Sha Umkeams Kesi

<font color='#000080'>Rhazz rubbed his eye with his front left paw, and exhaled air lightly in annoyance. He had found that skull buried in the sand. Under his tent, which was pinned down and red, he looked at the skull with glazing eyes. The piece seemed to have a crystal piece that was blue stuck in the forehead. It shined at the candle fire which was only recently lit. Rhazz waited very impatiently for the one's who were promised to come. He ran around the tent for hours.
'Damn, when are those two coming?' he asked himself. He finnaly took a seat and exhaled deeply once more.

'They better show up' he thought, as he shut his eyes. The next day appeared, and still no sign of the two so called 'hirelings.'

The day passed by, Ramath-Lehi's sun finnaly settled again in the sky to heat up the desert once more. The diggers continued their work, as many continued conversations about the two hirelings which were supposed to arrive last night.

'I knew they would chicken out.' said one of Rhazz's diggers. They seemed to have found nothing all day yesterday from digging five hours straight. There seemed to be a giant crater in the middle of the desert section.

'No, I bet they are just laughing at this matter and going to more serious affairs.' said the other digger, and he dug his claws into the sand and ripped the dust backwards into the pile of dirt which he had dug out of the ground.

'Well, I would think that they would have lost their directions. I don't think such men would "chicken out"' said Rhazz, as he came out of the tent to answer the questions he heard from evesdropping.

'What's a chicken?' said a digger.</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>::Jaton walked heavily upon the sand, leaving deep footprints as he made his way towards the campsite, he watched for enemies or those whom he did not know, he could see the campsite getting closer every step he took, he had determination in his eyes to make it there fast as possible, he could see Rhazz just a few hundred feet away, he spread his wings to their full extent, their blackness creating a very large shade upon the warm sand, he raised his head to the sun and roared, slowlying lowering his head staring at Rhazz::

the fun has arrived!

::Jaton smiled as he always had to have the big enterence, he walked over to Rhazz and extended his hand::

Jaton here </font>

 

<font color='#000080'>'I started to doubt your arrival.' said Rhazz perfectly calm as he started into Jaton's eyes. He tucked his wings in, and took out the call to the diggers.

'Take a rest, eat lunch, do something.' yelled out Rhazz, as the diggers jumped away into the feasting tent, which seemed to be errupted with life in an instant.

'So, you have come, and with such a grand entrance!' said Rhazz, as a smile crept onto the side of his mouth, showing the tip of his sharp tooth on the right of his face.

'So, we will get ready. I will explain our situation once the other hirelings arrive. Take a rest, and enjoy yourselves at our many tents.' explained Rhazz, as he bowed his head to excuse himself to return back to his private tent, for he felt like examining the skull once more.
OOC: nice Vocabulary Jackal!</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>ooc: was the nice vocab comment about my little words or saying it sounds good ~evil glare~ lol

bic:

::Jaton watched as Rhazz got closer, he shook his hand and smiled to him, slowly folding his wings hard against his back, he smiled and took a seat at the dining table, watching all those around him with unfamiliar eyes, he was thrilled to be there, but what layed in store for him and the others being waited for was unknown, he was still anxious as ever to meet new people::

thank you for the kind welcome, its appreciated muchly </font>

 

<font color='#000080'>Later on in the day, when the sun's eyes grew tired, and slowly descended to it's slumber, Rhazz stood outside in the desert, under a minor storm, where the sand hovered from the surface, revealing the motion of the miniature twister.

Some diggers were bored and dug with a pal to get a chance to find something. Rhazz's head kept twitching over them when the digger's voices would raise over the unknown conversation they were having.

'Hey what's this?' said one digger, he had a red scarf tied around his neck, and had blonde hair, his fur was blue with some orange stripes on his back. His tail's fire was lighted strongly at this event. His claws scratched away the sand covering the object, as he threw one last sweep, he saw a strange orange lever.

'What the?' called the other digger. Then later on, the whole encampment swarmed over this discovery. Rhazz got there first, and pushed everyone aside quickly with excitement.

'Amazing! This may be what we are looking for...' said Rhazz, as he let loose a smirk on the side of his face.</font>

 

<font color='silver'>ooc: I was waiting for Phrawlic to post, but then I figured, what the heck, I'd just hop in now. ^_^ Okay with you guys?

Meanwhile, far from the digging site...

