Poppy on Safari

by Gillian Young

  ‘I’m so sorry for your family,’ Poppy whimpered. Her heart ached thinking of such cruelty.

  The grey giant flapped his ears and swung his trunk gently from side to side. His eyes twinkled and his mouth curved into a smile.

  ‘How did you get here?’ Harley growled.

  Poppy was relieved to see him taking an interest in the elephant and not dwelling too much on his own sadness.

  ‘Following the death of my family, I wandered around the savannah. I remember being very tired, hungry and afraid. But then some kind people found me and took me to an elephant orphanage.

  ‘When I grew stronger, I was put on to an aeroplane and flown to England. I have been here ever since.’

  ‘What is a savannah?’ Harley growled.

  ‘It’s a huge grassland with only a few trees. The savannah I lived in was in Africa.’

  ‘Africa?’

  Bushby looked down at Harley. He rolled his trunk up above his mouth and rumbled, ‘It’s a big, hot continent. I thought you would have heard of that place?’

  Harley stared up at him and tilted his head.

  ‘Come on,’ the elephant trumpeted, ‘My adopted family are this way.’ Bushby turned towards a large wooden building that stood in the distance.

  Harley squeezed in between Poppy and Bushby. ‘What does adopted mean?’ he said.

  ‘It means when you’re taken into another family and treated like you are one of their own,’ Poppy growled, pleased to hear him taking an interest.

  Harley nodded then sniffed the air. Poppy smelt it too. A rich, warm smell that made her feel happy and safe.

  Another elephant appeared from behind the building. It was pushing a huge tyre along the ground with its trunk.

  Bushby raised his trunk and called, ‘Azibo, my brother! Come and meet Poppy and Harley.’

  As soon as Azibo noticed their guests, he pushed the tyre towards them. Poppy and Harley jumped clear as the tyre circled them then landed at their side. The two elephants wrapped their trunks around each other, their ears flapping and tails swishing.

  Azibo turned to Poppy and Harley. He greeted them by gently brushing his trunk across their faces.

  ‘Come and play in the water. The little ones would love to meet you,’ he rumbled, and then tickled Harley under the chin.

  ‘Come, this way.’ Bushby lifted his trunk and pointed ahead.

  As they crossed a huge expanse of sand, Poppy heard the crisp, clear sound of splashing water and high-pitched squeals and trumpeting which sounded like laughter.

  Bushby and Azibo stopped and lifted their trunks above their heads. ‘These are our sisters, Lulu and Uma.’ Bushby grunted.

  They all stood and watched two young elephants playing in a large, round pool. Lulu and Uma rolled on top of each other, sending water splashing over the sides. Over and over they went, trumpeting and squealing. They rolled their trunks up and squirted water at each other. Both were so wrapped up with their game that they were oblivious to their guests.

  Bushby stepped forward. Poppy guessed he was about to call out to his sisters.

  ‘No, please don’t,’ she whined.

  The elephants looked at her in surprise.

  ‘It is a shame to disturb them.’

  She stared at the young elephants, their faces lifted up to the sun, their eyes closed, their mouths open, laughing. It was one of the happiest moments she had ever seen, and one, she realised, she would never forget.

  Slowly, sadness crept over her. Her Goldie grin dropped and her tail fell still. She looked at Bushby. He was affectionately nudging his brother. Just beyond the pool, she saw two more elephants. They linked their trunks together and flapped their ears. She felt her heart ache at being in the centre of such a big happy family. She whined.

  She was overwhelmed, not just by the warmth and love she felt being with Bushby’s family, but also by the loss of her own. She tried to remain positive. I can do this, she thought. But here they were, away from the very road they had been told to stay on, in a place she had never been before. All hope of finding her family seemed further away than ever.

  Chapter 17

  The Perfect View

  Azibo the elephant turned and looked down his trunk at Harley.

  ‘Go and join Lulu and Uma, little one,’ he rumbled, urging the pup along by tapping him gently with his trunk.

