A Little Game of Tag

[Myrkin]

This is a little scene I wrote when I asked Fiszike from deviantART to make this drawing: http://fiszike.deviantart.com/art/Watership-Down-Bigwig-and-Hawkbit-playing-367212669

In the book, Hazel and other rabbits that has left the Sandleford Warren eventually come out of the heather and are quite happy to be in the light of a day again. At that moment Bigwig and Hawkbit play a game of chasing each other. In the book this was described with only one sentence, so I decided to extend it a bit.

Why I wrote this and why I asked Fiszike to draw that scene? Because I like Hawkbit and I find it heartwarming that two rabbits, who were at each other's throats (quite literally) not so long ago, could forget about their earlier argument and have some fun together.

I uploaded this on deviantART in April and I don't know why I didn't put it here as well. Nevermind. It's better late than never, right?

---

There hadn’t been a time when Hawkbit felt more alive than now, lying on his side and basking in morning sun. The heather was left behind and with it all fears and doubts. Out of its darkness, the entire world seemed more beautiful than before: the grass was tastier and the sun warmer. At this moment Hawkbit was one happy rabbit.

A fly landed on his ear. At first, he only twitched it slightly, expecting that will make this insect fly away. However, it was more persistent than that. It rose into the air only to land on his nose, irritating his whiskers. He shook his head with a groan of annoyance. This finally caused the fly to give up on pestering him. Hawkbit watched as it flew away, probably in search of easier victim…

Then, he noticed that Bigwig was close by. The bigger rabbit was feeding lazily on some grass and like him enjoying the warmth of sun. As he was looking at Bigwig, Hawkbit was beginning to get into a mischievous mood. He remembered the bite at throat, that Bigwig had given him, and decided it was a time for a little payback. He rose up and approached the other rabbit silently…

---

Bigwig was chewing some grass slowly, his hunger mostly sated at this time. He was glad to have an opportunity to relax and let his guard down for a while. Even though he put on a tough face in the heather, he was secretly relieved they had got out of that accursed place. He remembered all the stumbling in the darkness. He remembered how he had expected that at any moment an elil will use the cover of the night to kill one of his companions. If that had happened, he would probably hear only a short scream and then silence…

He shook his head, trying to clear it from this thought. They were all here now, safe and sound. Not that they were in the open meadow illuminated by light of Frith, there was no way any predator could sneak upon them easily…

Bam!

Something bumped into him and he fell on his side, more out of surprise than because of actual strength of the hit. He looked up to see Hawkbit standing over him with amused, smug expression on his face. Bigwig was about to ask the other buck, what in Frith’s name he had been thinking, and then follow up with tirade full of nasty words and comparisons to unpleasant things. He was just opening his mouth, but Hawkbit beat him to it.

“Tag! You’re it!” and with that he turned around and begun to run away.

Bigwig blinked in surprise, but then his mouth curved in a playful smile.

“Just you wait till I get my paws on you, you rascal!” he threatened, although no one would be able to hear any real anger in his voice. He got up and ran after Hawkbit. Even though he didn’t put that much effort in chasing the smaller rabbit, he quickly caught up with him. Then the roles changed and now Bigwig was the one running away…

Bigwig and Hawkbit chased each other through the long grass like a pair of playful kittens. The argument in the heather had been forgotten, as had been the fears and dangers of past night. There was only a chase and shared joy of being alive.  

[Embemxrabbit]

Ah, that's a lovely story Myrkin! Hawkbit and Bigwig always secretly wanted to be friends! If only there wasn't such a natural rivalry between them.

[Myrkin]

Thank you, Embemxrabbit.

I am not sure about there being rivalry between them in the book, since they don't have that much interaction. There is some in tv-series, although it's caused (I think) more by conflict of priorities when it comes to Owsla stuff, than by them competing with each other.

[Embemxrabbit]

You're probably right, even so they don't interact much on normal friendship basis. Not all is lost though, as in the series its a comic relief. We don't actually see alot of Hawkbit in the book. I've always wondered, why then did they choose to use him in the series and not Bluebell or Silver?

[Myrkin]

Good question. Maybe the producers didn't have enough recources to have more speaking characters in Watership Down warren. Or maybe they weren't able to fit more rabbits without either making them minor characters (like Blackavar) or taking away screen time from other major characters.

[Hawkbit]

I like the game of tag.  Yes, it only did give one sentence in the book.  I like how its been extended.  Hawkbit, if I remember the book right, was described as stupid, but loyal, so playing tag with Bigwig probably wasn't the smartest.  Should've chose someone a bit slower...Acorn maybe.

[Myrkin]

Thank you.

Yes, choosing to play tag with Bigwig might not be the smartest thing (unless you're book-Dandelion). However, it was more about Hawkbit getting back at Bigwig in humorous way than it was about finding equally fast rabbit to play with.

And Hawkbit being described as stupid was Hazel's opinion, so we don't have to treat it as absoulute fact.

[Hawkbit]

Hazel is a good judge of character so I'd believe him.

[Myrkin]

Most of the time, but he does make mistakes.