, but she stayed close enough that if there should be trouble she could at least warn the others before something attacked. As she passed through the bushes that separated the rest of their group from the Hrududu's path, she thought she heard something...and she shrieked in fear and jumped aside just as a homba bit down where Mayberry had just been standing.
"A bit slow on the draw are ya? Well, lets see if you can truly keep up with one the best Owsla in the warren!" Mayberry boasted as she turned and sped back towards the Hrududu path and she ran straight across as the homba followed her and tired to bite her once more, and this time was successful in wounding the doe, by biting down on her hind leg and tossing her back towards the bushes, where she rolled to a stop.
However just as the homba was advancing to finish Mayberry off and take her life a passing Hrududu flashed by and the homba had disappeared as quickly as the Hrududu had gone. Not having the strength to move she sighed and tried to keep her eyes open by praying and thanking Frith for taking the homba away.
"Nasty, vile homba...that is the price you pay...f-for messing with an Owsla Officer..."
-
Soapwort was dismayed. "I was only trying to tell a good story." He said, sitting back in the grass.
"I'm sure that they'll be fine, they've argue-" Thistle began. Then the wind changed. Thistle froze. There was the strong scent of a homba. The others had smelt it as well. For a short while, no one did anything.
Then there was a squeal of pain from the direction of the road.
"O Frith and InlÈ!" Exclaimed Soapwort, horrified.
The fear kept them rooted to the spot for a few moments more. Then, the scent of homba weakened. There was still the scent of wounded rabbit.
"We've.. we've got to help." Thistle said, the first to speak in a while.
Brich stared. "Help?! The homba might still be there!"
Thistle turned back. "The homba would have taken the rabbit with it." Thistle hopped into the brush. He still didn't know who had been wounded.
Moments later, the others followed.
-
Mayberry was attempting to crawl back to the others, she didn't get very far before the pain caused her to stop and lie her head down. she wanted to cry out for help, but not for a lack of trying, she was just too tired from her wound and Mayberry wanted to have the strength to move when Thistle came for her.
-
Thistle's fear increased as the scent of both wounded rabbit and homba grew stronger. He choked it down, and against his instincts, came to stop at the side of the road. He looked to the right, and saw he bedraggled form of a rabbit slowly breathing by the brush. Thistle ran towards the form, and as he came closer, it became evident it was Mayberry. She had a large wound one one hind leg. the rest of the leg was covered in blood.
"Frithrah.." Thistle said, under his breath.
"Mayberry, can you feel your hind leg?" He asked, urgently. He had no way of knowing what happened to the homba.
Soapwort voiced his concerns for him. "What happened to the Homba?!"
-
Mayberry groaned as she looked up and could only see blurry images. She heard the question Thistle had asked...well most of it..and she gurgled a weak, "N-no...c-cant...feel..." she then mumbled "H-homba....g-gone...Hrududu..."
-
Thistle looked over Mayberry's body. Outwardly, the homba seemed only to have damaged her leg. However, by her behavior, it was evident that there had been further damage.
"Soapwort." Thistle said, with a tremor of fright in his voice. "You get ahold of her back leg. Birch, you get her front. We can't leave her here. I'll do my best to support her middle."
They did so. While Mayberry was a smallish doe, she was larger then Walnut and with her injuries, needed the extra support.
-
Mayberry was drifting in and out of consciousness...but...she knew the others were going to help her...she just wasn't sure how.
-
Basil, Thyme and Neltita watched as Mayberry was carried out of road.
"It looks like we have another wounded to take care of... It will slow us down greatly, I fear." Hare said matter-of-factly "Not mentioning that we will become even more an easy prey for predators."
"If any elil wil chase us, then we can always leave her behind." Thyme stated. He only said 'her' and not 'her and Walnut (who was injured too)', as he clearly did not like Mayberry and he wished that she had never joined their group. Neltita noticed that, as she said with scolding:
"She may not be the nicest rabbit in the world, Thyme, but she is a part of our group and we are not leaving anybody." Thyme just looked at her with a frown and whispered to Basil (who was between them):
"Basil. Could you tell that doe over there that I am not talking with her, please?"
Hare glanced at him a bit confused. Why Thyme asked him to pass his words to Neltita, if she was standing right there? Basil did as he was told though.
"Thyme says, that he is not talking with you." he whispered to doe. Irritation and anger were evident on her face as she responded aloud:
"Tell that buck over there, that I am not talking with him either."
Basil just nodded to her, then he turned to Thyme and opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word a rabbit forestalled him:
"I heard that!"
Hare glanced from Thyme to Neltita, who were looking equally upset. Rabbits! Basil said in his mind, rolling his eyes.
-
Walnut watched as Thistle, Soapwort, and Birch moved Mayberry back into the shrubs.
He was worried. While Walnut normally worried, he was more worried now. Not only was he injured, but Mayberry was as well. It was so dangerous..
For once, Walnut managed to force these thoughts from his mind, and instead focused on what lay ahead.
'If-'The thought of not reaching their goal frightened Walnut, so he checked himself. 'When we get to a good place, it's all going to be fine.'
-
Mayberry had indeed heard Thyme had said about leaving her behind...and it both angered, and held some truth about their current situation. She struggled with a great deal of effort and spoke, "D..Do as...T-thyme...says...l-leave me...I'm...only slowing you....down...just...go."
-
"No." Thistle said, under the effort of supporting Mayberry's body on his head and neck.
"No one's leaving anyone behind." Thistle added. Perhaps it was foolishness that told Thistle to ignore his natural instincts, which were telling him to leave her behind. Perhaps it was bravery. Whatever the case, Thistle got her to the clearing and had the other help him lay her down.
"I can't tell if her leg's broken. It looks intact, other then the bite marks." Soapwort said, sniffing the wound.
"It must be something else, then." Thistle said, looking over the rest of the doe's leg and body.
-
The moment Mayberry touched the ground she put her two front paws firmly in the grass and placed her good hind leg to try and support her body....and the first three times she slipped and fell onto her belly again, but the fourth try she managed to keep herself upright...barely as she placed her wounded leg down to try and support herself fully, she immediately cringed in pain and almost out of reflex action shot a death glare at Thyme as she struggled not to cry out loud in pain, or fall over again.
-
"Careful." Thistle said, worried.
Soapwort sniffed her leg again. "She can stand, but I don't think that she can travel for very long."
Thistle sat back. 'Frithrah! We can't stay here, because that probably wasn't the only homba, but we can't travel fo too long.' He thought.
-
Mayberry took one painful step forward and still gritted her teeth as she continued to give her death stare to Thyme, hoping he wouldn't move until she was within striking distance.
-
"She's walking! I didn't think she'd-wait, what's she doing?" Thistle questioned. It suddenly dawned on him that Mayberry was making to attack Thyme.
Thistle lept inbetween them, making himself seem as large as he could.
"This is the last thing we need." Thistle said, looking Mayberry in the eyes. "I'm not going to let you injure yourself, and Thyme, further." He persisted.
-
"Well, well... If she already wants to fight against me, then I guess she will recover from this injury in no time." Thyme commented jocularly.
"I hope so." Basil said seriously "I have already one rabbit to carry. I dont know if I would be able to carry two."
-
Mayberry simply turned away from Thyme at Thistles remark, but she continued to walk...albeit slowly but she was walking and that was what she wanted to prove, that even wounded she could still hold her own. She walked past Thyme and Basil not even bothering to make eye contact with either of them.
-
Thistle watched as Mayberry walked past, rather unsteadily. "Thank Frith..." He muttered.
He hadn't actually been sure that he'd be able to stop Mayberry from trying to attack Thyme. He was also just glad that she was walking. Thistle sat up on his hind legs and looked to Soapwort, Birch, and the others.
"We'd better get moving." He called. Thistle went back down on all fours, turned to a patch of tall grass that marked the path ahead, towards the farmland.
"I don't much like the idea of passing through the farm." Said Thistle. "But we'll probably be able to find a way around it."
Thistle brushed past the grass, with the others following. He didn't like the fact that he had to move slowly, but he knew that he had to make sure that he didn't leave Mayberry too far behind, where she could stray or get killed by elil.
-
"Probably we will." Neltita said to Thistle "Although I don't think we will be able to walk around that water I told you earlier." she added, before sighing. "I don't know how we can cross it, unfortunately. Maybe we will get some ideas when we reach the water."
"Do we have to come across it?" Basil asked curiously.
"I am afraid so." Neltita answered "If we want to get to place I've... 'dreamed' about." she added.
"You've dreamed about it?" Basil repeated the last sentence "You mean you had a vision of it? Could you describe this place? How it is there? How it looks like?" he kept asking. Neltita looked at hare a bit astonished. It seemed as if Basil really believed that she indeed had a visions, without demanding any proofs. She had to ask why he acted this way.
"What makes you sure I am seer, Basil? Even my friends had not trusted in me so quickly as you." Hare smiled at that.
"Nothing really, I guess. Honestly, I've always believed in such things as foreseeing. That is why I chose to go with you, when you had told me that I will have a chance to meet other hares. If you are a real seer, then I will get reward for my faith. If you are not... Well... A lone hare can always take care of himself, right?" he said calmly. After that Neltita and Basil hopped forward in silence for a moment.
-
Mayberry didn't want to hold the group up...but she knew she was wounded...but being a former Owsla officer gave her enough training to force back the pain as she put all her weight on her hind legs cringing in pain for a moment before leaping ahead of Thistle, Thyme, Basil, and even Neltita. She then turned to face them and asked, "W-what's wrong...a wounded...r-rabbit too quick for you?"
-
Basil looked at Mayberry approvingly "That is what I call fighting spirit." he said, but after that he smiled playfully "But this hare here has a strenght in his legs too. Look." saying that he jumped high over Mayberry and he landed softly just behind her. After that little trick he turned back and asked:
"See? I wonder if you will jump that high when you get better." he said a bit challenging, but at the same time in a friendly manner.
