Creatures Of Sonaria: Sands Of Time

Part 11: Hike

       It took much longer to get to the base of the Icelands than it looked. Turns out, it was a week's walk to where the snow and grass met. But mostly because Arche had been wounded on his right hind leg, a large gash that Sane opened when the two fought. Dune had to swim underwater to grab long pieces of kelp to wrap around Arche's wound, while Armolten melted some mud down to help the kelp stick to him. They had to travel slower, which was agonizing to Dune because that had probably given Gher more time to prepare for the summoning. Now it was about noon.

       Dune had many questions about why Gher stole a baby kehmador. Why would he steal it alive and not dead? Was it more useful to him alive than dead? Probably, but what did the kehmador have to do with Sar'Hingaro? Was the baby like a puzzle piece to him? What other creatures had he stolen?

       Then the thought struck her like a rock to the head. Diala mentioned something about creatures escaping Daimona when they banished Sar'Hingaro there. Hemokais, hikorshies, and kehmadors. Were they the keys to opening the portal?

       Armolten scuffled her hooves in the dirt. Dune looked over and saw that she was nervous, which was quite unsettling to see in a creature who's naturally vicious and violent. Dune looked to her other side to see Arche staring up the mountain. He looked nervous as well. Just seeing her two friends nervous made her feel the same as well, but the longer they stood there staring, the less time they had. 

       "Let's start climbing," Dune said, breaking the other two from their trance. She stepped into the snow and immediately felt shivers down her spine. Snow was even worse than grass! She felt sharp rocks under the snow, but it'd probably get worse on the way up. Dune was about to turn back before she remembered she was doing this for Aire as well as the world. So, she proceeded upwards and heard the crunching snow of her friend's footsteps behind her. 

       The hike wasn't that bad, as long as she was near Armolten's warm fire. But even her heat wasn't enough to melt the cold blanket. 

       Arche was walking faster than before. He began using his injured leg again, but only when he had to climb snow-covered rocks. Other than that, the cold seemed to be numbing the pain in his leg. 

       Two hours later, the sun was beginning to set. They had made it nearly halfway up the mountain before a snowstorm hit. There were no caves to rest in. There were, however, lots of tall pine trees with large trunks. The three of them decided to rest in one tree with a large hole in between its roots. Dune wasn't tired and decided to stay up and guard in case a nyctoxon came along and tore them to shreds. Arche and Armolten agreed and went to sleep next to a carefully handled fire Armolten had made to keep them warm.

       Dune sat in the safety of the tree's branches, looking out at the aggressive snowstorm. It was hard to see or hear anything in it. It was even worse at night. Dune kept glancing left and right, but soon she was more focused on staying warm than anything.

       Think about your life in the desert, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, she imagined herself back in the dunes of Carrion Desert, the sun baking her scales as she ran over each dune. She imagined Aire flying alongside her, blowing sand in her face as she glided by, laughing and playing in the sand. At night, the two would bury themselves in the sand, Aire smiling and staring up at the stars with Dune before falling asleep. 

      Her tail wrapped around her claws. What if she never got to do those things with Aire? What if she never got to see her again, or feel her furry wings around her? 

       Did she make the wrong decision leaving Aire alone, when she wanted her to stay? Dune looked down at the snow and lifted her claws out of it, now feeling as if they were numb from the cold. Maybe this was a mistake.

       "PUT ME DOWN!" A screeching demand broke her train of thought. Dune stood up and walked forward. It sounded as if it came from above. Dune looked up into the snowy, night sky to see if she could see anything. There didn't seem to be anything, but Dune heard the voice again, "You cactus-kissing, dirt licking THEIF! Put me DOWN, you vin'rou!"

       Vin'rou! Dune's mind panicked. That had to be Gher flying back to the cave. Dune ran back to the tree and into the hole, kicking snow onto Arche and Armolten. They both groaned and slowly woke up.

       "We have to go, now!" Dune demanded, helping Arche up while Armolten stomped out the fire. 

       "Why? What's happening? Is there a nyctoxon?" Arche asks, shaking snow that had managed to blow into the hideout.

       Dune shook her head. "No, worse. Gher has the last creature he needs to summon Sar'Hingaro, and he's going up to the cave now. Armolten stopped the fire and looked outside, then at Dune. A wide smile spread across her face.

       Arche stretched and flexed his muscles, lashing his tail slowly. "Well then, let's get going. I want this world saved, not destroyed." Dune smiled at his courage. Arche was already leaving the shelter, using his injured leg as if it never hurt at all. Armolten followed with Dune right behind her. 

       The three of them began hiking upwards much faster, but the higher they went, the colder and windier it was. Their pace had slowed down significantly. Frost began forming in between Dune's scales. Her breathing became heavier, and thinking about the desert wasn't helping. 

       Dune flopped down onto the snow. Arche and Armolten stopped and turned around. Arche tried to lift up Dune by her side, while Armolten leaned in close to that the heat of her body warmed her up. But Dune still felt cold. 

       "Come on," Arche grunted, trying to pull her up. "You can't give up now! We're so close! Please, don't die of frostbite, please!" Dune heard him sniffling coming from Arche, then she felt him lay down with her. 

       Armolten sat there, unable to figure out what to do. Then, she lifted her head. "Did you hear that?" She said, looking around the gray sky. 

       "No, I didn't hear anything," Arche said, lifting his neck up, but not leaving Dune's side. Dune didn't hear anything, but she felt the ground shake. Arche must've felt it as well. He stood up and looked at the trees. Dune mustered the strength to stand with him. 

       Now the trees were shaking, and the ground was vibrating enough for the snow to shift around their feet. From a distance, Dune saw faint glowing lights. They seemed to reach as high as the trees were, and they were moving forward. Toward them.

       Nobody moves as they saw a tall figure appear, shaping around the lights. Much taller than the trees, the creature had long legs and was many shades of blue. It was crested and feathered, the light being apart of the creature's body. 

       A warden.