Secretmapper frowned. He hadnât known Einfach to be a particularly bright rabbit, if not a bit cunning, and he didnât want the project sabotaged, not now. In a few weeks him, Zaichic, and Windshift had accumulated loads of information, and with a testimony from Lycanac, had reached a startling conclusion about Sloth. He didnât want to share it with anyone else in the warren, lest it get out; a test of this theory could prove fatal for that particular rabbit as well as the rest of the warren. Einfach hadnât moved all the while Secretmapper was contemplating these facts, and with a polite cough, Secretmapper revived the conversation.
âWell, Einfach, the things me and my advisors are working on are very top secret, and I donât want things to go wrong in the warren. What would you propose as a way to gain my trust in this issue?â
âWhat if I guess Slothâs weakness?â Einfach said with a subtle grin. Secretmapper raised an eyebrow apprehensively, but did not speak. Was this rabbit serious? Secretmapper was sure that nothing him and his friends had discussed had gotten out amid the warren, however if Einfach could successfully guess the plot they had drawn up, heâd be forced to let him in for help.
âWell, all right.â Secretmapper relented quietly, âbut you had better not be fooling around with me.â Einfach seemed pleased by Secretmapperâs approval, and started to speak as soon as Secretmapper nodded his head.
âHe thrives on not only the energy from his natural surroundings, but also from the failure, and perhaps pain, of others. That is why we hadnât seen him in so long after the tree hit Lycanac; his survival weakened Sloth.â Secretmapper hid his surprise; Einfach was correct. âWhen things donât go according to plan, Sloth suffers. We need to bar him from harming us, like when we shored the burrows.â Secretmapper was shocked, but he simply blinked once, feigning bored approval.
âYes, indeed, youâre correct, Einfach.â Secretmapper whispered reluctantly. âBut how⦠how could you guess simply off of hearing of these events? ME and my advisors have spent weeks compiling records and facts to come to that conclusion.â
âBecause I am not stupid; I am capable of observation.â Einfach said bluntly. Secretmapper recoiled from the biting comment, hurt. He was extremely concerned by Einfachâs knowledge; this rabbit was not the dullard he had previously assumed.
Another glaring concern infiltrated Secretmapperâs mind as he stood before this rabbit. In all his years serving under Gantic in the militaristic warren, he had in his lofty position mistaken the group of fifteen or so rabbits to be mindless workers; worth little else but to guard the warren and gather food. Now, in the face of adversary far greater then ever experienced before, these rabbits had risen to the occasion, pouring forth ideas that bettered the warren. But what of his position; of his leadership? Windshift and Zaichic, his two advisors, were in all he knew, and according to Einfach, it wasnât that hard to discern in the first place. What if they plotted to overthrow him, to harness popular vote and usurp him for leadership? He shook the thought out of his head with difficulty, but he yet worried. Even if the mission were a success; if Sloth was driven out and the fugitives were returned, there would be even more rabbits to rule over, more candidates for the wreaking of havoc. Nurv was the largest rabbit in the warren, and still yet an inch smaller than Gantic was. With his best friend, Cowmaster, the warrior asset to the warren, they could easily overpower him, and perhaps even the rest of the warren. He wasnât safe. What could he do, with such dilemma and distress at their doorstep, with such pressure and terror? He was doomed; what could he do to save the warren?
âSecretmapper?â Einfach asked. Secretmapper was shaken from his paranoid reverie, and mumbled quietly as he pushed past Einfach into the corridor.
âBe at the generalâs quarters tomorrow. Iâve decided to give you a shot.â
Secretmapper wandered aimlessly around the intricate and twisting halls and rooms of the warren, sometimes bumping carelessly into other rabbits. He refused to come to terms with his deliria, and gibbered thoughtlessly as he passed into the dark recesses of his home. With a start, he realized that he had passed right into a solid soil wall; the end of the warren. Blackness clogged in around him; he was terrified and alone. What was he to do?
Directly above him, a dim Sloth floated a few feet from the ground. The fear gave him strength. Oh yes, this oneâs fear would feed him well. Summoning the full accolades of his power, he raised his hands to the sky and bared his teeth in a savage grin. Death, death was what he wrought.
With a savage wrenching, dirt and earth began to pour over Secretmapper. Squealing, he attempted to back out of his predicament, but he was blocked from behind by a large rock that had fallen in the cave in. Has he was crushed by the mound of debris, as the very life was crushed out of him, he had one thought, a testament to his psyche, as he closed his eyes. âAt least I could be like Gantic.â
Sloth laughed evilly in approval, shaking a fist at the tattered earth. The warren had defied his earlier efforts, but soon it would fall. He turned, silent, to float on to Lazy One, to gloat and again attempt to extract the location of his immortality from the stoic tree. He stopped, though, and turned back towards the direction of the grasslands to the west. He had a chore to do first. Summoning the last traces of life in Secretmapper, he pointed a stolid finger to the west. Energy hummed and crackled as his expression hardened, intent on his target. Grass was pulled up by the roots and creatures writhed in agony on the ground as his concentration deepened, until the very sun began to dim. At last, with a sigh, he lowered his hand, and the paradox that was the world slid back into reality. âA life for a life.â Sloth thought as he began his minute journey to the farmlands.
On the banks of the Western river, the bloody mass of leathery skin and sharp claws stirred, shaking spastically as a grotesque moan escaped it. It was night, and all creatures fled as two bright pinpoints of red light penetrated the darkness. Stretching out its blotted mass, the unseen creature looked about sibilantly. Yes, it remembered the rabbits, and the hawk. He was hungry for revenge, but the master requested other of him. He requested that MageGrayWolf hunt.
Water splashed and foam bubbled as Nurv flailed frantically in the lake, thrashing his limbs in a desperate attempt to make it to shore. The monstrous red beast had completely destroyed their raft, and now he was alone, and couldnât see any of his companions. A massive wave hit him as he swam, and one of the bright red heads swam past, perhaps in pursuit of another group member. He was flipped over backwards as another wave hit him, and he balked in horror as one of the heads rose in front of him, with teeth twice as big as Nurv. Just as the creature made a go at him, he felt something grab him from behind and pull him into the water. As he was pulled deeper into the lake, his vision dimmed, and he fainted.
