The Wild Ones--Great Escape by C. Alexander London

Author:C. Alexander London
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2017-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

OLD FRIENDSSS

KIT and the mongooses followed the vents back outside into the cool night air. Before he left, Kit took a long glance at the tunnel and sighed.

“I promise I’m coming for you, Mom,” he whispered to himself. “I just have to help a few other folks out too.”

“Hey, Kit.” Eeni came up to him, her head cocked to the side. “These three do not look like who you went in there for.”

“These are some new friends of mine,” Kit said. “There’s been a change of plans.”

“We’re busting the place open!” Chamcha cheered.

“Kit, I am very displeased with this,” Preston Q Brightfeather clucked. “I did not send you in there to make friends with these ruffians!”

“They aren’t ruffians!” Kit objected. He wasn’t sure what the word ruffian was supposed to mean, but it didn’t sound nice at all.

“We actually are ruffians,” Baas said.

“And proud of it!” Chamcha added. “Unlike this overdressed chicken.” He laughed as he pointed at the peacock, who fluffed his feathers and looked down his beak at them all.

“Kit,” said Preston. “I agreed to help you free your friends and family from this zoo. I did not agree to help cause a general outbreak and disruption to the entire place. That I cannot abide.”

“You cannot abide?” Kit couldn’t believe his ears.

“Abide means to accept or act in accordance with,” Eeni explain.

“I know what it means,” Kit said. “I just can’t believe he’s saying it!” Kit whirled on the peacock. “So you can abide that the People lock animals up in zoos, just not that they lock up animals you don’t like. You can abide that some animals are stuck here who don’t want to be?”

“We live a good life here in the zoo,” Preston replied. “All of us are fed and protected and cared for. It is a wonderful place and the People are generous and kind to us.”

“But you’re not free!” Kit said.

“We are safe!” Preston replied. “We are happy!”

“Speak for yourself, you flightless feather face,” said Chamcha. “It’s too bad your brain works as well as your wings.”

“At least one of them’s pretty,” said Baas.

“Enough!” Kit put himself between the mongooses and the peacock before they started fighting with more than just sharp words. “We don’t have to fight. No matter our different shapes and sizes, whether we sleep in beds or burrows, houses or holes, we’re still All of One Paw, aren’t we? No matter who we are or where we live, we can help one another out because it’s the right thing to do. Or is it really an every-claw-for-itself kind of a world?”

The peacock looked down in thought, then finally looked up at Kit again. “I am sorry,” he said. “I am a solitary bird and I am not used to cooperation. But you are right, I will help you.”

“Thank you,” said Kit.

“He changed his mind really fast,” said Eeni, with doubt in her voice.

“Your friend makes a compelling argument, don’t you think?” said Preston to her.

“I do . . . ,” Eeni agreed, but her sentence trailed off.

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