Wordcount: 1034
Taro was getting ready to leave. Bijou was mad, though he knew she was just scared. Koshi looked resigned, and Taro hated to leave them like this. He gave them both plenty of cuddles before he moved out of their den. Bijou would likely throw herself into work and Koshi would likely mope. But just for a few days.
Taro wouldn't be gone that long. He fluffed Bijou's cheeks and tucked a new flower behind her ears and then presented Koshi with the biggest sunflower he could find. "I'll be back before you know it!" He promised them with a smile.
After that, Taro scampered off through the tunnels and up into the sunflower fields. The first thing he needed to do was find Vieno. It'd be best if he knew the weather before he went off, and Vieno could sniff out get the most accurate forecast. When Taro hiff-hiff'd, all he could smell was the blooming sunflowers and rain that was already falling.
He didn't have the best nose, but his ears were good!
He would be safe out in the roguelands, he was sure of it, but knowing the forecast would be immensely helpful.
It wasn't too hard to find the small hare. Vieno liked to frequent the same areas, and today they were sitting up on a large flat rock that they often said helped them sniff out the weather better. The other hare's eyes were closed, nose to the air and ears flat against their spine.
The air was nice today. It was still damp from the previous showers, but there was no rain coming anytime soon, even though there were a few puffy white clouds in the sky. Vieno felt like they would go further north and west before the water would fall from them.
They smelled Taro before they saw him.
Boss had told them about Taro's potential upcoming adventure. They figured the other orange hare would come to them to see if it was safe to adveture. They would go later and reassure Taro's mates of the weather - that was all the could offer after all. The weather would be calm and clear as far as they could tell.
"Hamha, Taro," Vi greeted, easily, though they did not open their eyes. They took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air before opening their eyes to the sun and sky and then down to Taro. Their gaze didn't have to drift down far, because Taro was taller than them.
Taro gave them a kind smile, and Vi returned it as Taro returned their greeting.
"I hear you're going on an adventure," Vi started, brown ears finally coming up to a rest, but they were listening. Their nose was their best sense, but their ears followed that. That said, their eyesight was the worst, so they were glad Taro was blocking some of the sun from their eyes.
"Yep-P!" Taro answered cheerfully. At least he was happy about the excurious. If someone told Vieno that they would be leaving the safety of the colony, they would hide.
Vi gave a little giggle and relaxed a bit more. "Well, you've come to the right place to get a weather forecast, but I can do better than that," Vieno declared. "Follow me, we need to go to a higher perch," and suddenly the small hare was just gone. Panicked, Taro ran in the direction that he saw the other hare go.
Fortunately, he saw the other's white cottony tail through the flower stems and followed them as quickly as possible. He watched at Vieno climbed some wooden something-or-other with ease and followed with some difficulty up the side of it. It was definitely much higher than the rock in the field.
Vieno was sitting perched atop it - it had a flat top that was easy to stand on, and it was a bit away from the actual thick of the flowers. "What's up here?" Taro asked curiously. Vieno gave a hearty chuckle and pointed up at the sky.
Taro shook his head, confused.
"You won't be able to ask me when you're out there, so I'll teach you some tricks to be able to tell." Vieno stated firmly. Taro probably wouldn't be as good as they were, but it was a start. Taro looked up at the sky.
"Alright, close your eyes," Vieno started, watching Taro intently. Taro closed his eyes and pricked his ears forward to listen to Vieno. "Point your nose up and tell me what you can smell." Of course Taro knew what he was supposed to smell.
"I can smell the flowers, and the earth," He told Vieno.
Vieno hummed a little, nodding. "Yes, those are the strongest scents still. Can you feel the sun on your face?" They asked next, and Taro nodded. "Ok, focus on that. Now breathe deeply."
Taro did as he was told, breathing in all the sunshine. It just smelled like the sun was shining. "It smells like... Warmth," It wasn't quite the word he wanted to use, but he couldn't think of another word that would fit there. Vieno chuckled.
"Good, you can open your eyes." Taro did, blinking against the sunlight before turning back to the weather frog. "When it's going to rain, you'll be able to smell and taste it," Vieno advised the other. Taro nodded, filing the information away in the back of his head.
"When the air feels sharp like its going to sting you, make sure you seek shelter." Vieno was suddenly serious. "It means thunder is coming, and you can get hurt." Taro frowned at the sudden sharpness is the normally gentle hare. He nodded, though.
"I promise, Vi," Taro reutned the seriousness, and Vieno smiled again. "You're good to go, though. The weather should be nice for a few days, but thats for here... Be careful, alright?" Vieno was a kind hare, and Taro appreciated it a lot.
"Thank-Q, Vi, I'll be careful. See you!" Taro said, eager to start his adventure. Vieno puffed up their chest proudly and made their way off of the wooden structure, eager to enjoy the rest of the sunny day themself.