(Let me know if I'm putting these in the wrong places, Kate.)

First thought:

“She was in a dank dark cavern as so many times before. But this time she was talking to someone in the dim, slick bottom. She carried on a conversation, one that pleased her, but all the while a voice in her head said over and over, “unsettle the foundations! unsettle the foundations!” She awoke.”

So, now knowing that Smalls is in the cave with her, apparently “dead” than he obviously can’t be dead (or so many hope). Who else would she talk to in the cave? I mean, she could talk to herself, but she doesn’t have a history of doing that. Then also it isn’t likely she would carry on a pleasant conversation with a dragon so that rules that out. the only possibility I can think of is that Smalls is alive. then, from an authors perspective, I doubt that SD would have so many inconsistencies with the apparent “fact” that Smalls is dead unless he is alive. That would be just like giving a starving child a crumb, it’s only enough to waken the hunger more. then we get the false thought that Smalls is alive, and SD kills him. he would get a lot of angry fans for that. so while this dream tips the scales in the favor of him still alive, it’s weight that could easily fall off the moment the fourth book arrives.

then there’s the question of, what on earth does unsettle the foundations even mean?? in another dream, (I don’t remember where in the book), there is a voice that says something like: “we will arise and shake the world!”. This is most likely the dragons. In which case, arising and shaking the world tends to “unsettle foundations”, though it doesn’t quite make sense why Heather would be THINKING about it. UNLESS maybe it is a reminder to her that they’re not safe. think about it, she’s bleeding out, she’s talking, her mind is foggy, the pain is blocking out memories, she just wants it to stop. it’s survival mode. something deep inside her is reminding her that they will arise to shake the world, reminding her that they are far from safe.

2nd Thought:

I’ve been thinking a lot about IF Smalls could survive a stab to the “middle”. ok, so the middle (if hit just right) avoids all the vital organs. so, throwing out the idea that something supernatural could be keeping him alive, he would mostly have to worry about the bleeding, pain, and infection. if it was a dull blade then there would be a bigger chance of infection.if it was a sharp blade then there is a bigger chance of bleeding to death, as it severs a clean wide cut of the blood vessels, a perfect blade sized hole with no jagged edges where the blood vessels were rather torn and mutilated rather than severed. If Smalls isn’t getting treatment for his wound, he has about max of twenty-four hours(forty-eight hours for people) until he dies, or gets too close to death to be saved. then, we also must think about his strength. If no one has been feeding him and he has no water, his strength will be low. his mouth will be so dry that forming words will hurt. humans can survive three days without water and three weeks without food. rabbits are a much different story. a rabbit can go for two days without water before they become too weak. after the second day, unless you force them to drink, they die. they can only go four days without food before dying. so his chances depend on if SD is using the human capacity to survive, or the rabbit capability. rabbits are very fragile animals. you can break their legs with two fingers. killing them without weapons is easy. a twist of the neck, a yank of the back legs (severing the nerves all the way to the brain, relatively painless, they die within seconds), blunt force trauma to the head (shovel to skull, most often used by farmers forty years ago, more uncommon now, as it ruins the meat) However, (as pointed out by Ian) with the amount of injuries the characters have survived S.D. is probably using human survival instead of animal.

3rd Thought:

just imagine, you’re Morbin Blackhawk. you finally have the chance to capture your worst enemy, the son to the king, the rabbit that wants to take the throne from you. except, your not the one who actually found him. one of your soldiers did. surely you knew that this was possible to happen? you probably have told all your soldiers that if they should stumble upon Smalden, they must bring to you so that you may exact your revenge upon him yourself. whether this ends in his death or something worse…somthing like a long life where he wishes he were dead.

I believe Smalls is alive in that cave. I believe Morbin Blackhawk tortured him until he was near death, then threw him in the cave to be his prisoner. whenever Morbin feels the other side is winning, he can go to the cave, sit at the top where he can see in, then gloat to Smalls. gloat about his wounds, gloat about how the resistance will fail (which we know is totally not true, but what does someone who is pure evil do when they feel as though they are loosing? they gloat about how they are going to win) and now that Heather is also in the cave, with her medicine bag, she can help Smalls and together they can find a way to escape.

Ya'll got any ideas to prove/disprove the smalls is alive theory? Please post them if you do!