AUTHOR'S NOTE: thank you Anonymous Guest for the review! The kittens will continue to have an important role.

Chapter 109: The Next Mission.

"He liked to pause between the sentences, it was his unique way of telling stories, and it certainly made them more gripping, [...]"

-ThePassionFruit, The Adventures of Little

The prisoner was still holding the farmer at gunpoint when the officer suddenly entered the building, blood dripping from his hand.

-"What happened to you?" the woman asked, walking over to him, accidentally pointing the gun at his face.

-"Put that thing away!" He grabbed the gun and put it in his pocket. "As for what happened, the cat bit me."

-"Ew, cats!" The woman grimaced. "Nasty beasts."

-"What are you talking about? Cats are perfect in every way, and can also be very dangerous when they feel like it. If the police wants to lower crime rates, they really need to abolish canine units, and replace them with felines."

-"Of course," the woman mumbled. "Shoot the criminals while they're laughing at the ridiculousness of it all."

-"Never mind that, will you help me bandage this up?"

-"I can't, remember?" The woman angrily shook her handcuffed fists at him.

-"No need to get excited." He pulled the gun out of his pocket with his other hand, and walked over to the farmer. "Have you changed your mind about the judge?"

-"I told you, I can't, I don't know the number."

-"In that case, bandage?" He placed his bloody hand right under the farmer's nose.

-"That...can be arranged..."

Fiver, Pipkin and Silverweed found Dandelion in his burrow. However, after they explained the situation, he was not as helpful as they had expected.

-"The shining star appeared in several different stories," he explained. "Which one do you want to hear?"

-"The one with the interdimentional object," Pipkin said.

-"That also appeared in virtually all the same stories. There are hrair of them."

-"What can you tell us about the object, then?" Fiver said.

-"It was used to cut portals from one plane of reality to another. The shining star used it on a regular basis, until the very end, when it was lost in a horrible storm, more intense than any rainstorm we have ever encountered."

-"Does this mean it could never be used again?" Silverweed was disappointed: if Dandelion was correct, they would not be able to contact Leo this way.

-"It could be used again, but someone would have to locate it first. That may be really difficult, however, as its appearance varied from one story to another."

-"Well, thanks for the explanation," Fiver said, as he hopped out of the burrow, with Pipkin and Silverweed following. "Unless we find out exactly what happened with that storm, this won't work."

-"Speaking of a storm..." Pipkin said, "do you want to try rainmaking?"

-"I suppose..."

Fiver did not feel very motivated following the conversation with Dandelion, but he nevertheless followed Pipkin above ground, to a quiet spot on the far side of the Down.

-"Which method do we try?" Fiver looked at the sky; the sun was hot, and there was not a single cloud to be seen. "Hannah mentioned singing, dancing and waiting. I'm not a fan of that last one."

-"Me neither. I suppose we could start by singing? Although, speaking of Hannah, where is she? I haven't seen her since our trip to the farm."

Hannah had been accidentally hid on the head by Dandelion as he had jumped out of the haystack. She lay in the middle of the pile, her pebble a short distance from her. She used her last strength to stretch out one of her front paws and place it on the pebble, before reciting a horribly incorrect version of the magic words:

-"Magec mageyc mageec magoyc

Maygic megic moogic mugic

Mugec maygec science magic

Meegeec mogook maygack mujac

AH HAV A PEEG HADICHE TAK IT OVAY!"

With that, she passed out.

-"She may be obsessing with that...magic pebble of hers," Fiver said. "But singing...what do we sing? I'm not aware of any songs that make the rain come."

-"Me neither, so I'll just make it up as I go along."

-"I don't think that's going to work..."

Hazel and Primrose's four kittens were playing a game of tail-tag, Periwinkle enjoying some rare time with her siblings. Out of the other rabbits who had been eliminated from the game, the only one above ground was Heather, who was talking to a few other rabbits.

