Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson

Author:Terry Lynn Johnson [Johnson, Terry Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780358334910
Publisher: HMH Books
Published: 2021-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

18

The next day Aaron, Jack, and I open the clubhouse door and peer inside.

I feel a little thrill, even though I’d already seen it this morning when I gave the kits their breakfast.

“That’s a thing of beauty,” I say, proudly, as if I’d done it myself.

“That’s a big mess,” Jack says.

“It’s exactly where you wanted them to do it, Madi,” Aaron says, his eyes shining with wonder.

We gaze at the interlaced pile of sticks and mud. Branches jab out of the mound at odd angles, looking like a sad melty snowman. It leans precariously to one side. Most of the material we’d brought in has been used to make it.

The best part is where the kits built it. Along the side of the pool. Right on top of where I’d hidden the iPod.

The kits return our stare until Cooler seems to shrug and goes back to work. Grunting, he shoves a large stick into the door of their house. Phrag mutters a protest.

“It’s obvious once you think about it,” Aaron says. “Everyone knows beavers are the world’s smelliest engineers.”

“Step two of the plan worked,” I say. “And they aren’t smelly.”

“What worked?” Jack says. “I don’t know what’s going on. All I see is a gigantic pile of mud in the middle of our clubhouse. Is that supposed to be a dam? That’s the worst dam I’ve ever seen.”

“I’ll admit, they need practice.” I worry again that they don’t have anyone to teach them how to do these things with their parents gone.

“Why build one here?” Jack says. “It’s in the way.”

“The kits built where Madi wanted them to,” Aaron explains. “She’s using their instincts with the sound of running water to direct them.”

“Ah,” Jack says. But he still looks confused.

I’m not entirely clear myself about what to do next. “But I don’t know if I can do it in the wild with other beavers. I’ll need your help, Aaron.”

“Well, that’s never good. The last time you said that, I got attacked by a raccoon.” Aaron loves to bring up the tree incident.

“He was just saying hello.” I wave a hand. “Before we do anything, though, we should give Phrag and Cooler some kind of reward for all their work.”

Even though beavers are nocturnal and don’t care for bright sunshine, the small clubhouse isn’t the right place for growing kits. They should be outside, somewhere they can play and learn how to swim and be beavers.

“Let’s take them for a real swim,” I say.

Mom’s gone to work, so the only thing we need to worry about are predators and other beavers. As Aaron and I carry the kits toward the lake, I think about what I’d read in my beaver research. Beavers are fiercely protective of their territory and could attack other beavers they don’t know. An adult beaver might kill one of the kits. Or they might decide the kits aren’t a threat since they’re so small. But there’s no way to know, so we have to be cautious.

Aaron and I place the kits on the beach sand.

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