05 Silverback

5 Silverback Jack felt something tugging on his sleeve. He opened his eyes. Bu-bu. The small gorilla was staring at him in the dawn light. Jack stood up. His arms and legs felt stiff and achy. His wet clothes stuck to his skin. He looked around the cloud forest. Misty sunlight shined through the tree branches. “ Where's Annie?" he asked the small gorilla.

Bu-bu waved her arms. Then she bounded off between the trees. Jack pulled on his pack and followed. As the small gorilla led him through the cloud forest, her head bobbed above the leafy plants. Finally, she stopped before a row of shrubs. Jack took a few steps forward and peered over the shrubs. “ Oh, man, " he whispered. Large dark figures were sleeping in an open, grassy area-gorillas! There were at least ten of them. Some slept on their backs. Some slept on their bellies. The gorillas were all sizes. The smallest was a baby sleeping in its mother's arms. The biggest was a giant with black and silver fur.

Jack pulled the book out of his pack. He found a chapter on gorillas and read: Mountain gorillas live together in families. The leader of the family is a large male called a “ 'silverback' because he has silver fur on his back and shoulders. Gorillas do not hunt other animals, They mainly eat the plant growth of the forest. They are known to be shy and gentle giants. “ Shy and gentle giants, ” Jack repeated. That sounded good. He peered over the shrubs again. Bu-bu waved at him. She was standing at the far edge of the clearing. She pointed to some-thing in the tall grass. Annie was fast asleep in the grass! Jack didn't know what to do. If he called her name, the gorillas would wake up. He had only one choice. He had to sneak over to her.

Jack put his book in his pack. He pushed past the shrubs and stepped into the clearing. His heart was pounding. He thought of the words from the book-shy and gentle giants. As he started toward Annie, he heard a grunt. The giant gorilla with silver fur opened his eyes. When the gorilla saw Jack, he sat up. Jack stopped in his tracks. The gorilla just glared. This giant did not seem shy or gentle at all. Jack saw a stick lying on the ground. He picked it up-just in case. Jack's stick made the gorilla growl. He stood up. He was very tall and very wide. Jack dropped his stick. Bu-bu ran and hid behind a tree.

The silverback growled again. His long, shaggy arms touched the ground. His fingers curled under. Walking on his knuckles, he stepped toward Jack. Jack stepped back.