At the creek, Arcadia was almost able to forget that she wasn’t like the rest of her family Somewhere on his travels, Conroy had found it. The human pup. He had brought it home for lack of a better thing to do with it. He had thought that maybe they could use it to teach their pups to hunt, but when he got home, another thing entirely occurred… * * * “Conroy, Conroy! Did you bring anything good? The pups are starving and we… why what’s that?” Mother Wolf asked. “What on earth did you bring a human cub for?” She pawed it, turning it over. “Bring it over and it can nurse with Blaze and Cassie.” “But Atalaya, I had brought it home for the pups to hunt!” “Well, it will help us someday if we help it!” Atalaya was a firm believer that if someone helped you, you should repay it, and vice versa. Because of this, many a time had she brought home a motherless cub and nursed it back to health. “We’ll call the human pup Arcadia, and I will raise it.” Conroy grumbled and growled at this, but not too loudly because mother wolves are very protective of their cubs, and although Arcadia was not a wolf, Atalaya felt very strongly about her already. Arcadia crawled over to Atalaya, where she was nursing Blaze and Cassie, burrowed herself between them, and began to suckle. Atalaya chuckled softly and glanced over to where Conroy had stopped growling and was sleeping peacefully. “You just wait,” she said softly, so as not to wake him. “This one will help us, you’ll see!” She had no idea how right she was, on that warm summer evening. * * * FOUR YEARS LATER Six-year-old Arcadia sat up quickly. What had woken her up? She looked over to Blaze and Cassie. One little tan bundle of fur told her that Blaze was still asleep, but where was Cassie? Arcadia looked all around the cave, then closer at Blaze, to be sure Cassie wasn’t hiding somewhere. She wasn’t. Cassie was always hiding, or playing, so Arcadia wasn’t worried. She was lonely, though, so she howled the “I’m here, where are you?” howl so Cassie would come back. In almost no time she heard a rustling in the forest, but it was not Cassie who stepped out of the bushes, it was Atalaya and Conroy. “I see you’ve woken up.” Atalaya nuzzled her human cub. “It’s a good thing, too,” Conroy added, “It’s time to go to the creek.” By this time Blaze had begun to stir. “Mamasha, Babashar,” he yawned, “where’s Cassie?” If wolves could roll their eyes, Conroy would have been rolling his. He had very little patience for cubs when they weren’t hunting, or sleeping. It was his turn to howl the “I’m here, where are you?” with a little more demand in it than Arcadia had used. It didn’t take very long before they heard the familiar rustling in the bushes. What was unfamiliar was the low growl that accompanied the rustles. Conroy growled back, unsure of what to expect. A dark ball of fur hurtled out of the bushes and landed on Arcadia’s back. Arcadia flailed her arms and legs, but to no avail. It was at times like this that she wished she weren’t so different from the rest of her family. She didn’t like having teeth that no one could feel when she sank them into a neck or an ear. She didn’t like not being able to keep up with even Blaze, the baby of the family. And she especially didn’t like how different she looked and smelled. Going to the creek was the worst, because she could see from her reflection in the water that she wasn’t like any of them. She only had fur on the top of her body, and it was red, not brown, like Blaze’s and Cassie’s. Not even black, like Conroy’s and Atalaya’s. Instead, hers was red, and in her eyes, red was the ugliest color in the world. Atalaya gently grabbed the neck ruff of Cassie, (for that’s who was on Arcadia’s back) and pried her off Arcadia. “Let’s go to the creek now,” was all she said, unruffled from Cassie’s entrance. At the creek, Arcadia was almost able to forget that she wasn’t like the rest of her family. She was having too much fun splashing around with them. * * * Arcadia sat up and stretched. After being at the creek, everyone had gotten tired and had drifted off to sleep. She had been sleeping under a large tree, in the shade, but now the sun had moved and was in her eyes. She looked around and found Blaze and Cassie just waking up and squinting because of the bright light. Blaze rolled over. “Where are Mamasha and Babashar? They were here when we drifted off!” “Don’t worry, Blaze,” said Cassie, always protective of her younger brother. “If they aren’t here, then we’ll just have to go look for them,” and she darted towards the nearest set of trees. Before she could step into the forest, though, Atalaya and Conroy came into the clearing. “Mamasha! Babashar!” Blaze whimpered with delight. “I was worried! I thought…” Here he broke off and looked hard at his parents. “What’s wrong?” He whimpered again, this time with fear. “Cassie, Arcadia, you come with me. Blaze, you go with Babashar.” Atalaya paused. A shot rang out, sounding much louder than it should, in the normally quiet wilderness. She and Conroy ran in opposite directions, Arcadia and Cassie following close behind Atalaya, Conroy carrying Blaze. Atalaya, Arcadia, and Cassie made it home safely, but Conroy ran for miles, with the hunter silently following. He could have gone for miles more, but he was carrying Blaze in his mouth, and that slowed him down. When he reached a little clearing he thought would be good for defending himself and Blaze against
