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
