The cold, desert air greeted her as Jade stepped outside of the tent.

Immediate regret had her wishing she had grabbed her cloak before stepping out, especially since she knew it would be cold.

But the sudden chill did shake off the sleep that was still lingering in her eyes and limbs, which in turn made her more aware and reflective of her surroundings. And given where she was, given the environment she was in, that was a necessity.

Jade remained still and moved only her eyes as she gave them time to adjust to the pitch darkness around her.

She listened carefully and took in the silence, awaiting and preparing herself for any little noise to draw her attention.

Nothing came though.

She waited for a little longer, just for additional assurance.

Her eyes had adjusted by then, but a quick scope of her surroundings gave her nothing but the sand dunes cutting pieces out of the horizon.

With that information, she slowly turned and stepped back into the tent.

"If there was something out there, it's gone now," Jade spoke, as she tied the tent closed behind her - and she took extra precaution in ensuring that it was secured.

"You didn't find anything? Really?" Kung Lao questioned.

He was still partly under the covers where she had left him.

The dim lantern above him cast warm shadows all over his half-clad form.

And it emphasized the concerned look on his face.

"Not a soul," she replied, as she dusted her feet off on the mat beneath her. "It's possible the noise came from a ground burrower who just emerged to take hunt. Or it could've been a flyer who snagged something nearby before it took off."

Of course, she didn't really take note of any sand that might've been disturbed.

But if it was there, she would've seen it regardless if she was looking for it or not.

Jade made her way back over to him.

She watched as Kung Lao pulled the quilted blankets back for her to rejoin him, to which she quickly did.

She plopped down amongst her pillows, ready to regain her lost sleep, but noticed that he still seemed weary despite her lookout report.

It wasn't like she could blame his hesitation.

She had not only convinced him to come to Outworld, she had also convinced him to travel across the Golden Desert with her.

"Or maybe, being from Earthrealm, you're just overly sensitive to the sounds of Outworld," Jade teased, as she moved a hand to his chest and tried to coax him back down to her.

The gesture worked.

And he even gave a soft laugh at her subtle insult.

"Can you blame me?" Kung Lao replied, as he laid back with her. "At least I have a nice, strong Outworld woman who will investigate strange noises in the middle of the night for me."

"You're lucky you're so cute- otherwise I would've let something eat you a long time ago."