Rocky in the Wilderness

By Shaun Chapman

Rocky is a brindle Staffordshire terrier with a big heart. His idyllic life in a Botswana wildlife reserve takes a drastic turn for the worse while on safari with Sean Clayton, a game ranger. Thinking Rocky dead, Sean leaves the reserve heartbroken. Unbeknownst to him, Rocky is still alive but injured, lost in the wilderness. He meets Igola, a Serval cat, and the pair set off on an adventure of a lifetime to save the rhino and elephants in the reserve from the clutches of a deadly band of poachers, led by their king, Mugambi . . . Seeking even more wealth from the wild bounty in the reserve the poachers set out to kill every living thing. It is up to Rocky and Igola to unite the wild animals of the wilderness preserve if they are to survive . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781514482094

Shaun Chapman

Shaun Chapman is a committed conservationist and chairman and founder of RAPTOR, a conservation and anti-poaching organization. He is the author and creator of The James Spillaney Casefiles, The Rocky Adventure Series, The Solar Princess Series and many other titles. He was born in Wales and spent his life globetrotting, from New Zealand, the United States, Australia, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. At present he is working on new book titles and focusing on a series of environmental books and the ROCKY’S WORLD TV series. He is also the editor of RAPTOR – Leader of the Earthwize Generation, an online environmental magazine. The author has spoken at over two hundred schools on conservation with ‘Rocky in the Wilderness’ being a firm favorite with educators as The Rocky Adventure Series imparts environmental principles through the weave of the storylines.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 by Shaun Chapman.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016905505

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-8211-7

                Softcover        978-1-5144-8210-0

                eBook             978-1-5144-8209-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 01/10/2017

Xlibris

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 Rocky

Chapter 2 Home

Chapter 3 The Wild Dogs

Chapter 4 Lost

Chapter 5 Igola

Chapter 6 Poachers Arrive

Chapter 7 Captured

Chapter 8 To the Rescue

Chapter 9 Njovu Returns

Chapter 10 Raising an Army

Chapter 11 The Attack

Chapter 12 Alone

Rocky and the San Bushmen

Biography

Glossary

DEDICATION

The wild dogs that run throughout Africa, the elephant and rhino, wildebeest, giraffe and antelope, both big and small. Both the hunters and the hunted. The desert sands and blue skies of the Kalahari and the time spent in them. The rivers and trees without which there would be no life. The wide-open spaces and the San; their ancient way of life and sacred places. The good times and bad times in Mafeking, my little pal Rocky; my father, Stanley; my mother, Elizabeth; Justin, Jason and Peter Benniman, and Robert Spence. My old friend Noel Murphy up in the happy hunting grounds. Dennis Udoh, Pitshou Mampa, Chris Stevens, and Stan Green. And mostly, Natalie Portman, who always provides inspiration for me.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dennis Udoh, one of Rocky’s oldest and dearest friends, who has been instrumental in the publishing of Rocky in the Wilderness; Pitshou Mampa, who has done an awesome job of the front cover; Chris Stevens, who has spent a lot of long hard hours helping create Rocky’s environmental education material, and not forgetting Shogi, Snowy, and Sebastian the waterbuck.

INTRODUCTION

Rocky the Staffordshire terrier was given the title of park ranger with the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in recognition of his valuable work in conservation and environmental education along with his master Shaun Chapman. Rocky is a founding member and mascot of RAPTOR an anti-poaching conservation NGO. Rocky has had many adventures in the bush and ‘Rocky in the Wilderness’ is the first in the series based on his exploits and the wild animals he befriended, and those that would rather have made a meal out of him.

CHAPTER 1

Rocky

A SMALL WHIMPERING brindle Staffordshire bull terrier puppy with a white patch on his chest and white socks is cradled in the hands of Sean Clayton. Squirming with the indignity of being held over Sean’s head, he lets out a little squeal. A deep-azure autumn sky shimmers softly in the rays of the African sun behind the puppy named Rocky. The sun casts long shadows on the parched African lawn. Sean, a game ranger with the parks board is tall, tanned, and muscular, with dark-brown hair and hazel eyes. His faded bush shirt, shorts, and rough hiking boots contrast sharply with the attire of Dinah, his fiancée, who looks as though she’s just stepped off a fashion ramp in Paris. Dinah’s dark-brown long hair falls over her olive tanned shoulders.

He’s cute, this one. A bit on the small side, but cute, comments Sean.

Dinah reaches out and takes the puppy from him. Holding the puppy to her chest, she gives Rocky the opportunity to lick her face. He’s adorable. How much do you want for him?