-
Thistle watched Mayberry leap ahead, glad that she was overcoming her injuries. He stared in awe as Basil lept directly over her.
Thistle hadn't actually seen a hare before Basil, and had already been intrigued by the rabbit-like, yet far larger, animal. He'd known thay were faster then the average rabbit, but the jumping display had truely suprised Thistle.
His mind quickly focused on the farm, and the warning of impassable water. Both worried him. The farm worried him mainly because of the tempting scent of the farmer's crops. Thistle was confident that most of the others wouldn't get drawn in, but there were a few, he feared, that would find the farm a good place for a quick meal.
The impassable water was self-explanatory. Thistle hadn't ever been by any body of water then a large stream, and the thought of water that they could not swim across bothered him.
Thistle hadn't noticed, but Walnut had been trailing along behind him.
"Thistle, we won't pass too close to the farm, will we?" Asked the small buck, nervously.
"No, we'll keep as far away from it as possible." Thistle assured.
-
Thyme had something else that was occuping his mind to care much about Mayberry's action or Basil's display. Although he had to admit that hare evidently had a strenght much greater than any rabbit Thyme knew and that actually meant something. At the same time he could not notice that this hare was rather a playful soul, which Thyme found a bit surprising in someone so large. He had rather expected that the hare will be a kind of creature that liked to use his force to make others what he wanted to do. At least that was the thing the Owsla members in Thyme's and the rest warren usually did...
"I agree with that." Thyme said when he heard Thistle statement. He was hopping beside his new leader and Walnut. Neltita was following them a small distance behind. "If we can have at last some time of peace in return for not eating flayrah, then I am willing not to go to the farm." he added.
-
Mayberry despite her injury was in sheer awe at Basil's maneuver and she almost fell over as she smiled for a moment before walking forward again. It was only then that Mayberry realized that she wasn't as hungry as she thought she was, and she turned to Thistle and asked, "What now Thistle-rah? Do we cross the farm...or the water?"
Mayberry hated to admit it, but she was nervous about the water as well..with her wound she wouldn't be able to cross as quickly or perhaps not at all.
-
"Well, I think we can get around the farm." Said Thistle, pausing briefly to clean his front paws, and to let Walnut catch up.
"But the water's another story. From what Neltita's said, it seems like there's not going to be a way around it. With Walnut's injured foot, and your own injuries, I can't say how we'll get across." Thistle continued.
"But there's no use fretting about it now. We'll be better able to judge how difficult it will be when we get there." He said, as they hopped past a patch of wildflowers.
Walnut was even more nervous. He tried to shake the feeling, but finding it unshakable, turned to Neltita.
"Do.. do you think anything bad's going to happen?" Confirmation that there was nothing to worry about from the doe who had predicted much of what had came to pass was the only thing, Walnut felt, that would calm himself down.
-
Neltita glanced at Walnut with reassuring smile. Maybe the small rabbit wasn't the bravest creature she knew, however she could not help but liking him with this nervous attitude of his. He behaved like an overgrown kitten, who looked to others for protection and comfort, which was in some way cute. Unfortunately, in their old warren most of the rabbits showed him only a scorn and insulted him for his fear of outside world. Hopefully, that wont happen again - Neltita said in mind, before answereing Walnut's question:
"As long as we stay away from farm, we will be alright. At least till we reach the water. I can feel it."
-
Mayberry turned for a moment with a look of confusion on her face as she slowly stepped up to Neltita and looked her in the eyes as she asked, "What makes you think we have to energy to cross the river?! Obviously going through the farm is the safer way to go...but of course I wouldn't expect a non-Owsla to know that!"
-
"Going through farm will accomplish nothing." Neltita answered, trying to be patient with a bit bossy doe. "No matter if we go through it or if we go around it, we will still have to find the way to cross the river... Who knows? Maybe we won't have to use our strenght to cross it, but rather our wits?" she asked rhetorically.
-
Thistle paused, and turned back. "Neltita's right" He started, "We'll have to go through the water either way. I'm not going to risk going through the farm, regardless of how long it takes to go around it."
The rest of the rabbits haulted, and Soapwort, followed by Birch, headed in closer to listen to the arguement.
"If anyone disagrees, I'd rather hear them now, instead of waiting until we make it to the water." Thistle said to the four other rabbits, besides Thyme, Walnut, Neltita, Mayberry.
"Here now, maybe we could get flayrah on that farm!" Called Birch, from behind Soapwort.
"Really now?" Growled Thistle, aggravated. "So you believe it's worth dodging men, cats, and dogs for some lettuce? For Frith's sake, think for once!"
Walnut had shrunk back from the arguement. He hated confrontations, and prefered to stay out of them.
"I think it'd be faster, if we went through the farm. Besides, the men would be asleep if we go by night." Said Soapwort.
OOC: Chock that down as the final number of their group. There's the named rabbits, Thistle, Walnut, Neltita, Thyme, Mayberry, Birch, and Soapwort, which are seven of the group, then there's the two unamed rabbits, making a total of nine rabbits.
-
"Man maybe, but not cats. Actually they often hunt at night and they are quite good at it." Thyme said to Soapwort "At least this is what captain Moss told me." he added. Captain Moss was the only member of Owsla that was treating outskiters with some respect. In addition he was the one that proposed Thyme to pass Owsla training and for a short time he was in charge of it. For a short time, as Thyme was kick off from Owsla, when he got into a fight with rabbit, who was much longer a member of it. After a disease broke out Thyme lost the sight of Moss. Probably the captain was dead...
-
After hearing everyone argue their points Mayberry sighed and turned to Thistle as she said, "You are the leader here Thistle-rah...whatever you choose as a former Owsla I'll follow...even if I don't agree..so choose now, so we may be on our way."
-
"We don't even know if they have cats!" Argued Birch.
Thistle glared at him, then said, assertivly, "We're going around the farm. Unless you want to get yourselves killed, I'd suggest you do the same."
Soapwort sighed. "Well, it'll be safer, if not faster..."
"We need to get going." Said Thistle turning back to the direction of the farm.
"There. That path looks safe enough." There was a divergence in the field, halfway between the rabbits and the farm. One section headed away from the farm, seeming to go around the farm.
"Let's go."
-
"We have a few wounded here, Birch, so going to farm now would be very dangerous and unwise. Besides... we will get the chance to get flayrah later." Neltita said, before hopping along with Thistle. Seeing that Birch and Soapwort were still hesitating, Thyme called to them:
"You heard Thistle, old fellows. It is time to go, so start moving or we will have to leave you here. You surely dont want to stay in this place alone, do you?" he asked smiling wrily "I dont think you would survive here for long." Then he had noticed that Basil was looking at him with some disapproval evident on his face.
"What?!" Thyme asked irritated.
"Nothing." hare answered, looking away and hopping after others. Thyme sighed and did the same.
-
Mayberry was keeping pace...as well as she could with a wounded hind leg, but she was no longer slowing the group down, but she knew they were heading in the right direction. "So, even if we keep going this way and move around the farm how do we know what the river is going to do?" she asked aloud hoping someone would answer her.
-
"Well..." Thistle still wasn't sure what was going to happen at the river. So he repeated what he had said before.
"We'll see when we get there." Thistle hoped that he wouldn't get questioned any further, because he was worried about the river himself. He continued to move onward.
Birch and Soapwort followed. Soapwort was the first to follow. Birch did it rather grudgingly.
Walnut was glad they wouldn't be heading into the farm. The pain in his front paw had also lessened, to the point where it was fairly dull, and he could walk without it hurting too much. He was still nervous about the river, but he trusted Thistle-rah to figure it out.
-
Basil hopped forward at normal pace, before he noticed that he is starting to leave rabbits behind. So he stopped, letting them catch up, then he resumed hopping, but yet again he was outpacing the others. It irritated him a bit, as he could not understand how the creatures so much similar to him can walk so slow...
-
Thistle could tell that the hare was annoyed by their slow pace, but he wasn't sure what to say. Instead, he proceeded in silence.
It wasn't very long before they could hear sounds from the farm. Luckily, the path didn't bring them too close. It was still an unnerving moment.
Walnut was doing his best to keep calm, but there was the scent of a cat. It was faint, and the cat must not have come across this area in a while. But it was still frightening.
Thistle smelled it too, but was sure that it wouldn't be coming through the area before they were through.
"It's a good thing we didn't go through the farm." Said Soapwort, as they left the vincinty of the farm. "I don't know what I was thinking. Frithrah! I can smell cats and dogs, from here!" He sounded almost as unnerved as Walnut was.
Thistle paused at the end of a large grove of plants. Something bothered him about it, but he couldn't tell what.
"Basil? Neltita?" Thistle called. Basil, he figured, knew the most about the are. At least more then he did. Neltita might also have one of her feelings about the plants. At the moment, it seemed like going around the plants would take them too close to the farm.
"Do you think there's anything wrong with heading through those plants? Something just doesn't feel right about it." Thistle said.
-
Mayberry stepped up next to Thistle and replied, "Bah! These are just plants Thistle, walk through them for Frith's sake! Or does a doe need to lead the way?!" she spoke with a stubborn tone to her voice.
-
Thistle realized that maybe he was being a little over-cautious. He made to hop into the brush, and then stopped. Thistle recalled that men often place snares within plants like this, where they won't be seen. He hesitated, not willing to find out for himself if there was a snare within the brush, and certainly not willing to send another in.
"I'm simply being careful. We're still close to the farm. There could be something dangerous in there." Thistle said. "I am not going in there until I know for sure."
-
"I agree." Basil said watching the grove "Where is man, then there can be snares. You run into a bush, then wire clamp around your throat and you... stop running." hare told grimly "I propose we go around it."