  Poppy watched Harley stare at his paws and shake his head. She pressed her nose against his shoulder, sensing his overwhelming sadness. When she looked up at Bushby and Azibo, she saw the confused expression on their faces.

  ‘Thank you, but I’m afraid we must be leaving.’

  ‘But why?’ Bushby trumpeted. His ears flapped back and forth.

  ‘We need to find our families,’ Poppy barked, while Harley continued to stare at the floor. ‘We have been searching all over. We were told to stay on the road, but we have lost that too. Can you help us?’ She fought to control the wobble in her voice. The last thing she wanted was for Harley to see how upset she was.

  ‘Of course we will help you,’ Bushby rumbled softly. ‘I know only too well what it is like to be alone and without your family.’

  He suddenly reached out to her with his trunk. She jumped back, unsure what he was going to do.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Azibo rumbled; he smiled and dipped his head. ‘But it would be easier if we could lift you on to our backs.’

  ‘You might see your family from up there,’ Bushby rumbled, flapping his ears gently.

  Poppy and Harley glanced at each other before eagerly stepping forward. Bushby wrapped his trunk around Poppy and carefully lifted her on to his back; Azibo did the same to Harley.

  After a wobbly moment or two, both dogs settled on their stomachs as the elephants slowly began to move.

  ‘We’ll get you back on the road in no time,’ Bushby trumpeted as they left the young elephants splashing in the pool.

  Soon, Poppy got used to the steady motion of Bushby walking across the huge enclosure. If she hadn’t been so anxious to find her family, she was sure the steady rocking from left to right would have sent her to sleep. She looked at Harley and whined happily seeing his inquisitive face looking all around, his eyes open wide.

  Soon the road came into view. Poppy grew wary seeing many cars ahead. ‘We need to keep away from the humans,’ she barked. ‘We can’t let them see us.’

  Bushby and Azibo stopped.

  ‘Can you see your family?’ Bushby rumbled.

  Poppy’s heart sank. ‘No,’ she whined.

  She turned to Harley, but seeing him lying down on Azibo’s back was enough for her to realise he hadn’t seen his family either.

  ‘I have an idea,’ Bushby trumpeted. He turned and walked towards a hill.

  Azibo followed. Once they were halfway up, they lifted their trunks and wrapped them securely around their passengers. Poppy and Harley were lifted high up in the air.

  Poppy’s jowls flapped and wobbled as Bushby waved her from side to side. Her stomach churned, and for a minute she thought she was going to be sick. But then, the stunning view took her mind completely off her stomach. She saw trees, fields, the park’s fairground, vehicles snaking along the twisting road, animals, hills and farmland stretching into the distance. She scanned the park again. Cars, 4x4s, coaches… and then she saw it. A dark green people carrier.

  Poppy barked. She wriggled. She howled. It was them! It was them!

  She watched Dad drive the car slowly down the opposite side of a tall wire fence. She was certain it was them because see could see Jack leaning out of the window. He was waving at two elephants standing further down the road.

  ‘I see them!’ she howled. ‘Look, Harley!’

  ‘Yes, I see them too!’ Harley squeaked. ‘But I can’t see mine.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ she howled,
her eyes fixed on their car. ‘When we get to my family I am sure they will help us find your pawrents too.’

  ‘I have an idea,’ Azibo rumbled.

  ‘Wait!’ Poppy barked, as they were returned to the elephants’ backs. She tried sitting up, scared of losing sight of her family again.

  Bushby chuckled. ‘Don’t worry Poppy,’ he rumbled. ‘I think I know what Azibo plans to do.’ The elephants walked back down the hill.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Poppy barked, her heart now racing.

  ‘Our sisters, Kali and Asha, like to show off,’ Azibo trumpeted. ‘They will keep the humans entertained for a while yet.’

  Poppy watched two elephants blocking the road. The humans were transfixed, including her family. They all watched, fascinated, as Bushby and Azibo’s sisters stood face to face, wrapping their trunks around each other in some form of dance. Their tails swayed, their ears flapped, and Poppy could hear their soft rumbling. Were they singing?

