by J. Burchett
Ben pulled his on and slowly scanned the area.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t realise there was so much animal life around!” Through the glasses he could see the shapes of creatures moving through the forest, their bodies glowing purple, yellow and orange.
“Concentrate!” Zoe told him. “Can you see anything that looks like a panda?”
Ben shook his head. “Nothing yet. Monkeys of all sizes, parrots – they look really cool when they’re flying and –”
“There’s something big right over there,” said Zoe, pointing. They both took off their glasses. “Behind that dead tree stump.”
Watching and listening for every sound, the two children moved cautiously towards the tall, wide-girthed tree. When they reached it they slowly peeped round.
“Nothing there!” Zoe sighed.
“But the glasses can’t be wrong,” said Ben. He pulled his over his eyes again and checked around.
Then he stopped and stared hard at the trunk.
“There is something here,” he whispered. “Something big. And it’s right inside the tree!”
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Ben fumbled for his torch but Zoe quickly pulled him back away from the stump. “Better be careful. It could be anything – we’ve heard leopard calls, don’t forget.”
There was a sudden movement from the dead tree. Ben and Zoe ripped off their goggles and took cover at a distance.
“Round black ears!” said Ben in a whisper. “That’s no leopard.”
“White face,” Zoe whispered back as the top of a furry head appeared. “It’s definitely a panda! It’s got to be Jing Jing this time!”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” murmured Ben as two black eye patches slowly appeared.
“It looks like a cub,” breathed Zoe, watching the slow-moving animal intently. “If it is Jing Jing I reckon he’s hiding from the leopard in there.”
The panda climbed clumsily out of its hole, grunting painfully as it moved. It plopped to the ground and rested against the tree, slowly turning its head, scanning the dense forest. Its ears twitched as if it was listening.
“Let’s get a bit nearer,” Ben whispered in Zoe’s ear. “If it’s Jing Jing he won’t be scared. He’s used to people.”
Their hearts in their mouths, they moved towards the young panda.
At first the cub didn’t stir. It gazed from one to the other, panting heavily.
“It looks undernourished,” whispered Ben.
“No round belly. And its eyes are dull.”
“Don’t be scared,” said Zoe, kneeling down in front of the little panda. “We won’t hurt you.” She looked up at Ben. “I can’t see its back paws. We still don’t know if it’s Jing Jing.”
Ben slid a hand into his backpack. “Jing Jing or not, it needs our help.”
He broke off a piece of panda bread and handed it to Zoe. Flinching at the movement, the panda suddenly scrambled to its feet. The next moment it had disappeared among the trees.
“That must have been a wild panda too,” said Ben. “Jing Jing wouldn’t have been frightened like that.”
“It was Jing Jing,” said Zoe, jumping up. “I saw his paw as he went. It only had three toes.”
“Then why did he run away?” said Ben.
“I think it might be the scent dispersers,” Zoe reminded him. “We might have looked like humans but we wouldn’t have smelt right. That would’ve confused him. And he’s been alone in the forest for some time now. He’ll be scared of everything. Anyway, don’t argue! Follow me. The tracks are really clear. And they’re heading back to the dead bamboo.”
They followed the line of tracks downhill through the brown withered stalks. At first it led in a straight line, then the steps seemed to waiver.
“I reckon it was just adrenalin giving him the energy to run away,” said Ben, as they examined the faltering prints. “He can’t be far now. He’ll be more exhausted than ever, an easy target for the leopard.”
“We’ve got to get to him first,” muttered Zoe as they tiptoed forwards. “But this time we take it really slowly. No sudden movements – and scent dispersers off.”
They could hear the waterfall crashing in the distance somewhere up above them. At last the trees thinned a little and the prints led to a narrow stream.
Something was moving on the other side amongst the ferns. It was taking slow labouring steps, stopping every now and then to muster enough energy to carry on.
Then it stopped abruptly and slumped to the ground.
“There he is!” breathed Ben. “We’ve found him. Now remember, no sudden movements.”