"Around it?" Thyme asked with disbelief "Look at the size of it! It will take much time to go around." then he glanced at Neltita and said first words since their argument: "And what do you think, Nel?"
"Well... I dont know if there are snares there or not. Somebody will have to risk his life to find out." she stated, with worry evident in her voice. She did not like these plants either... or rather she did not like what they might hiding...
"Alright. I will do it." Thyme said suddenly and before anybody could stop him or even say a word, he jumped into a grove. A few moments had passed... Then they started to hear a sound of small commotion comming from the bushes.
"Thyme!" Neltita shouted, hoping that friend will answer, but in deep in her mind she feared the worst happened. The commotion continued, but with every second it be was becoming more and more quiet. Neltita run into grove...
-
Mayberry after seeing Thyme jump through without a chance to stop him, she bound in after him and could clearly see what was wrong...he was caught in a snare...the very thing Mayberry would've been caught in if she'd gone through the bush. She hopped forward and tried to bite through the wire around Thyme's neck, but it was far too tough. "I need help! How do we get this from around his neck?!" Mayberry asked with fear creeping into her voice.
-
Basil jumped into the grove after others. He saw that Thyme was ensnared and he was struggling against it, but every move he made was only tightening wire around his throat. Hare run to rabbit and shouted to him, hoping Thyme will listen:
"Stop fighting, Thyme! It will only worsen your situation. Hold still, while we'll realese you!"
Basil looked around, seeking where wire was hooked. Even when Thyme cease to struggle, he still did not have much time before the wire will strangle him. Then hare noticed a tip of small peg, with one end of wire attached to it.
"Alright! See this peg over here, Mayberry?" he turned to doe "We have to dig it out quickly, so come here and help me do it!" he said, starting digging as fast as he could. In meantime Neltita sat by Thyme's side, trying to calm him down so he wouldn't make wire tighten even more.
-
"Peg?!" Thistle hadn't a clue what a peg was. But there wasn't time to waste. Thistle hopped to where Basil was digging, and noticed the piece of wood protruding from the dirt. It registered that this might be the peg, so Thistle joined in the digging.
Thistle dug until he hit the peg. He backed up, looked at Thyme, and then back at hole.
"This is taking too long! There's got to be a faster way!" Thistle said, lowering his head to Thyme's mouth and nose to check to make sure he was still breathing.
-
Mayberry always one to take the intiative stepped forward as Thistle stood back and said, "Let a doe do a bucks job!" She then dug her teeth into the top of the peg and pulled with all her might, which despite her small body was quite a lot. After several tough pulls she felt herself fall onto her back with the peg still held tightly in her mouth.
Even as she rolled onto her belly and stood up, spitting the peg out, a single phrase continued to run through her mind...
My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend has stopped running today. seemed to be the only thing Mayberry could think about as she suddenly thought back to her past.
-
Thistle tried to feel Thyme's breathing, but if there was any, it was so weak he couldn't feel it.
"Did he survive?" Asked Soapwort, his voice somber as if he suspected the worst.
Thistle didn't say anything. While he wasn't sure if Thyme was still breathing, he was also prepared for the worst. He nosed Thyme's side, not only in sadness, but in an attempt to confirm if he was dead, or alive.
Walnut was frozen with fear, and sadness.
-
"Thyme?" Neltita asked quietly, her voice trembling. Then... Thyme breathed a heavy sigh and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Neltita hanging over him.
"Hi." he uttered weekly a single word. Hearing this she felt a great relief. Thyme was still alive, despite how near to death he was a moment ago. It was a really a close call...
"How do you feel lad? How many ears do you see?" Basil hopped in, pushing doe not so gently aside.
"Don't you think it is not the best time for wondering how many ears do you have there, Basil?" Thyme snorted silently. He tried to get up, but he failed.
-
Mayberry was torn between trying to pushing Basil aside and telling the hare that Thyme needed to rest, and going to comfort Thyme after his near death experience. In the end she sighed and hopped over to Thyme and nudged him gently as she asked, "Are you alright? That was quite a scare you put us all through."
-
"Let him rest." Thistle said, as the others moved to crowd around. "Give him some space!"
Thistle turned back to Thyme. "Thank Frith you're alright! I thought you had stopped running for good."
He was relieved. As the rabbits sat in the patch of plants, around the loosened wire, the relief was almost palpable.
Walnut hopped forward, and nosed Thyme's shoulder, almost as if to confirm that he was actually seeing what he was seeing.
-
Thyme looked up at her, surprised that Mayberry actually cared about him. Perhaps she had nice side after all...
"I am fine enough to say that I am fine." he said with a small smile.
"And it looks like that the rest of the way through this grove is clear for us." Basil pointed out "It was really heroic of you, lad."
"True, but I hope that he won't do something equally reckless in the near future." Neltita said, looking at Thyme seriously.
"I am not going to argue with that." buck told, before glancing at Walnut "Next time, you will jump into a bush, searching for snares and risking your neck, Walnut. What you say about that?" he asked playfully.
-
Mayberry smiled as she heard the playful remark by Thyme and she replied, "Oh please...if anyone is risking anything that will be me!" she then smiled with a small laugh.
-
Walnut's eyes widened at the thought of hopping into a snare, but he knew that Thyme was only joking. He was simply relieved to know that Thyme was alive.
"You go doing that again and it'll be El-ahrairah who lets you out." Said Thistle, half serious, half joking. While he spoke happily enough, there was still the lurking terror of Thyme's near death experiance.
However, that wasn't the only thing on Thistle's mind. He cast a glance behind himself.
"Now, as soon as you're recovered, we need to get moving." Thistle said, turing back to Thyme. "The man who set this might check it soon."
-
"Then I guess I should recover myself as soon as possible, right?" Thyme said getting up at all his four legs. Even though the wire had been taken of, he still felt pain on his throat. It will take some time for it to heal entirely for sure...
"It is going to be dark soon." Basil stated, looking at the far horizon "What a beatiful sunset, wouldn't you say?" he asked aloud.
"Yes. Frith is going to have rest now." Neltita responded. The hare cast her a confused look.
"Who is Frith?" he asked.
"He is the one who created the all world and he is the sun." doe answered surprised a bit by hare's sudden question.
"Oh... I see. I didn't know you are calling him with that name." Basil said, then he added "Of course we, hares, know her under different name. We call her Haila."
"Her? You mean that for you the Lord Frith is a female?" Thyme asked clearly dumbfounded.
"Well... If you knew our does, then you would not be so surprised, lad. Among us it is quite often that the female is the one who is dominating." Basil said, coughing a bit as if he was trying to cover his embarassment.
-
"Perhaps Frith is whoever he wants to be to whomever he feels it best?" Mused Soapwort.
Thistle wasn't sure what he meant with that remark, but he was too distracted to really dwell on it much.
Walnut was the one who asked. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Well, perhaps, to us, Frith appears as, well, Lord Frith. But the Basil and his kind, he appears as Haila." Answered Soapwort.
"Oh." Said Walnut, as if he really didn't understand what Soapwort meant.
Thistle hopped forward, and looked out of the brush. It was clear. The field went on for a little ways, then dipped as if there was a hill. There was trees below.
Thistle went back into the brush, and said "There's a hill, and a wood up ahead. We'll have to head down the hill and through the woods to keep going. Let's get moving."
He left the brush, Walnut and Soapwort being the first to follow.
-
"Well... I don't know how about you, Basil, but I would not let any doe to be in charge of me." Thyme said quietly to hare, hopping after Thistle and others. Neltita overheard this and frowned:
"Why not?" she asked a bit defiantly.
"Well..." Thyme said "Because I have my pride." he answered.
"Your pride, you say? Did you have it when you tried again and again to get the attention of this doe, every time failing?" she asked with a hint of mockery and maybe even jealousy in her voice. Thyme was obviously embarrassed by that question (and the memory of those times), which in turn made Basil chuckle, who was listening to this conversation.
"It was a long time ago." Thyme retorted. Neltita raised one brow.
"You call less than two moons a long time?" she asked innocently. Thyme groaned out loud.
"Please, Nel. Could you stop reminding me of her, please?"
"Oh... I don't know if I would be able to resist it. You look so cute when you are embarrassed." Neltita laughed, quickening her pace and leaving Basil and Thyme a bit behind. Hare looked at rabbit with curiosity.
"Don't even ask!" Thyme snarled, trying to catch up with those ahead of him as much as his sore throat let him.
-
When Thistle came to the hill, he looked down. It seemed like a steep slope to the rabbit. Thistle knew that it could be dangerous heading down the hill, as it would be frighteningly easy for one of the rabbits to trip on the way down and fall.
"We'll have to move slower down the hill." Thistle called to the others. Walnut came up beside him a few moments later.
Walnut looked down the hill, and nervously hopped back.
-
"Watch out, kid!" Basil exclaimed as Walnut hopped back and bumped right into him.
In the mean time Neltita looked down the hill and asked:
"Couldn't we use another way? It might be a bit tricky to get down in the darkness..."
-
In what little day light was left Mayberry looked over the edge of the hill and then back to the others, and she couldn't help but laugh as she spoke up.
"Oh please, you bucks act like kittens! Back in my old warren, we had several hills just like this, and here is how we dealt with them!"
Mayberry then took several steps back, and once she was sure she had a clear shot, she bounded forward and leaped over the crest of the hill and once she was close enough she pushed off the hill again with her hind paws, and rolled into a ball, or as best she could and rolled into the tall grass at the bottom of the hill.
"Ahhh...what fun that was!" she commented as she sat up and shook the loose dirt from her fur.
-
Thistle was suprised by the spectacle, but tried not to let it show. "I'm afraid you don't understand. Perhaps you had hills in your warren, but ours was on much flatter ground. We've never had to make our way down a steep hill like this. I know I haven't."
