Snoutie and His Friends - страница 7

“Help! Please hurry!” cried Michelle loudly.

“I’m coming!” sounded someone’s voice.

And right then and there Hedgie the Valiant ran out onto the shore. He was known by this name to all forest residents because one day he saved Robin the Elder’s chicks from an attacking snake. After making sure that the chicks were safe, Hedgie drove that snake out of the Big Forest once and for all.

Now, standing on the very edge of the shore, Hedgie stretched out his walking stick to Snoutie. Snoutie grabbed it, clambered up onto the shore, and then easily dragged wet, frightened Little Squirrel out of the water.

“Thank you, brave Snoutie! Thank you, Hedgie the Valiant!” they heard someone say behind their backs.

It was breathless Mama Squirrel, hurrying as fast as she could towards the cries of her Little Squirrel and looking terribly afraid.

“Where are you heading?” Squirrel asked, once she caught her breath.

Upon learning that Snoutie and Michelle were looking for a magical white flower, Squirrel ran off somewhere and soon returned with a basket overflowing with fresh mushrooms.

“You have a long trip ahead of you,” she said, handing the basket to the travelers. “Take these mushrooms with you so that you can snack on them during your trip.”

After wishing Snoutie and Michelle bon voyage, Mama Squirrel and Little Squirrel scampered up a tree and disappeared into their hollow. Meanwhile, the friends set off farther along the river in search of the magical flower.

“What on earth could this be?” wondered Michelle, pointing to a large, ash-grey ball at the foot of the trunk of an old tree.

“Let’s find out,” said Snoutie, and he started prodding the strange ball with his snunk.

Well, let’s just say it would have been better if he had never tried that, because suddenly a cloud of angry wasps descended on Snoutie and Michelle with a terrible buzzing.

“A wasp’s nest!” shrieked Michelle, very frightened. She grabbed Snoutie’s paw, and they took to their heels without even trying to find the path.

The wasps quickly caught up with the fleeing Snoutie and Michelle, circled over their heads, and tried to sting them. Snoutie and Michelle were already getting tired from this race through the forest. They started tripping over roots and rocks and feeling more and more out of breath.