The Secret Cave

by Anh Do

  PRAISE FOR

  ‘I really enjoyed this book. It was intense and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Five stars!’

  Poldy, age 11

  ‘Wolf Girl kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time … I never knew what was going to happen next.’

  Piper, age 13

  ‘Wolf Girl is an exciting and adventurous book. I loved how brave Gwen is, and with the help of her pack she is strong enough to survive anything!’

  Cate, age 12

  ‘I loved it because it was full of adventure. The best thing was the ending, which was so exciting. I can’t wait until the next book.’

  Olivia, age 9

  ‘Each page was more exciting than the last!’

  Leo, age 12

  First published by Allen & Unwin in 2020

  Text copyright © Anh Do, 2020

  Illustrations by Lachlan Creagh, 2020

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

  Allen & Unwin

  83 Alexander Street

  Crows Nest NSW 2065

  Australia

  Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

  Email: info@allenandunwin.com

  Web: www.allenandunwin.com

  ISBN 978 1 76087 637 1

  eISBN 978 1 76087 466 7

  Cover design by Jo Hunt and Lachlan Creagh

  Text design by Jo Hunt

  1 The River

  2 The Rise

  3 Seven Soldiers

  4 The Signal

  5 Forest Sage

  6 Too Many Cats

  7 A Night in the Trees

  8 A Second Chance

  9 Into the Dark

  10 The Cavern

  11 A Crazy Plan

  12 A Flash of White

  13 Aftermath

  14 The Shawl

  I could hear soldiers crashing through the forest behind us, but the river barred our way.

  The dogs sniffed the air, woofing and whimpering.

  The two-legs are almost here, barked Nosey.

  We should turn and face them! yapped Tiny.

  They have weapons, growled Sunrise.

  They’ll never get me, said Tiny, bouncing around. I’m too small and fast!

  I had to make a decision. I glanced left and right along the edge of the gully, but both directions looked the same.

  Eagle soared over our heads and wheeled to the left.

  ‘That way!’ I said, and took off after her.

  We ran along a narrow strip of dirt between bushes and the drop. I hoped the ground wouldn’t crumble beneath us.

  ‘Be careful, everyone!’ I called over my shoulder.

  As we approached a bend, I heard the soldiers burst out of the forest behind us.

  ‘There!’ shrieked Fran, her voice angry. ‘Don’t let them get away!’

  As bullets flew, we tore around the bend. Ahead, I saw what Eagle had been leading us to … A bridge!

  Thank you, Eagle.

  As we got close, I saw that the bridge was very rickety. The wooden boards were rotten and crumbling.

  ‘That doesn’t look safe,’ said Rupert. ‘Like, at all.’

  ‘We have no choice!’ I snapped. I was still angry with him for lying about having seen my parents back in the adults’ camp. I had no time for his doubts.

  I took a step onto the boards, and they creaked loudly.

  ‘Come on, everyone!’

  Sunrise, my loyal shadow, followed right behind me. Then came Brutus, Rupert, then Nosey, treading carefully. As each of us added our weight to the bridge, the creaking increased to a dangerous level.

  The wind picked up, and the whole thing began to swing back and forth over the drop. Tiny especially was struggling.

  Eagle flapped overhead and picked up Tiny in her talons. Excellent work, Eagle!

  Zip was at the back, moving slowly and whining in fright. With an injured eye in addition to his already terrible eyesight, the ordeal was even harder for him. He dug his claws into the boards and barely inched along. Walking just in front of him, Nosey gave little reassuring woofs.

  Keep it up, Zip. I’m here. One paw in front of the other.

  Finally, I made it across the bridge and leapt off onto a dirt landing surrounded by bushes. Sunrise bounded past me, then Brutus, then Rupert, who was puffing heavily.

  Back on the other side, soldiers appeared around the bend.

  ‘Get down!’ I shouted.

  The pack dived into the bushes as I crouched down behind a bridge post. Bullets began to fly. One of them clipped a rope, bursting it to severed threads. The bridge shuddered.

  ‘Hold fire!’ shouted Fran. ‘If you destroy the bridge, we’ll never catch them!’

  ‘Hurry!’ I shouted, as Nosey spilled off to safety and spun around, woofing to Zip.

  Almost there, Zip!

  The first soldier stepped onto the rotting boards. There were seven soldiers, including Fran, and they were heavier than any of us. As they piled on, the bridge jolted violently.

  Zip almost lost his footing but snapped his jaws down on a rope to steady himself. I held onto the bridge post and reached out for him, but he didn’t let go. I saw something glint in his good eye – something like fury. The next moment, he was chewing on the rope!

  Zip was trying to bring the bridge down!

  It was a dangerous move, and I wasn’t sure I should let him try it. I also knew we were cutting off our route back to the road, and the convoy of trucks that might contain my parents.

  Sunrise took the decision away from me. She dashed past and set to work chewing through a rope opposite Zip!

