Wild Thornberry Adventure: chapter 11

The eclipse ended and the elephants were rejoining as Bree and Sloan were on the ground. A couple of officers then came and took them to where they rightfully belong for trying endanger the elephant species. The couple tried to clear their names and convince it was a misunderstanding, but everyone knew that story was full of it. Cherry and Eliza's animal talking powers were rightfully given back to them, then the girls noticed the motorbike with Debbie and an African boy.

"Need a ride?" Debbie offered, then they were all riding back to the Thornberry campsite.

"Ew," the African boy pointed to Eliza and Cherry. "Brat sister and Geeky friend."

"I don't know where he got that." Debbie shrugged and smiled apologetically.

Cherry smiled and ruffled up Donnie's hair. Donnie chattered at her and licked her on the face like a dog.

"Donnie, you're so strange and adorable..." Cherry rubbed her face from the boy's slobber.

"Gabba goo?" Donnie handed Cherry a flower with a goofy smile.

"Aww... How can I say no to a face like that?" Cherry smiled and put the flower behind her ear.

"Debbie, stop!" Eliza alerted. "There's Darwin!"

"Well, I'll be." Cherry added as she followed Eliza with Donnie and Tally.

"Now, I know you think I talk too much, so from now on I'm gonna sit back and quietly observe and..." Darwin spoke.

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen." Eliza chuckled, hugging the chimp.

"Eliza?" Darwin was shocked. "Did you just talk to me?"

"We got our powers back." Cherry explained.

"Mom! Dad!" Eliza cried as she broke out of the hug.

Cherry's eyes went wide and she adjusted her glasses. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Thornberry..."

"That's us," Marianne smiled, then frowned. "Who are you and where did you come from?"

"Mom, this is my friend from boarding school, her name's Cherry." Eliza put an arm around Cherry.

"Boarding school?" Nigel gasped. "She shouldn't be here!"

"It's okay, sir..." Cherry said, shakily around Nigel. She didn't know why but when she was around him she felt warm all the sudden and her face turned bright pink whenever he spoke to her. "W-We're not in a lot of trouble..."

"Mrs. Fairgood and Sarah Wellington have told me you both would be here." Eliza's grandmother told Cherry.

"Of course..." Cherry adjusted her glasses anxiously and smiled nervously around everyone.

Debbie went to say goodbye to the African boy as Cherry, Darwin and the Thornberry family walked around together with the elephants. Eliza and Cherry were telling everyone about their adventure they had when they should've been in boarding school. Cherry didn't say much, mostly since it was a reunion for the Thornberrys and her family was nowhere to be seen.

"Pretty amazing, huh Dad?" Eliza smiled as she watched the elephants go back home. "The legend was right."

"It was indeed, poppet," Nigel smiled at his daughter. "But I still wonder why they gather during an eclipse?"

"Maybe the elephants feel safe, Mr. Thornberry?" Cherry suggested as she sat beside him, hugging her knees.

"Safe?" Nigel turned to her.

Cherry shrugged.

"Maybe it's because it's the one day everything changes," Eliza thought. "The little moon blocks the powerful sun, so maybe... Maybe they have reason to hope..."

"You're both brilliant," Nigel smiled and pulled both girls in with his arms. "Maybe these intelligent creatures believe that standing by together as they have done for centuries, they may, live without fear of man's greed."

An elephant came by before leaving with the others and trumpeted at Cherry and Eliza, then went off to her family. Before hand though, she came over to Cherry and Eliza and gave Eliza back her locket.

"I don't know of course, but I swear she's thanking you two." Nigel smiled at the girls.

"I thinks so too, Dad." Eliza smiled, looking up at her father.

"I wouldn't be surprised, sir..." Cherry smiled bashfully at him.


Nigel then left to reunite with the rest of his family. Cherry and Eliza then took that moment to reunite Tally with his family.

"Tally, do you see her anywhere?" Eliza asked.

"This is where we always played." Tally replied.

"We'll find her, don't worry." Cherry told the cub. She then looked all around and looked in a far off distant field was a mother cheetah with some of her other cubs.

"Ma!" Tally cried.

"Tally?" the mother asked with a relieving smile. "Tally!"

"Ma, I'm back!" Tally sped over to his mother and they had a warm reunion of mother and child.

"Oh my baby, I thought we lost you." Tally's mother nuzzled noses with him.

"Akela, I should've listened to you," Eliza said apologetically. "I'm so sorry."

"I know you are," Akela smiled at the red-headed girl. "Tally's home now and safe. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Eliza smiled. She then noticed Cherry and pulled her arm gently and showed her to the mother cheetah. "Akela, before I go, I want you to meet one of my new best friends from school, Cherry."

"Hello." Cherry waved, nervously, being around a carnivore.

"Don't worry, child, I see you're also fluent in animal." Akela smiled.

"Yes ma'am," Cherry nodded. "I'd love to stay and chat but we'd better get back to your parents, Eliza."

"Good idea." Eliza smiled at her, then turned to the cheetahs. "I'm sorry Akela."

"It's alright, Eliza." Akela smiled back.

"One last goodbye hug?" Eliza offered, thus the cubs attacking her playfully and cuddled around her.

Cherry giggled, but then let out a scream as the cubs pounced on her and licked her all around. Cherry still laughed, but was very ticklish. "Down, cheetah cubs! Sit! Heel! Stay!" Cherry laughed, then got back up as she and Eliza were called back to the camp.

"Eliza! Cherry! Cut the cheetah chatter and let's go!" Debbie roared.

"Oh, got to go." Eliza smiled and pet one of the cubs after helping Cherry on her feet.

"Bye Eliza." the cubs sounded sad. "Bye Cherry."

"I'll miss you guys," Eliza walked with Cherry. "See you next time."

"I'm just glad those guys weren't hungry before we met them." Cherry walked with Eliza and they caught up with Debbie as she walked and read one of her teenage magazines.

"I don't know how I'm going to keep this secret of yours." Debbie remarked.

"You're gonna have to." Cherry told her.

"She's right," Eliza added. "I kind of agreed to a condition when I got my powers back."

"Uh-huh." Debbie said.

"You or Cherry can never tell my secret, because if you do, you guys will turn into baboons." Eliza snickered.

"WHAT!?" both Cherry and Debbie shrieked as Nigel was filming another episode of his show with Marianne.

"A baboon!?" Debbie shrieked.

"Calm down." Cherry tried to settle the older girl.

"I am not gonna spend the rest of my life with a big, purple butt!"

"Debbie!" Cherry cracked.


Donnie was bouncing all around and jumped on everyone's back to pull up their pants over an uncomfortable angle. He chased Cherry all around and pounced on her, finally catching up and putting her underwear over her head. Eventually after that little episode, Cherry's parents were contacted and Cherry was on her way home.

"Maybe boarding school was a little much for Cherry." Naomi thought as she drove Cherry back home to America and she slept in the back of the car.

"Probably," Chester agreed. "She's a sensitive little one, she's sophisticated, but maybe public school is just step one in her manual of life."

"We can always try again when she's a little more older."

"That's true."

"At least she made a new friend, even if that friend is from the blood of Nigel Thornberry." Naomi looked back then hushed her husband gently. "Let's wake her when we're back home and she can go back to her normal life. Who knows what she's been through lately?"

                                         The End