Animals
Freedom Run
Sometimes he would jog around the enclosure as a special treat for the viewers It had been years since Kimbabwe had run. He lazily draped a paw over the edge of his rock, letting the warm sun shine in his eyes. His cage at the zoo was much too small to get up the kind of speed cheetahs were famous for. He had his food practically delivered to him, and he had long since forsaken the idea of pretending to hunt it as he had when he was young. It was, after all, just scraps of raw meat. No amount of pretending could turn it into the kind of challenge he needed. A good long chase after an antelope, maybe. Or perhaps just a jog for fun, he thought wistfully. He could barely remember the days when his territory had stretched across the entire African savannah. His father had been the leader of the most powerful band of cheetahs, and their territory had stretched farther than the eye could see. He had been a very young pup, still with his mother, watching the males he would someday join as they flew gracefully by. Then the Men came. Creeping through the long grass, their fire sticks could shoot faster than the pack could run, and before long the pack was gone. Then they came for Kimbabwe and his mother. She ran from them for miles, but eventually the sticks caught up with her and she was gone too. Kimbabwe surely would have been next had not the people from the zoo found him and saved him. Ever since then he lived in a cage with two of his brothers. Each day, many people would come and peer at them through the glass, commenting in awed voices at their incredible grace and beauty. Kimbabwe was always disgusted by their shallowness. You think I’m beautiful when I’m sleeping. You should see me run! You think I’m mighty when I yawn and show you my teeth. Give me an antelope and watch me kill it myself! Sometimes he would jog around the enclosure as a special treat for the viewers, or sometimes he would play with his food and make a big deal out of “killing” it just to see the children laugh. His two brothers, Jawjue and Kamunji, couldn’t understand him. They lay on the rocks all day, wondering at him. Why are you wasting your time? they would ask. Come and lie with us. The people don’t care. Why do you tire yourself by running when you could lie in the sun and be admired for your beauty? They didn’t understand how he longed for freedom, how he needed to run. He could feel his body tense and stretch sometimes, and the need to run was excruciating to ignore. He would growl and scratch at the ground, tear around the trees, leap and spin, trying to rid himself of the push to just let himself go. Once, when he was still new at the zoo, he had run as fast as he could straight towards the glass. He had thought it would shatter and he would be free. Instead, he was unable to move for weeks. On this particular morning, the people did not come. This meant that the week was over and tomorrow a new week would begin. Kimbabwe sighed and leaped down from his rock. His brothers, as usual, lay stretched out lazily. Where are you going? Jawjue, the curious one, lifted his head. Come and lie down. My side is cold where you were lying, come and warm it up. Kamunji cuffed Jawjue, making him fall off the rock. You have the brains of an antelope, he growled. Get back here and be quiet. Kimbabwe ignored them pointedly and studied the crack in the glass wall where the keeper brought their food. You two are stupid, lying there all day. Why don’t you get up and do something for once? Make yourself useful. They glared at him and lay back down. No, really. Kimbabwe sat down on the rock and prodded Kamunji. Don’t you ever get the urge to run? To just be free, to go back to that place where we were pups? Go somewhere, do something? To eat something real instead of this fake raw meat junk that they bring us? Don’t you want adventure? His fur bristled just thinking about it. Kamunji blinked at him. In a word. No. He sighed and rolled over. Jawjue, however, was staring at Kimbabwe with a look of wonder on his face. You mean there’s more? This isn’t the world right here in front of us? And the food tastes better than this? Kimbabwe was appalled. He motioned for Jawjue to follow him. They sat down together at the edge of the enclosure. Of course there’s more. Picture this place over and over with no walls or ceilings. Jawjue closed his eyes and thought. Kimbabwe went on. Imagine huge pools of water as far as the eye can see. Imagine thousands of cheetahs running at top speed through the grass. Imagine a mother with her pups. Imagine the thrill of the hunt, with cheetahs running and an antelope limping away. Now, look! The lead cheetah jumps up and the antelope is down! Now the pack’s swarming over it… now it’s gone and the birds move in. He shivered and opened his eyes. Jawjue had a glazed look in his eyes and he was staring hungrily off into the distance. I. Want. To. Go. There. Kimbabwe wrapped his tail around Jawjue’s haunches. Someday, I promise you. I’ll take you there. We’ll go and rule Father’s territory, just like we were meant to. They sat together for a long time, each dreaming separately of wide open spaces and antelope. Kamunji growled in disgust. How can you believe we’ll ever get out? Why can’t you just be happy with life here? Warm, never hungry. If you went back you’d have to… He