Tony, sitting opposite her on a white wire-frame garden chair, looks to the left briefly as though doing some rough mental calculation. Five hundred.

Dinah, somewhat taken aback, replies, We don’t have that much. Won’t you accept a bit less? I’d love to have him.

Tony replies in an irritated tone, No, five hundred per puppy is what I want!

Sean looks downhearted and sees in Dinah’s eyes that she has her heart set on the little mutt. Getting up, he takes Rocky from her and walks inside, placing him back in the wooden litter box with the other puppies. Walking back out, he sits down next to Dinah. Taking a deep breath, he looks directly at Tony. Look, we’d really like to take him, but three fifty is all we can afford. He’ll get a good home and be loved.

While Tony ponders Sean’s offer, Rocky climbs out of the litter box and waddles with his tiny legs through the grass. He stops briefly and widdles on Tony’s boot. Picking up his little head, he waddles back to Sean.

After trying to clamber up Sean’s hairy leg to get on his lap, he settles on the brown boot, which is far easier. Dinah picks him up and puts him on her lap, stroking his tiny stomach. Rocky smiles at the sheer delight of Dinah’s nails scratching his tiny belly. Soon little snoring sounds are heard emanating from the brindle ball. Can’t you make an exception? We’d really like to take him, says Sean.

Irritation clearly tinges Tony’s voice as he replies, No, if you can’t afford five hundred, there are plenty who can.

Sean takes out his wallet, looks into it, turns it upside down. Loose change tumbles into his hand. He looks at it and then at Tony. Tony shakes his head. Facing Dinah, Sean comments, Come on, we’d better go.

Dinah’s dark brown eyes look longingly at the puppy. Holding Rocky gently, she gets up and takes him back inside to the litter box. Giving Rocky a last hug, she puts him in the box, scratching him under the chin. I’m sorry, Rocky.

She gets up and goes back outside, closing the sliding door behind her. Rocky climbs back out of the box and waddles over to the sliding glass doors. He looks on as they stand up. Sean shakes Tony’s hand as Rocky presses against the glass with his nose and forepaws, whining.

As Sean and Dinah start down the path, Rocky looks around frantically for a way out and remembers the cat door. Running and sliding, he dashes into the kitchen and dives for the door, tumbling and falling flat on his face on the other side. Running in puppy fashion, he soon catches up to Sean and Dinah, falling in step with them in a faltering, uncoordinated manner. Sean opens the gate for Dinah then follows her out. Rocky tries to follow them.

Sean bends down on one knee and gently ushers him back then closes the gate. No, little fella, you can’t come. I wish you could, but you can’t. He looks at Tony. Look, you have my work number. If you change your mind, please call me.

Tony scrunches up his face. I doubt it, but thanks for coming anyway.

Their green Jeep pulls off, leaving Rocky peering through the bars of the gate. Sitting down on his haunches, he starts to cry and howl in a peculiar manner—a haunting, desperate plea for them to return.

Uurrk! utters Rocky as he is jerked up by the scruff of his neck. Tony stares at him. I’ll find someone who has the money for you.

Tucking Rocky under his arm, he heads back for the house. Opening the sliding doors, Tony walks in and deposits Rocky unceremoniously into the pen. Rocky, with his tail between his legs and head down, tries to slink into the corner, unnoticed by the other puppies. Herman—black with a white patch on his chest, who is the biggest and twice the size of Rocky—blocks him off. Frida, the ringleader, walks up to Rocky.

The reason they didn’t take you is because you’re so small and scrawny. Pipsqueak!

Rocky barks, Am not! as he looks defiantly into her face.

Herman pushes Rocky. If you were big and strong like me, you’d already be sold!

Rocky looks at him. His tail stands erect, and the fur on his back starts to bristle. Well, how come you’re still here? The people who came for you left you here as well.

Herman, not to be outdone replies, That’s because they’ll pick me up tomorrow, turnip-head!

Zorro, the third puppy and nearly Herman’s size, pipes in, They probably didn’t take him ’cause he looks like a turnip.

Not wishing to be left out on the assault, the fourth puppy—Rex, golden brown with white chest and paws—adds his voice. He does look a bit like a vegetable!

Aww, cut it out guys, it ain’t true, replies Rocky.

Turnip-head, turnip-head, turnip-head! voice the four puppies in unison.

Roxanne, their mother, pops her muzzle over the litter box’s edge. Her shiny black coat ruffled with the irritating noise emanating from the four mouths. The skin under the white patch of her chest turns pink as her blood begins to boil.