Frith shone brilliantly over the rolling hills in the month of May while down below, upon the legendary Watership Down, the rabbits were in a somewhat mellow mood despite all the dangers they had to face, be it natural or political or the occasional and most-dreaded man-made issue. Among them Bigwig alone retained outward seriousness as he looked to the South and the East and every point in-between for he could not let the threat of Efrafa drop.
"Bigwig," Came a firm but caring voice from the rear of his left, "I know Efrafa's still something we have to deal with but El-ahrairah himself knows that rabbits cannot live on their toes all the time." Bigwig turned slightly to acknowledge Hazel before answering.
"From what I know of El-ahrairah being on your toes is what rabbit life is all about."
"Not day and night without rest." Hazel countered. "You've been on guard for three days and nights now. If this goes on you'll collapse from exhaustion, quite possibly when danger's right under your nose." Bearing in mind the rabbit's sense of smell this phrase must be more serious in the Lapine vernacular than you might think. With a sigh Bigwig settled on all fours.
"I don't know what bothers me more." He remarked. "Your being right about so many things or the fact I can't do anything about it. Nevertheless someone has to keep watch."
"Aren't Kehaar and Hannah performing reconnaissance?" Hazel checked; turning his head slightly in a moment of confusion Bigwig answered.
"They left before ni-Frith. For all I know one of them was taken by elil." Looking off for a moment Hazel briefly looked tharn before answering in a more solemn tone.
"There's only one option left, then. At least one of us will stand sentry for an hour and then another shall relieve them." Bigwig paused for a moment, wondering how it was he forgot such a simple practice, before gesturing consent. "Get below ground and have a rest," Hazel continued, "I'll take over." Bigwig looked ready to protest further until Hazel realised what his concern was at this point. "I'm sure Holly or Blackavar would be willing to spread the word." With that Bigwig made for the warren proper, but he wasn't going to be quite so choosy about who'd be spreading the word.
"Hawkbit!" He bellowed at the first rabbit he found. "Hazel's decided to take on sentry duty, you'll relieve him in an hour." He went on into a hole without any further explanations.
"It would be me." Hawkbit groused. "Don't mind me, I was just minding my own business at silflay, so I obviously have to go on sentry duty after Hazel." Another rabbit just happened to be passing when they overheard some of his bellyaching.
"Sentry duty?" He asked. "The chief rabbit's gone on sentry duty?" Hawkbit gave his audience a sceptical look before answering.
"And Bigwig wants me to relieve him in an hour. You want to take it on after me, old Broom?"
"It has to be over a year since I last had any kind of sentry duty. The role of an owsla captain can feel empty when no other rabbits are around. Sure, I'll relieve you after another hour. Perhaps you'd like to hear about how we dealt with the responsibility of it back at Redstone. Why it was a most..." As Broom recounted his time in the Redstone owsla Hawkbit moved on, feeling he had enough to suffer.
In rabbit lore the terms 'minute' and 'hour' had not definitive meanings regarding length of time, they effectively represented a period of time within a day that were perceived as 'short' and 'long' respectively. As such Hawkbit could've left Hazel standing guard for well over the human idea of an hour if Kehaar had not returned at a most opportune time, prompting Hazel to duck as he stumbled over a hlao nearby.
"Kehaar!" Hazel declared as he got back on his paws. "We were beginning to worry about you."
"Vat you worry for?" He replied. "Kehaar no bovvered 'bout Efrafa. Vas vaiting for Hannah to return." He gestured to the mouse as she scampered over to Hazel.
"I've good news and bad news." She said. "Bad news, Vervain's been restored to t'owsla, Woundwort figures 'e had his sense knocked back in. Good news, Woundwort's gone reorganising t'marks and Campion's got pride o'place." Hazel couldn't fully understand what Hannah was saying but he picked up on Campion still being valued as an owsla captain and Vervain no longer being among the lowest strata of Efrafan society.
"Any sign at the meeting oak?" He asked, figuring that such activity would lead to Campion requesting contact.
"Not when we looked." She answered. "My guess is we on our own this time." Looking up Hazel immediately made for a few rabbits at silflay while declaring.
"Spread the word! Meeting in the Honeycomb at sunset."
"It's good to hear these reports," Bigwig remarked once the meeting was all explained, "But what good does it do us? Unless a patrol's sighted particularly close to the down I can see nothing we're not doing already."
"Campion's still got good authority in Efrafa." Hazel affirmed. "He must leave a message for when we're to meet again. Perhaps if I go through the cavern tonight and double-check..."
"Hazel, you're too valuable to take the risk." Holly interjected. "A good chief always sends an officer."
"Besides, your name and mine are known to the Efrafans." Bigwig added. "There are a few rabbits here Woundwort has no real knowledge of." A number of heads turned upon hearing this.
"Hey! Don't look at me!" Hawkbit groaned suspiciously.
"You have had owsla training," Bigwig countered, "None of the Efrafans know who you are. Unless anyone's got a better idea..." Just then a tingling chill ran up the spines of some rabbits and Fiver began staring into space with an ethereal gasp.
"Fiver?" Hazel checked. "What do you see?"
"A hole in reality deep below, who passes through must let go." Everything settled back into a normal state like the rebound of an elastic band.
"And just what's that got to do with anything?" Hawkbit moaned.
"Remember there were three tunnels we had to follow the first time we were down there?" Fiver clarified.
"One leads close to Efrafa, the other's fresh air flowing through it in a deception against where it leads." Hazel confirmed. "Are you saying we should check the remaining tunnel?"
