Danger to the World of Nature

Books created by students and teachers about environmental awareness.

Environmental Awareness

Toklo When Toklo got back to the tiger pack, he was greeted by a warm cheer. Toklo was confused at first. Then he remembered that he and Kallik brought Ujurak here to talk the poachers out. There were even a few flat-faces caring for the young here! The whole tiger pack seems happy now. A tiger told him that even some of the tigers that have been captured by the flat-faces were back now! And all of it was because of him, Ujurak and Kallik! Toklo was so happy now! He was promoted to a hunting tiger, and he even was the beta of the hunting group! Now everyone will listen to him!

Toklo Toklo suspected Ujurak was part of his family. He thought that Phoenix might even have been Ujurak’s mate. He saw the odd twinkle in Ujarak’s eye when he asked him the question. Ujurak had turned himself into a tiger. Finally, they were at the pack’s territory. Blood was splattered everywhere. They quickly ran to where the Pack Alpha was. She was lying in the biggest den, with multiple death pellets shot inside her. ‘Ujurak?’ She asked weakly.  ‘Yes, Phoenix. It is me.’ The flat-faces were talking in their language too fast for anyone to hear. Ujurak turned into a flat-face and walked in a steady pace towards them.  He was flinging his small furry paws everywhere and all the flat-faces were seemingly in an agitated conversation. Suddenly, Ujurak reached out his hand and touched the leader of the flat-faces. The leader fell back and a few of the flat-faces ran front and caught him. After a few moments, the leader woke up again. Now, he seemed wobbly and uneasy. The leader pointed his finger to the other flat-faces and pointed back at the tigers. The other flat-faces nodded and got a white bed with four sticks pointing from all four sides. They put Alpha and the bed and brought him on the LoudBeast. Then, all the other wounded tigers were also on the giant LoudBeast. Then, after what seemed like moons, the tigers finally came out. They were back at full health and had a lot of energy. Suddenly, one of the flat-faces rushed out and said something at the flat-face leader’s and Ujurak’s ear. Their eyes were continuously growing bigger, Ujurak nodded and turned into a tiger. He walked towards Toklo and Kallik and said, ‘We have to move. Another team of poachers are coming. We are going to get the Chinese government to ban poachers. That way, the other team will find it harder to catch you. There will be rangers to check on the animals. That way, we can be safer. I will grant you guys the power to shapeshift into flat-faces.’ With that being said, Ujurak touched Toklo and Kallik, and they both turned into flat-faces, and back into their own animal forms. ‘Woah!’ they said together. ‘This is so cool! I know everything about flat-faces now!’

Toklo Toklo didn’t understand why they couldn’t move somewhere else. The elders had lectured about the great tiger, Arcturus always watching over them and the great tiger Arcturus sending them signs and the great tiger Arcturus blessing them with this blissful tree. But Toklo had never believed the great stories the elders told. He only believed that if they didn’t move now, the flat faces will get them. The other tigers had never seen what happened to the other tigers which had gone missing. They never knew where the other pack of tigers went. Who would listen to a lowly patrol tiger? Why don’t they understand what the flat faces do?!

1. The melting ice 2. What should we do? 3. Land 4. Who would listen? 5. The strange animal 6. The attack 7. The shape-shifter 8. The Animal People 9. Ujurak's history 10. Back to the tiger pack 11. The meeting 12. The president's speech 13. Epilogue

Kallik Ujurak, Toklo and Kallik returned to the Animal village and an unexpected visitor was there. ‘Mother!’ Kallik exclaimed.  ‘My dear cub!’ Nisa said with a great pang of joy. Kallik had never been so happy to see her mother. ‘Where have you been?’ Kallik asked worriedly. ‘I wandered off when I went out hunting. I saw some flat-faces and I tried to run. They shot me with their death sticks and captured me. But at last, I managed to escape. ‘Hello Nisa.’ Ujurak said calmly. ‘It’s so good to see you. Are you okay? Do you have any wounds? Were you hurt by flat-faces?’ ‘So, I assume you’re Kallik's mother?’ Toklo said. ‘Yes, I am. Also,the wounds are nothing! They will heal eventually.’ Nisa said. She narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?’ ‘His name is Toklo! He’s my best friend!’ Kallik said excitedly.

