Danny was sat beside a zebra, There were no marks to indicate that it had been attacked by a predator, by the looks of it, it had been darted. But who and why? He tried some external stimuli, no response. He gently ran his hand down the animals rump, the muscles seemed tense and rigid. He also noticed a small almost invisible hole. He knew it! she had been darted, He felt a wave of rage sweep over him, how dare they! The zebra seemed to be salivating quite a lot, her blood pressure was slightly low and her respiration seemed slower than normal. I quickly ran through my head the possibilities. As he was thinking Dupe arrived with Evan, "So far we've found 3 zebras, 2 wildebeest and Danny, there's a lion down." The warning in his voice was impossible to miss.

"I think I know what's caused this they've been darted mostly likely by a cyclohexamine."

"English Danny, I don't speak vet." Dupe said, his expression was one of pure unknown.

"Probably Ketamime or a derivative of that, it's what I use when I dart animals.

"But Danny why dart our animals?" Evan asked, it doesn't make sense to dart them then just leave them.

"Also Danny, aren't vets only allowed to have supplies of them drugs."

"I know Dupe I know, come on though lets go see to our lion before she wakes up!"

There's nothing else we can do now anyway, we can't move them incase they wake up and with the surgery so far away I haven't got access to drugs to save their life, we just got to hope they come out of it safe and sound. Dupe you take Evan and keep an eye on the zebras, this is a fast acting drug, depending on how long they have been out of it and the dose, we could be here hours."

"Ach man don't hold back the good news," sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Ha-ha Dupe I know, if you ever find who darted them you'll kill 'em."

"Too right!" replied Dupe.

Danny checked the lioness's heart rate again, 20 minutes had passed, God he was so bored and missed Alice, I'm going to make this up to her, he vowed. He also wanted a long talk, something's bothering her, I've been to preoccupied to notice but now I know, there's something wrong and he wasn't going to stop until I find out what! She's been distracted and jumpy and twitchy and that is not my Alice. While he was distracted the lion's tongue started to recede into its mouth, he noticed and thought it's waking up. Danny grabbed his box and gun and started backing away slowly. Dupe and Evan were returning.

"Danny," Dupe asked worry in his voice, he was remembering the attack off Hobie so many years ago.

"He's waking, it'll be ok just back off SLOWLY ok."

The three men were all doing that when the lion raised it's head. Now Danny knew it was ketamine, it had a quick recovery period. The lion finally saw them.

"Keep still." he hissed.

The lion got up and took a few steps towards them, Danny wasn't taking any chances, He shot his gun, the lion heard the shot and ran away they expelled the breath we'd been holding.

"the zebras are awake now Danny, I'm going to stick around, keep an eye on the wildebeest ."dupe said

"I'll stay with you." Evan said.

"Ok, I'm going to get home to my wife, there's a lot I need to say and a lot of making up to do." Danny smiled.

"Ach man keep the slushy stuff to yet wife, we don't need to know stuff like that." Dupe said in disgust.

"Ha-ha I'll see you both later."

Finally Home.

Danny was finally home, He needed to talk to Alice. I wished I had flowers for her but he had been in the middle of the bush so it couldn't be helped. He walked into the house and it was unusually quiet.

"Hello."

Complete silence.

"Livvie, Charlotte, Alice Nomsa, helloooooooooooooooooo."

Where was everyone, I smelled a pungent burning smell. He walked into the kitchen. Now he knew something was wrong, Nomsa had taken one pan off the stove and left one on, she would never do that! He grabbed it and put it in the sink. Danny suddenly heard a groan, he rushed into the living room.

"Oh my God Nomsa who did this to you?"

"I don't know, we were in the house by ourselves, I thought I heard footsteps, I thought it was Alice out of her bath, I spoke, heard a mans voice, then I don't remember anything."

"What about the girls." Danny was suddenly very anxious. If anything had happened to Lic or Charlie he didn't know what he'd do!

"They had went to Mara, Rowan has Charlotte tonight."

"Ok then so where's Alice, I'll be a minute." he said and ran through the house, yelling Alice's name with every room he grew more scared where's Alice?

He even checked the surgery, long shot he know but he had to he was just so worried. I walked back to the main house my head hanging, where's my wife?

"Danny!" Nomsa yelled. She sounded scared. "This was on the floor, it was a sheet of paper with writing on it I quickly read it.

I have the most precious thing in the world to you

If you want to see her again you will come to this place at 10:00pm

If you don't I will kill her.

My apologies if you don't receive this letter in time.

Signed

A Friend.

The directions were to a creek far away from Leopards den and Mara. Danny looked at his watch. 9:27, Will I make it in time? I have to, I can't lose Alice! Danny thought desperately. He got on the radio and told Dupe to get back here.

"Alice is gone and Nomsa is hurt, I can't give you the details just get back here your wasting time." Danny yelled he didn't care he couldn't let anything happen to Alice without her he was nothing! Nomsa had telephoned the police but there seemed to be a crime wave tonight, they wouldn't do anything, she wasn't considered missing until 24 hours had elapsed. And as for the threat they hadn't taken that's seriously either!

"Dupe, can get in touch with Rowan, tell him to keep Charlotte close and take care of Olivia for me, I haven't got time tell him what's going on please." Danny felt like he was going in slow motion why is everything taking so long. He ran outside and jumped in his truck, He had to get to Alice nothing else mattered, losing her wasn't an option!

Meanwhile Elsewhere

Alice was rocking and her eyes felt heavy. Her head feels weird, like it's filled with cotton wool or something. She try to move but couldn't. Alice began to panic as she remember what happened at the house. Oh my god I've been kidnapped, She would have laughed if the situation if it hadn't been so dire. Where are they taking me? Why me? What are they going to do to me? What if they are planning on keeping me in a brothel like a sex slave I'LL DIE FIRST! She'd fight them to the death! There's a shaft of light and she tried to examine my surroundings, She was in the bed of a truck and bound rather tightly. She lay in a cage what you'd use to transport animals. Alice guessed they were travelling in the bush, it's rather a bumpy ride. I'm going to be covered in bruises she thought in disgust. Oh yeah Alice you worry about the important things, you've been drugged, kidnapped, have absolutely no idea where you are or where your going you could possibly be killed or worse and you worry about a few bruises. Right ok she thought calmly. I have to calm down here I can't become hysterical I have my child to think about, both of them. She start pulling at her hands, no way they are too tight, I'm also gagged, whose going to hear me scream, a elephant! The car suddenly rumbles to a stop and she heard the door slam. The door to the truck bed opens with a screech and I flinch as a light shines in my eyes. A flashlight presumably.

"Oh sleeping beauty's finally awake."

I know that voice, I'm sure I know that voice. I had a wave of de ja vu, Danny had said that to me yesterday, I have to live, I have to tell Danny about his child. History couldn't repeat himself.

I try to say something and realised for the second time I'm gagged, God I can be stupid sometimes.

He finally shined the light away from my eyes, Oh my god I know him it's MR….