And as the sun
continued to set far in the west, turning sky to purple and clouds to
pink, she had all but given up hope when the downward spiral of her
thoughts was broken by the gentle tremor of wings overhead.
The sound seemed to come from above and behind her, moving with
deliberate slowness toward the nearer reaches of the sandstone ridge,
now painted a deep orange-red and pocked with growing shadows.
Straining her eyes in the failing light, she thought she saw a large,
multi-winged creature land gracefully atop a weathered crag that shot up
high above the rest. But in the distance and gathering darkness she
could not be sure.
'Kalus!' she whispered loudly. 'Come quick, there's
something out there.'
Startled but alert, the man-child rose instantly. Moving to join her at
the entrance, what he saw filled him with fierce pride. For there in
the distance, perched majestically in dark silhouette against a fading
sky, his eyes perceived the outline of the Mantis, undisputed monarch of
the Valley. Even at that distance he could read its features clearly:
the stately upper body, the foreclaws held so effortlessly, and the
smallish, triangular head, pivoting easily to scan the domain that was
his and his alone.
'The Mantis!' he exclaimed, trying hard to keep his voice down.
Pages:
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44