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"They walked on two legs but they have feet like a wolfbear?" Alpen asked as he stirred the breakfast fire. Fallon nodded. He turned to Bebe sitting next to him. "You're the historian. Any record of these creatures?" Bebe shook her head as she undulated the makeshift papoose she had made for Darden and Bella. Alpen reached inside and wiggled a finger, then drew it out with a sharp wince. "Damn those teeth. We need to get some meat into these little ones. They're growing so fast. I don't want to turn back. Any thoughts?"

"What lies to the west, between us and the ocean?" Drindl asked. They all looked to Bebe.

"I don't have my maps, but I believe it is dense forest," Bebe said.

"I went with my father to the land of the Cawthingi," Fallon said. "I liked it. Nice trees and the ocean nearby."

"No, this forest is more dense than that," Bebe said. "We might struggle to find a path through. Swollen streams, muddy gullies. Might be slow going."

"If there are more of these creatures, we might be safer," Alpen said. "I feel exposed here. We've got to get some meat for the young ones. There's probably game in the forest."

Fallon turned to Alithea. "You think we can move the babes this quickly?"

"I'm not happy about it," she replied. "We'll have to keep them out of the sun. We need to bring water and make sure it's boiled. How far do you think, Bebe?"

"The shoreline has been getting closer as we go south. You've all smelled it at times," Bebe said, then turned to Fallon. "How far could you see west? Did you see green?"

"The ground rises up, then some low cliffs," Fallon said. "Couldn't see." He looked to Drindl who shook his head in confirmation.

Bebe shrugged. "A day or two maybe? We'll have to stop for the babes."

"I vote to pack up this morning and head west," Alpen said as he raised his hand.

"We get a vote?" Drindl asked. He had been too young to vote on any decision before.

"On this we should vote," Alpen said.

"Maybe Fallon and I could explore the area first and we could see the forest in the distance," Drindl suggested.

"And if something happened to us?" Fallon asked. "The little ones. We have to stick together." He raised his hand and looked to Alithea who followed suit. Drindl and Bebe both raised their hands. No one was comfortable with this choice.

"Ok, let's get some water boiling," Alpen said.