Not far outside the valley, Screech and Thud ran along the path they had taken to find the valley entrance, returning to where they had left Red Claw. As they sprinted down a narrow canyon, they spotted the big sharptooth heading in their direction. He had obviously followed their trail to meet them halfway.
“Red Claw! We have the glider!” Screech shouted triumphantly.
Red Claw grinned toothily. “Excellent!” he roared. “I can already taste that flyer’s flesh!”
Screech was grinning as well. “And I’m ready to taste this one’s,” he chuckled eagerly, digging his claws slightly into Pangaea.
Red Claw’s face turned stone serious. “Not yet!” he growled. “The glider is useless to us dead!”
“I wan’t going to kill him!” Screech protested. He looked down at his captive with a murderous glint in his eye. “My plan was to wound him…repeatedly…for as long as possible…”
Red Claw brought his head down to Screech’s level, snarling. “Don’t. Hurt. The glider.”
“Fine, fine,” Screech grumbled, rolling his eyes. “But only until you’ve caught your flyer.”
Red Claw grunted in approval, then turned to Thud. “Now, Thud, I have a job for you.”
“Another one?!” Thud complained. “But we justó”
Red Claw demonstrated that he didn’t need sighted eyes to deliver a death glare.
“…Will do, boss,” Thud said meekly.
“Good,” Red Claw said. “I need you to round up others of your kind. Tell them a large reward is in store for them if they cooperate.”
“What reward?” Thud asked.
“If I know the leafeaters, they will send a herd to retrieve the glider,” Red Claw said. “Too many for the three of us to fight. If I am to get my jaws on that flyer, I will need to keep the rest of the group occupied. Those other fast biters will be the distraction. Once I have the flyer, they are free to whatever meat they have killed.”
“Oh, I get it,” Thud said, understanding.
“Now get a move on!” Red Claw said. “They need to be in position before the leafeaters arrive!”
Thud nodded, and without wasting another second, turned, and rushed off.
--------------------------------------------------
The party arrived at the base of the hills that sloped upward to meet the Great Wall.
“Here,” Guido said. “This is where I saw them grab Pangaea.”
Mr. Threehorn looked up the hill. “Where’s the nearest path out of the valley?” he asked.
Rebecca flew up high to look for the nearest opening in the Great Wall. She quickly spotted it, and returned to the ground.
“It’s a narrow pass,” she reported. “The one the farwalking spiketails use when they come here every cold time.”
“I knew that,” Mr. Threehorn muttered.
“Chomper,” Rebecca said, “use that sniffer of yours to find the fast biters’ trail. See if it leads to that pass.”
“All right,” Mr. Threehorn said, “we’re going uphill! Single file, everyone!”
Permitting Guido to ride on top of his head, Mr. Threehorn led the way up the steep slope.
