Gun Shots

• Archie Polan, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2021

Crack! The sound shot into Ace’s ear as he sat bolt upright. As he slipped into his clothes he heard the sound again. A gunshot. Ace sprinted faster than he’s ever run before. There was only a splinter of sunlight from the horizon poking through one huge Marula tree. The soft grass swayed against Ace’s leg. After running for approximately two minutes, Ace reached the stables. He opened the gate and threw a saddle over the back of his horse.
As Ace set his black horse firefly from a trot into a slow gallop, he turned towards the gun shots. Ace wouldn’t dare go full speed with so little light. As he drew closer to the sound another gunshot shook him to the core. He had to do something. If an animal was killed by hunters in front of Ace, he would never forgive himself.
Ace began to go faster and faster. He had to get to the sound. But when he did, what he found was devastating. Lying ten meters from Ace was a dead, critically endangered Black Rhino, with two bullet wounds in the side of its body.
Tears started to streak Ace’s face as he watched in horror as one of two hunters turned their gun onto an injured baby Rhino. Jumping off his horse and scampering towards the hunters, Ace screeched while waving his arms around trying to distract the armed man. Ace lunged at the man trying to grab his arm but was easily shook off.
Ace was Enraged, he wouldn’t let another animal die in front of him. Getting up and charging like the rhino that was killed, he smashed forward into the hunter tackling him to the ground. The gun slipped out of the man’s hands as he fell head first onto the ground. With one Hunter out cold, Ace stood up and once again charged the second hunter. Sadly, this time the Hunter saw him coming and he raised his rifle and sliced it down into Ace’s neck almost knocking him out.
As the hunter rushed towards his unconscious friend, Ace opened his eyes feeling very disoriented. While watching the two criminals try to flee the scene of the crime, he heard it. Sirens. Two Rangers vehicles pulled up in front of the two fleeing criminals. The rangers started to assess the situation.
Once the hunters were retained, one of the rangers walked over to Ace and helped him up off the ground. Ace looked over at the baby rhino and knew that as long as there was a threat to wild animals, he would always be a wildlife hero.