Outback All-Stars Page 3

  Another common name for this species is the mulga snake. A mulga is a kind of short, stubby tree that grows in the dry parts of the country. The term has also come to refer to that open, desertlike land. The king brown snake is called a mulga snake because it thrives in these dry regions, but it also lives in many other climates, except the rain forest.

  “Follow Mari,” Sage directed, shooing her teammates with both hands. “And hurry.”

  Mari stopped at the railing and looked into the thick of the canopy. These trees were home to hundreds of species: mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Right now, Team Ten was only interested in spotting one.

  Mari reached up and angled her headlamp into the gloomy forest. The beam fell on a cluster of bats huddled together, looking cozy even as they hung upside down. The closest one seemed to shudder in the spotlight. “Sorry, little guy,” Mari murmured.

  Dev leaned into the railing to get a good angle with the ancam.

  “They’re practically newborns,” Mari said. “They’re still too young to find food for themselves. They’re mammals, so they are probably still drinking milk.”

  “There are so many of them,” Russell commented. The branches were crowded with several small groupings. “They’re everywhere.”

  “It’s a colony,” Mari confirmed. “Once the babies are a few weeks old, the mothers leave them at the roost when they go out to find food.”

  “They’re so small,” Sage noted. “How do we know they’re the right type of bat?”

  “The small ears,” Mari said. “If they hunted with their hearing, their ears would be bigger.”

  “And their large eyes,” Eliza quickly added. “Better for seeing flowers and fruit.”

  “And the fox-like snout,” offered Mari.

  “And the fur down to their feet,” Eliza said, enunciating each word exactly. “It’s a trait special to the grey-headed flying fox.”

  “And the fact that the race organizers already gave us our next clue,” Dev confirmed.

  “Thank goodness!” Sage exclaimed. She didn’t know how much more of the Smartie showdown she could take. When Eliza wasn’t trying to be the leader, she was trying to be the expert code cracker. Sage wished their new teammate would just chill out. “What does it say?”

  When Dev did not reply, Sage glanced over at the keeper of the ancam. His forehead was crinkled as he studied the screen. “What is it?” she prompted.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied. “It reads like this.”

  Over 100 million years ago

  Set on its seaward way

  This land became its own world.

  Many climates it claims today.

  Now travel to another place

  And other clues you’ll find.

  But if you don’t catch your ride

  Your quest ends in a bind.

  “Clearly it’s discussing how Australia came to be on its own, out in the middle of the ocean,” Eliza said. “It’s hinting at the fact that millions of years ago all the continents were once more or less connected.”

  “Yes,” Mari commented. “And then it mentions the different climates of Australia. So far, we’ve only seen this one.”

  “I think we’re most concerned with the last two lines,” Sage interrupted. “Can you repeat those, Dev?”

  After Dev did as Sage asked, he cleared his throat. “And just now a map appeared, with another X marking a spot.”

  “So, if we don’t make it to the X in time, we’ll miss our ride and be out of the race?” Sage muttered in disbelief. “That’s how they’ll eliminate us.” She glanced at Jace, who had hardly uttered a word since they had all met in the tent. “How much time do we have? How many teams will make it? What kind of bind?”

  Jace shrugged.

  At once, the five teammates huddled together, staring at the map. “The map shows this walkway,” Russell pointed out. “And look down there!”

  When they gazed over the railing, they saw a team down by the stream. They were getting into a boat.

  Team Ten raced to the end of the walkway and scrambled down the stairs, but when they came to the stream, nothing was there.

  “Shouldn’t there be a boat for us?” Russell asked.

  “Did they get the last one?” Mari wondered.

  “This should be the place,” Dev stated. “Here’s a Wild Life marker.” He pulled the tip of the flag toward him and let go, so the pole sprung back and forth.

  Just then, a low chuckle began to echo through the forest. And then another, and another. The chorus grew to chilling, high-pitched cackles that rang in the air.

  “What was that?” Sage asked, searching the shadows above.

  “Those are kookaburras,” Mari answered.

  “They sure find this funny,” commented Dev.

  “Nothing about this is funny,” Sage insisted. She looked to Jace. “So we don’t get a boat?”

  “I guess the organizers thought this would make things more interesting,” the guide said.

  “That’s just evil,” Russell said.

  “We’re as good as eliminated,” Dev concluded.

  “So much for my comeback,” Eliza mumbled.

  “No. We just have to find another way. Let me see that map,” Sage demanded. Dev pushed a button that dropped a pin to mark their location.

  “We’re not even close to the X,” Russell said, taking his finger and trailing it along the curvy route suggested by the map. “It’ll take forever to get there.”

  Sage looked again. “But that’s if we follow the stream in a boat. What if we cut through the forest on foot?” She took her finger and drew a much straighter line to the X. She looked at Jace again.

  “I’m not a cartographer,” he said, lifting his hands like he was trying to avoid any blame.

  “That means he doesn’t draw maps for a living,” Eliza informed them.

  “I think we got that,” Dev told Eliza.

  “It’s a shortcut,” Russell said, still staring at Sage’s route on the screen.

  “It’s a gamble,” Dev added.

