The Adventure of Meerkat and his Friends

1. The Adventure of Meerkat and his Friends Written by Lindy Nicholls Illustrated by Rowan Nicholls

2. Meerkat lived in a large burrow with his very large clan. Their cosy home was on the edge of an African desert. Every morning as the sun rose, Meerkat and his family would line up outside their front door. They would stand shoulder to shoulder in the tufty grass and watch the sun brighten the land. They loved it when the African sun warmed their bellies. With so many brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins about, Meerkat sometimes felt invisible and lonely. Mostly, nobody took any notice of him.

3. Meerkat decided he wanted an adventure. Maybe that would cheer him up. One morning, while the family were sunning themselves, Meerkat sneaked away. Nobody noticed. “Free,” trilled Meerkat and set about looking for his friends Ground Squirrel and Mongoose. He soon spotted the two rooting around for their breakfast amongst the scrubby sand dunes near Ground Squirrel’s old tree stump. Ground Squirrel and Mongoose were very pleased to see Meerkat. “Yes,” they cried. “We do want an adventure, we love adventures!”

4. “What sort of adventure shall we have?” asked Ground Squirrel. Mongoose, feeling peckish said, “Let’s have a tasty adventure.” Meerkat, feeling neglected, said, “Let’s have a friend adventure,” and Ground Squirrel, knowing that his nest was old and shabby, said, “Let’s have a new nest adventure.” So the three friends set off. They knew this was risky business. They decided to keep a sharp lookout for Eagle and Jackal. They did not want to become a tasty snack for the enemy.

5. They trotted along the scrubby edge of the desert, sniffing out worms, seeds and insects. This sent the snakes and scorpions slithering and scurrying away. The sun warmed their backs and the gentle breeze carried the sounds and smells of the African land. There was plenty to eat. “I’m full,” Mongoose said after a while and just as he was about to suggest a little nap, a dark shadow flashed overhead. This was followed by a gush of wind and a rustle of wings. “Eagle!” grunted Mongoose. “Enemy!”chattered Ground Squirrel. “Escape!” barked Meerkat. “Let’s run!”

6. The three friends bolted down the nearest anthill. They huddled together shivering and then carefully peeped out. There was Eagle, swooping and circling, hunting for prey. “Close,” muttered Mongoose. “Clever,” chattered Ground Squirrel. “Cosy,” chirruped Meerkat, “No ants, let’s nap.”

7. While the three friends napped, the afternoon storm clouds gathered. The breeze grew chilly and the African sky darkened. Suddenly a loud crack woke the friends. A white flash lit the desert and the ground shook as the thunder rumbled. “Storm,” groaned Mongoose. “Scary,” chattered Ground Squirrel. “Stay,” trilled Meerkat. “Let’s be brave.”

8. Water trickled into the empty anthill. The friends squirmed and wiggled trying to get comfortable in their soggy hideout. “Damp,” moaned Mongoose. “Dark,” chattered Ground Squirrel. “Dreary,” growled Meerkat. “We’ll have to shelter here for the night. Let’s sleep.” The dark, wet night slid by and soon the rosy, slanted sunbeams woke the trio. They peeped out of their shelter. “What a storm!” cried Mongoose. “What a mess!” chattered Ground Squirrel. “What a lucky escape!” trilled Meerkat. “Let’s go.”

9. Meerkat, Ground Squirrel and Mongoose scampered out, happy to be able to stretch in the morning sun. The land was cool and damp and scattered with twigs and a few broken branches from the storm damaged old thorn tree nearby. A faint cheeping noise filled the air. “What’s that?” wondered Meerkat. The friends scurried about hunting for the noise. In the rush, Meerkat tripped over a pile of twigs. “Careful,” warned Mongoose. “Clumsy,” chattered Ground Squirrel. “Clever,” cried Meerkat. “The cheeping noise is here, let’s help!”

10. Under the pile of twigs, hidden in an upside down nest was Eaglet, Eagle’s precious chick. She was wet, shivering and very frightened. “Help!” she cheeped, trying to be brave while facing three curious faces. Quickly Meerkat, Ground Squirrel and Mongoose lifted the twigs off the nest and packed them into a new pile on the ground. Carefully they placed the nest on top of the twigs and watched Eaglet hop back inside. “Rescued,” sighed Eaglet. “Lucky,” muttered Mongoose. “Safe,” chattered Ground Squirrel. “Friend,” beamed Meerkat. “Let’s be friends.”

11. Suddenly a dark shadow flashed overhead. This was followed by a gush of wind and a rustle of wings. “Eagle!” grunted Mongoose. “Enemy!” chattered Ground Squirrel. “Escape!” barked Meerkat. “Let’s dash!” This time the three bolted between the roots of the old thorn tree nearby. They huddled together shivering and then carefully peeped out. There was Eagle, swooping and circling, hunting for her lost chick. They watched as Eagle gently lifted Eaglet up in her sharp beak. She spread her wings and soared into the sky, carrying Eaglet away to a new nest high in another thorn tree.

12. Meerkat felt sad as he watched his new friend disappearing. He looked around and saw Ground Squirrel chasing her tail in the hollow between the roots of the old thorn tree. Round and round she went, scouring out a cosy new nest for herself. Mongoose was nearby, pouncing on lizards and snapping at insects, filling his belly as usual. Meerkat looked out across the tops of the scrubby sand dunes and there, in the distance, he spotted his very large clan standing shoulder to shoulder in the tufty grass. “Crowded,” moaned Mongoose. “Noisy,” chattered Ground Squirrel “Family,” laughed Meerkat. “Let’s go home!” and he scampered off to join his family as they stood watching the sun brighten the African land.