Tracyn dragged himself through the sand, dehydrated and exhausted. Tanith was only slightly better off, her protective hide reflecting off most of the rays. However both had not had much to drink since their water had run out after getting lost in the dunes. Tracyn looked over a dune, "Water..." he trudged up the hill, "Water!" He jumped into the 'water' laughing gleefully. Tanith stared down at Tracyn in confusion, why is he swimming in sand? the little dragon pondered.

How long had it been since they had water? A few days? Hours? Maybe even a few moments but in this heat no one could tell for sure. Truly this was a man who saw a mirage, nothing else could explain it. The human was almost at deaths door and he cried out for water. The elderly dwarf shook his head as he walked calmly through the sand as the dragon looked on in wonder. "Your friend is quite delusional you know that right?" he asked the dragon as the dwarf reached into his sleeve and pulled out a skin of water.

Walking over to the man he took out the cork and dumped the water onto the mans face as he did what could be considered a 'backstroke' in the sand. "I believe that the real thing is better than an illusion," the dwarf said as he pulled out another skin. "Drink up before you die of thirst" the elderly dwarf said as he tapped his stick on the shifting ground poking small indentions into it.

Tracyn suddenly broke from the trance of the mirage. He stared at what a moment ago was water. "Uh.." he took the water, "Thanks." He smiled with embarasment. "Got lost and ran out of water a while ago." He squinted up at the sky, "I have no clue how long ago that was though."

Extreme, obliterating heat. That was the only way to describe it. The sky was a dull gray color, a reflection of the dull yellow sand. A few Accacia Trees towered above the flat horizon. Ara stepped on top of a mound of rocks, crumbling like dust under her weight when she stepped on, but it steadied itself and she glanced about the horizon. She caught small peaks poking from the sand far int he distance. The Ered Annon Mountain range. This is where she was headed.

The heat had driven many men to insanity. Some reach the coast and drink like mad. They die a few hours later. Others still do not drink, and they die of thirst. The best way to go is to get out...quickly.

Her eyes set to the western sky, she continued forward, jumping off the rock and swagging a bit of her cantine water. She sheilded her pained eyes. The sun glareed brilliantly in front of her like a headlight more heat coming with it. She wanted more, the whole cantine, but restrained herself.

A man up ahead was smimming in the sand, he was drug out of it by an old drawf, and she approached the man.

"Not the most uncommon of dillusions. You might do yourself some good to rush ahead, and get whatever moisture you can" she said to him, eyes still quinted against the powerful, radiating light.

Tracyn spat out some sand, "Uh huh," He sighed, it was so hot he could barely thing, let alone speak. Tanith trudged over, her wings held so as to better keep the heat from her body. She stretched out next to Tracyn, waiting for him to collect himself. Tracyn wiped sweat from his forehead, slowly getting up. He grabbed his bag, squinting too see off into the distance. "Best us two get going then."

Ayaker flew through the arid desert at a considerable speed, his long hair and forehead drenched with sweat. This was his first time out of the city of Lomedor, and he had meant to head to Estolad Village, but apparently he had got a little lost...

He had been flying through here for about 5 hours now, and had only had a small portion of water from a shiny hip flask he had stolen. For once he was glad he was half red dragon, for the heat did not bother him as much as it would a normal human, and the wings would probably end up saving his life since he could move so fast and climb. He was convinced he had almost gotten out of the desert back where he had entered when slowly a luminous mountain range rose up in front of him. He sighed and was about to turn directly in the opposite direction, when he spotted a group of people on the ground. He had an instinct to just keep going, but he noticed one of them was the man he had met in the ally and fought with, Tracyn. Apparently he had a bit of a problem, because he looked like he was exhausted and dehydrated, then again..it was the desert. Ayaker didn't bother changing forms, friend of Tracyn wouldn't judge him...he hoped.

He landed down next to Tracyn, and was startled by what he had not seen before, a small steel dragon hatchling was curled up next to him.

"Tracyn, it's been what...two weeks? What are you doing in the middle of this barren desert?"

"Got a little lost on the plains," He looked around. "I bet we've been going in circles the entire time, huh?" The small dragon chirped in agreement, trodding over to Ayaker. She sniffed him a few times, making a sound that seemed to be something along the lines of: I knew it! She happly walked back to Tracyn and sat down next to him.

Ayaker smiled at the little dragon, he felt sure that Tracyn would take good care of it. He gazed at it for a few seconds, before returning his gaze to Tracyn. "I think its pretty safe to say we've all been going in circles. I was trying to find Estolad, but I've never been outside the city, so I must've gotten lost."

Ayaker looked around at the aquaintaces that were with Tracyn. There was a tall female elf, who looked rather pretty, and an elderly dwarf who seemed to be doing much better then one would assume he should be doing in the middle of the desert. They seemed rather friendly, and he judged that his assumptions were right.

"I've been flying through this desert for about 5 hours." He said as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. " I started on the side by the plains, but now I've somehow ended up all the way over here by the mountain range. Maybe it's lucky I found you, we can all get out together."

He took a hip flask out of his pocket and handed it to Tracyn. "Here, have some more to drink, that way none of us run out of water." He looked again at the dragon, feeling a sort of kinship to the hatchling. He didn't usually consider himself much of a dragon, usually thinking of himself as more human, but this was the first time he had seen a dragon in person. He didn't think of himself as a beast, but the truth was, half of his biological makeup was exactly the same as that little hatchling sitting there. There was enough water to be spared for the little gal.