<span style='color:maroon'>"Vokcemd punmap patajs! Thes! Vokc es! THES!"</span> Shiraz Montai screamed as she plummeted from the scorching sky. The femme 'dragon smashed into the ground, landing in a disheveled pile of burgundy fur and creme-coloured feathers. The sandy, baked earth held little relief from the air above, except that it was a scant bit cooler down here... But it was not just the heat that caused the female to wipe out here. In truth, she had no idea what it had been. Her small wings had always carried her perfectly before, though they shouldn't have logically, being the size they were. Shiraz believed the strange ability to fly with them was granted by her unknown blood-father. Whatever the case, they had suddenly refused to carry the 19oo year old spy.

Groaning, Shi picked herself up from the ground, slowly flexing each limb. <span style='color:maroon'>"Vokc..."</span> she muttered through gritted teeth. It didn't seem as if anything was broken, but the experience had been traumatic enough...

<span style='color:maroon'>"Thes,"</span> Shi said. She knew Ramathian, though only to curse. She'd picked it up from the rough folk she used to associate with, before she had turned from a scruffy, rebellious, wirey little teen street-rat to a tazy, curvy, refined hired spy. And speaking of spying, Shi realized then what she was here for. <span style='color:maroon'>"Damn it all,"</span> she murmured softly in her languid, husky voice. Reaching behind her with one paw, she felt that the leather pouch slung 'round the quadruped's shoulders was still there. That pouch contained information from her employer, some odd old 'dragon who nearly jumped out of his seat when she told him she'd take the job.

The desert's so damn big, she thought. I only wish I could find this male...

Shi looked around, seeing nothing but swept brown sand on all sides. No water, no food, no life... And she'd thought she had only ventured a little ways from the village! Exploding into a wave of both Ramathian and Common swears, she whipped about, her slim tail lashing at the air, as if to rip a passage back to the village through the thick atmosphere.

So Shi did all she could do: walk. She walked along patiently, picking the direction on whims, such as where the wind was blowing or which way she saw a few scrubby desert plants. She hiked long through the heat of the day, and through a sandstorm that left her eyes and fine pink nostrils gritted and plugged with dust.

By the time she reached the digging site, it was towards the end of the long desert day. The sun was heavy and ripe and red, right on the horizon, ready to set at its slow pace. Shi was staggering then, her wine-coloured fur muddied a dusty tannish-brown, her sapphire eyes red from wind and chafe. But incredible luck had befallen the femme, she knew that from the second she saw the camp. She broke into a lope towards the place, then skidded to a halt. She turned 'round to lick the dirt best she could from her pelt, then wiped her eyes and nose. She had to look presentable... especially if there were males there, which she had no doubt there would be.

She started up again, a swinging walk, looking forward finally to water and food. She could have eaten a pendragon even, whole.

Putting on a tazy smile that looked better than she felt, she traipsed over to the camp.</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>'Well, well, well.' said one of diggers, as he turned towards the female, which was not very noticed.

'Seems like the next one made it.' said Rhazz, as he turned his eyes over to take a glance at the... female? His mind exploded with a strange feeling.

He ran next to the female Ramathian and held up a smile.

'Well hello there, do you want food? Water?' he said quickly, studdering threw his words, as he hissed them out of his sharp teeth rapidly.

'There he goes again!' said another digger, as his eyes were on Rhazz, but his hand were continuing to uncover the found artifact.</font>

 

<font color='silver'>Shi tossed her wine-stained headfur, and looked from the corner of her eye at Rhazz. After its quick cleaning, her pelt was already showing some of its usual lustre. She moistened her dark maw with her tongue, and flicked her tail. Dust still caked her muzzle, however, and her feet, it seemed, were permanently bedrabbed by the sand. Not fabulous, but it'll have to do. He looks like the type that's eager to please... Fine then. I do hate being a wispy, breathy little girl... But what can you do?

Casting a helpless and yet seductive gaze on the male, Shiraz said, <span style='color:maroon'>"Marian V'neth, good sir... I lost my pet around the very edge of this desert here... It just broke my heart but I was almost sure that I saw him, see, and since I had nothing else on my mind but Samnel that..."</span> Stopping dead, Shi feigned breathlessness and put a hand to her heart. Letting her headfur fall down into her wide eyes, she said, <span style='color:maroon'>"I am so very thirsty... Could you spare me some water?"</span>

Oh, how it made Shiraz sick putting on Marian V'neth's personality. She would rather have ordered the male to give her water and a tent than ask, and certainly she wouldn't have wandered into the desert for just a pet. Being a spy came easily, except when she had to act the opposite of how she felt. Well just let the little rat try to hit on me... I can see the light in his eyes... But I'm not as easy as he thinks.

