EarthquakesandShakeups

Tremors again shake the ground, and water splashes from the pool in the forest. Ma-Ti looks on, studying the unusual action of the animals. High in the tree, monkeys scramble, and birds call out. Behind him, deep in the shadows is a faint bit of movement. Quickly he looks back, but it stops. Ma-Ti walks on, kneeling beside a fallen tree. Once more, he scans the quiet forest, before slowly turning his attention back to what is there. Above him in the tree, a small thick furred monkey with a long tail that is wrapped around the branch. Suchi chatters, reaching for the trembling critter, but it pulls away sharply.

"Shh! Don't scare it, Suchi!" Ma-Ti says softly, crouching low in the grass and moving slowly. "Honey Bears are shy around people."

He gazes back one more time, then moves a bit closer.

"Heart!" He says, and his ring begins to pulse.

The Honey Bear looks back, then sits on the ground, allowing him to come up and pet it. Suchi and the slightly plump, dark colored monkey sniff at, then scratch one another lightly, as he kneels and watches with a soft smile.

"My little friend, please help us!" Ma-Ti says softly. "I need to find some animals who got lost earlier."

For a moment, the Honey Bear looks at him, then nods slightly and starts off into the forest. Standing, the young boy follows quietly, turning onto a dark, narrow trail. As they walk along, the tremors come again, and he pauses. Pat! Pat! Pat! The muffled sound of footsteps causes him to pause and look. As the steps get louder, Gi slowly appears between the bushes before approaching him.

"Ma-Ti, what are you searching for in the darkness?"

He looks around. "Baby animals. This is why we became planeteers, so we could help. This is a Honey Bear."

Gi chuckles lightly, clicking her light on. "You know this would be a lot easier with a flashlight and a friend. Come on, let's see what we can find."

"You are really into animals." He replies, putting his finger lightly in some tiny tracks on the ground, then following them with his eyes.

She nods, as they push their way into the bushes. "My parents are marine biologists. Since I learned to walk, my life has been connected with the animals in, and around the ocean. One of my first friends was a dolphin named Kisa. That's why I do this!"

Gi looks down and spots a second Honey Bear nearby. Slowly she looks it over and shakes her head. "The water has already hurt them. We need to hurry if we're going to help!"

He nods, and they pick up a few animals that look the most in need of help. Several begin to struggle and pull away. Screeches and cries fill the air.

"Heart!" Ma-Ti says softly, and his ring begins to pulse. "Do not be scared, we want to help you. We know you are not well."

Around them, things begin to calm down. The Honey Bear lays its head on Gi's shoulder and wraps its tail around her arm. Ma-Ti looks with tears in his eyes at a burn on the back of the Honey Bear he holds. The fur is blacken and peeling away, leaving raw, bright pink skin, covered in blisters.

"This is awful! How can people do this?" Ma-Ti cries. "What kind of a person has no feelings?"

Gi looks at him, as she grabs a small canteen. "I promise you, Ma-Ti, we won't leave until this stops. I know how it feels to lose a friend. I also know how attached people like us feel to other species. Kisa was a very special friend from my childhood, who I lost because of people like Greedly. She was a dolphin who lived in the water near our home."

He cuddles with the honey bear for a moment. Slowly Gi takes the little guy from his arms. "Please, let me see if I can clean those burns. Let me help."

Ma-Ti slowly nods, as she clicks on her light and looks over the burn. Gi takes her canteen and carefully pours some of the water onto the burn, before pushing away the dead skin and matted fur. Underneath, the skin is bright pink. Carefully, she touches it, but the honey bear moves away and lets out a screech!

"I'm sorry, little guy. I want to help you, so it gets better." Gi says softly, pulling back.

"Heart!" Ma-Ti says, before stroking the honey bear so it calms down. "You are okay! We are trying to help you."

For a moment, they kneel and scan the air with the flashlight. Slowly, she points the beam further up the trail, following some tracks. Glancing at each other, they nod. Cautiously, they inch along, following the tracks deeper into the bush. Soon, they find a tiny, hidden path, and chase it into the shadows. Ducking through plants and thick bushes, they slowly make their way to the bank. SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF! Ma-Ti sniffs at the air as he looks around.

"That's odd! Gi, I don't know that smell." He says, wrinkling his nose.

For a second she sniffs at the air. "It's not natural; that smells like a chemical or something. Now, how would that get out here? Careful, I think we just stumbled onto Plunder's next secret."

"What are we going to do?"

"This time I don't plan on getting caught. We need to get a sample and take it to the authorities." Gi says, digging in her pocket. "If I am right, we have proof that Greedly and Plunder are breaking the law."

Slowly she pulls out a tube and dips it in the water. Once it is full, Gi puts a plug in the end of it.

"Ma-Ti, get us out of here as quickly and quietly as you can. This test tube might help us fight Greedly, but first I need to see what exactly we found." Gi whispers.

"How can you tell that?"

"I am studying marine biology and marine ecology. I was helping with research after school before I became a planeteer. Hopefully, some of the equipment on the Geo-Cruiser will help me find out." She says holding up the test tube. "What do you smell?"

He sniffs for a moment, then turns away sharply. "Yuck! It is rotten or something."

"Not rotten, that's a chemical you are smelling. Remember the Shaman told us after the monster showed up, a lot of people got sick?"

Ma-Ti nods.

Gi holds the test tube in front of him. "What is in this tube, will tell me why people are getting sick. Come on!"

With a nod and a wave, they crawl out under the bushes and slip onto a dark trail, just as the sound of footsteps fill the air.

"I heard someone out here. Yep! Yep! Yep!" An excited voice echoes. "Planeteers boss! Yep! Yep! Yep!"

"Stop yepping, and get them!" Greedly snorts.

"Run!" Ma-Ti yells, as he takes off, Suchi clinging to him tightly.

Gi leaps to her feet and stays close on his heels, but the footsteps behind them seem closer than ever. Through the darkness, the young planeteers race, hoping to stay out of sight. Thump! Thump! Thump! Boots on dirt fill the air, and bushes wrestle as the pursuit is on. Gi and Ma-Ti take off running, but close behind are Rigger and some henchman. Rrr! Behind them the screech of machines echoes. CRASH! Trees begin to snap as the steel giant comes to life. Plunder was on the move again. Gi looks back as they run, watching the machine move.

"Ut-oh! Where are they headed?"

"Hopefully not my village!" Ma-Ti yells in a panic.

Looking back, Ma-Ti watches in horror as Plunder's giant mining machine thunders on towards his home, cutting a path of destruction in its wake. Where there was once thick forest, now only a scarred landscape of shattered trees, and gaping holes remained.