[P] like waves against the shore

[Jane]

jane

The sand was dark and alien under the moon. Hardison had made the executive decision to walk for the past three days with basically no water and their last stop had been a small encampment of horses at the entrance of the desert. Hardison had reluctantly hunkered with the herd of stragglers, most of them thin weary travellers, until she recognised one of them to be a foalmate. Jane had felt like a child again, when her mother had recognised an old fellow and stopped for conversation. 


She was glad for Hardison. The older mare was not exactly easy company, especially with the annoyance brought on by every one of Jane’s actions, but she kept Jane safe. The longer they walked, the more Jane realised that this was not a journey she could take alone.


She also realised how far away she was from her family. In fact, it was highly likely that they’d moved in the migratory patterns of her herd. And she knew nothing of it, would know nothing of it for years yet to come. Her mother and father now existed in nothing but shadowy rumours.


This was exile, Jane realised. She had thought her crime was small. It was no serious romance, a simple flirtation. But, as her mother had said, a dalliance can be deadlier than treason. She was sent away for her own good, but Jane knew that this was truly a punishment. Not even a warning, just the immediate amputation of everything loved and known. 


Well, the punishment was done and so was the damage. Out in the desert, sand and moonlight seemed to burn against her skin. In the night her markings glowed like roads or her amber skin. She was a living, moving snake among the islands of the night. The only thing to show Hardison’s presence was the sound of steps in front of Jane and the occasional burst of sand against her forelegs. Jane was used to being in the shadow of Hardison’s steps by now, and no longer complained.


“Are you sure you know where we’re going? I know you know the coast, but we’re very far away from that now.” Jane wasn’t sure if Hardison heard her or not. Out here in the empty dark, the voice quickly got swept away by space and time, dying a sad and lonely death on the sand dunes. “You said this is Mors Desert?” Sometimes she spoke just to hear her own voice. “Does anyone live out here?”


“Nothing but sand snakes and foxes for miles,” Jane heard her say. “But to answer your question, yes. I know this path well.”


But, as luck would happen, the weather turned during the night and sent clouds of sand. The dunes moved and shifted, and Jane felt her anxiety turn to fear even though Hardison seemed certain. It wasn’t as though she would say if anything was wrong. Hardison navigated by the stars, but clouds in the sky made it near impossible. 


And the Sandwyrm gets you! A voice from Jane’s childhood caught her unawares and from that time never let her alone. She began to see it everywhere, especially with the desperate thirst that drove her actions. In the haze the curves of dunes became scales. She felt the ground writhe beneath her. 


“Hardison-”


“I know where we’re going, child.” Hardison turned. “Look, child, I have been raised with the idea of duty. If it helps, know this- this has been my job for the past five years and it will be my job for five more. I have crossed deserts, seas, prairies, and I would not put you in danger. You are my duty, and I will honour that which has been bestowed on me.”


Jane leaned back, rankling a little. It was never pleasant for ‘child’ to be one’s nickname, but it was also the fact that Hardison seemed to really be putting her life on the line. But if you die, what’s left for me? Jane wondered. Then she shook it away.


The sun rose higher in the sky and Jane felt her skin burning. Her fur was hot every time it brushed sweating hide. They kept their movements slow to avoid sweating more than necessary, losing water.


Jane was losing certainty. Another day passed without sight of firm land or grass. Even Hardison was starting to waver. The outline of her body blurred with the world around her, became hazy. She looked like a mirage.


“Sandwyrms-”


“I haven’t seen a sandwyrm while I’ve lived. That won’t change.”


Jane glanced around. The sun started to set, the guiding star reared her head. 


A sand dune move, not like a sand dune was supposed to move. Jane had been out here long enough to know how things worked, and the dune reared and ducked like a wave off the coast. “Hardison-” Her body moved and she did so in time for a creature to burst from the sand. It had aimed for her neck, but she wouldn’t think about this yet, for the reptile’s teeth lodged hard into her hindquarters; resulting in a terrified scream. “Hardison!” 


Hardison was already turning and ripping the creature with her teeth. Blood spurted over the sand as Hardison crushed her hooves into the snake- was it a snake?- crushing its head into mush. Jane whimpered, gasping as she tried to take in what had happened. It was a sandwyrm- it had to be- its back ridged in spines. It was smaller than she imagined, but by no means tiny. It was about the length of her own body if straight. 


