Part

I looked up to the sky. I could see the shape of Harry The Hawk shrinking in the distance.
It was a bright day, glorious sunshine and voluptuous clouds - I laughed to myself - the clouds looked like fluffy humans.

I shouldered my staff and took stock of my situation. Here I was dumped in the middle of nowhere, well in the middle of a field, in a Brer-knows-where
part of the world. A part where, as far as I knew, nobunny had been before.
I looked for some landmarks - I could see the hill in the distance that Plessey wanted to head for. I took a deep breath and, the hill in my sights, tramped off over the field.

The crop was near to head-height on me and I felt like a real explorer forging my way through unknown territory.

Lacking any other stimulation, my mind wandered as I walked. How were the others to get across? I was sure Plessey could wizard something up. But, then again, I'd never seen him do much more than float. The field began to take on a familiar look and it was a few minutes before I could work out what was familiar. Then it came to me - there were bunny-tracks! There were rabbits here! Maybe long lost cousins or a feral tribe! My right paw clenched at my staff, my heart gaining courage from the magical wood.

I bounced up and down a few times, spinning round, looking in different directions. I caught some movement to my left near a copse and padded carefully towards it.

I hopped out of the head-high grain and landed on foot-high grass. I shouted
"Hullo!".
But there was no-one there. There was a shallow burrow and a table with a couple of bowls, of what looked like Carrot Stew.
I slid my staff from my shoulder and padded gently to the table. The bowls were still hot.
"Hullo!" I called again, "Where are you?" I suddenly realised I must be scaring them. They must have seen me coming through the field and thrown everything down and scattered. I sighed. I had been really looking forward to meeting savage cousins.

But they wouldn't be totally savage - they ate Carrot Stew!

"I've just come to visit!" I said, stupidly - I didn't know how to calm down a scared bunny or two.

Then my imagination slid from fourth to overdrive - What if they were a pair of enraged, manic, murderous outcasts? What if I had just tripped into the lair of thieves and outlaws? What if this were a trap made by foxes sly-er than Sly?

"We're not going back!" Came a voice from behind me. "Never!"
I spun round to face two conies bearing sharp pointed sticks. My mind stopped wandering as I gazed at the ends as the rabbits edged towards me.
"You can go and tell your masters that we're free of them." The nearest one said to me as his stick touched my chest.
"Tell your leaders that we don't need them!" The other rabbit said.

My staff was in front of me. Half-heartedly held in one hand. I wouldn't be able get a decent grasp and swing it before they spitted me. Anyway, I didn't want to hurt a rabbit. Even such possible conicidal outlaws as these.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" I gasped out as the sticks started to prick my skin. "I'm from across the Em-Way. I'm on a Quest."

"No rabbits live that far from the Commune." The first one said, squinting his eyes at me.
Commune?
"I do." I said, they had to be able to see reason. "I'm Gorden. I'm on a quest for the Head Buck."
The rabbits eyed each other, the second one turned his head to the side.
"You have a Head Buck?" I nodded, "Not a committee?"
"What's a committee?" I asked. "Is that a kind of cabbage."
"Yes!" Said the first rabbit laughing. "It is." He dropped the point of his stick to the floor. "I think we can trust him, Rod."
The second rabbit, presumably Rod, kept his stick pointing in me for a few more seconds then, scowling threw the stick behind him in disgust. "I hope you're right Rob." Then he gave a shrill whistle.
Out of the copse came more rabbits! Over five rabbits shuffled out - two does, a few children and three old and greying Bucks - they were older that the Head Buck's father!
Rob and Rod turned to the others "This is Gorden. He's come from over the Emway. He's not from the Commune." Rod said.
One of the children came up to me
"Were you born a free rabbit too? My Mummy says I was, but I've never seen an adult who was born free my mummy wasn't she was an indented server on the food lines, I don't want to be an indendenedned anything cos I like living here with by friends . I've got a mouse as a friend! Mummy says she didn't have any friends when she was young, just comrades." Before the youngster could let me have his entire lifestory a doe (presumably his mother) came up and grabbed him by the shoulders and ushered him away.
"Please excuse little Milton," She said smiling, "He'd never seen a stranger before. Well not a friendly one." She stroked some fur on her head away from her eyes. "Would you like some stew? We've got spare today." She sounded proud. They had spare food for once! I nodded.
"I'd love to."
She showed me to the table and pulled a small log up which I could sit on.
"Here," She said as she put a small bowl of steaming hot carrot stew in front of me.
"My favourite." I told her sniffing at the bowl "Smells wonderful!"