Toklo ‘Are you hungry?’ Asked Toklo when they were walking back to the tiger pack’s territory.  ‘A little.' Kallik said. ‘Okay! I think my Pack Alpha would like to share!’ But when they got back to the pack, it was a disaster. Flat-faces were attacking tigers and blood was everywhere. Flat-faces used their loudsticks and shot multiple tigers down. BANG! BANG! BANG! Suddenly, Kallik shot forward and knocked multiple flat faces down. She pounded down two flat faces and scratched them furiously. That made the tigers come back to the present. The tigers pounced forward and grabbed for all the flat faces. Finally, the flat faces fell back and they were safe once more. ‘Who is this newcomer?’ Asked the Pack Alpha. ‘She is an Ice Bear. I found her by the shore and she is very hungry’ Said Toklo. A sudden hush fell over all the tigers. ‘Is she an Ice Bear?’ ‘She looks so small!’ ‘Legend has it that they have unpierceable skin!’ ‘Don’t forget the super-strength!’ ‘Okay then. We will give her food. She will also stay with us until the next moon circle,' said the Pack Alpha with kindness in her eyes. ‘You saved us. We owe you a debt.'

Kallik ‘It is time to go to land. The signs of Silaluk say so.' Nisa said.  ‘Already?!’ Asked Kallik. ‘Yes. Now,' said her mother ‘The ice caps are melting too fast. We will swim to land and in between, we will rest on ice.'  Kallik swam and swam and swam and finally, she found a piece of ice. She climbed onto it and felt like she wanted to sleep there forever. Nisa cuffed her cub lightly. ‘It’s okay little one. You can rest now.' They continued swimming for land and finally, they were there.  Kallik found how easy it was to sleep. She rested her sore legs on a patch of leaves and fell into darkness.

Toklo A few nights before, he saw some Flat-faces with yellow pelts wrapped around them. Toklo had remembered so clearly what the flat-faces did to Tough and Golden. They stole him and tested him with dirty water and poisoned food. Tough had been undoubtedly one of the strongest tigers, but even he had died from the experiment for so long. Golden had died the first few days without drinking or eating anything. Not to mention the trees. The trees had been their only cover when hunting, but the flat-faces had left the rainforest near to bold. The bold forest had left them no shelters and was easier for bears to hunt and eat. Toklo knew they had to move, but a lowly patrol tiger? Who would listen to him?

Kallik ‘What exactly did you do to the flat-face leader again?’ Toklo said. ‘I sent his soul to your body so he can see what you feel about the situation.’ Ujurak answered.  ‘So he knows all our deepest, darkest secrets?!’ ‘Only the secrets that are related to nature.’ ‘Never mind that, we are in the city now. Change to your flat-face forms.’ ‘Don’t poke everything or look at anything with curiosity. Just look straight at where we are going. We have to look normal.’ Finally, they were there. A gigantic building was rising from the horizon in front of them, and they went in. A random security guard came up to Ujurak and said, ‘Ah, Premier Ujurak, you’re back. Here are your Fast-Passes. I can see that you have brought some companions.’  ‘Hello, Ben. I came here to see the Chinese President. We have a really urgent manner. I want to talk to him about the environment.’ ‘Ok, sure. I will inform the Chinese President that you are coming. With that being said, he turned around and walked bristly towards a room with a line of people coiled around it.  Ujurak, Kallik and Toklo walked towards the same room which the security guard walked to. They waited outside for a while, then Ben the security guard came out. He told Ujurak that they could go in , then they went in. The Chinese government was sitting on a simple desk, with two chairs on both sides. Ujurak, Kallik and Toklo took a seat on the opposite side of the Chinese President’s seat.  ‘Hello Mr. Chinese President.’ Ujurak said ‘I came here to inform you about the environmental danger.’  ‘No, no no. Not now I……’ The Chinese President said. Without waiting for the Chinese President to finish, Ujurak reached out his hand and touched the Chinese President. The Chinese President fell back, and slumped on his chair. He woke up again, gasping for air. ‘Oh my God! The animals are in danger!’

