The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot 3)

CHAPTER 1

THE SKY

Our story begins in the sky, with a bright sun and puffy clouds and a large flock of geese. After spending the cold months at their southern wintering grounds, the geese were migrating back to their northern home. They flew in a perfect V formation, and leading the way was a graceful young goose. The leader kept his eyes forward, constantly searching for bad weather or airships, but the sky was clear of any trouble.

Towns and roads and meadows and rivers passed beneath the geese as they flew. Far ahead, where the land met the sky, the dark blue line of the ocean gradually came into view. The ocean grew closer and closer, and then the flock was soaring above a sandy beach and out over the water.

An island appeared in the distance. Another island appeared, and another. The geese spent a few days hopping from island to island, munching on dune grass and resting their wings. Then they took off for the last leg of their journey.

Cargo ships were powering through the waves below. This part of the ocean was a shipping lane. It was crawling with huge vessels, each making its own migration to the next seaport. The geese flew high over the ships, and soon all they could see was water spreading to the horizon in every direction.

Hours passed before the geese spotted the familiar rocky shapes of their home island. They quickened their pace. Now they could see the mountain, and the forests, and the white slash of the waterfall. Now they were flying over the coastline. Now they were circling above the beaver pond.

The flock glided

d

o

w

n

to the pond and

splashed onto the surface. They floated there, quietly cleaning their feathers, until, below the water, their webbed feet started paddling, and they swam to shore and waddled onto a pebble beach.

While the others made themselves at home, the leader wandered into the forest by himself. He followed a path through the undergrowth, passing old trees and mossy stones and thick brambles, and he stopped in a small clearing.

The goose honked loudly and listened for a response. Silence. And then the forest began to move. A cluster of ferns shook and the ground bulged up and chunks of dirt tumbled aside, and there, standing in front of the goose, was a robot.

Reader, you and I would have been terrified in that moment. It’s not every day you see a robot burst up from the ground. But the goose wasn’t terrified—he was happy. You see, that robot was his mother. He fluttered onto her shoulder. Then the two of them spoke to each other in the language of the animals.

“I’ve missed you, Ma!” said Brightbill, the goose.

“Welcome home, son!” said Roz, the wild robot.

CHAPTER 2

THE REUNION

Roz and Brightbill, mother and son, were eager to catch up, and they immediately started talking about all that had happened over the winter. But their conversation was interrupted by the sound of little claws scampering through the treetops. A tiny voice was muttering, “Brightbill’s back Brightbill’s back Brightbill’s back!” Then a squirrel came bounding out to the tip of a branch.

“Hello, Chitchat!” said Brightbill to the squirrel. “How have you been?”

But Chitchat had come a long way, and she was out of breath. Wind rushed from her mouth, and she held up her paw as if to say, “Hang on a minute.” When she was ready, the squirrel unleashed the following flurry of words:

“Brightbill I’m so glad you’re home I always worry about you when you’re gone which is silly because I know you’re clever and tough and I’m also clever and tough so I hope you don’t worry about me oh right you asked how I’ve been well I have some very exciting news which is that I am now a mother can you believe it I have three young kits and I can’t wait for you to meet them.…”

Chitchat jabbered on and on. And on. And the squirrel’s jabbering voice caught the attention of nearby creatures. Fink, the fox, crept out from the bushes. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver climbed up from the pond. Swooper, the owl, flew down to a log. More and more animals emerged from the forest, smiling and laughing, eager to reunite with their old friend Brightbill.

And then a screechy voice called out from afar. The voice was repeating something, over and over, but nobody could make out the words. Roz and the animals hurried to the edge of the forest just as a seagull named Gale appeared in the sky. She was frantically squawking and flapping toward them. Gulls were rarely seen so far inland. Something had to be wrong. And as Gale flew nearer, her words became clear.

“Help! Help! Help!”

CHAPTER 3

THE SEAL

The gull swooped past the crowd of creatures and cried, “Help! Roz! Follow me!” Then she swung back around the way she had come. Roz started running, and Brightbill started flying, and together they followed Gale north across the island and down to the rocky shore. Seabirds and otters and crabs had gathered on the rocks, and lying in the middle of the gathering was a seal. His nose was bleeding. His eyes were swollen shut. Roz knelt and inspected his injuries.

From the seal’s mouth came a weak voice. “The poison tide is coming!”