  ‘Guys,’ I muttered, ‘just make sure you’re ready to jump when you hear—’

  The soldiers plummeted towards the water, screaming. Sunrise pushed off from the falling boards just in time to soar over my head and land on the solid ground behind. Zip snapped at the dangling rope he had just chewed through, but missed. I lurched forwards and grabbed him just in time! He slammed down onto the boards that now lay against the cliff side, the collar tight around his neck as he dragged me towards the edge.

  My grip on the post began to slip, and I yelled in panic. Hands seized one of my ankles, and a mouth clamped down on the other.

  Soldiers burst upwards from the churning river, spluttering and flailing. Fran herself, the last on the bridge, was the only one who had managed to hold on when it fell. She dangled from the remains on the other side, clutching on for dear life.

  One of the soldiers steadied himself against a rock as the current broke around him.

  ‘Can we shoot now, ma’am?’ he called.

  ‘Yes, you fools!’ shouted Fran. ‘Shoot!’

  The boards Fran was clutching broke apart in her hands, and she yelped, plunging into the water with a huge splash.

  The soldier raised his dripping gun at me while Rupert and Sunrise dragged us up. I wasn’t going to let Zip go. All I could do was hang onto him and hope the soldier would miss.

  The soldier pulled the trigger …

  Click!

  … nothing happened. He scowled, gave the gun a shake, and water spilled from it.

  ‘Waterlogged!’ he snarled.

  Rupert and Sunrise hauled us over the edge. As soon as we were on firm la
nd, I let go of Zip’s collar, and he sprawled beside me, gasping for air.

  ‘Sorry, Zip,’ I said, gently patting his side. Then I looked to Rupert and Sunrise. ‘Thank you.’

  They glanced at each other, as if surprised they had worked together.

  Zip staggered to his feet and gave himself a shake. He was coughing a bit, but there was no time for recovery. Soon the soldiers would be across the river, looking for a way up the embankment.

  ‘We have to keep moving,’ I said.

  We headed for the shade of denser forest, where less light made it through the trees. Every now and then I swung up onto a branch to get a better view of the path ahead.

  Soon the soldiers were on our trail again, calling to each other as they blundered through the undergrowth.

  Ahead there was a steep rise covered with plants bursting up between mossy rocks. It was a perfect obstacle to put between us and the soldiers! I dashed through the trees and motioned for everyone to follow.

  I sprang onto a large rock and started making my way up.

  I came to a deep gap and jumped out to grab an overhanging branch. Below, the dogs were weaving their way upwards using different routes.

  But someone was missing.

  Zip lagged behind, much more wary of leaping across mossy rocks than he usually would have been. Further behind him, Rupert was still at the bottom of the slope, worriedly staring up at me.

  I growled in annoyance, then dropped from the branch to land beside Sunrise and Brutus.

  ‘We have to go back down,’ I said.

  Brutus gave a gruff bark. Why should we all get caught?

  Sunrise tilted her head. For once, I agree with Brutus.

  I ran out of the gap and peered through the trees. From this vantage I could make out glimmers of movement in the distance – it looked like the soldiers were only a few minutes away.

  Nosey was already heading back down to try to help Zip. Tiny appeared around a shrub, his tongue lolling out of his head.

  What’s going on? Aren’t we escaping? I’ve been scouting the trail!

  ‘The pack is family,’ I said. ‘Zip is finding this path too hard. And Rupert is one of us now.’

  Well, said Sunrise, if it’s for Zip …

  ‘Come on!’ I said, and took off down the slope.

  I leapt from rock to rock, the way downwards was much faster than the way up.

  I beat Nosey to Zip, who had managed to get his paw stuck in a crack. I started to pry him loose.

  I’m sorry, said Zip. I can make it! I just have to …

  ‘It’s okay, Zip. We’re not going this way anymore.’

  Nosey caught up.

  ‘Nosey, can you look after Zip? I have to help Rupert.’

  Of course.

  Rupert looked relieved when he saw me. I jumped to his rock and dug my heels into the moss to stop from skidding.

  ‘I was worried you were going to leave me behind!’ he said.

  ‘I thought about it,’ I muttered. A look of hurt flashed across his face. ‘Only for a second,’ I added. ‘Come on, we’ll go around the rise instead of over.’

  I slid back down into the forest. Rupert landed awkwardly beside me, and I had to grab his shoulders to stop him from falling over.

  As we began to move again, the dogs appeared out of the undergrowth around us.

  ‘Spread out!’ I heard Fran shout. ‘They can’t be far away!’

  Spread out? That gave me an idea.

  I held my breath as the soldiers moved towards us. They walked side by side in a sweeping line, guns held ready. Were the weapons still waterlogged? I couldn’t take any chances.

  The more the soldiers spread out, the more bushes and trees came between them. They started calling out their names to keep track of each other, which helped me judge how close they were.

  I flattened myself against the trunk as they passed beneath. From there, I had a better view of them than they did of themselves. I grinned. They were outnumbered, and although they didn’t realise it, they were in my domain.

  I scanned the undergrowth ahead, and everything was completely still. Good dogs, I thought to myself. Hopefully everyone was in position, hiding in the vegetation. Off in another tree, Eagle waited in shadows, her eyes flashing.

