nothing but my words belong to me, everything else is gene roddenberry's, bless him.

A/N: _unbeta'd

_all vulcan and related vulcan stuff is from memoryalpha or VLD


He turns away from M'Bones, and stares into the caves gradual darkness. He walks, body swaying closer to the wall, in violation of his wish to remain independently mobile. His left hand makes contact with the cave wall; he leans on it as he takes a step forward. The rock is sharp against is fingers, warm with the fast fading heat of the setting sun. In approximately two point five hours the sun will fully set below the horizon and nightly temperatures of forty five degrees will sufficiently hinder M'Bones continued health, and Spock's own abilities to render assistance.

Spock has taken some steps when he stops, glancing around at the total encompassing darkness muffling his senses and leaving him with no visual stimuli. His hand moves over the cave wall, and he feels loose bits of dirt fall over his hand. It should not be this dark when there is two hours of sunlight left for feasible visibility. It is a minor perturbation, when he can quickly turn on a flashlight. Except he does not currently possess his bag. He looks behind, the way he has come, and remembers leaving it with M'Bones. Except he should not have been surprised by this memory, having only experienced it twenty minutes previously. His fingers dig into the rock and dirt; he is not at his fullest and he does not know why.

He stifles his immediate reaction to turn, and return. To turn leaves him with no physical contact with the rock, and no way of knowing if he returns the right and correct way. He has no way of knowing how far and wide this maze of caves goes, or if he has passed adjacent caves. He blinks at the thought, apprehensive that he should know if he has passed other entrances. He slowly turns, keeping as much contact as is physically possibly with the rock wall. He grunts when he inadvertently puts pressure on his right shoulder. He leans away, fingers barely scarping the rock. The position is highly awkward, and would be ninety eight percent more efficient if he had full motor control of his right shoulder. He remains in this position as he walks back, the gradual return of visual stimuli, enabling him to drop his arm and continue on at a more than sedate pace. Some minutes later he comes into view of M'Bones dark figure, lying where he has left him. Spock looks past him to the mouth of the cave. The dry river bed there is no longer a dull angry red, but an obtuse dark under the dark of night. Spock finds himself standing at the mouth and he looks back to where he remembers standing only seconds before. His left hand curls, before he forcibly loosens it and carefully walks back to his bag and M'Bones. He moves around M'Bones, whose body is no longer on the verge of convulsing.

Whose eyes are a wide clear blue in the dark light, "Where'd you go?"

His voice is tight, and when he is done speaking his body shudders, whether from the decreased temperature or a sign of an impending seizure, Spock is unsure.

"Why am I compromised." Spock does not answer him, crouching in front of him.

M'Bones brows furrow looking up at him, mouthing the word. "You should not have left."

"I do not wish to repeat myself."

"I already told you!" M'Bones attempts to sit up and Spock clamps down on his uninjured shoulder.

Spock holds him there, considers the statement, "You did not, how you say, 'tell' me. You informed me of being 'sandstoned'; however, you failed to explain further. I wish to know the cause of my experiencing loss of time, loss of sense of direction and loss of clear mental functions. You will tell me the correlation between these symptoms I have listed and your 'sandstoned.'"

Spock is not above showing a threat to be perceived at this time and they glare at each other; or Spock glares, and M'Bones stares.

"You don't get out much, do you." M'Bones says, sagging into Spock's grip. He keeps eye contact with Spock, "The dust-storm. It was the dust-storm, it lulls the unsuspecting Vulcan, with a 'scape all the same—"

"You are quoting something." Spock says.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter; that was your first time out in a 'storm, right?"

"Negative."

"Okay, how about that was the longest you've been out in one."

Spock nods, "How does this information pertain to my current condition?"

"The longer you're out, the higher the chance." M'Bones says with a smile and Spock feels a minute shiver pass through his body.

"You will cease with your rhymes. I do not… I do not understand."

M'Bones smile has faded, and his eyes slip down and close for moment, "How long do you think we were out there before the lizard came along."

"An hour and… thirty minutes, no more." Spock pauses, "Why do you insist on naming the le'matya as such?"


A/N: 'sandstoned' is completely fictional and i made it up. also theres way to much dialogue here tbh