Desert Danger

by Jan Burchett

  They headed down the ridge. Something was lying on the ground ahead. “It’s a dead gemsbok,” said Ben as they came closer to it. “Predators have been here. I bet it was the lions, too.”

  Jossy sniffed the air eagerly and pulled hard at the rope. “He’s hungry,” said Zoe. “Is he old enough to eat meat?”

  “He seems to be,” said Ben. “Let him try.”

  Whatever had killed the gemsbok had fed well, but there was still some meat left.

  Jossy pulled Zoe over and began to eat hungrily. “He’s going to be okay,” said Zoe.

  A low chuckling sound behind her made her spin around. “Ben!” she said quickly. “We’ve got trouble.”

  Ben turned and froze. Several bristling hyenas were slinking menacingly toward them with their heads and ears high.

  The ridges of spotted hair on their backs were stiff, meaning they were being aggressive. The leader made a growling chuckle in its throat as they began to circle Ben, Zoe, and Jossy.

  “I think this gemsbok was going to be their breakfast,” said Zoe.

  “Not anymore,” Ben whispered back. “The way they’re looking at us, I think we’re on the menu now.”

  Jossy stopped eating and edged away from the snarling pack. The hyenas watched Jossy, tendrils of drool hanging from their lips.

  Ben used the distraction to slowly lift his tranquilizer gun. “There’s no way I can shoot them all,” he whispered, lowering his arm. “We need to try something else. We have to be more aggressive than them.”

  Ben took a deep breath and waved his arms wildly, making loud growling noises. Then he stamped toward the pack, slamming his feet into the sand.

  Zoe joined in. The hyenas stopped their advance and eyed them warily.

  “It’s not enough,” said Ben. “I’m going to try something else.”

  He grabbed his BUG and was searching for the setting to make it roar like a lion when a deep-throated growl boomed out all around them.

  The leader of the pack gave a high-pitched yowl and the hyenas immediately scattered, bounding away across the desert.

  Ben looked at Zoe in amazement. “Was that your BUG?” he asked. “It certainly did the trick. Nice work.”

  Zoe was gazing over Ben’s shoulder. He saw her eyes flicker with fear. “It wasn’t me,” she whispered. She pointed up at the ridge. Ben turned around slowly.

  A huge lion with a magnificent mane was standing at the top of the ridge. It lifted its head and gave another tremendous roar.

  Ben and Zoe dived for cover behind a rock, dragging Jossy with them.

  The lion stalked slowly toward their hiding place, growling deeply. Jossy began to mew loudly.

  “Shh!” said Zoe. “You’ll give us away!” With a trembling hand, she slowly stroked Jossy’s head in an effort to calm him. But the little cub mewed louder, wriggling to break free from the harness.

  The lion stopped in his tracks. His ears twitched as he tried to track the sound. Then his gaze fell on the rock. Slowly and purposefully, he padded toward it.

  Suddenly, Jossy wriggled out of his harness and broke away from Zoe’s hold. The cub bounded toward the lion, giving little growls as he went.

  Ben fumbled with his gun, his fingers sliding around the trigger. “I think he’s trying to protect us,” he said in horror.

  “Come back!” called Zoe. “You’re too small, Jossy. You don’t stand a chance.”

  But Jossy scampered between the lion’s legs and began playfully biting his tail!

  Then he rolled over on his back and batted it. The huge creature looked down at him.

  Ben edged around the rock. He got a firm grip on the gun, raised it, and took aim.

  Zoe caught his arm. “Wait!” she cried.

  Instead of attacking the little cub, the huge lion gave him a friendly cuff with his paw. Ben lowered the gun and grinned. “There’s only one male lion who would accept that kind of behavior from Jossy,” he said. “It must be his dad! And from the deep color of his mane, I’d say he’s the dominant male of the pride.”

  “Then it must be Jossy’s pride at the pool,” said Zoe. “I hope the mom’s there.” She looked at the tracking screen on her BUG. The orange light was still at the well. “She still hasn’t moved,” Zoe whispered. “I’m really worried about her, Ben.”

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” said Ben, trying to sound confident. But he could see that Zoe didn’t look convinced. “Look!” he said.

  The male lion turned and strode toward the distant trees around the pool.

  Jossy trotted along at his side, nipping at his leg until his father butted him off. The little cub went rolling across the red earth, jumped to his feet, and scampered back to his father’s side.

  “Let’s follow them,” said Ben. “We have to report that he’s safely back with the pride.”

  “Who’s going to look after him if his mom isn’t there?” asked Zoe.

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” said Ben. “All the females help each other to rear their cubs. They’re like aunts.”

  Keeping their distance, they followed the lions toward the pool. When they reached the trees, they stayed just out of sight. “Wow!” whispered Zoe.

  The pool was as big as a football field. It was surrounded on all sides by palm trees, baobabs, and camel’s thorns with their ferny leaves. Water glinted in the harsh sunlight as it rippled near the banks. Grass and small flowers grew under the trees. The air was full of bird cries and songs.

  Ben pointed over to the far side. Stretched out on a sandbank was a group of lions. Some were asleep and others were crouched and drinking at the water’s edge. Several young cubs were playing together in the shade.