  “It’s our best shot,” said Sage. She was sure of it.

  CREATURE FEATURE

  LAUGHING KOOKABURRA

  SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dacelo novaeguineae

  TYPE: bird

  RANGE: eastern Australia; it has also been introduced to the southwest corner and Tasmania

  FOOD: snakes, lizards, worms, insects, small rodents, snails, and small birds

  The kookaburra is not an ordinary songbird. It has a call that starts as a low chuckle, increases to a hearty, high-pitched belly laugh, and ends with another chuckle. Sometimes, other kookaburras will join in the call, making it sound like a rowdy party. It is the way the birds claim territory. The species has other squawks and calls for other purposes, like warning family members of danger, finding a mate, or begging for food.

  The family stays in its territory all year and does not migrate. Their home is often a tree hollow in a wet, cool forest.

  Although it’s a member of the kingfisher family, the kookaburra prefers to eat foods other than fish. Snakes are often at the top of their list. The kookaburra is a skilled hunter. It is strong and stout. It uses its long, spear-shaped bill to catch its prey. The kookaburra then thrashes its head around, smashing the prey against the ground, its perch, or another hard surface. The bird will even drop prey to the ground to make it more tender. That way the kookaburra can eat it whole. Not bad table manners if you’re a bird!

  “You do realize that there would have been snakes if we had gone the other way, too,” Russell told Eliza. They had been ambling through the dark for over an hour. Russell followed their newest teammate, who seemed to have a one-track mind.

  “Yes,” she answered. “But I also realize that taking a shortcut is a big risk, especially at night. We’re way more likely to stumble into a snake out here. They could be resting in piles of dead leaves or tree stumps, or in the cracks of rocks.” She paused to take a drink from
her canteen. “They can fall out of trees, too, you know.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” was Russell’s reply. He was getting a little sick of the lectures, but he scanned the leafy ceiling of their path for dangling reptiles, just in case.

  Sage was up ahead with Dev. They constantly checked the map on the ancam. Occasionally, Sage would make the whole team stop so she could listen to see if other Wild Life teams were on the same trail.

  The darkness slowed them down. Every step required caution. But she knew that it gave them one big advantage. In the light of day, Sage would never be able to keep Mari from stopping and swooning over all the marvels and amazing creatures of this exotic land. The darkness meant they were making steady progress, yet she worried they were already too late. “Shhhh. What was that?”

  The team came to a halt. “Is it coming from the ground?” Sage wondered out loud as she knelt down. It was a slushing, gurgling sound. There was something about it that Sage did not like. “Anyone know what that is?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s giant earthworms sliding through the mud underground,” Eliza said, her tone suddenly lighthearted now that they weren’t discussing snakes. “They’re kind of crazy actually. They can be, like, six feet long. They look like regular worms, but they’re just huge.”

  The rest of the team stared at the ground as the sucky, slurping sound grew louder.

  “You don’t have to worry about them,” Eliza tried to reassure the team. “They only come above ground if super hard rains force them out of their tunnels.”

  “Um, maybe not, but we should worry about this.” Dev held up the ancam.

  UPDATE: 5 of 6 teams checked in.

  “What?” Sage cried. “Only six teams? They’re trimming the field now?”

  Suddenly the slurp of giant earthworms did not seem all that interesting. “We’ve got to move!” Sage yelled, grabbing Mari’s wrist. “This way!”

  With a sudden surge of energy, everyone began to race downhill along the creek bed. The echo of the gurgling earthworms still pounded in Sage’s head. She and Dev didn’t check the ancam or stop to listen for other teams, they just found a steep path and went as fast as they could. Every few minutes, Sage glanced back to make sure they had the whole gang: Dev, Mari, Eliza, Russell, and Jace.

  “Did you … do this … in the last race?” Eliza called out between huffs.

  Sage’s mind was not on the last race. She was thinking only of this one. There was only one slot left, and soon it would be gone. As they made their way down the sloping ridge, the streambed seemed to grow. Here, it rushed with water.

  “Look! An emu!” Mari yelled. “It’s gigantic! Easily the second largest bird species in the world.”

  “Keep moving,” Sage begged, not even turning around. Of course Mari, the animal lover, wanted to slow down and take it all in, but there wasn’t time. Sage’s feet slid beneath her on a patch of wet, slick leaves, and her hiking boots slipped right out from under her, but she pushed herself back up and moved on. As soon as she reached the foot of the hill, she knew why. A tour bus with its headlights on was parked on a narrow paved road just past the edge of the forest. And when Sage looked up the road, she noticed tiny pricks of light. Headlamps.

  She rushed back to the edge of the trees. “Run! Fast! We’re here!” she yelped. “But so is another team!” Sage suspected that other team had just finished a leisurely boat ride. They probably had lots of energy.

  Even as she stood there, Sage could see that darkness was fading. The bus’s engine groaned, breaking the hush of twilight. Sage’s anxious gaze moved from the bus, to the forest, to the band of approaching headlamps.

  “Hurry!” she called. As Dev appeared Sage motioned him toward the bus. “Thank goodness,” she muttered when Eliza showed up close behind. Next was Jace, who stopped to wait with Sage.

