CHAPTER 22A look of alarm crossed Nash’s face as he stared beyond Mara and Ping who stood at the edge of the path in front of him as he finished the last of his cookie. “A wild creature is coming this way. I think it’s stalking us,” Nash said.
Mara spun around, adrenaline shooting through her veins, before her gaze settled on the rotund plated pig-thing that snorted at her as it approached. Exhaling loudly, Mara sagged a bit and said, “That’s just Ginger. She’s harmless.”
They’d lost track of her along the trail as she had explored the dense foliage of the swamp.
“What is she?” Nash asked.
“She’s a chobodon,” Sam said. “Come and meet her. She likes to be scratched behind the plate on her head.”
The boys jogged over to meet the creature, and Mara checked her watch, realizing their brea
