Robbie and Rupert woke up to the sound of Mum laying out the breakfast.
She gave them time to scratch and rub their eyes before cheerily saying 'Good Morning sleepy heads, time to get up. Breakfast is ready.'
Both of the young rabbits woke themselves up a bit more by having another stretch and blink each, before they very drowsily wandered over to the pile of food that lay in the middle of the burrow. As they ate the food and began to wake up, Mum was busily reorganising their bedding and telling them about her hectic day and how she would only be back to feed them at lunch before having to go off again until she was done, which would be around dinnertime.
Mum then neatened up both the rabbits before kissing them both goodbye. She then picked up what she needed and headed for the burrow entrance. Just before she left she shouted back 'Don't mess and don't go out.' With there being no reply she turned round to look at them and chuckled as she saw the two nodding rabbits who each had a set of full, fat, bursting cheeks. She laughed out 'I will see you two at lunch. Have a good morning.' She then rapidly left, still chuckling to herself.
After Robbie had had enough to eat he sat down to relax on the soft but cold ground, he was definitely woken up now. His brother had definitely woken up as well because now Rupert was playing with the food that was left. Robbie thought that it was funny for a few moments, but after he had seen the food being mashed and squashed in to disgusting shapes he realised that Rupert was going to do his usual thing of going too far. As he sat trying to ignore the flicking of food across the burrow which Rupert was involved in, Robbie's ears started to twitch and turn to the burrow entrance because they were suddenly picking up strange and odd noises from outside of the burrow that were weird but spell-bindingly wonderful. After listening to these extraordinary noises for a few more seconds he questioned Rupert about if he had also heard them. Rupert did not respond the first time so Robbie enquired again, but as with the first occasion it was a waste of time because he once more received zilch from his brother - who was now aiming the remaining food directly at him. In frustration of being continually hit and ignored by his brother, Robbie decided to just close his eyes and let the intoxicating sounds enter his mind. As he got more fascinated with the melodies that were swimming around his head Robbie thought about what Mum had said about wanting them both to stay inside, yet it was so much more inviting for him to remove himself from being a target and for him to investigate what he was hearing. After a moment's consideration to what Mum had said the musical extravaganza from beyond had drowned it out and he was certain that he was just going to have a peak outside to find the whereabouts of this beautiful festival.
Having made his decision Robbie got up, swept off the food that was stuck to him and got ready to move closer. At the same time as he moved off, Robbie watched Rupert also progress to his next activity of the day.
As he quietly observed his brother who was struggling to settle into a restful position for his nap Robbie used the time to quietly creep to the other side of the burrow. As he positioned himself so that he could stretch his ears to hear the wondrous sounds outside he was suddenly startled by Rupert who raised his head very slightly in the direction of Robbie and yawned 'I wouldn't go out, those noises are trying to trick you to get outside and to get you away from this niceness.' After another wide, stretched yawn Rupert turned back and continued with preparing the perfect warm spot.
Robbie looked on as Rupert settled before turning back to face the entrance. As he stepped to the edge he felt tingles running down his back and he knew that this was not only coming from the grass at the top of the hole that was now against his body.
Rupert hearing the shivering of Robbie glanced over with his very heavy eyes to see his brother standing nervously, he so wanted to say something either like 'Boo!' or to a give warning, but he was too tired to move his jaw, let alone move his jaw and make a noise, so he just lay his head back down, let his eyes drop and fell asleep.
Robbie didn't even notice his brother because all his attention was focussed on finding out about outside. It was so new and different that he had to see, didn't he? His mind was completely jumbled, one minute he was thinking about being really brave and jumping out to find a monster with a music box ready to eat him, the next he had visions of him doing new exciting things with whatever was making this splendour. He thought over these images debating…yes...no…yes...no…Finally, he decided to go for it, he knew that if he didn't then it would be something that he regretted for the rest of the long, boring, lonely day ahead. The next part of the plan was to protect himself just in case it was a monster that was out there. After a few ideas in his very busy mind Robbie decided that the safest way to find out what was out there was to stand very close to the entrance and then take a speedy peak through the grass so that if he needed to, he could have the time to spring back to the security of the shelter.
