Watership Down The New World chapter 66

Chapter 66 Epilogue

March 10th 2792, Watership Down

Alan sat atop his favourite rock on the northern summit of Watership Down. A journal lay open on his lap, where he wrote down his memoirs – a daily routine he had adapted since settling down into his new life. Today was the first anniversary of his arrival into the 28th century. For the past year, he, Derek, Hotdog, Josie, and Lucy had worked hard, making rapid progress in adjusting to their new life, while watching their neighbours' own society grow with the arrival of the latest generation.

Ever since the defeat of Woundwort and Robbins, there had been a mad rush of mating and kittens. Violet's litter had grown into healthy young rabbits: Speedwell and Buckthorn, named after Bluebell's late cousins, Acorn, named after the late twins' closest friend, and the only doe in the litter, Bluebella, named after her father. The bucks were natural pranksters and jokesters, while Bluebella seemed to have inherited her mother's docile, yet friendly nature as well as her stunning beauty.

Clover's litter was the first to arrive following the demise of Robbins. Holly had been ecstatic when he proudly announced that he was finally going to be a father. Their four kittens Sandwort, Melsa, Crowla and Pimpernel, the latter named after Holly's late Owsla comrade, brought the couple great joy, particularly for Holly, who was delighted to finally have a family of his own. Sandwort and Pimpernel took very much after their father, both being well-built bucks, courageous, if not as disciplined, particularly Sandwort, who soon gained a reputation as a reckless daredevil, while Melsa and Crowla took more after their mother, being curious and good-natured.

Hyzenthlay had been next, almost sending Hazel into a swoon when he was told he was going to be a father. Their four daughters Snowdrop, Gillia, Tindra and Primrose were the couple's pride and joy, particularly for Hyzenthlay who was ecstatic to finally mother her own kittens. The painful memories of the many miscarriages she'd suffered during her captivity in Efrafa, with all the litters being stillborns as a result of all the misery and abuse, had haunted her up to the point that she feared she would never have kittens at all. Throughout her pregnancy, she'd constantly fretted at the possibility of her kittens being born dead or sickly; to her utmost joy, all four kittens were born strong and healthy. Finally a mother in her own rights, she could truly enjoy the wonders of a life of freedom.

The next litter had been Thethuthinnang's, who had become Blackberry's mate. Their kittens Crowfoot, Foxglove, Frogbit, Sparrow and Yale had all inherited their father's beautiful mind, but also their mother's wise voice of reason, making them not only intelligent, but open-minded as well, surpassing their father's conservative beliefs. Although the humans had more or less earned Blackberry's trust and respect, deep down Alan knew he secretly still didn't approve of his family intermingling with them, but at least he'd raised no objections when his children had become Lucy's new playmates. Like Hazel-rah had said, this was a new society, with new ways of thinking for everyone.

Fiver had almost had a fit when Vilthuril told him he was going to be a father. What did he know about raising a family? But after a lot of reassuring from Hazel and Alan, he'd finally come round and they had all sat, waiting to welcome the warren's fifth litter. Their kittens were Walnut, Peanut and Almond, named after Fiver's father and brothers respectively, the eldest Forest, and finally the runt of the litter Threar-roo or Little Threar, named in memory of the Threarah.

Although four of the kittens were born strong and healthy, runty Little Threar was born so tiny, it had seemed unlikely he would survive. Only thanks to Alan and Josie hand-rearing the kitten for several weeks, until he was old enough to accept the texture of grass, had that grim prospect been averted. Vilthuril had been overjoyed when her son was returned to her healthy as a horse. Although a tiny runt, Little Threar was the pluckiest in spirit and had even inherited his father's far sight, making him different from the others, sometimes even scorned at; Fiver and Vilthuril were both very firm when it came to such an incident, which luckily wasn't often. Indeed, Fiver's far sight, which had guided the Watershipers through so many obstacles on their journey, had earned him a great deal more respect from his friends, even Hawkbit.

