3 Poachers!

Chapter Three POACHERS! The Exploration Station could do many amazing things, but one of the most useful was the way it could send the Secret Explorers back to the exact moment they left home to go on their missions. This meant that even if a mission took many hours, the Explorer's families wouldn't get worried that they hadn't come back.

Just as well, thought Leah, as she looked up at the stars twinkling in the North Carolina sky. At dusk, she and Gustavo had pitched the tent next to a large patch of flytraps and settled in for a long night of watching over them. Now it was the very darkest hour of the night, just before the dawn.

At least they weren't hungry. The Beagle's cool box had supplied sandwiches and drinks, and they'd munched them outside the tent. Now there was nothing to do but sit, and watch, and wait… Leah felt alert and excited. The forest after dark was full of strange noises as the nocturnal animals went about their lives. As the Biology Explorer, it was a thrill for Leah to be here and listen to them. Gustavo, on the other hand, was clearly a little creeped out.

He froze as something swooped past—a quick blur of shadow even darker than the surrounding forest. "What was that?" he hissed. "It's just a bat," Leah reassured him. "It's out hunting." From somewhere close by came a deep croaking noise, and then another. Gustavo leapt to his feet. "And what are those?! Are they coming this way?" Leah tried not to laugh. "Don't worry, they're just frogs. They're croaking at each other to say, 'this is my territory, stay away!'" Gustavo sat down again, and seemed to relax a bit. "Thanks. I guess the night's less scary when you know about biology." Later on, he even grinned when he heard a distant hooting. "That's an owl, right?"

"A great horned owl, by the sound of it," said Leah. "Ooh, listen! Two bobcats are fighting!" They sat for a moment and listened to the hoarse, throaty yowls the bobcats made. "This is amazing," Gustavo said happily. "I know," Leah replied. "I wish we could stay here all w—" Cough. They both fell silent instantly. That was no animal, Leah thought. That was a human being! Her arms broke out in goosebumps. The cough came again. It was close. Very close.

Leah and Gustavo kept very still, listening hard. Leah wanted to climb inside the tent, zip the flap shut and pull the sleeping bag over her head. Nearby, someone was talking. The words were too faint to hear clearly, but Leah knew one thing now for sure. They weren't alone in the dark forest. "Poachers?" Gustavo whispered. "Only one way to find out," Leah whispered back. "Investigate?" "Yeah? We should take something to record them with, just in case." Leah grabbed the tablet with the built-in camera from the tent. She and Gustavo set off through the forest, closing in on the spot where the voices were coming from.