Walnut hopped back to the edge of the hill and looked down again. Dispite Mayberry's carefree abandon in going down the hill, he didn't like the prospect any better.
Thistle looked back down the hill, then back at Walnut. "Walnut may get injured if he tried to go down like that. So could any of us."
He thought for a moment, and added "Though it is for the best you went down first. That way, you can keep watch from the foot of the hill."
-
Mayberry sat at the bottom of the hill now waiting for the others to come down and she sighed. "Such kittens..." she said to herself as she continued to wait.
-
Thistle started down first, followed closely by Walnut, who had no desire to be the last one to follow. It was slow progress, as every rabbit had to keep their footing.
-
"It doesn't look so dangerous. I will try it!" Basil exclaimed, before doing the same thing Mayberry did. Although his rolling wan't so perfect as doe's, but it was good enough. When he reached the bottom, he got up a bit clumsily.
"You were right. It is kind of fun." he said to Mayberry "However it makes my head dizzy a little." he added, scratching his ear with his hind leg. Then he watched as the others where slowly coming down.
-
Mayberry smiled at Basil's attempt.
"You did very well for a hare. I am indeed impressed, but I have to ask...a move like that could've hurt you, so why aside from the rush did you even try it?"
-
Thistle was the first of the rabbits, other then Mayberry, to make it down.
"I'm not going to be in a hurry to go down any more hills after that." He said, turning to watch the other go down.
Walnut made it down second, only to trip with a small sound of dismay at the bottom, then got back up.
-
Mayberry hopped over to Walnut's side, and gently nudged him, as she said sternly but kindly. "Hey, come now stand up. I know that hill was easy for a buck like you."
-
Basil was going to answer Mayberry's question, but in this moment she hopped to Walnut, so he resigned. In the meantime both Thyme and Neltita finally got down.
-
Walnut didn't say anything, but his expression showed that he was glad for the comforting words. After a pause, he said "Thanks."
'How things change. Just yesterday, she wanted to cuff him.' Thought Thistle, as he watched the scene.
As he watched the others come down, the impending need to cross the water ahead once again appeared in his mind. The more Thistle thought about it, the more questions he had. How large was this body of water? Was it fast? Slow? Was there anything dangerous nearby the water?
Thistle reminded himself that it was no use worrying about it now. But then, he remembered another impending danger.
Man's Warren.
What was that to be like? Thistle hadn't the slightest idea. As far as he knew, men only lived in farmhouses. Was this to be a massive farmhouse? With many men? That would surely be extremely dangerous.
Thistle decided to ask Neltita again, later, to see if she had seen anything. He hopped closer to the foot of the hill, to wait. When at last every rabbit made it down, he chose to wait for a moment, so they could all catch their breath.
After the pause, Thistle said "As soon as we find shelter, we can rest for the night. But we need to find it first." He turned, and continued onward. After a short moment, the others started to follow as well.
-
Mayberry turned to Thistle and looked nervous...she didn't want to admit it...but something about the upcoming river was starting to get to her. But at the mention of resting for the night Mayberry looked around and couldn't find anything suitable for a sleeping place.
-
Thistle had hoped they wouldn't have to go very far to find a good place to rest, but there was no shelter in the immediate area.
Then, Thistle noticed an old, overturned wheelbarrow. He had no idea what it was, but it had a sizable portion that had been rusted away. It also seemed like it might be large enough to fit all of them.
Thistle hopped up to it, and sniffed it. He thumped, to get everyone's attention.
-
Mayberry looked up at Thistle thumped his foot and she hopped over slowly. "what is it Thistle-rah?" she asked as she noticed what he was standing on.
-
"I'm not entirely sure. But we can get inside of it, there's room, and it's sheltered." Thistle said, hopping off the top and sitting by the rusted out hole.
"We're far enough away from the farm that this should be safe. Perfect place to rest." Thistle continued.
Walnut hopped over, his exhaustion overriding his cautious nature. He entered to overturned wheelbarrow and lay down without a second thought.
-
Thyme, Neltita and Basil entered the wheelbarrow as well and once inside, they lay down...
"Do you want me to take guard duty, while the rest is asleep, Thistle?" Hare asked the rabbit leader "Despite our little journey I am still rested."
-
"Yes. I don't think the man will come out this far, but there's always other elil." Said Thistle, as he hopped into the shelter of the wheelbarrow. The cumilated fear from crossing the road, passing the farm, and the snare had worn him out. Once he lay down, Thistle went to sleep almost instantly.
-
Mayberry scoffed at Basil.
"Please, let a former Owsla captain handle guard duty! I am more than capable!"
-
"So am I. Remember, I am hare and unlike rabbits we live most of the time outside of any burrow and alone. I suppose that counts as much as Owsla training does." Basil said, trying not to sound like he was arguing.
"Of course." he added "Two pairs of eyes and ears will be better than one, so we could do sentry duty together. What you say, Mayberry?" he smiled politely.
-
Mayberry nodded in acceptance at the idea of having more than one on guard duty. She also believed having a buck...even if a hare would be strategically advantageous to her. She then commented by saying, "I would be glad to accept any help you can give me."
-
OOC: Hope you don't mind if I jump forward a bit.
IC: The last rays of sunlight vanished below the horizon, and it was dark.
______________________________________________________________
Thistle awakened with a sudden start. He got up, and looked around. The others were still asleep. He decided to let them sleep a little longer. It was still fairly early in the morning, but it was light outside.
Thistle yawned, and hopped towards the rusted gap, then paused. He thought he heard something, but it was probably just Mayberry of Basil.
-
It was indeed Basil, who noticed that Thistle was no longer asleep.
"Hello there, Thistle. You've woken up just in time to enjoy another nice morning. See? The Haila is shining brightly. Oh... I forgot. You call her Frith... Well... I guess it is not bad name... For a male that is." hare said cheerfully and at the same time he was wondering how the rabbits could mix up Haila's gender.
-
"Yes, it's good to see Frith shining in the morning." Thistle said, scratching behind one ear.
"Maybe we'll make it to the water today." Thistle mused aloud. The surroundings seemed peaceful in the morning, the grass damp from the dew, and a few birds chirping in the trees. It seemed like today would be a much better day for travel.
-
Mayberry was sitting atop the wagon with a smile on her face as she heard Basil and Thistle speaking. She sighed contently and said, "Yes, Frith is a wonderful thing to see in the morning. Tell me Thistle-rah, when do we continue on our journey?"
-
"As soon as the others wake up. I don't want to wake them too early, not after everthing that's happened." Replied Thistle.
The idyllic surroundings did not give a hint of yesterday's turmoil, but as a rabbit, Thistle was still quiet wary. Yet there was no hint of any sort of danger.
-
"If you did not want to wake us up, then you should have been less noisy while speaking, Thistle." Thyme stated coming out of the wheelbarrow. Then he started doing some kind of morning exercises, stretching all his limbs, until he felt that the last sign of drowsiness had vanished. He scratched his ears and looked around. He noticed a small group of cowslips, which were growing literally next to wagon.
"Ha. That makes this a good day already." Thyme exclaimed hopping to nibble this delicacy.
-
Thistle said nothing, and watched Thyme eat the cowslip. He was tempted to go over and have some himself, but he felt Thyme deserved it after his ordeal in the snare.
Thistle combed his ears, then set to work, nibbling at the grass surrounding the wheelbarrow.
-
Mayberry began to stretch her legs out, two at a time and as she did, the wound on her right hind leg from the Homba attack gave her a start of shock as she felt pain radiate from the wound causing Mayberry to lose her balance and fall onto the grass.
"Ow..." was the only word she muttered as she wasn't sure who was still asleep and who was awake.
-
Thistle sat up and turned around at the thump. Noticing that Mayberry had fallen, he hopped over to where she lay. He figured it was because of the wound, and sniffed her right hind leg. It didn't smell of infection.
"It doesn't seem dirty. But it probably aches." Thistle said. He licked the wound, to make sure it was clean, then sat back to let Mayberry get up.
-
Mayberry in a fit of anger over her wound gritted her teeth and shouted aloud.
"InlÈ be all! Silly stiff leg wound, I should just beat the next elil I see to death!"
-
Thistle simply went back to feeding, as the other rabbits began to stir. Walnut, being tired from the travel, perhaps more then the others due to his small size, remained asleep until all the others had left the wheelbarrow.
Soon, the area around the wheelbarrow was dotted with rabbits feeding.
-
After settling down, Mayberry also tried to silflay with the others, but she continued to look around as if expecting something...but she didn't want to seem anxious or paranoid so she let it be.
-
Thyme glanced at Mayberry. He thought that maybe it is a time to get into more friendly relation with her. After all... If she was worried when he had nearly died in the snare, then she could not be a total bossy jerk, right?
"Hey, Mayberry. Have some of these cowslips. You will need all the strenght you can get, because when another elil shows up you, the Homba Killer, will probably be the only one who can defend us." he said to doe jokingly.
-
Mayberry turned around and faced Thyme with a serious glare as she stated,
"An Owsla officer can survive for days at a time with the littlest bit of water, and the grass around them!" she stepped past Thyme with her nose in the air and said, "I'll be fine...but thank you."
-
Thistle sat back, ears poised high. He had heard something again. But he didn't smell anything. He didn't see anything. Thistle had no desire to send all the rabbit bolting unless there was a real threat. What if they got split up?
Thistle went back down on all fours to continue feeding.
-
"Suit yourself. It leaves more cowslips for me." Thyme said leaning over the plants. In this moment Neltita hopped out of the wagon, with her usual cheerfulness.
"Did somebody mentioned cowslips?" she asked aloud, while Thyme sighed and rolled his eyes up.
"I guess that would be me, Nel."
