Poacher Panic by Jan Burchett

Author:Jan Burchett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction/Action & Adventure/General
ISBN: 9781434232861
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2012-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Ben gulped. “It looks like Uncle Stephen got his dates wrong,” he said. “Those are Tora’s cubs, and they’re older than we thought. They’re already out of the den!”

“Then they’re in terrible danger,” said Zoe. “And it’s up to us to save them.”

“Check where the poacher is,” whispered Ben urgently.

Zoe checked the green light. “He hasn’t moved from the village,” she said. “We still have to tell Erika right away.”

Zoe pressed the key on her BUG that would call Erika’s phone. However, it just beeped quietly. “No signal here!” Zoe said. She groaned in frustration.

“The terrain here must be cutting off the signal,” said Ben, keeping his voice down. “We need to get higher up to make a call.”

“Well, I’m not climbing trees in the middle of the night!” argued Zoe.

“Don’t worry,” hissed Ben. “We’ll just go to higher ground.”

“Okay,” Zoe agreed. “But Tora will hear us if we leave now. We’ll just have to wait until she leaves.”

“Lucky for you,” teased Ben. “You can do some fluffy-wuffy little baby-cub watching. Meanwhile, I’m going to get some sleep.” Ben laid down on the ground and propped his arm under his head.

Zoe eagerly focused her goggles on the cubs. “They’re sooo cute!” she cooed softly. “Look at them wrestling with each other! And listen to them mew! I could just hug them all day long.”

Ben sighed. He wouldn’t get any sleep with Zoe making a fuss over the babies. Together, the twins watched Tora nudge her cubs toward the water. The baby tigers slurped water everywhere as they drank. Tora seemed to be keeping guard.

Tora held her head high and gave off soft, deep growls.

“She’s a good mom,” said Zoe. “She’ll guard those babies with her life.”

“Shh,” warned Ben. “She’s on the move.”

Tora was padding silently toward the trail — and toward Ben and Zoe! They held their breath, hoping the scent dispersers in their BUGs were still working.

Zoe felt a mixture of thrill and terror as the beautiful tiger stalked along, her cubs padding softly at her heels.

They looked like they were trying to be as regal as their mother, but the cubs couldn’t resist sniffing the ground or wrestling with each other as they went. Zoe gave a happy sigh as she watched.

Soon, they had disappeared. “Let’s go,” said Ben, stretching his stiff legs. “There’s no time to lose.”

“I’ll find out exactly where the nearest high ground is,” Zoe said. She checked her screen. “There it is. Cochoa Hill.”

It was a long walk through the dark forest to Cochoa Hill. By the time they started the long trek up the steep slope, the first glimmers of sun were beginning to filter through the trees.

“I hope we get a signal up there,” panted Zoe, pushing through the huge flowers and green undergrowth.

“The sooner WILD can contact the sanctuary, the better,” Zoe said.

Finally, they reached the top of the hill. Ben wiped the sweat off his forehead and sipped the last of his water.

“Got a signal!” yelled Zoe, sending a flock of bright yellow birds screeching into the air.

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