Some had found happiness in other ways, besides mating and raising families. Hawkbit had developed an on-off relationship with Nelthilta; although on first impression it seemed like the least likely relationship to last, given that Nelthilta often called Hawkbit 'a big-mouthed sloth' while he called her 'a big-headed field mouse', Alan could see true love lingering beneath. Blackavar, who had also settled down on Watership Down, was a different story. Although Groundsel-rah had offered him a high position in Vleflain's Owsla, the painful memories of his life in Efrafa run too deep, making him want nothing more to do with his former enslavers, reformed or not. Finally, he'd agreed to take the position of ambassador to Vleflain on Watership Down. Although it would take time, someday he might find it in his heart to forgive them.

Happiness of course wasn't limited only to Watership Down. Shortly after the former Efrafans had moved into Vleflain, Groundsel had announced the arrival of their first litter, that of the newly promoted Owsla Lieutenant Moss, Campion's new deputy, and his mate Heather, a former slave doe who had become very attached to him. Woundwort's dark influence of hatred and distrust between officers and commoners was slowly crumbling.

Vleflain didn't retain Woundwort's old regime; the Owslafa had been completely abolished and while the warren still had a large Owsla and Wide Patrols, their purposes had now been significantly altered. The Owsla was no longer used for invasion and conquest, but for proper defence, while the Wide Patrols had been reorganised into peaceful exploration squads, after the interest in exploring humanity's lost world had began to grow. Slavery and capital punishment had been entirely abolished; the former slave bucks had been offered positions in the newly reformed Owsla and the does were granted freedom of mating. The warren had soon flourished under the new order, marking the collapse of Woundwort's rule and the dawn of a new era of peace.

Holly was appointed the ambassador to Watership Down in Vleflain; although he chose not to settle down there permanently, to be with his family and friends, he frequently travelled between the two warrens, meeting with Groundsel's newly reformed High Council, and keeping the alliance between their peoples going.

The only remainder of Woundwort's rule was Vervain, who'd settled down in Vleflain as a lowly outskirter. After he'd recovered from his injury, there had been several talks about banishing him, even killing him. But Campion had eventually taken pity on him and persuaded Groundsel to let him stay. However, he was on a life-long ban from any position in the Owsla, due to his endless record of abuse of position, forcing to bear the full weight of his unpopularity for the rest of his life, which served him right. Cowslip too had left Watership Down shortly after recovering and fled into exile, never to be seen again. Some said he died a lonely hlessi, while others claimed he'd rebuilt his life somewhere far away, working his old evil.

Silverweed had recovered nicely but soon realised his seer powers weren't completely gone after all; only a few weeks after he'd awoken from his coma, he had surprised them all by announcing his far sight had returned. Although he'd earned the Watershipers' undying gratitude by saving Alan's life, he couldn't bear the thought of someone else exploiting his powers for their own selfish ends. So, he'd left Watership Down and returned to Cowslip's empty warren, where he now lived quietly and alone, although he remained on good terms with his friends.

As for Alan and his family, they'd settled down nicely and made a whole new life for themselves. Their new home had been finished by the beginning of their first winter, allowing them to pursue their next task of learning to survive independently from their long gone civilisation. It was anything but easy; despite Alan and Derek's vast scientific knowledge, rebuilding everything from scratch was an enormous challenge for a group of people accustomed to the luxuries of 21st century civilisation. However, over many months of experimenting and hard work, the colonists had perfected all the necessary skills to make their lives bearable.

Derek, the colony's engineer, had successfully qualified as a builder, blacksmith, carpenter, potter, and even as a glassblower, coming up with the colony's compound, a wind turbine for renewable power, and even a working motortrike. Alan, the colony's biologist and primary food-supplier, had qualified as a greenhouse gardener, farmer, and even as a brewer, introducing many methods of preserving food without refrigeration. His military skills also gave him the advantage of qualifying as a specialist in Bigwig's Owsla.

Josie, the colony's chief physician, as well as the veterinarian for the warren, had built herself a new infirmary, supplied by herbal medications Alan had developed. Hotdog, left out of a job after the destruction of their plane, had become Derek's assistant and handyman. Life in the new world was harsh and a sharp mind was critical to survival. All the colonists would therefore spend several hours a day reading, perfecting their skills in all useful fields of knowledge they knew how, and taking full control of their lives.