  “They’re almost here,” he said, his voice revealing unexpected concern. “They’ll make it.”

  The beams of light were now bobbing in the dark. The other team was running.

  Sage stepped back to the edge of the forest and peered inside. It was still all shadows. Then Russell burst out, grasping Mari’s hand.

  “Run!” she demanded. “To the bus!”

  Their feet sloshed in the soggy mud. Jace was in step right behind them.

  Sage could see Dev and Eliza standing by the bus. The race organizers weren’t letting them on. The whole team had to be there.

  “Team Ten, checking in,” Jace announced when they were still ten steps away. “The final team has arrived,” a woman wearing a poncho yelled to the bus driver as everyone climbed aboard. Their wet soles squeaked on the floor as the bus door folded shut behind them.

  Sage took the first seat, collapsing into the soft, dry cushion. As the bus began to pull away, she glanced out the window, and watched as the woman in the poncho had to break the bad news to the next team. Team Ten was officially in the top six and had escaped elimination … and bizarre, oversized worms!

  CREATURE FEATURE

  GIANT EARTHWORM

  SCIENTIFIC NAME: Digaster longmani

  TYPE: invertebrate

  RANGE: eastern Australian rain forests

  FOOD: organic matter

  The giant earthworm has a lot in common with any earthworm you will find in your local park or backyard. It is an invertebrate, which means it does not have a skeleton inside its body like a snake, or a hard skeleton outside its body like an insect. It relies on its muscles to keep its shape, which makes it very fragile. And it uses the bristles along its body to help it move.

  Earthworms do not have lungs. Instead, they breathe through their skin. To do this, they need to stay moist at all times. While they do not have a heart, they have five aortic arches, which work to pump blood throughout their body.

  Unlike your average earthworm, the giant earthworm rarely comes above ground. It stays several feet under the surface where it is less likely to become dry. It only leaves if a hard rain floods its tunnel system. Also unlike your average earthworm, the giant earthworm can measure over six feet long and can be as wide as a garden hose. It takes it a long time to grow that long, about five years.

  The sun was rising, and no one had slept. Only six teams remained. Those on the bus were headed to the next stage of the race; everyone else was left behind.

  There were plenty of things for the team to talk about, but plenty more reasons to rest.

  “If we don’t have a new clue, our priority should be sleep,” Sage said, tugging a dry fleece from her backpack. She wadded up the jacket and tucked it between her shoulder and her chin. “Wake me if anything shows up on that ancam,” she said as she closed her eyes.

  She was vaguely aware of Jace shaking her awake and leading everyone across a small runway to a plane whose propeller was already spinning. She was alert long enough to make sure everyone had made the move from bus to small plane. She then put her fleece back in place and fell asleep again.

  Hours later, when Sage woke up, her dreams seemed to linger: stars streaming through the sky; snakes skimming the surface of streams; animals changing into people and back again. Sage could hardly be sure she was awake, until Dev leaned over her seat. “We’re landing,” he said, and he placed the ancam in her hands. She forced herself to blink twice and read:

  Warm-blooded

  Egg layer.

  Short-beaked

  Insect eater.

  Spiny-haired

  Milk maker.

  Sage rubbed her eyes and tried again. Yep, she had read the clue right. She turned around and looked at Dev through the gap between the seats. “Do you have an idea?” she asked hopefully. “Even a teeny tiny inkling?”

  “Not really,” he replied. “And the clue decoders are still snoozing.” He motioned to Mari and Eliza’s seats across the aisle.

  Russell pushed his head into view, too. “Do we think this is just one animal?” he questioned in a whisper.

  Sage knew what he meant. The lines didn’t really go toge
ther. The first two lines sounded like some kind of bird, but the last two seemed more like a mammal. “The closest thing I can think of is the platypus.”

  As if platypus were a magic word, Mari sat up looking rested and bright. “What about a platypus?”

  “Shhh,” Dev reminded her. The nearest team sat several rows behind them, and although it was nearly impossible to hear anything over the drone of the engines, they couldn’t be too careful. He handed the ancam to Mari.

  Mari studied the device and moved her finger down the screen as she read each line of the clue. “Don’t worry, guys,” she said after a moment. “I got this.” With a triumphant glance at the still sleeping Eliza, Mari passed the ancam back to Dev and refused to say anything else.

  Since they were the last team to board the bus, they were the last team to get off the plane. Javier tipped his hat to them as he left with Team Nine. Dallas and his teammates were in second place.

  As she watched all the teams go by, Sage wondered how they had managed it. How had they answered the first two clues so quickly and been the first five teams to make it to the bus? Of course, they’d had boats. They’d had it easy. She wondered if any of the other teams would have blazed their own trail through the thick of a rain forest. How many of their teammates would have agreed to a desperate shortcut in the last dark hours of night?

  “If there are only six teams left, are we still Team Ten?” Russell wondered out loud. “ ’Cause that’s weird.”

  What Russell said sounded like impossible math, Sage was still so tired.

  “Yeah, I liked it better when we were just Team Red,” Dev added.

  “Yeah, except I was never on Team Red,” Eliza reminded them now that she was awake.