Free Rescue Princesses #3: The Moonlight Mystery by Paula Harrison Page A

Queen Shani. “Perhaps she had something important to do this morning, so she left the palace early.”
    Lulu scowled at Prince Olaf, who was offering the rolls to the queen politely, and wished more than anything that her friends, princesses Emily, Clarabel, and Jaminta, had come to visit instead. She knew they’d love Undala, with its huge grasslands filled with wild animals. She sighed wistfully, just as a horn honked loudly outside the window.
    “That’s Walter! He must be ready to leave,” she cried, racing out of the hall and down the front steps.
    “Slow down, Lulu! Do you have to rush everywhere?” the queen called after her.
    Lulu jumped into the truck, next to Walter, who smiled at her. “Let’s go!” she cried.
    They zoomed through the tall palace gates, with the red earth flying beneath their wheels.

Walter drove them across the rough grasslands, circling carefully around a herd of grazing elephants. “I suppose you want to see the lioness’s hollow again?” he said, pushing up the sleeves of his checkered shirt.
    “Yes, please!” Lulu’s dark eyes sparkled with delight. “Maybe today the cubs will come out to play.”
    Walter slowed the truck down in front of a patch of bushes before coming to a stop underneath a tall tree.
    “I’m going to check the animals at the water hole,” he told her. “Remember what I said about staying in the truck. It’s not safe for you to walk around on your own.”
    Lulu nodded. But as soon as he’d disappeared down the slope, she leapt up from her seat and out of the open-air truck as if waiting one more second would make her burst. She grabbed on to the lowest branch of the tree above her. Hauling herself up, she reached for the next branch and the next, climbing swiftly. At last she stood at the very top, able to see the beautiful kingdom of Undala spread out below her.
    Miles of tall golden grass rippled in the wind, and in the distance the black-and-white blur of a zebra herd moved slowly across the plain. But Lulu wasn’t interested in zebras. She’d seen them hundreds of times. Her eyes were fixed on a hollow in the sun-baked red earth. A bush right next to the hollow quivered, and a small paw stuck out.
    Lulu grinned in delight and crouched down on her branch, hanging on to the tree trunk with one hand. She’d been waiting for this moment for six long weeks, ever since the lioness had made the hollow into her den. Lulu knew all about the animals that roamed near her palace, and she knew that the cubs would be almost ready to come out for the very first time. She was so excited at the thought of actually seeing them!
    A low growl came from the hollow, and the lioness sprang into view. She padded out of the bush, sniffing the air in all directions. Satisfied that there was no danger near, she settled down on the dusty earth and gave another growl. Five little lion cubs skipped out of the hollow, bounding all around their mother. Their golden fur gleamed in the sun. The smallest cub struggled to climb up onto his mother’s back. He slipped off over and over again, but finally managed to scramble up and then fell right to sleep at the top.

    Lulu smiled as she watched them. Five cubs was a really good-sized litter, and they were so cute. She settled more comfortably on her branch, until footsteps below reminded her that she hadn’t come here alone. Walter was shading his eyes as he looked up into the tree.
    Lulu waved to him, clambered quickly back down, and dropped into the seat of the truck.
    Walter got into the driver’s seat and drove off jerkily. “I thought you were going to wait in the truck. It can be dangerous out here,” he said.
    “I know, I’m sorry, Walter,” said Lulu. “But don’t worry. I didn’t walk around, I just climbed right up the tree. And guess what?” She grinned at the ranger happily. “The lion cubs came out to play and there are five of them!”
    Walter grunted. “But you could have fallen out of the tree. What