"Aaa... Nice. Could I have a bite?" doe asked.
"Er... No. These are all mine." Thyme refused, but rather in teasing manner.
"Good Frith, Thyme. This really breaks my heart." Neltita said mockingly "After that last winter I thought we were friends. Remember how our burrow was blocked by snow?" she asked. This brought some memories to Thyme. Since they were outskirters they had to live at the edge of the warren, in burrow which they made hastily. When the winter came, they were burried in their den for few days, having no-one but themselves to cuddle to in order stay warm. Luckily, they lived through, which couldn't be said about many other outskirters...
"Yeah. I can recall that and I have to admit it was nice then, but it still doesnt convince me." Thyme responded, grinning.
"I see... Maybe this argument will change your mind: if you will make me dislike you, you may never get the chance to experience the thing that really is nice." she said making emphasis on the last word, with an evil smile on her mouth. Thyme was glancing at her with confused look, before he understood what she had meant.
"Frith on the hills! For someone who is about to see her first spring, you are surely talking very mature... Anyway, be my guest and eat as many of these cowslips as you wish."
"Thank you, Thyme. Thank you." Neltita said still smiling and she started to nibble on plants
-
Mayberry continued to nibble on the grass around her and then she hopped over to Thistle for a moment and asked a question, "Do you feel...like something bad is going to happen? Cause I do...and we Owsla usually don't make mistakes about this."
-
"I'm not sure." Thistle replied. "I keep hearing something." His ears pricked up again, trying to detect any trace of the sound. "But I can't tell what it is. If it was a man, we would've smelled him by now. If it was a homba, we certainly would've smelled it by now."
"The last thing I want to do is send everyone scattering if it's not a real threat." Thistle added.
-
Mayberry smiled for a moment as she heard Thistle speak.
"Sometimes being a good Owsla or leader in any case is doing what you feel is right...if you think we should move, then I say we move, but keep us together in a single line that way we don't lose anyone, and keep the strongest...namely me...in the back to keep others like Thyme, and Walnut protected."
-
Thyme overheard that last statement from Mayberry and he did not like it much.
"Ehem..." he coughed "I appreciate your concern about my safety, Mayberry, but I can protect myself rather well. I was going to join Owsla back in our warren after all. If you think that I am completly defenseless because I got caught in snare, then you are wrong." he said firmly.
-
Mayberry turned to face Thyme and stood on her hind legs as she gave him a cold glare and replied, "I am very certain you can look after yourself, but I as a former Owsla captain take the protection of our warren seriously! I will not allow the warren to lose a buck with as much character or wisdom as you...so I will be placing myself at the back of our trail when we move...is that clear?!"
-
"It is perfectly clear when you say it in that way." Thyme answered with grin, before turning to Thistle "So... Are we moving now or we will wait a little longer here, Thistle-rah?" he asked, for the first time using leader's suffix.
"I think it would be best to go now, Thistle. Staying in the open at daylight might be dangerous. Besides... The faster we will get to big water, the sooner we will be able to think out the idea how to cross it." Neltita said.
-
Mayberry nodded her head in agreement with Thyme's suggestion on moving now.
"It is the safer option." she said aloud.
-
"Yes. Get the others together. We're going to use Mayberry's idea of moving in a line." Thistle replied at last. "It does seem like the safest option." Without another word, he hopped over to Walnut, to get him moving.
Most of the Rabbits had passed into the slower, picky state of feeding that proceeded the hasty, hungry feeding that occured earlier. It would not be too hard to get them moving.
-
Mayberry waited for the other rabbits to get moving, and she turned to Thyme and asked, "Well ya gonna move or what? We can't sit here all day ya know..."
-
"I am going, I am going." Thyme murmured in response, hopping forward "I just hope I wont have to take orders from her for the rest of my life..." he said under his breath.
-
As the rabbits gathered, Thistle explained. "We're going to have to move in a line. It may not seem safe, but it should keep anyone from getting lost."
None of the rabbits protested. They could see nothing wrong with the plan.
"Now, I'm rather willing to get moving. I'll lead." Said Thistle. He turned to continue onward, but then sat, to wait for the others to line up behind him.
-
Mayberry sitting at the very end of the line smiled and called out to Thistle, "Everyone is ready, you can start hopping Thistle-rah."
-
Thistle surveyed the rabbits one more time, and started to move on. Walnut was close behind him, not at all willing to be stuck near the back. Most of the other rabbits fell into line rather uneasily.
-
Mayberry smiled as the line began to move and before she moved along with the others she cast a glance back once more to ensure the groups safety, and knowing the path behind them was clear she nodded her head and hopped after Thyme hoping that they would reach the river soon.
-
Thistle took one quick glance back, then continued to lead the others away from the flipped wheelbarrow. Soon, it was out of sight.
"I have a feeling that we just avoided some sort of horrible problem." Said Thistle.
Walnut started to lag behind, slightly. His foot had started to ache again, despite him keeping it clean.
Thistle, unfortunatly, did not notice. He was too busy keeping alert for elil, or any other hazards. He was also on the lookout for any sign of water.
-
Mayberry could tell something was wrong despite being at the end of the line of rabbits and she asked aloud, "Hey Thyme, could you make sure Walnut is alright...we seem to be moving a bit slower than before...he might need some help."
-
"Alright. I am on it." Thyme responded, hopping forward and passing some other rabbit. When he had got to Walnut he watched him closly first. Wounded foot looked clean, but it surely wasn't healed yet.
"Is everything okay, Walnut?" he asked smaller buck.
-
"It's my foot." Walnut said, in his nervous tone. "It doesn't hurt really bad... but it's starting to ache again."
Thistle paused. 'Could that be...?' He thought. He had heard something a short way away. But it was not the foreboding, slight rustling from the wheelbarrow.
It was the sound of running water.
-
Mayberry was glad to see the line still progressing ahead, but her ears picked up a unique sound, much like running water...and she immediately froze up, almost to the point of not bothering to breath...she absolutly hated admitting this...but she was afraid...and although she wanted to move, and make it seem she was alright, she couldn't against everything she did, she just wouldn't move out of fear.
-
Thistle paused, as soon as he heard several rabbits stopping behind him. He turned around, and immediatly saw that Mayberry had frozen up, from some unknown fear.
Thistle's first reaction was to be frightened himself, because it was terrifying to see another rabbit go tharn. But there wasn't anything to be frightened of, at least, not anymore then anywhere else.
"Mayberry?" Thistle questioned, hopping closer to the small doe. "What happened? Are you alright?"
-
Mayberry heard Thistle speaking to her, but she couldn't respond even if she wanted to...the fear she felt was gripping her entire body. The fear was so great she stopped shaking and laid her body down onto the grass and began to whimper as her eyes darted back and forth as if she were dreaming, and finally she spoke.
"I...I can't...the water...ran red with blood...m-my brother...we lost him...to the...red river...and...I lost...myself...in the river..."
-
As Mayberry started to cower on the ground, Thistle became worried. Her mumbling was frightening the others, and that was a major risk.
"Mayberry?" Thistle questioned, nervously. "Mayberry!" He nudged her side. Her cowering and muttering had caused Walnut to shrink back in fear.
Then, Thistle remembered when Mayberry had muttered in a similer manner. When she'd been asleep, under the brush by the wood.
But there wasn't time to puzzle over that now.
Thinking quickly, Thistle said "Mayberry, you're an Owsla officer! You shouldn't be frightened of some water!"
-
Mayberry looked up at Thistle with tears in her eyes and shouted, "It's not the water I'm afraid of you fool! I..I don't want to lose another member of our Warren to a Homba AND the river! Now...j-just let me...grieve..." She then set her head back onto the grass and continued to cry.
-
"Homba?!" Whimpered Walnut.
"Calm down, Walnut." Thistle said. He didn't need to rabbits tharn. He had no idea how to deal with this situation. Mayberry was clearly very upset, but Thistle had never had to deal with any rabbit in this stage of saddness. He sat back, truely confused.
-
Mayberry after another few moments of crying and sobbing into the grass looked up at Thistle with eyes that weren't just full of fear, but hopelessness as she asked, "p-please....don't make me...c-cross the river...I can't...I w-won't...."
-
"But we must cross it, Mayberry." Thyme stated "And if you can not go with us, we might have to leave you behind." he said, trying not to sound harsh or cold.
"I will scout ahead. Maybe I will discover some way across the river." Basil said to Thistle, before he hopped away. The hare was eager to do something more than sitting. Since he didn't know how to stop Mayberry's sob, going for the recon was the only sensible thing he could do now.
In meantime, Neltita was trying to reassure other doe:
"Listen, Mayberry. I know that you are afraid of river and what it might remind you, but I can promise you: nobody will be harmed while crossing it."
-
Thistle realized that, despite most of the rabbits' willingness to accept him as chief, he wasn't much of a use here. If he was to be chief, he should risks before the others have to.
"I'm going with Basil. Soapwort, you stand watch. I want to judge this water myself, before anyone else has to face it." With that, Thistle followed the path that Basil had taken.
-
Mayberry continued to cry, but she looked over at Neltita and asked, "B-but...how do you know...h-how? Anything...can happen...and then...we...might...l-lose something...we...love..."
-
Thistle continued after Basil, through a small thicket. The thicket suddenly gave way.
And Thistle froze.
Before him, there was a vast expanse of water, running far faster then he had ever seen. It was, indeed, more water then he had ever seen in his entire life.
For a long time, Thistle was quiet, sitting back on his hind legs and staring at the quickly moving water.
"I... I never suspected this...." He muttered, awestruck. As reality came flooding back, he realized the gravity of the situation.
'How in Frith's name are we going to cross this?' He thought, going back on all fours and hopping closer to the river's edge.
