Watership down 2 - a new threat

Chapter 58

Chapter 58: The Worse Vision

The chaos of the impending attack weighed heavily on Fiver as he struggled to keep pace with the frantic movements of his friends. His heart raced not just from the fear of Woundwort's approaching soldiers, but from an ominous sense of foreboding that hung over him like a dark cloud.

As the group split to execute their plan, Fiver felt a familiar tug in his mind—a sign that another vision was coming. He fought against it, desperate to stay present and help, but the pull was too strong. He stumbled to a stop, clutching his head as the world around him faded.

Suddenly, he was no longer in the forest. Instead, he found himself standing in a desolate wasteland, filled with the echoes of screams and the stench of decay. The ground was scorched, and the sky was a turbulent gray, filled with swirling clouds that crackled with distant lightning. The once vibrant world of green and life was now a graveyard of despair.

Fiver looked around in horror, and as he did, he saw bodies scattered across the ground—rabbits, both familiar and unknown, lifeless and cold. He recognized some of them from his past, friends and family whose names haunted his memory. Pipkin's face loomed large in his mind, a painful reminder of the cost of their struggle.

"No!" Fiver gasped, staggering back. "This can't be! Not again!"

But the vision continued to unfold. He saw a towering figure in the distance—Woundwort, standing over a makeshift throne, surrounded by soldiers who were mercilessly executing any rabbit who dared to oppose them. The sound of their cries echoed in Fiver's ears, and he felt the weight of their suffering settle in his heart.

"Why, Woundwort?" he shouted, his voice echoing into the void. "Why do this?"

Woundwort turned his gaze toward Fiver, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "Because fear is power, little rabbit. They will obey or die."

Fiver shuddered, feeling the weight of hopelessness crash down around him. He wanted to turn away, to escape this hellish vision, but he was rooted to the spot. The cries of the fallen grew louder, and he saw a rabbit being dragged before Woundwort—a young doe who bore a striking resemblance to Hyzenthlay.

"Please, spare her!" Fiver cried out, but his voice fell silent in the chaos.

Woundwort raised a paw, and the soldiers tightened their grip on the doe. "Anyone who shows weakness will perish. This is the new world I will create—a world where the strong survive, and the weak are eliminated."

Fiver's heart raced with panic. He felt helpless as he witnessed the brutal reality of Woundwort's ambition—a world filled with oppression and despair, where every decision was marked by violence and cruelty.

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath him, and he fell to his knees. The bodies around him seemed to writhe and shift, their faces twisted in agony. Fiver squeezed his eyes shut, willing the vision to end, but the pain only intensified.

Then, just as quickly as it began, everything faded. Fiver gasped and opened his eyes, finding himself back in the forest. The sounds of his friends were muted, and the overwhelming sense of dread hung in the air.

"Fiver!" Hazel's voice cut through the fog. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Fiver looked up, his heart still racing. "It was worse than before... Woundwort is planning something terrible. He wants to instill fear and crush us completely. He... he will kill anyone who stands against him."

Hazel's expression hardened, the determination in his eyes deepening. "Then we need to prepare. We can't let that vision come true. We'll fight back. We have to protect each other."

"But it's not just us," Fiver warned, his voice trembling. "It's everyone. Woundwort won't stop until he controls everything."

Bigwig joined them, his ears alert. "Then we need to gather our allies and devise a plan. We can't allow Woundwort to take anyone else. We'll stand and fight together."

Fiver nodded, a flicker of hope igniting within him. The vision had shown him the worst, but it also reminded him of the strength they had when united. "Together, we can face whatever he throws at us."

With renewed resolve, the group moved forward, ready to confront the darkness that loomed on the horizon. The battle for their future had only just begun, and Fiver knew they had to act quickly before the nightmare he witnessed became a reality.