"Nah. I still don't really know where there is to go besides what I've already seen, and I do know that I'd rather see something new."

"We can just wander, then, I am sure we'll find lots to see out here."

"Sounds grand to me!"

And so the next day finds them wandering along a riverbank listening intently for dinosaurs.

Once again it is all but inevitable that Tyelcormo will find them first. Once again this does not deter Ahyadacil.

North of us but turn around, instead, quietly -

...She turns around quietly.

Not good dinosaurs for observation. Let's head out- sorry, should've heard them sooner -

Okay. What are they?

Deinonychus, couple of them - he sends a mental image -

Yeah, not the best observation subjects. She attempts to cooperate with leaving quietly.

This turns out to be difficult!

I think they noticed us.

Yes, they did, I am pretty sure we should continue quietly leaving - at minimum you should -

Okay. She gamely attempts this.

Actually, Ahya, climb a tree -

Is there enough time--

How slow are you at climbing trees - it comes out irritated but he's really mostly panicked -

Shit.

She really doesn't want to be a sitting duck halfway up a tree and they're almost there--

She does something really stupid and tries to tackle the legs out from under one.

That is really really stupid and what the hell now they have even fewer choices - and uglier ones - the one that she didn't tackle is as astonished as he is, turning around to see why the prey jumped straight at it - he can't even tell if she's been clawed open yet - 

- he hammers the other one with the pommel of his knife, cutting it open won't help, and it snarls and turns and he does that again, base of the neck, twice more, and it shrieks at him in annoyance and bewilderment and claws him out of the way - he dodges - 

He's far too distracted to be cursing her for as many kinds of fool as she is right now--there's a hot, bright score down her side, ow, idiot, idiot, idiot--but she's actually got one arm pinning the legs together now and those cursed claws away from her--

The first one decides to go for more familiar-smelling prey that doesn't keep yelling confusingly in its head, and he draws his bow and shoots the second and now is not too distracted to gasp - you idiot, Mandos would've wondered if you even wanted to be alive -

Yeah, I figured out I was an idiot about half a second after it was too late not to be one, she says, rolling away from the corpse and probing at her injury.

He rips her shirt off to get a closer look - he's trembling more than she is - my fault, sorry,, should've anticipated - should've given you more warning - Eru - you idiot - Eru - 

It's not even a bad scratch. 

Deep breath. 

"Uh," he says. "Don't - I mean, I've done stupider -"

A dozen things flit through her mind and are discarded--too flippant, too self-centered, too nosy--and she settles on, "Are you okay? It's--bad enough I got this one killed--"