was a horse.
“I have had enough of this,” Azil declared. “Tell us now what happened to him or I will rip it from your throat myself.”
Azil then tossed the staff he was wielding to Dugan. With his massive hands, he grabbed the trunk of the tree holding the stranger and began to climb. Azil was sturdy and muscular, capable of making quick work of any adversary who dared anger him. He had obviously been sufficiently provoked.
Surprisingly, Critias seemed less concerned with Azil than he was of the chimpanzee that had wandered from the group and appeared headed toward a large pile of leaves that stood out in the distance.
Meanwhile, the sounds of movement around them grew louder.
***
The chimpanzee navigated the trees and approached the pile of leaves that he had spotted cautiously. It was far from where they normally worked and did not appear natural in origin. Curious, he whipped his long arms about, quickly clearing the leaves.
It was then that he realized to his horror that the ravaged body of a mule had been concealed beneath. He was momentarily frozen by shock.
Almost instantly a wave of eerie sounds unlike anything the chimp had ever heard spilled forth from the forest. They seemed to come from all directions, a sort of high-pitched maniacal laughter that made the beast’s hair stand on edge.
***
Dugan and Azil glanced around frantically in response to the frightening sounds from the unseen creatures in the woods around them.
Critias smirked. “Ah!” he said, licking his lips. “Supper time!”
The strange man then revealed his morph when he transformed into a broad-chested brown bird with a sharp, pointed beak and long, bald neck. He was larger than most birds, although certainly scrawny for his kind.
It had been some time since they had actually seen a vulture, let alone one as ragged as the specimen peering down at them. Dugan realized at once that this was the bird the young girl had spotted a few days prior. She had been right.
Vultures were harmless on their own, although any carnivore was viewed as a threat to the people of Avryndale. The trouble was that he was clearly not alone.
The orangutans in the trees above them began to wail, emitting a loud shriek that forced Dugan to cover his ears and obviously spooked the vulture, sending it darting to a higher branch with a squawk.
Through the dimly lit thick trees they could now make out a number of shadowy, dog-like figures that seemed to be producing the horrific sounds that had overwhelmed them. They were yellowish-gray in color, with dark brown round markings covering their bodies.
“Hyenas!” Dugan yelled as he looked to the orangutans in the trees above him. “Esa! Pilus! Hurry, get help!”
The monkeys nodded to Dugan in understanding. Desper-ate, they began navigating through the trees as fast as they could, hoping to reach Avryndale before it was too late.
Eager to feed, the hyenas were running about in all directions. Although not known for hunting in the woods, they were much more organized than most scavengers and obviously had teamed with the vulture the group had stumbled upon. Dugan had not encountered this type of co-operation from the carnivores before and he knew that it was vital that they alert Avryn.
Azil gathered his thoughts and quickly morphed into a massive brown horse with a flowing black mane. Dugan leaped onto his back just as the hyenas descended upon them in a flock of gnashing teeth. Panicked, the horse looked about anxiously, trying to find an escape route through the trees. The unnatural sound of the hyenas grew even louder as their numbers continued to increase. Fighting them here was useless.
Dugan swung the long staff at the beasts as they approached, trying to fend them off as best he could. Azil lurched forward, nearly tossing his rider to the ground when a hyena sunk its teeth into one of his hind legs. He kicked frantically until the hungry creature released its grasp when its jaw snapped.
“I have had enough of this,” Azil declared. “Tell us now what happened to him or I will rip it from your throat myself.”
Azil then tossed the staff he was wielding to Dugan. With his massive hands, he grabbed the trunk of the tree holding the stranger and began to climb. Azil was sturdy and muscular, capable of making quick work of any adversary who dared anger him. He had obviously been sufficiently provoked.
Surprisingly, Critias seemed less concerned with Azil than he was of the chimpanzee that had wandered from the group and appeared headed toward a large pile of leaves that stood out in the distance.
Meanwhile, the sounds of movement around them grew louder.
***
The chimpanzee navigated the trees and approached the pile of leaves that he had spotted cautiously. It was far from where they normally worked and did not appear natural in origin. Curious, he whipped his long arms about, quickly clearing the leaves.
It was then that he realized to his horror that the ravaged body of a mule had been concealed beneath. He was momentarily frozen by shock.
Almost instantly a wave of eerie sounds unlike anything the chimp had ever heard spilled forth from the forest. They seemed to come from all directions, a sort of high-pitched maniacal laughter that made the beast’s hair stand on edge.
***
Dugan and Azil glanced around frantically in response to the frightening sounds from the unseen creatures in the woods around them.
Critias smirked. “Ah!” he said, licking his lips. “Supper time!”
The strange man then revealed his morph when he transformed into a broad-chested brown bird with a sharp, pointed beak and long, bald neck. He was larger than most birds, although certainly scrawny for his kind.
It had been some time since they had actually seen a vulture, let alone one as ragged as the specimen peering down at them. Dugan realized at once that this was the bird the young girl had spotted a few days prior. She had been right.
Vultures were harmless on their own, although any carnivore was viewed as a threat to the people of Avryndale. The trouble was that he was clearly not alone.
The orangutans in the trees above them began to wail, emitting a loud shriek that forced Dugan to cover his ears and obviously spooked the vulture, sending it darting to a higher branch with a squawk.
Through the dimly lit thick trees they could now make out a number of shadowy, dog-like figures that seemed to be producing the horrific sounds that had overwhelmed them. They were yellowish-gray in color, with dark brown round markings covering their bodies.
“Hyenas!” Dugan yelled as he looked to the orangutans in the trees above him. “Esa! Pilus! Hurry, get help!”
The monkeys nodded to Dugan in understanding. Desper-ate, they began navigating through the trees as fast as they could, hoping to reach Avryndale before it was too late.
Eager to feed, the hyenas were running about in all directions. Although not known for hunting in the woods, they were much more organized than most scavengers and obviously had teamed with the vulture the group had stumbled upon. Dugan had not encountered this type of co-operation from the carnivores before and he knew that it was vital that they alert Avryn.
Azil gathered his thoughts and quickly morphed into a massive brown horse with a flowing black mane. Dugan leaped onto his back just as the hyenas descended upon them in a flock of gnashing teeth. Panicked, the horse looked about anxiously, trying to find an escape route through the trees. The unnatural sound of the hyenas grew even louder as their numbers continued to increase. Fighting them here was useless.
Dugan swung the long staff at the beasts as they approached, trying to fend them off as best he could. Azil lurched forward, nearly tossing his rider to the ground when a hyena sunk its teeth into one of his hind legs. He kicked frantically until the hungry creature released its grasp when its jaw snapped.
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