- "Tell us a story, Dandelion! Tell us a story!"
The Sense of Smell is the first chapter of the sequel, Tales from Watership Down.
Detailed Plot Summary[]
The short story takes place in a one-year time skip in the spring after the defeat of Efrafa. Hazel and his veterans are lying on a warm turf full of grass, chatting about their adventures from the previous year as Kehaar was pecking among the low tussocks. Blackberry tried explaining his "boat trick" to the other rabbits, but as usual, they didn't understand him. Finally, a voice from the crowd shouts, "Tell us a story Dandelion! Tell us a story!" Everyone respects the beloved storyteller and does not rush him.
Before El-ahrairah's journey[]
There was a time when rabbits had no sense of smell. Rabbits couldn't pick out food in grass unless they bit into it. They couldn't smell predators and were vulnerable to stoats and foxes. Enemies, other creatures, and birds possessed it, and El-ahrairah saw it as unfair. Nevertheless, the prince was determined to seek his kingdom's extra sense. He asked everywhere for advice unsuccessfully until he came across an elderly, wise rabbit in his warren named Heartsease. Heartsease tells the prince when he was young, the warren gave shelter to a vagabond swallow who pitied the rabbits. He said that the way to gain a sense of smell is to go to a land of perpetual darkness by a band of fierce and dangerous creatures known as the Ilips. El-ahrairah thanked Heartsease and went to see Prince Rainbow to explain his reasoning and seek advice from him.
El-ahrairah in the Land of Tomorrow (Illustrated by John Lawrence)
Prince Rainbow himself never went to the Ilips and never plans to. He warns the prince not to go because it would throw his life away. Despite the stubborn, determined El-ahrairah, he relents and advises him not to tell anyone why he is going because if other creatures found out, they would easily target him. He lent him an astral collar to wear around his neck for protection, which was a gift from Lord Frith. El-ahrairah thanked him for advice, and his journey began the next day.
Meeting the glanbrin[]
El-ahrairah reached the border of Dark Country, which was completely dark with twilight. He lost direction and could hear other creatures moving around him. He sat in the dark and eventually asked a nearby creature for help. El-ahrairah introduced himself as someone from the land of daylight and was lost due to the unfamiliar smells and darkness,
The unnamed glanbrin introduces himself as well. He reveals that glanbrins like him don't have eyes (or at least small, hard, and sunken into the head), eat roots, and are more significant than a rabbit. He gets startled by the idea that El-ahrairah wants to meet the Ilips as they are flesh-eaters with evil magic and spells. Although the glanbin is finally convinced to lead the prince to them, he asks why can't he smell his way there. Finally, El-ahrairah gives in and admits he has no sense of smell. As they set out, the glanbrin talks about glanbrin customs, realizing their ways of life were very similar to his rabbits. He also revealed once he had a doe named Flairgold, a well-liked glanbin, with plans to raise a litter. Unfortunately, a hulking, great glanbrin named Shindyke defeated him, took her away, and left him heartbroken. El-ahrairah was sorry for the heartbroken glanbrin, knowing how this happens in his warren too.
El-ahrairah alone[]
Two days had passed since the journey started, yet the glanbrin remained sympathetic and patient despite the rabbit prince being covered in cuts and bruises. They both end where piles of stone scattered, the farthest place he dared to go. El-ahrairah must continue his journey alone, using the wind for direction. However, the glanbrin chooses to wait in the same spot for two days incase he changes his mind, but believes in him.
The lone El-ahrairah gets off steady into the light wind, he felt hopelessly worn with worry as the darkness consumed him. Without the glanbrin's help, he could no longer find food to eat such as briers. He prayed to Frith and would've given anything to have Rabscuttle beside him, revealing that he begged the prince prior to come but refused.
Meeting the Ilips[]
Hours passed, and a giant creature came straight to him and pinned him down with one enormous soft paw, feeling the retracted claws. Then, the beast called another of his kind, Zhuron, and the terrified rabbit was soon surrounded by many creatures examining him. One assumes he's a type of glanbrin, and another asks him why and what he is doing here. Afraid. El-ahrairah states he's from the country of the sun and is looking for the llips. They told him who they really were and they were the ilips who kill all strangers. One ilip questions his astral collar, and the rest back down. One asks where he got it. He replied he got it before he set off from Lord Frith, a token of friendship to keep him safe from their people, and Prince Rainbow put it on his neck.
The Ilips don't have the sense of smell[]
El-ahrairah is released from the ilip's paw and asks what he wants to do with them. El-ahrairah replies that his kind is called rabbits and has no sense of smell. Since the rabbits can't smell, they lived miserable and dangerous lives and asked to bestow their gift on his kind. He gets asked if he's the chief and came alone, so they assume he doesn't lack courage. The Ilips were once the guardians of the sense of smell but had no use for it so they gave it to the King of Yesterday. He asked them where to find the King. An Ilip told him it was too far to walk, and he'll lose his way and starve to death. He offers him to ride on his back. The rabbit prince thanks the Ilips to continue his journey.
