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BANG! The sound of gunshot shook the ground. Terrified, the
snow leopard cubs ran and hid behind a rock up in the mountains.
They had never heard such a loud noise, and really wanted to
nestle into their mother. However, as they dared to peep round
the rock their mum was nowhere to be seen. Cautiously, the cubs
stepped from behind the rock and made their way down the mountain.
Suddenly they stopped. Voices were coming from the bushes. They
ran again, but this time to a cave. It had started to snow and
they needed shelter. The voices were getting louder. Snuggling
together, they saw two men with guns crossing the rocky terrain.
When they had gone the snow leopards crept over to the bushes
and peered out to look what the men had been doing. They stared,
their eyes welling up, both giving a tiny whimper – they
realised their mother had been killed. The men were poachers
and had probably wanted the fur to sell. Nuzzling into their
mother for the last time, they knew they would have to leave
her as the poachers would soon return, and would undoubtedly
kill them too if they were spotted. Scared, they wandered off
up the mountain. Usually their mother had caught food and they
would be eating by now. Luckily, after a long time searching,
they found the carcass of a bharal. The snow leopards soon got
very tired, as they had done a lot of travelling that night.
As the sun started to rise the cubs were huddling together
to try and keep warm. The next day would be very hard so they
needed their sleep. They dreamt of their mum lying lifeless
on the ground waiting for the poachers to come and get her.
The cubs were suddenly woken by the sound of screeching brakes.
Jumping up they saw people with guns. Thinking they were the
poachers they started growling - but the guns seemed different.
Two clicks sounded, and immediately the cubs felt very dizzy
and found they were drifting off to sleep again. The strange
people picked them up very carefully and laid them in the back
of the truck. They drove off into the distance - the cubs had
no idea what would become of them.
One of the cubs woke up. Amazed by the new environment it nudged
its sister and she awoke. They both stood up, legs weak from
lying down so long. Sniffing around, they soon realised where
they were - an animal sanctuary. The cubs were delighted they
weren’t killed like their mother. Meanwhile a person appeared
pushing a wheelbarrow with a carcass in it. The snow leopards
were still afraid so, as the women opened the gate and bent
down to them, they backed away. “It’s alright, I
won’t hurt you.” she said soothingly. She held out
her hands. They had bits of meat in them. The cubs turned to
each other, licking their lips. Slowly they walked towards her,
not able to resist the tasty looking meat. The woman’s
name was Kate and she was going to raise them like their mother
would have done, and then set them free into the wild again
when they were able to look after themselves. She put the carcass
on the floor and let the cubs tuck in to it. She had brought
them some milk too and they lapped it up as they hadn’t
managed to get a drink because of what had happened to their
mother. Kate beamed with joy and happiness. She was thrilled
to be looking after two adorable little snow leopard cubs. When
they had finished the carcass and the milk Kate picked them
up and took them into the health centre to see if they were
alright. The snow leopards knew that they were very lucky and
would have a fantastic life in the sanctuary. The place was
full of baby snow leopards, all with the same story as the two
cubs. They were all being nursed and were going to be set free
too. Some of the snow leopards were not able to go back into
the wild as they were either injured badly or had been very
poorly, but the carers at the sanctuary tried their best to
keep them happy and make their home as much as possible like
their usual territory. The cubs saw many of their species as
they went to the health centre. At the health centre they had
a check-up and seemed to be fine but they needed naming. The
cubs were both girls. Kate chose the names Sona and Sharvari.
Sona means gold, moon light and Sharvari means lady, night.
Sona and Sharvari purred at their new names. Kate then took
them to the nursing room. Many baby snow leopards were in there
playing with toys with their carers. It was used to build up
their strength to be able to hunt in the wild. They would spend
the afternoon in the nursing room and the rest of the day in
their mountain like enclosure. Many rocks and hidey holes were
in the enclosure, just like a normal mountain.
Sona and Sharvari knew their life was going to get better and
better at the Snow Leopard Survival Sanctuary, with such good
people who cared about their safety and their future.
Very Highly Commended : Saarah Yousaf, Leeds, UK
My Story:
Padding softly on the wild undergrowth of the rainforest, Rani
suddenly stopped in her tracks. She was quietly blended into
her surroundings due to her beautiful stripes and soft fur,
the shade which a blazing flame might burn. Inhaling deeply,
she sniffed the air. It was humid as always and densely packed
with the exotic scents of strange shrubs and the other inhabitants
of the forest.
Assuring herself that it was safe, Rani moved on under the wide
stretch of canopy above her. She knew she had little time left,
the urgency pumping along with her pulse.
Eventually she arrived at the old Indian ruin of a temple. It
had been built thousands of years ago, entirely out of stone.