  “I count fifteen of them,” whispered Ben. “That’s not a bad size for a pride of lions.”

  Jossy and his dad walked over to the group. At once, a lioness sprang up. “Is that his mom?” whispered Zoe.

  “If it is, he’ll go straight to her,” said Ben.

  Now other lionesses were on their feet, all nosing around the baby. But Jossy trotted from one to the other as if searching for his mother.

  “She’s not there,” said Zoe, close to tears. “And it’s all my fault.”

  Jossy finally flopped down next to a scrawny old lioness. She sniffed him suspiciously.

  “Do you think he smells strange to her?” asked Zoe. “He’s been away from the pride for a while. I hope he doesn’t get rejected.”

  “No way,” said Ben. Just then, the female gave Jossy a thorough licking. He leaned against her as she flattened his ears and pushed him this way and that.

  Once the cleaning was finished, Jossy jumped up and began to search amongst the females again.

  “We brought him home, but his mom’s not here,” said Zoe. Her eyes began to well with tears.

  Ben put his arm around Zoe. “It’s not your fault,” he said. “Besides, the other females are taking care of Jossy. He’ll be fine.”

  Ben took his BUG, put it on speaker, and hit the call key for Erika. “Hello there,” came her voice. “How’s the mission going?”

  “The cub’s back with the pride —” Ben began to say.

  “But we don’t know where his mother is,” Zoe said. “I had to tranquilize her . . .” Zoe broke into a sob.

  Ben hugged his sister and told Erika everything that had happened.

  “Your uncle will be proud of you,” said Erika. “And Zoe, try not to worry. You did everything you could for the lioness.”

  “The moment you pick us up, can you bring us to the well so we can see what’s happened to the lioness?” asked Zoe.

  “Of course,” said Erika. “I’ll land as close to you as I can. On the WASP, it won’t take you very long to get to the plane. I’ll send you the coordinates. And I’ve got plenty of water, so you’ll be feeling better in
no time.”

  “Oh, um, about the WASP,” said Ben. “Erika, we had a little accident.” He told her about the encounter with the hungry lion.

  “Then I’ll arrange for someone to come pick you up,” said Erika. “See you soon!”

  * * *

  They sat in the shelter of the trees and watched as Jossy finally settled down next to the female who had washed him. She fed him, but Jossy kept stopping to look around for his real mom. The other cubs wrestled with each other while the adults stretched out lazily in the heat.

  Ben and Zoe sipped at their remaining water and ate energy bars. It was getting very hot. Zoe felt her eyelids begin to droop. Suddenly her BUG vibrated.

  “I’m here, just due south of you,” came Erika’s voice. “I’m safely upwind of the lions, so we shouldn’t have any problems making it to you without alerting the pride.”

  “Why would she worry about the lions picking up her scent?” asked Ben. “She’s got a scent disperser, doesn’t she?”

  Zoe shaded her eyes and peered out over the horizon. “It’s not herself she’s worried about,” she said, pointing into the distance. “It’s our transportation!”

  Ben followed her finger and let out a groan. “Great,” he said. “More camels!”

  “We’re on our way,” Zoe told Erika. “Over and out.” Zoe tried to act normal, but inside she felt miserable. She couldn’t escape the horrible thought that she had accidentally killed Jossy’s mom.

  At that moment, a high-pitched mewing drew their attention back to the pride. Jossy had left the group, yowling excitedly as he ran toward something approaching in the distance.

  The other lions stood up and stared. “It’s a lioness,” whispered Ben.

  The newcomer was limping slowly toward the water. She had scratches on her side and her muzzle was bleeding. She stopped when she saw Jossy and made a deep rumbling noise at the cub. For a moment, none of them moved.

  Jossy threw himself at her, running between her legs and pawing at her sides. The lioness slumped to the ground and Jossy crept between her front paws, nudging her face with his.

  “It’s his mom!” Zoe cried out in delight.

  “She looks like she’s been in a fight,” said Ben. “I wonder if she crossed paths with the same lone lion we did. It would explain why she’s taken so long to get here.”

  “Or the hyenas,” Zoe said. “I’m just glad she made it back.”

  Ben and Zoe watched the scene of the reunion. Jossy climbed happily all over his weary mother, kneading at her with his claws like a kitten. She nuzzled him and rubbed her cheeks against his.

  The other lionesses padded around them, sniffing and licking at her wounds. Zoe’s eyes were shining as she watched the pride settle down. The little cub curled up contentedly next to his mom.

  Zoe turned to Ben. “Why didn’t her tracking dart show on the BUG?” she asked.

  Ben checked the BUG screen and showed his sister. “It is showing,” Ben said with a grin. “You must have missed your shot and tracked the well, doofus!”

  Zoe smirked at her brother. “I may have missed the mark,” she admitted, “but at least I didn’t trash our ride.”

  “Fair enough,” Ben said. Then he jumped to his feet and tugged at Zoe’s arm. “Time to go. Erika’s waiting.”

  “Do we have to?” asked Zoe. “I could watch these lions forever.”

