266

The evening is full of the sound of the throaty Quoku call. You both put on a burst of speed, glancing over your shoulders at your pursuers. To your horror, you see that they are no longer on the ground! Instead, they are gliding up into the air, limbs thrust out to reveal large flaps of membrane that stretch from their forelegs to their back legs to form gigantic wings. ‘You didn’t tell me they could fly!’ you shout to Shan.

‘I didn’t know they even existed until an hour ago,’ he apologizes, wheezing, already short of breath. ‘We’ll never outrun them now.’

More Quoku are leaping from their towers of stone, pushing high into the air with their powerful back legs and then gliding in circles around their columns, drifting with the warm air currents. The first of the creatures climbs gently, rolls to one side and then pulls into a steep dive. The Quoku hurtles towards you with astonishing speed: a hawk in pursuit of its prey.

If you wish to try to evade the diving Quoku, turn to 330.

If you wish to stand and fight, turn to 231.