“Hardison, are you okay?”


Regret and anger flared in Hardison’s eyes. She switched between analysing the creature and analysing the wound that now lay on Jane’s hindquarters, four red puncture wounds. They weren’t venomous. “I’m fine, let’s keep going.” She turned and took a few steps before a creature came sailing through the sand and crashing its entire body into Hardison’s. Everything became a blur to Jane- a blur of gold and black and bright cherry red- she had loved cherries as a child, hadn’t she?- Jane screamed Hardison’s name and no response came from the mare that was fighting for her life. Jane saw flailing legs, stomping hooves, but no ground was gained as Hardison staggered for any footing at all. A single moment of focus as Hardison’s gaze landed square on Jane’s own. “RUN!”


Jane turned in any direction, felt nothing, felt just the burning of her dehydrated muscles as they carried her away from anywhere, from anything. She felt blurring and burning and sand-yes, sand- tearing at her eyes, the wound not even painful for the amount of adrenaline that rushed through her body. No breath entered or left her body for what seemed like eternity, just small gasps that made the pain worse. She galloped for a lifetime. She galloped as her guide died on the empty sands; blood and guts and bones crushed by some- thing. 

@[Gallileo] @[Somer] / speaks / notes

[Galileo]

G A L I L E O

---

Galileo was feeling lucky. Lucky to have been reunited with Luvena, lucky to have been blessed with meeting Willoughby, and lucky to be alive. It hadn't been often, recently, that he'd felt this way. And so he revelled in it, a new spring in his step as he moved across his homelands. It finally felt like things were coming together for the stallion, that once again, just maybe, he had the chance to be happy. How long it would last, however, was doubtful. 

With the Mors Desert spread endlessly out in front of him, he stood atop a golden dune, taking in the breeze. The wind rushed around him and tangled his chocolate-coloured mane, but he paid it no heed. These days, he greeted it like an old friend, and allowed it to almost lift him off his feet when it was at full force. Even at night, the cold that nipped at his legs and flank did not bother him; the sands of the desert remained surprisingly warm, even as the sun went down. Regardless, he had the protection of the canyon, too. 

There had been some learning involved in these new lands, and he had been only happy to bow to nature's wily tricks. Sand vipers, scorpions and the likes, offered a task to those who traversed through them, and Galileo had learnt to avoid them if he could. In general, he had a rather just reason to stay away from anything that crawled.

Closing his eyes, he embraced the dark swell of the evening, and only opened them to gaze upwards as the sky herself bore her daily labour of lights. Every faint dot made him wonder if there were others who looked up tonight, at the same stars he followed.

It is only in that moment of uninterrupted bliss that something captures his attention; someone was in his mind, inciting him to "look! Look! Look!"

"Ohhh..." he lets out an audible noise as his mouth dropped open, shock taking over his body. Some distance ahead (but still too close for comfort), a Sandwyrm tussled with its prey. Instinctively stepping backwards, Galileo regarded it with fascination and fear.

At first, he had thought it to be one of the gazelles he'd seen racing around the place, but as he looked more closely, he was surprised -- and disheartened -- to see that it was too large to be a lithe gazelle.

With a quick turn, his focus turns to something on his right -- something running away. Another horse? He considered, before his gaze settled on the fleeing creature and his thoughts were confirmed.

If there had been one thing he'd learnt living in these lands, it was that the Sandwyrms relied on the beating of hooves on the sand to track their prey. This horse was doing exactly what the Sandwyrm wanted.

Without a second thought, Galileo launched into a gallop, tossing his head aggressively backwards as he called out. "Stop!"

Muscles rippling like the sands of the desert, he found himself catching up to the smaller mare quite easily, but she was still running at full pace, clearly frightened, as he tried to call out to her to slow down. He dared not turn round and see if the Sandwyrm had had enough of the other horse it had caught and was now after them both.

Stamina had never been his strong suit, and so if she didn't stop soon, he would have to leave her to the will of the wyrm. Instead, he cried out once again, hoping the winds were in his favour. "You need to stop! It'll track you, otherwise!" And if that happens, he thought, we're both gonners.

@Somer @Jane