The only thing that accompanied these thoughts outside of her mind was a momentary frown, replaced again by the wide-eyed, frightened Marain V'neth expression.

I'd better get something useful out of this, besides a place to stay...</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>'Of course we have water! Nobody would of been willing to join my archelogical hunt if we didn't.' replied Rhazz, as he held his chest upward, to impress the female Ramathian which walked beside him.

'And this story of your pet, I know what it's like to lose one. Broke my heart when I was a young one.' said Rhazz, as he remembered the time his pet fell off the edge of a cliff into a jagged valley of razor sharp rocks. Not a very pleasant sight for a young Ramathian.

'So, you were lucky to find us out here. To my judging, there seems that there will be a sandstorm coming in. You can use my tent, since the rest and full.' said Rhazz, as he hopefully waited for a good answer.</font>

 

<font color='#0000FF'>OOC: yo thanks for letting me join element!


IC: From just outside the camp was an large sand dune that appeared to be moving slightly. Maybe it was just your imagination or did an eye seem to flash out? Whatever it was the dune was approaching the camp at an slow speed. Then suddenly it stopped as an small sandstorm approached, whirling dangerously close to the dune. As the sandstorm closed in on the dune you could see if you looked carefully an black paw shoot out and dig itself deeper in the sand as the sandstorm was right on top of it.

I hate this goddamn sandstorm, damn i had to travel across this forsaken desert for days just to come to this little camp BlackThunder cursed as he secured his mouth wrap and closed his eyes to avoid being stung by the little bits of sand that whirled around him making it impossable to see an further. As soon as the sandstorm had deceased its intense whirling and moved to on its path, the dune leapt up and you could clearly see it was an 'dragon dressed in black clothes that closely resambled the old earth's ninjas gear that was walking like an wolf on an blood hunt crouched low making long sweeping strides.


Soon this 'dragon had approached the edge of the camp where it abrubtly stopped its sweeping movement perfectly and stood still observing the camp, checking out the number of 'dragons, seeing if they had weapons and if he could fight them alone.After minutes of observing the camp, Black came to an conclusion. Might as well go in there since i came to check it out He slowly walked delibrately into the camp dressed in loose ninja gear as he looked around him cautiously. "Where is the leader of this camp" he shouted in an harsh voice that stinged the air.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>ooc: Sorry for the long delay! I completely forgot of this thread; apologies!

bic:
For miles in either direction, all that could be seen was a vast expansive of tan sand, meeting abruptly with blue, cloudless sky, the shapes and forms of dunes appearing to ripple as heat rose from the sand, causing thermals of air to refract the light reaching his eyes. Beyond that, there was nothing - neither sight nor sound betrayed so much as the presence of a fly in this barren wasteland. The air was still - not even the slightest warm breeze disturbed the sand upon the dunes or ruffled a single fur on the 'dragon, who, smack in the center of this scene, had no idea as to his location. He was seated in a rugged, beat-up machina "dune-buggy" style vehicle, a device sold off by the ramathian military which still proudly displayed the camoflauge and red-and-white crosses of a desert ambulance. This trip, however was for quite a different purpose than the device was used to. Stacked high on the gurney in the rear of the vehicle were all manners of archaeological tools, specimen analysis computers, dig lights, ultrasonic cavity detectors, sonar imaging devices and heavy digging pieces like a robotic backhoe, capable of moving a metric tonne of sand in a little under four hours. The suspension of the vehicle could barely support all the equipment and the motor struggled to kick in as once again, Tirran floored the accelerator and again rocketed off into the desert after checking his location on a GPS device. He was quite amazed the human device still worked - five of the GPS satellites from the humans still orbited functionally and provided at least a vague inkling of his location on earth. The display had read:

<font face=fixedsys>112deg 31min 34sec lat
024deg 10min 35sec lon
[trkmode][dataentry]</font>​

Dammit, he cursed under his breath, I'm off by nearly five minutes. It could take me close to an hour to get there. Keeping the accelerator floored, he drove for nearly five minutes, then glanced at the device again:

<font face=fixedsys>112deg 31min 34sec lat
024deg 10min 35sec lon
[uplink+][dataentry]</font>​

...What the... I haven't gone anywhere? He stared at the screen dumbfounded for a moment, releasing the accelerator and allowing the dune buggy to powerslide to a stop in the sand, bouncing jovially on its old suspension as it did so. His jaw fell agape as he stared at the screen - these same coordinates had been displayed all day. Had it locked up? If so, he was surely lost for good. He fumbled fervently to try and find the source of the problem - he read the screen over several times.

