CHAPTER 55
Those who chose to leave for Zenia with Albert and me included five who had never been there before: Alexis the African Gray Parrot, Ocero Puddleby the Rhinoceros, Terri Wingfinger the Pterodactyl, Rinky the Duck-billed Platypus, and Rovette (who was going there mainly to be with me, I’m proud to say). The other five making the trip had been in Zenia prior to embarking on this journey to prehistoric Germany, Australia, India, and Africa: Stripes & Marmalade, Drako, and — it probably goes without saying — Albert and me.
Tubthumper now opted to remain in her African home, especially because her brother Chumbawumba was there. ‘Chum’ wanted to someday visit Zenia, but not just yet. He first wanted to regale his friends and acquaintances with tales of his exploits in the Congo and Botswana for a while before leaving on another trip.
Yukyuk and Rory preferred to stay in Africa, too, at least for now. If the McGorkles eventually decided to go back to Wisconsin, the Hyena and Lion would then consider visiting that place (Yukyuk had heard there’s a lot of cheese there; she loves cheese), but for now they also wanted to get back to their routine of hanging out at the watering hole with Tubthumper and Chumbawumba and the rest of the gang.
As for Ooga Ah-Ooga the Gorilla, Jowls Behemoth the Hippopotamus, Jubatus the Cheetah, Falcona the Peregrine Falcon, and the others they had worked along with in the Congo campaign against human slavery and genocide as well as the Botswana campaign against poaching (animal genocide), they remained in 1885 Africa to head up any further operations that needed to be carried out to protect humans and animals who were mistreated, as well as mistreatment of the earth — which also, by definition, is an assault on humans and animals, as that was and is our habitat.
The case of Doolittles that had been transported in the Fast Forward & Back were left in the care of Ooga, Jowls, Jubatus, and Falcona to be distributed to humans they trusted. Whereas the animals did most of the work, humans were often needed as spokesmen and spokeswomen — sometimes even spokesboys and spokesgirls — to explain to fellow humans the intentions of the Eco Defenders.
Yes, the Eco Defenders, with their “Ten quintillion for one, and one for ten quintillion” motto, remained a going concern, albeit one that did not often have to reconvene due to the ultra-strong deterrent that their warning examples had provided and the precedents they had set on their previous engagements with their enemies.
Taterskin & The Eco Defenders (in paperback, kindle, or hardcover) is available here.