The Wild World of Buck Bray: The Missing Grizzly Cubs
willows and into the pond Splashing through the water her calf followed her to the far side When they stepped into the dense forest the huge creatures instantly disap peared from sight Buck where are you Dad’s voice came loudly through the trees I’m right here Buck called back hoping his voice didn’t sound as shaky as he felt Buck got up and rotated his arm and shoulder around Nothing was broken but both were sore and he could feel where big bruises were already developing Buck took several deep breaths and strode casually up the trail toward the small remote camp ground where the Green Beast was parked Dad was walking down the trail toward him I told you not to go wandering off on your own Dad scolded him It’s not safe to be by yourself in grizzly country I had no idea where you were I didn’t go very far But look what I saw Buck pulled the camera from his pocket and showed Dad the pictures He didn’t mention the encounter with the cow moose Dad looked at the camera Those are great shots but a t 4t
moose can be just as dangerous as a grizzly Especially a mother wanting to protect her calf She could have killed you Buck knew the moose could have easily stomped him to death He also knew if he told Dad about the moose’s charge Dad might have second thoughts about their venture x Six years before Buck’s mom had died in a car crash From then on Buck had lived in Indiana with his grandparents while his dad roamed the far corners of the world filming documentaries Having a famous dad sounded exciting to all his friends but to Buck it meant weeks and sometimes months without seeing his father So when Dad showed up after shooting the last episode of a series on Ancient Egypt Buck was ready with an idea The producers loved the proposal Dad told Buck They said having a kid as the star of a wilderness show was just what they were looking for They want the first t 5t
episode to be shot in Denali National Park Wow I can’t believe it I’m going to have my own TV show And I get to go to Alaska Maybe I’ll finally get to see a bear Dad was just as excited And you know what the best part is I don’t have to leave you behind I hated not being around you for months on end Me too Dad Buck said smiling up at his father Me too x Now Buck followed his father back to the strange dark green vehicle that was parked in the campground The front half of the Green Beast looked like the cab of a mili tary truck and the back looked like a mix between a tank and a school bus It had big heavy tires propane tanks on the back and solar panels on top The words BRAY TRAVEL ING FILM STUDIO had always been printed on the cab doors in big white lettering but before they left Indiana Dad had surprised Buck Above those words in fancy white t 6t
letters he had added the new show’s name THE WILD WORLD OF BUCK BRAY Buck stepped in through the back door and slid onto one of the benches at the kitchen table Inside the Green Beast was like an ordinary camper At the front Dad’s bed stretched from side to side The kitchen area was in the middle and the table’s two benches were the only places to sit In back were two narrow doors One closed off a tiny bathroom Through the other Buck could see pic tures of bears tacked to the walls beside his narrow bunk beds After breakfast we’ll head to Fairbanks to pick up Shoop and Tony at the airport Dad said He handed Buck a box of cereal and pulled a carton of milk from the refrigerator I know Shoop is your cameraman but who’s Tony Buck asked pouring milk on his cereal Shoop’s kid Dad answered Oh Buck replied but couldn’t hide the disappoint ment in his voice What’s the matter Dad asked t 7t
