Post 6 ; Chapters 26-30

The powerful, violent authoritarian tyrant, General Woundwort

Chapter 26: Fiver Beyond

Fiver has a dream that Hazel is still alive even after getting shot. He asks Blackberry to take him to the spot where Hazel was shot, even though Blackberry is sure that he is dead. They follow a trail of blood where Hazel was shot and follow it. They eventually reach the drain and see that Hazel is still barely alive.

Chapter 27: "You Can't Imagine it Unless You've Been There"

Even though Honeycomb now has one new buck and two does, Holly says their trip was unsuccessful because Hazel is dead (or so they think). He tells them a story of where he went while the others went to the barn. He was warned not to go to Efrafa, but went anyway. There, he realized that in exchange, the rabbits who lived there are controlled by officials and the tyrant leader, General Woundwort. The rabbits there are bitten to leave a mark to indicate they are part of Efrafa. Holly noticed the warren was overcrowded, so he asked Woundwort if some of them could go to Honeycomb. Woundwort refused, and said they were actually prisoners, not guests. Holly realizes he may become a prisoner, so he makes a plan with a few others to escape. While the guards were eating, they ran, and eventually outrun the guards, and credits Lord Frith for saving them.

Chapter 28: At the Foot of the Hill

Blackberry returns to the group to say that Hazel is still alive. Keharr comes down and uses his long beak to peck out the bullets in Hazel's leg. Hazel recovers after a few days and admits his plan to the barn was a mistake but is reconciled by Holly. They realize that they have to go to Efrafa to get more does, but Holly says they will have to use trickery to do so. Hazel wants to make a plan to go to Efrafa, but Holly keeps insisting it is futile. Meanwhile, Fiver feels that while Efrafa is very dangerous, he feels like their goal can be done.

Chapter 29: Return and Departure

The next morning, Hazel comes up with a plan to go to get more does from Efrafa, but Holly keeps insisting it is suicide. Several others volunteer including Keharr, while Blackberry thinks their plan is better than they thought originally. Holly thinks that pulling the plot off is more difficult than tricking Woundwort's guards. The group sorts out who is going and who is not, and set off to Efrafa.

Chapter 30: A New Journey

The group heads out the Efrafa, and the group listens to Hazel and Fiver without hesitation, showing off how good their leadership has become. When they are near Efrafa, Hazel reveals that they will not go directly at Efrafa, but rather surround Efrafa in a circular fashion and come at it then. Keharr will provide valuable scouting of the area from the air, and there's a bridge nearby that can provide cover. The group decides to find a hiding spot for now. Bigwig insists of Dandelion telling more stories about El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé, a new folk story.

The Black Rabbit of Inlé

Questions/Comments

I wonder how Hazel was able to survive the gun shot for several hours, at the least? I would imagine that a bullet hitting an animal such as a rabbit would kill it easily. To me it seems like fate that Hazel survived from the wound and will have a major role in the next bunch of chapters.

At first impression, Woundwort is definitely a bad character. He rules his warren with an iron fist and is clearly controlling of all the rabbits in Efrafa. I don't want to spoil anything because I've seen the movie before, but he will have a major defining role from here on out, and in a bad way.

I noticed that Fiver doesn't have a bad feeling about Efrafa, even though it is clearly dangerous. I think it's because Fiver feels that Efrafa is their final destination; several chapters ago, he had a vision of their home being on a bunch of hills, which perfectly describes how Efrafa looks. 

I wonder how the group will be able to pull off their plan? Efrafa is well protected with Woundwort's guards, and they are all ferocious and merciless. The plan must be flawless to pull this off; I suspect that there will be several casualties in the next coming chapters.



That's all for this week; will have chapters 31-45 next week, update 3x/week as usual.