Poppy on Safari

by Gillian Young

  A pair of horns swung towards her. Luckily, she ducked in time, but she also lost sight of the pup. Frantically, she tried looking around. When she caught sight of him again, her initial relief turned into fear as she saw him stumble.

  ‘Don’t fall!’ she howled, not thinking until it was too late that this might startle the herd. Fortunately, the animals seemed neither interested nor afraid of them.

  The pup rolled over, then hurriedly scrambled back to his feet. He looked at Poppy.

  Her chest ached, seeing the panic in his eyes. In that instant, her fear was pushed aside and replaced with a determination to get them both free.

  It took a few attempts to escape. Time after time, Poppy stepped forward only to be pushed back. Then, from between the mass of horns, legs and hooves, she saw an opening.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Poppy charged at Harley, pushing him forwards. There was no time for fear, panic or doubt. They didn’t stop until the dark confines of the herd were replaced by light, open space. She felt the warmth of the sun and the cool breeze on her fur once again. They were free!

  Poppy pushed her nose into Harley’s face, sniffing and snorting. She whined with relief, seeing he was unhurt. The pup rolled on to his back. He reached up and cupped Poppy’s face in his trembling paws.

  She whined again. This was the first time she had seen Harley afraid. She thought about him running after her. The wolf closing in on them. The poor little one must have been terrified. Poppy felt ashamed. Here was a puppy, probably alone without his mother for the first time. He needed looking after, and yet, at the first sign of danger, she had left him.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Harley,’ she whined. ‘I promise I will never leave you again.’

  Harley’s lips twitched, revealing little white teeth. His eyes shone. ‘That’s all right, Poppy.’

  He then stood up and looked at her. ‘So, which way should we go?’

  For the first time, Poppy looked around to see where they were. She was about to say, ‘We’ll follow the road and head towards the next gate,’ but the road was nowhere to be seen. They were lost. Her legs started trembling, but one look at Harley’s face told her she must not panic. He was watching her, waiting patiently for her to lead the way back to his family, but Poppy didn’t know which way to go. She looked around but all she could see were buffaloes, a large muddy pond, clusters of trees, rocks and thorny bushes. Even the scent in the air gave no clues. All she could smell was grass, earth and the strong, heavy scent of buffalo.

  Yet, no matter how hard she tried to keep calm, she could not ignore the panic rising inside her. Harley watched and waited for her instruction. With one last, hopeless look around the landscape, she spotted a wooden enclosure. Its doors were flung open revealing a room filled with straw.

  ‘Come on,’ she howled softly. ‘We need to rest.’ She turned and ran, making sure Harley was by her side.

  When they reached the building, they clambered on top of a large pile of straw. Harley rolled over and kicked his legs in the air. Meanwhile, Poppy flopped down, her chin on her paws. Her nose twitched against the strong smell of buffalo. She guessed this was where they slept at night.

  While Harley wriggled around in the straw, she wondered what they would do next.

  Sharp pieces of straw made Poppy’s ears itch. She sat up and scratched angrily, venting her frustration and anger on her itchy ear.

  As she groaned and moaned, Harley stopped and looked at her. She saw the caution in his eyes. When she growled softly at him and wagged her tail, he returned to his game, playing in the straw, bounding, rolling and wriggling. Harley was happy again, playful and relaxed. Poppy supposed that was because he could see she was happier. She realised it wasn’t only her feelings she had to think of now, but Harley’s too.

  ‘Tell me about your family, Harley,’ she growled.

  He scampered up the pile of straw towards her. His whiskers glistened in the sun that squeezed through the gaps in the wood.

  ‘I guess my pawrents love me a lot, but they never let me out of their sight. It is fun running free without hearing them say, ‘Stop this and stop that!’

  ‘That’s what pawrents do,’ Poppy groaned as she settled down beside him. ‘It’s because they care and don’t want you to hurt yourself.’

  Harley fell on his belly and started snuffling into the straw. He glanced at her, ears twitching.

