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

would the king and queen say?”
    “I’d never fall out!” said Lulu, laughing. “It’s a really easy tree to climb, and it was worth it to see the little cubs. Thanks for letting me come with you.”
    Walter grunted again and looked at her from under his bushy eyebrows. “You didn’t just come along to avoid that prince, then?”
    Lulu looked at him solemnly. “It was all about seeing the lion cubs, I promise you.”
    Walter snorted with laughter and swung the truck around. As the royal ranger, he looked after a vast area of grasslands and the animals that lived there. Lulu knew that he liked her company on the long drives. But he was also right that she was glad to get away from Prince Olaf.
    Later on, she would write and tell the other princesses all about the cubs. Together, the four girls had made a secret promise always to help any creature in trouble and had already performed two daring animal rescues. Lulu missed her friends a lot and she knew they’d love to hear about the baby lions. She wished they could see the cubs for themselves.
    “We’re driving around to the other side of the water hole next,” said Walter. “I need to check the number of hippos living there. After that we’ll take a look at how far the bison herd has moved.”

    They spent a long day driving around checking the numbers of animals in the area and making sure that they all looked healthy. As the sun dipped in the sky, they headed back toward the palace for dinner.
    “Could we please take one more look at the lion cubs?” begged Lulu. “Just for a minute.”
    “All right,” said Walter. “It’s on our way.”
    They stopped underneath the tree near the lioness’s den. The orange sun was setting now, and the bushes next to the hollow were completely still.
    Walter took out his binoculars and peered through them. “That’s strange,” he said. “There’s no sign of them at all.”
    Lulu took the binoculars and took a look. “I’ll climb the tree again. I can see the whole den from the top.” She swung quickly up the tree, but even from there she saw no sign of the lioness or the cubs.
    Frowning, Walter climbed out of the truck and walked toward the bushes. He peered over them for a few moments. Then, shaking his head, he returned to Lulu. “It looks like they’re gone,” he said.
    “Gone?” repeated Lulu. “You mean they’ve moved to another den?”
    “Maybe. But …” His frown deepened. “There have been far fewer animals around here lately. There aren’t as many zebras or leopards as there should be. I haven’t seen them leave. It’s almost as if they just disappeared.”
    “Why would they disappear?” she asked, but Walter shook his head again.
    Lulu felt a cold dread grow inside her. Surely nothing bad had happened to the cubs? Surely the lioness would have protected her babies from danger?
    Just then there was a faint cry, almost like a cat meowing, and a scrabbling noise came from behind a rock. Lulu’s heart thumped. What could be hiding there? Was it an animal in trouble?

Forgetting all about the danger, Lulu jumped out of the truck and raced over to the rock. Hiding behind it was one little lion cub. He looked at her and gave a mournful yowl. Lulu thought he had the most beautiful brown eyes she’d ever seen.
    “You poor little thing!” she said to the cub. “Are you all alone?”
    The cub meowed and lifted up one paw.
    Lulu turned to Walter with a determined look in her eye. “We have to take him back with us,” she said firmly. “He’s too young to take care of himself.” She picked up the tiny cub and stroked him soothingly.
    Walter raised one bushy eyebrow. “If you take him, he’ll be your responsibility until we find his family. Do you really want to feed him and look after him?”
    “Of course!” cried Lulu.
    “Where will you put him?”
    “He can sleep with me in my bedroom — that way I can look after him carefully.”
    Walter sighed and gave in.
    They wrapped the lion