Watership Down - Ailith's Story

Chapter 5

Okay, this is an actual update.
Enjoy!!

She woke up, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could hear the familiar breathing of her brother.
        "Holly," She whispered, she had just turned one, knowing all the responsibilities that came with the title. A one year old doe was supposed to already be finding a mate, but she had other things on her mind. "Holly," She repeated. "Wake up." He shifted with a furrowed brow.
        "Ailith," He moaned with exhaustion. "Let me sleep."
        "Come on, it's sunny outside. I want to go out and play."
        "You're too old to play Ailith." He fired back, turning to face the small burrows wall.
        She sighed, well if he wouldn't take her she'd go herself. She crept quietly and slowly into the wide open. Her and her brother were considered Hlessil, even though they stayed in one small burrow that she made. Holly had turned down to live with a warren that supplied absolutely everything, does, food and even a position in the Owsla. All because she would have to find a mate, she admired how Holly cared for her, even if he was overprotective.
        It really wasn't his fault, ever since their old warren was destroyed, they had been on the run, the two lone rabbits. She thought that she would never need anything else, because she had Holly, and he was her everything.
        A rustling in the bushes made her snap out of her trance she had. She got into a fighting position,  there was a small mouse that hopped out. It trailed its eyes along Ailith's larger body, "Hello." It said.
        "Oh, hello there." She spoke sitting back.
"What's your name, rabbit?"   
        "Ailith, what's yours?"
        "Rowan." He said.
        "Cool," She said, then finally thought of the real reason she had come outside.
        "Hey, do you want to play? I know a few good games." She said, her excitement audible in her voice.
        "Sure! Let's play hide and seek." He ran off hiding by a tree, she had easily found him, with her sense of smell and hearing. They played for hours on end, finally Holly came outside to see them chasing each other. He enjoyed the sight, for Ailith hadn't had much time to be a kit. With them always being on the run, trying to find the perfect warren. Sometimes he did get mad at her, even when she didn't do anything wrong. He just was that way, for if she hadn't been born he could have a normal life. With a wife and kits, and maybe even join an Owsla.
        But no, she was his responsibility, she was his only family, his life. Holly thought best that if he could teach her how to fight, track and take care of herself that he wouldn't need to. It reassured him at times, but he still felt the need to take care of her. Even if she was getting more reckless and crazy every waking day, he admired her for it.
        He caught a scent of a large creature, "Ailith!" Right as he said the name a huge Fox ran from the bushes and caught the small mouse in its teeth, then ran off.
        Ailith looked shaken, she stood there in disbelief, her eyes wide. Oh Frith, her mind told her to get away from the area. But something questioned it, why would she do that. Wasn't the mouse her friend? She looked at Holly with a small realization, then scrambled after the Fox.
        "Damn it! Ailith, no!" She heard her brother scream to her.
        Bushes and leaves slapped at her face as she ran through the brush, she finally saw the fox ahead, eating the dead mouse's corpse easily. She stepped on a twig sending an echoing snap throughout the area, the large homba took around sniffing everything in sight, which left her of a clear image of her little friend, broken, mangled, she could see the lifelessness in his eyes. She stifled a whimper.
        The stupid fox heard this and swiped at her face hard, she fell backwards, as she did she could feel a warm liquid pouring down her face. She reached up to touch it, and as she pulled away she saw the dark crimson liquid along her paw, it showed brightly in the evening sun. The fox paced around her, wanting her to challenge it. She got up and watched the foxes' every movement, it lunged at her. She rolled away quickly, but something pulled her towards its direction, she fell again, feeling a searing pain through her right leg. She didn't want to look this time, she knew it was bad.
        Ailith struggled to get up this time, had she forgotten all of her training? Fight, Ailith, fight! She screamed in her head, the fox lunged at her again, this time Ailith stood on her hind legs and kicked the beast right in the nose. She stood back down on fours and watched the fox backup with irritation. It looked at her with its intense green eyes, the pupil got smaller with aggression, it lunged at her again, this time Holly stepped in between them sending them both flying in other directions.
        "Holly!" Ailith yelled running towards him.
        "Run!" He said as he pulled her in front of him. They ran through the forest hearing the pants of the predator following behind them. She ran behind her brother only seeing his white cottontail bounce up and down through the bushes. Ailith ran faster, running next to her brother, she saw his eyes darting back and forth around the area, looking for some cover.
        She looked hard as well, then she saw a little burrow underneath tree roots.
        "Holly, there!" She shouted. She ran towards the direction of the burrow hoping Holly would follow, she looked back for a moment to see the fox trip over a root and land harshly in a little puddle, she stopped and threw herself into the small sanctuary, Holly followed her close after.
        They stayed there, silent for what felt like an eternity. All she could hear was a loud heartbeat in her ears, and their ragged breaths. Adrenaline pumped through her shaking body, if Holly had died, it would've been her fault. She took a deep breath in trying to calm herself, it didn't work.
        "What in the hell were you thinking?" Holly spoke with clear frustration in his brown eyes.
        "I-I was trying to help-" She started tentatively.
        "Trying to help that dead mouse?" He said shaking his head slowly, making the guilt sink deeper into her. She hated to see her brother so worked up about something, especially if it was about her. She didn't like the feeling of disappointment from her brother for one of her actions, she just praised him so high.
        "I'm sorry." She said, looking down at her blood covered paws.
        Holly looked over at her and gave her a very small smile, "Let me help you." He said stepping beside her and licking her leg wound. Relief washed through her as the stinging, sharp pain of the new wound turned into a dull, throbbing feeling.
        "Thanks." She said.
        "Here's a lesson for you, Ailith." She turned her head. "You let your heart guide you, sometimes it's not always best that way."
        She was about to speak up, but Holly had more to say. "Your mind is your strongest weapon, but your heart questions it. Let your mind make the decisions, ignore your heart and you'll be fine." He said, tending to the wound.
        "Yes, brother."