Bravelands #1 by Erin Hunter

Author:Erin Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-03-30T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Now that they were so close to the watering hole, Sky’s thirst returned with a vengeance. She could no longer ignore the sandy dryness of her parched throat, and her trunk felt as if it might shrivel up altogether. She picked up her pace, her breath rasping hard, the delicious scent of the fresh water seeming to fill her whole skull.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” cried Moon beside her. His little trunk was raised high as he tried to catch the luxuriant scents.

“Yes,” murmured Sky.

The vast stretch of water sparkled beneath the sun, its flakes of light dazzling. Even the colors of the bushes felt cool against her aching eyes. But Sky just could not shake the sense of dread that had clung to her since that horrifying vision on the Plain of Our Ancestors.

She started as water splattered her ear; Moon had squirted a trunkful at her, and he was already sucking up more. Shaking herself, Sky tried to enjoy his antics and the obvious delight of the other animals gathered at the water’s edge. Two giraffes, their legs splayed, had dipped their long necks to drink, and Moon, distracted from his game, was gaping at them with fascination. There were gazelles, too, and bushbuck, and many zebras; those who had drunk their fill were moving away to make space for a seemingly endless horde. Even a leopard slunk down through the bushes to lap at the water, and not a single one of the grass-eaters flinched.

Sky couldn’t see any lions, though, or baboons. Perhaps her vision had been symbolic? She scanned the line of creatures. Could the leopard be the danger? Or a less obvious animal, like a wildebeest? A group of rhinos was staring at Sky and her herd resentfully. I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to hurt us. You can tell how much they hate elephants.

But apart from the glowering rhinos, every animal seemed peaceful and happy; no fights broke out despite the numbers who had gathered. Grass-eaters exchanged polite greetings with flesh-eaters; zebras and wildebeests who had squabbled on the trek now stood together, chatting amiably. Sky could make out fragments of their conversations, and none of their words sounded suspicious or alarming.

Everyone is excited about the Great Gathering. Every creature is looking forward to it. It’s hard to imagine anything bad happening in this place.

Yet still Sky could not shake that awful foreboding. Every sudden movement made her jump and blink.

She gasped and started as a dark shadow blundered between the two giraffes, then shook her head, smiling. It was only Moon.

But he might start to annoy those giraffes!

Sky trotted over to her little cousin and reached out her trunk, trying to guide him away from the tall, slender creatures. “I’m sorry,” she told them hastily. “I’ll get him out of your way—come on, Moon. No more squirting!”

One of the giraffes laughed. “Oh, we don’t mind the little one. He’s having fun. So long as he doesn’t knock us over!”

“I hope not!” exclaimed Sky.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.