Escape to the Mesa

by StacyPlays

  I have to get out, she thought, anxiously aware of how quickly they were speeding through the forest. The metal door looked heavy, and there was a rotary wheel. Maybe that held a latch closed? Stacy narrowed her eyes, trying to figure it out.

  Restlessly, Molly wiggled in her arms and yapped to get down.

  “Shh!” Stacy said, glancing nervously at the door back into the passenger car. She needed no one to notice them. If people saw a kid fiddling with the train doors, they would try to stop her. “Stay,” she said, putting Molly down.

  If I turn the wheel . . . It was heavy and stiff. Stacy had to use both hands, throwing all her weight against it. At first, it seemed impossible to move. Gritting her teeth, she took a firmer grip and tried again.

  Slowly, the wheel began to turn and the heavy latch unlocked. Stacy grabbed hold of the big handle and yanked the door open, sliding it back.

  Cold air gusted through the opening, and Stacy shivered. It was so much colder here than in the desert! And the train was moving so fast. Can I jump and not get hurt? Stacy hesitated.

  Then she stuck out her chin. She had to do it. She just had to do it in a smart way.

  Looking outside, she knew where they were. “Everest!” she called, hoping that the noise of the train would muffle her voice from the other passengers. A gruff bark came from above. The wolves could hear her.

  “The train’s going to slow down in a few minutes to take that big curve before it goes into the taiga,” she called, remembering the layout of the tracks. “We should be able to jump when it slows.”

  There was a pause, then another bark. Her pack was ready.

  Picking up Molly, Stacy took a deep breath and steeled herself. The train was beginning to slow. Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . NOW!

  The train slowed to take the curve, and Stacy leapt.

  There was a moment when it felt like she was flying. Then she hit the ground hard and fell, banging her knees as she rolled. The snow was cold and soaked through her jeans immediately. Automatically, she shielded Molly and Milo from the ground. Stacy heard several thumps and a yelp: the wolves and Page had jumped, too.

  Stacy stood up, brushing snow off herself as well as she could, and looked around.

  Everest was climbing to his feet, looking ecstatic to be back in the forest. Tucker and Basil were rolling in the snow, while Wink and Page chased each other in excited circles. Molly wiggled out of Stacy’s arms and jumped into a snowdrift, then jumped back, looking repulsed by the cold. Stacy reached down and picked up some snow, formed it into a snowball, then threw it. Noah raced after it, his tail held high with excitement.

  Something nudged her leg, and Stacy looked down to see Addison looking up at her. Addison jerked her head, indicating something not too far away.

  A sign, Stacy realized, following Addison’s gaze. A big carved wooden sign, positioned so that it could be seen easily from the railroad tracks. Stacy walked closer, Addison by her side. The other wolves, along with Page and Molly, followed them curiously.

  When they got close enough, Stacy read the sign aloud. “‘Entering Great Taiga National Forest.’”

  There was a moment of stunned silence from the rest of the pack as Addison communicated with them about the sign and what it meant, and then the wolves began to yelp in joyful excitement.

  Stacy felt a little dazed, but warmth began to spread through her, despite her snow-soaked clothes. “The developers can’t build the golf and ski resort here,” she said. “We did it. We did it!”

  Dropping to her knees, she hugged Wink. “It was the pictures we sent,” she said. “Because we proved an Arctic wolf pack lives in the forest, the government is going to preserve it. And it all started when you accidentally got your picture in the paper.”

  Wink barked softly and licked her face, and then all the wolves crowded around Stacy while Page and Molly both tried to climb into her lap. We did it, Stacy thought. We saved our home.

  It was a long trek through the taiga to their cave. By the time they made it, Stacy’s feet were numb and her clothes were stiff with ice. The wolves’ fur was full of ice, too, and Molly kept shaking her head to free her long ears from the snow.