"I'm not sure. It may be helpful but, from what I saw, there's no way of knowing what we'll find."
"If we let our uncertainty determine our decisions we'd never have found the secret route to Efrafa." Bigwig pointed out. "Remember, who dares wins!"
"And just how did we end up with this team?" Bigwig groaned as he sat at the entrance to the caverns along with Blackberry, Dandelion, Pipkin, Hazel and Fiver. "When facing the unknown you should have rabbits who are experienced but not essential to the warren."
"We're not attempting to break rabbits out of a hutch." Hazel answered. "We're just seeing what it is that Fiver's learned about. Anyway the warren can still operate with Holly around."
"You weren't so worried when we agreed to join Kehaar on a journey to the Big Water." Blackberry pointed out.
"That was different." Bigwig was on the defensive. "I knew it would've been possible to get back to the warren from there, even if it would've taken a long time."
"But if, whatever it is, is down here then wouldn't it be even quicker to get back to the warren from there?" Pipkin checked.
"That's enough." Hazel interrupted them. "In every adventure we face there's the chance we won't come back, but we always did. We must put our trust in Frith."
"And our faith in trust." Dandelion added for good measure.
"I don't believe I'm saying this," Bigwig remarked, "But you're right, Dandelion. I suppose there always was going to be a first time."
"Primrose?" Hazel addressed a newcomer as she came upon them.
"Take good care of yourself." She said solemnly. "I'd hate to lose you." With a look of restrained regret Hazel leaned against her in a gesture of 'au revior' before joining Bigwig at the head of the expeditionary force and leading them into the caverns.
The tunnel didn't seem any different to the other two but there was no scent of fresh air, water or anything at all; to Hazel it was like nothing at all had ever been down here. After some minutes of this Pipkin began to fret.
"Is anything the matter?" Blackberry asked him.
"No, no." The young buck answered hesitantly. "It's just... this reminds me of the story of how El-ahrairah went to the warren of the Black Rabbit." She gave him a nudge before replying.
"Pipkin, I find it really unlikely this is the way to... that place. Even if it was He wouldn't take any rabbit before their time. Now, come on. Where's the Pipkin I know who's always getting his nose into things he's never seen before?" With a slight smile Pipkin hopped after the others with Blackberry on his tail.
By the time they caught sight of Hazel and Bigwig again they were sniffing the air.
"Something's off." Bigwig remarked. "I can't even smell any of you."
"There is something, though." Hazel added. "I don't know what to make of it. It's almost like there's a smell for a lack of smell."
"Yeah." Dandelion affirmed after a few sniffs. "It's like every scent is being swallowed by a non-scent."
"It all sounds like nonsense to me." Bigwig replied. "I reckon this is an overpowering scent but is one we were not meant to smell, so we can't." After a few moments to consider this Hazel encouraged them to continue their advance. As they rounded a corner something made them stop. In the poor light deep below the down they could hear an otherworldly groan and a warm breeze beginning to develop but their noses were still unable to detect anything. About twenty steps forward their surroundings were looking like they were starting to lose all colour but green and the breeze was getting stronger and the groan was louder. Taking a deep breath Hazel pushed on, almost at a run as he tried to push past his fear of the unknown.
Finally, after a few more turns, Hazel stopped and gestured to the others so no one would pass him. Everything was covered in a green light now, they could barely see any difference in their fur colour. Right in front, with a potent warm breeze flowing out of it, was the apparent hole Fiver had spoken of; it was clearly the source of the green light and it seemed like a whirlpool tipped on its side. Dandelion and Pipkin started to back away.
"Stand fast, you two!" Bigwig snapped. "So, what do we do now?" He asked Hazel.
"At least one of us will have to go in." He answered.
"As long as it's not you or Fiver." Bigwig responded. "You're too valuable."
"If it comes to that, so are you." Hazel retorted. "And I'm not sending Pipkin in before anyone else." Bigwig glanced to Dandelion, whereupon the storyteller shook his head vehemently.
"Oh, I'll go." Blackberry groaned in response to their hesitancy. "Never send a buck to do a doe's job."
"Oh, now you say so." Bigwig stated as Hazel put a paw on her shoulder.
"If two of us go through together it'll help in keeping watch." He pointed out. "There's no way of knowing what's on the other side of this... or even if there is another side."
"Hazel," Fiver spoke up, "Let me go with her. Something inside me says we should give this hole a chance."
"If you can even call it a hole." Bigwig added.
"All right, Fiver." Hazel consented. "But if you can jump straight back through if you find any danger." With that Blackberry and Fiver leaped into the vortex... and vanished without any sign of change. After a minute or so Blackberry's face appeared in the middle.
"It looks safe enough." She said. "But there are a few things suggesting man's presence." Bigwig immediately leapt towards her, prompting her to duck back.
"Hazel," Pipkin ventured, "Do you really think it's safe?" Looking at the youngster Hazel thought carefully before replying.
"This thing might not be dangerous in itself, but as to what lies beyond I do not know." Then Fiver's face appeared in the centre of the vortex.
"We're okay so far." He told them. "I think the rest of you can enter." With that he disappeared again.
"Dandelion," Hazel spoke, "You go ahead. Pipkin and I will follow together." Dandelion did not leap like the others but nervously hopped forward, allowing Hazel to notice that only half of him vanished before the rest disappeared. "Ready, Pipkin? On the count of three. One, two, three!" They leapt with great energy and fell right through the strange hole.
