"Is that the tank that 88 Legs used to live in?" Asked JP.
"Yep." Said Craig. "But now, I'll have a new companion! Meet Blink."
"Wow." Said JP. "He's like a dinosaur!" Wildernessa then returned with the badger in her arms.
"I believe those animals need to be in cages or tanks until they're back in their real homes." She said, talking about the python, toucan, and macaw. "Who knows what kind of mischief they could get into!"
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After ten more minutes of putting the animals (except Mortimer and Blink) in their cages, Craig, Kelsey, JP, and Wildernessa exited the Animal Ambassadors building.
"How are we supposed to bring these animals to the docks and airport with these heavy cages?" Asked JP. Suddenly, the gang heard barking in the distance. They turned around, and they saw Cheesesticks with Mark!
"How did your dog manage to find me?" Mark asked.
"I let him smell a dust bunny from your car!" Said Craig.
"That's disgusting." Said Mark. "Anyway, I decided that since all of you are just kids, I will help you with the hard stuff, like placing the animals on the trucks. I'll get a forklift and carry those animals to the truck, where they'll be mailed to their natural habitats by either boat or plane. While I'm off, make sure you do research on where each of these animals lives in the wild." Mark walked off to find a forklift.
"Before you say anything, I got this covered with Stacks!" Said Wildernessa, pulling out her cellphone. "During our four weeks together, we have figured out where each animal will be released, and I have a long note on my phone. Let's see, the toucan will be shipped to the El Avila National Park in Venezuela, the macaw and kinkajou will be shipped to the Castanheiras Pied Tamarin Wildlife Refuge in Brazil, the python will be shipped to the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Malaysia, the tenrec will be shipped to the Kalambatritra Reserve in Madagascar, the badger will be shipped to the American Prairie Reserve in Montana, and finally, the gecko will be shipped to the Zagros Mountains in Iran."
"Actually," Craig interrupted. "I'm going to keep Blink as a pet. I used to have a pet millipede, but he died, so I'm going to bring the lizard home." Craig opened his sack to show Wildernessa the gecko in the tank.
"You used to have a pet?" She asked. "Guess I was wrong when I said you knew nothing about animals. I guess it's okay, as long as you keep it safe. Anyway, our next stop will be the African Safari. Craig, you round up some herbivores and Colobus monkeys. They're the black and white ones. JP, you will also round up some herbivores and some East African black mud turtles. Just try not to get salmonella. Kelsey, you and Mortimer will round up some birds. As for me, since there are no tigers in this zoo, I will go free a leopard."
"But won't you get hurt?" Asked JP.
"I can handle it myself." Replied Wildernessa. "Besides, I once rescued a bobcat that was mistaken for a domestic cat. Cheesesticks, stay here until Mark returns. Got it?" Cheesesticks nodded his head yes.
"Great!" She said. "Now, off to African Safari!" As soon as Craig, Kelsey, JP, Mortimer, and Wildernessa headed to the African Safari, Mark came back with a forklift.
"When or if I get married," Mark said to himself. "I'm not going to have kids."
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When the gang made it to the African Safari, Wildernessa gave everyone different keys so they could go inside the habitats. Craig headed to the sitatunga exhibit, Kelsey and Mortimer went to the aviary, and JP went inside the Chimpanzee Forest Building. They all agreed to meet up behind the sitatunga exhibit when they were done. When Wildernessa made it to behind the leopard exhibit, she couldn't help but notice that the cat looked bored.
'Look how bored she looks.' She thought. Wildernessa sneakily went inside and opened the door to inside the leopard exhibit. Thankfully, no one noticed because they were gawking at the Addra's gazelle. Wildernessa carefully closed the door and snuck towards the leopard. The leopard then noticed, and she looked around to see what was approaching. It was a human, but much younger than the ones that feed and care for her. Perhaps she could eat her, since she had a small breakfast this morning. Sofiya, the leopard, leapt off the branch and started prowling around the girl.
'Oh, no.' Wildernessa thought to herself. 'Why did I convince myself that tigers once lived in the Creek? Why couldn't I choose a gentler animal, like a rabbit, otter, or unicorn?' Suddenly, Wildernessa heard barking in the distance again: It was Cheesesticks and Mark! Cheesesticks barked at the leopard, and the cat climbed back up the tree.
"For heaven's sake, kid!" Said Mark. "Why did you have to pull off a crazy trick like that? You could've been killed!"
"I convinced myself that tigers used to live in the Creek, even though they're actually native to Asia." Wildernessa admitted. "However, I still want to free a wildcat." Mark then let out a sigh.
"Alright." He admitted. "Find something to lure her into that crate. You let me inside, and I'll give you something I smuggled from the secret animal food stash." Mark ran over to the 'Employees Only' sign and knocked on the door. Wildernessa opened it and was given a steak. She went back inside the leopard's den and used it to lure Sofiya into the crate. Thankfully, she was successful.
"Good." Said Mark. "Do you know where you're going to send it?"
"Yep!" Said Wildernessa. "Sofiya is going to the Okapi Wildlife Refuge in Congo, Africa. I covered this with Stacks ahead of time."
"That's wise thinking, kid." Said Mark.
"Don't call me kid." Said Wildernessa. "My name is Wildernessa."
Author's Notes: I know that Wildernessa shouldn't believe in unicorns, but if she thought dragons were real in the episode 'The Great Fossil Rush', then why not unicorns?
I loosely based Cheesesticks in this story off of my own dog, Oliver.
Sofiya the Leopard is another real animal at the Maryland Zoo. She has her own exhibit in the African Safari.
For those kids out there that don't know what a forklift is, a forklift is a vehicle commonly used in construction sites. They carry heavy objects in their 'arms' that are too heavy for a person to carry. Guino from the Cars trilogy, the small blue Italian-speaking vehicle who runs the tire salon in Radiator Springs, is a forklift.
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