Kung fu Kangaroo!

Sensing his friend was in danger, Joey stepped out. In two giant leaps he was beside the car. He stood up to his full height and before the men knew what was happening he landed a knockout blow straight on one man’s chin!

Joey, the young kangaroo, was excited. He was old enough now to run with the mob (his group of kangaroos).

He no longer had to go along for the ride in his mother’s pouch. Across the vast outback, the kangaroo mob leapt in search of greener pastures, led by their leader known as ‘the old man’.

It was the dry season — the earth was cracked and parched with not a single blade of grass. Mile after mile of wasteland flew past and then at last they spied a green patch. As they drew closer, they saw some sheep grazing; their fleece glowing golden in the setting sun. 

Suddenly, a sheep dog, protecting his flock, lunged at the mob, barking and baring his teeth; sending the kangaroos helter-skelter. Sensing Joey’s fear, he picked on him, singling him out and chasing him.

Terrified, Joey fled for his life. He soon outran the dog but found that in his panic he’d got separated from his group.  Frightened of the dog, Joey decided against going back the way he had come.

Alone, tired and hungry, he hopped on till he came to a rocky hill. Scaling it, he scanned the horizon but found no sign of the mob.   Wait a minute!  What was that he spied at the bottom of the slope? It definitely looked like inviting green grass.

Gingerly, Joey made his way there — treading quietly, for fear of more dogs.  He leapt over a white picket fence and began munching on the grass surrounding a large house. Strange noises were coming from the open window.   Curious, Joey stood on his hind legs and saw a little boy watching two men boxing on TV. He had seen ‘the old man’ fight other kangaroos in a similar way.

The boy spotted him. Joey turned to run. “Wait!  Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” cried the boy. “What are you doing here?” he asked Joey, offering him some lettuce. “We could be friends. I’m lonely out here and have no friends my age.

My name is Robert Junior but folks call me Bob,” the little boy prattled away. When Joey heard the lowing of cattle and pounding of hooves, he thought it prudent to move on and disappeared into a wooded area nearby.

Joey used to frequently visit Bob’s ranch when the coast was clear, that is when the stockmen had taken the cattle out to graze. One day when he popped by to say hi to Bob, he heard a car approaching and leapt behind some trees.  Two men stepped out of the car and went into the house. They came out within minutes, hauling Bob, kicking and squealing, towards their car.

Sensing his friend was in danger, Joey stepped out from behind his tree cover. In two giant leaps he was beside the car.  He stood up tall, to his full height on his hind legs, and before the men knew what was happening he landed a knockout blow straight on one man’s chin. The man hit his head hard against the car and was out like a light.

Changing tactics, Joey let fly a kick with his powerful back leg and followed it up with another knockout punch, flooring the second thug. He then proceeded to thump him on the head with his tail.  Both kidnappers lay flat out on the ground.

Bob flung his arms around Joey and hugged him tight. “Thanks mate,” he said and dashed indoors to phone the police. Joey thought it best to vanish from the scene.
When the policemen arrived, they asked Bob who had knocked the crooks out. They could scarcely believe that it was the handiwork of a kangaroo!

The newspaper headlines the next day ran, ‘Kung fu kangaroo knocks out kidnappers. An attempt to kidnap Senator Robert Downey’s son was foiled by a kickboxing kangaroo’. Joey became a local hero.

Bob asked his dad if ‘Kung Fu’, as they now called Joey, could stay on their ranch. The senator agreed as he felt he couldn’t find a better bodyguard for his son. Bob had finally found a friend and Joey AKA (Also Known As) Kung Fu found a new home, where he was free to come and go as he pleased.