"With a twist of her neck, Saphira tossed the snail into the air, opened her mouth as wide as it would go, and swallowed the creature whole, bobbing her head twice as she did, like a robin eating an earthworm. Lowering his gaze, Eragon saw four more giant snails farther down upon the rise. One of the creatures had retreated within its shell; the others were hurrying away upon their undulating, skirtlike bellies. "Over there!" shouted Eragon. Saphira leaped forward. Her entire body left the ground for a moment, and then she landed upon all fours and snapped up first one, then two, then three of the snails. She did not eat the last snail, the one hiding in its shell, but drew back her head and bathed it in a stream of blue and yellow flame that lit up the land for hundreds of feet in every direction. She maintained the flame for no more than a second or two; then she picked up the smoking, steaming snail between her jaws--as gently as a mother cat picking up a kitten--carried it over to Eragon, and dropped it at his feet. He eyed it with distrust, but it appeared well and truly dead. , said Saphira. He stared at her, then began to laugh--and he kept laughing until he was doubled over, resting his hands on his knees and heaving for breath. she asked, and sniffed the soot-blackened shell. asked Glaedr. He shook his head and continued to wheeze. At last he was able to say, "Because--" And then he shifted to speaking with his mind so that Glaedr would hear as well. And he began to giggle again, feeling very silly. He was laughing so hard, he found it impossible to continue, and he dropped to one knee while he gasped for air, tears of mirth streaming from his eyes. Saphira parted her jaws in a toothy approximation of a smile, and she made a soft choking sound in her throat. He could feel his merriment infecting her. She sniffed the shell again. "At least you ate," he said, both with his mind and his tongue. As his laughter subsided, Eragon poked at the snail with the tip of his boot. , said Saphira. , he agreed, feeling his mirth return. asked Glaedr. Together Eragon and Saphira replied, is , said Glaedr."