“Balls to all of this,” he said. The majority of his body was still in the full flow of the river, and he felt his grip slacken on the jutting rock. He quickly reached up with his free hand and grabbed another handhold. A desperate, hopeful grin split across his face, and he reached up, one hand after another, and pulled himself up the side of the bank to safety. That was when he felt the clawed foot clamp down on his left hand. He had just reached the top. He looked up desperately and saw the cockatrice staring down at him. There were scales missing from its body, and one of its eyes was closed. The creature stared at him, and he felt he could not move.