Hop To It

A little pink nose poked out from the burrow, sniffed the air and quickly bobbed back in to the tunnels. Joining his siblings in the inner chamber Parsley exclaimed "It's here!"

Sage, the father of the bunnies, knew he would have to venture out to check conditions in the outside world; his brood needed feeding. He nuzzled Forget-me-not, his other half, then he left her to care for the bunnies and headed out into the big wide world.

Sniffing the air, he could make out the distinct aroma of new grass. "Achoo!" Pollen filled his nose. He looked to the sky and saw green buds decorating the bare branches of the old oak. He hopped along to the hedgerow. That tiny patch of green that had seen them through the harsh winter now grew tall.

The first rays of sun warmed his back as he nibbled at the fresh grass. Primroses showed their custard heads, their leaves a delicious addition to the spring repast. A tiny field mouse popped out to say hello then disappeared again. Having eaten his fill, Sage went back for his family.

"Forget-me-not, my dear, Parsley is correct. It is definitely here." The bunnies jumped about excitedly. "Calm yourselves my children. There is plenty for all." Sage hopped from the burrow, looked around for any sign of danger, then signalled with a foot thump for the bunnies to follow.

Each little nose poked out and sniffed the air. Bodies followed, then chaos reigned as bunnies jumped and skipped, tumbled and butted. Food was far from their thoughts after the months of imprisonment in the dark chambers under the oak.

"Come children, you must eat." The bunnies investigated each plant, first with nose, then with tongue. "Parsley, not the ... too late. Come here, let me rub your sore nose. Now, what have we learned, children?"

"Don't sniff the stinging nettles ... oooh," cried Parsley.

316 words