Hey there! Sorry this took so long to finish, and I apologize if it isn't up to expectation. It was just a tad difficult saying what I was thinking while keeping it… well, I didn't want it to be overly pathetic, is all, haha~ Anyway, as I promised to somebody, I am including the photobucket album with Ari's Model (Hopefully Vreagon's and Mor's as well, soon), and a peak at what may be their new home.

ht tp : / / s110 ( . ) photobucket( . )com/albums/n118/ghostgurl0894/ Fanfic%20References/Minecraft%20Fanfic%20Characters/

Hopefully that worked. Just remove spaces and any other parts that don't belong. If you want me to send it to you personally, PM me~ c:

"It's hot."

"I know."

"I need to cut my hair..."

A sigh. "Yes, we know."

"Cluck!"

Ari held her arms, looking from right to left, looking at the two men on each side of her, and then back at Duck, who trailed behind her faithfully. Biting her soft lips, her brown eyes found their way up, watching birds above flapping their wings. There wasn't a single tree around - no; they'd left that luxury days ago.

"Which one of you had water?" Asked Vreagon dryly, coughing into his arm. His eyes were reddened and his lips were pale and cracked, the sand around them twisting into little funnels about the group. Ari looked up in thought before motioning for the others to stop, bending down and pulling her bag open. Various items were stuffed inside, some still damaged by water, but others safe inside whatever container they had been placed in. She pulled out the small container she'd used to carry her water with her, shaking it.

"Shit. All dried up." she murmured, standing fully once more. Mor mirrored her actions, rummaging within his own pack - nothing. He looked up, shook his head remorsefully.

"Nothing."

"Damn it all." Vreagon hissed, and Ari winced. "So. We're out of food, now we're out of water."

"Don't... don't worry," Ari comforted, setting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "It'll be fine. We'll find water and food soon, I know it."

"Oh yeah?" Vreagon snapped, brushing her arm away from her. Ari huffed, crossing her arms. "How?"

"Because. I know where we are."

Both men looked at each other as the girl broke into a slow jog, disappearing into the sand. Vreagon rolled his eyes and set off after her with his brother in tow, Duck's clucking directing them to her. They found her soon enough, spotting her long brown hair waving and whipping around her face and shoulders. The wind seemed to die down as they followed her down the side of the large hill of sand they had been standing on. Both Mor and Vreagon had complications with hunting her down again, only barely seeing the silhouette of their friend and her pet chicken in the distance. They sprinted to catch up, squinting their eyes as a few particles of sand whipped up and tried to get into their eyes.

Things became clearer the longer they walked, and Mor was the first to spot the girl - and the devastation she stood before.

Vreagon was right behind him, his jaw dropping, watching the girl fall to her knees. She seemed... accepting, if a little depressed by whatever it was she was seeing... or remembering.

"This..." the girl spoke softly, holding her arm as she felt tears burning in her eyes, "...this used to be my home."

Vreagon looked up again, taking in the scene. Small wooden buildings lay in ashy ruins, what, he assumed, was once wheat fields were destroyed and torn up. A large hole in the center of the little village told a long story of fear and terror - his stomach dropped, remembering the girl's terrified screaming as they ran away from their home.

"Run! JustRUN."

"They'll destroy... destroy everything. We have to leave."

Mor slowly walked toward her and dropped to his knees beside her, mimicking her bowed head as she clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes closed as her shoulders trembled. Vreagon, as he recovered from his shock, sat on the opposite side, chuckling quietly as Duck bullied his way between himself and Ari, nuzzling up to his young female master. The girl did not move, and Duck clearly was displeased - he clucked softly and made his way around her, settling at her knees, laying his head on her exposed skin. They remained there, sitting in silence, before Ari stood abruptly, making her way to the only building still standing, made of cobblestone and consisting of two levels and a lookout tower on the top. She shuffled around inside, both men looking at each other nervously before following Duck as he waddled in after her.

"...What...What are you looking for exactly...?"

"I know I left them here somewhere..."

"Left what-"

"They're here... I know they are..."

