Animals and People Against Poaching: Novel Excerpt?
@LilyoftheThorns (12918)
United States
May 19, 2008 4:38am CST
Hi guys! This is just another part of my story. I wanted to run it by everyone and see how appealing it is to everyone. I haven't edited it myself, yet, so there might be some obvious mistakes. But any opinions, comments and suggestions are welcomed with opinion arms! *I tried to censor all the cussing, sorry if I miss any*
Enjoy!! Thanks!!!
“Come on come on! Get this Allan! Get this shot!”
The camera’s lens peered through the dense bushes, focusing on the horrible scene presented before it. Three men stood over the mutilated body of a young male Asian elephant. One knelt by his head, hacking at his beautiful ivory tusks. The other two stood by their jeep, smoking and laughing.
“A**holes,” Allan murmured as he filmed. Jake motioned for him to be quiet as he held the leaves open and pushed Allan back. Allan adjusted the cameras gaze until Jakes face appeared.
“We good?” Jake asked, Allan nodded.
Jake nodded in return, and whispered delicately in a light British accent. “What we are seeing now is a group of poachers, destroying the carcass of a beautiful animal they’ve just killed. It is illegal for the animals here to be poached, but many men still participate in what they see as a sport. The tusks they are stealing from the elephant will fetch them about 700 dollars for every 2 pounds. They don’t care that the animal they’ve just killed is a severely threatened species. We need to stop this ruthless slaughtering before these majestic elephants become an animal our future children can only see in their dreams.” Jake paused while Allan zoomed in on the gruesome scene again, “make sure to get a good shot of each of their faces.” Jake said off camera.
“Okay, done.” Allan turned off the camera and rested it in his lap. “Good job little brother,” he breathed. “Now lets go.” The two men quietly made their way back to their jeep, careful not to disturbed any of the restless leaves or fallen twigs.
Jake jumped into the drivers seat while Allan placed the camera in the back and made his way around to ride shot gun. Before Jake could turn the key in the ignition four rough hands grabbed him and threw him out of the vehicle. He shouted in surprise as he hit the ground.
“Jake!” Allan yelled and ran around the jeep. “Son of a b****!” He body slammed one of the poachers who leaned over his brother. There was a short scuffle before Allan was lifted off the man and thrown backwards.
Allan and Jake tried to fight back as they were pushed violently to the ground. Their arms were pinned behind them as two of the poachers kneeled on their backs. The third poacher stood in front of them, gun in hand.
“No no no. Wait,” Allan said. “We were just filming the area, the land. We didn’t see anything.”
“Do you think we are stupid,” the poacher said in a heavy accent.
“Look, we have money. We can give you money.”
“How about I kill you and then take your money.”
Jake couldn’t speak, he just heaved dry breaths, choking on his own fear. He heard his brothers voice, but could not make out the words. What followed next made his heart stop.
“I am bored of you now.” The poacher said, and shot Allan in the head. Jake hid his face in the ground, muffling his scream. He looked up into the barrel of the gun, then lifted his eyes to the poachers gaze; cruel and empty .
Jake opened his mouth but still couldn’t speak. He’d soon come to find out the creature in the bushes didn’t need words to understand a merciless killing. Before the poacher’s finger pulled back the trigger he disappeared in a flash of black and orange.
Jake felt the pressure on his back disappear. Confused and desperate shouts were drowned out by a mighty roar. Jake crawled over to his brother. Blood covered his black hair and pale face. Jake ran his fingers down Allan’s face, closing his lifeless eyes.
Two shots exploded in the air, Jake snapped his head back to the commotion. The poacher who shot his brother lay lifeless on the ground, blood surrounding his body. Beside him, a large, 800 pound Siberian Tiger mauled a second poacher. Jake saw the third running back to their jeep.
“Lets finish this,” Jake whispered to his brother, and jumped up. Jake scrambled to his jeep and snatched the camera out of the back. He hurried to the far side of the jeep, and began filming the chaos before him. He spoke off camera, keeping its eye on the brutal scene. “The poachers we were just filming attacked us. They…they killed my brother,” Jake choked back sobs. “They were going to kill me too. But this tiger just came out of no where and attacked them before they could. I think it has killed one of the poachers, and the one under him now…it won‘t be long. The third has fled and left his…” Jake paused as he saw the third poacher approaching the cat from behind, a large machete in his hand.
Jake quickly set the camera on the hood of the jeep, and rushed around it. The tiger could not hear the man approaching because of its victims screams and its own deep snarls. The poacher raised the machete above the great cat. The tiger swung its head around just as the poacher swung down hard with the blade, and Jake’s body slammed him to the ground.
The poacher quickly regained his focus and glared down at Jake, who squirmed helplessly on top of his own leg. It was bent behind him, clearly broken as Jake screamed in pain. The poacher grabbed the machete that had fallen beside him. He raised it above Jake, but never had a chance to strike as the tiger snapped his neck with its massive jaws.
The poacher fell limp beside Jake, who tried to back away, but screamed as pain surged through his body. The tiger took a step forward and towered over Jake. Jake looked into the eyes of the beast he just saw kill three men, and trembled at the thought of what was coming next. Not realizing he had been holding his breath, Jake let out a throaty gasp. The tiger lowered its opened jaws towards Jake, who tried uselessly to retreat. The tiger stopped and looked deep into Jakes eyes.
Jake closed his eyes and shivered, sure his heart would give out any second now. Then, he felt coarse fur against his skin and opened his eyes. The tiger was nudging his face with its own, a deep purring escaped its throat. Jake reached up and grabbed a fistful of hair on the animals neck. It lowered its head on his shoulder and he wrapped his other arm around its thick neck.
The tiger raised its head, lifting Jake slightly off his leg. Jake let out a quiet growl in a halfhearted objection. The tiger backed up slowly, pulling James forward, completely off of his broken leg.
Jake pulled himself higher on the giant cats back, hanging halfway off as it dragged him towards the jeep. The tiger stopped next to the vehicles door less side. Jake grabbed the steering wheel and fought to pull himself onto the seat. The tiger used its head to help push him up.
Jake slammed his head against the seats headrest and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down. He opened his eyes and saw the camera sitting on the hood of the jeep. He leaned forward and reached around the windshield, but the camera sat too far out of his reach
“Damn,” he breathed and fell back against the seat. The tiger jumped up on the hood, the jeep undisturbed by the extra weight. The tiger took the camera gently in its mouth and jumped back off the jeep. He brought the camera to the passenger side and placed it on the seat beside Jack.
Jake stared at it, dumbfounded. The tiger stared at him curiously. Jake reached across the camera and stopped the recorder. Then he looked at the waiting tiger.
“Thank you,” he said, before starting the jeep. Jake thought he saw a slight nod from the tiger as it backed away, but disregarded it as a disoriented illusion. “Take care of him,” Jake said, then the jeep sped off. The tiger watched it for a moment, then looked over at Allan’s body.
2 responses