Kallik Kallik and her mother crept across the ice, chasing for the seal. The weather was hotter than usual. It was getting harder to find food. She imagined her teeth, plunging into the rich flesh of her prey. The mist was doing her a favour now and the seal couldn’t smell or hear her. As she got closer to the seal, she felt the ice falling before her paws. Oh no. She thought worriedly. She and Nisa frantically ran to the nearest glacier, but there was none. All of the glaciers had either melted or tumbled fiercely into the sea. They were trapped. What was happening to our home? Oh, Silaluk, please save us

ETHAN YU is a 10-year old author of Quest of the Priceless Treasure, World of Nature and Aurora's Dragon. He currently lives with his parents and a cute little sister in Hong Kong. He is a Year 6 student at Renaissance College Hong Kong. He realised a lot about the severe problems the wild animals and the environment are facing during his exhibition project at school. Therefore, he started to write ‘Danger to the World of Nature’. He is determined to deliver a message to our humans. He hopes that humans would step into the wild animals’ shoes to feel their pains and loss and take action. To learn more about Ethan YU, email him at yul6@rchk.edu.hk

Kallik Kallik looked around the giant room. There was a flat-face sitting at the desk in front of her. There were metal dens around her and a flying banner on top of her. Flat faces were swarming around her. The flat-face looked in Kallik's direction and smiled. Then, the whole room got blurry. The flat faces were fewer now. Some of them went into one of those metal dens and came back out carrying a whole lot of food. Finally, the flat faces disappeared. Only the same flat-face was here. He was packing his stuff and leaving. Suddenly, he turned into a bear and everything got blurry again.  ‘Kallik! Kallik!’ Someone was shouting Kallik’s name but Kallik couldn’t make out who. Then, Kallik’s eyes focused again. Toklo was looking at her with urgent eyes. ‘One of the patrol tigers found out the flat-faces are coming back! We have to get ready! ‘Hey, Toklo. I just had the weirdest……’ Kallik started. ‘Not now! The tiger pack is in jeopardy!’ ‘It’s just……’ ‘Not now I said!’ Toklo growled. ‘JUST LISTEN TO ME,’ Kallik boomed. ‘I just had a dream of a bear who could shape-shift. I think he could help us.' ‘Really? How?’ Asked Toklo. ‘Just you wait,' said Kallik.  While one of the elders was fighting, he shouted, ‘Run away, kids! Find someone else to help us!’

Ujurak Ujurak, Kallik and Toklo watched as the president walked into the camera.  ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, Comrades, Civilians, We have one China, one Earth. Pollution has become one of the most concerning issues for our planet and mankind. Oil, coal and all other types of fossil fuels have been used for centuries to power our engines. What thoughts have we given to the animals affected by us? Look at the houses around you. Are any buildings wood-free? Think of where the wood comes from. Trees. Forests. Woods. Jungles. Cleared by humans. By us! But it’s time to change. To save our animals. To save our environment. To save our Earth. To save all mankind. TO SAVE OUR HOME!  From this day onward, we all have our own individual responsibilities in caring for the environment; not only preserving what we have now, but bringing back the past environment. We assure you, YOU, my citizens, we are running reforestation programs. We have already formed a team of animal and forest rangers, to protect our animals and forests. If any of you rangers are out there, listening to me, I encourage you to come and protect the forests for the country!