What was left of it remained undiscovered as the secret of the
rainforest.
Rani slipped through the hole she had found days ago, in preparation
for what was coming. Stealthily, she hurried on within the ancient
walls until she reached the heart of the temple. The huge dome
had survived all these years and now in a small corner, it was
to become Rani's birthing nest.
Rani settled down on her side, she knew that raising her cubs
would require huge amounts of devotion and care. She would need
to teach them how to hunt so that in two years time, they would
be able to fend for themselves. Though all tigers had to face
the reality that their homes, the rain-forests, are being unmercifully
cut down. They are also hunted down by huntsmen for their bones,
fur and meat. Indeed it is a cruel world for a tiger but their
biggest enemy are the ...humans. Humans are the ones causing
all the destruction and if they found the will to stop- then
maybe tigers would roam freely in vast numbers once again. Though
not all humans are born this way, a small number work alongside
the tigers in an attempt to save them. These humans are those
who can give a tiger hope. Hope that their world may change.
Rani's two cubs had been welcomed into the world as the first
stars began to shine in the indigo streak of a night sky. All
she hoped was that they managed to survive the rough life that
the wild would thrust at them.
And maybe, just maybe, they would.
Very Highly Commended : Tom Dixon Humphreys, London,UK
The Boar
The thick snow glistened in the starlight, a carpet of pearls.
A boar, shaggy with matted fur and scared glistening eyes, ambled
softly past without a noise to be heard but the barely audible
sound of its breathing, like a bird swooping past.
Not far behind, soft feet padded along, a hound on the trail.
The dark clouds gathered again and the boar was brought to a
quick amble by the gentle tap of an icy cold flake.
The silence grew darker and more ominous as the forest densened
and each crystal white tree encrusted with ice grew closer.
The snow was now deepening; with this the blizzard began swirling
around the forest, thickening the icy snow.
The boar put its long curved tusks into ploughing through the
deepening drifts.
“Old hound’s on to something”, crooned loudly
a man dressed in fur from head to toe.
“More likely just a bone”, laughed the other through
layer upon layer of coat.
The silence took over again as the hound floundered in the
snow. The boar quickened its pace, ambling through impenetrable
snow. A gurgling river blocked the path, growing quicker as
thawing snow trickled down to meet it. The boar halted. It could
not swim. It sat down on an icy clump by the side and gave up
to the hound.
Suddenly the hound was through the last snowdrift and looked
upon a strange sight: the boar was sitting on a piece of ice
which had broken away from the bank and was hurriedly floating
down the great gushing gurgling stream. The face of the boar,
startled and triumphant, was visible only until the stream carried
the snow-covered, hair-matted, startled-eyed, diamond-tusked
old boar loftily around a bend in the fast thawing bank. Silence
fell; only the gentle gurgling sound of the stream.
Highly Commended : Laura Ryder, Exeter UK
He was so strong with light gold eyes. The wolf had his own
pack that followed his every word. His fur was made up of a
black colour with light white patches. Near on of the patches
was a couple of scars but not big so you would have to know
where they are to see them. But his life was not as easy as
this. Let me tell you about it. Storm and Sly were his mum and
dad. They both were completly different but in the same way
they were perfect for each other. They both left their packs
to be with each other. Their den was perfect for them and their
pups which Storm would give birth to. A few months later their
were six puppies runing around,chasing their mums tail and doing
most things that they shouldn't do. Sly was a born hunter so
most day he brought back good kills but one day there was no
elk to be found. Little did these wolves know that it was hunting
season and if any elk were lost or alone they would be shot.
The elk were clever so they hid from sight. It became a hard
time for the wolves because they needed their pups to grow stong
because they would need to move to a safe den for winter. The
time came where Sly and Storm knew they couldnt wait any longer
as the last of the Autum leaves had fallen onto the ground.
