Cowslip, as depicted in the movie
Chapter 11: Hard Going
The group reaches a large hollow where they can rest for a while, but is a terrain that is hard to get through. Hawkbit, Speedwell and Acorn are still upset at how Bigwig has treated them for doubting their plans. They wanted to know who the Chief Rabbit actually is. Hazel doesn't truly know who he really is, and says that he wanted them to follow the group because of their free will, not because they were forced to. He promises he will find a better place to live soon. Hazel leads the group through the tough terrain in the night, where finally in the morning, they come across a field that is perfect for them. Blackberry has much praise for Hazel, calling him a 'Chief Rabbit' for his leadership.
Chapter 12: The Stranger in the Field
The group relaxes lazily in the fields, but Hazel tries to dig some holes in the ground to protect them from possible rain. Blackberry comes across a man-made track in the ground, and is confused because there are no traces of people anywhere nearby. Near the end of the day, Hazel and Blackberry see an unusually big, old rabbit looking at them. They find out that his name is Cowslip, and he invites the group to stay in at his warren. While Cowslip goes back to his warren, the group reconciles and discuss what they should do. They decide to go to investigate Cowslip, but Fiver's intuition tells him to stay away; however, no one listens to him.
Chapter 13: Hospitality
Cowslip's warren strangely stands out a lot in the open field. The group meets up with more rabbits in the warren, including Strawberry and his doe Nildro-hain. Strawberry tells Hazel they never need to deal with enemies because the people living nearby shoots them. The warren is filled with many strange constructions. Hazel tries to investigate deeper but Strawberry changes the subject and distracts him by saying that a rabbit living here is missing.
Chapter 14: Like Trees in November
Hazel tells Cowslip that his group wants to eat outside. When he insists on this request, Cowslip laughs at him. This laughter is unknown to the rabbits, and Hazel and Bigwig leave, both confused on what that was. Pipkin says that while Cowslip is weird, he has been nice to them, so they go back to the warren and go to sleep. In the morning, the rain has stopped, and Strawberry announces that they have to get the new food outside before other animals do. The food turns out to be carrots and other vegetables, and the group doesn't hesitate to eat it. Despite this free food, Hazel notices that Fiver is very unhappy. Fiver thinks that the warren is "unnatural" and won't be part of anything they do with the warren and Cowslip. Hazel and Bigwig both force Fiver to come in the warren with them. That night, Cowslip asks the group to tell him stories about their travels. Hazel tells about their old home Sandleford, while Dandelion retells the story about El-ahrairah. The group also notices that Cowslip still hasn't answered any of their questions.
Chapter 15: The Story of the King's Lettuce
Dandelion tells his story about El-ahrairah. When El-ahrairah's people were desperate for food, he convinced Prince Rainbow, to let his people free if he could King Darzin's lettuce, who was a ruler of a large kingdom and has many lettuce patches. With his friend Rabscuttle, El-ahrairah pulls of the heist. And from that day on, rabbits could not be kept out of vegetable gardens because they had tricks for getting the lettuce.
Questions/Comments
I thought that Hazel is clearly the leader of the group at this point. He shows great leadership and keeps the group from panicking. He also gains the three rabbits' trust, who before doubted his plans but now see that he is correct.
Cowslip is clearly a weird character. He certainly comes off as someone who you are not sure if they are good or bad. While he lets the group stay in his warren, he leaves many questions unanswered. He doesn't want the group to investigate his warren, and Fiver has a very bad feeling about him and his warren.
I wonder why the group is so easily trustworthy of Cowslip? They don't even know him and they would rather stay with him, rather than trust Fiver's instincts that there's something wrong here. If I were a member in the group, I'd try to get away from Cowslip as soon as possible.
That's all for this week; will update 3x this upcoming week 4.16 to 4.21 chapters 16-33...
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