The Mysterious Abductions (7 page)
Read The Mysterious Abductions Online
Authors: Tracey Hecht
“A
wfully quiet.”
“Rather miss the crazy rants.”
“Just not quite right without the squirrel.”
“
Svor
.”
The bats hung their heads low as they tended to Tobin's injured scales. As they slathered the wounds in a paste made from smashed cordyline leaves, Dawn pressed Tobin for more information.
“What do you remember?” she asked. Her tone
was gentle, yet urgent.
“Oh dear,” said Tobin. “It was terrible!” The pangolin's breath was heavy, and his scales were still trembling with shock.
“Was it Jerry?” asked Julian.
Ajax arched his spine, and his wiry fur stood on end. “That scoundrel! I'm gonnaâ¦I'm gonnaâ¦.” The coyote pawed the earth angrily.
Cora traced her paw over Tobin's injured scales. “But Jerry couldn't have hurt you this way. He's so small.”
“Exactly,” said Dawn. “The jerboa is far too small and too frail to inflict this sort of damage.” The fox pointed to the claw pattern formed by the scratch marks on the pangolin's side. “These are the marks of a much bigger creature.”
Tobin took a deep breath then exhaled. “Right,” he said, growing calmer at last. “Jerry was not there at all.”
The animals drew in closer, captivated by the pangolin's words.
“They were huge, like big lizards.” Tobin's eyes flashed with fear. “They had long, knobby snoutsâ¦. And, oh goodness! They had terrible, gleaming white teeth.”
“They?” Ajax asked. “There was more than one of these things?”
The pangolin nodded. “There were five.”
“Sounds like crocs to me,” said Julian.
“Crocodiles?” a few voices gasped. The bats shuddered under their wings. Cora covered her face with her paws.
“Jerry must be working with them,” said the fox. “They must have recruited Bismark for this⦠team.”
Ciro scratched his ear, searching his memory. “He did offer to beâwhat did he say?”
“The
maestro
,” said Dawn. “The team leader.”
Cora padded next to the fox. “I still don't understand,” she began. “What's this team for?” Her voice quavered with deep concern.
“For crushing!”
“For chewing!”
“For chomping!”
The bats flapped their wings and spun round in circles.
“Chomping?” Cora yelped.
“
Svor
,” said the bats. They all rubbed their bellies.
“Oh no!” Cora cried. Her eyes filled with tears. “My brotherâ¦Bismarkâ¦the kiwisâ¦!”
“Stop that,” snapped Dawn, glaring at the bats. “No one's been eaten.”
Tobin laid a paw on Cora's back, hoping to comfort his furry friend. But he wondered how Dawn knew for certain.
“What makes you so sure?” asked Julian, voicing the pangolin's thoughts.
All eyes locked on Dawn. “It wouldn't make sense,” she replied.
“Right,” agreed Ciro. “Why would the crocs employ Jerry if they were just hunting for food? And why wouldn't they eat the jerboa? They can hunt perfectly well by themselves.”
“We need to find them!” said Ajax. “We have no time to waste.”
“But where are they?” asked Cora.
Dawn furrowed her brow. “It's strange,” she began.
Everyone turned to face the fox.
“Crocodiles are saltwater creatures, yet they're forming a team way up here.”
“Strange, indeed,” added Tobin. “Everything seems out of place. Just like those sea cucumbers.”
Dawn came to a halt. “That's it!” she said.
“What is?” asked Cora.
“I know how to find them,” said Dawn. The fox gazed toward the river. “The crocs have been leaving a trail.”
Tobin's eyes gleamed. He suddenly understood. “That's why the water was salty!” he said. “The crocodiles have been dragging up sea water.”
“Soâ¦we follow the salt?” asked Cora.
“Exactly.” Dawn stood and turned toward the group. “Follow me,” she declared. “We are going back to the river.”
O
nce again, Tobin felt out of breath. The group had raced to the river, back where they'd last seen the sea cucumbers. Desperate for a moment of rest, the pangolin slumped at the edge of an inlet. But then he noticed something strange. “Hmm,” he murmured. “My eyes may be failing me, but look! There seems to be some sort of whirlpool.”
The others drew close and crouched at the bank. Indeed, the water was swirling in circles.
“It looks like it's being sucked down,” observed Dawn.
“Down where?” Cora asked.
Suddenly, Ciro sprung to his feet and locked eyes with the fox.
“Could it be?” whispered Dawn.
Ciro shook his head in disbelief. “I've heard of them only in legend.”
Cora tilted her head, still confused. “Heard of what?”
The canines turned toward the group.
“Mystical underground caves,” said Ciro. “It's said that rivers flow through them.” He looked back at the mysterious whirlpool.
“But I didn't think they were real,” added Dawn. Her voice sounded skeptical. “With their strange light? And rushing falls? It always sounded a little, well, made up.”
The bats teetered forth.
“Strange light?” said a bat.
“Rushing falls?” said another.
“That stuff's real,” said a third.
“Real as rabbit.”
Ciro's eyes flashed with excitement. “What's that you say?” He moved toward the bats and crouched
low. “You know of these caves?”
“
Svor
.”
“One right beneath us, in fact.”
“Used to hang in there all the time.”
“But it's crazy down there. Like a maze.”
“
Svor.
You could get lost.”
“Especially without sonar.”