“He’s shivering,” said Zoe, peering out. “He must be cold. Come on, we need to cross over to him.”
“He’s not cold,” said Ben, and Zoe could hear tension in his voice. “He’s afraid. Stay absolutely still.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Up there.”
Zoe followed his gaze. Crouched on a branch above Jing Jing was a snarling clouded leopard. Its coat, dark and blotched like a snake, rippled as its muscles tensed.
“It’s going to pounce!” she gasped in horror.
But the leopard’s head suddenly whipped round, its ears twitching wildly.
“What’s the matter with it?” whispered Ben.
The forest all around came alive with anxious bird calls and monkey cries and the leopard gave a strange high-pitched yowl. Without another look at the panda, it streaked off and was gone.
RRRUMMBBBLE! A deafening sound rose from under them as if rocks were being hurled together. The ground began to shake. With a tremendous flutter of wings the birds left the trees and distant cries of terrified animals filled the forest. Zoe was thrown off her feet. She crashed into Ben and they both went sprawling.
“Curl up!” Ben shouted. Zoe didn’t need telling twice. She made herself into a tight ball, head covered. Ben dived down next to her, uphill of her body, his backpack between them and the falling rocks.
Stones and small boulders were tumbling down the hill, bouncing over them. Ben could feel the impact of them striking his backpack, which cushioned the heavy blows.
And then as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped.
“Thanks, Ben,” said Zoe gratefully. “That was quick thinking.”
“And that was some aftershock!” gasped Ben.
Zoe scrambled to her feet. “Where’s Jing Jing?” she cried in alarm, scanning the forest. “I can’t see him.”
“It’s all right,” said Ben. “He’s taken shelter by that bush over there.”
The little panda lay under the overhanging leaves, his head slumped down on his chest.
“We must get to him,” said Zoe, urgently tugging at Ben’s arm.
“Too right,” agreed Ben. “He’s barely moving. Perhaps he was hurt by the falling rocks. And we don’t know if the leopard’s still around.”
They were about to jump across the narrow stream when more rumbling filled the air.
“What’s that?” cried Zoe, stopping suddenly. “Is it another aftershock?”
“The ground’s not shaking this time.” Ben peered up the slope of the mountain. “It’s coming from the direction of the waterfall. It’s as if the hill’s roaring.”
A noise like an explosion battered their ears as water burst out from the slope above, flattening trees and bushes in its wake. It surged down the hillside in a deafening torrent, bringing earth, rocks and branches with it. Ben and Zoe stumbled back in terror away from the wall of water that pounded into the narrow stream. More rocks were falling now and whole trees were slipping down the slope towards them. Ben pulled Zoe further back from the shifting earth.
“The aftershock’s done this!” gasped Ben, as a huge boulder went crashing past. “It must’ve blocked the underground river. Now all the water’s coming this way.”
Horrified, Ben and Zoe gazed down the steep, sloping bank at their feet. Below them the wide, raging river,
bulging with rocks and wood, rushed wildly downhill. Jing Jing lay unmoving under his umbrella of branches on the opposite side. The ground was much lower there and the water was sucking away at the bank. He was within centimetres of the deadly flow.
“If the earth crumbles any further he’ll be swept away,” Zoe whispered. “And there’s no way we can get across to him.”
CHAPTER
NINE
“He’s not going to be swept away if I can help it,” said Ben, a look of grim determination on his face. “What can we use to make a bridge?”
“There are uprooted trees everywhere,” said Zoe. “But they’d all be too heavy to move.”
Ben gave a hollow laugh. “If we were Tarzan we could swing across.”
“We can’t swing across,” said Zoe, her eyes shining, “but we can zip-wire. Our bank’s higher than Jing Jing’s and Uncle Stephen gave us those Fisher Integrated Nanofirers, remember?” She pulled her FIN out of her backpack. “Erika told me about it on the plane. You were meant to be listening too. There’s a nanocord inside.”