He crept in to position and edged up to the burrow entrance, his feet moving as slowly as possible, but his heart racing as fast as it could. He then leant forward, stretching as far as he could so that he was prepared to push his head out and then back in. Just before he went for it, he took a step back to steady his feet on the slippery mud and practiced the neck movements that were needed. Head out, then turn, head in. After two more practices he was ready, he stepped forward steadied his shaking feet and pushed his nose forward. 'Ohh!' he suddenly shrieked out and slipped back in the mud. 'Ohh! Ohh! Ohh!' he repeated in a startled voice as he rubbed his nose which had been too low down in ready pose that it had been tickled by the grass. 'Some of us are trying to sleep,' Rupert very groggily grumbled from the far side of the burrow before rolling over to try and cover his ears. Robbie, too busy to listen, ignored his brother and just wiggled his nose to make sure that it was not going to cause any more problems.
When he was done and happy that everything was okay, he gently flattened the grass at the front of the entrance to make sure that this time it was not going to be a concern. He then couched in to position, checked that he was at the right level and got himself prepared. He counted 1…2…3…took a deep breath and then pushed his head out to the right to catch a quick glimpse with his left eye. As fast as his eye had been out, it was in. Robbie didn't move the rest of his body he just blinked about eight times shook his head from side to side and whispered to himself 'It was so bright.'
After blinking a few more times and checking that he could still see, he shook the rest of his body and then slumped down to sit in the squelchy mud patterns that his feet had left. As he regained his thoughts he listened again to the outside tunes, but confusedly thought about the fact that all he had seen was a big bright light thing. After more consideration of what had happened Robbie remarked to himself that if this big light thing was a monster then it hadn't seen him, because it hadn't come after him, but it must have seen him!
As he continued to contemplate what his next move was, the noises got not only louder but also sweeter. Robbie thought about giving up on the whole thing or maybe doing another quick head out, head in action, but then he mulled over the fact that the first time hadn't really helped him understand what was out there. However his determination to find out took over and he suddenly sprang up, used his feet to trample down a mark in the centre of the burrow entrance for his feet, and he then jumped up and down on it to make it as flat as could be. After swinging back and forth to check that he was correctly positioned, he closed his eyes slightly, then fully, until he couldn't see anything and then leapt out from his spot.
As he landed Robbie kept his eyes closed, he then sighed with relief that whatever he was on was soft and still. Another sigh was given out after he had slowly used his feet and tail to sense and establish that beneath him there was only some slightly prickly grass.
Now feeling more comfortable and being in the middle of such wonderful sounds Robbie slowly looked towards the ground and then cautiously opened up his eyes. He had never seen so much greenery or grass in his life. This wonderful sight calmed him. He then took another breath, stopped himself from shaking and looked up with his eyes open, but ready to quickly shut them. As he moved his head up he felt the wind blow against his nose, the heat of the sun fall on his head and he saw the most glorious colours that he had ever seen. He saw blues, reds, purples, oranges, pinks and so many more. He had known that there was light brown and dark brown, but here he saw dark brown, light brown, darker than dark brown, lighter than light brown and so much more. Everything was just so wonderfully clear.
Even more fascinating than the scenery colours were the animals that Robbie saw and the noises that they were making. There were flyers that whooshed and whistled, runners that howled, large ones that growled, climbers that dashed and darted, even tiny ones that buzzed and fuzzed. They were above him in the trees or the air, below him on the ground, far out in the distance, very near him, some were in front of him and then some were behind. It was incredible and so much more than he could have ever imagined.
Robbie bounded about very excitable trying to investigate his whole surroundings. He examined jagged, bumpy the rocks that were close by, he smelt the colourful, delicate flowers that were to the right of the burrow and he turned his head to face the glistening sky as he peered up at the incredibly tall trees that had their strong sticky out branches, which looked like they went on forever.