-
Mayberry looked up once more into Neltita's eyes and could see the determination that shined through like Frith in the clouds, and for a short moment Mayberry felt inspired as she finally rose to feet shaking her head to clear the tears.
"A-alright...I'll c-cross the river with you...and...thank you for not leaving me behind"
-
Thistle hopped further down the river, trying to see if there was any possible way to cross it. Seeing none, he sat back, and looked around. He hadn't seen Basil yet. He figured, if anyone knew how to cross this, it would be him.
"Basil?" He called. "Basil?"
-
Basil could not hear Thistle call, as he was running up the river. 'We have to find some way across, we have to!' he thought. After awhile he reached the place where the river was bending slightly. Then he saw it. A bridge. A stone bridge. This was their way to cross this river. Hare turned around and started going back to others. At this moment he was self-satisfied at his discovery.
-
Thistle was becoming worried. Basil didn't appear to be anywhere nearby.
Suddenly, he saw the hare dashing past.
'He must have found a way across.' Thought Thistle, and he ran to follow the Hare back.
-
Mayberry was now taking the time to Silflay as she waited for Thistle and Basil to return. She still wasn't completely sure this was a good idea, but she trusted the others enough to try and cross the river...if they could.
-
Basil stopped running as soons as he reached the rabbit's group. He waited a few seconds, so Thistle could catch up with them and then hare shared good news with others:
"I found the bridge. Now we can cross this river without a problem." he said a bit proud of himself, but almost immediately he noticed that amongst some rabbits his words triggered very confused looks.
"Er... What is a 'bridge'?" Thyme addressed a question, which in turn surprised Basil, who could not believe that someone didn't know what a bridge is. He glanced at Neltita, but he only recieved 'I dont know what that means too' look.
"Bridge is the stone trail, that man makes to cross the water." he said simply, but he felt that this might not be enough to explain the concept of bridge. 'Rabbits! They know nothing about anything that lies farther than a few hops from their warren.' hare thought with amusement.
-
Mayberry looked up for a moment and almost immediately her face brightened as she heard the news. "A bridge?! Basil you truly are a messenger from Frith! He's sent you to guide us....and I thank you for your help." she said aloud with a grin of pride on her face.
-
"Well... whatever a 'bridge' is," Said Thistle, still not entirly sure what Basil meant. "It's going to help us get across. Basil said men made it, so we probably shouldn't spend too much time... Basil? How exactly do we cross it?"
Before the Hare could answer, Thistle added. "Nevermind. I don't think that we would understand. But I think that we'd understand if we saw it. Lead the way, Basil."
-
"Oh? Don't exaggerate, Mayberry. I don't think that I am worthy enough to be messenger of Frith... I mean Haila." Basil said "But if she thinks otherwise, then I will humbly accept that role." he added, standing on his back feet, head resting on his chest, ears erected, eyes closed and also one paw kept to chest. He stood that way for a few moments, before Thyme spoke up:
"Alright, Basil. You may end posing now." buck said with sarcasm "I am sure that Frith has noticed this by now and you have to lead us to that bridge thing, remember?" Hare opened his eyes and lied down on all fours.
"Yes, yes." hare muttered "Now. All rabbits! Lets move out!" he exclaimed and made one leap in direction of a bridge, before he stopped and turned to Thistle with embarrassed expression "I beg your pardon, Thistle-rah. That was something you should have said."
-
"Indeed it was." Replied Thistle. He had no intention of making it sound forceful, because he liked Basil, and the hare was very helpful. But nonetheless, if he was to be Chief, it would be him taking charge.
"Let's get moving. Keep as close as you can to Basil." Said Thistle, adressing the others. Then, he turned and waited for Basil to lead the way.
-
Mayberry kept close to the rest of the rabbits as she could but still kept to the back of the pack to make sure nothing came up from behind and surprised them.
-
Basil set out for the bridge, leading group of rabbits. It did not take long for them to reach it (although significantly longer than it would take for hare) and they all could see that thing Basil said they could use to cross the river...
"I've never seen anything like this before." Thyme said, looking with curiosity at stone bridge "Are you sure it is safe?" he asked.
"Of course." hare responded "We just have to avoid being seen by humans and going across should be as easy as picking up daisies."
-
"This is a bridge?" Said Thistle. It wasn't as unusual as he had thought. It appeared to be a road over water. It was unsuprising to the rabbit.
"Well, it doesn't appear that there's much to it. Like Basil said, crossing it should be fairly easy, as long as no men cross it."
-
Mayberry however smiled from the back of the group.
"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's get crossing already!" she cried outloud.
-
"I'm simply waiting to make sure everyone's here." Said Thistle, in a level voice. The bridge seemed safe enough, but it was a man-thing, so it was liable to be dangerous.
"Everyone's here? Good, let's cross." Thistle hopped for the bridge.
-
"Oh... After you, Mayberry." Thyme said bowing lightly to doe "If you are so willing to go across this bridge, then show us how it is done properly, please." he asked Mayberry with a wide smile.
-
Mayberry stepped forward after hearing Thyme speak and she couldn't help but smile.
"I suppose only a true Owsla captain can cross first...it would be the wisest thing to do..." However as she stepped up to the edge of the bridge she glanced down and almost froze...almost. Mayberry then shook her head and with several quick jumps in succession she was across the bridge and looking back at the others with a wide smile.
"You boys aren't going to let a girl beat you are ya?!" She commented after a moments silence.
-
Thistle had become worried when Mayberry had paused while crossing the bridge, but her recovery had returned his confidence. The bridge was now proven safe, and the others would now be quiet eager to cross.
"Come on." Thistle said, now standing on the dge of the bridge. The other rabbits were quick to follow, Walnut being the first to make to the bridge. The group continued across as fast as possible, alert for any dangers. It was also important that no one fell in, for there were elil in the water as well.
-
Mayberry continued to smile as she could see the others crossing the bridge. She was however keeping her ears open and being alert for any elil that might be around.
-
"Now she is clearly very self-confident, wouldn't you say, Nel?" Thyme asked a doe, talking about Mayberry "That is a big change since a moment before, when we were at the river bank..."
"I don't think it is a bad thing that she has recovered from that panic attack, Thyme. It lifts up everybody's else spirit, seeing her at ease." Neltita responded, crossing the bridge with others. So far, there was no human in sight, which lifted rabbits morale too.
"Yes, it does. For now. I just hope she won't go tharn like that one before once again." Thyme said seriously.
-
Thistle paused, and turned to see everyone else cross. Sure that they were safe, Thistle turned to the literal path ahead. Through the forest, there was a winding path; like a hrududu's trail, but made of dirt. Beyond it, the forest seemed to open up again.
"I'm not entirly sure if this path will be safe, but it does seem to take us directly out into the fields again. I'm sure none of us want to stay in this wood for much longer. But it still seems unsafe..." Said Thistle.
-
"There is no man on this path, so I say it is quite safe." hare stated looking straight ahead.
"And if any shows up we can quickly hide in those bushes along the road." Thyme added, before taking his time to scratch his ear with his back foot.
In meantime Neltita was thinking: they had came through two obstacles on their way to place where they could settle, but there was still one thing they yet had to reach... Man's Warren. Something was telling Neltita that crossing that place may prove to be more difficult than what they had to face so far.
"Nel? Are you still with us?" she heard somebody talking to her. She looked around. It was Thyme speaking.
"Good you are done with your absent-mindedness. I thought for a moment that I might have to bite your tail to get your attention." Thyme joked, grinning.
"You sound like you've already tried this trick on some particular doe back home. Did it work?" Neltita retorted with smile equal to that of Thyme. The buck stopped smiling though and gave her a 'will you ever let me hear the end of this?' look. Although, outloud he said:
"We were wondering if walking this path is good idea. What you think?"
"Well... I am not certain, but I don't sense any danger yet." doe answered "I think we can go along this path, but of course you are the one to decide this, Chief Rabbit." she said to Thistle.
-
"That settles it. We're going to continue along this path." Said Thistle. "If anyone spots any sign of men, then alert everyone and get to cover as fast as you can."
Thistle took th lead once more, hopping down the path.
-
Mayberry still holding to her word stayed towards the back of the group just to ensure their safety, although by this time the doe felt that this path was rather safe, and should anything be dumb enough aside from man to try and stop them, then Frith help them. "Can we pick up the pace...I'm starting to get bored back here!" she called out hoping Thistle would get the message and move along.
-
OOC: Thistle is moving forward. He's leading the others down the path.
-
OOC: I know, but Mayberry wants him to move faster, she's nervous about being so close to a path made by man.
Mayberry sighed kept her pace swift buy short so as not to bump into any of the other rabbits, but she also kept her ears open for any danger. Truth be told she was getting extremely tense about being in the open for such a long amount of time, but was fiercely determined not to show it to the others.
To keep her fears at bay she tried to strike up a conversation with Neltita.
"So...uhh...what made you leave your warren? Was there disease, or another reason?"
-
OOC: Sorry for not giving any sings of life for so long, but I had been camping for a few days in Italy and I rather couldn't use Internet then. Luckily I am back now. ;)
"Disease." Neltita replied "The first rabbit who fell to it died a one moon ago. Since then it was only getting worse and worse. When finally some of us had decided to leave, it was already too late for most rabbits..." she didn't mention she was the one who warned Chief Rabbit about this disaster. She sighed, wondering why Frith had chosen to inflict so much harm on them? Or maybe it wasn't him? Perhaps they just had a bad luck? Either way, they will have to start a new life somewhere else, as they ancestors did many times in the past...
"How about you, Mayberry? Why you ended up all by yourself in middle of nowhere?" Neltita asked other doe. She wanted to get to know more about her, since Mayberry was still (almost) a total stranger to her.
-
Mayberry looked at Neltita and gave a sigh as she spoke up.