  She heard the humans say things like, ‘Oh isn’t that sweet!’ and ‘Quick, take a picture!’

  When they reached the bottom of the hill, Bushby lifted his trunk and gently tapped Poppy’s shoulder.

  ‘We’ll take you to the tall fence. The cars will be passing through to the next enclosure soon, so if we help you over, you can be there for them as they arrive.’

  Poppy’s heart sank as the fence came into view. It was so tall she was certain they would never be able to climb over. But Azibo had another idea. They walked towards a towering tree. Its branches were nearly as thick as its trunk. The elephants stopped in front of the tree and gently wrapped their trunks around the dogs.

  ‘Now, be very careful,’ Bushby trumpeted as Poppy and Harley were lifted into the air and carried to the lowest branch.

  The dogs scrambled on to the tree, ducking beneath the mass of leaves. Once securely on the branch, they peered at the elephants from beneath the tangle of twigs, branches and leaves.

  ‘Thank you so much,’ they barked.

  The elephants lifted their trunks and trumpeted, ‘Don’t mention it. And please, be careful.’

  Poppy turned around cautiously. ‘Just follow me,’ she growled to Harley. She was worried, but she was determined not to let it show. Instead, she wagged her tail and glanced at the puppy before crouching down and peering at the ground below.

  From up in the tree, she could see a few rocks dotted amongst flowering bushes and grass. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see much more because of the heavy thicket of leaves. However, she was certain there were no cars in this enclosure yet. Her nose twitched against the strong smell. It was a smell that was strangely familiar, yet she couldn’t quite place it.

  She looked at Harley. He stood very still, crouching over the thick branch, his eyes on Poppy.

  ‘Don’t move until I say so,’ she growled. Then she rocked back on her haunches and leapt down to the ground.

  Chapter 18

  The Lonely Hound

  Poppy stood and looked around. She was right, they had beaten the cars. Everything was quiet and still; no animals, nor any sight or sound of the humans. She sniffed the air then snuffled into the ground. What was that smell? It was strong, powerful, yet vaguely familiar.

  ‘Can I come down now?’ Harley growled from up in the tree.

  Poppy barked and stepped back, waiting for the pup to land. He landed quietly on his paws beside her. He looked around and sniffed the air.

  ‘Do you smell it too?’ she groaned.

  Harley nodded. ‘It’s very quiet,’ he growled, his eyes roaming the grassy verges and empty, dusty road.

  ‘It’s probably because we’ve got here before the humans,’ Poppy barked. ‘Come on, this way.’

  They followed the bend in the road and then stopped. Lying in front of them, in the shade of a yellow flowering bush, was another dog.

  ‘Poor thing must have lost its family too,’ Poppy whined, now realising that the familiar smell was that of another dog. She feared for its safety, especially with Cain, the Fearsome Brutal Brutus – and not just one but two of them – roaming around.

  She crept closer. Harley followed. The dog stirred. Its ears twitched. It turned its head and watched them. It had big, sticky-out ears, angry eyes, scrawny legs and short orangey-gold and brown fur.

  Poppy had never seen a dog like this before, and it definitely was not a cream retriever. Still, it may not be the prettiest dog she had seen, but it was alone and she couldn’t help feeling sorry for it. At least Harley and I have each other, she thought. At that moment, Poppy was determined to help the dog find its family too.

  ‘Hello!’ she barked, wagging her tail to show that she was friendly. ‘I am Poppy and this is Harley.’

  The dog stared at her.

  ‘There’s no need to be afraid. Have you lost your family too?’

  The dog stood up slowly. It didn’t take its eyes off them as it walked over. There was something about it that made Poppy nervous. It held its head down; its steps were slow and deliberate, like a wolf stalking its prey. Then it curled its lip back and snarled, revealing yellowing, stained teeth.

