The endless sands.

[denise]

The surface was stretched as far as the eyes could see, only sand, sand and more sand, or so it seemed to be to most of the people.
Her eyes scanned the area, and that wasn't quite easy with the harsh sun, it was deadly, alot of men and woman had lost there lives in here, and you where lucky to find them, or so she thought.
It gave her some income, even tho it wasn't the best way to gain some.

Standing on a rock which was on a higher point denise could see the area.
Her eyes still scanning for a simple sign of live, a snake a bug.. or the local scorpions, something to give her population food, something..
A sigh left her dry lips and denise sat down on the rock, only had left ½ of her water flask and some tough bread, she should start to head back towards the city, but she didend like to do that, she liked the nature how harsh it could be, it felt as her home.

Denise moved her hand trough her blond hair and moved it aside so it woudend be in the way of her bow, it was new one bought with some of her money but she was glad, it made her one step closer to her goal, to be a hunter.
A lone person, not needing a city, and able to communicate with all the animals around herself, to be a master at shooting.. and so much more, but that was a mere dream, she had to accept it, she was new, unexperienced.. and still not even having a pet..

Kicking a rock away and following its road denise saw a snake, she grinned..
Snakes where common and always lived in groups, if she could follow it towards there hole, she could maybe even sell some of those creatures for some money.
She made a small jump off the rock on the sand, which made the sand wave up into her eyes and also made her sneeze once.
Denise looked to the harsh son, one day.. her final goal.. Tru'liara the beast of the sands would fall pray to her hands..
Her eyes quickly got track of the snake which was about 15 cm's long and started to follow it..

As the minutes passed and her feet still followed the snake, she had found there lair.
A hole made by a large rock which was embodied in the sand, and so making a large hole and giving shadow large enough to hold possible.. 100 snakes..
With a grin denise sunk on her knees and got out a map, homemade, she got some charcoal and made a small x on the spot where she could about be now..
The snake.. she had seen didend to be a treat.. she woudend need her bow, and could do it with her sword saving arrows and saving money.
Denise did put away the charcoal and then also the map into a small pocket that was on her side.
Thinking, her right pocket was filled with the food and on her hip was the flask, she needed to buy a bag once a large traveller's bag so she could get more then just 4 snakes..

Well, time to earn a couple of gold.. she thought, snakes could be skinned and there skins where used for simple leather toys and even sometimes for a colorful football, and the meat when cooked well was a treat to about anyone around here in the desert.
She moved up the hill towards the shadow and there towards the snakes once there.
Denise shocked.. the ground seemed to move because of them.. 100's if not more she could easily get 4 snakes a day and get her bag soon enough.
With a small laugh of joy on her face, she got out her shurai which was a typical blade around here, it was made of the bone and was sharpened, handier then an weapon of iron because this didend reflect the sun and didend make you a walking shooting target.
Quickly she chopped off the heads of 4 snakes, taking the bodies with her, into the pocket on her left, taking some of her precious water she started to head back to town..

She just wanted a pet.. a simple beast, some company for when your alone, some company to help you in battle, maybe a Clothia or a Predatiar the last would be an even better option because it would mean a free mount.

Away in thoughts denise kept moving towards the city Gur'ai from time to time controlling the map with the stand of the sun it would be a 3 hours walk.. or something like that

[denise]

Loneone was walking towards the palace when she saw a market, elves? wood? water? What did they sell, she knew about the trade there people had but not that they were already here to sell things she looked to it.. eyed it. how could they possible made this by hand? The lines.. no flaw perfect, her eyes went up to the person behind the stand, a male elf.. she watched him, his face and looked away blushing slightly, elves seemed perfect in many ways.. they looked gorgeous, and a simple woman could fall in love to them without they even realized it, she sighed.. and looked back to him, and then tried to focus on the stand, then she watched the mages they made new things? she moved to one of them.. watched him, and shook her head.. wait she was going to her brother right, but if the elves where here.. he would be busy like always, a sigh left her lips and she moved again to the stand. Then she saw her brother after a quick chit chat and getting the bow she always had wanted she sayed goodbye the food they brought where for the other people, she would buy some.. Denise moved away from the stand towards a other local merchant and bought food and water for 3 days, that costed her 2 gold. the money she had earned with the snakes.

She did put it away in her pocket, controlled her arrows.. 20 left, and started to walk out the gates, it was never busy here only fools, or so the people always sayed, left the city, but denise did it often she loved the sands.. every single bit of it, from its warm breezes to its cold nights, everything, it just sayed home to her somehow, something she coudend explain it just, was the way it was. she leaned against the wall and got out her map, she could go south.. to the unexplored area's but it was months of walking if not more.. and she didend go often there, some of the hex where roaming.. and other creature's but she wanted to go south.

