The late afternoon sun beat down ruthlessly on the backs of Rina and Phil. They left the gnomes early that morning. The gnomes were generously charitable. The provided them with fresh supplies and even a rope to tie around the herrk's neck. Phil had been afraid that the baby herrk would slow them down. At first, Phil had protested, but Rina was resolute. She had taken a liking to the young foal and refused to leave him behind. The foal had its own opinion, too. It was fond to Rina and refused stay behind. So here it was, slightly stumbling as it tried to keep up but persistent in its effort. At least it carried its own weight, and all the bundles, too. Phil laughed as he watched it follow Rina. Its stride was uneven and the numerous gourds bounced and rattled with every step. AraThaDo had insisted on bringing all the water gourds. He said the Dunes were extremely dry. Better safe than sorry.
"Phil?" A hand rested on his shoulder and shook it slightly. Phil snapped back into reality.
"Hmmm."
"I was wondering," Rina repeated, "did you learn anything about herrks when you where younger?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
"I wanted to know how to train striped herrks."
"Striped herrks? Those are rare. Why are you interested?"
"Because I think we may have one. Look." Rina halted the baby herrk and pointed at his rump. Sure enough, a few faint lines had appeared on his rump and back. "There're so pale I'm not sure they're real."
"Chances are they are. Stripes usually start to appear soon after birth. They'll get darker as he grows."
"Yes! I knew bring Elmer along would be a good idea."
"Elmer?"
"Yes." Rina said with indignation, "It's a cute name for a cute herrk." She bent
over and stoked the foal's head. It neighed in replied.
Phil rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, Rina. Let's not linger here all day.
The traveling became easier now that Rina and Phil were on familiar territory. They knew what to expect when they rounded a corner. Before long, they arrived back at the fork in the road.
"Dunes of Disaster. This way." Rina declared eagerly. "Come on." She dashed ahead. Elmer, the herrk, seemed to have caught on to her excitement and followed willingly. Phil couldn't help but laugh at Rina and her tactics.
He traveled alone behind them on the sandy road. The trees beside him grew scarce and the undergrowth was forced to a height of about two feet. The sandy soil felt dry to his touch and slithered through his fingers like water. He was getting worried. The Dunes would be dry. They would need to stop by a freshwater pond refill the gourds soon.
The silence was beginning to irate him. No sweet arias or chirping of crickets could be heard. Occasionally, a bush rustled to reveal a snake or lizard. Slightly unnerved by the hush, Phil jogged ahead.
He found Rina kneeled at the banks of a pond, water gourds in hand and Elmer waiting patiently beside her. "I noticed the soil was getting really sand and dry. I figured we'd need the water." She said when she looked up. Phil grinned with approval. "I set up camp, too." She continued, "I haven't' gotten around to making the fire, so if you . . ."
"Sure." He answered.
It felt as if they had been walking all day, but in reality, it was just over an hour. The sand dunes, it had changed for soil into desert in a matter of miles, stretched endlessly as far as the eye can see. Their whole feet sunk into the sand as they climbed hill after hill, dune of dune.
The hot desert winds blew sand in the traveler's faces and chapped their lips and foreheads. The relentless sun shone bright and warm, a curse more than a blessing. The sun burned their faces and exposed skin, turning it red and painful. It heated the sand, which, in turn, fried the feet of the hikers. Rina and Phil were grateful for shoes, Elmer's hooves were vulnerable. He trotted slowly beside, trying to ignore the sizzling effect the sand had on his feet, until Phil wrapped his hooves in leather. He did it partly because he felt sorry for the loyal, tolerant herrk and partly because he knew Rina would strangle him if he didn't. Nothing but the best for her favored foal.
Phil collapsed at noon. Rina allowed them half an hour to rest and eat. He was more thirsty than hungry, and would have drained an entire gourd of water if Rina had allowed him. Instead, she gave the herrk an entire gourd and limited him to half. He started to argue, but she pointed out that the herrk was the one carrying the water, so therefore, should be able to fulfill his thirst. He was too tired to argue.
After the break, he launched himself off of the sand and forced himself to follow Rina and Elmer. Long, harsh hours dragged. Phil was getting so worn out that he had actually fallen on all fours. He immediately regretted it as the sand singed his palms. He yelped. Rina and Elmer turned around. They blinked at him as if that was the most stupid thing they had ever seen. Meekly, he stood up and continued walking.
The heat seemed to evaporate all the moisture in their bodies. They consumed an amazing amount of water. By the third day, water had run out. Everyone was parched and no water could be seen for miles. Just as Phil though he would die of thirst, he heard a faint chirp. Thinking that the heat and the dehydrated condition of his body were playing tricks on his mind, Phil ignored it and continued on. A louder chirp was heard. This time, he paused. Rina and Elmer had obviously heard it, too, because they stopped. A third louder chirp rang out in the air. It sounded familiar for some reason. Then it hit him.
"Kirby!" Phil had forgotten about his fatigue and scrambled up the nearest dune. Once he stood at the top, he scanned the horizon hopefully. A green speck in the distance confirmed his suspicions. "Kirby!" he yelled again. He held out his arm and waited for the dragonet to land. Kirby ignored the offered arm and flew in circles around Phil's head, scolding Phil fiercely for leaving him behind. He calmed the distressed dragonet and talked to him reassuringly. When Kirby calmed down, Phil placed him gently on his arm and slid down the dune to where Rina and Elmer were standing. At first, Elmer was surprised and slightly intimidated by this new, fierce creature. Kirby turned out to be gentle with the foal and the placid herrk accepted the newcomer.