"Oh, and let her have some water too, she looks kinda thirsty if i'm not mistaken. If I run out I can always fly to the oasis I saw on the way here and fill our containers, Im rather swift when I fly." He paused, and then slapped himself in the forehead. "Duh, we should probably head to that Oasis, we could take some time to rest, drink, and wash up. "

The dwarf looked around, 'This has definately become quite the interesting group' he thought as the man took the skin from him and downed it quickly. "Got lost and ran out of water a while ago." the man had said to him. The dwarf looked up at the sky, not one thing save the sun was in it. Typical of desert regions for the sky to be as baren and lifeless as the ground beneith it that was full of sand. The heat was great but the dwarf did not seem to mind as he watched a female elf join them. "Not the most uncommon of dillusions. You might do yourself some good to rush ahead, and get whatever moisture you can" she said. The dwarf watched her with interest but did not say anything as he watched another come and join the group.

"Best us two get going then." he said. The dwarf nodded and turned to the elf, "I would suggest that as well, lest you and your dragon enjoy the desert heat." He smiled. Soon another man joined up in the group. "Tracyn, it's been what...two weeks? What are you doing in the middle of this barren desert?" asked a red dragon. The dwarf said nothing but stood there as the dragonic humanoid and the man conversed. "I bet we've been going in circles the entire time, huh?" "But don't you always go in circles? You start at one point but by the time your journey is over haven't you returned to that point?" he asked with a smile. "I've been flying through this desert for about 5 hours." the dragon humanoid said. Traycn did not seem to be doing too well as he began rambling a moment and then his friend spoke once more. "Here, have some more to drink, that way none of us run out of water." he said handing his friend another thing of water.

"Oh, and let her have some water too, she looks kinda thirsty if i'm not mistaken. If I run out I can always fly to the oasis I saw on the way here and fill our containers, Im rather swift when I fly. Duh, we should probably head to that Oasis, we could take some time to rest, drink, and wash up. " he said slapping himself on the forehead. The dwarf gave a frustrated sigh and tapped the ground with his staff finally speaking up. "You're taking too long. You all talk more than my nephew and his companions." he said as he waved his hand forwards. "Well then, lets be off if we are going. Or we could stand in the heat and fry. Your choice." he said smiling.

Tracyn nodded and checked on Tanith before moving. Tanith looked happy to have water, not that she shouldn't. The small dragon waddled over to Tracyn's side as he walked. He put his hand over his forehead so it acted as a visor and looked up to the sky. He didn't like it now in the day, so he undoubtedly wanted to be gone before night.

Ayaker nodded at the dwarf. "Your right, we need to get moving, standing here just brings death one inch closer to our doorstep, and inches add up after a while."

"Alright..." Said Ayaker, turning around in circles, he looked at the mountains, and then the direction of the sun, he rather wish he had a compass, but he knew the general direction he had come from, and he had traveled in a straight line, so it should be fine.

"Ok, its this way." he said pointing to the way he had come. "Let's get to that Oasis before the sun reaches high noon, then we can wait there until the heat gets a little more bearable." He put his flask back in his pocket, saving it for emergencies.
It should only take about an hour of walking to get to the Oasis, and that would be right in time to catch the brunt of the heat. When they got there he would fill his flask and wash the sand out of his hair and wing crevices, the wind had over the course of a few hours made him look like a sand dragon.

He flapped his wings, lifting himself off lightly off the ground, and began moving forward. After they had gotten out of the desert, he would have to head back to Lomedor to rent a room, it looked like he wasn't going to make it to Estolad that day.

Ah well. he thought. There are always more oppurtunities, I just wanna get out of this desert as fast as I can, this heat is a little too much even for me after this long. His confident smile faltered for a few moments though, and rose to a frown. He really wanted to know more about what happened in Estolad and his father, and although he knew he should be patient, the longing wasn't easy to put on the backburner.

The talking grew louder, and it engulfed her being, she couldn't think properly or hear her own voice, which was muttering something about help, and she had no control over it. Her mouth became dry, her breath shallow, and she breathed in more and more of the treacherous dust that floated in the hot, dry air. She became clammy and reached for her canteen, but it was empty. Why was she there, in the barren desert? Without further control, she bolted towards the hills, and demons black as death chased her, where they came from she didn't know. They called her to death, they called her to kill, she bolted faster, the mountains would be her refuge. It was impossible for any creature to catch up with a bolting elf, why was she running? How did the demons continue to come closer and closer? No others seemed to see the demons, and she looked back, and they were dissolving into dust, but their shadows pulled themselves toward her, and her body sucked them in as if that was were they belonged, though Ara protested at her own inner demons, no, a war was to be fought with swords....she couldn't stand fighting within herself, she refused to even look at herself, reflect on her actions or words, it was as if she couldn't stand herself. Another war was to be fought, one that wasn't by herself, she needed to fight with blood and other soldiers...she was a true soldier......

And her thoughts spiralled into a swirling black abyss, her eyes flashed with the lives she had taken, and she collapsed on the burning sand...
Was she gone?

OOC: "An elf can only really get sick if they want to"...so Ara will be able to take control of her sickness and delay fighting off her 'inner demons', the reason why she is so cold in person. No, she isn't dead, I would never!!!!