Arlo and the boy were walking along the river when they heard a strange voice call to them from behind the trees. “Hello.”
Arlo looked around, timidly. “Hello?”
“We’ve been watching you,” the voice said.
Arlo walked toward the voice and saw a collection of creatures perched on the branches of a tree. They were all staring directly at Arlo.
“We thought you were going to die,” the voice said.
Arlo still couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. He searched the animals in the branches, trying to figure it out.
“But then you didn’t,” the voice said.
Finally, two eyes appeared, revealing a Styracosaurus with big branch-like horns. Small creatures of all sorts perched on the outstretched horns. The dinosaur took a step forward, abandoning the camouflage created by the woods.
His name was Forrest Woodbush and the animals sitting in his horns were his collection.
“That creature protected you,” Forrest said. “Why?”
“I-I don’t know. I’m going home,” Arlo said. “Do you know how far Clawtooth Mountain is?”
The red bird sitting in Forrest’s horn chirped and he responded. “Good idea...” He said, turning back to Arlo. “We want him.”
“W-why?” Arlo asked.
“WHY? Cause it’s terrifying out here. He can protect me, like my friends.” Forrest introduced all the creatures to Arlo, explaining how each one helped to keep him safe in the wilderness. The red bird, whose name was Debbie, chirped again and Forrest nodded. He said firmly to Arlo, “We need him.”
“W-wait,” Arlo said. “He—he’s with me.”
“If he’s with you, what is his name?”
“His name? I-I don’t know,” Arlo answered.
“Hmmm... then I will meditate on this.” Forrest calmly closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened one and quickly blurted, “I name him. I keep him.”
Forrest continued to hum, closing his eyes and shouting out names as they came to him. “Mmm... Killer!”
All eyes darted toward the boy. He gave no response.
“Mmm... Beast!”
The boy still didn’t answer.
“Mmm... Murderer!”
Arlo was all of a sudden nervous. He started throwing names out, too. He had no idea what he was doing. But Arlo couldn’t lose him again.
“Uh... Grubby!” Arlo said, trying to get the boy’s attention.
The boy sniffed around in the dirt, ignoring them.
Arlo and Forrest continued to blurt out names, but nothing seemed to stick.
“Violet!”
“Spike!”
“Lunatic!”
Finally, Arlo cried out, “Spot!”
The boy stopped, turned, and looked up. A big smile grew across Arlo’s face. “C-come here, Spot! Come here!”
The boy happily trotted over to Arlo and Forrest sighed. “He is named. You clearly are connected... Good for you. On your path to Clawtooth Mountain, that creature will keep you safe. Don’t ever lose him.”
Then the red bird began to chirp loudly and angrily. “No. No...no! You—you can’t have him Debbie!” Forrest scolded the bird. She took off and flew at Arlo, chirping wildly, scaring him. Spot jumped at her, growling. Then the two ran as the bird continued to follow.
“Debbie!” They heard Forrest call. “Stop! You’re better than this!”
Arlo and Spot hid behind a boulder to escape. As Debbie flew by with Forrest chasing behind her, the two unlikely friends looked at each other and laughed.
阿樂和小男孩正沿河走著,突然聽到樹林后面?zhèn)鱽硪坏榔婀值穆曇簦骸澳銈兒??!?
阿樂環(huán)顧四周,怯生生地問:“是誰?”
“我們已經(jīng)觀察你們很久了?!边@個(gè)聲音說道。
阿樂循聲走去,看到一群棲息在樹干上的動(dòng)物,他們的眼睛直勾勾地盯著阿樂。
“我們原以為你會(huì)死?!边@個(gè)聲音說道。
阿樂仍然分辨不出這個(gè)聲音來自哪里,他探查起樹干上的動(dòng)物,想找出答案。
“但是,后來你沒死。”這個(gè)聲音又說道。
終于,阿樂看到一雙眼睛,才發(fā)現(xiàn)這是一只戟龍。他頭上長滿了像樹枝一樣的大角,各種小動(dòng)物都棲息在他向外突出的角上。這只戟龍向前走了一步,不再用樹木打掩護(hù)。
他的名字叫福里斯特·伍德布什,坐在他角上的動(dòng)物是他的部下。
“那個(gè)小東西保護(hù)了你,”福里斯特說,“他為什么救你呢?”
“我,我不知道。我要回家了,”阿樂說,“你知道這里離爪牙山有多遠(yuǎn)嗎?”
坐在福里斯特角上的紅鳥唧唧叫了幾聲,福里斯特回答:“好主意……”他回過身,面向阿樂說:“把他交給我們?!?
“為……為什么???”阿樂問。
“為什么?因?yàn)檫@外面危險(xiǎn)重重,他能像我的那些朋友一樣保護(hù)我?!备@锼固叵虬芬灰唤榻B他的部下,解釋了每一只動(dòng)物如何在荒野里保護(hù)他的安全。名叫黛比的那只紅鳥又唧唧叫了叫,福里斯特點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭,然后堅(jiān)定地對阿樂說:“我們需要他?!?
“等……等等,”阿樂說,“他跟我是一起的?!?
“如果他跟你是一起的,他叫什么名字呢?”
“他的名字?我……我不知道?!卑坊卮鸬?。
“嗯……那我得好好想想這件事了?!备@锼固仄届o地閉目沉思了一會(huì)兒,然后睜開一只眼,脫口而出道:“我給他起了名字,他就歸我了。”
福里斯特繼續(xù)哼哼。他閉著眼睛,一想到名字就喊出來:“嗯……殺手!”
所有的眼睛齊刷刷看向小男孩,但他毫無反應(yīng)。
“嗯……猛獸!”
小男孩仍不作聲。
“嗯……兇手!”
阿樂突然緊張起來,也開始起名字了。他不知道自己在做什么,只知道他不能再失去小男孩了。
“額……矮子!”阿樂說著,設(shè)法引起小男孩的注意。
小男孩嗅了嗅周圍的泥土,沒理他們。
阿樂和福里斯特繼續(xù)說出了一些名字,但看似都沒能沾邊。
“小羞羞!”
“釘釘!”
“小瘋子!”
最后,阿樂喊出:“小不點(diǎn)!”
小男孩停下來,轉(zhuǎn)過身,抬頭看著他。一抹大大的微笑出現(xiàn)在了阿樂臉上?!斑^……過來,小不點(diǎn)!到這兒來!”
小男孩高興地小跑到阿樂面前,福里斯特嘆氣道:“他有名字了。很明顯你們兩個(gè)很投緣……好樣的。在你回爪牙山的路上,這個(gè)小家伙會(huì)保護(hù)你的安全,永遠(yuǎn)不要把他弄丟了。”
紅鳥又開始憤怒地大聲唧唧叫著:“不,不,不!你……你不能要他了,黛比!”福里斯特責(zé)罵了這只鳥。鳥飛向阿樂,瘋狂地唧唧叫著,想要嚇唬他。小不點(diǎn)跳向她,大吼。然后,他倆跑起來,紅鳥在后面一直追。
“黛比!”他們聽到福里斯特在叫她,“停!你不該這樣!”
阿樂和小不點(diǎn)躲到一塊巨石后面,想要逃跑,黛比直接飛了過去,福里斯特還在后面追著她。兩個(gè)不可能成為朋友的朋友互相看著對方,笑了。
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