  Pulling back the branches and boulders, she entered the cave and looked around. It was just as they’d left it. Stacy’s books were lined up on her homemade bookshelf, and she ran her fingers across them, delighted to see all her old favorites. The firewood Stacy had left piled at one side of the cave was still there, undisturbed, and Basil hurried over to it and picked up a log in her mouth, eager to build a fire. Stacy watched as Basil placed it in the stone hearth. Suddenly, a small flame appeared, as if Basil had sparked a fire with her nose. Stacy blinked her eyes. That’s impossible. She chalked it up to her exhaustion. Noah wandered toward the waterfall at the back of the cave, no doubt to make sure the water was still there. Tucker and Everest stretched out near the cave entrance, keeping an eye on the world outside. Addison headed for the table, eyeing the newspaper they’d left there so many weeks ago. And Wink and Page were exploring the cave with Molly, looking happy to introduce the newest member of their family to their home.

  Opening her satchel, Stacy gently lifted Milo out. He took up his usual spot near the bookshelf where Fluff was roosting, the pile of seeds Stacy had left for her nearly gone.

  Stacy looked around the cave. Everything was the way it should be, minus the abundance of chicken poop, which Tucker was already tidying up. As the cave began to warm from Basil’s fire, Stacy collapsed happily into her rocking chair. It’s good to be home.

  Twenty

  “JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE bells,” Stacy sang, draping a garland of dried apple slices across the Christmas tree. Those were the only words she knew to the song, a faded memory she had from before the helicopter crash.

  Outside, more snow was falling. Molly had claimed the best spot in the cave, directly in front of the fire. It turned out she was a little bit of a diva in that regard. Addison was next to Molly, keeping an eye on a baking pumpkin pie. Stacy sniffed appreciatively at its sweet smell. The other wolves were out playing in the snow—Stacy could hear Wink yelping happily as he and Noah wrestled in a snowdrift. Page was burrowing in the snow with Droplet and Splat, while Basil ran circles around Everest. And Tucker was helping Stacy decorate the cave for the holiday.

  It looks good, she thought, standing back to take a critical look around. As well as the garlands of dried apples and pinecones hanging on the big Christmas spruce tree the wolves had dragged into the cave, there were silvery angels and snowflakes Stacy had crafted from birch bark. There was an evergreen wreath hanging on the other side of the cave, and presents piled under the tree, wrapped in newspaper. There was something for everyone, right down to a little perch Stacy had carved for Milo, so that he’d have somewhere comfortable to hang near the fire when he visited them.

  Addison barked softly, and Stacy looked over to see that the pumpkin pie was almost done. The big pot of beet and apple soup by the fire smelled delicious, and the roasted salmon with pumpkin seeds looked almost ready to eat, too.

  “Okay, I’ll let them know,” Stacy told Addison. She hung one last birch snowflake on the tree and headed out the cave entrance.

  Outside, Noah and Wink had finished wrestling and were now playing tag with Page, Droplet, and Splat, who dodged between the trees, their tongues lolling out as if they were laughing. The young timber wolves had thrived hunting for themselves while Stacy and her pack were gone, and now looked almost full-grown.

  Everest and Basil were pushing giant balls of snow with their muzzles. As Stacy watched, Basil and Everest lifted one on top of another and then Tucker placed a pumpkin on the top. They’re building a snowman, Stacy realized. They’re definitely not normal wolves. The thought struck her once again: Why was her pack so different from other wolves? How did they come to have unique powers? Basil had her super speed. Tucker, the ability to heal. Wink could fall long distances and not get hurt. Noah could breathe underwater
and Addison could read. And Everest . . . Stacy had always joked that it was like Everest could read her mind. But now she wondered if that might actually be true. How did they get these abilities?

  Almost on cue, Everest looked up at her questioningly, and Stacy smiled at him. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” she said. He barked in acknowledgment and ran to inform the others.

  Stacy turned back toward the cave and stopped, surprised.

  There was a large box sitting in the snow outside the cave. She bent and carefully picked it up. It was wrapped in pretty paper with a pattern of Christmas ornaments on it, and a red bow. The tag on it said Stacy.

