Page 1
Liling and Tengfei, two giant pandas, woke with a start! "Tengfei" means soaring high, and there was nothing this cub loved better than sleeping where he was, high in a tree. But today something strange was happening. The tree in which they were napping had begun to sway. The two puzzled pandas clung tightly. The gentle swinging motion gave way to a whipping back and forth as the ground trembled beneath them. An earthquake!
Page 2
As the shaking continued, the tree limb broke and fell. Liling and Tengfei came tumbling down. Surprised and frightened, Liling, the big mother panda, immediately checked on her cub. They had both landed on the ground among the leaves and branches but were not hurt.
Page 3
The earth shook again. The wall around the nature enclosure where they lived came crashing down just a few feet from them. The two frightened pandas ran off. Liling led the way. As they ran, the pandas could hear noise behind them- rocks knocking down trees, walls falling down, and people shouting. The two frightened pandas kept running.
Page 4
Liling ran down a winding, two-lane road. Tengfei had grown quickly, but he was still a young cub who always stayed close to his mother. He followed right behind her now. Sometimes, in his fright, he made a squealing noise much like a baby lamb. Liling suddenly left the road and turned into the woods...
Page 5
Little Tengfei didn't see his mother ahead of him on the roadway. In a panic, he stopped, squealed, and looked around. Where was she? Where had she gone? Tengfei was all alone, lost, and didn't know what was happening. What was shaking his world?
Page 6
Tengfei was frantic as he looked around. He stared deep into the woods. Suddenly he spotted the familiar black and white markings of his mother's fur. With a little cry of relief, he chased after her.
Page 7
Deeper and deeper into the forest, farther
and farther away from their home, the two pandas ran.
As Liling grew tired, she ran slower and slower.
Finally, she stood still. Tengfei was glad when she finally stopped.
His little legs ached. When he caught up, he stood close beside her.
Page 8
Walking slowly and breathing heavily, Liling led the way out
of the trees and to the edge of a small valley. The stand of
bamboo that once grew here had bloomed and died out.
Tengfei stared at this beautiful place. Bright purple and pink
blossoms spilled across the ground. Tengfei thought he would
like to play here.
Page 9
Suddenly the earth began to move again.
Liling found a safe spot for herself and Tengfei
in a shallow cave in the side of a huge rock.
Fallen tree limbs lay across the cave opening.
The two giant pandas huddled close to each
other in their secret, safe spot for hours until darkness fell.
Page 10
Tengfei was hungry when he woke the next morning. He
looked around. Where was his breakfast? Liling was hungry
too, and she was thirsty. She led the way through the woods
to a mountain stream. Liling and Tengfei took long drinks.
Liling poked at a plant bulb near the bank of the stream. She
bent and ate it. It was tasty, so she ate another and another.
Page 11
Tengfei watched. He had never seen anything like this
before. These were not bamboo shoots, but he was really
hungry. Finally he tried one of the bulbs. It wasn't so bad. He
ate several more. While they were eating, the earth beneath
their feet began moving again.
Page 12
All that day and the next Liling and Tengfei wandered in the forest. They drank water from the stream. They found a few more bulbs and ate them, but they were hungry and frightened. Liling tried to find their way home. They walked and walked. Liling and Tengfei sniffed the air. some of the smells were right, but nothing looked familiar. Then the two pandas heard shouts. Five men had spotted them and were running toward them.
Page 13
Liling stood still. Tengfei was frightened. The men walked closer and closer. Were these their old keepers from the reserve where they had lived? Liling turned and started to run away. Tengfei followed her.
Page 14
Tengfei felt a prick in his shoulder and Liling felt a sting in her back. Both pandas slowed and dropped to the ground. One of the keepers who had been out looking for them had shot each of them with a dart. The darts had medicine to put both giant pandas to sleep. The men carried the sleeping pandas from the edge of the forest back to what was left of their old home. They put them in a temporary holding pen they had built.
Page 15
When Liling and Tengfei woke up, they were together at their old reserve. The men brought them armloads of bamboo shoots. The hungry pandas were really happy to be home. They sat and stuffed themselves for hours. Liling and Tengfei had survived the days the earth shook.