“I do not understand,” said the robot.

“I was hunting in the north with my friends and family when we noticed a shimmering patch of water,” said the seal. “We were curious, so we swam closer. And then we felt the poison. The shimmering water burned our mouths and our noses and our eyes! I couldn’t see, and I called out for the others, but nobody called back. The poison tide kept washing over me, and the pain was too much, so I turned and swam for my life, back into clear ocean water, and I just kept swimming, for days, until I arrived here.”

“What is the poison tide?” said the robot. “Where did it come from?”

But the seal couldn’t answer because he suddenly erupted into a fit of coughing. The animals exchanged nervous glances as the seal coughed and coughed. Everyone wanted to help him, but there was nothing they could do.

When he finally stopped coughing, the seal hardly had enough strength to speak. “Please,” he whispered. “I want to feel the ocean.”

Very carefully, Roz lifted him up, carried him across the rocks, and released him into the shallows. The touch of salt water against his body brought a faint smile to the seal’s face. It was too hard for him to speak, so without saying a word he slowly swam away and disappeared beneath the waves.

CHAPTER 4

THE NERVOUS ANIMALS

Each day, before sunrise, creatures came out from their homes and headed to the Great Meadow, in the center of the island. That was the site of the Dawn Truce, where everyone could safely get together and chat about the latest island news. Ordinarily, the Dawn Truce was a cheerful occasion, but on this day they had very serious matters to discuss.

Gale fluttered onto a rock and screeched, “The poison tide is coming! The poison tide is coming!”

Mr. Beaver grunted, “Pull yourself together, Gale! You’ll cause a panic!”

Fink barked, “Why should I care what happens in the ocean? I live on dry land!”

Swooper hooted, “Because the land and the water and the air are all connected!”

Other animals began calling out.

“We’ll be fine, this island has everything we need!”

“I don’t even like the ocean!”

“But what about our friends on the coast?”

The animals grew louder and wilder until they were silenced by the robot’s booming voice. “The seal might be right,” said Roz. “There might be a poison tide spreading through the ocean. But I do not think it will reach our shores. I think we are safe—”

Roz was cut off by Nettle and Thorn, the bears who were sister and brother.

“You think we’re safe?” growled Nettle.

“I want to know we’re safe!” snarled Thorn.

“I understand your concern,” said Roz. “But of the creatures here, only the migratory birds and I have ever left the island, and we know that the ocean is truly enormous. It seems highly unlikely that the poison tide could spread through the whole ocean and find its way to us. The poison tide does not worry me, and it should not worry you either.”

CHAPTER 5

THE TALK

Brightbill had something important to tell his mother. So he led her up to the grassy ridge on the west side of the island, to the place where he had learned to fly. It was one of their favorite spots to visit.

The goose was a fast flier, but the robot had no problem keeping up, thanks to her new body. You might remember that Roz had been designed by a woman named Dr. Molovo. They had once met under some rather difficult circumstances, and during their time together, Dr. Molovo transferred Roz’s mind from her old robotic body to a new one. Her new body was stronger and tougher and faster than the original. Now Roz effortlessly glided across the rugged landscape as Brightbill raced through the air.

Before long, they were standing at the crest of the ridge, facing a grassy hillside that sloped down to the ocean. Far below, a wave crashed against the rocks, shooting sea spray into the wind. A moment later, our friends felt the spray sprinkling against their bodies. And then Brightbill started to talk.

“We lost two members of the flock this winter,” he said softly. “They were an older couple who wandered off from the wintering grounds and were attacked by a pack of coyotes. I didn’t know them well. They kept to themselves and only joined the flock for migrations. But the loss was hard on us all. They had a daughter, and I checked on her to see how she was doing. Her name is Glimmerwing, but everyone calls her Glimmer. She’s about my age, and we enjoyed each other’s company, and by the end of winter, she and I were inseparable.” A little smile appeared on Brightbill’s face. “It turns out, some good has come from that tragedy, because Glimmer and I have decided to be mates.”

Roz stared at her son. Her glowing eyes gently pulsed. Then she said, “I am so sorry to hear about Glimmerwing’s parents. But I am so happy to hear that you have found a mate! Tell me about Glimmerwing. I want to know everything!”

“I could tell you about her,” said Brightbill. “But I thought I’d introduce you to her instead.”