It was the cawing of a crow that woke him up from his sleep. Opening his green eyes, he saw the crows above him, the vultures of death that wanted to eat him alive. He swallowed, his throat parched and his head spinning altogether.
His fingertips touched soft leaves, a sort of dew upon his skin and making him wonder where he was. Sitting up and shaking his head, he put a hand through his red hair and tried to remember what happened. The last thing he remembered was walking through the forest… and then nothing. His memory was blank, and for some reason, he felt lighter than normal.
Looking about him, he saw nothing but trees and deserted land. The canopy above him poured with sun and created shadows that danced according to wherever the wind took them. He took another look around, hearing the crows die out as they fluttered away, realizing that their meal had lived. He licked his lips, feeling the dirt below him.
Where… Where am I? Getting up slowly, he balanced himself upon his feet and began to walk towards… wherever it was his feet took him. He had no idea where he was, as this clearly wasn't the forest he started out walking in. His body swayed from side to side a bit, clearly fatigued and not used to the nothingness on his back.
Wait.
He stopped in his tracks, feeling his back. His hands touched nothing but air, and it was then that he became fearful. His gourd was gone. The gourd that the Shukaku had used to defend him against enemy attacks, and held the sand that he controlled, already infused with his chakra. He swallowed again, not knowing exactly how he could have lost that one hundred pound gourd. It was always upon his back… it was always with him. It was one of those things that he held onto like a precious item. Now he was without it. At least he could still control sand.
Looking down at himself, he began to fear if he had lost anything else in whatever had happened to him previously. He still had on his dark trousers on, which meant that however he lost his gourd wasn't the same thing that tossed him around for a bit. The laces were still there, a few inches below his waist and knees, and he still had on his crimson coat. The hemlines were a bit ragged, but he dusted them off carefully and they turned out fine. His grey holster was still upon his chest, and the other belts he had around his waist were fine, but the belts on his back used to carry his gourd were empty.
This was strange. He was somewhere he had never been before, and he lost his gourd. But nothing else on him was moved. He pondered for a second before his head began to spin again, forcing him to move into a different location. It was strange enough that he had lost his gourd, but now he was traveling to God knows where.
He traveled along in the forest, following where the birds were going. If there was any civilization of any kind, they would know which way to head. It had taken him a while, but he managed to step upon concrete, which meant that someone was living nearby. The sun poured down on him, making him thirstier, but he paid it no mind as a strange noise was coming from his left.
He only had a moment to glance before something came speeding at him, a loud noise piercing his ears. He held ups his hands in defense, not sure what was going to happen next. Luckily, his sand was there to protect him. The sand from the surrounding area had formed together and protected him from whatever it was that was coming straight at him. Looking up from his shielded arms, he saw the sand die down and two people staring at him through the window of a car.
He stared back at them, confused as to where exactly he was. What would a car be doing all the way out here? What village was this? He couldn't have come upon any village; he hadn't passed a gate or anything.
The car was stalled, the engine still running, but the driver looking like he had seen a ghost. They had never seen sand justu before?
"Sorry. Could you tell-" he only let out a few words before they screamed and the tires screeched, sending them away into the horizon. He let out a sigh before beginning to walk again, seeing the strange things around him.
There were houses to his left and right, but the forest where he came from was sealed off for some reason. The concrete led up a hill and then into a sort of complex of houses. This only confused him more, seeing as there were no people in sight, and the only people he had seen got scared by his sand.
He was famished, and thirsty. He held a hand to his stomach and continued walking though. He knew he had to find somebody. It was beginning to get late, he saw that. The sun that was once over his head was now at his eye level, and the sky was turning all shades of red and orange. His eyes gazed around at the area.
Houses, trees, cars, streets, this had to be a place with people, but finding them would be the problem. He trudged on, with what little strength he had left in him. His sandals scraped against the pavement as he walked; already beginning to pant and wish he was back home in the Sand Village.
When he reached the top of the hill, all he saw were more houses and trees. Clearly there was no end to them, and the night was settling in, the cold getting to him and making him shiver. He had no idea where to go, and he wasn't sure if people were going to listen if he asked for help. Fireflies began to come out, a sign that the night was already coming alive. This meant that creatures would come out as well, and he didn't want to be caught in any danger.
Out of pure desperation and anguish, he began to walk towards one of the houses, stepping onto the grass and only taking a few steps before collapsing upon the soft Earth. He shivered and laid there, his eyes dimming. He was running out of chakra fast. It was then that he heard footsteps come closer to him, and warmth spreading over him. Someone had found him, and someone was going to help him.