Their instincts were telling them to move knowe or the pups
would not make it through winter. As all good wild animals they
followed them and slowly but at a steady pace they moved to
their chosen den. About halfway there, Sly's ears picked up
something weird. He had heard this sound before. Sly's body
became tense and most of his hairs stood up. A loud growl came
out of his mouth. Storm had dropped the pup she had been holding
and joined in with the growl. All pups looked up at their parents
wondering why they were acting like this. Two of them, named
Crystal and Ice, backed behind their mum and dad. Soon three
hunters came out of the bushes with long shiny things. Know
as guns to you and I. The hunters held the guns at the two older
wolves. Some of the pups ran up to them and as soon as they
were in the line of fire there bodys fell down limp. This just
turned Sly on even more. He bent his back legs then leapt up
into the sky and landed on top of one of the hunters. Storm
stood in front of Crystal and Ice, the last of the pups,. Sly
put up a good fight but there was no match when the others pointed
the shiny stick at him. Like the pups, his body fell down limp
with a deafining boom. Storms anger built up. She said to her
pups stay together and run away some where any where but run
away from here. The pups understood and started to run. Ice
stopped for a bit and watched as his mother jumped on top of
the hunters and then watch as her body went limp. Ice felt a
tear runing down his cheek. Soon Crystal and Ice found a old
tree that had fallen down. Crystal sniffed around for any other
animals. There was nothing here. Ice and Crystal went inside
the log and sat down. Soon a loud rumbling noise came from Crystal's
belly. Ice had sniffed out an old elk so he lead Crystal to
it. When they had eaten all that they could, Ice saw the night
was nearly apon them. He lifted up his head and saw the full
moon shining down on him and his sister. His mouth started to
open and for the first time in his life he did a long and loud
puppy howl. His sister soon joined in. Once they had completed
their howl, Crystal yawned then headed inside the log and soon
she was asleep. Ice knew that for the first times in their life
they were alone and cold. He sunggled up next to Crystal and
puts his head on her side. The next morning, there was an ear
picering howl that woke them both up. Ice could smell some wolves
out side. There was a black nose sniffing inside the log. A
voice shouted don't worry wer' not going to hurt you we were
going to ask if you'll like to join our pack and you both can
be the leader if you want to. Ice came out followed by Crystal.
The wolves bowed low for Ice and Crystal. Crystal nodded a bit
but then broke into a run. Ice started to follow her but the
others held him back. They said they would go after her and
as soon as this was said three wolves ran after her. Now they
never found Crystal and when Ice found out he was broken hearted
but soon he forgot everything about her. So this is where we
will leave Ice with his new pack and when he grows older he
will be the leader. Until next time good bye.
Highly Commended : Rajan Mann, Warwickshire, UK
My Story:
A long, throaty roar echoed through the valleys of Kenya. It
sounded of pain and loss, the feeling that all lions live under,
are ruled by. The howling lion watched on as those vicious humans
grabbed his surviving cub, powerless to stop them. They
had those pointy things and shiny things that made loud sounds.
He had to be careful of them. The lion sent a limp paw scratching
at
them, but withdrew as soon as they looked at him. Letting out
a weak mewl he turned and ran away from his family. He knew
that his species
would not survive for long, with the tribes with sticks and
shiny things. He must get away, maybe start a new family. BANG
- just as he had that thought, the valleys
reverberated with a new sound, the sound of the shiny things.
The lion did not get time to wonder what had happened before
his vision blurred ... then nothing.
Highly Commended : Sadia Nowshin, Coventry UK
I limp on my bad leg, away from the dangerous eyes i can feel
lurking in the wilderness. My leg stings badly, but i know that
if i slow down, i'll have no chance of survivng. Those creatures
are lethal, and once they get their eyes on their prey, they
won't give up. i hear a snarl far behind me, and speed up. The
world around me blurs as i run, the pain in my leg intensifiying.
I think of my children, still at home, completly oblivious to
the fact that I was minutes away from death. I prefered it that
they didn't know; now they didn't have to suffer with me. I
hear the padding footsteps of my predator close behind me, and
i know that this is it. I turn with malice and aggression in
my eyes, holding onto the small hope that I can scare him away.
I can't.
I watch, helpless, as the hunter's eyes focus on me. He lifts
the gun up, and I see the bullet shoot towards me. I close my
eyes, preparing for the jolt as the bullet enters my body, and
when it comes, i emit one last sigh, before my life ends.
Highly Commended : Seirain Griffiths, Nottingham UK
THE BEAR TRUTH
John had travelled all the way to America. He’d always
wanted to see the Grizzly bears and, after hours of trekking
he had finally found one. It was a cub, and it was sleeping,
but as he stood looking at it, a massive adult appeared and
powered into him. The scene that followed was a confusing blur
of sound, pain, and then, black.
He turned over; he was lying in a soft, warm, bed. He opened
his eyes and realised he was in a hospital unit. There was a
small TV in the corner and the local news was playing.
"And now, the British tourist who was attacked by the
Grizzly bear, is still in hospital but out of intensive care,
but now to the weather.”
A man came into the room.
“Ah,” he said brightly. “You’re awake.”
“Yes, but what happened?”
“Well, from what they told me, a passing rescue helicopter
saw you being attacked by the bear and flew down to help. They
tranquilized the mother and are going to put her to sleep. But
the cub has been taken to an orphanage.”
John groaned.
It was the next day that he asked if he could see the bear
before they killed it.