"Well you see, I was an Owsla captain in my old warren...and my two brothers were out on patrol when we ran into a homba, and it chased us towards a river near our home, and it caught...and killed my brothers...and all I could do was sit, and watch." She shook her head for a moment and the continued.
"It was a horrible day. I watched my brothers die, and couldn't cross the river afterwards, and when I finally did I was put on trial and for my punishment for being incompetent in the line of duty I was sentenced to execution...and you can guess how well I handled that...as I fought my way out, killing several other Owsla that stood in my way and wounding the Chief rabbit as well. And I haven't looked back since....but now you at least know why I froze up at the river before."
As she finished her story she looked to check Neltita's reaction.
-
Neltita glanced at Mayberry with compassion in her eyes. Now, as she knew what the other doe had to go through in her life, she felt sorry for her. It must have been terrible to lose two brothers on the same day and then had to run away from home. Neltita was going to say something that would be suitable, but Thyme was quicker:
"You killed several Owsla members and you wounded your Chief?! What kind of military you had there? Do you want us to believe, that you are really so strong that you were able to accomplish such deeds?" he asked in total disbelief. Although he could see that Mayberry isn't some weakling (he still remembered that hit she gave him the other day), but it was hard for him to imagine a doe killing a number of warren warriors without her being killed in process or at least seriously wounded.
-
Mayberry turned to face Thyme and shouted aloud, "Listen! If I said it happened then it did!!! And how dare he question me! I'm an Owsla officer! I lost everything that day and you have the nerve to tell me what did or did not happen to me in my own warren?! NOW JUST ACCEPT WHAT I'VE TOLD YOU AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" She then continued to hop along in silence and kept herself quiet.
-
Concerned, Thistle rounded on the squabbling rabbits.
"Enough! This is the last thing we need. Haven't you noticed that we're in a wood?" It was obvious, of course, but that wasn't Thistle's point.
"Elil could be watching us as we speak. I've run out of patience! We're all scared. We're tired. We're hungry. You must be two. So either you stop your squabbles, or we leave you behind!" Thistle was clearly furious. His anger was partially fueled by fear and exhaustion, but he'd had enough of the arguing.
-
Mayberry glared at Thyme and Thistle and stubbornly sat down and said "Fine. Leave me here then! I'll be fine on my own!" Truth be told she wasn't sure how long she'd last out here by herself, but she'd take that over those bucks questioning her life and what she knew to be the truth of it all.
-
Basil sighed and rolled his eyes. Rabbits were supposed to live in a group, but obviously couldn't do that without (almost) constant bickering.
"Listen Mayberry. You really want to leave, because Thyme didn't believe in your story? Let's assume that you will live long enough on your own long enough to meet another rabbits and they will welcome you to their group. At some point they will ask you about your past and what will you do if some of them won't believe you? Will you run away again?" Basil asked doe and after a moment of silence he continued:
"If you keep doing this every time somebody don't want to take your word for it, then you will eventually stop running for good. I might be a simple hare, but I sure know that going away for such reason isn't the wisest thing to do... To say the least. And as for you, Thyme..." he turned to gray buck "If I were you, I would apologize Mayberry. Not believing her isn't an excuse to hurt her feelings about her past." with those words Basil finished his little speech.
-
Mayberry let Basil's words sink in for a moment before she sighed aloud.
"I...I guess you're right Basil." She then looked up at the hare with a sad smile. "Thank you for talking me out of making another mistake..." she then gazed over at Thistle and Thyme and said, "I'm not good at these...but...I...I'm...sorry, I should know better than to be so pushy and bossy. Please let me stay with you." she asked with a sincere voice.
-
"All I ask is that you follow." Said Thistle. "As long as you do that, you can stay. It can't be much farther."
Thistle was filled with sudden doubt. How far away was their safe place? Especially if they were to cross through a man's warren.
-
Mayberry nodded her head.
"And as an Owsla officer you have my word Thistle-rah that I will protect your...our warren safe." She then looked to the sky and sighed. "Frith help me if I should do something stupid like that again." she mumbled to herself.
-
"I agree with Basil. You should apologize to her." Neltita said to Thyme firmly. While she understood that buck could find Mayberry's story unbelievable, he must now see that it had to be true. Doe's reaction to Thyme's words was final proof in eyes of Neltita, as none could act so emotionally in this situation if their story was absolutely false.
Thyme kept silent. He stubbornly refused to make amends, as he believed that anyobody would be as doubtful as he was about what Mayberry had said, if they were in his place. It wasn't like he called her a liar or something. If he knew that she will react in this way, then he would not question her story at all, but he couldn't know this! Why then everybody thinks that he must apologize her?!
Neltita must had figure out what Thyme was thinking, as she said calmly:
"You couldn't know for sure if Mayberry was telling the truth and you made a mistake assuming she wasn't. Simple 'sorry' will fix that."
"And it will show to all that I was wrong and Mayberry was right. They will think less of me because of this."
"This is childish response, Thyme." doe said, thinking that some rabbits have yet to get rid of that false sense of pride of theirs "Every creature makes errors and if anybody will think less of you, they will because you didn't want to admit that you made one."
Thyme didn't have any arguments against that. After moment od silence, he sighed and then he turned to Mayberry.
"Mayberry? I guess I owe you an apology for doubting in your story. I shouldn't acted like..."
"...A jerk?" Basil finished with a slight smile. Thyme rolled his eyes.
"You told that, not me. Anyway... I want to say... I am sorry" he said.
-
Mayberry looked over to Thyme and gave a sly smile.
"Alright Thyme, I accept your apology...on one condition..."
-
"On one condition? What condition?" Thyme asked, frowning.
-
Mayberry smiled slyly at Thyme facial expression.
"On the condition that when the time comes I am named Owsla captain. But only when it becomes necessary."
-
Thyme snickered. He should had expected that she will demand a thing like this. She was really missing being called a captain, wasn't she?
"If Thistle-rah appoints you as captain of our Owsla, which is yet non-existent I must add, then I will call you 'sir', 'sire' or whatever you think fits you best, as often as you like." Thyme said, before turning to Thistle "What you say Thistle? Should Mayberry become an officer?"
-
"It's not time for any descisions like that." Said Thistle. "When we get there, well, maybe Frith will show us what to do."
Thistle looke up, and with a deep sigh, turned to Neltita. "Where do we go from here?"
-
"We have to move forward till we pass Men's Warren and then we will reach our final destination. The high hills... That's where we will find peace and safety. That's where we will be able to start again..." Neltita answered.
-
Mayberry then replied in an amused tone, "Then what are we standing around here for. The sooner we're out of Man's warren, the sooner I can reclaim my title, so let's get a move on already."
-
Thistle continued onwards, the other behind him. Walnut was near the center of their group, far to frightened to stray anywhere else. The other rabbits, Thistle could tell, were frightened as well. So was he.
They all wanted to get out of the wood. Thistle still had apprehension about the Man's Warren, but there was no use sitting around talking about it.
-
Basil was glad that this time, argument between Mayberry and Thyme anded peacefully. They didn't need another fight and injuries to make this journey more difficult...
He noticed then the scared looks on rabbits mouths. Basil could understand their fear of the woods, even if he was used to living in it. Amongst the trees you couldn't see very far and predators had an adventage while sneaking, so you had to be vigilant at all time...
Walnut looked more frightened than the others. He almost went tharn. He could use some words of comfort probably, hare thought
"Cheer up, young buck!" he said to Walnut "There is nothing to fear here. And if any stinking fox shows up, I will beat out of his head any idea of eating one of us." he said with pretended self-conffidence. If fox really came, they would have to run and not fight, but saying that wouldn't do any good to Walnut's morale "Why you looking at me that way? You think I couldn't fight a fox, eh? Ha! I am telling you, that I will not only fight him but I will also hold him tight, so you could also give him a smack between his ears."
Thyme stared at Basil, for a moment believing that the hare was either insane or was trying to show off, while there was no elil to threat them, but then he realized the real goal of this little speech. He decided to play along with Basil.
"I would really like to see that, Mister Hare." he said, glancing at him with pretended admiration "And while holding him, would you allow me to smack his head too?"
"Well, of course, Thyme. Be my guest." Basil answered "But Thistle, as rabbit's Chief would have the precedence, so you would have to wait for your turn." he added jokingly.
-
Mayberry giggled as she heard the speech that Basil and Thyme were giving walnut to keep him calm, as it seemed rather effective. She then hopped forward and smiled. "Besides," she said with an air of confidence "We are one of the best warrens I've seen. You have nothing to worry about Walnut, as Owsla I can promise you you'll be safe."
-
OOC: CPR!
IC:
Walnut started to feel a bit better. After all, if he had so many friends so close by, he'd be safe for sure.
Thistle smiled, and added "A Fox would have to be tharn to attack us!"
OOC: Indeed a bit short, but RP CPR was nesesscary, regardless of the length.
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OOC: Let's hope we won't need another CPR to keep this thread alive. :)
IC:
Neltita looked at Basil with amusement in her eyes. He never seemed to be scared of anything or distressed.
"So you wouldn't be afraid of fighting fox, Basil?" she asked "Is there anything you fear?"
"Well... If there is, it would certainly be a female hare." Basil answered.
"Surely you can't be serious!" Thyme exclaimed.
"Can't I? Let me tell you something about hares, Thyme. You would have to fight against other buck to win a doe, because there is so many rabbits gathered in one place. On the other hand, when hares meets each other, there is rarely more of them than two. So it is up to doe to test, if male is strong enough to mate with her and she can be very tough while doing all that testing. Take my word for that."
-
OOC: :lol RP CPR.
IC:
Mayberry had a wide grin on her face as she heard the difference between does. She then replied, "Well...I'd be willing to bet that between us, both Basil and I could fight off at least three foxes, of that I have no doubt!" she boasted with an air of confidence.