"Latitude... no errors... longitude... no errors... I have a good uplink... omigod. Data entry mode!?" He slapped his forehead, and quickly shuffled about, flipping switches fervently on the side of the device. The distance indicator came up.

<font face=fixedsys>obj: 3 mins @ 40mph
turn rt 60 deg
[trkmode][dataentry]</font>​

Thank god! Only three minutes away!? I must have passed it a thousand times... sometimes, Tirran... He shook his head, almost annoyed with himself, once again taking the wheel and pressing the accelerator to the floor of the buggy. The engine roared to life, whining loudly as its ancient components clashed and ground against eachother, rusted cylinders scraping against the insides of their chambers as bad sparkplugs zapped the fronima-based fuel with too little electricity, straining the driveshaft with unequal load. Just as he approached the dig tent, a loud crack like a gunshot went off and with a screech, the driveshaft snapped, tearing the pistons out and spilling fuel unevenly to the sparkplugs which all ignited, causing the engine to burst in to flames. The flames quickly melted through the extra water bottle strapped to the front of the buggy, dousing themselves out quickly. He hopped out of the car, screaming obscenities, now ignoring the rest of the dig site entirely.</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>Rhazz stood outside as the blurry figure of a sand twister approached the camp very slowly, it was a fearful sight, the large spiral of air and destruction which stretched out to the peak of the sky, Rhazz hopped that it would die before it hit the site.

'Everyone! The sandstorm will be arriving at night, compact the tents and everyone in the sand bunker.' said Rhazz on a fairly old speaker phone. As long as it attracted everyone, it was good enough.

Some 'Dragon diggers put on a mask with goggles, which covered the face and neck with some type of stitched clothing. It was an eye protector incase of the sandstorm, which looked nothing but dangerous.

'Take out the fires! Fold up the tents! Hurry!' We need to go to the sand-bunker ASAP!' yelled Rhazz, as the group of workers hurried their process of working.

Now where is that damn femme?</font>

 

<font color='silver'>Looking about with a calculating eye, Shi saw that the camp she was in was indeed some sort of a dig site. All sorts of shovels and excavation machina clued her into that. Also, a smattering of tents and firepits showed her that this was a rather big project. At the moment, the dying sun cast dark shadows all 'round the site. Instinctively, Shi looked around again, this time with more scrutiny. In this place, anybody with a weapon could hide easily.

Duh, Shi... You're Marian V'neth, and don't you forget it. Who'd wanna kill some innocent young airhead? she thought. She'd been Marian V'neth before, under a different name, but always the same character. She changed personalities like she was changing a shirt: without a thought and with pure ease. Not that Shi wore clothing much; she preferred her quadrupedal form over her bipedal one. Plus, the desert heat was blinding to many, and she didn't want to add to her likelyhood of getting heatstroke, which was already high anyhow.

<span style='color:maroon'>"I wonder what in Fronima they're trying to dig up, here in the middle of the desert?"</span> the femme murmured.

Just then the loud sound of old machina rumbled into Shi's sensitive ears. Then there was the sound of crashes, flame flickering, and then finally a bout of colourful curses. Wheeling about interestedly, Shi took in the sight of Tirran and his dying desert vehicle. Quickly and from a distance, she assesed the male. He's got to be smart to operate that thing, she reasoned. She ran her eyes up and down his sleek form. Not too bad looking, either. Mayhap she'd let a bit of the real Shiraz come out for him...

A scant moment after she saw Tirran, Rhazz's voice blared out over the loudspeaker. Looking to the horizon, Shi saw the roiling cloud of sand. Another hour, maybe, the femme thought, and then was off across the sand towards Tirran.</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>::Jaton watched as all the others began to arrive, he noticed the winds slowly picking up and the dust particles moving around rapidly, he knew something was coming, but he wasnt sure of what is was yet, he could hear the voice over the speakers, and realized it was a storm, he spread his wings, to cover his eyes and to protect his face from the blistering sun::

hello everyone... i am Jaton... nice to meet you all

::he said this very confidently, showing that he was not affraid of them, nor did he want to cause any problems, his black body burning in the sunlight, he made his want to the shade of a nearby tent, and just watched as everyone gathered together::</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>"Jaton! Get to the Sand Bunker quickly! The storm is rising, and who knows what desert monsters could be carried in that twister!" yelled Rhazz, as the strong wind blew the steaming sand everywhere.