She pulled her bowl up and we chatted.
"We, ah, left, the Commune two years ago. We'd become disillusioned with our leaders and their plans for The Glory Of Conies Everywhere. Their plans just seemed to make us work harder and harder and we saw no benefits." She shook her head - it seemed a painful time for her. I put my paw on hers. "It's okay - I've nothing to do with this Commute of yours. And I'll do my absolute best to avoid it now." She smiled. Her name was Elsa.. The rabbit in me took over and we chatted and chatted.

I suddenly realised that time was getting on and I was no nearer Plessey, David and Cola. She must have seen the sudden panic in my eyes. "Must you go?" She asked. The rabbit in me stirred, but I quelled it. I thought of Cola pointing at the words in her books, reading them out to me. I realised I must be going.
I nodded. "I have friends who are depending upon me. They'll get in trouble if I'm not there.." I could just see David, a day without my calming influence! Who knows what tricks he'd get up to...

"MUMMY!" It was Milton "LOOK! I'VE FOUND A CARROT!" And so he had. As Elsa dealt with her son I stood up and rested on my staff. I stretched and nodded a goodbye to the busy mother, then started to walk away.

One of the first two rabbit came over.
"Gorden," he said, "My brother and I wish to warn you about the Commune. They don't like strangers - they either, remove them. Permanently, if you get my drift. Or they make you part of the Commune. Which is possibly worse. It's about three or four days journey that way" He said pointing in the direction I was going. I smiled a grim smile.
"I take your warnings to heart," I said, "Thank you. I must  go now. My friends need me."
He nodded. "Good luck, Gorden" We shook paws and I started off.

I made good time, a fair steady padding. But the day was drawing to a close and there was no sight of the others. I moved closer to the trees and started to look for a soft spot to spend the night.

By the time night fell I was curled up in a warm pile of leaves at the base of a wide tree.

I was just dropping off when something hit the leaves near my head. I snuggled up tighter.
A few seconds later something hit the leaves on the other side of me and rolled and bounced off my nose - it was an acorn. Trust my luck to sleep under a tree that was moulting. Nothing else happened and I was nearly gone when another acorn fell onto my nose.
"Ouch. That hurt, Tree." I said, "Find someone else to drop you nuts on."
To my surprise the tree laughed at me and another acorn hit my head. I sat up and looked up - it was the bat, throwing acorns at me.
"Nora, You're mad!" I shouted at her. She laughed once more.
"Hehehhehehe, you wait to see how mad I am when I find who killed my beloved!"
"What?"
"My beloved - the Hedgiepig whose staff you carry. Someone killed him you know." I nodded. She continued "And I'm out for revenge.." She threw another acorn at me, I dodged it.
"What's it to do with me?" I asked, plaintively, "I only met him once."
"But," she fixed me with her eyes "You knew he was dead! The Head Buck hasn't release the news yet.
"And," She said, I felt a shiver pass down my spine, "You do have his staff.." I closed my eyes and she took it as a golden opportunity and hit me
square on the nose with another acorn. I felt another acorn hit me, and another. I got up and turned into the forest and started running from her.
That was stupid. She's a flying-creature who can see in the dark. I'm a hopping creature who can't. It doesn't matter how many carrots I've eaten I
still can't tell the difference between a shadow and a root. In fact to prove it I jumped over a shadow and then tripped over a root.

The lights went out. Completely.