A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter took me so long to get out. My laptop crashed and it took some maneuvering of mine to gain access to a computer for sometime.

Warnings: Probable typos. As always.

Chapter Three: Those Deserving

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is not good. Not good at all!" Mana fretted, pacing rather quickly in a repetitive circle as she periodically glanced up at the oncoming sand storm. This was all her fault; if she hadn't snuck out of the palace and done what she was supposed then she wouldn't be in this dreadful situation. She supposed the gods were handing her retribution to her for being disobedient to her master. She could hear it now, what Master Mahad would say. This is what you get for being irresponsible. Or, You shouldn't have been skipping classes like you do all the time. Or something else to that effect.

Mana stopped her pacing and sighed. Master Mahad thought nothing of her but a childish girl who was nothing more than a baby in his eyes. And, for some inexplicable reason, that hurt Mana somewhat. Gave her a small ache within her belly. But Mana shook her head, shooing that thought away. If she really cared of what Mahad thought of her, then why did she disobey him so much? What was she trying to prove in her teenage rambunctiousness? That she could do things on her own? Not likely. Mahad would only be convinced that she was simply immature. Too immature for him most definitely.

Mana bit her lip. She wasn't necessarily immature. At least, she didn't think so. She hoped not. Mana just simply thought that she was a teenager who wanted to have some fun every now and then. Perhaps that was immature in the eyes of everyone else. Besides, what did it matter if Mahad thought her immature? What need did she have to worry about that? It's not like she had any sort of chance with him. For one, there was that somewhat of an age gap between them. Not that large but perhaps just enough where he thought her too young for him to even consider. Not only that, but there was nothing that she saw in herself that Mahad could be even minutely interested in. Especially when Mana compared herself to the regal priestess, Isis. A woman far superior than Mana and one that was a closer match for Mahad.

Mana suppressed another sigh rising within her chest. There was no need to dwell on such depressing ideas; Mana needed to focus on the predicament at hand. With that last thought, Mana glanced back up at the encroaching dust cloud and, with a cold thrill of fear coursing through her veins, saw it was advancing quickly and was a lot closer to her spot than when she last looked upon it. Out of instinct, Mana began running in the opposite direction, starting a desperate pursuit of finding shelter or some sort of safe haven.

"Stupid, stupid Mana," she said to herself, her voice ragged from running. "Master Mahad warned you against distractions. Heh," she scoffed at her own stupidity. "Worrying about what Master Mahad thinks of you rather than saving your own skin! I really am pathetic." She stopped talking to conserve the oxygen in her lungs for running. After a few minutes of running, there was still no sign of any shelter and when she looked over her shoulder Mana saw the large dust cloud only become closer. She tried running faster, pushing herself to her utmost limits. She was indeed a fast runner but in a race against a sandstorm, her knack for running was deemed useless. She wouldn't be able to beat it, already her lungs burned and her legs ached from pumping up and down. She was surely in a tight spot.

She wasn't watching where she was going, just concentrating on putting as much space between her and the cloud of sand. And as per usual when one does not pay attention, Mana's right foot caught on a loose stone, about the size of her own foot and she tripped. Instinctively to break the fall, Mana quickly raised her arms out in front of her face and closed her eyes. She felt it when her knees scraped against the rough sand, when her palms came into contact with the hot ground, but there was more.

Her palms shifted, sliding forward on a slight incline. And Mana continued falling, tumbling down, rolling, and body banging against the slope. Her legs became tangled within themselves, somewhere her left knee banging against something hard with an ominous crack. And at some point, something slapped her across the face before she finally came to a full and complete stop.

She laid there on the ground, not moving for a few moments, her face pressed against the hot sand. Mana took a deep breath and, lifting her head, opened her eyes, gasping out a small, "Ouch."

She lifted herself slightly, trying to sit up, and supporting her weight on her arms. But her arms wouldn't support much- they were shaking. Quite terribly. Jarred from the impact. Mana gave a small groan and, with a sharp intake of breath, managed to sit up in order to examine herself.

Her legs were stinging painfully and covered in various scrapes, trickling blood, and other places where her tan, Egyptian skin had broken. Her left one was bruised up pretty badly and stuck out at somewhat an odd angle. Mana hesitantly pressed around the bruised area and grimaced when pain erupted from where her fingertips brushed against. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting against the tears of pain she felt coming on.

Okay, she had to assess her current position. She was banged up some but she didn't think her leg was broken, just bruised or sprang but not entirely broken. If she had to, she was pretty sure could walk. Or, limp. She doubted she would able to put any weight on her left leg. But other than the few scrapes, her right one was fine in comparison.

"Oh," Mana groaned. "Mana, you silly, stupid, unobservant girl. What have you gotten yourself into now?" She glanced up at what she had fallen off of and saw a slope dipping down into the small ditch she was currently sitting in. And, looking around Mana could tell that the ditch was a small embankment for a miniscule brook flowing nearby. Probably branched off from the Nile. Still, Mana felt completely idiotic for not noticing it beforehand. Now, not only was she going to get caught in a sandstorm, but she was going to get caught in the sandstorm without any capability to seek shelter.

"What to do, what to do, what to do?" Mana asked herself in a strained voice that clearly displayed her anxiousness. She glanced up at the darkening sky when a low rumbling resounded, accompanied with a high-pitch whistling of sand slicing through the air. The sandstorm was upon her and she had to act fast. As quickly as she could, Mana crawled her way over to the bottom of the incline, the edge of the small ditch, and tied a bandana over her face, protecting her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears from invading sand. She curled up as tightly as she could against the outcropping limestone, ducked her head between her raised arms, bent her injured, sore legs up towards her chest as much as she could, and turned her clothed, protected back exposed as the swirling sand swept over her.

Meanwhile, a hawk was circling far above Mana's location, keen eyes trained on her fading spot as it was blanketed in the cloud of dust. His human, his favorite human, was in danger. The human girl that always fed him small scraps of bread or meat. And, in return, she only asked for several messages to be delivered among her acquaintances and never as so much put him in a cage. He had to do something, he had to help her. She didn't deserve to be placed in such a horrid situation. She was too kind. But how could he help her?

The hawk's wings expanded out as he floated along a current of air. He stopped his circling when a horse, riding fast, appeared in his line of sight. The hawk blinked. The human, whoever it was, was still far away. Or, at least, far away from Mana's spot. And he seemed to be in desperate pursuit. Definitely a he, the female humans never rode with such callousness. Always graceful in their own way. But who was this male? He was actually riding toward the sandstorm whereas most humans would avoid such calamities. Maybe he was out looking for Mana. In which case the hawk would gladly assist him. The bird took a dive forward, plunging closer to the ground and closer to the horse and its rider.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this. Please review and I promise I'll try to update sooner.

-NuitSongeur