  ‘Stick together!’ Fran shouted. ‘Roll call!’

  ‘Hamilton, clear,’ called a soldier, over to the left.

  ‘Kevans, clear,’ called a guy just below me.

  It was the same guy who’d aimed for me, back at the river. I narrowed my eyes as he moved along a curtain of vines that completely obscured him from his comrades.

  It was time to strike. I edged out onto my branch so I’d have room to use my sling. I steadied myself with one hand and started whirring the sling around my head with the other. Aiming while balancing in a tree wasn’t easy, but I had done it before when hunting.

  I can do it again now, I told myself.

  I unleashed the stone. It whizzed through the air and smacked Kevans on the back of his head. He pitched forwards, out like a light, and crashed into the undergrowth.

  One, I thought.

  ‘What was that?’ said Hamilton.

  Fran’s voice boomed. ‘Roll call!’

  ‘Phillips, clear.’

  ‘Bernard, clear.’

  As the soldiers continued calling, I locked eyes with Eagle and nodded. She launched from her perch and flapped away through the trees, a huge snake dangling from her claws.

  ‘Hamilton, clear.’ He glanced around, waiting for the next call. ‘Kevans?’ he said, nervously, towards the vines. ‘Are you there?’

  Further down the line, Eagle swept over Phillips.

  ‘Snake! Snake!’

  Phillips broke from formation and bolted through the trees as he tried to shake off the angry, hissing snake.

  Two.

  Hamilton strained his neck trying to see what was going on with the others. Sunrise erupted out of the ferns behind him and sank her fangs into the man’s backpack. Hamilton stumbled under the weight of the wolf, howling in terror.

  Hamilton managed to shake off the pack, dropping his gun in the process. As he spun to see what had attacked, the sight of the wolf snapping and snarling made his eyes bulge in fear. The next moment, he was off and racing.

  Three.

  I scampered from branch to branch, trying to keep the remaining soldiers in sight. Bernard spun this way and that, pointing his gun blindly about himself. Brutus surged out of the bushes at his feet and knocked him backwards so hard that his head thumped against a tree. Bernard slid, stunned, to the ground.

  Four.

  ‘What’s going on?!’ thundered Fran, yelling over the growling, hissing, screaming and shrieking.

  ‘We’re under attack!’ someone shouted.

  ‘Back to me!’ shouted Fran.

  I dropped down to a boulder, a stone ready in my sling. I spotted a soldier moving through the trees and let the stone fly. It glanced off the soldier’s arm and she winced, eyes darting around for the source of the attack. Her gaze found mine and she took a step towards me… but Tiny launched out of the undergrowth and latched onto her leg!

  You’re mine now, two-legs! Rar!

  The soldier shook her leg and bellowed angrily, but Tiny only bit down harder. As she swung him about, kicking and cursing, Zip broke from between trees and headbutted her from behind. The soldier went crashing into a thorny bush and bellowed.

  Five.

  ‘We’re getting wiped out!’ shouted the last of Fran’s underlings. ‘We have to retreat!’

  Eagle swooped down and set about beating his face with her wings.

  Six.

  As the soldiers fled, the dogs pursued them, darting out of the undergrowth with snarls and bared teeth, herding them like terrified sheep.

  ‘Hey, Fran!’ called Rupert. ‘Over here!’

  He stood some twenty metres ahead of Fran, between two great rocks. When she caught sight of him, her eyes blazed.


  ‘There!’ she called, pointing. ‘Get that kid!’

  But there was no one left to receive the order.

  Fran grimaced, then charged at Rupert.

  I leapt off my boulder and started running towards them.

  As Rupert ran off …

  The waterlogged pistol backfired and exploded in Fran’s hand. With a surprised grunt, she flung the remains away and chased after Rupert. She reached the rocks and squeezed into the gap.

  I scrambled towards them and made it to the top in time to see Fran burst through the gap below, into the middle of the ring of rocks, where she found Rupert cornered.

  Her face twisted into a nasty smile. ‘Now I’ve got—’

  Nosey dropped from a ledge above the gap and planted his forelegs over her shoulders. As Fran was driven down face-forwards, her hands shot out to save herself. She did an almighty push-up and bounced back up. Nosey rolled away to safety.

  She found Rupert watching her with a smug expression on his face.

  ‘It will take more than one dog to stop me,’ said Fran. ‘So you’d better wipe that look off your …’

  Rupert raised a finger to point all around.

  ‘Not just one dog,’ he said.

  ‘Your pack seems to have deserted you,’ I said.

  ‘You won’t get away with this,’ said Fran, her voice quavering. ‘If you kill me—’

  ‘Kill you?’ I snapped. ‘Not everyone is like you, Fran. We won’t kill you, but we can’t have you following us either.’ I looked at my pack. ‘Doggies? Would you be so kind as to show Fran on her way?’

  The dogs growled and stalked towards Fran. She turned and fled into the gap as they snapped at her heels.