The Mystery of Ireta_ Dinosaur Planet & Dinosaur Planet Survivors - Anne McCaffrey [15]
“Necks may be powerful but the brains aren’t,” said Kai. “And their reaction time is double slow.” The beasts were looking back toward the direction from which Kai had first approached them. Several had not even registered the aliens’ appearance at all but continued to strip trees as they passed. “Gigantic herbivores, foraging even as they move. They must account for half a forest a day.”
One of the long-necked creatures neatly bit off the crown of a cycad and continued its slumbering progress with huge fronds dripping from its not too capacious mouth. A smaller member of the herd obligingly took up one trailing frond and munched on that.
“Heading toward the water?” Kai asked, impressed as well as appalled by the dimensions of the animals. He heard the tagger spit.
“There does seem to be a well-traveled lane through the vegetation. I tagged most of them.” Gaber patted the muzzle of the tag gun.
Kai tilted the sled so he could observe the beasts. Ahead, and down a long incline, lay the shimmering waters of one of Berru’s lakes. Kai took the transparency of the probe print and laid it over the replica of the scale map which Gaber had been patiently drawing from the data of Kai’s teams.
“We should have the precipice on our right, Gaber. Adjust your face mask to distance vision and see if you can spot it.”
Gaber peered steadily across the distance. “Cloudy, but you ought to change course by about five degrees.”
They flew over terrain that gradually became more and more swamplike until water replaced land entirely. At this point a definite shoreline appeared, rising first into small cliffs of well-weathered gray stone which gave way to sheer cliffs rising several hundred meters in an ancient transform fault. Kai ascended and the passage of the sled alarmed cliff dwellers into flight, bringing an exclamation of surprised delight from Gaber.
“Why, they’re golden! And furred!”
Kai, remembering the vicious heads of the scavengers, veered hastily from their flight path.
“They’re following us,” noted Gaber, unperturbed.
Kai glanced over his shoulder. As far as he knew, scavengers attacked only the dying or dead. Judiciously he applied more airspeed. The sled could easily outdistance them.
“They’re still following us.”
Kai shot a glance over his shoulder. No question of it, the golden avians were following but maintaining a discreet distance, and different levels. Even as Kai watched, the fliers changed positions, as if each wanted to see various aspects of the intruder. Again Kai loaded on more speed. So did the fliers, without apparently expending much effort.
“I wonder how fast they do fly?”
“Are they dangerous, do you suppose?” asked Gaber.
“Possibly, but I’d say that this sled is too big for them to attack, singly or with the numbers they have behind us now. I must bring Varian to see them. And tell the Ryxi.”
“Why ever tell them? They couldn’t fly in this heavy atmosphere.”
“No, but Vrl asked me about Ireta’s aerial life. I’d hate to tell him there were only scavengers.”
“Oh, yes, quite. I agree. Merciful gods, look below to your left.”
They were well over the water now, stained red by the mineral content of the rocks which bordered it and its watershed. Clearly visible was the plant-strewn bottom which shelved off slightly into murky brownness and considerable depth, according to Kai’s instrumentation. From out of that depth a great body torpedoed, responding to a shadow cast by the sled. Kai had a startled impression of a blunt head, gray-blue shining skin, and too many rows of sharp yellow-white teeth, needle sharp. He heard Gaber’s startled cry of horror. Instinctively he slammed on the emergency drive. And corrected hurriedly as they sped uncomfortably close to the curving cliffs.
Looking back, Kai saw only the rippling circles of the monster’s exit and entry on the surface, circles converging together over the twenty-five meters of its jump. He gulped