Bodyguard: Ambush (Book 3) by Chris Bradford Page B

in the
     distance they heard a haunting
whoop-whoop
.
    ‘Hyenas,’ Gunner explained under
     his breath. ‘A long way off, probably in those hills.’ He indicated a far
     ridge, crowned by the rising sun.
    ‘So why have we stopped?’ asked
     Henri.
    Gunner put a finger to his lips to silence
     him as Buju pointed to a clump of thorn bushes some twenty metres ahead. Amber craned
     her neck to see what the tracker had spotted, her camera at the ready.
    ‘What is it?’ whispered Henri,
     kneeling up in his seat.
    Amber shook her head and shrugged. Then out
     from behind the thicket emerged a creature as grey as slate with an immense barrel body
     and stumpy legs, its sloping neckand
     low-slung head finishing in a large, pointed double horn. Like a creature straight out
     of
Jurassic Park
, the rhino appeared truly prehistoric. It tramped into the
     middle of the dirt track and stopped, suddenly sensing them.
    Connor, Amber and Henri stared in awestruck
     silence.
    Gunner kept his voice to barely above a
     whisper. ‘You’re very fortunate to see a black rhino in the wild. Their
     species have been driven to the point of extinction. Less than five thousand left in the
     whole of Africa.’
    The rhino stood stock-still, only its ears
     twitching, then it swung its head towards them, snorting at the air.
    ‘Rhinos have poor eyesight but an
     excellent sense of smell and hearing,’ continued Gunner as Amber began shooting
     away with her camera. He pointed to a small red-billed bird on the animal’s back.
     ‘That’s an oxpecker. It was thought they removed ticks and insects for the
     benefit of the rhino, as well as providing an early warning system by hissing and
     screaming if a predator approached. But more recent research suggests these are actually
     bloodthirsty bodyguards.’
    Amber looked back at Connor and raised an
     eyebrow.
    ‘Rather than eat the ticks, the
     oxpeckers have been seen removing scabs and opening fresh wounds to feed on the
     rhino’s blood,’ explained Gunner. ‘So, while in part a mutually
     beneficial relationship, the oxpecker is also a parasite.’
    Connor hoped Amber didn’t consider him
     a parasite. He’d been careful to keep his distance and focus on Henri when
     they’d been prepping for the dawn safari. And, sincethe spider episode the previous night, he’d noticed
     she had become more open towards him.
    They watched as the little bird pecked with
     its red beak at the rhino’s rump. The rhino twitched and turned slowly, until its
     back was to them. Then it excreted several huge dollops of dung that plopped on to the
     ground in a steaming heap.
    ‘Gross!’ exclaimed Henri.
    ‘Well, that’s certainly put me
     off my breakfast,’ agreed Connor.
    Gunner grinned. ‘An adult rhino can
     produce as much as
fifty
pounds of dung in a day. Did you know each
     rhino’s stool smell is unique and identifies its owner? They often use communal
     dung deposits, known as middens, to serve as local message boards. Each individual dung
     tells other rhinos who’s passed through, how old they are and whether a female is
     on heat or not. Think of it like a post on one of your social networks.’
    ‘That’s a pleasant image!’
     said Amber, laughing.
    Having done its business, the rhino trotted
     off and disappeared into the thicket.
    ‘What a spectacular start to the
     safari!’ declared Gunner, switching on the Land Rover’s engine. ‘Your
     first close encounter with one of the Big Five and it’s only six a.m.’
    ‘What are the other four?’ asked
     Amber.
    ‘Elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard.
     Can’t guarantee we’ll spot a leopard, though. They’re pretty
     elusive.’
    Henri frowned. ‘Why isn’t a
     hippo one of the Big Five? Surely it’s larger than a leopard?’
    Gunner shook his
     head. ‘It isn’t about size. The “Big Five” was the term used by
     white hunters for the five species considered the most dangerous to hunt. Although
     you’re