An art depiction of El-ahrairah
Chapter 6: The Story of the Blessing of El-ahrairah
Dandelion goes into deeper detail with the story about El-ahrairah, who is described as being part of some sort of creation myth. Basically, El-ahrairah is some sort of guardian to animals when they need guidance when they experience troubles in their lives, and encourages them to continue on through those struggles because that is how they continue to grow. El-ahrairah also helps to explain the mores of rabbit culture by teaching them tricks and outsmarting their enemies.
Chapter 7: The Lendri and the River
After Dandelion is finished telling her story, the rabbits smell a badger nearby, which are dangerous to rabbits. The group, led by Bigwig, gets away from the scent of the badger and come across a river. The river's currents are very strong, but some of the rabbits are too tired to make the swim. Hazel thanks Bigwig for getting the group away from the badger, and feels safer because of him.
Chapter 8: The Crossing
The group waits at the river for a long time, unsure whether to cross it or go further upstream. The rabbits are split on each scenario. Hazel asks Bigwig to swim across and see how far the woods goes on for. Bigwig does so, and says that the distance is very short. However, Fiver and Pipkin are still too tired to swim across, so they find a wooden plank big enough for them to ride on. Bigwig manages to push the plank across the river, and the other rabbits are unsure of how he did it. They make note of it so they can use it again at a later time.
Chapter 9: The Crow and the Beanfield
Sleeping in a hedgerow, the group still feels uneasy about the surroundings. Hazel explores the unfamiliar plants, and realizes they will be good cover to hide from predators. Bigwig and Silver are apparently familiar with their surroundings so they continue on further. However they are attacked by a crow, and Hazel comes over to help. They work together and fight off the crow, who flies off. Bigwig says that crows are actually cowards and go for only helpless animals. The group then goes on forward to a nearby bean field to rest.
Chapter 10: The Road and the Common
After rest, the group comes across something they haven' seen before, which is actually a highway. Bigwig says neither the road nor hrududil (cars) are dangerous but Hazel doesn't really believe that. After crossing the road, the group ends up in a place called Newton Common, an area barren of protection and shelter for rabbits. When the group sees this, some members including Hawkbit, Speedwell, and Acorn become skeptical and want to go back, partly because of the Bigwig is treating them, and that Hazel doesn't know where he's taking them. Bigwig shows up and scolds the three of them. While Bigwig is busy, Fiver brings Hazel to the top of a hill. Fiver is in another trance, and says that a group of hills is their final destination. In the far distance, they can see a line of hills, possibly the destination.
Questions/Comments
I thought the creation story involving El-ahrairah was very interesting. It ties in with what is happening with the group's struggles going forward, such as crossing the river and getting away from Captain Holly. The group needed to use their cleverness and outsmart their enemies to get where they are now.
I wondered why it was Hawkbit, Speedwell and Acorn who wanted to turn back? They aren't really main characters in this story so far, so maybe the author thought the more important characters are the only ones who believe Fiver's predictions about the warren.
Lastly, I thought that the character development was important and noticeable during these chapters. For example, Bigwig showed that he was sort of an indispensable character, as he fought off the crow and got the weaker rabbits across the river. On the other hand, there were weaker characters such as Fiver who couldn't cross the river and needs constant protection from the stronger rabbits.
That's all for now; I'll write about chapters 11-15 tomorrow.
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