Hyde was still pumped up with excitement from yesterday's triumphs. He stood boldly out in the open, waving his pike, ready to take on the caterpillars of the world. "Be careful, Hyde," scolded Figan from a nearby thicket. "We must surprise them or..." Figan's little speech was cut short by the sounds of gruff voices and heavy machinery. Hyde dove for cover beneath the thicket and landed with a thump beside Figan. In the distance, they heard Mr. Oxmoor's deep voice. "Cecil, you ready to start that caterpillar yet?" Cecil's answer went unheard in Hyde's confusion. "What Cecil doing here? Cecil supposed to be dead!"

Almost immediately the boom of a huge engine filled the air. The sullen clank of heavy machinery assaulted their ears. It was slowly moving their way. Closer and closer it came, making horrible rumbling and grinding noises. Louder and louder and LOUDER! Then, they saw it. A massive yellow machine ground ponderously forward on heavy treads. Its huge blade was gouging out a rough path through the woods. Everything in its way was ripped up - - flowers, bushes, saplings, small trees. On its front were emblazoned the letters CASE CATERPILLAR. Riding high up on top of the machine was Cecil, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The caterpillar was heading right for their hiding place.

Hyde looked at Figan with astonishment. "What kind of caterpillar is this?" he demanded harshly. Outraged Hyde leapt from the thicket, ripping a pike from his quiver. He hurled it at the advancing caterpillar with all his might. With a sharp ping, the pike bounced off the caterpillar's blade. Hyde hurled another pike directly at Cecil, but this also fell short, and spun off the blade into a pricker bush. The caterpillar loomed high above Hyde as he threw his third pike. This zipped past Cecil's head, almost grazing his ear. As the huge caterpillar bore down on Hyde, he dove sideways into a patch of orange day lilies. In the roar of the caterpillar, Cecil never heard the pikes strike the blade. He never even realized Hyde was there.

Figan managed to backpedal out of the thicket only a moment before the caterpillar tore it up by the roots. The killing blade just missed Figan's head by inches as the caterpillar lumbered on. It continued to greedily devour everything in its path. It rumbled slowly forward on heavy treads towards yesterday's battleground where only stumps remained to mark the passing of once noble trees.

Hyde glared after the voracious caterpillar. "Humans are not to be trusted. They even lie about caterpillars!"
Hyde's complaints were cut short by the sound of an argument.