[color=7ea7d8][b]"If they're hunting us then our best bet is to ignore them.  They're not actively attacking us so they're more likely scavengers, assuming they intend us as nutrition at all."[/b][/color]  Julius eyed one of the strange creatures with interest, having never seen anything like them before.  They truly were very different to insects he knew of back on Earth and the interest they showed in the three humans was unusual; most insects barely recognised humans as life forms at all while these ones were paying close intention to creatures they may not have ever seen before.

[color=7ea7d8][b]"We should move on but calmly.  Scavengers will only attack when they sense weakness in their prey; if we exude strength and confidence then they'll most likely just leave us alone.  They're obviously at home in this desert so those mountains will be our best hope to lose them, whether they wish us harm or not."[/b][/color]

The long walk from the beach to the mountains was beginning to wear on him again.  The terrain was not the easiest to traverse, although relatively flat, with the sand making every step harder than it would normally be.  Even his treks in the mountainous Lake District back home in England had been easier than this; the ground gave decent purchase and there was plenty of water even though the terrain was much, much hillier.  Those were a couple of years ago and his recent exercise was largely short burst sporting events rather than long distance stamina trials.

[color=7ea7d8][b]"If worst comes to worst we could probably try eating these creatures.  Insects back home are full of protein, albeit very unappetising."[/b][/color]