Nova Peak must gnaw

Before Bazi could figure out what had happened, Swift was gone. She had become so accustomed to sloth-like movement that the very idea of catching anything faster than drugged snake seemed impossible - but it seemed she would have to re-learn that skill, and fast.

She exited to find the escapee attacking the landscape, but Scimitar had the situation under control. He issued a warning, detaching the boy from his prize. Bazi smiled triumphantly at him - it was not often that she 'won' against her children any more. "They never do anything I tell them," she complained, eyeing Swift's darkening dorsal ridge. It was becoming clear that the thing wasn't temporary, and the sight of it made her feel a little queasy. "Why don't you put him inside and invite him out. He needs exercise, otherwise I'll have to deal with that later."