"Damn! Come on Jaton! If you don't make it, we aren't opening the gates for you!" yelled Rhazz, as he picked up some left over equipment which was barely showing under the sand. Dunes were breaking down as the wind grew stronger, and the twister, driving itself closer to the camp.

'COME ON! GET TO THE BUNKER!' Yelled Rhazz, as two diggers abandonned most of their luggage and ran towards the sunken building, which seemed like the sand bunker.

The sand was growing wilder and Rhazz could barely see where he was going. The steaming hot sand flew all over him, causing minor burns to his skin, but thanks to his fur, the sand didn't burn him too seriously.

'Damn it, IS ANYONE OUT THERE!?' yelled Rhazz, as he seemed to completely loose his vision.

'Damn, I'm a gonner!' he said, as he ran into any random direction. He then hit a wall, bumping his head severly. It was the door! It opened slightly, and two diggers gripped on the Archaeologist and pulled him inside.

'Someone get water for Rhazz!' said the digger, as Rhazz slowly walked around, with burns all over his canine-like body.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>The engine was shot, there was no doubt about it. The remainder of the equipment would have to be carried from the carcass of the buggy by hand. He stared at his new acquisition solemnly - it could take days to fix the motor. Luckily, he had the sense to carry a large number of spare parts in the gurney section of the buggy, knowing full well that the more-or-less disposable buggies had a history of breakdowns. Their service life was expected to be somewhere in the range of five to ten years, his had been nearly seven years old when it was purchased. He intended, however, to keep it running, even if it meant rebuilding the whole machine from scratch - he was rather fond of this particular vehicle. It had better suspension than most, the seat was far more comfortable and it had detachable side doors, too. It was truly a "beautiful" machine, if one could say such things about this type of device, and he prided himself on finding such an incredible deal on it. Yet, the reason behind the relatively low price had become all-too-painfully obvious to him; yet in the distance loomed something bigger than engine problems. A quick glance alerted Tirran to the presence of a big sand storm heading their way. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a tarp and tethered it down over the equipment in the buggy, Then hurried to bury the wheels in the sand using a shovel he had strapped to the roof. Once the vehicle was properly entrenched several inches down (enough to hold it in place as long as it were not hit directly, he ran for the shelter, encountering a female along the way. He didn't stop to think - "What are you DOING out here!? It's dangerous! and with that he grabbed her, scooping the femme up in his arms and running through the door of the shelter. It seems he made it just in time, because as he set the female back down on her feet, gingerly brushing sand from her fur, he glanced at the door, which was opening once again - through it came the director of the dig, burned badly by what could be compared to a sandblasting.</font>

 

<font color='#000080'>'Thes!' yelled Rhazz as he fell on the floor, trying to ignore the immense burns on the left side of his body.

'Sir, if the rest of the hired crew are coming, I think the might be turning back now! That sand twister is a firestorm! We have to wait until it dies down until we can go outside and recover where we left off.' said one of the diggers, taking a nice sip of water from a leathery bottle of water, which flapped around from side to side as the liquid slipped down his throat.

'I don't want ANYBODY to go out there, unless you have no other choice!' said Rhazz weakly, as his back left leg seemed to be slopping around.

'Yes sir!' said another digger, sealing the door with some tight metallic object that looked like a plank of wood, which fit into two metal pierces that curved upwards from each side of the door. When he placed the metal piece there with the aid of other diggers, it seemed like nothing would come in or out.

'Good boy.' said Rhazz, as he curled himself up and tried to sleep on a small rough carpet in the bunker.