  Poppy gulped. Now she realised her terrible mistake – this was no ordinary dog. Instinct told her that if she made any sudden movement the wild dog would attack.

  Carefully, she stepped towards Harley, all the time watching the snarling dog. When she didn’t feel the pup beside her, she glanced sideways. He was gone.

  All of a sudden, she heard a yelp. HARLEY!

  Despite the wild dog snarling at her, Poppy raced towards the puppy’s cries. She heard the dog running after her but she pushed forward. Faster and faster. She leapt through bushes instead of running around them. She was desperate to reach him. She surged forward. Faster and faster.

  Poppy charged through another bush then stopped. She felt her heart twist seeing Harley’s small white body lying in front of her. By the way he carefully tucked his paw beneath him, she could tell he was injured. Three wild dogs were walking slowly towards him. All three were snarling and growling, hackles raised, curled lips quivering with aggression.

  Without a care for her own safety, Poppy threw herself between Harley and the dogs. Although outnumbered, she knew she had to protect him.

  ‘Leave him alone,’ she growled, her lip curled back.

  Harley crawled behind a nearby rock for safety.

  ‘Back off!’ Poppy barked and snarled. ‘I am not afraid of you.’

  More dogs from the pack raced over. They surrounded her, but she stood her ground, glaring and growling at them. However, her snarls were drowned out by the sound of their howling, squealing and cackling. But Poppy didn’t have time to feel afraid. All she cared about was Harley. While his family were out looking for him, she was all the little one had.

  She glared at each dog in turn. She waited for their attack, wondering if one would jump out at her from behind. Then she noticed something in their eyes shifted, their snarls eased. They pulled their ears back and cowered.

  As the pack submitted, Poppy’s barks carried around the enclosure, clear and loud. Her confidence grew with their submission. She snarled, growled and barked louder. Yes! I can be scary when I want to be, she thought triumphantly, watching the dogs turn and run with their tails between their legs.

  Poppy howled.

  She was about to turn to Harley when a booming voice behind her said, ‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’

  Poppy felt her blood run cold. The voice alone made her shiver. She turned around slowly, dreading what she would find.

  Chapter 19

  Face to Face

  Poppy trembled. She took a step back, tucking her tail between her legs. With a huge gulp she looked up and whimpered.

  An enormous white lion glared down at her from on top of a rock. It stood there, snarling. His teeth were even more terrify
ing than the wild dogs, the tigers and the wolves. She whined, seeing the fury in his brilliant blue eyes. A breeze stirred, catching strands of his thick, white mane.

  It was one thing standing up to a pack of snarling wild dogs, but to come face to face with a fully-grown lion pushed Poppy’s courage to the limit. She stole a glance towards the rock which Harley lay behind, willing the little one to stay hidden.

  The lion leaned over his rock. His face was inches away from hers. She felt his warm breath on her face. The powerful smell was all around her. It was wild, threatening, dangerous and angry. And then it dawned on her. The smell, what she sensed, how it made her feel…

  ‘C… Cain?’ she whimpered, then gulped.

  In answer to her question, the lion curled his lip higher and growled again, only this time louder. She took a step back and felt another rock behind her. She was trapped.

  She resisted the temptation to take another look where Harley lay for fear of drawing Cain’s attention to him. But what could she do? Maybe the little one would be able to escape while the lion was busy eating her for lunch? The thought made her whimper. And then she heard the last thing she wanted to hear: a cry. Harley!

  Cain paused. His lip dropped back over his teeth. His nose and whiskers twitched. Then he turned towards the rock.

  ‘Harley,’ Poppy growled, trying to control the terror in her voice. She side-stepped away, her eyes on Cain. Her heart raced. ‘Harley, keep very quiet and still.’

  Cain moved quickly. He was next to the rock in one leap.

  ‘Please. Don’t hurt him!’ Poppy barked.

  The lion ignored her. It peered behind the rock and then swooped down.

  ‘No!’ she barked. She was about to run after Cain when he lifted his head. He held Harley in his mouth by the scruff of his neck.