-"The location of the flayrah storage burrow was changed on a regular basis to prevent the slaves from stealing anything," she said. "I didn't visit it in my last few days at the warren, but I highly doubt they moved it following my arrest, considering the overall shape of the warren at the time."

-"Does this mean you could lead us to it?" Hazel seemed rather excited.

-"Maybe. I do know where in the warren it is located, but keep in mind that the entire structure caved in, so you would have to dig a tunnel to the flayrah supply."

-"Would it be safe?" Blackberry asked.

-"It might be, then again it might not. It depends on how badly the area has deteriorated since I left. There hasn't been any rain since the cave-in, so I wouldn't worry too much, but I could only know for sure by taking a look at it myself."

-"In that case, it's settled," Hazel said. "We're raiding the flayrah supply of Efrafa."

-"It will be dangerous," Bigwig said, "but it is the only solution. Actually, it won't be dangerous, since General Woundwort's owsla won't be there to stop us. We need something to make this raid more exciting."

-"Heh, when there isn't any danger, you can count on Bigwig to create some," Hawkbit mumbled.

-"Why don't we get some of our rabbits to pretend to be Efrafans, to try and complicate things for us?" Bigwig suggested. "Like you, Bluebell. You're not fooling me, I know you've been spying on us for a while."

Bluebell timidly hopped out from behind the tree.

-"You want me to pretend to be an Efrafan? That should be easy." He cleared his throat. "DEATH TO THE OUTSIDERS! ALL GLORY TO WOUNDWORT! MAKE EFRAFA GR..."

-"No no no!" Bigwig shook his head. "You would have to be dangerous and cunning."

-"I don't really want to be an Efrafan," Bluebell said. "I would rather stay here and kiss Hawkbit."

-"We need more Efrafans, then," Silver said. "Who else is out of the game of owslafa and available to participate, Bluebell?"

-"The kittens."

-"The kittens?" Hazel seemed horrified. "But they are so young! They have never ventured far from the warren before."

-"There's always a first time, Hazel," Bigwig said. "You can't shelter them forever, and Pipkin tells me they are doing really well in their junior owsla training."

Hazel had to admit that Bigwig made a valid point, but he still remained nervous. He was about to reply when a horrifying sound that pierced the air.

-"That sounds like Pipkin!"

Hazel immediately pinpointed the direction the noise came from and dashed towards the scene, with the others following closely. They saw Pipkin standing on his hind legs on a small rock, waving his front paws. Further away, Fiver was lying in a ball, his ears and front paws wrapped around his face.

-"MAY THE RAAAIN SHOWS UP, AND THE CLOOOUDS FIIIILL THE SKYYYYY, WE NEEEED WATTTEEEEERRRR, TO ALLOW THE GRAAAAAAAASSS TO..."

-"Pipkin! What are you doing?"

-"GROOOOOOOOOOO...huh? What's wrong Hazel? I was just singing..."

-"Singing?" Hawkbit's ears dropped to the sides of his head. "You call that singing?"

-"Pipkin, please stop. If anyone is asleep underground, you will wake them up."

-"As if anyone would want to sleep on a day like this," Bluebell joked.

-"Sorry Hazel." Pipkin lowered his head in guilt. "I'll stop."

Hazel hopped over to his brother, who was still rolled into a ball.

-"You all right, Fiver?"

The small rabbit carefully peaked out from between his ears. After looking around him for a few moments, he stood up straight.

-"It was the only way I could get away from that noise. Thank Frith he's stopped."

The two brothers hugged each other.

-"Do you want to participate in the Efrafa raid?" Hazel asked.

-"No thanks, Hazel. I think I'll stay here and spend some time with Vilthuril."

-"I understand. I'll see you when I get back."

-"Thanks Hazel. Stay safe during your mission. Beware of the Efrafans. I mean, your son and daughters."

-"I'll be care..." Hazel was interrupted as his four kittens tackled him from behind and knocked him down.

-"If this was Efrafa," Bigwig said, "you would be dead by now. The price of safety is constant vigilance."