As he stood looking at it through the bars of the cage, he
looked into the deep blue shining eyes and understood her. He
realized that she had only been trying to protect her cub and
she didn’t know he hadn’t meant any harm. He thought
that they shouldn’t kill it, and something had to be done.
Couple of days later, John looked out of his hotel window and,
in the distance he saw a great big, brown Grizzly bear and her
cub.
Highly Commended : Nathanael Wheatcroft-Brown, Whitby
UK
Seven Spring Days
Seven spring days had lapsed and Sierra opened her eyes for
the first time. They were as cerulean as the midnight sky and
as beautiful as the moonlit ocean. Her white fleece was thick
and speckled with black rosettes and her tail was coiled around
her body. She looked around, it was early morning and her mother
was feeding her. In the corner of the small cavern Sierra’s
twin brother Azim was fast asleep, his ears twitched as he sensed
his sister’s presence.
It was time for Sierra and Azim to move on from feeding off
mother. She had been absent from the cavern since sunrise. Mother
returned with a bounty of food, perfect for Sierra and Azim
to devour. It was the first time they had ever eaten solid food
and they ate it with great pleasure.
Three months transpired and it was time to move home, Sierra
took her first steps into the world, her small paws treading
the ground beneath her. She was led by mother across the rough
terrain, scaling the Asian mountains looking for their perfect
home. Azim followed behind, whining inaudibly, he hadn’t
eaten in days. After hours of exploring they entered a hollow
area, the cubs slumbered and left mother to hunt on her own.
Sierra awoke to the smell of food and surveyed the area; two
marmot corpses were arranged near mother who was having a well-earned
rest. It was almost midnight, Sierra looked up into the sky,
her pure eyes twinkled in the moonlight. She stretched her arms
and legs and shuffled towards the marmot, inhaling the delightful
smell as she got closer. She munched on the rubbery meal and
after she had devoured every last scrap of meat she looked at
her mother and brother. They were fast asleep.
Sierra sneaked out of her home, she felt the cool breeze brush
against her thick hair and a feeling of refreshment swept over
her. She felt free, she felt like she could range the Asian
wilderness day and night, exploring every rock and bug that
she passed. She could rampage through the thick swards of grass
and prowl along the rocky landscape; she could imagine all the
excitement and wonder. She looked back into her confined home,
her brother was lying on his back with his paws dangling in
the air, she would miss his playful cuddles. She looked at her
mother, who was smiling delicately, she would miss her love.
But the thing Sierra would hate the most would be forgetting
about them when she was gone…
Azim whined when he awoke the following morning, he could feel
something missing. Mother woke a few moments later and scanned
the area, calling for her baby. Mother and Azim chased after
Sierra’s scent and after a few hours they retired to their
den. They waited two days for Sierra to return, Mother hunted
twice a day and brought back measly portions of meat to eat.
Azim just lay there, hardly moving, whining all day and night.
One year had passed and Mother and Azim knew Sierra wasn’t
coming back. Azim had found a mate and would become independent
soon, leaving his Mother all on her own; they both knew that
they may never see each other again. Mother cleaned her baby
one last time before saying goodbye and watched him disappear
into the wilderness.
Ten years on and Azim’s partner had given birth to three
beautiful cubs. Their names were Leomaris, Androcles and Sierra.
Mother was laid in the den where she had grown so many memories,
she was getting old and was sick. As for Sierra, she had given
birth to two innocent cubs far away from the home she grew up
in; one was called Kefir and the other Azim.
Azim and his partner were outside together, as were Sierra
and her partner. They crossed paths for the first time in eleven
years; there had never been so much love in the air that night
than there had been since they were born. They didn’t
forget each other, they remembered. They remembered every moment
they shared together, every second of their lives came rushing
back into their minds. They knew where they used to live and
they even knew how to get there…
Sierra and Azim senior carried Azim and Sierra junior by their
scruffs. They journeyed up to the peak of the Asian mountain
where Mother lived; they got so close that they could distinguish
Mother’s scent. They arrived. Mother was lying on hard
terrain and she had an emaciated figure, she must’ve been
extremely ill. When she saw her babies her face lit up, she
whined softly and limped across to her babies. Sierra senior
embraced her mother and whined, as if to say she was sorry.
Azim senior presented his mother with her own grandchildren
which were pouncing on each other as if they were entwined in
a ball of love. Mother mewed silently and fell to the ground,
she closed her eyes, she could sleep now.
On that seventh spring day Sierra junior and Azim junior opened
their eyes for the first time. They were at home again and lived
apart from each other but they could still feel each other,
it was as if they were connected in some way. They could also
feel something else in their hearts, something that was gone
in existence but remained to watch over them…
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