Taterskin & The Eco Defenders: Book 2, Chapter 41
Book 2 ("Tell It to Future Generations"), Chapter 41 of 56
CHAPTER 41
Back on the plateau of Mount Roraima, we got together, got down to ‘business’ (or anti-business, rather) and decided that we would split the volunteers into three teams: the first would patrol the perimeter of the Amazon Basin, keeping out the riff-raff; the second would be alert and active within the jungle, or rainforest itself; and last but not least, the Amazon River and its tributaries would be monitored by Manatees, Dolphins, Piranhas, Stingrays, Water Monkeys, Tapirs, Capybaras, and such.
Those guarding the perimeter could do it in shifts, and in the areas closest to their homes. The forest dwellers would simply keep an eye on their ‘neck of the woods,’ and the same would go for those who inhabited the rivers and riverbanks.
As for the humans (Albert, Ravelle, and Chapawee), they would make themselves available to speak with any other humans who wanted to find out why the animals were so fiercely protecting their hearth and home, to explain it all to them.
Albert (along with Alexis, his right-shoulder bird) would stay near Mount Roraima, so that he could be easily found by flying emissaries such as Macaws, or by Jaguars, or one of the other animals.
Ravelle would set up headquarters on the outskirts of Manaus, at the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River.
Chapawee would paddle up and down the Amazon at will, but always within several score miles of the place where we initially landed, among the islands of the Anavilhanas Archipelago. She could thus meet with any who were using the rivers for transportation in any activities that would lead to the destruction of the Amazon’s ecosystem. She would always be accompanied by, and if necessary protected by, the river animals (such as the giant Arapaima fish, the small but ferocious Piranhas, Stingrays, Caimans, and, naturally, the Dolphins and Manatees) as well as the animals of the riverbank, especially the Tapers and Capybaras, but also Snakes and Lizards of various types.
Once all the animal representatives had assembled in front of a grove of trees near the base of Mount Roraima, Chumbawumba lifted Albert onto his back with his trunk. Alexis then flew up onto Albert’s shoulder. For my part, Rovette and the pups and I had jumped onto Tubthumper’s back when she knelt down to invite us aboard. Flanking the Elephants on their right was Ravelle riding Ocero, with Chapawee on Jowls to their left. This was an impressive sight, even for the Jaguars and Macaws who had thought they had seen almost everything in their life.
Albert stood up on Chumbawumba’s back, welcomed all, and thanked them for heeding the call. He explained who we were, why we were there, what we planned to do, and what we would like them to do if they accepted the mission offered them.
As you already know all of that, I will skip that particular speech of his. The upshot of it was that all of the animals present were in favor of the operation. They knew that it was not only their way of life that was at stake, but also that of their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and on and on into forevermore.
Three teams were selected by the humans as if they were choosing sides for a pickup basketball game. Chapawee was somewhat limited in her selections in that she had to choose animals that lived in or near the rivers. She was wholly content with that, though; she did not feel that she was in any way handicapped by this restriction.
The choosing went as follows (I will simply give you the final teams, in lieu of a pick-by-pick commentary, or an explanation of how some ended up with more species on their team than others did):
Albert selected the Giant Armadillos, Giant Anteaters, Spectacled Bears, and Harpy Eagles. From the original band of Eco Defenders, he also had Alexis, me and my family, as well as the two Elephants and Ocero remain with him.
As for Ravelle, who would be operating in the rainforest, he chose the Jaguars, Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Ocelots, Bush Dogs, Golden Lion Tamarins, Peccaries, Toucans, Laughing Falcons, “Stinkbirds” (Hoatzin), Vampire Bats, Snakes (including Vine Snakes, Eyelash Vipers, Lanceheads, Green Anacondas, and Emerald Tree Boas), Jumping Spiders, Iguanas, Golden Tegus, Anole Lizards, Horned Frogs, Paradoxical Frogs, Titan Beetles, Hercules Beetles, Bull Ants, Bullet Ants, Giant (10-inch) Centipedes, Brazilian Wandering Spiders, Forest Dragons, Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, and the Poison Dart Frogs, of which there were many types, or colors: yellow, red, green, green and black, golden, strawberry, and blue. From the original crew, he took with him Stripes (with Marmalade, as a matter of course), Rory, Jubatus, Ooga, Falcona, and Yukyuk.
Chapawee’s team was comprised not only of Manatees (such as Hugh), Dolphins (such as Boto), and Giant Otters (such as Knowbetter), but also of Bull Sharks, Caimans and Crocodiles, Tapirs, Capybaras, Piranhas, Stingrays (including White-Blotched Rays), “Water Monkeys” (Arowanas), Wood Storks, and Boat-billed Herons, as well as Yapoks.
Those from the original Eco Defenders on her team were Jowls, Terri, and the new and improved, or at least ‘new’ and enlarged, Rinky and Drako. I say they were new and improved because Albert had devised a special plan for Drako and Rinky, who were normally, along with Marmalade, the smallest of our members. Noticing that everything in the Amazon seemed outsized, Albert felt it only right that the Bearded Dragon and Duck-billed Platypus could also be made larger, so he instructed Chapawee to Decompress them multiple times until they were the size of Dinosaurs (this ‘super-sizing’ only took place after they reached their destination at the riverside).
As special emissaries of Alexis, who had taught them Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, and Pyglatin, the Macaws (Scarlet, Hyacinth, Yellow and Blue, and Spix’s) were distributed between the three teams. They spoke directly with the humans when scouts informed them that homo sapiens were discovered in a certain part of their assigned sector (if the human member of the Eco Defenders responsible for the work in that area was unavailable to speak with them).
Albert and his team stayed near Mount Roraima. Ravelle flew the Zephyr to his jungle headquarters near Manaus, while Chapawee piloted the Androcles to the Amazon River. After accomplishing their missions, they would fly back to Mount Roraima to pick up the rest of us before we all headed back to Zenia together.
It wasn’t nearly time for that yet, though. Our real fun/work was about to begin.
Taterskin & The Eco Defenders (in paperback, kindle, or hardcover) is available here.