Journey to the Land of Yesterday[]
One Ilip picked him up with his teeth on the first Ilip’s back, which was roughly furred, and had no difficulty clutching on. As they set out, El-ahrairah explained that his glanbrin friend was waiting for him at the place of stone and asked to stop by there first. The rabbit prince tells the Ilip to put him off at a distance to explain to his friend so he can take them both. At first, the glanbrin was terrified of the idea, but they all eventually settled out. El-ahrairah tells the story of the glanbrin’s doe, and the Ilip was guided by the glanbrin to his burrow. When Shindyke, the great buck who took Flairgold, smelled the Ilip, he ran as fast as possible. The glanbrin explains everything to her. Flairgold says she hated Shindyke but had no choice. Goodbyes were told, and off they went. They were now on the twilight edge of the forest. The King’s court was over there, and the Ilip disappeared.
The Land of Yesterday[]
El-ahrairah sets toward the court and slips through the gate. A creature about the same size as him but with long ears and a long tail was there. He asked him to find the King of Yesterday. He is a potoroo and leaves him in the big courtyard. The potoroo spoke quietly to a heron with brown plumage and told him he was only an English rabbit, taking him to the King. Arriving at the courtyard, all animals were unknown to El-ahrairah. In the center is a great horned beast, cow-like but unkempt and shaggy. The potoroo tells El-ahrairah that the horned beast was the King as he was trembling, lying flat on the ground as the beast nuzzled him with a hot breath until he was wet.
A deep but not unfriendly voice tells him to stand up and tell him who he is. He tells him he’s an English rabbit. In question, the king asked if they had gone extinct. El-ahrairah replies there is numerous and tells him he made a long and dangerous journey for his kind. It was revealed in the Land of Yesterday, every animal is extinct. He also explains he got there by riding on an Ilip, and they didn’t kill him due to his astral collar. The king is an Oregon bison who ruled the country appointed by Lord Frith. Sitting off from the courtyard to the fields beyond, there were hundreds of different animals, and a bunch of species spoke and hung around the king. Not one rabbit was extinct, and he tells the king about the thousand enemies story all because of the humans, they’re all extinct. men shot, trapped, and poisoned, but many vanished as men destroyed natural habitats.
The King of Yesterday doesn't have the sense of smell[]
The King of Yesterday explains coming across a forest canopying the sky, vast grows daily, and going in is easy to get lost. It consists of forests destroyed by human beings. It's growing so fast that even Frith thinks he should appoint another king to rule it. On the stroll back, the king tells him there's an assembly at sunset, and he promises to help then. They walked back into the river as he showed him extinct fish. By sunset, the king announced El-ahrairah had come to the Court of Yesterday to beg for a favor to benefit the rabbits as chief. El-ahrairah spoke about the rabbits, cunning strength, and speed but liked the sense of smell. When done talking, all extinct animals were eager to help. The king tells him he is a good friend, the most brave, worthy rabbit, and granted his request. However, many years ago, when the Ilips gave up the sense of smell, they themselves couldn't put it to use, so an emissary gazelle lended it but never returned. The smell was useless to them, so they forgot about it. He told him it might be at the court of the King of Tomorrow and apologized for disappointing him.
As it's too far and dangerous for a rabbit, a kanai wolf in the crowd offered to take him on his back at night. They traveled for three nights through the darkness. The wolf tells him they want the biggest of his kind at the Kenai Peninsula in a bitterly cold faraway country and hunt moose. Humans killed them all. As dawn was about to break, the wolf put him down and became extinct, so he couldn't take him to the Land of Tomorrow and wished him luck.
The Land of Tomorrow[]
El-ahrairah comes across great golden gates set in the hedge of copper-leaved prunes. A peacock with its tail spread asked him what he wanted, and he replied we were on a long and dangerous journey to see the king, but thousands of creatures wanted to do that, so he better be quick. The prince rabbit was losing hope until he remembered the speed of rabbits, much of the annoyance of other animals. There was a magnificent stag, smooth coat shining in the sun with branching antlers. The king notices El-ahrairah and asks what animal he is in a deep soft, patient voice. He sat up in front of his hooves and told him about them lacking the sense of smell, and now he's the only one that can help him.
Wish granted[]
He was hesitant, but El-ahrairah cried out suddenly and promised him. Every creature there was his kind will be the human race's greatest scourge and tribulation by destroying their green stuff, borrowing under their fences, spoiling crops, and harassing them from night to day. The creatures cheered in joy. The king lowered his head and pressed his muzzle on him, granting his wish instantly El-ahrairah could feel the damp grass surrounded by crowds of animals and the king's warm breath.
The journey back home[]
A golden eagle carries him home in the meadow. Rabscuttle and the owsla were cheering they could smell. After the journey, Rabscuttle knew he was hungry and smelled the cabbages for them to eat in the garden he dug up.
Characters[]
Sandleford Warren[]
- Hazel
- Blackberry
- Dandelion
- Kehaar
- Sandleford Warren veterans
Story[]
- Rabscuttle
- Heartsease
- Unnamed swallow
- Prince Rainbow
- Lord Frith (mentioned)
- Zhuron
- Ilips
- Unnamed glanbrin
- Flairgold
- Shindyke
- King of Yesterday
- Unnamed potoroo
- Kanai wolf
- A peacock
- Unnamed gazelle
- King of Tomorrow
- A golden eagle