  ‘My mum is a bit like that,’ Poppy continued. ‘When I’m off my lead she’s always whistling and calling me back. It can be annoying but it’s just because she doesn’t want to lose me.’

  ‘What’s a lead?’

  Poppy paused. She looked down at Harley’s confused face. ‘I guess you are too young to go out for walks yet.’

  Harley nodded. ‘I’ve only just been allowed out. I suppose that’s why Mum fusses over me so much.’

  ‘What about your dad?’

  At the mention of his pawrent, Harley became very still.

  ‘Is your dad strict?’ Poppy whined. ‘Mine can be too.’

  Harley sniffed. ‘He was cross with me this morning.’

  Poppy edged closer, sensing she was about to hear what had happened.

  ‘We were having breakfast together, like we always do. I had finished mine and sometimes Mum lets me share hers, but this time she ate it all. I was still hungry and I could see Dad didn’t want his.’

  Poppy thought about her own dad’s ice cream that morning. Her stomach clenched, remembering his reaction when she had eaten it.

  Harley continued, ‘So, I went to take a bite and he turned on me.’

  Poppy frowned.

  ‘He can be scary sometimes, but he can be a softie too.’

  ‘What did he do?’

  ‘He shouted at me.’

  Poppy remembered her dad’s words that morning. She thought about the expression on his face and then him ignoring her. For a moment she was lost in her own thoughts, but then she realised Harley was watching. Reaching over, she placed her paw on his.

  ‘I’m sure your pawrents are out looking for you. OK, so you tried to eat your dad’s breakfast, so what? You are young, we all make mistakes. I’m sure he has forgiven you.’

  Hearing this, Harley’s eyes brightened.

  ‘Do you really think so?’

  ‘Yes, I do,’ Poppy barked. ‘Making mistakes is how we learn.’

  She could not help wondering if the same applied to her. Would Dad forgive her too?

  Chapter 9

  Keeping Calm

  ‘Come on, we’ll go this way,’ Poppy barked. She had no idea where they were going but was determined now to keep her fear and uncertainty hidden from Harley.

  The herd of buffalo stood beneath a wooden canopy that held cradles of food. Their hooves squelched in the thick mud under foot, and flies swarmed around them. Beyond the buffalo, a family of deer grazed.

  ‘I’d love to chase those,’ Harley growled. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the unsuspecting deer.

  ‘Don’t even…’ but before Poppy could finish, he ran towards the herd.

  Poppy raced after him. At first she was annoyed, but then, racing across the grass, feeling the cool breeze lifting her ears, she began to enjoy herself. They ran from bush to tree, from tree to bush.

  The deer, seeing the intruders, suddenly turned and fled. Harley ran faster. The chase was on.

  Poppy barked after him. She glanced over her shoulder, suddenly afraid, remembering the zebra’s warnings about Cain and that chasing the other animals was not the best way to behave.

  To her relief, Harley stopped. When she finally caught up with him, he looked up at her. Eyes sparkling, he grinned.

  Poppy grunted, then batted him playfully with her big, cream paw. She bowed down, bottom in the air and tail wagging. She curled her lip into a huge Goldie grin, then stopped. She s
tood up, turned round and lifted her chin. The game was forgotten. Her nose twitched.

  That smell! It was delicious. She licked her lips, recognising the scent – the smell of raw meat.

  Harley turned away, his nose twitching too.

  ‘It’s coming from over there,’ he growled, then ran.

  Poppy ran beside him. Her stomach grumbled for food. She imagined how delicious the meat would taste. Drool dripped from her mouth. The smell was getting stronger. With the utmost patience, she resisted the temptation to race ahead, knowing Harley’s little legs would never keep up with hers. Having lost Harley once, she wasn’t going to risk losing him again.

  A tall wire fence came into view. The smell was even stronger from the other side. As they approached, Poppy realised it was so tall they would never be able to climb over.