@LilyoftheThorns (12918)
• United States
20 May 08
Well I did have a line in the guys little speech thing that said they were in Asia. But when my sister read it she said that line wasn't necessary because I had said they killed an Asian elephant. I thought that I still might need that other line! Is it not clear enough with just the "asian elephant" reference?
1 person likes this
@LilyoftheThorns (12918)
• United States
20 May 08
They aren't in Africa O.o hehe. They're in Asia. Did I say they're in Africa somewhere in that?! Woops! If I did it's a mistake! =P lol
1 person likes this

@writersedge (22563)
• United States
19 May 08
Lets should be Let's as in Let us.
The scene before it could be scene before them. I like that better because it's more personal, but technically it is the scene before the camera.
Just goes to prove you should take your picture, have someone watching your back, and narrate later.
In a heavy accent is kind of vague. Any particular accent so that those of us who are auditory readers can do the accent in our heads like I was doing the British one for the camera crew? Or is it a strange thick accent? Could you phonetically write the words as some authors do without interfering with the understanding? Or just say that the words were clipped short or something? Most people who speak English with an accent shorten the vowels and have at least one sound that they can't pronouce, like French, most of the French speakers can't pronounce th for example.
Not sure why if the people killing the animals are the same culture they would be speaking English.
Like your action scenes. Your discriptions of what's going on visually get better and better all the time. Like the the tiger took the camera gently in its mouth etc. Take care and I hope Jake gets Allan's killer.

@LilyoftheThorns (12918)
• United States
19 May 08
Yeah I thought there might be a lot of grammar mistakes in it since I haven't checked yet! lol. Thanks for pointing it out.
So I would say the scene before them, referring to the guy and the camera-which kind of gives the camera a "personality." I like it =P Thanks!
Well my problem with the accent is, I wanted the poachers to be African American, but they are in Asia. So I wasn't sure if that would make sense, if readers would think i just made a mistake. So I orginally had it written down as an african accent, but took that off. You think that would go okay?
Yes the tiger got Allan's killer! =P hehe. Woot woot for the tiger!
Thank you writers! Glad you liked it, and I appreciate your suggestions!!
1 person likes this
@LilyoftheThorns (12918)
• United States
19 May 08
Yeah I want the poachers that kill only for the money. Not the men that try and support their families. I want the really mean, ruthless poachers. Money is the only thing that matters to them.
I actually changed it from "an african accent" to "a heavy accent." Both african and heavy would not be used to describe the accent =P hehe
Thanks again!



