by Ian Whybrow
The professor, who had spent a lot of time studying these meerkats, recognised them all: they were the three kits he’d filmed many times before, and their new little sibling, who had somehow managed to smear bright colours all over himself.
“They are so cute!” said Daniela.
Of course, the professor took his study of meerkats very seriously. He never thought of them as cute. But even he had to agree that one of the most charming things he had ever seen was the shot of the little female leaning over the side of the balloon waving— well, you know jolly well what she was waving. So let’s spare the blushes of Miss Daniela Pipistrella, the world-famous balloonist and camera-woman, and not keep mentioning it.
Later, as they were sitting round the campfire, Daniela said quietly, “I wonder if any of the kits could have possibly survived the crash.”
“Well, I’m getting a very strong signal from Fearless’s radio collar, so he’s definitely nearby,” said the professor. Whether he or any of the others who jumped into the pickup, are alive, I...”
“I do hope so,” said Daniela with feeling. “They deserve a new start after being flooded out of their old home.”
“Well, it’s getting dark now,” said the professor, “so we shall just have to wait till tomorrow before we can track down the signal and find out exactly what has happened to our brave little meerkats.”
As we shall see, they were in for a very nice surprise…
Together at last, Fragrant and her lost kits! How she held them! How they breathed her in and whimpered for joy to be bathed in the scent of her once more. She clasped them as tightly as she had when she first nursed them, long ago. And even when she was certain that they were real and she had told them over and over that she would never leave them, not ever, she had to keep touching them and nuzzling them to be sure that she was not dreaming.
And then there were stories to be told. How Fragrant was cast out of her burrow by a jealous queen; how she had wished to die and had almost been killed by a pack of painted dogs. How she struggled on, a wanderer, an outcast, until by chance she had met her handsome prince, Broad Shoulders. Like her, he had no tribe, but they swore to be true to each other and to stay together, even if they had no name. Out of No Name, they made a new name for themselves, and here, in this remote and lonely place, they also made a secret home together.
“Why a secret home, Mama?” asked Little Dream.
“Because we were so few,” she whispered. “We decided to lie low together until the babies came.”
“The babies?” asked Radiant. “You mean…?”
“Yes,” said Fragrant shyly. “There will soon be some brothers and sisters for Mimi and Skeema and Little Dream.”
“Yippee!” exclaimed Skeema. “More fun for us!”
“We like babies,” agreed Little Dream.
“We love babies! Even naughty ones,” laughed Mimi. “Isn’t that right, Trouble?”
“Love trouble!” cried Trouble in delight.
“There, Radiant! You wanted a bigger mob and now you’ve got one!” cried Uncle. “And with Broad Shoulders to fight with us, I reckon we can put on a good show if it comes to a scrap over territory!”
“We should be honoured to call ourselves Really Mads, sir, if you will join us and make this your home,” said Broad Shoulders respectfully.
“What do you say, my queen?” asked Fearless.
“Gosh!” said Radiant with a sigh. “What a suntime! Well, I for one am jolly pleased to take up that offer!”
“And so say all of us!” cried the kits.
“All us,” yawned Trouble, cuddling up to his doting papa, while Radiant cuddled Bundle, Zora and Quickpaws.
“You squeak when you’re squoken too, you naughty baby!” laughed Radiant.
“You’re not naughty, are you, my lad?” cooed Fearless. “Just advanced and full of spirit! I was just the same when I was a kit. By all that nips and tucks, I’ve got some stories I could tell you…”
“Hush, dear,” said Radiant. “We’ve all got stories to tell about how we got here. But I think we should put the babies to bed now. It’s time they settled into their new chamber.”
“In their new home, what-what!” chuckled Uncle.
Little Dream twiddled the feather of The Silent Enemy. Should he give it to Uncle now? No, let him see it in sunlight. No time for much talking now. “And where shall we kits be sleeping this darktime, Mama?” he asked shyly, wallowing in the warmth of her lovely fur.
“Why, where you all belong, of course,” she murmured. “With me. With Mama.”
Also available by Ian Whybrow
Meerkat Madness
More Meerkat Madness
Little Wolf’s Book of Badness
Copyright
MEERKAT MADNESS FLYING HIGH
Text copyright © Ian Whybrow 2012
Illustrations copyright © Sam Hearn 2012
Ian Whybrow asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
ISBN 978-0-00-744161-7
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Epub Edition © FEBRUARY 2012 ISBN: 9780007441624
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