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river.”

Chapter Seventeen
    THE LEGEND

    O nce again, Tobin felt out of breath. The group had raced to the river, back where they’d last seen the sea cucumbers. Desperate for a moment of rest, the pangolin slumped at the edge of an inlet. But then he noticed something strange. “Hmm,” he murmured. “My eyes may be failing me, but look! There seems to be some sort of whirlpool.”
    The others drew close and crouched at the bank. Indeed, the water was swirling in circles.
    â€œIt looks like it’s being sucked down,” observed Dawn.
    â€œDown where?” Cora asked.
    Suddenly, Ciro sprung to his feet and locked eyes with the fox.
    â€œCould it be?” whispered Dawn.
    Ciro shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve heard of them only in legend.”
    Cora tilted her head, still confused. “Heard of what?”
    The canines turned toward the group.
    â€œMystical underground caves,” said Ciro. “It’s said that rivers flow through them.” He looked back at the mysterious whirlpool.
    â€œBut I didn’t think they were real,” added Dawn. Her voice sounded skeptical. “With their strange light? And rushing falls? It always sounded a little, well, made up.”
    The bats teetered forth.
    â€œStrange light?” said a bat.
    â€œRushing falls?” said another.
    â€œThat stuff’s real,” said a third.
    â€œReal as rabbit.”
    Ciro’s eyes flashed with excitement. “What’s that you say?” He moved toward the bats and crouchedlow. “You know of these caves?”
    â€œ Svor .”
    â€œOne right beneath us, in fact.”
    â€œUsed to hang in there all the time.”
    â€œBut it’s crazy down there. Like a maze.”
    â€œ Svor. You could get lost.”
    â€œEspecially without sonar.”
    Dawn’s ears stood tall and alert. “Can you take us there?” she requested. “The screams have all been in this area, and yet there are no traces of the missing animals.” Dawn paused, seeming to piece together the information as she spoke. “No traces above ground that is, but I wonder what we might find if we go below.”
    â€œInto the caves then!” said one bat.
    â€œTo look for the traces.”
    â€œAnd the trouble!”
    â€œOh goodness,” murmured Tobin, but he was nodding in agreement.
    A rush of wind blew through the air, rustling the leaves on the trees. The leather-winged creatures stood still.
    â€œNow,” urged the fox. “Take us there now.”
    The bats glanced at each other, perplexed.
    â€œBut you’re already here!” said one.
    In unison, the foursome pointed at a hole in theground. It was about the width of a lemon.
    â€œThat’s the entrance,” finished another.
    â€œOh dear,” Tobin muttered. He squinted at the tiny, dark entrance, and then eyed his own rounded belly. “That’ll be a tight squeeze.”
    â€œThere are more entrances,” said a bat, “but next one’s wayyyy down that way.” He pointed downstream.
    â€œOr, is it that way?” said another. This one pointed up.
    The foursome stumbled back and forth, clearly confused.
    â€œJulian, Ajax,” said Ciro, “how long will it take you to widen this hole?”
    The coyotes circled the opening, evaluating the composition and density of the dirt. The earth was packed and dry.
    â€œMight take a while,” said Julian.
    â€œA while?” cried Cora. She shook her head and marched toward the hole. “We don’t have ‘a while’,” she said. “Step aside.”
    The animals raised their brows at the normally docile wombat.
    â€œPlease,” Cora added.
    The coyotes stepped back as the wombat planted herself in front of the hole. She flexed her paws then dugher claws into the soil. Using all four limbs, she began to clear the debris, flinging rocks and dirt through the air. She even