`` i do n't know , '' tavi said `` but , uh i think , uh i think i woke it up `` they looked at one another once more and , in silent accord , turned together and fled toward the ropes a few yards away , toward the safety at the top of the cliffs to either side of him , tavi saw the keepers flooding toward the fire through the trees , closing on them in a carpet of glowing eyes and knobby limbs and leathery shells tavi had reached the ropes and kitai was only a few paces behind when something dropped down from one of the crouch shrouded trees above them , something tall and slender and horribly fast whatever it was , it was n't a keeper , because it reached out with one long limb and wrapped hard-looking , chitmous fingers around kitai 's ankle , hauling her to the ground the girl let out a scream of sudden terror and twisted in that grip tavi only saw what happened in bits and pieces he remembered turning to see something that he thought was like some kind of hideous wasp , semitransparent wings fluttering in the glowing light of the crouch , it bent over kitai , weirdly humped shoulders flexing as its head whipped down , as mandibles sunk into her thigh kitai let out a horrible scream and struck down at the thing 's head with her fists , once , twice then her eyes rolled back in her head and her body started jerking and twisting in helpless spasm , limbs flailing she kept trying to scream , but the sound came out broken , irregular the wasp-thing , covered in the glowing slime of the croach , lifted its head and let out a signal-whistle that echoed around the chasm like the tones of some vast bell it shook blood from its mandibles , and tavi caught a flash of multifaceted eyes , of some kind of yellowish fluid at the edges of kitai 's wounds `` valleyboy ! ''