  They stopped at the fence and looked through at the large grassy area beyond. There was a tall wooden platform and a round pool where a giant red ball floated on the water. The ground sloped down at such an angle that they couldn’t see the far side of the enclosure. Poppy sniffed the air. She recognised the smell. It was similar to what she had smelled in her garden back home, only much stronger and wilder.

  But Poppy didn’t care about that because of what lay before them. This wire fence was all that stood between them and their prize: a huge joint of meat.

  They stared, both licking their lips, trying to work out what to do next.

  Poppy grew impatient. Were it not for this annoying fence, she and Harley would be tucking into that succulent meat.

  She pulled her ears back and growled. Harley looked up at her then growled too. Poppy jumped from side to side and started barking. Harley joined in.

  ‘Hey there!’ Poppy barked. ‘Whoever you are. We’re hungry. We want that food.’ No one came. The enclosure looked empty.

  ‘Give us that food!’ she barked again, only this time much louder. Now she was becoming angry. She jumped up at the fence, determined not to be ignored. ‘We want that food! Give us the food!’

  Suddenly, a cat, the biggest Poppy had ever seen, appeared over the brow of the grassy bank. It bounded towards them, snarling and roaring. It was a fiery orange, to match its fiery temper, and was covered in black stripes.

  Poppy recalled what Jack had said earlier that morning. She remembered his description of one of the fiercest animals in the world. She also remembered trying to dig a hole in the middle of his bed to get away from the terrifying cat he was talking about – the tiger.

  With amazing speed, the tiger leapt at the fence. It swiped its huge paw at them. Poppy gulped, seeing its deadly claws. Now she was thankful the fence was there.

  Harley staggered back. Poppy turned and pushed him with her nose. Her heart was racing. She could feel her legs trembling, but all she concentrated on was Harley.

  ‘Come on, this way,’ she barked, trying her best to ignore the snarling tiger.

  With a deep breath, she turned her back on the giant cat and walked away. She fought the urge to run, now determined not to panic and frighten Harley further.

  The pup glanced nervously at the tiger then looked up at Poppy. To her relief, she saw no terror in his eyes; instead, he relaxed and trotted beside her.

  Despite appearing cool and calm, Poppy was terrified. The tiger was huge, fierce, had sharp cruel eyes, most definitely didn’t like strangers and it was a meat-eater. She was in no doubt as to who that was. They had just met Cain.

  Poppy’s stomach churned as she fought to stay calm. Desperately, she tried to push the frightening thoughts out of her mind.

  ‘I can do this, I can do this,’ she repeated to herself. Yet, still there was no sign of the road or gate.

  What if they never found the road? What if they were stuck in the safari park forever? What if Cain managed to escape his enclosure and come after them? What if she never saw her family again?

  Harley looked up at her. Poppy gave him a reassuring smile and growl.

  Yes, I can do this. I can keep calm. I can be brave. I can solve this problem. I can find the road again. I can find our families. Yes, I can do this.

  Eventually, Poppy’s heart returned to a steady beat and her legs stopped wobbling. She took a deep breath and a long sniff of the cool, fresh air. At last, there it was, a glimmer of hope. Beneath the various smells of earth, grass, rabbits, deer and buffalo, there was the familiar, unpleasant smell of car engines and exhaust fumes. The road!

  ‘This way, Harley,’ she barked, then turned and ran up and over a grassy bank, her keen sense of smell guiding them.

  As they raced down the bank, Poppy saw the road through a line of trees.

  Soon they were back on the right path, trotting cautiously behind the trees ensuring they remained hidden from the humans.

  A gate lay ahead. It was closed.

  Poppy swallowed. She took a deep breath, this time holding back her fear remembering what the wallaby had said – closed gates meant a dangerous animal was on the other side. But, they had no other choice. There was only one way to go, and that was through those gates.

  Chapter 10

  A Golden Flash

  The gates opened slowly with a loud click.

  As the last car drove through, Poppy and Harley raced behind it and into the enclosure. They stood looking around. It was a huge area. Beside them was a wooden building, its doors flung wide open. Again, Poppy smelt something feline, but this wasn’t a tiger like Cain, that much she was certain of. This smell was different.