Owl Eyes
I stood outside the little store, waiting for my mother to come out. The golden sun had sunk behind the whispering branches of the pine trees. The moody sky had been dyed dark orange and gray, dotted with thin, wispy clouds. All the birds of the forest were silent and had hidden themselves, except for a single great-horned owl dozing in a tree. I shuffled my feet and the pebbles underneath my sneakers tumbled over each other, raising little clouds of gray dirt. I wish Mom would hurry up, I thought. How long does it take to pay for firewood? I had been waiting there for fifteen whole minutes, according to my pale pink watch. I watched as the second hand ticked its way slowly around the face of the clock and finally decided that I had waited long enough. “Mom,” I hollered, poking my head through the door of the shop, “I’m going back to the tent by myself. I’m tired of waiting for you!” Without a second glance, I turned on my heel and sprinted down the dusty trail, the gravel crunching beneath my feet. As I ran, the cool autumn wind blew through my long hair, and I breathed in the rich, sharp scent of pine needles. Suddenly, I reached a fork in the trail, unsure of where I should go. I was pretty sure the campsite wasn’t to my left, so I decided to take the right trail. That part of the campground was darker, and the trees grew closer together. Vines and roots jutted out from the ground like mossy tentacles, making me trip and stumble. Minutes later, I heard a small splashing noise. Thinking that maybe it was my father making soup over the campfire, I ran towards it. But it wasn’t soup at all. It was a silvery blue stream, surrounded by muddy yellow weeds. I turned around and started walking in the direction I thought was the way back to the campsite. But wherever I went, the trees, grass, roots and dirt looked exactly the same. Warm sweat started to trickle down my sides and make my shirt stick to my back. It cocked its head expectantly. Did it want me to follow it? When the sky was starting to turn dark gray, I heard a noise but I was too far away to make out what it was. When I approached the source of the sound, I realized it was another stream. Then I saw the muddy, soggy weeds and realized with a jolt that this was the same stream I saw an hour ago. I was going in circles. If I was to continue like this, how would I find my way back to the tent? The sky had already darkened to a threatening shade of dark blue, and the full moon had taken the place of the setting sun. My heart thudded in my chest like a trapped bird. I heard a low rustling noise and spun around. Nothing was behind me. Just shadows and black trees, where anything could be hiding. Terrified, I sprinted away from where the noise came from. I ran past the dark pine trees, each one filled with leering, fanged faces and scaly corpses’ hands reaching out towards me. Something wet and cold brushed against my hand, and I whimpered and ran faster. Luminous, menacing red shapes filled the thick undergrowth, watching me dash past. When I dared look away from the glowing figures to glance up at the darkening sky, the stars became white-hot eyes glaring at me from above. Suddenly, a pair of huge, sharp yellow eyes snapped open above me. My heart stopped, and so did my feet. I watched as the two circles stared down at my face, and then one eye closed sleepily, and opened again. I then realized that those two eyes were not the eyes of a monster or devil, but the ones of an owl. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, and I could see that it was a Great Horned Owl. It spread out its wings, displaying its massive wingspan and black speckled feathers. All of a sudden, it soared towards my head. I ducked and watched it land on a branch to my left. It cocked its head expectantly. Did it want me to follow it? I didn’t think owls were smart enough to lead someone home, but something about this bird just seemed… trustable. I hesitated and then took a few steps towards the bird. It took flight, soaring through the chilly night sky. I stumbled blindly after the owl for what seemed like hours, my ankles becoming scratched and bruised from the rocks and thorns on the forest floor. I started thinking that I shouldn’t have followed the owl and that I was simply too imaginative. Suddenly, I heard people calling my name. Recognizing the voices of my parents, I raced towards the shouts, completely forgetting about the owl. I glimpsed my mother and father rushing through the trees at me with their arms outstretched, sobbing. As I was caught in their rib-crushing hug, I babbled to them about all that had just happened. Then my voice trailed off as I glimpsed a familiar pair of great yellow eyes peering out at me from a pine tree. But as soon as I laid eyes on those two shining stars, they blinked and disappeared into the night. Noa Wang, 11Delta, British Columbia, Canada Joan He, 13Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