“Those really strong cords that are only a few atoms thick?” said Ben eagerly. “I thought scientists were still developing them.”
“Uncle Stephen’s ahead of the game,”
said Zoe.
“Sounds great, but how are we going to see a cord that thin?”
“It glows,” said Zoe impatiently. “And before you ask I don’t know how and we haven’t got time to find out.”
She peered across the river. “We just need something to secure the cord on both sides. Tree trunks should be fine. That one over there just beyond Jing Jing looks strong. Erika said there’s a dart on the end of the cord. The FIN will shoot it into the wood and hold the wire firm.”
She aimed the bulb end of the torch-like gadget over the river and squeezed the tube. A dart whizzed out of the FIN and sped across the raging torrent, carrying a red glowing wire after it. The dart missed the tree and tangled itself in the bushes. Zoe pressed the button marked R and it instantly retracted like an automatic tape measure.
“I’ll do it,” said Ben, reaching out.
“No!” insisted Zoe. She shot again. This time the dart embedded itself in the trunk. Zoe reached up and banged the other end of the FIN hard against the tree behind her. There was a thud as something inside it rammed into the bark. “That’s locked it in position. Now we can zip-wire down it.”
“Brilliant!” exclaimed Ben. “And I’ve worked out what this hook’s for on the top of my backpack.” Zoe recognised the gleam in his eye that meant he was going to do something impulsive. Ben tightened his backpack round him. Then he reached behind his head, grasped the little metal hook and clipped himself to the wire. “See you on the other side!”
“Wait!” cried Zoe in alarm. “We haven’t tested it.”
“No time!” Ben replied, kicking off. “Wahoo!” She heard him yell above the roaring water.
Ben sped down the wire, his backpack acting as a harness. His feet skimmed the river, which sucked and bubbled as it plunged down the mountainside. He braced himself as the tree sped towards him. Thump! He felt the jolt right through his body.
He reached up, unclipped his backpack from the wire and dropped to the ground.
Then he ran to the panda. Jing Jing didn’t move. He didn’t even seem to be breathing.
Ben saw Zoe flash past and heard her exclamation as she slammed into the tree behind him.
“Jing Jing.” Zoe knelt down beside the panda cub, stroking his head. “We’ve come to take you home. He’s so cold,” she whispered. “Are we too late?” She looked at Ben, her eyes filling with tears.
Jing Jing suddenly gave a ragged breath.
“He’s alive!” she gasped. “Quick, put some water into his feeding bottle and pass it over.”
Ben thrust the bottle into Zoe’s hand. She put the teat to Jing Jing’s pale lips. At first nothing happened. Then Jing Jing’s eyes slowly opened. His mouth began to close feebly round the teat.
“Go on, Jing Jing,” urged Zoe. “Drink.”
The panda took a spluttering mouthful, and another. Then with faint grunts he began to gulp down the water.
Zoe gently eased the bottle from his mouth. “Not too much at once! Your body’s not used to it.”
Suddenly the bank at their feet began to crumble away, battered by the force of the water. Ben and Zoe leapt up and took Jing Jing by the front legs. They pulled with all their strength and just managed to drag him away from the edge in time. The ground where he’d been sitting was swept downriver.
“That was close!” panted Ben. “Jing Jing may be starving but he still weighs a lot. We’re never going to manage to carry him down the mountain. We must contact Uncle Stephen straight away.” He touched the BUG hot key that would get them straight through to Wild HQ.
Jing Jing lay on the ground, trembling. Zoe helped him to sit up, tucking her sleeping bag behind him. She got out some panda bread, soaked it in the water and touched it to his lips. But the panda cub didn’t seem to notice.
“What news?” Uncle Stephen’s voice burst out.
“We’ve located Jing Jing!” Ben called into the speaker.
“Good work!” Uncle Stephen sounded delighted.
“He’s very weak,” Ben reported. “And we can’t transport him back to Ningshang.”