  Her eyes scanned the area. It was pleasantly cool, thanks to the trees which provided some welcome shade. Farther down the road, the wooded area stopped and instead there was a wide stretch of grass peppered with bushes.

  Suddenly, a golden flash whizzed past. Poppy spun around but all she could see were bushes and trees. She turned to Harley; he wasn’t there.

  Where was he?

  Hearing his squeaky growl, Poppy turned and saw him trotting over to a large, lean cat covered in dark spots. It stared at them with deep, orange eyes.

  Poppy sensed this cat wasn’t as dangerous as the tiger, but nevertheless she was wary. Harley, on the other hand, was neither careful nor afraid. She ran over to him, grumbling under her breath at his lack of caution.

  ‘Wow. You’re fast!’ Harley growled, gazing up at the big spotted cat.

  The cat smiled proudly. ‘Well, you know…’ it purred, ‘we cheetahs are the fastest animals on land.’

  Harley’s eyes opened wide. ‘Really?’

  The cheetah smirked.

  Poppy’s ears twitched. She sensed something moving behind her. When she turned around she saw another cheetah approaching.

  ‘I think you mean I’m the fastest creature on land, Purdy.’ It stopped next to Poppy and looked down at her. ‘My name’s Savannah; nice to meet you.’

  Poppy sighed with relief at the friendly greeting. ‘I’m Poppy and this is Harley.’

  ‘So young and so unafraid,’ Savannah purred, gazing at the puppy.

  ‘Yes, that’s the trouble.’

  Savannah lifted her chin, puffed out her fluffy chest then said, ‘Cheetahs are built for speed, not fighting. There’s no need to be afraid.’

  Poppy growled softly. ‘I’m glad to hear that. We have just seen Cain, and he wasn’t friendly at all.’

  Savannah narrowed her eyes.

  ‘You saw Cain? Where?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Poppy sighed. ‘We’re lost. It was only because we smelled food that we went that way and ended up face to face with Cain.’

  ‘And you lived to tell the tale? I’m impressed.’

  ‘Luckily, there was no gate, so we couldn’t get inside. If we had been able to then I think Cain would have killed us.’ She noticed the confused expression on the cheetah’s face.

  ‘No gate?’

 
Poppy nodded, wondering why Savannah seemed so puzzled.

  ‘Tell me, Poppy, what did Cain look like?’

  For a moment, Poppy became distracted hearing Harley squeal. She looked around to see the pup sprawled across Purdy’s back as the cheetah ran in between the trees.

  Poppy turned back to Savannah and jumped seeing the big cat’s orange eyes staring into hers, eagerly waiting for her reply.

  ‘Well, he was a tiger. Big, scary and bad-tempered with massive paws, claws and teeth.’

  To her amazement, the cheetah relaxed. ‘That wasn’t Cain,’ she purred.

  ‘Really?’ Poppy couldn’t hide her surprise.

  ‘There are no gates in the tiger enclosure. Humans are not allowed through there.’

  ‘So humans are allowed inside Cain’s home?’ Poppy found this hard to believe but the cheetah nodded.

  ‘He likes it that way because he can keep an eye on who’s coming through his park. Besides, all the humans want to see Cain, especially now.’

  Poppy’s ears pricked up.

  ‘Why? What’s happened?’ she growled. Now she would find out the mystery.

  ‘You mean you don’t know? Well it’s big news…’ Savannah stepped closer.

  Poppy leaned forward, keen to finally discover what was going on.

  ‘I heard the camels next-door talking about…’

  Suddenly, Purdy whizzed past with Harley clinging on to her neck. He growled and howled, his legs swinging in the air. Poppy rolled her eyes.

  ‘Whoa! Look at Purdy! She’s the fastest animal in the world,’ Harley squeak-barked.

  Savannah called out. After their encounter with the tiger, Poppy expected to hear the cheetah roar, but instead Savannah chirped loudly.