And so one of her journey's begun again, she planned a 3 day trip in the desert and then back out, so she would have to kill someone and find a oasis and otherwise.. well she could survive for 3 days without water,.. she hoped her legs carried her from sand to to sand hill from rock to rock from snake hole to snake hole which she made little marks of to be sure she would be able to get back to those on the way back, now to find an oasis or something.. she really needed a pet, maybe she could ask an elf if they knew anything about beast mastery.. they where legendary Sword fighters and archers.. elfs, they seemed perfect she envied them and wished she could be one, and could match them in skill.. maybe she could travel with them, to their lands.. but she didend speak their language she was.. just simple.. only controlled hers, she sighed.

Almost 3 hours had passed while she was thinking, she saw a shade in the distance.. she moved closer.. it was a hex, hex where almost humans but had no expression on their faces.. and they always wore a brown cloth she moved closer, lied an arrow on her bow.. it was roughly 15 feet.. 5 feet longer then she normally shot, she was a newbie.. she would ask the elves maybe they controlled her tongue.. she focused and made a small prayer to her god that she would survive the battle and give the arrow strength, she released the string of the bow, already starting to get on a new arrow while the first one was flying towards the Hex, the hex turned around slower than a normal one would, his face had no expression and looked to denise, and he took out his white sword.. a bone sword sharpened by using a rock denise shot a second arrow, because the hex was switching to a weapon he saw it to late and got hit in his left leg.. denise dropped her bow pulled out her sword and started to storm towards the hex like the hex did to her

"Die!"

Denise screamed while making a spinning movement to the left her sword twisting with it and tried to cut in his side, her blow was parried she hex was still strong even though he didend look normal, he was poisoned.. but now there forces where equal, the blades moved forward and back.. and small piece of bone flew off, this wasn't going to make her win this would continue to long then, she moved her right leg moved up and she made a spin left with this she got the leg into the hex's side.. but his bone sword did hit her right shoulder.. she felt the hit.. it had broken something.. and didend feel all right.. but.. to finish him first, luckily she was left handed she moved the bone sword up, and did hit his throat.. exhausted she started to search the body, she took his brown robe against the sand, and wind, the coins he had and used the remaining cloths as cleaning cloths and bandages for the wound, she first cleaned it*

"a..auw.. argh"

she did bite on her teeth and cleaned it, which did hurt, and then using some of her precious water to make a wet cloth, to keep the wound from being infected, or so she hoped.. she continued to walk.. every step went harder and the wind also started to blow harder.. a sandstorm was coming, she moved towards a rock on her map, there should be some snakes there, but that didend harm her

"Stupid sand.. stupirgd.."

Denise spitted once, the wind had blown sand in her mouth, which makes the funny sound when you try to make chew motions with your mouth then, but there should be a rock where she could hide nearby, soon she found it.. it was a large rock which was pointed against the wind direction so it gave her cover against the winds.. there were no snakes which was strange.. Normally there should be enough, she stopped against the rock, and waited.. for it to calm down. her eyes slipped down from time to time.. and then opened them again.. did she saw something moving? she moved.. and crawled up.. there she saw what she wanted to kill.. what she wanted to see so much..

Tru’Liara. Her eyes gazed down upon the massive beast, she moved some back to not be spotted.. Tru’Liara finally.. she heard a howl of something that wasn't even of anything she heard.. she quickly got her map, marked an x.. and then heard nothing.. 10.. 20 minutes passed.. then she dared to look, she moved up.. it was gone.. dug in.. a sigh left her lips and she moved back.. closing her eyes near the cave

-*-*-*-*-*- Day 2 -*-*-*-*-*-*-

Denise didend sleep real well, it was cold and the adrenaline rush from having seen Tru'Liara wasn't over yet, her eyes moved down to the ground it was frozen or most part of it.
She moved up and controlled the wound.. it was seeming to be better then yesterday, good.. she thought good. Denise sighed, if they cloth would dry her water supply of 3 days would shrink to 1.5 if not even less, she needed to find some water..
Maybe more south.. she wanted to go south so there she would go, stretching a little but keeping her right arm loose so it woudend start to bleed again, south the unexplored area.. she smiled and looked to her longbow

"Thank you sic, for giving me a bow, which i can also lean on"

She made a small prayer for the well being of her brother, he would probably be doing diplomatic.. one day she would be strong enough to go with him.. and started to walk south, the cloth protecting her eyes from the harsh sun and from the heat it was comfortable.. her eyes searched for something and oasis but she didend know the area step after step she made, making some stops to pee.. and taking small bites of her bread, no water.. not for now she woudend have much. making it even more important to find an oasis to supply some water, and probably some food.. she sighed.. no plants.. nothing, so no oasis.. close.. lets continue south, she murmured to herself.

