Ian Whybrow - Meerkat Madness

Meerkat Madness

IAN WHYBROW

Illustrated by Sam Hearn

For Judith Bows, Library Supremo, and all the children of ICS, Zurich and especially for Abbie, Lara and Caroline, who asked me to do an adventure story for them; for Nilou who likes yellow, Esther who likes dark blue and Maria and Malti who prefer purple.

Contents

Cover

Title Page Meerkat Madness IAN WHYBROW Illustrated by Sam Hearn

Beginning

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Also available by Ian Whybrow

Copyright

About the Publisher

Beginning

In the chamber, three meerkat kits were squeezed up close on their uncle’s lap, because this was in fact a nursery.

Once Uncle Fearless had been a king; now he was their babysitter. That is the meerkat way when things go badly.

One of Uncle’s eyes was missing and his fur was a bit patchy and ragged in places. His left arm had an unusual bend in it. “War wounds, what-what!” he would often explain. He had not lost his royal pride.

This secret nursery was completely dark. Once or twice Uncle had shown the kits how to dig away the thick sand that served as their main door, but there was no light in the tunnels outside. So the kits had not yet seen what their uncle looked like.

He had just come down from the Upworld with supper. He hadn’t had much time to forage, for a fierce sandstorm was raging outside the safe fortress of the burrow. Still, he had brought them each some worms. And for a treat, there was a plump Flap-Neck Chameleon to share. Delicious!

“Make us big and strong!” piped Little Dream. He was growing fast but he was by far the smallest of the kits. That meant he was always last in line. He was born a moment or two before his brother and sister, Skeema and Mimi, but they had always treated him like the baby. He often seemed slow, he talked in a strange way, and, to tell the truth, they thought he was a bit dim.

Uncle wanted the kits to settle down and go to sleep. “For tomorrow ,” he promised them, “you must all be ready to leave the nursery and join the rest of the tribe!”

How they squeaked and squealed and squirmed when they heard that! They weren’t at all sure that they wanted to leave the safe and cosy darkness. It wasn’t easy for Uncle to calm them down, and he had to put on his warning voice before they settled.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’ll be fun.” He told them that there were some older, more important kits in the burrow; some princes and a princess. Now that Skeema, Mimi and Little Dream were old enough, he was ready to lead them personally along the tunnels to the Upworld and introduce them. And then, if they were very good, they would meet the King and Queen.

“You’ll be able to see them,” said Uncle. “It’s like smelling with your eyes. The sun will show you how. It’s lovely.”

“And will we see you?” asked Skeema.

“Oh, yes. As a matter of fact I look wonderfully handsome in sunlight,” he answered. The kits weren’t sure what that meant. Still, for the moment they were happy just to know that he was there to defend them and that he had a sharp and special smell that they were very fond of. They could not remember their mother, Princess Fragrant. She had been taken by a wild dog when they were just three days old. They could just remember Flower who had nursed them and fed them milk in the very early times. But it was Uncle whom they loved. Even if he did puff himself up, he meant the world to them.

“Tell Mimi a story,” said Mimi, cuddling up. “Me! Me!”

“Not just Mimi. Tell all of us!” begged Skeema.

“Blah-blahs,” said Little Dream.

“Yes,” said Skeema, “Tell us about the Blah-blahs.”

Foreword

The behaviour and adventures of the characters in this book are modelled on those of certain actual meerkats still living in the Kalahari. These creatures wish to remain anonymous to protect their privacy. For this reason, their names and their language have been changed. Any similarity between these characters and any meerkat-stars of stage or screen is purely coincidental. Furthermore, any resemblance between Oolooks or Whevubins on safari, actual Click-clicks or Sir David Attenborough is purely in the eye of the beholder.

Chapter 1

There was nothing Uncle liked better than to talk about his Glory Days.

He cleared his throat importantly. “Harrumph! This story is called ‘The Adventures of Bold King Fearless Among the Blah-blah Tribes’,” he announced.

As usual, the kits asked, “Why are they called Blah-blahs, Uncle?”

And as usual he laughed and said, “Because of the funny calls they make to each other, of course! Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah!”

The kits laughed and squirmed happily. Little Dream picked a fat flea off his sister and nibbled it thoughtfully while he listened.

“Now, once upon a suntime,” said Uncle, “I left the safety of Far Burrow where I lived, at the far edge of the Land of the Sharpeyes, and set off to explore the Upworld. I wanted to travel and to learn all I could about my kingdom. At first the rest of the tribe insisted that I took bodyguards with me. I was very precious to them, don’t you know!”

“Like me. I’m precious!” Mimi piped up.

“Don’t interrupt,” said Uncle, holding up a paw in the darkness.

“Why did you need bodyguards?” asked Little Dream.

“Ah, because of the dangers !” said Uncle. “Because of the enemies that lurk in every hollow in the sand and under every thorn bush!”

“Oh dear,” sighed Little Dream.

“Don’t forget The Silent Enemy in the sky,” added Mimi, who liked to show how clever she was. Uncle gave a trembling twitch and a gasp and she got a sharp nudge in the ribs from Skeema. “Sorry, Uncle!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Uncle Fearless took another deep breath to pull himself together. “N-never mind. No harm done,” he murmured. It took him a while to calm down, but pretty soon he was happily showing off again. “As I have often told you, it is the meerkat way to stand by one another,” he said. “But your old Uncle was not afraid. Oh no, I was young and keen! I said to my subjects, I said: ‘I am the greatest of all the Sharpeyes! Do you imagine that I am not brave enough or wise enough to explore my own kingdom by myself from time to time if I wish?’ And so I ventured out alone, something that you kits must never, never do. Soon I had marked every corner where a kat can sniff! I discovered all there was to know out there among the sizzlingly hot Salt Pans at the far end of the kingdom. And do you know the most interesting thing that I discovered?”