Ujurak Global temperatures in 2021 were 0.85 degrees celsius above the average baseline temperature. Climate change is the existential threat now. 8 of the top 10 warmest years on our planet happened in the last decade. It’s an unquestionable fact that we underestimate the urgency for bold action to safeguard the future of our country – and all of humanity. Our scientists pointed out that our Earth is changing and getting warmer. Our own activities have increased the harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which lead to a warmer planet. The planet is already seeing the effects of global warming: Arctic sea ice is melting at an unimaginable speed. The glaciers are disappearing. Sea levels are rising, wildfires are becoming more severe and frequent, and animal migration patterns are shifting. We are destroying wild animal’s homes. Eventually, vengeance will turn against us. What the animals are suffering now, we will bear the consequences, results and pain just like them.  What you, my citizens, can do is turn off lights when you can and switch your fossil fuel energy into alternative energy. We are encouraging oil plants to stop making oil into energy and giving them funds to turn their whole oil plant into an alternative energy plant. You could have vegan diets. Now, we are funding businesses and food retailers to produce more plant-based products to help you. To change your eating habits…’  Ujurak felt so proud of the president. Now, all the flat-faces were all discussing what they could do. It was time to go back to the Animal People.

Kallik Kallik woke up with a strange animal looking at her face. ‘Ahh!’ screamed Kallik. ‘Woah, Woah Woah! Calm down! I won’t hurt you!’ Said the strange animal. ‘What are you?’ asked Kallik. ‘Well, that’s insulting! My name is Toklo and I’m a tiger! One of the most ferocious animals here! What are you? I’ve never seen an animal like you! Also, did you swim all the way here? Where’s your parents?’ ‘ One day, when I woke up, I couldn’t find my mother. and I’m an Ice Bear. I swam all the way here. I’m from the place Where Spirits Dance’

Toklo ‘Where exactly are we going?’ Toklo asked.  ‘A flat-face town.' Kallik said.  An annoying raven was flying in the sky, cawing at them. ‘That’s exactly what you said just now,' Toklo wanted to ask more, but he thought that Kallik would say the same thing over and over again.  Finally, they were at the flat-face town.  ‘Wow!’ Kallik exclaimed, ‘All these Flat-faces have the spirit of an animal! Look at that flat-face! He has the spirit of a caribou, and that flat-face has the spirit of a bear!’ Suddenly, the flat-face that Kallik was pointing at turned into a bear. He walked in the direction of Toklo and Kallik. “ Greetings travellers. I am Tinnchu. This is the town of the Animal People. My people have always had the spirit of two animals. I can change from bear to human. The person you want to find is Ujurak. He can take the form of many animals.' ‘Woah!’ Toklo said. ‘How did he know all that?!' ‘No wonder the raven was circling us the whole time!’ Kallik said. ‘What!? There was a raven above our heads the whole time and you didn’t tell me?’ Toklo shouted. While the bear and tiger were following Tinnchu, they saw a few of those metal dens Kallik saw in her dreams. Some of the flat-faces emerged from the dens and exclaimed in awe. They stopped at the farthest end of the road. A single metal den was there. Then a young teenage boy came out of it.

Ujurak Ujurak tried to remember where he had seen that Ice Bear’s face. He remembered that when he was in the form of an Ice Bear, he had played with a friendly Ice Bear called Nisa. He had played wrestling with her, and had too much fun to realise he had changed the form to brown bear. He had entrusted her with the secret, telling her he was the son of Arcturus and Silaluk.  ‘Nisa?’ Ujurak asked. ‘You know my mother!? I lost my mother when she went out to hunt. My name is Kallik.’ Kallik sobbed. ‘You look just like her.’ Ujurak said.  Ujurak then turned his head toward Toklo. ‘I seem to know you. Help me remember.’ ‘Humph. I don’t answer orders from no one!’ Even though Toklo said he didn’t want to help, he seemed to be deep in thought. ‘Aha!’ Ujurak said. “Who is your Pack Alpha now?” ‘Phoenix.’ Toklo said flatly. ‘Then are you descended from her?’ ‘Yes. We all are.’ Toklo answered. ‘Not me.’ said Kallik, but no one cared about what she said. ‘Then have you ever wondered who she mated with?’  ‘No.’ Toklo said. Ujurak had an odd twinkle in his eye. ‘Well then, what have you come here for?’ Ujurak asked. ‘We came here because the Tiger Pack is being attacked by flat-faces.’ ‘Well then, Let’s go and save a tiger pack!’

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