7 Tamiko-raptor!

Chapter Seven TAMIKA-RAPTOR! The Stegosaurus herd thundered away, snorting and bellowing. Everything went very quiet. "I don't like this," said Cheng. He slid quickly down the tree. Tamiko's panicked breath was loud in her ears. The silence was unbearable. Where were the Allosauruses?

Cheng sniffed his arms sadly. "I wish we hadn't washed off the poo now," he muttered. "The Allosauruses will definitely smell us this time." Tamiko clenched her fists, and forced herself to think calmly. "We've got two problems," she said. "First, the mother Archaeopteryx will never come back if she knows the Allosauruses are nearby. And

second, if they find us they will definitely eat us!" More roars sounded through the trees. "And we haven't got long to solve them." "What about the cave?" Cheng said. "We could hide there."

Tamiko glanced over at the dark cave mouth. It did look tempting… But she shook her head. "If we go in there, the Allosauruses will have us trapped with no way out." Cheng's eyes gleamed. "I know! We can use the cave, but not to hide inside–we can use the echo! If we yell really loudly, maybe it'll scare the Allosauruses away." "You mean, roar at the dinosaurs?" Tamiko felt a stir of hope. "Like we're dinosaurs too?" Cheng grinned. "Exactly!" The baby Archaeopteryx squawked. Tamiko tickled the little dinosaur under its jaw. "I think it likes the idea," she said. "Let's try it!" The roars were even closer now. Tamiko stuffed handfuls of moss into a hollow in the

trunk of one of the conifers, and placed the little dinosaur inside. If their plan didn't work, at least the Archaeopteryx would be okay. It blinked at her. "Stay safe," said Tamiko. "Don't make any noise, OK?" The Archaeopteryx snuggled into the moss, folding its wings tightly around itself.

Tamiko and Cheng dashed into the cave. "Let's head for the back," said Cheng. "The echoes will be loudest there." Just as they crouched down in the shadows, the Allosauruses came crashing through the trees just outside the cave.