  Stacy froze, her heart beginning to pound harder. It couldn’t have been here long, she thought, or the snow would have covered it. Who knew she lived here? No one. No one who could write, anyway, or who had wrapping paper. Her wolves had abilities, yes. But this present could not have been wrapped by paws.

  Slowly, Stacy unwrapped the box, her cold fingers fumbling with the paper. Inside the box was a layer of pristine white tissue. Stacy reached beyond the tissue and pulled out a beautiful winter coat. It was a rich green color with lots of pockets and a fake fur trim around the hood . . . it was perfect. A small card fell to the ground. Stacy picked it up and read it. Happy Holidays, Stacy, it said. I hope you have a very happy New Year. Love, Miriam.

  Miriam. Stacy gulped. Miriam had stood up to help preserve the taiga from development. She loved animals and the wild. She knew where Stacy lived—somehow—but she hadn’t come with a bunch of humans to try to take her from her pack. She had left her a present.

  Stacy took a deep breath, trying to calm down her pounding heart, telling herself it would be all right. She trusted Miriam, she realized. Miriam might know Stacy’s secret, but Stacy was sure Miriam would never betray the pack.

  Stacy wondered if she’d ever see Miriam again. She had a lot to learn about humans still, but getting to know people like Miriam was worth the effort. Maybe someday Stacy would spend more time in the human world. But for now, her place was in the taiga.

  A bark came from behind her, and Stacy turned to see Everest herding Droplet, Splat, and Wink toward the cave entrance, Page and Noah trailing along behind. Basil was carefully putting two twigs in the snowman for arms, while Tucker held it steady.

  There was a lot more to learn about her wolf pack, Stacy realized. Maybe even more than she needed to learn about humans. Where had they come from? Why were they so special? How did they acquire the unique powers they had, and were there other wolves with different abilities somewhere in the world?

  Someday I’ll find out, she decided. But for now, I’m happy just to be part of this wild pack, to be home, and able to rescue animals. This is where I belong.

  Stacy’s Favorite Words From the Book

  bedraggled—out of sorts or messy in appearance. Example: Stacy ran her fingers through her hair, trying to work out the worst of the tangles. She had dried off on their run, but she suspected she still looked bedraggled.

  bolster—boost or support. Example: Stacy was happy she’d been able to bolster Basil’s spirits, if only for a moment.

  cacophony—a loud combination of sounds. Example: An entire cacophony of coyote howls could be heard, first coming from the north.

  cladode—a flat part of a plant’s stem that resembles a leaf. Example: Stacy took her hunting knife and began chopping the purple fruit off the top of the cactus cladodes.

  dubiously—to be filled with doubt or hesitation about something. Example: Stacy looked at the mineshaft dubiously.

  grueling—extremely physically demanding. Example: After several grueling months of treatment, Molly survived and moved with Stacy and Page to Los Angeles, CA.

  hoodoo—a tall weathered rock formation. Example: Farther south was a cluster of tall, spindly rock formations Stacy knew were called hoodoos.

  inquisitively—expressing curiosity. Example: Addison was peering up at Stacy inquisitively.

  legible—text that is clear enough to read. Example: There was what looked like an abandoned church on one end of the row of buildings, and a blacksmith on the other, its sign weather-beaten but still legible.

  maneuvered—moving carefully, possibly around obstacles. Example: Taking the stick in one hand, she maneuvered it through the mesh at the top of the cage.

  monotonous—a sound that doesn’t change tones and is considered boring. Example: Even though the subjects were fascinating to Stacy, the villagers all had rather monotonous voices.

  perimeter—a boundary or contained area, either invisible or with a fence. Example: “Basil, set up a perimeter!” Stacy said in an urgent, hushed voice.

  podzol—dirt that has become soft and acidic from evergreen tree needles that fall on it. Example: Wink and Noah ran off in front of Stacy and began digging in the soft podzol.

  proficient—very skilled in a particular task. Example: Stacy suspected Addison knew how to read. That knowledge made the graceful wolf particularly proficient in things like baking, where exact measurements were required.

  prototype—the first model or completed version of a product. Example: Stacy showed the wolves the first prototype of her Wolf Pack Hip Pack.

