9 Open Wide!

Chapter 9 OPEN WIDE! From the forest, they could see a clearing. Two Triceratopses were charging toward each other. The huge animals looked like enormous rhinoceroses. But these creatures were as long as classrooms, tall as ceilings, and wide as buses! They had beaks like parrots and short horns behind their beaks. Above their eyes were horns as long as a man's leg. Bony collars stood up behind their heads. KRAAAAACK! Their heads butted hard. The horns above their eyes locked together. Each Triceratops was trying

to drag the other one to the ground. "The males fight and the winners get a mate," said Winka in a low voice. "After a while, there'll be eggs that hatch into baby Triceratopses. "We'd better catch up with Beeper. He's probably gotten to the Quetzalcoatlus's nest by now." Judy rolled her eyes. "If Bozo-Boy hasn't gotten himself trampled by a Triceratops," she said. They trekked to the edge of a cliff bordered by craggy rocks. Between the rocks, Andrew spied the soles of a pair of sneakers. Beeper had hooked his feet between the rocks and was hanging upside down over the cliff! "Beeper!" yelled Andrew. He dove down and grabbed Beeper's right ankle. "Hoo boy!" came Beeper's voice from below. "Look at that! Four babies in the nest. There's an egg, too!"

"Beeper," said Winka sternly. "Those rocks could come loose. We'll pull you back up." She grabbed Beeper's left foot. "Just a minute," he said. "I'm taking a picture. Aw! Look at that one! It's flapping its wings!" Scrummmmp Suddenly the edge of the cliff started to crumble. Beeper was slipping down! His left shoe came off in Winka's hands, but Andrew still had hold of Beeper's ankle. Then Andrew was sliding, too! "Yowzers!" he cried as he flipped over the cliff. Still gripping Beeper's ankle, Andrew swung through the air. He found himself hanging from Beeper's ankle over the Quetzalcoatlus's nest!

"My T-shirt got caught on a branch!" yelled Beeper. "Uh-oh! My shirt is ripping. We're gonna fall!" "Andrew!" yelled Winka. "Let go of Beeper. If you both crash into the nest, it might break and

you could fall a long way. But the nest should be strong enough for just you." Andrew took a deep breath and let go. Gack! cackled the little Quetzalcoatluses as Andrew landed between them. Gack! Gack! The babies were the size of thin turkeys. Their bodies were covered with soft fuzz and their wings were covered with skin as thin as paper. Their long beaks were open. They looked hungry. "Good work, Andrew!" said Winka. "Judy is gathering some vines to use as a rope. Beeper's shirt could rip any second, so we'll get him first." Winka lowered the vines to Beeper. Judy helped to pull him up. "Now it's your turn, Andrew," said Winka. A shadow came over the nest. The mother Quetzalcoatlus was circling overhead! "Bit of a problem, Andrew," said Winka. "The mother is coming to feed the chicks. She could get quite nasty if she thinks we're bothering her nest. I'm afraid you'll have to stay there until she's finished."

"Um, what am I supposed to do while she's feeding the babies?" asked Andrew. "Well," said Winka. "The only safe thing to do is to act just like a chick. She might toss you out of the nest if she thinks you don't belong to her." The airplane-sized lizard glided close to the nest with her wings spread wide. Thump! The nest shook as she landed on the edge. A breeze ruffled Andrew's hair as the Quetzalcoatlus fluttered her enormous wings and folded them next to her body. Uh-oh, thought Andrew. What's that brown gunky stuff in her beak? The chicks crowded around their mother and opened their beaks wider. She crammed some of the lumpy brown gunk into each waiting beak. Then the Quetzalcoatlus shoved her long beak toward Andrew's mouth.