Holly (Watership Down)

Holly is a fictional character, a rabbit in the novel Watership Down.

Holly is a captain of the Sandleford owsla. When the rabbits gather to leave Sandleford, Holly confronts Bigwig and declares that Bigwig is under arrest. Hazel's followers prevent Holly from doing so and leave him behind. When Holly reports his failure to capture or kill Bigwig to the Threarah and offers to pursue Bigwig, the Threarah dismisses the idea of pursuit.

Holly survives the destruction of Sandleford and flees with Bluebell, Pimpernel, and Toadflax, the last two of whom were wounded during the destruction. Toadflax dies during their first night on the run. Pimpernel is killed in the fight with the rabbits of Cowslip's warren. Holly and Bluebell overpower their large but inept attackers and force Cowslip to tell where Bigwig and his companions went.

Delirious with illness and exhaustion, Holly collapses at the bottom of Watership Down. In his delirium, he cries out in despair and calls Bigwig by his Lapine name, Thlayli. The rabbits on Watership Down, including Bigwig, hear this. Bigwig, in terror, thinks he is being called by the Black Rabbit of Inlé. Hazel takes a few rabbits with him and investigates, finding Holly being tended by Bluebell.

Holly is nursed back to health at Watership and he and Bluebell join the warren. He is subordinate to Hazel and Bigwig, and accepts this.

Holly later leads the team that goes to Efrafa to negotiate for does. When the team is taken before General Woundwort, Holly finds, to his dismay, that they have been taken prisoner by Efrafa. When Holly's team escapes from Efrafa, they are hotly pursued by a Wide Patrol led by Captain Charlock until Charlock and his patrol are run over by a train. This last event traumatizes Holly at least as much as any other event during his mission to Efrafa. When Hazel calls for volunteers for his raiding party to get does from Efrafa, Holly declines and tries to dissuade Hazel from raiding Efrafa.

Holly continues as part of Watership's owsla during and after their battle with General Woundwort's army.

Film

In the film, Holly's story is altered slightly; he is apparently the sole escapee from Sandelford, and wanders for days looking for Hazel and the others, when he is captured by Efrafa, and forcibly added to its population. He witnesses Blackavar being punished by the Efrafan council, and escapes with the help of Hyzenthlay. Holly later admits himself that he would've been caught and taken back, if "Lord Frith hadn't sent one of his great messengers" (whilst fleeing from one of Efrafa's wide patrols, he stumbles across a train-track; when the Efrafans try to cross the railway, they're cut down by a train).

Holly later manages to track down Hazel's group, accidentally finding them after collapsing in a hedge near Watership Down (unlike in the book, Hazel's group are still travelling to the warren), and relays the news of a disaster at Sandelford to them, strengthening Fiver's case. The morning after Hazel's shot, he gives the warren information on the despotic police state of Efrafa, and that the Efrafan Owsla would make any kind of raid or negotiation for does impossible; he also advises them not to go, saying that "you're making a bad mistake that might very well get you all killed!".