As Robbie was gazing upwards, trying to see through the trees and catch a glimpse of some of the different birds that were high above him in the sky, he suddenly caught sight of something out of his left eye. It was in the tree and was watching him. Robbie didn't move, he would have, but he couldn't! It felt like his feet had turned to tree stumps like those in front of him, the only difference was that he was shaking and they weren't. After a minute of his heart racing and his brow sweating Robbie decided to take another look, well he needed to check that he had actually seen something because he had expected something to happen by now. He very slowly and carefully turned his eye back to the position it had been in and then tried to stretch it that bit more to get a better view. As he felt his eyeball pull itself as far as it could go from his head he trembled, partly nervous of what it might be, partly wondering if had just imagined it and partly excited that he might really like it.
As Robbie was trembling outside thinking about what was going to happen to him, Rupert was trembling inside the burrow as he was dreaming about what he was going to have for his lunch.
By the time that Rupert was drooling over his pudding, Robbie had found out who owned the pair of eyes that had been staring at him and they were now in deep conversation. Sarah was a short, fluffy grey squirrel who had a long pointy left ear and a tall right one; she also had a bushy tail that curved to her right. After the brief introduction Robbie was very glad to take up Sarah's offer of a tour to explore the woods and the whole area. Sarah showed Robbie the best trees to climb up, the best rivers to swim in, the best flowers to smell, the best rocks to hide under and the best grass to roll in.
Right at the end of the escapade and right after Robbie had said for about the twentieth time how fantastic everything was Sarah told him that it was now time for a race. Robbie looked worried and pointed out to her that with this being his first time in the wood that he would probably end up getting lost and would not remember how to get to wherever the finish line was. Sarah assured him that he would know where the finish was and that he would not be able to get lost. Robbie looked confused until Sarah pointed up to the top the hill that they were stood next to. Robbie laughed as he tried to make out where the top of the huge hill in front of them actually was and even remarked to Sarah that she must be kidding because the top of the hill was in fact in the clouds! However as he turned to receive an answer he realised that Sarah had not been joking, because she had already set off.
Robbie tried his hardest to catch Sarah, but she was just too quick for him. As he steadily hopped gradually, she was leaping from spot to spot at great speed. She was a blur to him as she further advanced to the summit, while he felt like he was getting further and further away from it. Even when she slipped in to the grass or had to stop to catch her breath back he would only get close to touching her tail before he had to do the same. What really got to him were the two times when he pushed so hard just to be level with Sarah and then ended up collapsing on to the ground and rolling back to where he had started from because he just had no power left to stop himself. It was so annoying.
As they eventually reached the top they both crumpled on to the long dry grass that was being blown about by the cold, biting wind. Both were out of breath and completely beat, but as they raised their heads to look around them they were both over-whelmed by the total beauty that surrounded them that they forgot about the fact that they could hardly move. It was incredible, because from every single direction on the top of that hill they saw trees, hills, rivers, flowers, boulders and animals all working together to give them the most beautiful views that Robbie had ever set his eyes on.
As Robbie was being amazed at how stunning the world was, Rupert was being amazed at how achy he felt after waking up from such a long sleep. There were going to be a lot of uncomfortable stretches, rolls and moans before he was getting up for lunch.
As the two new friends moved about at the top of the hill and gasped at the views in front of them, they were both suddenly disturbed by a new strange noise that appeared out of nowhere. They tried to ignore it and listen to the birds chirping above, they tried to pick out the sound of the river flowing and gushing, but still this other distraction would not go away. They searched all around trying to see where the sound was coming from. They looked far out; they looked far above and even tried to see if it was coming from right down at the bottom of the hill. After being tricked for the third time, they both realised where the howling was coming from. Robbie felt his stomach and sure enough this was the spot, it was just so hungry that it had to rumble and growl until Robbie had realised that it was to go back to the burrow for lunch. As Robbie thought about lunch, he was quickly reminded about the fact that Mum would be back and be expecting him to be in the burrow, not outside of it.
As he asked Sarah how to get back and explained in his fastest voice ever why he needed to get home she told him that 'It would be a good idea to get under cover anyway, look at that dark clouds over there, it definitely looks like rain is coming.'
Robbie confused by this remark just nodded his head very swiftly, and it was only when they were half way down the hill that he then asked Sarah 'What is rain?' Sarah slowed down to check that she had heard him properly, when she realised that she had, she explained exactly what it was. She didn't stop to do this because she knew that they were in too much of a hurry for this, but as she led them down the hill, and through the forest and back to the burrow she gave Robbie clear details and facts to him about what rain was, where it came from, when it happened and most importantly for Robbie she made sure that he knew that it was not dangerous when it touched him. Her explanation was helped with the fact that the sky gave her plenty of examples to use on their journey to the burrow.
