4 Fur-ther and Fur-ther

Chapter 4 FUR-THER AND FUR- THER "What?" asked Andrew. Uncle Al handed Andrew a big chunk of fur. "Doctor Kron-Tox has been capturing animals from different times," he said. "He's hidden them in the glacier. "I've found some of them, but there are more. We have to find them all and get them back to their own times. And we have to do it very fast." "What's the rush?" asked Beeper. "There's an enormous flood coming very soon," said Uncle Al.

"Not another stupid disaster!" said Judy. Uncle Al held a hunk of fur up to Beeper to check the size. "The Ice Age has been getting warmer for a while now," he said. "Not far from here, there's a huge ice dam that's two hundred stories high. It's started to melt. It could break anytime. When it does, more water than all the rivers in the world will rush out." "Wowzers schnauzers!" said Andrew. "We've got to get Max to a safe place, too!" "We'd better hurry," said Winka. Winka and Uncle Al fitted everyone with capes and scarves. There were big pieces of fur to wrap around their waists like skirts. Then Uncle Al handed out small pieces of fur and leather strips. "Here," he said. "Wrap the fur around your feet and tie it on with the leather strips. Not fashionable, but warm. Andrew, here's an extra strip. You can make a little holder for Thudd and hang him from your neck." "Where did all this fur come from?" asked Andrew.

"I found piles of it inside the cave where I've been staying," said Uncle Al. "They're beaver skins, from giant beavers. The skins were collected by human hunters, but I haven't seen them." Beeper wrapped his egg in a piece of fur. Then they all hopped out of the Time-A-Tron. "Bye, Time-A-Tron!" said Andrew. "See you soon," said Judy. bong… "Keep warm!" said the Time-A-Tron. Everyone, including Max, followed Uncle Al toward the glacier. Andrew's breath made little clouds in the cool air. He could feel the hard, cold ground through his furry foot wraps. "Hoo boy!" yelled Beeper, who was straggling behind. "I almost slipped on some ice. I almost dropped the egg. Can I get a ride on Max? Please?" Uncle Al turned to Beeper and rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess we could arrange that," he said.

"Max!" said Uncle Al. He held his hand up. Max stopped. "Beeper, go stand in front of Max." Uncle Al raised his hand from his waist to the top of his head. Max curled his trunk gently around Beeper and slowly raised him to the top of his head. "Hot doggies!" said Beeper, settling himself on top of Max's head. Suddenly eerie sounds came from a distance. Harooooo! Wahoooooo! They gave Andrew the shivers.

"Wolves!" said Winka. "Yes," said Uncle Al, looking toward a line of trees. "Two kinds of wolves live here. Dire wolves are big with small brains. They'll go extinct in a few thousand years. "Gray wolves are smaller and smarter. The gray wolves will be alive in our time, too. Those are the ones you hear now." Judy walked closer to Uncle Al. "That sound gives me the creeps," she said. "They're howling to get ready to hunt," said Uncle Al. "There's no reason to fear wolves. They're not interested in hunting us. "But if a wolf ever did attack you, you must never run. The creatures that stand and face the wolves survive." "Even squirrels?" Beeper yelled from Max's head. Uncle Al smiled. "It probably doesn't work for squirrels," he said. They arrived at a jagged crack in the glacier. It was as wide as a door.

Uncle Al held up his hand to Max. He raised his other hand above his head and lowered it to his waist. Max reached his trunk up to Beeper and lowered him slowly to the ground. Suddenly an enormous zigzag of white light slashed through the sky! They hurried into the blue shadows of the glacier entrance, then peered out to see what it was.