“Isla, do you have your torch?” Buzz asked his friend later that afternoon at the rangers’ lodge.
“Check,” said Isla, feeling for it in her jacket pocket.
“Map?”
“Check,” said Isla.
“I’ve got mine too. And what are you bringing, Buzz?” Gracie said playfully.
“My torch and map… and biscuits of course!” said Buzz with a smile. “Check!” he added, whipping out a packet of chocolate digestives from his rucksack.
“I wonder what happened to Lexi?” asked Isla. Although she had reminded her friends about welcoming new members, part of Isla hoped Lexi had changed her mind about coming.
“Hmm,” said Buzz. “Maybe she couldn’t make it after all.”
Just then, the door opened and in came Lisa, the head ranger. “Good afternoon, Animal Adventure Club!” she called.
“Hi Lisa,” they all chanted back.
Bouncing in behind her came Lexi, munching on a bag of sweets. “Hi guys!” she bellowed. “I bet you were worried I wasn’t coming! I totally forgot.” She shrugged. “But Lisa came to pick me up and then I didn’t have time to change.”
Isla noticed Lexi was wearing a denim jacket and thin sparkly trainers. The other club members were wearing waterproof jackets and sturdy walking boots. It was meant to rain later. Lexi’s going to get wet feet, she thought.
“There’s a spare anorak hanging over there, Lexi,” said Lisa. “It might be a bit big, but it’ll do. And there are a lot of muddy paths on the reserve. I don’t have any waterproof boots you can borrow, but we’ll get you a pair for next time.”
Buzz and Gracie were looking annoyed, so Isla decided to try to make Lexi feel welcome. “You’re just in time, Lexi,” she said. “We’re heading off to check on the fawn.”
“The what?” mumbled Lexi, her mouth full of pink gunge.
“The baby deer, remember?” said Gracie. “The cute, cuddly Bambi?”
“Oh yeah!” said Lexi, grabbing the anorak. “I forgot about that too!”
Isla spotted Gracie rolling her eyes behind Lexi’s back.
“Let me know how you get on tracking it,” said Lisa. “There was no sign of it when I was up there earlier. From your description, I would say it was a roe deer fawn. You did an amazing job rescuing it yesterday, but don’t get too close again. Just keep an eye out and report back to me. The doe will be close by. Fawns hide while their mums forage for food.”
Isla, Buzz and Gracie nodded, and the trio headed for the door, with Lexi trailing behind.
“Enjoy your patrol, Animal Adventure Club!” called Lisa. “While you’re out, I’m going to check on Spiky. I hope those nasty ear mites are all gone.”
“I think he’s feeling better,” said Buzz. “His food bowl was nearly empty.”
“You can refill it when you get back,” Lisa said, smiling. “I’ll see you later!”