Hello, here it is!!! All week I was like I have no ideas for this chapter...then I sat down this morning to write and who knew I had so many ideas...hahaha...anyway hope you guys enjoy!!!

Jaidie

Peter walked quickly behind Rexly who was basically running in front of him. Rexly looked over his shoulder. “Come on Peter, can’t you walk any faster? You know those orphans aren’t going to feed themselves. Now come on ‘Slowpoke’.”

Peter rolled his eyes it’s easy for him to say, Rexly had actually slept last night where Peter had not. He had only fallen asleep for a few hours before he had been woken by that horrid dream. He shivered remembering those blue eyes and that nasty, scared face. He shook his head and tried to walk faster to keep up with Rexly.

Peter adjusted the bag in his left hand, his wrist hurt with a small throbbing that happened sometimes when he carried heavy stuff. He stopped and set both bags down. He held his left wrist in his right hand and gently rubbed it with his fingers. He winced, he could feel his bones shifting, trying to figure out where they went. He sighed and started messing around with the straps on his wrist, trying to support his wrist once more. But it wasn’t working, his bones and the straps kept moving. He grimaced.

Rexly came over to him. “Hey Pete, your wrist bugging you today, huh? Do you need me to help rearrange the straps?”

Peter shook his head. “No, I’m fine. You go ahead Rex; the orphans need food. I’ll catch up in a bit once my bones decide where they go.” Peter clenched his jaw as he tried to move another strap.

Rexly nodded. “Okay then, see ya in a bit.” Rexly grabbed his bags and walked off toward the orphanage, while Peter continued to move straps and his bones continued to shift.

“Argh, come on,” he said, moving another strap. He felt another bone move but this time it didn’t hurt it felt right. He smiled and moved his wrist around a little, it didn’t hurt. He sighed. Finally, now he could go help Rexly. He went to pick up his bags when something caught his attention. A crowd was gathering in the square. He cocked his head and walked toward the crowd.

Once there he looked around but he couldn’t see anything, he was too short. He stepped up on his tiptoes, but he was still too short. All he could see were other rabbit’s ears. He set his jaw then began making his way through the crowd. He knew it was dangerous, especially after yesterday, but he had to know what in Natalia was going on.

He pushed past rabbits till he was at the front of the crowd and that’s when he saw them. Three rabbits stood in the middle of the crowd yelling, none of them wore prey marks and all of them carried weapons. It wasn’t unusual to carry weapons in First Warren, most bucks had one. Peter’s hand rested on the hilt of his Pa’s sword. What made these rabbit’s swords different was that each sword had a green or red diamond embedded in the hilt.

Peter looked down at the green and red diamonds in the hilt of his sword, then back at the shouting rabbits with no prey marks. Peter didn’t like wearing a prey mark but with winter approaching he was glad for anything that kept him warm. He listened to what the rabbits were saying.

“The seed of the new world smolders, healing is on the horizon, but a fire comes first bear the Flame!” The three rabbits threw their fist in the air. One of them went on.

“They say you are free, but your not. You’re not free, none of us are but we can be free if only we believe! If only we bear the flame, we can be free! We can be because it will not be so in the Mended Wood!”

Peter looked down; his Pa’s words echoed in his head. “Never give up Peter, because it will not be so in the Mended Wood.”

“In the Mended Wood,” Peter mumbled.”

“In the Mended Wood we will all be free, but a fire comes first my friends, a fire comes first. Join us and bear the flame. Join us and save our children. Join us and fear no more! Join us and be free! My place beside you, my blood for yours. Till the Green Ember rises of the end of the World!”

“Or the end of the World!” the other two rabbits echoed.

The whole crowd looked uneasy but some stepped forward and began walking towards the three rabbits. Other’s looked disgusted and some ran off, probably to get Daggler and his Black Band. Peter spat at the thought remembering Rexly’s father.

He shook his head and started to leave, but then he stopped dead in his tracks as he heard someone yell, “Hey wait, that’s that little thief’s friend from yesterday.”

Peter turned to see that everyone was looking at him. He looked pasted the crowd to where the three rabbits had been but they were gone and Peter knew why. At least twelve of Daggler’s guards were fast approaching. They were still pretty far away but it was only a matter of time before they reached the crowd.

Peter gulped and backed away from the crowd. “I don’t kn-know what you’re talking about. I-I’ve never even seen that guy,” Peter said laying his ears against the back of his head.

“If you’ve never met him before, then how did you know it was a buck? It could have been a doe,” one buck said stepping closer.

Peter swallowed hard and backed farther away. “Lucky guess,” he said, but he felt someone grab his arms from behind.

“I don’t think so bucky,” the voice was familiar. Peter looked up at the buck holding him, it was the buck from yesterday, the one he had tricked and wounded. He gulped.

“Not you,” he said, trying to get free.

“Oh yes bucky, me. I told ye ye’d pay for what ye did.”

Peter struggled to get free. “No, no, let go of me. Rexly help! Help me, someone, help me!”

“So, Rexly is the name of yer thieving friend, is it. Ye thought ye was smart, huh? Well, apparently not when yer scared.” The buck laughed.

Peter’s heart sank. “No,” he whispered. No, this was all his fault. All his fault. If he had just gone straight to the orphanage none of this would have happened, but he hadn’t. He had been foolish to come here but then he heard a voice yell over the noise. A familiar voice, Rexly. He looked over to see Rexly standing on a nearby roof his bow raised and nocked. Then he yelled out, “Let my brother go!”