As soon as they were settled in, another issue had been brought up: Lucy's interrupted education. Alan had every intention of stirring his daughter away from the ways of the old human world and teaching her everything anew. One of the first things he did was to teach her, as well as himself, Lapine, so they could communicate comfortably with their neighbours. With the help of Hyzenthlay and the other does, who were by custom teachers to their young, Lucy had learned quickly and was soon as fluent as the rabbits themselves.

When it came to the adults however, none of which had had the advantage of learning it at a young age, and without any proper books on the subject, it had proven rather difficult. But with patience and practice, they too slowly managed. In return, they also taught the kittens and even Blackavar, who was frustrated of being unable to communicate with his new friends properly because of the language barrier, English, so they could all communicate perfectly in both languages.

When it came to Pipkin however, Alan had given him a full human education, including how to read. The dwarf rabbit had soon found new strengths hidden within him, morphing into an intelligent and responsible young buck, far surpassing the skittish, naive weakling he had been since the deaths of his parents. Alan had soon come to relying on him heavily, treating him much like a son.

Besides education, the colonists had had to provide for themselves. The future world had a rich environment, but it wouldn't sustain them during the long winter months. So Alan had come up with the idea of a greenhouse, built out of scrap metal and old glass panes salvaged from the HAB. Once it was finished, the colonists had planted the seeds they'd brought with them from the 21st century. Unfortunately, their first attempt was a failure due to the fact that the seedlings from their own time were completely vulnerable to the unknown parasites of the future; without pesticides or fertilisers, most of them had soon become contaminated with fungi and moulds and rotted, yielding them nothing.

On their second attempt, Alan had experimented with seeds harvested from the future flora; these proved to be an enormous success and within six months, they were growing their own potatoes, rice, corn, soybeans, amongst other crops, which would keep them fed for years. The rabbits had been struck dumb with amazement when the humans had presented them with fresh flayrah on their first Frith's Eve feast, in the middle of a freezing winter.

Aside from their greenhouse, the colonists also bred livestock, including the chickens and ducks they'd brought from the 21st century, which had successfully hatched shortly after their arrival, in addition to their horses. With them, they were able to fulfil the rest of their food needs, as well as their transportation needs. By the time their supplies from the 21st century were run out, they were successfully producing their own bread, dairy products, vegetables, fruit, and even homemade wine and beer, making their survival away from civilisation indefinite.

Once they had a home and food, they had also started making plans of exploring the new world. Alan had had hopes that maybe in mainland Europe or America some fragments of the Old World might have survived. Alas, with their plane destroyed and dismantled, they had no means of undertaking such a journey, so the plan was soon abandoned. When they'd tried setting up a long-range radio station, to scan for any possible transmissions from future civilizations overseas, they'd picked up nothing, confirming that there were no other intelligent humans left on the planet. Instead, they'd focused on exploring their own territory in the Meadows of Fenlo.

Josie had settled down happily with Alan; although still mourning the deaths of her husband and son, with Alan's encouragement, she was able to overcome her grief and move on, sparing her the ordeal Alan had gone through. Over the past year, she had accompanied many Wide Patrols, in hopes of finding her son. Unfortunately, no trace of him was ever found and she was eventually forced to conclude that he too was lost forever. Although not married, she and Alan had resumed dating just like in the old days and their old romance was soon rekindled, although they had kept it private.

A year had passed this way. The rabbits had quickly accepted the humans into their lives, just like it had been during the time of El-ahrairah; the kittens in particular, who had been around them since birth and fully accustomed to their presence, enjoyed their company. Alan had found them to be the most playful creatures in existence, even more than their parents were, and would always find himself surrounded by those playful youngsters, all asking to be cuddled or patted every time he came to visit.

Alan had found a large ream of blank paper during one of his many searches in the HAB. The package had been sealed airtight, preventing the sheets from decaying. Although they had their computers from the 21st century for writing, he needed something more robust for recording their adventures and accomplishments for future generations to read. Using this paper, he was able to bind it, making a large journal, similar to Drake's, for recording his memoirs.

As he sat there, admiring the stunning view of the sunset, he suddenly felt something soft rubbing against his leg. Looking down, he saw a familiar mousy-furred kitten pawing at him, to get his attention. He smiled as he put aside his journal and gently picked up the rabbit onto his lap, "Hallo, Threar, you little bugger, what are you up to?" The kitten arched its back in pleasure, looking up at the man with a wide grin.

