It was the first day of September, and the jungle was waking up to a fresh new morning. All the animals stirred from their cozy beds and hurried outside for their morning gymnastics. Every day started like this — stretching their bones, joints, tails, ears, and even noses. Today, the exercises were led by Leo the lion.
“Wake up, you sleepy rascals! Get moving, you lazy lumps and wobbly blobs!” Leo roared kindly but firmly.
The animals sprang to their feet, excited because they knew a special mission awaited them. Although they didn’t know exactly what the mission would be, they were sure it would involve a problem to solve and a task to complete.
Gathered in front of their little home, Leo began with the warm-up.
“First, let’s practice waving our manes left and right!”
Desert Mouse wasn’t sure how to do this since she didn’t have a mane, so she waved her ears instead. Giraffe Zofia swung her long neck from side to side. Anteater Alfred wiggled his nose, and Leo himself shook his mane left, right, up, and down.
“Next, we exercise our paws — left, right, front, and back.”
After moving all their paws, Leo called for a break.
“Now, everyone run to the lake!”
The friends splashed in the water, dove underwater, and even made giant fountains with their splashes. Soon, Leo declared the gymnastics over, and they returned to the warm sandy shore.
The animals shook off the water, changed into dry clothes, and prepared breakfast. Each cooked their favorite dish, but they waited to eat until everything was ready. They placed their plates on the table and began swapping foods. However, Leo didn’t want to try Alfred’s ant cookies or the Desert Mouse’s cheese, nor did Zofia care for Leo’s steak. Desert Mouse only wanted her cheese, and Alfred, the anteater, sampled a little of everything but liked the ant cookies with sauce best.
Breakfast finished, the animals cleaned up. Alfred was chosen to do the dishes, which annoyed him a little, but with his nimble claws, he thoroughly washed every plate in the lake water.
Beds were made, rooms aired out, teeth brushed — all was ready for the daily “council meeting.”
At nine o’clock, the animals gathered around the table. Usually, someone came to share advice or solve problems, but today was different. This time, they were expecting an important mission.
Even Parrot Ala peeked out from her burrow behind the house, skipping gymnastics and breakfast because she was busy with her own seeds. She didn’t bother brushing her teeth or tidying up, just watched quietly.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the gate.
“I’ll open it,” said Giraffe Zofia, gently pushing the gate ajar.
In stepped a proud marmot dressed smartly, carrying a leather briefcase. Behind him followed a small marmot with a special bag holding toiletries.
The big marmot liked to keep his fur neat. Sitting at the table, his little assistant handed him the bag. The marmot combed his whiskers, smoothed his eyebrows, and took off his hat, placing it on the smaller marmot’s head for lack of a better spot.
“Good day, detectives,” he said. “My name is Świ.”
“Świ?” asked Zofia.
“Świszczysław,” he replied. “I have been sent by the Marmot Association with a special mission. In our land, a strange sickness has appeared. All marmots who have walked through water, wet sand, or grass have pink paws. At first, we thought someone colored the water, but it’s not the water’s fault. We thought maybe the sand on the beach was staining their paws, but even when marmots step through puddles, their paws turn pink. We asked around, and only one old marmot remembered reading about this in the Great Book of Wisdom.”
“Once every hundred years, a certain tree that has shaded marmots for centuries changes its structure and secretes a strange sap. This sap evaporates, marmots breathe it in, and it changes their bodies. Elements build up in their paws that react with water, turning them pink.”
“Luckily, there is a cure. The tree will change back if watered with an elixir made from a maple leaf. But that maple grows only in the human world, in a park. To get a leaf, a brave group must cross a river, a meadow, a lake, climb a mountain, and not fear humans. They must find a portal to the human world, cross it, find a way to the maple, get a leaf, and return before the leaf wilts — we have only six hours.”
“We tried choosing our own brave ones, but none can climb mountains, cross rivers well, or overcome fear of humans. We asked many creatures in other lands, and everyone said help could only come from the Animal Detectives’ land. When we crossed the portal, a wise owl told us to turn to you — only you can complete this mission.”
The animals listened eagerly. They hadn’t had such a serious task in a long time. The last mission was finding a magic feather, but this one was far harder — they would travel to another world.
They all looked at Świ, waiting for him to finish. At last, Anteater Alfred swallowed nervously and said,
“I’ll eat one cookie first, then we must make a plan.”
Desert Mouse put on her glasses and opened the wise book, reading intently without stopping. Only Giraffe Zofia said,
“Another mission, another adventure. We must eat, dress, and then we can go.”
She added,
“This mission won’t be dangerous, but it will need speed, endurance, and cleverness.”
A quiet fell as they waited for Desert Mouse Patrycja’s decision.
When she finished reading, she took a deep breath and said,
“The book says that once every hundred years, trees can make this strange sap. My great-great-grandmother told stories about a brave team who once brought back a maple leaf and saved many animals. It’s possible. We must take on this mission.”
Świ sighed with relief.
“Hooray, hooray!”
The little marmot jumped up and shouted,
“Hooray! We are saved!”
“We leave today,” said Leo seriously.
Świ asked,
“Do you have a map of your land? I will show you where the portal opened.”
“Yes, of course,” said Desert Mouse, handing over a sheet with the map of their whole land.
“Here is where your journey begins,” Świ pointed to the area where the portal was.
The animals started planning their route and calculating how long it would take to reach the portal to the other world.
After preparations, they set off. This time they used forest bikes because the woods were too rough for other vehicles. They rode to the edge of the forest, left the bikes, and continued on foot. The forest was thick and full of challenges, but the friends were determined to reach the portal in time.
After emerging from the dense forest, they arrived at a clearing to prepare for the next stage. Desert Mouse pulled out the map and explained the plan. Now, they had to reach the portal, which hung between two mountains. Only one who could fly a hang glider precisely would be transported to the human world.
Unfortunately, not all could fly, so someone had to stay behind to receive the maple leaf after it was obtained.
They decided by drawing lots, and Desert Mouse was chosen to fly.
Hours passed as they got ready. When the moment came, the animals watched as Patrycja the Desert Mouse took off toward the portal. It was an emotional moment, but the team was ready for the challenges ahead.
And so ends the first part of our story. Stay tuned for the next part, where we will find out if the animals succeed in finding the magical elixir.