  reverently—quietly and respectfully. Example: “Wow,” Stacy said reverently, crouching to the cave floor and running her fingers along the bow.

  rouse—to wake someone from sleep or a trance. Example: Wink attempted in vain to rouse him with his nose while Tucker checked Noah for more darts.

  sauntered—to walk in a slow and casual way. Example: Wink sauntered up to Stacy and innocently dropped a mouthful of crumpled peonies in her lap.

  slunk—the past version of “slink,” which means to move quietly and stealthily. Example: Everest and Wink slunk through the long grass over to where Stacy and Page were standing.

  stifle—to hold something in, like an emotion. Example: Basil seemed to stifle a laugh.

  striated—striped. Example: The two sides of the canyon were striated with different layers of red, yellow, and tan rock.

  sullen—gloomy or sad. Example: Stacy got out of her chair and walked over to a sullen-looking Basil.

  transpired—took place. Example: “Okay,” Stacy began, taking the camera from Tucker and trying to put the pieces of what had just transpired together.

  vantage point—a place to get a good view. Example: Jack began to scramble up a rock pile to where he had a decent vantage point over part of the taiga.

  The Real-Life Mesa Biome!

  The biome Stacy and her pack travel to in Wild Rescuers: Escape to the Mesa is inspired by several United States national and state parks located in southern Utah, including Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and Snow Canyon State Park.

  In fact, Stacy loves the desert so much, she recently purchased a home for her mother there where she and her pets frequently visit.

  Stacy has also featured the Minecraft mesa biome in many of the series on her YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/StacyPlays. Her series Mystic Mesa, Mesa Valley, and The Candy Mesa all include the awesome backdrop of this majestic biome. She is currently planning several episodes of her Minecraft Field Trip series to the mesa biome as well.

  The author hiking in Snow Canyon State Park.

  Meet the Real-Life Molly!

  Stacy adopted Molly from a rescue group in Washington, DC, in 2011. Her name was originally Diva, but Stacy didn’t think it suited her because Molly was very sick with heartworm when she was rescued. After several grueling months of treatment, Molly survived and moved with Stacy and Page to Los Angeles, CA, to an apartment under the Hollywood sign. Guess she was a diva after all!

  Yes, that’s the same dog! Molly before and after Stacy rescued her.

  Breed: unknown, although she looks like a beagle/Cavalier King Charles spaniel mix

  Age: unknown (approximately 8 years old)

  Rescue date: August 12, 2011

  Favorite activity: sleeping

  Favori
te foods: bananas, apples, edamame

  Fun fact: Stacy named Molly after the American Girl Molly McIntire because her ears resemble pigtails!

  Get to Know an Animal Expert!

  Name:

  Coyote Peterson

  Current job / past job:

  Host of the Brave Wilderness network’s animal adventure shows on YouTube, including Breaking Trail, Beyond the Tide, On Location, Dragon Tails, and Coyote’s Backyard.

  How did you get the name Coyote?

  It’s a nickname I have had since I was around eight years old. My mom gave it to me, and it originates from me chasing roadrunners around in the deserts of the Southwest in the hopes that they would lead me to lizards that I could then catch before the roadrunner ate them. My mom called me Coyote because like the famous Warner Bros. cartoon . . . the Coyote was always chasing the Road Runner!

  Have you traveled to a desert biome? What animals did you see?

  I have been to deserts in both the United States as well as Australia. Both locations were filled with elusive animals, including lizards, snakes, insects, arachnids, birds, and small nocturnal mammals. Finding animals in the desert is all about exploring at the right time of day or night when the temperatures are cooler.

  A lot of people are afraid of mammals like coyotes, mountain lions, and wolves. Having been up close with them, what would you say to people who are afraid?

  Large mammals, especially predatory ones can be intimidating. It’s always best to admire these animals from a distance. NEVER run from a predator. That ignites their motivation to hunt and attack. Animals don’t want to interact with humans, and most encounters happen by chance. These are not animals to be afraid of, but you must have a solid respect for their predatory nature.