Here's the next chapter for you guys. 👀

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While the slaves were given time to scarf down their food, several more filthy uniformed bucks arrived at the "Dining Hall". That's what Officer Ortwel had called it, if such a regal title could ever belong to a dilapidated shed. They chose which rabbits they wanted for their teams, leaving the most undesirable ones behind for the kitchen work. Officer Ripp was the Driver in charge of Weezie's team, a lean black buck with an ugly scar twisting the side of his muzzle into a permanent sneer. He led them out of the Dining Hall and back into the wind and sunshine, throwing an unsettling smug smile in Officer Ortwel's direction as he walked past.

Weezie was relieved when they finally crossed the open camp grounds and plunged into the shadows of the pines, following the winding mountain trail up through the trees.

It wasn't as hard work as she had expected. Ripp assigned the does the task of clearing out the rocks that the miners had broken loose, loading them into carts and wheelbarrows to dump further down the mountain. There were many rabbits already at work there when they arrived, giving the newcomers a glance up from their work before returning their focus. Weezie saw not only bucks and does, but kits of all ages dodging around the feet of the adults clearing the rubble underfoot, while the smallest children were wrapped to their mother's backs with strips of wide cloth. The pickaxes kept on swinging as the new rabbits were shown what to do and set to work. Aside from the hollow gnawing in her empty belly, Weezie was grateful to finally be able to take her mind off how she was feeling and just focus on each rock as they piled up higher in the minecarts.

They worked on for hours until the overseer finally called for a halt. Weezie was used to hard labor, but she took a seat gratefully, her limbs shaking from the exertion. She might have let herself work harder than she should have in an effort to keep her mind distracted.

She licked her parched lips and looked around the dimly lit rocky chamber, fingering the parcel of bread in her pocket and considering giving it a nibble. She could easily tell apart the rabbits new to the camp from the older ones by the differing attitudes- some hugged themselves uncertainly while others lounged against the rocks, resting their limbs and chatting with their fellows over their crusts of bread. Weezie decided to follow their example and yanked her own crust from its hiding place, glancing around once more before tearing off a bite.

She looked up to see a few does enter the mineshaft bearing buckets of water and dippers. They were hailed by the hearty shouts of the veteran miners and running thirsty children. Weezie easily picked out the new slaves from this crowd, as they timidly took cues from the does bringing water to the chatting groups of miners and joining in to their conversations. It struck Weezie as odd as she waited for her turn with a dipper, how cheerful these rabbits seemed to be. From the way the officers had been talking she had expected a life of drudgery, but these rabbits hardly behaved oppressed. Was it just because they were used to the treatment that they were able to still smile so broadly? Or were the officers completely mistaken in thinking their camp was worse than First Warren's terrors?

"Weezie?" A gentle voice broke her out of her thoughts. "I'm so glad- I didn't know you would be working here!"

Weezie turned to see the blue and brown eyed doe standing before her with a bucket and dipper.

"Delia!" Weezie stood quickly and embraced her friend around the wooden bucket hanging from her shoulder.

"I'm so happy to see you," she swiped away the tears that had suddenly gathered in her eyes. "I thought you were sent to work at the hospital."

"Well, in a way I was," Delia replied, smiling as broadly as her mild mannerisms would allow. "They assigned us to the medhuts that needed more staff, and I was sent here."

She handed Weezie a dipper full of water that was drunk up eagerly. Weezie didn't really know what to say in answer to her. Her heart suddenly felt so full and warm in contrast to the struggle of despair she had been facing moments earlier. It struck her as strange that such a little thing could bring her so much delight and cut through the gloom. After losing so much, just seeing an acquaintance again- knowing at least one of the faces in a crowd of strangers- gave such a wave of relief to the tension she had hardly realized was there. She was so grateful for the coincidence of them both being assigned to the same camp.

"Weezie," Delia said softly, handing her a second drink. "They split up the injured rabbits between the camps as well."

"What?" Weezie was sure there was some significance she should catch in Delia's words, but her tired mind wasn't quite making the connection. “Officer Silas sent your friend Percy here with me. I thought you’d like to know that he was still… when I last saw him, but he’s here in Camp Three with both of us!” Weezie's mind blanked in disbelief, almost dropping the dipper that Delia was handing her into her lap. “He's what?” She asked, fumbling to save the water from sloshing across her dress and the stones at her feet. "Wait, he’s here? Where?” She stood up abruptly, causing the other doe to take a step back. “At the medhut,” Delia said, blinking in alarm. “I checked on him just a little while ago, don’t worry. He should be fine still. One of the nurses stayed behind with the injured rabbits so-" “No, no, I have to go see him,” Weezie said, handing the half-full dipper back to Delia. Delia looked up at her, eyes wide with alarm. “Weezie you can’t! I don’t think that would be allowed! You can’t just leave!" Weezie gave her a dismissive wave as she stepped around her. “It’s okay, I’ll be fine. Just tell me where the medhut is, please,”

Delia looked around helplessly. "It's the long low one on the south side of camp with the white walls." She said with an anguished frown. "Please don't do this Weezie, you're going to get in trouble," she pleaded.

"Delia, I need to see that he's okay for myself," Weezie replied. She put her hands on the other doe's shoulders. Delia broke Weezie's gaze, looking to the ground.

"Be careful then," she said softly.

"I will."

In the relative disorder of lunch break Weezie managed to slip by the overseers unnoticed, taking off down the steep path at a full sprint. She regretted not taking the second drink Delia had offered her after she had been running for a good few minutes. She slowed to a jog, and then to a walk before finally leaning against a tree to catch her breath and still her spinning head. Her legs were wobbly from lack of water and little food, but she pushed off the tree and set off walking again down the hill, glancing over her shoulder every so often to see if she had been followed. She did not want to be caught walking down the path alone.

After several more minutes of silent mountain path she came across a fork in the trail. Both paths wound their way through the trees and around boulders snaking off into the dry underbrush and fallen branches. Weezie gulped, turning around in a circle. Which one was the right one, and where would the wrong one lead?

"Oh dear," she muttered under her breath. She tried peering through the trees but saw no signs of the camp. Just silent, cold forest with shafts of sharp golden sunlight cutting through the branches overhead bathing the rocky floor beneath. She let out a fussy little whimper as she swept her eyes over the forest again. She knew there were really only two options here- to go back to the mine or pick a path and see where it led. It was probably the wiser choice to return to her place, keep her head low and try to behave under these new rules, but she didn't want to. Her heart ached from loss and lack of purpose, and she was loath to fill that hole with rocks and mine shafts.

Mother would tell me to obey. Not to rebel. To do exactly what they tell me to. To survive. Weezie thought, turning around to face the path back up the hill and the mine.

But survive for what? she added, taking a step backwards.

I have nothing to lose. I've already lost it all.

She felt that tingle in the back of her nose- the threatening of tears- but she blinked them back and frowned. Mother's not here. Nobody's here, and I'm not going to let them control me.

Weezie took one more step backwards, balling her fists. Then she turned and ran down the nearest path, into the pine woods and towards whatever destination awaited on the other side.