As the two parted Sarah told Robbie that after his lunch he should meet her on the same soggy spot that they were stood on now, because then he could come to a party that she was going to. She also told him that because there was going to be food at the party that he should not have too much for his lunch because then he would be too full to enjoy all the treats that would be at the party. Robbie had never been invited to a party before, but after hearing everything that Sarah had said about it he couldn't wait and was definitely going to make sure that he left enough room even though his stomach was roaring very loudly.
When Robbie got into the burrow he quickly dried himself off and swiftly glanced around the whole burrow to check for any sign of Mum. He sighed with great relief as he saw that she wasn't back. When he saw that Rupert was up he bounded over to him to tell him about everything that had happened. He talked about Sarah, the forest, the river, the hill, the rolling, the animals and the rain. Suddenly he stopped talking and turned his neck to see behind him because his ears had picked up the sound of water dripping inside the burrow entrance. He had heard these noises many times before, but today, because he had done the same thing just a few minutes earlier he knew exactly what had caused the sound. Mum was back and she was drying herself off. As Robbie turned to greet her he had to hide the broad grin that wanted to fully stretch across his mouth, because he couldn't let on that he had been out, or else Mum would discover the truth.
As Robbie and Rupert swept and cleared the eating area Mum told them about what she had done during the morning and whom she had met. They both tried to listen, but one was too excited about what he had done this morning and was going to do this afternoon, whilst the other one was too achy and weary from his tiring flicking, sleeping and stretching.
As Rupert grabbed and gulped down everything that Mum placed in front of him, including the dirt pieces that he shovelled up by accident, Robbie was very different. He ate a lot more slowly and much more carefully. He was doing this because he had remembered what Sarah had told him about not eating too much, but also because he kept on examining each different part of his meal to try and recognise where it had come from in the forest. Mum saw Robbie doing this and questioned him about it, however he just replied that he just wasn't that hungry. Mum just shrugged her left ear and replied that the food would be around for the rest of the day in case he got hungrier later.
A few minutes later Mum gave each rabbit a hug, said that she would see them soon and then left the burrow. As she headed out she used her ears to cover her head so that she wouldn't get it wet (again Robbie had always wondered why she did that, but now he knew).
As soon as Mum left, Robbie cleaned his mouth, smartened himself up (well wiped off the dirt that Rupert had sprayed all over him) and was then off. It was still raining so he covered up with his ears like he had seen Mum do and then eagerly bounced out of the burrow to get to the precise spot that Sarah had instructed him to wait on. This time Sarah was not alone. With her she had Laura Ladybird, who was stood underneath Sarah's tail for protection from the rain, as well as Willy Woodpecker who was talking about how excited he was about the party and finally, there was Frank the Frog who stood quietly listening to the others, but who would every few minutes open up his mouth, stretch out his tongue and watch all the water that was splashing on to it. Then when it was soaking wet, he would roll it up and slurp it all in. The only time Frank spoke was when they set off to Harry Hedgehog's house for the party and was answering the question about why it was so good to have a fantastically long springy tongue.
When they got to the house they shook themselves dry and went into a crowded room where they met even more of Harry's friends, like Melissa Mole, and Steven Spider. The party was the most amazing fun that Robbie had ever experienced, they sang songs and played games like pass the parcel, musical statues, hide and seek, put the tail on the horse and so many more. Robbie had never smiled as much or seen so many smiles in his whole life.
As Robbie was hearing the noise of laughter and listening carefully for musical chairs, Rupert was hearing the noise of rain against the burrow roof and was listening out for different types of tunes that were coming from it.
When the rain had finally stopped the sun rose above the clouds and spread its light and heat across the forest. Using this opportunity Robbie and his friends decided to go outside to relax and talk after such a delicious feast. Robbie still felt the most incredible sensations in his mouth, there were tingles and quivers that he had never dreamed existed. As they chatted and laughed Robbie learnt about what the sun was from Frank, but that was only after Sarah and Steven had tried to convince him that it was a large egg yolk. He also learnt from Willy about what fire was and how it was made. Willy described to the group how he had made fire by accident once when he was pecking so fast in to a tree that it caught fire!
