Vervain's new life Part 11

The young rabbits got on their feet upon hearing the unknown voice of the buck.

Thisle and Ivy kept themselves low and ready to run in case they needed to, but Red, who's only encounter with an unknown buck had ended so nicely, did not see any danger in the situation, and he walked closer to the buck.

"Larch is my mom's name!" he chimed happily.

"Is that so?" Bark asked, smiling happily. "And Vervain is your father, right?"

"Yup!" Red chirped.

"Red, be careful! Don't go any closer!" Ivy shouted from behind her brother.

"Oh don't be alarmed, kiddos!" Bark ensured. "I have a message to Larch, and I wondered if you guys could deliver it."

"Sure!" Red said happily.

Little did he know he was walking his family straight to doom.

---

"Mom! Mom!" Red shouted as he hopped to his mother, who was at the den, alone, as Vervain was out talking with Rhizome.

"Some buck asked me to deliver a message to you!" he said.

"A message?" Larch asked.

"The buck said: "Tell Miss Larch that her friend Thorn is very sorry about everything and want to meet you at the edge of the forest to talk things out."" Red recalled what Bark had told him.

Larch's usually floppy ears perked up. Thorn was alive and wanted to talk?

A little voice in her tried to warn her. But even bigger one, the one that still remembered Thorn as a sweet kit who was always like a sister to her, wanted to give her a chance. And against her better judgement, Larch listened to it.

"Thank you for telling me dear." Larch said as she nuzzled onto her kit.

"You wait here and wait for your father." she said as she made her way towards the forest.

---

"Uncle Vervain!"

Vervain looked behind him to see the twins dashing towards him.

"What is it? Is Red alright?" Vervain shouted, panicking as he saw that his son wasn't with the twins like usually.

"Red is fine!" Ivy said.

"But Aunty Larch wont be! Some buck just came from the forest and said that Thorn wanted to talk with her!" Thisle continued.

"And Red went to tell her! We tried to stop him..." Ivy said, but Vervain had stopped listening the moment Thorn's name was mentioned.

"Go home to your father." Vervain said in stern voice and started running towards the forest.

Larch would not buy it, would she? Then again, the two HAD been good friends in the past...

And even if Larch no longer wanted to be friends, she would be too kind to give her a second chance...

"Larch! Please be okay..."