“Not surprised,” came their godfather’s voice. “He’ll weigh as much as you! Don’t worry, I can work out your coordinates from your transmission. I’ll let the sanctuary know where to find him – anonymously, of course. Just make sure they don’t see you when they get there. Over and out.”
Ben squatted beside Jing Jing. “Now all we can do is keep our little friend alive – and wait.”
“Remember how long it took us to get up here?” said Zoe anxiously. “The rescuers are going to be ages.” She offered the panda another drink. He lifted his head and feebly tried to clasp the bottle between his front paws. Then his head flopped back down.
“But they know exactly where to come,” Ben reminded her. “They won’t be wasting time searching like we did.”
Zoe suddenly stiffened. “We’ve got company,” she said, pointing across the river.
The clouded leopard was prowling up and down the opposite bank, watching them intently.
Ben and Zoe sat perfectly still.
“I know it can’t get to us,” whispered Zoe. “But it’s scary even so.”
“Do you think it’s been after Jing Jing all this time?” asked Ben.
“I don’t know,” said Zoe. “I’m just glad we got to him first.”
“I’m just glad we’ve got a raging torrent to protect us.”
The leopard stopped its pacing and cautiously made its way down to the water as if looking for a way across.
“Surely it won’t try and swim?” gasped Zoe.
The leopard seemed to think about it, then backed away from the rushing river. It stared at them for a moment and slowly slunk off until it was just a shadow in the undergrowth. After a moment it was gone.
Ben and Zoe sat either side of Jing Jing trying to keep him warm as they waited for the sanctuary to arrive. The little panda’s breathing was shallow now and his tongue was lolling out.
Ben suddenly jumped to his feet, waving his BUG screen at his sister. “Look at this – the satellite map has updated itself. This water’s made a wide landslip right down into the valley and over to the river. The rescuers might get here in time but they’ll be on the other side.”
The horror of their predicament hit Zoe.
“Then there’s no way the rescuers can get to Jing Jing,” she gasped.
CHAPTER
TEN
“Don’t give up, boy!” Zoe whispered, tucking the warm sleeping bag round Jing Jing. “We’ll think of something.”
“We have to get back to the other side,” muttered Ben.
“No way!” gasped his sister. “The leopard could return at any time!”
“W
e’ll just have to risk it.”
“Even if we could get across we’d never manage to take Jing Jing over with us,” insisted Zoe. “We’ve got to stay here, Ben.”
But Ben was deep in thought. “Pity we can’t zip-wire uphill – or can we?” He jumped to his feet. “I’ve still got my FIN!”
“Yes, but I don’t see –”
“We can go back the way we came.” Ben flung everything out of his backpack until he found the torch-like gadget. He aimed it across the river and up at the tree where Zoe’s FIN was already bolted. The dart zipped over the water, and settled deep in the trunk.
“I’m a better shot than you!” said Ben, testing the glowing cord with a tug.
“Beginner’s luck,” muttered Zoe. “And you haven’t thought this through. Now we’ve got two uphill cords to get us – and a heavy panda – across to the other side. It can’t be done.”
“Yes it can,” declared Ben. “We make a sling for Jing Jing with rope and a sleeping bag and attach it to your nanocord. We both climb on with him. Then I tie this end of my FIN on to the sling and press retract. That should pull us across. Watch.” Ben pressed the R button. Immediately he was jerked forward on to his stomach and dragged towards the river as the cord retracted. Zoe shouted in alarm. Ben frantically pressed the switch again, the cord stopped pulling and he came to a halt, right on the edge of the fierce flow.
“Well, I’ve proved it’s powerful,” he said shakily as he stood up and backed away from the bank, playing the nanocord out again as he went. He bent down and gave Jing Jing a gentle pat. “You’re going to have a zip ride, my friend.”
“Hope it works,” muttered Zoe, pulling Ben’s sleeping bag out of his backpack and laying it on the ground under the zip wire.
With a lot of puffing and panting they managed to roll Jing Jing’s dead weight on to the bag. He hardly stirred.