After seeing Kirby again, Phil felt his spirit lift, but before long, weariness and thirst dominated his thoughts. Finally, Rina suggested, "Why don't you send Kirby out to scout for water. Surely if he had searched the desert for you than he must have seen a water source somewhere."
Phil thought it over. It sounded reasonable enough, so he gave it a try. To his surprise, Kirby seem to have understood his requested and headed straight north. Kirby flew a head for a few minutes, than headed back to scold Phil. He flew off again, only to come back chirping angrily.
"I think he wants us to follow him, Phil." Rina suggested after Kirby started to peck out of annoyance.
"Let's go, than. Onward to the water!" Phil replied.
They had been walking for less than five minutes and it became clear that Kirby was leading them to water. Elmer seem to be excited and walked as fast as his feet would carry him. Five minutes later and a green speak appeared on the horizon. As if afraid that it would disappear, Rina and Phil took off towards it. As they neared, they could see trees, shade, and WATER! They ran head-on towards the oasis and nearly dove head first into the water. The four of them drank greedily at the water. Never did fresh water taste so good.
Their thirst quenched, Rina and Phil explored their surroundings. It was a rather large oasis. Trees bordered the water and vegetation was everywhere, even a bunch of watercress grew in the water. As Phil, Rina, and Kirby slept in the shade, Elmer, relieved of his burden, sampled grass with glee. None of them noticed a dark shadow to the opposite side of the oasis until a man stood in front of them. Elmer squealed and Kirby screamed. Rina and Phil awoke to see a tall man towering above them. Their hands grappled around for a weapon.
The man held up his hands to show he was unarmed. "Whoa, there children. I mean no harm." The old man said in a husky voice. "I saw you come from my house and I wanted to invite you in." The man pointed to a hole in a sand dune.
"Thank you, sir." said Rina, politely. "We accept." The man led the way to his house. He was old, without a doubt. He was bald, but his long, white beard made up for it. His skin was wrinkled and his figure thin. He was very tall, giving him the image of a walking stick bug.
"Here we are." He pointed to a dark hole. "The house is dug out of the sand. Wood reinforces it." He said as Rina and Phil climbed in. "It's quite cool in here."
Indeed it was. The house was a one-room cave. A homemade table stood at the center of the chamber. A fire was built on one side. A rough bed was on the other. A number of rugs covered the floor and decorated the walls.
The old man settled Rina and Phil at the table and led Elmer inside. He tied the herrk to the bed post. "Plenty of predators lurk by the oasis." He said when they looked at him quizzically. He took cups from a cupboard and poured ice tea. "I am Joe," the old man said, placing three drinks on the table and seating himself on a chair. "I moved here with my wife about sixteen years ago. She died a couple years ago, so I sojourn alone as a hermit. What brings you children to the Dunes?"
"We were just passing through." Rina answered. She felt like Joe could be trusted. "We're actually looking for the town of Console."
"Console, huh. I've heard of it. Just over a day's walk from here." Said Joe.
"Really? That's great! If we leave now, we can get there by evening tomorrow." Phil said, excited.
"You don't have to leave so sudden. You can rest here for the night." Joe offered.
"No, that's alright, but thank you for the offer." Rina assured him.
"Such adventurous spirits." Joe said almost wistfully, more to himself than the others. "I
do wish I had that kind of spirit. It comes with age." He turned back to Rina and Phil. "At least let me show you the borders of the desert."
"Thank you, sir. That would be a great help." Rina said.
"Call me Joe, Rina. Before I lead you anywhere, take a break and finish the drinks. You look exhausted." Phil and Rina gratefully sipped the cold drinks.
Three hours later, Phil, Rina, and Joe stood atop the summit overlooking the forest. Kirby was perched on Phil's shoulder and Elmer was standing beside Rina. The little herrk was loaded with food and water that Joe insisted they take along. "This is it," said Joe. "The last hill you have to climb in this desert. I'm afraid I can't take you further, but if you follow this path through that forest, you should reach Console in no time."
"Thanks, Joe." Rina gave him a hug. "If I survive this, I'll find a way to thank you."
"No need." He said.
Phil coughed. "If you're done with the partings, than may we please get moving before it gets dark."
Rina glared at him. "Phil's right. We better get moving. Bye Joe." Rina followed Phil down the hill, with Elmer trudging obediently beside her. Amazingly, after five minutes of walking, the hot desert sands had turned into a sparse ancient forest. Life that had been omitted in the Dunes seemed to have reappeared here. Everywhere were conspicuous signs of predators and pray.
The trip through the forest was uneventful. Phil walked in front with Kirby perched on his shoulder. Rina followed slowly with Elmer who contented himself with sampling every kind of plant life they passed.
The moon had raised high into the night sky by the time Phil and Rina halted for the day. Despite being deep inside Nargul's territory, Rina and Phil slept with ease. The chirping crickets and peaceful Elmer and Kirby indicated no trouble, so they rose the next morning ready to continue with alacrity.