-
Thistle smiled, and said "Well, I'll bet we scared off all the elil in the entire wood. Let's get going."
The rabbits started to move on, Walnut now a bit more confident in the venture. The forest couldn't be mush longer. Then, they could feed, and rest.
-
Thyme, seeing Mayberry's grin, wondered if Basil's story about the difference between does gave her some inspiration? If it did, then Frith help any buck, that will try to impress her. Thyme doubted she will be easily pleased, if she ever decided to do her own testing like those hare females...
"You would fight three foxes each? Alright. You prepare for a battle, while the rest of us will look for hombil. We will bring them here and you will have a chance to defeat them." Thyme said with slight smile "I bet that Soapwort would like to see that, as it would give him trully epic story to tell... Isn't that right, friend?" he asked the group's storyteller.
-
Mayberry grinned at Thyme as she heard him speaking. She then began to laugh softly at the buck.
"Like Thistle-rah said, we've most likely scared off all the elil in the woods, and even if you could find three homba to attack us, you'd have to try not getten eaten first."
However Mayberry also began to think about what might happen if they did indeed find their new home, and the possiblity of having a mate.
-
"I could do that, Mayberry. Evading homba's teeth that is. After all, I did almost become Owsla member, so that means I can take care of myself." Thyme said.
"Almost?" Basil asked, rising his eyebrow "I take it you tried to get into the ranks of Owsla and... you failed?"
"Hey! I didn't failed!" gray rabbit shouted, clearly offended with hare's words "I passed my initial training! The reason I wasn't accepted into our warren's military was me attacking one of the members of Owsla."
"I see... Could I ask, why you attacked him then?"
This question caused a visible reaction of both Thyme and Neltita: doe shivered slightly, while the buck glanced at her for a brief moment, before turning back to Basil.
"Firstly, it was she, not he. Secondly, let's just say, that I couldn't stand her treatment of outskirters." buck replied with hesitancy. Hare had a feeling, that it was better not to ask for details. At least for now. Therefore, he didn't ask any more questions, although Haila knew how curious he was...
-
Mayberry grinned after hearing both Thyme and Neltita's responses.
"well I may not know exactly what happened, but I believe you were right in what you did Thyme. When it comes to Owsla politics...fighting is often the only answer!"
-
Thyme looked at Mayberry a bit surprised. He didn't really expect, that she would approve his actions aloud. He smiled slightly.
"Yes. I guess I did the right thing then and in result I was kicked out of the Owsla before I even was officialy accepted into it." buck said calmly "After all these efforts, not only mine, to get me into their ranks." he added silently.
"Did you ever regret it?" Neltita asked suddenly, glancing at Thyme intently. The gray rabbit grinned in response and said just single word:
"Never."
Doe smiled at this and they were staring in each others eyes in silence, before Basil interrupted it.
"I think I can smell love in the air right now!" hare exclaimed cheerfully "Alright, actually I can't smell it, but I can still see it with my eyes!"
"Basil..." Thyme said.
"Oh, I see where it's going to. You said 'Basil...' and now I am supposed to say: 'Yes?' And then you will say: 'Shut up!' Isn't that where this conversation is going to, Thyme?"
"Indeed, Basil. Indeed." Thyme said, rolling his eyes at this hare, who had suddenly become quite annoying "So could you kindly stop talking at all or could you at least change the subject?"
"Perhaps... If you and Neltita tell me the whole story of you attacking this Owsla member." Basil said, smiling slyly. It was quite obvious for him, that brown-furred doe was somehow involved in that story and it seemed he was right, as she didn't deny it. She just sighted and said:
"Alright, Basil. We will tell you about it, if you are so curious. This isn't a big secret anyway... You'll have to wait till we stop for rest though. Can you do that?"
"Yes. I can and I will." hare responded seriously, glad that he got what he wanted. He was hoping to hear an interesting story and it seemet that this group of rabbits knows many such stories...
-
Mayberry grinned as well.
"I too would like to hear the proper end to this story. Of course knowing we doe are superior I have no doubt that Neltita's side of the story will prove that fact again." she said with a positive tone in her voice.
-
"Superior you say?" Thyme asked "What makes you think, that does are superior?"
-
Mayberry laughed for several moments before she answered.
"Tell me Thyme...do you bucks have to carry a litter inside you and then give birth and then worry about how they will be brought up? Well...do you?!" she asked rather loudly
-
"No. We can't give birth, but without us you wouldn't have litters at all, would you now? Besides... If carrying litter is the only thing, that makes does superior to bucks then what about females, who are barren? Are they as inferior as bucks?!" Thyme asked, raising his voice to match it with Mayberry's.
-
Mayberry's face was flushed with anger and a bit of embarrassment.
"Of course! Even barren does are superior! We do what we must to ensure our survival! And if you want to test that...I'd be more than happy to pound you into the dirt!!!" shouted Mayberry with every intention of carrying out her threat.
-
Thyme didn't back down, although he could see that Mayberry was in fighting spirit right now (to say the least).
"If you want to attack me, because I disagree with you, then do it!" he said, challenging her "But you won't find me easy to 'pound into the dirt'."
OOC: I hope that Raptor will write something soon or we might kill each other. :p
-
OOC: :p Yeah I know! Battle of the sexes!
Mayberry unsheathed her claws and took three swipes at Thymes' face. "This is just proof that Does are superior!"
-
Thistle suddenly lept in between them, turning to face both of the alternativly.
"Enough! We've had enough fighting as it is. Frithrah! What if elil caught us like this?" Said Thistle, the anger evident in his voice. Walnut had slunk back into the crowd of rabbits, when a voice of dissent rose up from them. The voice was instantly recongizable as Birch.
"Why not? It's the only intresting thing that's happened since we entered this forest." He said.
-
Thyme jumped back a bit when Mayberry attacked, but nonetheless she was able to scratch his face. He felt a blood running down his mouth. He felt an anger filling his mind. He was going to made his own attack, but then Thistle hopped in his way, trying to stop this conflict before it could futher escalate. Unfortunately, Thistle's words fell on deaf ears.
"I wont let Mayberry attack me and then pretend that nothing happened, Thistle." he retorted angrily "Stand aside!"
-
Mayberry stared at Thyme never breaking eye contact, but not wanting to harm anyone else. "Step aside Thistle...this is personal!" she warned still tense and ready to re-engage Thyme.
-
"For Frith's sake, listen to yourselves!" Thistle snapped, looking from Thyme to Mayberry and back again. He was furious, his anger outweighed only by the encroaching fear of what may happen if they dawdled too long.
"We need to put this tharn fight behind us and get moving before some embleer elil find us here!"
-
"Well... I am sure that, if any elil finds us, then Mayberry will fight it and defeat it or at lest she will die trying." Thyme said and then he looked in the eyes of Mayberry "At this moment, I don't know if wouldn't want to see the latter happening." he added maliciously. He was trying to avoid Thistle and attack Mayberry, but Neltita and Basil joined Chieff Rabbit in effort to stop fighting.
"Knock it off, both of you!" Neltita said firmly "We are in the woods, elils may staling us right now and you start a duel. And for what?! You want to fight just to prove, if does are superior or not. This is utter nonsense!"
"I have to agree with Thistle-rah and Neltita. This is not the right time, nor a good reason to fight." Basil chimed in "Besides, even though superiority of does or bucks may be open to some debate, there is no question that hares are the most superior of all longears."
Every rabbit stared at him.
"That was a joke, you know. To relieve the tension."
"Riiiiight." Thyme said, before turing to Thisle "You are probably right, Thistle-rah, but I still want to repay Mayberry in kind for injuring me, so step..." He didn't finish, as someone else thumped the ground, but not as a warning of coming elils. It was rather a signal to get attention. Thyme, Neltita and Basil turned to see the rabbit, who thumped. A few hops from them, a single brown-furred doe was sitting and observing them.
She was not part of their group...
-
Thistle stared at the newcomer for a moment, then slowly hoped forward to greet her. He was rah, after all, and they had to find out who this was. Thistle haulted a little ways away from her, not once looking away.
"Hello," He began, the slightest note of suspscion in his voice. "Who are you?
-
"My name's Laurel" she answered him gently, sniffing at him. Perhaps, she was examing him for any diseases or maybe she was trying to get to know him better this way. After a moment of this, a brown doe spoke again:
"You've come from far, haven't you? Who are you and why you are here?" she asked.
-
"My name is Thistle." Thistle introduced himself. "I've been leading my fellow rabbits from the dangers of our old warren. It was overtaken by the white blindness."
Upon a brief moment of consideration, Thistle added "We are not infected, we fled before it could take us."
-
"Yes. I can smell that you are healthy" Laurel said. She was slightly bigger than Thistle and looked like she never had to feed on mere grass. Her fur was well-groomed and her entire appearance showed, that wherever she was coming from this was a good place for rabbits to live in...
"We've sensed your presence here and I was sent to invite you to our warren..." brown doe said, looking at all members of group "...But now I see there are some infights amongst you, so I'm not sure if this is such a good idea. No offence." she added, her eyes pointing out to Thyme and Mayberry.
"Why would you want to invite us to your warren?" Neltita asked, coming closer to Laurel. It wasn't something oput of ordinary to accept one or two hlessil into the warren, but a hrair? Neltita had a unsetting feeling about this invitation, although she couldn't tell why.
Laurel nodded her head, as if she was expecting a question like this.
"There are many does in our warren, but there are too few bucks." she answered "This is something we would like to change."
-
Mayberry's anger was still coursing through her body, but now after hearing Laurel comment on her warren, she turned her misplaced anger towards the new doe. "Oh...and who says we want to join your warren! We're strong enough a warren as we are! And we certainly don't need anymore side tracking from another set of rabbits!" she all but shouted now facing Laurel.