Dawn's ears stood tall and alert. “Can you take us there?” she requested. “The screams have all been in this area, and yet there are no traces of the missing animals.” Dawn paused, seeming to piece together the information as she spoke. “No traces above ground that is, but I wonder what we might find if we go below.”
“Into the caves then!” said one bat.
“To look for the traces.”
“And the trouble!”
“Oh goodness,” murmured Tobin, but he was nodding in agreement.
A rush of wind blew through the air, rustling the leaves on the trees. The leather-winged creatures stood still.
“Now,” urged the fox. “Take us there now.”
The bats glanced at each other, perplexed.
“But you're already here!” said one.
In unison, the foursome pointed at a hole in the
ground. It was about the width of a lemon.
“That's the entrance,” finished another.
“Oh dear,” Tobin muttered. He squinted at the tiny, dark entrance, and then eyed his own rounded belly. “That'll be a tight squeeze.”
“There are more entrances,” said a bat, “but next one's wayyyy down that way.” He pointed downstream.
“Or, is it that way?” said another. This one pointed up.
The foursome stumbled back and forth, clearly confused.
“Julian, Ajax,” said Ciro, “how long will it take you to widen this hole?”
The coyotes circled the opening, evaluating the composition and density of the dirt. The earth was packed and dry.
“Might take a while,” said Julian.
“A while?” cried Cora. She shook her head and marched toward the hole. “We don't have âa while',” she said. “Step aside.”
The animals raised their brows at the normally docile wombat.
“Please,” Cora added.
The coyotes stepped back as the wombat planted herself in front of the hole. She flexed her paws then dug
her claws into the soil. Using all four limbs, she began to clear the debris, flinging rocks and dirt through the air. She even unearthed a few sticks that shot out behind her like spears.
Shielded by tree trunks and bushes, the animals watched the wombat burrow and plow. Then the shower of earth stopped. Slowly, the group emerged from their cover. As the air cleared, Cora beamed. Before her stood a gaping hole in the ground.
“Let's get down there,” she said. “Now.”
C
reeping along single file, the animals descended into the earth.
“It's so dark,” whispered Cora.
Tobin could not help but agree. The tunnel was narrow, and the damp walls were cold and rough. He followed behind the bats, who led the way through the winding underground maze.
After a series of tight corners, the cave suddenly expanded. The walls turned from dark dirt to glossy
white stone that glowed with a strange blue light.
“I've never seen anything like this,” said Dawn.
“Much too bright in this joint for us,” said a bat, shielding his face with one wing.
“Couldn't sleep a wink down here,” said another.
“It's beautiful,” breathed Cora.
The animals continued on in silence, captivated by the ghostly light and long shadows. They began to lose sense of time. Was it still night? Was it morning? With no view of the sky, there was no way to tell.
Suddenly, Dawn drew to a halt.
“Shhh.” She drew a paw to her lips. “I hear something.”
Treading softly, the pack approached a bend in the path. The light grew brighter as they rounded the curve.
Cora gasped. Tobin gulped. Even the coyotes held their breath.
The cave opened up into a great, vaulted chamber with a huge marble floor. It was a flat, oblong surface that stretched from wall to wall and shone as though it were polished. Across its center was painted a vertical red line.
Waterfalls fed pools at both ends of the room. The churning water, which must have carved this natural
cavern over thousands of years, glowed with sapphire light.
“The water's the source of the glow,” whispered Ciro.
Dawn crept to the edge of the precipice and peered down. “Looks like Sea Sparkle,” she said.
“Sea Sparkle?” Cora tilted her head. Her eyes flickered with blue.
“It's a tiny creature that lives in the ocean. It shimmers with the motion of the waves. I've seen it before, but only a few specks.” The fox paused and turned back toward the glow. “Never so many. Never like this.”
Ciro edged his way round the bats to stand next to Dawn. For a moment, they sat side-by-side and marveled at the beauty of the cave. But suddenly, a throaty bellow filled the room.
“Don't you dare argue with me,” said the booming voice. “Do it now!”
Cora shuddered and nestled next to Tobin. Dawn's ears flicked on end.
“Y-y-yes. Yes, of course.” A second voice floated through the air. “Okay th-then.” This one was thin and nasalâand very familiar.
“Jerry!” whispered Tobin.
Ajax clawed the white marble ground. “Let's go!” he hissed. “I'll teach that jerboa not to lie to a coyote!”
Ciro placed a paw on his friend's back. “Hold on now,” he said. “We can't afford to be careless.”
“Yes, we need a plan,” agreed Dawn. The fox looked over the room, taking in the height of the ceiling, the placement of the waterfalls. They were standing on an upper ledge that encircled the entire chamber. Closer to the ground was a tunnel leading deeper into the cave system. The voices sounded like they were echoing from belowâthat tunnel would be a good place to start looking.
Dawn turned toward the group. “Bats,” she said, “you four keep watch. Remain undetected at all costs. That means no joking around.”
“
Svor
!” They stood in line and saluted, their backs straight as sticks. Then, flapping their wings, they flew to the corners of the chamber. Gripping the stone with their feet, they dropped and hung upsidedown.
“Good,” said Dawn. “The rest of us will go on.”
“And find Jerry,” said Tobin.
“Yes,” agreed Dawn. “He holds the answers. It is time we go get them.”
With a whoosh of her tail, the fox turned, and led the way down toward the glowing floor of the cave.
