96
JUAN FRANCISCO BLANCO
When they had ridden about one thousand meters from their
last kill, they both looked back and saw a pack of hyena-like
creatures that the local villagers called Borza, howling and
running up to tear apart the carcasses of the downed
Gigantoraptors. As they stopped and watched, a second group of
animals circled the first ring of flesh devouring Borza. The fight
was on within seconds between the two rival packs of
scavengers. The spoils of the fight would be the abundant meat
on the Gigantoraptors that Bardala and Tital had slain. Watching
the horrendous battle, it was quickly apparent to the hunters
that the smaller Borza, while more agile, would not be allowed to
eat in peace by the newly arrived pack of larger animals.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. When those smaller Borza
are finally driven off their kill they will start following our trail,”
Tital told Bardala. “See that blood, still dripping off our big
drumstick?” No sooner had he said this, when his warning
became fact. First, it was one of the defeated smaller Borza that
smelled the fresh blood trail. With an upturned head, and a
spine chilling howl, it signaled to the rest of its pack. They set out
on a frantic run following the bloody path.
“Look over there. Let’s make for that group of rocks. At least
there we can fight them from only one side,” Bardala said, as she
pushed Belleza into a run. The immense granite rock formation
was about one kilometer ahead. It had a creek running out from
the center of it. As they approached, they could see a place
where they could defend themselves and protect their horses
from harm. It was a small box canyon with steep, sheer rock
sides. It had the advantage of having only one entrance point, so
the attacking Borza could not get around behind them. Bardala
dashed into the narrow mouth of the canyon, after she had sent