"Frithaes, Uncle Alan."

The man smiled as he gently patted his adoptive nephew between the ears. His nephew. Being almost like family to his rabbit friends' children still amazed him. A firm voice interrupted this tender moment, "Threar, where are you? Threar!" Alan turned and saw Fiver coming from their way, looking rather worried; his expression instantly softened as he noticed his son in the lap of his heart-brother.

"Hallo Fiver," the man greeted his heart-brother, who sat down beside him, as they sat admiring the view together. Fiver looked at the setting sun, "We better return to the Honeycomb. Vilthuril will be very cross if I let Threar outside after dark again." With Alan carrying Little Threar on his shoulder, the two heart-brothers made their way back to the Honeycomb together.

Approaching the beech tree, Alan saw the rest of the youngsters out at play, including Lucy playing tail-tag with Sandwort, who was her best friend. From all the youngsters, Sandwort was the biggest and strongest, so the others looked up to him and Lucy like leaders of their group. Sandwort and Lucy on the other hand, had become like brother and sister, having adventures together, pulling pranks, or sharing secrets, although Lucy maintained a strong relationship with all the others as well.

Alan smiled as he watched his daughter being playfully pinned down by Sandwort; although still a youngster, not to mention technically younger than Lucy, Sandwort, like all the kittens, grew amazingly fast and by the time he was six months old, could overpower Lucy single-handedly. Dandelion sat supervising the kittens nearby, while entertaining those who would listen with the story of the Four Brothers. As soon as they spotted Alan, the kittens abandoned their games and rushed over to greet him.

"How are you little rascals doing?" Alan asked playfully, as he knelt down, only to find himself instantly engulfed in a bundle of furry bodies, nuzzling and licking him in silent fondness. The greeting was interrupted when Speedwell Jr suddenly leapt onto Alan's shoulders and snatched away his hat – a common prank the twins liked to play on him. Alan smiled and gave chase; Speedwell tossed the hat to Buckthorn and back and, combined with their speed, it made it difficult for Alan to retrieve it. But when Buckthorn tossed it to Bluebella, the young doe tossed it back to Alan instead, ruining their game. Alan smiled in gratitude as he patted Bluebella between the ears; he knew Bluebell's sons didn't like having their pranks spoiled and feared their sister wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, with the twins pranking her without end.

At that moment, the does came out to call the children to bed. Hyzenthlay, accompanied by Violet, Vilthuril, Clover and Thethuthinang smiled as they noticed Alan, not looking the least concerned about their children playing with a fully-grown human, one carrying a shotgun over his shoulder nonetheless. Calmly, they walked over to the crowd, "Come on, children, evening silflay is over; time to go in. You'll have plenty of time to play with your Uncle Alan tomorrow."

"Mother, can't we stay out a little longer please?" Primrose pleaded as she and her sisters walked up to their mother, looking hurt at being asked to come to bed in the middle of their fun. Noticing their expressions of disappointment, Alan stepped in, "Best do as your mother tells you, girls. You don't want to come face to face with a night predator now, do you?"

"Uncle Alan, what is a predator?" asked Sparrow, one of Blackberry's kittens, who had an intriguing curiosity. Before Alan could explain however, Sandwort, who liked to show off, spoke up, "I'll tell you what it is, chaps: it's the homba, the lendri, the pfeffa, the rowf, the nildel and all the other elil that are likely to sneak into the warren when you're asleep, catch you and eat you!" Alan and some of the other adults couldn't help but chuckle, but the does, noticing the children's frightened expressions, weren't pleased.

"There is no need to scare your friends like that, Sandwort!" Clover scolded her son, who walked up to her with his ears drooped. Vilthuril gently retrieved Threar from Alan's shoulder and the mothers retreated into the warren with their kittens, to put them to bed.

Entering the illuminated warren (Derek had installed several light-bulbs on wires from the ceiling, powered from his wind turbine, so the humans no longer needed flashlights whenever they visited), Alan saw Hazel and Bigwig conversing with Campion, who had arrived from Vleflain for a meeting. Greeting Alan, the group settled down, while Fiver volunteered to keep Lucy company, playing a game of Bobstones with her nearby.

