After The Battle (Watership Down Fanfiction)

Chapter Three

Dockleaf sniffed around the roots of a tree for clover. He loved eating clover, it helped calm him down. He jumped when his sister's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Whatcha doin'?", He turned around to see Rosehip and replied, "Looking for clovers." He wanted to distract himself from his friends. They were pressuring him to join the owsla. He knew it wasn't their intention to make him anxious, but he still felt like there has a weight on his shoulders when they mentioned it. Rosehip let a butterfly land on her nose. It stayed there for a second before flapping away. She then spoke again, "I know where to find some.", she blinked once at the butterfly before it disappeared out of sight. "Can you show me where?", Dockleaf asked. Rosehip nodded before replying, "Follow me", He followed his sister to a hill with a patch of clover growing on it.  He nodded and asked, "How did you know it was here?", Dockleaf couldn't see how she knew where every plant was, every day. "A friend told me.", She said, before trotting away, back to the worren. He ate, thinking deeply about all he worried. What if they put their faith in me to join the owsla and I can't do it? What if they ask me to kill an enemy?  His thoughts were cut off when he realised it was nearly dusk. As he headed back to the worren, he took in his surroundings. It was beautiful. The meadows and fields were bathed in golden-orange light,  the grass swayed ever so slightly in the warm breeze. As he walked, he forgot about all his worries. The sky turned a sort of orange-gold-pink that was warm and extraordinary. Dockleaf smiled at the sight as he walked on. When he arrived at the worren, Bluebell was telling a story to the rabbits. A little away, Rosehip sat doing what looked like talking quietly to a grasshopper. He frowned but shrugged it off. His sister was strange. Everyone in the worren knew that. It was best to leave her when she was doing this. Dockleaf trotted over to his friends and sat down. To his relief, they were too busy listening to the story to bother him. Stickyweed and Dew bent their heads in, leaning forward in anticipation. "And that's how Hazel lead the escape over the raging rapids!", Bluebell's voice rose as he spoke. For tonight, Dockleaf would be free of expectations.