4 A chase in the dark

Chapter Four A CHASE IN THE DARK Leah could still see the poachers' flashlight, winking in and out through the trees. She grabbed Gustavo by the arm. "Come on!" They had to catch the poachers—and they had to get away from the huge animal lurking in the trees! The two Explorers sprinted through the dark forest. Every twist and turn brought

them new danger, as roots threatened to trip them and thorns ripped at their clothes. From up ahead came a yell as one of the poachers blundered through a low-hanging branch. Suddenly, the poachers' light vanished. They'd lost them! Gasping, Leah peered into the night. She saw nothing but swaying branches and the darkness of the forest. Then Gustavo yelled, "This way!" He pulled her around, back to where the flashlight was now glimmering. The poachers had doubled back on themselves. Smart, Leah thought. They must be trying to outfox us! She set off after them, grateful for Gustavo's quick thinking. But without warning, the light vanished again.

Leah stumbled forward a few steps, until the truth dawned on her. The light hadn't disappeared because the poachers had changed course. Something was blotting it out. A large, dark shape loomed up in front of them. A snuffling, grunting sound reached her ears. It was the animal they'd disturbed earlier! And Leah had realized what it was… She grabbed Gustavo and held on for dear life. "Stop!" she hissed at him. "Why? What…" "It's a black bear!" The moon came out from behind a cloud and she saw the bear clearly for the first time. It was standing upright, at least six feet tall. Its hulking body was covered all over with jet-black fur. They had almost run right into it.

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To her relief, the bear wasn't attacking. It dropped down on to all fours and grubbed about in the undergrowth, making huffing noises. Gustavo swallowed hard. "Is it going to eat us?" "Probably not," Leah said. "If it was a grizzly bear, we'd be in big trouble. Black bears aren't as aggressive." "Oh man, am I glad you said that!" Gustavo sighed with relief. "We've still got to be very careful, though," Leah warned. "We're in the bear's territory, and we weren't invited. Those poachers must have disturbed it. No wonder it's in a bad mood." "So what do we do?" "We skirt around it," Leah said. They edged through the forest, giving

the bear a very wide berth. Meanwhile, the poachers' flashlight dwindled off into the distance like a teasing will-o'-the-wisp. By the time Leah and Gustavo had made their way past the grumpy bear, the flashlight had completely vanished.