"Groundsel-rah has been asking about that deserted man-burrow site again; he wishes to have the area searched for presence of humanoids," said Campion, referring to a stony outcrop, which were the remains of some unidentified town his Wide Patrols had recently discovered up north, "I've arranged to take out a Wide Patrol tomorrow with Moss and we would like you to accompany us." Ever since the union of the two warrens, many such expeditions were made with the humans tagging along, to map the area, as well as to explore.

"I'll cancel tomorrow's Owsla exercises and we'll all meet you at Vleflain at dawn," said Bigwig, "I'm sure you can have the lads ready to make an early start in the morning?" Alan nodded with a grimace; Hotdog and Derek would have his guts for garters if he dragged them out of bed at five in the morning again.

Later that evening, Alan made his way home with Lucy, under the light of the moon and Pandora Belt (the name they'd given to the ring of the shattered asteroid fragments circling the Earth). Alan was humming Bright Eyes to himself, when he felt Lucy tug on his sleeve, "Daddy, I was wondering if you would let Sandwort and me use the lab?" Alan had to fight back a laugh.

"No way! I'm not about to let you guys demolish the house! The last time I let you two play in the kitchen, I ended up been chased around with a horse-whip by Josie, for ruining her kitchen!" Lucy burst out laughing at the memory. Alan raised an eyebrow, "What, think that's funny, you little rascal?" Lucy only fought back more laughter, "Well laugh this off!"

In one swift move, he picked up his daughter, flung her in the air and caught her by the ankles. Lucy squealed as he started tickling her feet, "My my, you need a bath, young lady!" he said, noticing how dirty her feet were; with all those activities she and the kittens would get up to every day, not to mention she had developed a habit of walking around barefoot, it was only to be expected. Carrying her upside-down over his shoulders, he approached their compound overlooking Beacon Hill, where Josie was waiting for them with Pipkin, who'd come to bid them goodnight.

"There you are," she said, putting her lantern aside to kiss Alan, "I thought you were going to spend the whole night at the Honeycomb. Bigwig's been keeping you for one of his Patrol briefings again?" Alan put Lucy down, chuckling, "That great big dandy might very well want to keep me there around the clock but I'm not about to oblige him any time soon…not when I'm dying to come home every evening!" he said, as he kissed her again. Josie giggled, "Not in front of the kids, Alan!" Alan turned and saw Lucy and Pipkin sniggering in amusement.

So where are Derek and Hotdog?" Alan asked, as they followed her into the kitchen, where Josie had a hot meal waiting. The walls and flooring of the house were made of planks from old packing crates salvaged from the HAB, while the ceiling was held up by old steel girders cut from the facility's framework. The furnishings were plain, made either of roughly-cut wood or scavenged HAB materials, without paint or varnish. The first floor built inside the thatch roof upstairs housed the colonists' bedrooms.

"They decided to turn in early; Pipkin's already informed them about tomorrow's scouting patrol. I suspect they don't fancy the prospect of being woken up by Bigwig again…" Alan snorted at the memory, remembering how his two friends had once overslept on a scheduled patrol, causing a furious Bigwig to burst into their rooms and cuffing them on the nose to wake them up. This was the end of another day.

Later that night, a drowsy Alan made his way upstairs, to bed. He and his companions each had their private room, where they kept their personal belongings, although Alan had secretly shared a bed with Josie on more than one occasion. His bedroom was the first on the landing, with a window looking out onto the Down, in the direction of the Honeycomb nearby.

Changing into his nightclothes, he lay down on his bulky wooden bed, which had a sheepskin mattress, a chicken-feather stuffed pillow and their 21st century camping blankets for covering. Pulling the bedclothes over him, he removed his glasses and put out his candle.

Today, the first anniversary of his new life had come and gone. So far, he'd come a long way; growing up motherless, losing his father before he was even in his early teens, disowned by his brother, losing his wife to a vengeful rival, hunted down by a terrorist faction, having the most extraordinary adventure in history, even coming to the point of having to murder one of his former friends to protect the rest of his family. But finally he had finally found his true place in the world – and not in the corrupt human world he had once known. The life he had always wanted was here, in this new century and age. Now, he was truly home, on Watership Down.

~FINIS~