The Way to Rio Luna by Zoraida Córdova

Author:Zoraida Córdova [Córdova, Zoraida]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2020-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

THE JACKALOPE THUMPED HIS great furry foot, ready to attack. The ends of his long cloak flapped in the breeze. His antlers were dusted with a gold powder and as they leveled with Danny’s face, Danny thought it was the last thing he’d ever see.

But as the jackalope charged like a bull, so did Orion.

The very brave pup leapt, and his nose barreled into the jackalope’s chest. The two of them rolled and tumbled off the side of a nearby stone bridge and down into the stream. There were barks and grunts and a great big splash and a scream.

“Orion!” Glory shouted. She ran without thinking, and Danny followed behind her.

When Danny climbed over the boulders, he knew where the scream had come from.

Orion was safe. He’d climbed out of the stream on the other side of the bank and shook his entire body.

The jackalope, on the other hand, was having a difficult time. Now that he was no longer trying to attack them, he didn’t seem so threatening. In fact, he needed help. The jackalope thrashed in the shallows. His cloak was soaked through, and his gray fur was darker now that it was wet.

“I’m drowning!” he shouted. “You’ve all killed me! That’s what you’ve done. I hate water. It’s a very terribly nasty thing.”

Glory was kneeling on the side of the stream. She held a fallen branch and shouted, “Grab on!”

The creature cried out, “Why would anyone cover themselves in something so wet?”

“I’m trying to help you,” Glory said, though now she sounded frustrated. “Take hold of the branch.”

Danny fought the urge to laugh. The jackalope was in only a foot of water and he wasn’t even moving anymore. He was splashing his short arms and furry legs.

“Stand up!” Danny shouted.

But the jackalope would not listen. He writhed and cried. Danny was certain someone was going to come and discover them. It was one thing to excavate a stone from the archway, but how were they going to explain a five-foot-tall rabbit with golden antlers?

“He’s not listening,” Glory said.

“Excuse me, Mr. Bunny!” Danny shouted.

The jackalope went rigid. He was so still that for a moment, Danny wondered if he’d gone into shock.

He had, in fact, gone into some sort of shock. The jackalope shot up to his great paws. The left one thumped three times, causing more of the cold stream water to splash on them.

“How dare you,” the jackalope said, puffing up his chest. “I am not a bunny! I am a jackalope. Do bunnies have great, magnificent antlers such as these?”

Glory gave a little shrug and jittered behind her hand. They didn’t want to laugh at the jackalope, but she couldn’t help it.

“Bunnies do not have antlers,” Glory said.

“Magnificent antlers,” the jackalope corrected her, and hopped onto the bank where Danny and the others stood.

“What should we call you instead?” Danny asked.

“I am Llewelyn the Fifteenth, Prince of the Red Woods,” he said while wringing the water from his long scarlet cape. He had shorter arms, like a kangaroo, but not as tiny as a T.

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