The next morning, the gang goes into the forest to find the thorn keepers. They find that the originals are gone, and they've been replaced by fakes. They're called "pseudo-regals" because they don't have the core of a real one. They also find out that the first keeper was a gazelle, and that the second keeper is a little girl named "the thorn keeper" . This is the first time the gang has heard of the original thorn keepers, and it's clear that they're not very happy about it. They leave, and the narrator asks the gang if they'd look foolish if they were to shoot their fangs. The narrator says that he's got fifty-five seconds to kill the guy, and he assumes that the guy has a plan.