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The sky was turning that pretty shade of violet that sends a certain horror into the minds and hearts of Hlessi. The day was growing long and soon the sun would dip behind the distant hill of Watership Down. And with sunset, the Elil would be out.

It wasn't that Scav didn't have a burrow, it was that it was half flooded on rainy nights and only covered by the thick edge of a pine tree on the edge of a weed patch. He'd have gone into the patch further perhaps to the hemline hedge to find more shelter, but crossing that expanse was dangerous too. It wasn't the high sort of weed that was spun into hay, but the low, trodden creeper sort that would catch a paw like a snare on the off-chance one misstepped.

Scav had watched the cottage for days as he lived on its farthest boundary and moved in under the tree when he discovered it wasn't occupied. In winter, it would be cheery with chimney smoke and his home would be covered in baubles and fairylights and presents. But for now, other treasure laid under the nettles.

Scav was a collector of things that humans and sometimes other animals left behind. Long ago had the fear of being ostracized left him. He was a hlessi; not much left to lose. Now he had only pride for his treasures. He arranged them just so in his small burrow and when they became too many, he decorated the edge of the burrow instead. His home away from other rabbits allowed him to be particular. A red hawk feather was the centre of his burrow entrance and a smart looking piece of string lay beside it. To the right, a shiny rock, an acorn, a button. To the left, a six pack ring stole the scene. A shiny red candy wrapper sat in one of the rings. He was just figuring out where to place his prized bottle cap when something very strange happened.

A hrududu trumbled up the driveway and came to a choking stop, the sour smell of its breath filling the driveway as the light of day certainly began to leave the area. A man in black clothes hurried up to the cottage's entrance. What happened then was nothing but sounds to Scav, as he had slipped back into his burrow and stayed very very still.

A rattle of the door, then a crash of glass and a splintering of wood. He supposed the man had to dig his way in for all the noise he was making. There was some hurried voices; the man was not alone. Silence, for a long time; rabbling, the occasional opening and shutting of the hrududu's boot and doors. Then it kicked back to life and was gone. Rabbits know of weasels breaking into warrens to steal their kittens and lives, but Scav did not know some humans were like that too. He was not the only one out for treasure.

Once the sun had set proper, he peeked out of his den once more. Eyes shifting in the dark, he noticed one thing very relevant to his hoarding interests that filled him with a horror he had never known, for he knew he would have to investigate.

The door to the cottage hung open.

Unaware his new destination was being watched, Scav boldly hopped along through the dim and the dark. The dark didn't worry him; he almost found the close, familiar feeling a comfort. It was like being in a giant burrow. But that's where the familiarity ended; burrows were safe and snug with close walls. This was open and Elil could be in the very tree he was heading out from.

All he had to do was get across the overgrown lawn, to the flat-smooth stones that lead up to the house, passed the ledge and through the entrance to the man-burrow and he could finally see what all the fuss was about. His heart thundered in his chest; it was enough to make him go tharn and he skidded to a halt at the end of his journey. The door was like a great mouth of a homba the size of a barn and he could move neither leg nor ears, just staring at it. And now he was in danger; paralyzed with fear, stark and dark against the blinding white steps, in the open with the only cover for meters being the building itself. He just...stared.

The thumping foot did the trick, and rightly in time for a distant hooting in some far away cornfield proved the theory. Elil was about and they weren't safe. Not anywhere, for the pride of the Prince Rabbit had cursed them to a life of never-ending worry, but especially not out in the open, asking for death.

At her thudding, he bolted, back to his tree of pine, under the cover of the nettles. At least from flying talons they provided cover. Owls and hawks and eagles and kestrels were exceptional at dropping from the sky, but a bit clumsy coming down through networks of branches. Even less likely would their pride require them to walk along the ground and go under his curtain of cedar.

He stayed until his heart stopped thundering, which was hrair minutes. He wondered if she had gone. He didn't know for sure, but something about the pomf of the thumps made him think of does. Risking safety once more, he waddle-hopped out from under the tree and glanced around.

"Are you zere? Zere is room under here, if you are wanting." That gaping buck tooth he had tried in vain to keep shaven down made speech a tad trying for him. His last effort to keep it worn had involved a bitten rock; too much of a dreamer to listen to Marli and Parli over maintaining it properly. Now it stuck out at a broken, weird angle. And like many other aspects, he just hadn't been bothered to mend it. "Is only Scav and not Elil."

He groomed in response to her, though he couldn't help the whisker of agitation as her appearance blew his candy wrapper out of place. After he gave his cheeks a few delicate rubs and straightened out his abnormally thick superciliary whiskers, he retrieved the shiny red paper scrap and placed it back just so in the middle of the six-pack ring.

"I'm thinking all hlessi are a bit lost." He nodded smartly and crowded her, sniffing her. He enviously looked at her teal feather. "I am glad that you're a buck and alzo not Elil. Too many Elil in the dark times. I was silly, going zarn back zere. Zank you for helping me."

He couldn't help but stare at her feather once more, it made his boring red hawk feather look so boring in comparison. He hopped a circle of agitation. He had to make his den look even better than it already did, because it was a travesty compared to her trinket. But going alone would be no good. He'd already gone tharn and could have been an easy treat. But..he just had to go inside.

There was a distant rumble of thunder, perhaps representing his thoughts. He sighed, knowing it meant another night in the flooded burrow. Unless...
He looked the doe over and decided what to do right then. He'd not stay in this drenched little hole tonight.He slid back out of the cover once more and looked at the door, still hung open.
"You...want to go inside? Might be drier, might be safer. No pfeffil, no hombil or lendril around inside, doesn't smell like zem. No birds, no big dogs neizer."

He gave a nervous side eye to the drive where the hrududu had been moments before, then shook his head no.
"No men come here. Scav's been living here for z-ree weeks and never seen a man beast." he paused. "Well, tonight, yes, but zhey are gone now. Won't ever come back." He took another hop out of the cover as the thunder roared in the distance and a biting august wind pushed his fur, the first scent of autumn on it.

"Everywhere is danger. Man burrow might not be so dangerous. No Elil will come, zey are too scared." He nodded at what in his opinion was a very good point. "Men aren't so bad. None have ever hurt Scav and I've been very close to one before." He gestured to the button. "Got zat from right under a thing zhey silflay off. Was little and colored like flowers. Zen a big man and his little human kitten picked it right up and showed off zeir teeth. I ran!" He puffs his chest proudly.