The Jungle Rescue (Jasper - Amazon Parrot Book 4)

Book summary

In the heart of the jungle, a desperate call for help echoes, launching Jasper on a daring mission to rescue his missing family and caged fellow creatures. As he navigates the perilous terrain, Jasper is determined to unravel the mystery and restore peace to their woodland home. This gripping tale of bravery and adventure invites readers into a lush, endangered world where every step forward is a step towards home.

Excerpt from The Jungle Rescue (Jasper - Amazon Parrot Book 4)

“Help!”

The cry echoed through the morning air. The voice was strong enough to wake Jasper up. He turned and found his brother standing at the entrance to their nest.

“Willie?”

“I can’t figure out what direction it’s coming from. I don’t recognize the voice. Do you?”

“No, I don’t.” He walked over to stand beside him.

The screech rang out again.

“Helppppppp!”

He glanced in the direction of the nest his mother and sister lived in. No one stood at the entrance.

“Did you see Mom and Piper at all?”

“They flew over to visit Charlie’s family. The troop has babies they want to go gaga over.”

“Gaga?”

“Their words, not mine. You know how women are.”

Laughter briefly bubbled inside Jasper. Willie’s remark amused him.

How would he know how women are?

The cry for help returned to his thoughts.

“Jasper, you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That we should go check it out? Yes, we should. That second time, do you know where it came from?”

Willie nodded. “It sounded like it came from across the clearing, but I’m not sure.”

“Well, let’s start there. Maybe we’ll hear it again. Or someone along the way will have more information.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

The two of them took off, expecting to hear the plea again.

“Help. Please, someone, help!” the voice cried, several minutes later.

Jasper and Willie flew toward the sound. Drawing closer, they came upon a crowd of their friends, family, and neighbors.

Animals were everywhere—on trees, branches, and close to several tree trunks.

They caught sight of their mother and sister, landing near them.

Nearby, Charlie’s mother and many members of their troops had gathered.

Their friend, George, the sloth, stood at the bottom of the tree he and his brother had landed on.

The scene spreading out before them was hard to take in. Trucks and humans were everywhere. The noise level was high. Some of the vehicles had cages of different sizes.

Several of the humans were standing around, holding nets and guns. Others walked around the area, looking up at the trees.

What they were looking for, Jasper didn’t know.

“Mama, what are they doing?” a young monkey asked.

The breeze carried the voice amongst the crowd of observers.

“Hush. Be quiet. The humans will hear you,” someone said.

“Who called for help?” Jasper whispered to his mom.

“We just got here,” she whispered back.

“We saw some monkeys placed in the boxes on those trucks,” Piper answered, nodding in the vehicle’s direction that was the closest to them. “Boxes, right, Mama?”

“More like cages, Piper.”

“Monkeys? Oh, no!” Jasper screeched.

“Quiet!” someone hissed to the right of where he stood.

He grew silent.

“Charlie, where is he? Has anyone seen him? Oh, no, not Charlie!” Willie whispered, his tone a little too loud.

The monkey’s absence made Jasper nervous. He turned, intent on approaching his friend’s mother.

“Shush!” someone said from behind his brother.

“Calm down, you two. No one knows for sure,” Sally whispered, eyeing her surroundings.

The cries for help had ceased.

Piper sniffled and sobbed softly. No one told her to hush.

“Mama, what’s going to happen to them?” she asked.

“We’ll talk about this at home. We need to leave.”

The commotion lessened. The animals weren’t ready to make their way home yet.

***

Willie examined his surroundings. His eyes widened.

The humans were looking in their direction.

“They’re looking at us,” he whispered.

The cries for help rang out once more.

The group grew quiet, causing the humans to return to what they’d been doing earlier.

One of the men clutched a long stick, hitting one of the cages.

The cries halted.

Soon, the humans slid into the trucks and started their engines.

Each cage had at least one animal inside. Several minutes passed before the trucks moved forward and followed the caravan leaving the area.

Willie lowered his head. Tears flowed down his face. He was unable to make sense of what was happening around him.

Sally wrapped her wings around him.

“Sorry, Mama, for crying.”

“It’s okay to cry, Willie. It is, indeed, a sad day for us. It’s painful.”

The noise made by the trucks grew faint.

The community of animals stood nearby, full of shock, pain, and anger. No one left. They listened intently for the sounds of the vehicle, each wanting to be sure they wouldn’t return.

“I’m going after them,” a jaguar declared.

“Yes, I’ll go with you as well,” another voice said.

“And do what?” Lucy asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Well, we’ll . . .” the jaguar replied.

“And what? Get caught? What will happen to your family?”

“Lucy is right,” Sally said. “We’re all angry. We want to get our families and friends back. If we rush in, more animals can get captured.”

Silence descended upon the group.

***

“Mama, we need to make certain the humans are gone,” Jasper said.

His mother looked at him. “No, I don’t want the both of you to go. They might get the idea of going after you.”

Jasper understood her fears. No matter how old he was, she would always be concerned about him and his siblings.

“We’ll be careful,” Willie replied.

“If they go, I will go with them,” an unexpected voice said from behind.

“Charlie!” Piper exclaimed.

She spread her wings.

He leaned over and gave her a big hug.

“It’s so good to see you. We were worried about you. I didn’t have a chance to ask your mom.”

“I was way in the back. I tried to squeeze through to get to the front, but there were so many animals crowded about.”

“How is your family doing?” Jasper asked.

“We’re okay, but we know some of the monkeys that are missing. They’re friends of ours. I’ve known them my whole life. They’ve been there for our troops.”

“How awful. We’re so sorry for you and your family,” Sally said.

Charlie nodded. “I appreciate it, ma’am. Mrs. Sally, a few of us are checking things out. Jasper and Willie are welcome to come. We’ll be careful. You have my word.”

“If they’re going, so am I,” the jaguar said.

***

Sally looked back and forth between her two boys and Charlie.

“Okay. I know they’re old enough to make their own decisions. I can’t speak for you.” She stared at the jaguar. “I’m sorry for how I reacted, everyone. It’s not my place to make decisions for those not a part of my family, but the jungle is its own family. We may not always agree, and we may not all be friends, but we need to stick together on this. The humans can take anyone they want. They’ve shown that. I won’t be able to stand it if we lose anyone else.”

Sally grew silent. Her eyes filled with tears.

The jaguar approached her and placed a paw on her right foot. “It’s okay, ma’am. I understand. My mom would appreciate you looking out for me.”

She gazed into his eyes. “Has your mom been taken?”

The jungle cat nodded.

“I would like to go with the monkeys and your boys. I’ll watch over them, I promise. I can’t fly like they can, or swing as quickly as the monkeys can, but I can run pretty fast.”

“Sounds like a plan, Mrs. Sally,” Charlie said.

“That, it does. Lucy, you haven’t said anything. What do you think?”

“I don’t like it, but I would like to know more. The better informed we are, the better we will be.”

“You’re right. Okay, everyone. Find out fast and return as soon as possible. Once we’re done talking here, we’ll head home.”

***

Jasper, Willie, the jaguar, Charlie, and several members of his troop headed in the direction the humans had taken the animals.

The monkeys swung from branch to branch, covering a lot of ground fast.

He and Willie flew above them, keeping up with the pace the group had set.

To their surprise, the jaguar ran alongside the troop, never once falling behind.

The small band of animals moved forward in silence. They were too focused on their goal.