Walking.. step after step, no one, no people, no bugs.. nothing.. she sighed she liked talking and felt lonely.. now.. but well.. time to get used to it, she thought and kept walking.. minutes became hours.. and hours became more.. for 4 hours she had been walking, different caves of snakes.. but no water.. and her bottle was almost empty, she needed to find a oasis.. soon, she sighed and continued to walk drinking her flask empty.. and walked for another 2 hours.. she found an empty cave which would be her hiding place for the night, marking it and seeing she was still light.. a sigh left her lips and she started to walk west.. the city lied close to the ocean, maybe there was a stream.. something.. water.. that’s what she wanted she walked east for.. about 30 minutes, before she had to pee again.. it was a good sign she was still peeing, but no water here.. so she started to move back, got inside the cave and cuddled in against the wall closing her eyes again.

-*-*-*-*-*- Day 3 -*-*-*-*-*-*-

Her eyes slowly got open, the sun was already ip, she felt her right shoulder.. it was warm! And the rest of her body wasn’t. She moved the bandage some away and cursed.. the cloth she had put on it still had some of the decease that hex had.. now her shoulder was infected by it, cursing she calmed down walking back would mean 2 days.. but she wanted to go souts o badly.. and she needed water anyway, but to the south, the desert only seemed to get dryer by it, maybe to the east yes.. the east seemed logical

Denise stood up, noticing how tired her body was, she wanted a best.. come-on what for hunter was she? Wanting a bed.. she loved this desert! And still wanting a bed, she sank back, was she a hunter? She coudend shoot an arrow from further than 10 feet maybe 12 with her longbow which she wasn’t even worth she coudend even survive in the desert whiteout getting hurt and poisoned a sigh left her lips, she as a shame to her people, soldiers where now in the plains, they were strong. Skilled.. what was she.. just a shade of her brother people didend know her, better that way.. she was the black sheep.. the shame of her family, she had always been an out loner

“Get up.. you can’t stay here you need water”

She spoke to herself trying to bring reason in her mind, not to stink away in thoughts which she didend like.
Denise got up, but her head wasn’t getting of the thoughts, she hated it everyone seemed to better, thats why she stayed away that was the real reason, she left a lot. Shaking her head again Denise started to walk east, her right shoulder hurting from time to time, the poison started to give some effect. After about an hour of walking she gave up, no water here.. and no oasis near the north, she had to walk towards the city.. without water..

So she changed towards the city the sooner she would start the sooner she would get there, she kept moving.. walking step by step which seemed to get heavier when she walked.. feeling the thirst for water.. come-on keep on moving.. she thought.. and so she walked..

-*-*-*-*-*- Day 5 -*-*-*-*-*-* (Not a mistake.. skipped one)

Her eyes opened tiredly.. her body felt dry and she didend pee yesterday not a good sign.. she sighed and got up, being almost sure she could hear her bones crack.. she needed to get back, she went over her limit this desert wasn’t something for her.. for a newbie in the skills.. Her confidence she had build up over years had been gone by yesterday and the day before. Denise felt tired.. and wanted a bed, but her legs walked.. and her shoulder wasn’t looking good, on her shoulder now was dried blood but when pushing on it, yellow stuff got out it.. not a good sign.. she kept walking breathing heavily.. even tho she had gotten better at walking in long paces.. the dehydrating made her weak.. and no gates yet, could she had wanderd wrong?.. her food was gone her water already for long.. she could be seeing the city..had she walked the wrong way? She sighed.. and sat down on her knees got out the map.. and tried to see where she was.. the city should be north.. she just walked slower.. because of her injury.. a sigh left her lips and she started to walk.

Her eyes felt tired.. her legs and arms heavy and she constantly did bite on her lip to suppress the pain of the wound.. but she would get home, this desert woudend get her as victim.. she tried to walk faster and soon she saw it.. a sigh of happiness left her mouth and she got off the brown cloth to people woudend fire at her, she kept it on her side the wound visible.. but she didend care and soon she walked inside the gates of the city