'Lights out.' he said, as he shut his eyes, and then, the light darkened immediatly, to pitch black, where nobody could see anything. The silence seemed to be interrupted by the steaming sand hitting the bunker, making hissing noises.</font>

 

<font color='#000000'>Tirran frowned. The room was dark; too dark. He had things to get done to prepare for the dig later on. Out of his messenger bag he pulled a small flashlight and assorted hand-held machina and set up shop a corner of the large room, his shuffling noises for the most part the only noise to interrupt the droning hiss of sand against the shell of the shelter and dull roar of winds whistling about them. He powered on a small laptop-shaped device and after keying in a few symbols on a keyboard marked with odd glyph shapes, his screen filled with text data, scrolling neatly in columns down either side of the screen. The center of the screen displayed an aerial image of the dig site. He tapped a few more glyphs and the image appeared to zoom out - one could now make out the pale tan funnel of the storm and its dark supercell clouds surrounding the dig site. He pressed a single key and several glyphs appeared on-screen, overlayed on to the image with a crosshair and an arrow that pointed southward from the center of the storm. The glyphs shifted, changed and morped until they decided on a value which flashed in red briefly. Tirran flipped off the device, shining the light around the rest of the room and announcing rather loudly, "10 minutes and it'll be four miles to our south. Hopefully, if things continue working as they are, it will remain on that path, although there's a possibility that it could be pushed back up by a pocket of warm air. I suggest we get ready to go back out and get back to work... do we have any fire hoses? Nevermind, I have some on my buggy... we'll have to spray them in the air to settle the sand and dust. Until we do though, I suggest you all wear protective goggles. ...I brought a few pairs along as well. Who's in charge here anyway? They're doing a damn horrid job. Anyone could have seen this one coming from miles away, and now your dig's probably set back a good three months!"</font>

 

<font color='#0000FF'>BlackThunder was extreamly getted off that nobody had answered his shouts for the leader. Now there was utter chaos around him as 'dragons fled for safety into the bunkers leaving him out making him very getted off indeed. He was feeling an boiling rage of anger as the firestorm whirled about on its letheal path burning all in its path. As he glared at the sealed bunker door, he knew there was no way they would let him at the risk of their lives. Huh vokcing bunch of 'dragons he cursed in his mind as he wrapped his loose black clothes tightly around him and waded in the rapidly filling sand that piled and howled around him. He uttered an low growl as he crouched low and tried to burrow himself deep in the sand. After what seemed like torturous hours but was in fact minutes, he had managed to cover himself four or so metres deep in the desert.

I better be alive at the end of it and im gonna give that scum of an leader an piece of my mind Then around him was an searing heat that he found unbearable as the heat went up and started to blister his skin slowly and painfully.He could not breath for he was buried deep in the desert to avoid the firestorm but it was of no good since he was now in worse condition as he frantically tried to dig his way out of the path of the firestorm and scramble to the surface. His muscles arched worse then ever as he lay collapsed on the desert rapidly losing consicous as the howling sands began to cover him in an shifting tomb.</font>

 

<font color='silver'>ooc: sooo sorry about the delay in reply... the internet's been down and I've been extraordinarily busy! But i'm back in business now, it looks like...

ooc: also want to add in that i'm skipping back in time just a tad for one sec whilst i give Shiraz's reaction to Phrawlic (now Odessi...?).

ic: Shiraz's eyes had time to widen a fraction of a centimetre before the roar of the sand whipped in 'round her, pelting her with tiny fragments of once-whole stones. The bits of sand and dust drove their way against the grain of her fur, up through to her skin, where they dug into her skin with every movement. But she was not remaining completely inactive through this moment. When another pendragon would have run like fury towards the nearest shelter, Shiraz unfortunately let her weakness for males show through, and whipped 'bout to where Tirran had been with his arcane bit of machina but a second ago. There was something special about Tirran, Shiraz thought, but there was no time to think about that now.

For a split second, she wondered where he was, but suddenly there she was in his arms, speeding 'cross the wind-torn terra. For a second, Shi just stared up into the male's face in surprise. But he had a firm grasp on her, and there was nothing she could do but be carried, try though she might to get on the ground. So the femme lay in his arms, still a bit shocked, while Tirran dashed for the safety of the shelter, away from the storm, away from death. The sand whirled overhead and Shiraz instinctively rolled into a ball, squeezing her eyes shut as it burnt through her fur with its raw power, and began to wear into her skin. She had no doubt Tirran's strength was wearing thin; hers was and she wasn't even running.

The heat grew 'round the two pendragons, and Shiraz opened her eyes. The growing storm raged 'round them in a torrent of dark brown dust and sand. Shi felt strangely calm... The heat of the storm. the thought was clear in her mind. Is this my time to die? Shiraz felt a tiny warm trickle of blood running down her wing. No doubt a stone was caught up in the wind and ripped it...

And suddenly, the sound of a metal door screeching open. Darkness. Cool. And Shiraz was in a pile on the floor, with Tirran's paws brushing her off. She let out a long breath of air. Safe.</font>