all?â
âAll?â said Iggy. âDonât you see? All this smoke and ash, it comes from down there, in the mountainâs belly. Any time now it could erupt!â
âHow do you mean?â
âErupt! Explode!â said Iggy, waving his hands. âAnd if it does, the fire will overflow. Itâll sweep down and reach the valley!â
âCrumbs,â said Hammerhead.
âWeâll be wiped out!â said Iggy. âAll of us. Burned to a frazzle!â
âNot if we stay in our caves.â
âIt wonât make any difference. You canât run or hide â not from this.â
âThen what can us do?â
âLeave,â replied Iggy. âWhile thereâs still time. Weâve got to get away from here.â
Hammerhead nodded sadly. Iggy was probably right though none of this was going to be easy to explain. Rivers of fire, bellies and eruptings â it might be better to say theyâd chatted to the Ancestors who had suggested they all take a short holiday.
At the foot of the slope Hubba and Umily were waiting for them anxiously. Theyâd heard the mountain rumble and had feared the worst. Iggy explained what heâd seen inside the crater and the terrible danger they were all in. They hurried back towards the Valley of Urk, knowing there was no time to lose.
As they came over the hill, Umily stopped in her tracks.
âLook! Whatâs that?â She pointed to the valley below.
âThe river. Itâs that green thing,â answered Hubba.
âNo, not that, that !â Umily was pointing to the bend in the river upstream. Iggy caught sight of a line of dark figures moving swiftly along the bank under the trees. They were heading towards the crossing point further down.
âHunting party?â suggested Hammerhead.
Iggy shook his head. Urks didnât hunt in such large numbers and in any case these men didnât look like their tribe. They were bigger and uglier, moving as if they were in a hurry.
âTheyâre not Urks,â he said. âTheyâre Nonecks.â
Chapter 7
The Wrath of Krakkk
C rouched among the trees by the river, Borg made sure he kept out of sight. No one seemed to have spotted their approach. Up the hill he could see a few Urks moving around outside the caves. The only noise disturbing the peace was the occasional low rumble from the mountains. Borg thought this was a little strange â heâd never known the mountains to have bellyache before. Still, he had far more important things to consider. He had waited a long time to be rid of Hammerhead and now, with Krakkkâs help, he would finally become Chief. It was lucky that the Noneck was as dim as a dung beetle or he might have decided to claim the valley for himself.
âLet me and Snark go ahead,â said Borg. âI donât want it to look like we come together.â
Krakkk frowned. âWhy not want?â
âThey mustnât know I has anything to do with this. Remember what we agreed?â
Krakkk nodded impatiently. âThe boy and the fat one are mine.â
âHammerhead. You canât miss him â heâs hairy as a grizzler,â said Borg. âRemember, once they surrender, you and me pretend to quarrel.â
âQuirrel?â said Krakkk.
âQuarrel. Fight.â
âAh, fight,â said Krakkk with a smile. âI keel you good.â
âNo! No killing,â said Borg. âWe been over this a hundred times. We argue â then you leave. Run away.â
Krakkk scowled. âYou think Krakkk is scaredy-clot?â
âThatâs what we agreed, for Urkâs sake! You get Hammerhead, I become Chief. Then you take what you want and go. Got it?â
Krakkk grunted. He didnât like the way this ugly Urk talked to him, as if he was seven kinds of stupid. But there would be time for him later. First he would crush his enemies and have his revenge.
Up the