  “And miss the chance of seeing me fall off another camel?” asked Ben.

  “Ha, I’d never miss that!” Zoe said. She got to her feet and took one last look back. “Bye, Jossy. I’m so glad you’re home safe.”

  Then the twins crept away quietly through the trees.

  * * *

  As they approached Erika, Ben’s BUG vibrated. “It’s a call from WILD,” he said.

  “Greetings!” came their uncle’s cheerful voice. “Erika’s brought me up to speed. Well done, you two!”

  “There’s more,” Zoe said happily. “Jossy’s mom made it back after all!”

  “Well then!” their uncle boomed. “It’s another perfect end to a perfect mission for Zoe and Ben!”

  Ben glanced ahead to where one of the camels was snorting and stamping its hoof.

  “That one’s yours,” Erika said, pointing at the angry camel.

  “Almost perfect,” Ben said with a laugh.

  THE AUTHORS

  Jan Burchett and Sara Vogler were already friends when they discovered they both wanted to write children’s books, and that it was much more fun to do it together. They have since written over a hundred and thirty stories ranging from educational books and stories for younger readers to young adult fiction. They have written for series such as Dinosaur Cove and Beast Quest, and they are authors of the Gargoylz books.

  THE ILLUSTRATOR

  Diane Le Feyer discovered a passion for drawing and animation at the age of five. In 2002, she graduated with honors from the Ecole Emile Cohl school of design. Diane worked as a character designer, 3D modeler, and animator in the video games industry before joining the Cartoon Saloon animation studio, where she worked as a director, animator, illustrator, and character designer. Diane was also a part of the early design and development of the movie The Secret of Kells.

  GLOSSARY

  accelerated (ak-SEL-uh-rate-id)—moved faster and faster

  anxiously (ANGK-shuhss-lee)—eagerly or impatiently

  dominant (DOM-uh-nuhnt)—most influential or powerful. The dominant male in a pride of lions is the pride’s leader.

  hologram (HOL-uh-gram)—an image made by laser beams that looks real and three-dimensional

  hyena (hye-EE-nuh)—a wild animal that looks somewhat like a dog. It eats meat and has a shrieking howl.

  mane (MAYN)—the long, thick hair on the head and neck of a male lion or horse

  pride (PRIDE)—a pack of lions

  sandstorm (SAND-storm)—a windstorm in the desert that sends gusts of sand through the air at high speeds

  stalked (STAWKD)—hunted or tracked a person or an animal in a quiet, secretive way

  AFRICAN LION

  STATUS: VULNERABLE

  Lions are found mainly in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. They live in savannahs, grasslands, dense bush, and woodlands. Over the last thirty years, Africa has lost almost 70 percent of its lion population due to:

  PREDATORS: Lions have no natural predators. Humans are the biggest threat to their survival. As the human population around national parks increases, so does contact with lions, increasing the chance that lions will be harmed or killed.

  LOSS OF HABITAT: People are taking over lion territory, which causes conflicts between lions and humans.

  POISONING: Livestock owners sometimes poison or shoot lions that kill their cattle.

  POACHERS: The lion is one of the most prized “trophy kills” by hunters.

  But IT’S NOT ALL BAD FOR THE AFRICAN LION! Many lions live in protected national parks. Conservations groups are working hard to preserve the numbers of lions. For instance, the African Wildlife Foundation has lion conservation research projects in Tanzania and Botswana.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Ben and Zoe are passionate about saving animals. What are you passionate about? Talk about things you love doing.

  2. The twins love animals. What’s your favorite animal species? Do you have any pets? Discuss animals.

  3. What are some everyday things that you can do to help the environment? Discuss ways you can make your community a better place.

  WRITING PROMPTS

  1. Zoe and Ben get to use lots of differeng gadgets in their animal-saving adventures. Design your own gadget. What does your invention do? Write about it, then draw a picture of your gadget.

  2. A scary sandstorm wreaks havoc with Ben and Zoe’s rescue attempt. What’s the scariest thing that you’ve experienced?
What happened? Write about it.

  3. Ben and Zoe travel by go-kart, WASP, airplane, camel, and a variety of other forms of transportation. What kind of traveling have you done? Where did you go? How did you get there? Write about your travels.

  VISIT:

  www.capstonepub.com

  Find cool websites and more books like this one at

  www.facthound.com

  Just type in the Book ID: 9781434237736

  and you’re ready to go!

  Wild Rescue books are published by Stone Arch Books

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  First published by Stripes Publishing Ltd.

  1 The Coda Centre

  189 Munster Road

  London SW6 6AW

  © Jan Burchett and Sara Vogler, 2012

  Interior art © Diane Le Feyer of Cartoon Saloon, 2012

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available at the Library of Congress website.

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-3773-6 (library binding)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-8671-0 (ebook)

  Summary: A lion cub has fallen down a well, and now its mother is preventing the locals from getting any water! Ben and Zoe travel to the Kalahari desert to help, but with overwhelming heat, deadly creatures at every turn, and a powerful sandstorm raging around them, Ben and Zoe will have to dig deep to set things right.