Watership Down

Raptor · **Reply #120 on:** June 05, 2009, 03:12:01 PM

"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.

Myrkin · **Reply #121 on:** June 07, 2009, 04:54:12 PM

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...

Raptor · **Reply #122 on:** June 08, 2009, 03:26:42 PM

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.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #123 on:** June 08, 2009, 03:50:55 PM

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.

Raptor · **Reply #124 on:** June 08, 2009, 04:16:41 PM

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."

Myrkin · **Reply #125 on:** June 08, 2009, 07:07:39 PM

"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...

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #126 on:** June 09, 2009, 12:54:05 PM

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.

Myrkin · **Reply #127 on:** June 09, 2009, 01:46:05 PM

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.

Raptor · **Reply #128 on:** June 09, 2009, 03:11:19 PM

"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.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #129 on:** June 09, 2009, 04:06:52 PM

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.

Raptor · **Reply #130 on:** June 09, 2009, 06:37:07 PM

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.

Myrkin · **Reply #131 on:** June 09, 2009, 07:18:36 PM

"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.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #132 on:** June 10, 2009, 12:31:31 AM

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."

Raptor · **Reply #133 on:** June 10, 2009, 03:52:53 PM

"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.

Myrkin · **Reply #134 on:** June 10, 2009, 07:54:24 PM

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.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #135 on:** June 10, 2009, 11:41:56 PM

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.

Raptor · **Reply #136 on:** June 11, 2009, 05:27:06 PM

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."

Myrkin · **Reply #137 on:** June 11, 2009, 06:43:05 PM

"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.

Raptor · **Reply #138 on:** June 12, 2009, 10:49:40 AM

"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.

Myrkin · **Reply #139 on:** June 13, 2009, 06:26:23 PM

"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.