Through the trees, Samantha saw the sun high in the sky. It must be about noon by now. Still they had found no sign of Prudence. She hoped the boys were having better luck. Though knowing David and the other boys, they would only make a half-hearted search before returning to the ruins of the village. None of them had ever liked Prudence as she had. To them Prudence had just been the quiet fat girl who made their clothes. They didn't understand beneath that flabby exterior was a wonderful person. A wonderful person Samantha had insulted and then abandoned for her own selfish pursuits.
She was still mired in these thoughts when she heard something heavy rustle the brush. "What was that?" Wendell asked. Samantha only had time to see the yellow eyes before the black shape lunged.
Her instincts took over, prompting her to roll to her right. The beast landed between her and Wendell; it looked no less dangerous than the one that had fallen from the cliff the day before. It looked from her to Wendell, sizing them up. Samantha knew it would go after the smaller prey, unless she drew its attention.
She felt around the ground until her hand uncovered a rock about the size of her palm. She threw the rock as hard as she could, hitting the beast in the flank. As expected, it whirled around on her, baring its teeth. She screamed to Wendell, "Run!"
He didn't need to be told again. As Wendell bolted deeper into the forest, Samantha felt around for another rock or a stick or anything that could be a weapon. She didn't find anything.
By removing the rock she had loosened some of the dirt around her. She swiped at this with her hand, kicking up some of the dirt into the beast's face. That gave her the distraction she needed to get to her feet and run in the opposite direction as Wendell.
She heard the beast crashing through the brush behind her. It wouldn't take long for it to catch up to her. She looked around for another tree branch that would be low enough to climb up. She didn't see any strong enough to support her weight.
If she knew where she was she could try to lure it over the cliff as she had with the other one, but she couldn't be sure where she was in relation to the beach. The sound of the beast came closer, its growl becoming louder as it sensed it was getting close to a meal. Samantha didn't have much time left.
Then she saw what she needed: a thick branch sheared from its mother tree by a bolt of lightning. Samantha's instincts took over again; she somersaulted over to the branch. She managed to grab the branch as she rolled past it.