The Wild Robot

Roz made herself as big as possible. She banged her chest and roared wild, angry sounds. But the bears were not intimidated. They roared right back. And then they attacked.

Nettle pulled Roz into a fierce bear hug while Thorn clawed at her legs. The robot tried to shake free, but the bears would not let go of their prey, not this time. A cloud of dust bloomed around the trio as they thrashed closer to the edge of the cliff.

All of a sudden, something burst out from the trees and onto the open clifftop. Mother Bear. She was gigantic, like a mountain of golden fur. And she was furious. It seemed like this would be the end for our robot. But Mother Bear wasn’t there to join the fight. She was there to break it up. “Nettle! Thorn! Get over here this instant!”

The young bears should have listened to their mother. Instead they pretended not to hear her. Nettle slashed at Roz’s body, and Thorn began wrestling with her foot. He grabbed the foot with both paws and forced it up from the ground. Then, with every ounce of his strength, he twisted the foot around.

Reader, the following events happened very quickly. First there was a strange thwip sound as the robot’s right foot popped off her leg and sailed through the air. Then everyone toppled over. Nettle and Roz fell sideways along the edge. But Thorn fell backward and tumbled

right

off

the cliff.

Do you know what the most terrible sound in the world is? It’s the howl of a mother bear as she watches her cub tumble off a cliff. Mother Bear’s howl was so startling that it snapped Brightbill right out of his stupor. Her howl was so powerful that it shook Roz’s entire body. Her howl was so loud that animals heard it clear across the island. But there was no reply from Thorn. Mother Bear’s howl slowly faded, and she wilted to the ground.

Roz watched as her detached foot sailed over the edge and plummeted down to the shore below. It fell past circling seagulls, smashed off a rock, and disappeared into the waves. And that’s when the robot noticed something furry dangling from the cliffside. Thorn! His full weight hung from a tree that was rooted to the rock wall. He gripped the tree tightly in his jaws and looked up at Roz with wide, frightened eyes.

“I see Thorn!” shouted Roz. “Grab my legs! Quickly!”

Mother Bear and Nettle scrambled to their feet. Each bear took a leg in her mouth, and together they slowly lowered Roz headfirst down the cliff. Thorn whimpered through clenched teeth as he watched the robot approach. Then he felt her strong arms wrap around him and heard her booming voice holler, “Pull us up!”

Thorn let go of the branch and cried, “Please don’t drop me, Roz! I don’t want to die!”

“Do not worry,” said the robot. “I will not drop you.”

The next few moments seemed to drag on and on. Mother Bear and Nettle kept pulling on Roz’s legs, and more of the robot slowly came into view until a furry golden head finally appeared, and Thorn leaped into the embrace of his family.

CHAPTER 47 THE PARADE

“Does it hurt?” Brightbill touched the smooth surface where his mother’s foot used to be.

“No, it does not hurt,” said Roz. “But it will be difficult for me to walk.”

The bears huddled behind the gosling and stared at the robot’s stump of a leg. Nobody understood how a foot could pop off like that, or how Roz could remain calm.

“Roz, I’m sorry my cubs attacked you,” said Mother Bear. “Sometimes they’re completely out of control.”

“It is okay. You know how they are at this age.”

“I can’t thank you enough for saving Thorn. I promise my cubs will never bother you again. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, Mother,” said Nettle and Thorn, together.

The robot tried to walk. She bobbed up and down on her uneven legs, which worked well enough on the flat surface of the clifftop, but once she entered the forest, her problem became clear. The smooth stump had no grip, and it slipped around on the forest floor. So Roz tried hopping on her one good foot. She took a few crunching hops and then clanged into a tree trunk. A few more hops and she crashed into the undergrowth.

“I’m really sorry I broke off your foot,” said Thorn as he helped the robot up from the weeds.

“I forgive you,” said Roz. Whether she was capable of true forgiveness is anybody’s guess. But they were nice words, and Thorn felt better when he heard them.

“It looks like I will have to crawl home,” said Roz.

“Nonsense!” said Mother Bear. “I have a better idea.”

Mother Bear lay flat on the ground while her cubs boosted Roz onto her back. Then Brightbill fluttered onto the bear’s broad shoulders. And when they were both safely aboard, the group set off through the forest.