Vreagon feared the girl was going through a breakdown and he moved to stop her movement when she made a pleased sound, pulling a small metal box adorned with various colors and minerals, the most distinguishable being diamond. She set it down on the floor and leaned over it, running a soft hand over the top. "...My mother kept things in this box that I would inherit when I became of age," She giggled, "She always thought I would sober up by my early teens... here I am, twenty two and still just as crazy as I was then..." she opened the box and looked upon the various pieces of jewelry, Mor curiously looking over Vreagon's shoulder to see them. She pulled them out, swallowing nervously and fingering one band, the shiny black accessory showing the clear vision of a snake. She slid it over her hand and up her arm to join the leather piece she had worn since the boys had known her, patting it softly before reaching for the other inhabitant of the box. It was tangled up slightly in the thread and ribbons of other things buried within the box but she freed it from its imprisonment, flopping it slightly to rid it of dust. The black band, much the same color as the leather on her arm or the snake, had white string and blackened feathers attached, moving slightly as a gentle breeze accompanied their breaths. She pulled it over her opposite hand of the snake and shook her arm, grinning as the feathers ghosted over her skin.

Vreagon frowned. "Is this all you came here for?" He asked, irritable that she hadn't led them to a source of water, or food.

"Nope." She spoke simply, her grins returning full force, her happiness obvious as she stood, looking about the room. "Hey boys, why don't you find me something heavy?"

"Heavy- what the hell are you-"

"..." Mor set a hand on his brother's shoulder, chuckling. "Best to humor her, brother."

The two males searched the building, returning to the girl's side with a heavy hammer. She inspected it with a firm frown before shrugging, facing the opposite direction, bringing it up, letting out a loud scream as she pushed through all of her energy to her arms, slamming the hammer into the wood floor. Both men jumped and Duck fled to take cover behind Vreagon, watching the brunette fall to her knees and pull boards apart, frowning as she bent over, her backside in the air in an almost comical fashion. "...I know father hid it h- there it is!" She called cheerfully, dragging out another chest, this one bigger than the last.

Another chest...? When will this end... Vreagon thought, but his eyes widened as the lid opened, a large blade coming into view. "This beauty saved father time and time again. He wanted to give it to me before we were bombarded; obviously he never had the chance..." She frowned slightly before pulling out a set of leather bands, connecting them around her thighs and connecting to other pieces, one on the inside of her thigh and the other on the outside, pulling part of it out to create a holster of sorts, slipping the sharpened blade through. It was held in place, the sapphires on the hilt shining brilliantly in the sun. "Well. This will make things quite a bit easier don't you think?"

Vreagon nodded, watching her move with the curved blade attached to her thigh. He looked at his brother warily, waiting until the girl had exited the home, "...Remind me to never piss her off."

Mor agreed silently, making his way out into the heat, following the girl disappearing into the distance. "Wait a minute- ARI! Wait up!" He shouted, breaking into a tired sprint, Vreagon groaning and following, coughing several times as his throat and chest burned. Then, music to his ears.

Running water.

"Phew!" He heard Ari call, laughing as she splashed in the water, "I'm glad it hasn't been destroyed!" She cupped her hands in the water and brought them to her lips, taking in greedy gulps of fresh water. "Isn't the greatest, but it's water. If we walk north long enough I believe there's a river with better water."

Vreagon dropped in front of the water, grinning at his brother, who was already on his third drink. Ari joined them and cupped her hands once more, and silence fell on the trio, Duck clucking and shoving his head into the water, bubbles rising before he came back up, flapping his wings. The group laughed, hearing the mooing of cows. Ari stood, taking Mor's bow, making her way up one of the dunes, pulling back the arrow before releasing it, watching it fly through the air and hitting its target. "Got it!" She shouted, and Mor had already begun working on the fire. Vreagon helped Ari drag the meal to their spot, grunting with each step, before dropping it on the stone by the water.

They ate well that night, on guard for any sounds of an enemy nearby.

Not one was heard.

"Something... Blue."

Vreagon looked over at Ari, raising his brow as he searched around them, crossing his arms as he leaned back, watching the stars above them twinkling. "Uh... I have no idea. It's a desert, Ari. There isn't much blue here."

The girl was silent; the sounds of Mor shifting in his sleep the only breaks. Finally, she giggled, and Vreagon looked over to her - "What?" The girl was staring straight at him, her smile contagious as he, too, smiled and laughed. "What do you find so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." Silence passed again and the next time Vreagon found himself glancing at his friend, he wasn't so surprised to find that she was drifting off into her dream land, her eyes fluttering.

"Hey...Ari..." The girl grunted in acknowledgement, giving her best attempt at looking up, "...what were you looking at that was blue, anyway?"

The girl giggled again, smiling as her eyes closed fully, soft lips pulling into a smile. "Your eyes."

Vreagon pulled away from her in slight surprise, but before he could question her further, she was gone, even breathing lulling even him into an exhausted rest.