8 The Giant Great-Ancestor

8 THE GIANT GREAT-ANCESTOR A blinding light flashed over the grasslands. The wind blew. Birds cried out. Trees and bushes trembled. Speedy swiveled his head to look around. He let out a shriek. Jack and Annie turned to look behind them. A creature was rising up from the blowing tall yellow grass. He had a massive head with upright ears. He had a thick neck, as long as a giraffe's! Slowly the creature rose to his full height. He stood as tall as a two-story building. The body of the ancient creature was covered with hairless gray skin that looked like armor. His four legs were as thick as huge tree trunks. Rosie and her baby froze in place. The masked poachers stopped, too. Annie and Jack gasped.

"The rhino's great-ancestor," said Annie, "from thirty million years ago!" "Oh, man," Jack whispered. "This isn't real." "It's real, totally real," said Annie. "And it's magic." The prehistoric rhino started moving toward them, his huge feet crushing the tall grass. As the creature came closer, his head swayed from right to left. He looked at the two smaller rhinos and the helicopter parked on the ground. Then he stopped and glared down at the two masked men. The giant let out a low, deep sound—a strange bellowing that seemed to come from a world before the time of humans. The creature's voice grew louder and louder, until its booming roar shattered the air. The prehistoric giant started moving toward the poachers. Faster and faster. His thundering footfalls shook the ground. The poachers howled in terror. They dashed to the chopper. They scrambled back into the cockpit. The rotor blades started spinning. The helicopter lifted off the ground, rocking from side to side. A whirlwind of dust blew up from the dirt road.

The chopper rose shakily through the dust. It almost tipped over. The ancient rhino looked up and bellowed again. The fleeing helicopter rose higher. It turned and sputtered away across the sky.

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The chopper was gone. The grasslands seemed stunned into a watchful silence. The birds and frogs were quiet. Rosie and her calf didn't move. Jack and Annie were speechless. Speedy broke the stillness. He slipped out of Annie's arms. Jabbering excitedly, he jumped down onto the baby rhino's back. From there, he leapt onto Rosie's head. From there, he scrambled onto the back of the ancient rhino. Speedy hugged the giant's neck. He made happy noises, as if welcoming the ancient creature to this world. The huge rhino lowered his head and looked around again. Then he started moving toward Rosie and her baby. Jack held his breath, afraid for their safety. But as the giant stepped closer to them, Rosie and Rosita walked toward him as if to thank him. The giant rhino leaned over. He nuzzled Rosie's head with his own. Then the three of them stood calmly together. "Let's go down. It's safe now," Annie said.

Jack nodded. He felt the same. The peace among the rhinos seemed to extend everywhere. Jack and Annie climbed down from the tree. They slowly approached the rhino family. Annie stroked the baby's head. Then she rested her hand on Rosie. "Hi there. This is your great-ancestor," she said softly. "He saved you." Jack reached out and touched the leathery skin of the ancient ancestor. The giant gazed at Jack and Annie with soft, dark eyes. He dipped his large, curved head down to touch their heads. Then the creature stood up straight, looming over them all. "Thanks for saving them," said Annie, looking up at him. "Yes… thank you," Jack murmured. "Thank you for helping us." The giant seemed to nod. Then he turned and began walking away. Speedy climbed down from the creature's back and jumped into Annie's arms. Jack, Annie, Rosie, and her calf stood together. They watched the prehistoric rhino stop for a