3 Grizzly!

3 GRIZZLY! "I can't believe it," Jack said with a laugh. "This is so cool!" "I know! I want to draw everything!" said Annie. "I'll sketch that little bird!" She pointed to a small red bird sitting on a low branch. Then she turned the page in her book and started sketching. What next? Jack eagerly looked around. A large mushroom caught his attention. He lightly held his magic pencil and began sketching. Jack outlined the graceful curves of the mushroom's cap and stem. Then his pencil moved up and down, drawing the hundreds of fanlike folds under the cap. Soon Jack held up his work. "Perfect mushroom!" he exclaimed. "Perfect bird!" said Annie. "Oh, shh! There's a deer."

Not far away, a deer with antlers was eating the leaves of a bush. "I'll draw him!" Annie whispered, and tiptoed through the forest. Jack gazed around at the giant trees. He began outlining a huge trunk. He drew the deep grooves in the rusty-red bark. He shaded the furrows. As Jack sketched the tree trunk, a gust of wind made the high branches sway. Jack looked up. Millions of leaves seemed to be waving at him. Jack stared in awe. "Hi, there," he said to the tree. Then he grinned. Was he really talking to a tree now? He shook his head and looked around for Annie. Where was she? Annie and the deer were gone. Jack started through the forest. "Annie!" he called. He walked around one giant trunk, then another, until he saw Annie. She was standing in a ray of misty light slanting between the trees. "Hey!" said Jack. Annie turned and held her finger to her lips. Jack stepped softly toward her. Annie pointed to a hollow in one of the giant trunks. "Whoa!" said Jack, stepping back.

A huge bear was asleep inside. The bear had shaggy brown fur and long sharp claws. "Sweet, huh?" Annie whispered. "Not sweet," Jack whispered back. "That's a grizzly bear." "Oh. Okay. But it's fast asleep," whispered Annie. "I want to draw it." "Are you nuts?" said Jack. "Grizzly bears attack humans. Their jaws are so strong, they can bite through a bowling ball." "No way," said Annie. "I read that!" Jack exclaimed. The grizzly stirred and opened its eyes. It looked

at Jack and Annie. "Yikes," said Annie. The grizzly bear huffed and hauled itself out of the hollow in the trunk. Standing on its hind legs, it looked like it was at least eight feet tall. "And I—I read that if you run into a bear, you should stay calm," Jack whispered. "Act friendly. Wave your arms." Annie waved both her arms. "Howdy," she said. Oh, brother, thought Jack. The bear stood still and stared at them. "How are you doing?" Annie asked brightly. The bear went back down on all fours. Its head was lowered, its ears back. Then it roared. "Bad sign," said Jack. He clutched Annie's arm. He pulled her farther away from the bear. "Should we run?" she asked. "No. Bears run as fast as horses," said Jack. The bear growled a deep, low growl. "Run!" said Jack.

He and Annie took off through the green-and- brown forest. They tore around the enormous tree trunks. They scrambled over chunks of bark, fallen leaves, tree cones, seedlings, plants, logs, and rocks. They ran until they came to a dirt trail. "Wait… wait," said Annie, huffing and puffing. She grabbed Jack and stopped him. "Is it still coming?" They both panted as they looked behind them. There was no sign of the grizzly. "Where is it?" said Jack. "Maybe it didn't chase us," said Annie. "Or maybe it's hiding," said Jack. "Listen, I hear something," said Annie. Jack heard heavy thumping against the ground. "Come on!" he said. "No, no, wait!" said Annie. "That sounds like

horses!" A moment later, four men on horseback rounded a bend in the forest trail. The horsemen rode in a line toward Jack and Annie. The first rider was an odd-looking cowboy. He wore a cowboy hat and a bandanna. His baggy pants were tucked into tall riding boots. He had a thick mustache and wore round glasses. The second rider was tall and thin. He had a scraggly white beard and wore a shabby overcoat and hat. The last two men wore blue overalls. Behind them were two pack mules without riders. As the group drew close to Jack and Annie, the cowboy held up his hand. The horsemen and mules behind him came to a noisy halt. "Greetings, friends!" the cowboy shouted.