As Robbie was learning, relaxing and having a marvellous time, Rupert was now guessing and betting against himself about which part of the burrow wall would dry first, the race was on.
Robbie was definitely not dry anymore, because now he and most of his friends were jumping and diving into the clean, crisp river. At the start he had been nervous and worried about it. However, after learning from his friends and after lots of practice he was now splashing and splattering with them. He was soaked wet through, but didn't care because he was taking part in activities that he had never even dreamed of and was using skills that he never knew existed.
While they were resting and getting their breath back from a fun game of 'Island Chase' Robbie noticed that the two insects Steven and Laura were not joining in. After learning about the fears of water and rivers that the insects had, Robbie and the other animals felt sorry for them. So they sat down on the bank of the river and started coming up with ways that the insects could join in without getting harmed.
After many ideas and failed attempts at getting the insects near to the river Robbie and the others came up with something that seemed promising. To start them off Willy took a fallen branch from a nearby tree and drilled in two holes that went halfway through the branch. While Willy was pecking away Robbie, Frank and Harry collected in lily pads from the far side of the river. When Willy had finished, he pulled the branch over to the riverbank and followed the instructions that his friends gave him. First, he was to put the branch carefully on the lily pads and then with the rest of them he set about using the twigs to connect the branch to the lily pad so that the whole contraption was attached sturdily enough for the two insects to feel secure.
Steven and Laura got in to the two holes and held on tight as the rest of the group pushed the branch from side to side. After seeing that everything was still together and that the insects were not shaking of worry, it was decided to try the new invention out on the river. After a few minutes of investigation the two insects were in tears of laughter, they had never had so much fun. They weren't scared of the water, but like Robbie they were having the time of their life. They were darting across the water, swooping in and out of obstacles, winning daring races and doing it all in the safety of their protective, floating machine. Robbie and the others felt overjoyed as they observed Steven and Laura take part in the games that the two insects had only ever been able to watch from the riverbank until now. Steven was now pretending to be a captain on a great adventurous voyage while Laura was imaging that she was a speed racer determined to chase and catch everyone.
The group played and laughed for hours, that was until they realised that it was getting dark and cold and that they all had to get back to their homes for tea. Before they all left they promised to meet up with each other the next day for another adventure. Robbie thanked them all for such a wonderful time and then quickly rushed through the forest, over the rocks and past the bushes to get home, well he knew that if he didn't dash then Mum would be back at the burrow before him and then he would be in big trouble. As he followed the path that Sarah had reminded him of his head was spinning with thoughts about all the amazing sights that he had seen, with all the games that he had played, all the skills that he had learnt and especially with all the memories that he was going to keep for the rest of his life.
At the same time as Robbie was racing home, Rupert was finishing off straightening his fur. It had taken him a long time, well nearly all afternoon, but now it all faced the same way and looked very smart and tidy. Rupert was very proud of it.
As Robbie dashed into the hole his eyes quickly darted about the burrow looking for any signs of Mum. As he realised that he was back before her he slumped to the ground and sighed with exhausted relief. However, when he flopped to the floor he accidentally blew up some dirt from the ground, which flew up on to his brother. Rupert watched as this happened and got extremely annoyed at the fact that his fur had been dirtied and consequently, in his opinion, completely ruined. But before Rupert had time to scream and shout at his brother who lay collapsed on the floor, Mum appeared. As she entered she apologised for being late and then announced that she had picked up tea and told them that it was ready to be served.
As the food was placed in front of the children Mum was delighted to see that both of them were diving in to what was on offer. She just didn't realise that their reasons for being hungry were totally separate, whereas one was gulping down everything because he had had a boring, wasted nothing of a day, the other was ravenous because today he had had the adventure of his life.
After the food had been finished, which included Mum having a little bit for herself, the whole family wearily trudged over to the snooze area. They then curled up together and fell fast asleep. Mum was exhausted from her work, Rupert because he had been so bored and Robbie because…well you know why.
