Red as the Dawn

"Hup, hup!" a boy's voice echoed over the dusty red sands, as wind whipped at the top of the dunes, spraying the delicate-sized particles of multi-colored red onto the next dune. A camel lowed in response, and the dull clop-clop of hooves pierced the dawn-chilled morning as the sun was just a fringe over the horizon. A second camel lowed, and another set of hooves trumped just seconds after the first.

Sky blue eyes scanned the horizon line, judging when the terrain was to start heating up. The desert island wasn't massive - but it was large, and as soon as the sun came around, this super-heated area was victim to blazing light. Idouma, the boy, knew partly why the landscape was so. Underneath the ground were massive caverns and channels of magma - though they never surfaced here, they were closest here on Redclaw than anywhere else - excluding actual volcanoes, but those were on Grimm and Fellgrad, mainly.

He gently flicked the reins again, and Satz, the camel he sat astride on lowed once more, stirring Sonne, the lighter-colored camel female behind them, to speed up and keep pace. Satz and Sonne were just about his only friends - and he was glad to have them. They supported him, and kept him alive - finding sources of water he'd never know about otherwise.

Satz let out a bellow, slowing to a trot. Why was there a silhouette so far out in the desert? Idouma's gaze narrowed. He didn't really like people....

Autumn trailed the desert. He's been on this desert many times. But he's had very bad luck so far. His water had run out a little too quickly,seeing as he couldn't recall drinking any of it. It also seems as though his food bag had been nicked by a desert snake. Poisonous creatures indeed,and he didn't feel like dying just yet. He wore a simple magenta tunic around his head, keeping the sand out of his face. His feet ached as they made little paw prints in the sand.
He's have to remember to massage them when he reached his destination. He was terribly thirsty,but he didn't show it, not that anyone would see anyways.

The sun had beat down upon his long back,the colors on his skin and hair had absorbed the heat,making him a little hotter than usual. He took his tunic and adjusted it to wrap around the lower half of his face. His nose had become clearer,making breathing air hurtful to him. Although he knew this desert well- he didn't have a clue where the hell he was going. He felt like he was going to faint any second. He sighed. "So troublesome." he said, his voice heavy and dry. His blue eyes looked around the desert for any sign of life,but saw none. He didn't feel up to living alone by himself in this desert because he had gotten lost. He shivered in the heat just thinking about slowly dying of dehydration.
His eye narrowed and he faintly saw a shadow of two camels and a person riding upon one. Was he hallucinating now?

Idouma's gaze hardened when he noticed the silhouette form into a pillar's.....Though it was more differently shaped than his - apparently this was one of Meddus's more exotic pillars. Just more reason for him to avoid the person - though his heart steered him against that notion. Something was pulling at him to go to this figure - he didn't know why.

Reluctantly, he changed Satz's direction a little with a small tug of her reins. Sonne gave a confused bellow, but trundled on slowly after the elder camel.

He hadn't met a person in months - he foraged for his food, and had his friends - that's honestly what he thought of Satz and Sonne; people - seek out water for the three of them. He had several bulging canteens of water strung about Sonne's form - along with his few possessions, and food stored under her belly, safe from most of the sun's glaring gaze.

He honestly did not want to meet people. He talked with them seldom, because he was used to being treated harshly - for most folk located in Redclaw were rude, sluggish, sleazy and complete scoundrels. Of course... There were the outcasts - those who had honor, pride, compassion and such. He himself was in the between - a nomad, nearly shunned, though he used that term lightly. His own family had cast him out from his home, when he was a fresh eleven years old.

He went to Redclaw, partly because the minerals would turn his skin red - or at least pink. The other reason? Because very little of Redclaw was inhabited, compared to the space it had. But out here, he had not expected to meet anyone - he was no where near a town. He sighed as the silhouette started to gain some color.

"Ho!" he beckoned loudly, waving one of his four arms.

"Ho!" a voice rang out,Autumn looked up,seeing as the rider on the camel was a pillar,much like himself, and he was waiving to him.
He got close enough to see the color of the pillar as he was an exotic pink color,while he was a dull green color with large black spots. Autumn pushed a think piece of his black hair onto his back.He loved his hair,although at times like these is when it was the most troublesome.

He came to another thought as he slowly kept his pace to the two camels, What if this pillar was a robber or assassin? He certainly didn't have any jewels a robber could take, save for the two thick rings on both his wrists and the ones clamped onto his hair,both which were impossible to take off. A shiver went down his spine as the thought to take them off,he might cut his hands off? He pushed the thought away,walking closer to the pillar and the two camels.

When he was close enough,he saw that the pillar was a boy,and was no robber nor assassin. A traveler perhaps? "Umm hi." he greeted akwardly. "Do you have any water to spare?I've seem to have run out." His voice was a little deep for a pillar his age,but never-the-less,he waited for a reply.
Autumn didn't really like meeting new people,but as long as they say their hello's and goodbye's, he didn't mind. He was always able to tell weather he could trust strangers,and he was always right. He couldn't read this stranger,but he didn't plan to stay in his presence for a while.Or so he hoped.

'Great, a lost person. Just what I needed.' he thought sourly. He had plenty of water to spare - but it was whether or not this person had anything to offer for it. He glanced at the stranger, eying him up and down. The only thing of value that seemed to be on the oddly-shaped pillar were a few bands, but he had no interest in anything money-wise. He had very little use for the stuff. He wore no clothes - they were baggy and stifling. He needed no sweet-things from the towns - they spoiled his palate, and made it harder for him to accept the tastes of the desert. And he had no need for anything else the border towns could offer, including women, or even men; inns; flowers; more cattle....

He was happy with Satz and Sonne - they made his life easier, and more pleasant. And in return, he gave them a life they wouldn't have had in an enclosed town. It was an equal trade off, for him and the homely females. It only justified that he should not help this lost person - though his heart, once more, that nagging thing, was forcing him to reconsider. He kept his face plain, a 'poker' face, if you will. His antennae twitched faintly with the growing wind, though. A sandstorm? Possibly. In that case, he had no right to leave a person out to suffer. He may not like people, but he was not cruel.

"I do, but water is more precious here in the desert than gold. I cannot give it to you lightly - you would have to give a service back eventually." he replied sharply. Sonne gave a nervous grumble, and Satz turned her head back to him a bit, giving him a complex stare that only he had learned to comprehend.

"But you must board my other lady-camel, and quickly. She will not refuse you. We must go; I feel the winds stirring, and my ladies are growing uneasy. There is a storm building, and unless you want to be flayed to the bone in minutes from the sand, you would oblige." he offered, his voice monotone. There was absolutely no reason that he had to share any of his feelings with this... Foreigner. The pillar's colors were not yet red-hued, he must have been fresh from the main-land. That made him loathe the pillar's company even more. Being from the main-land meant he was forced to remember his family, a troop he would rather not remember, thank you.

Satz and Sonne shifted anxiously as some sand whipped around their two-hoofed feet. This stranger had better get on, or Idouma would leave him. He had offered - it was the pillar's own fault if he refused.

Autumn believed in first impressions. And this pillar gave him a bad first impression. He had nothing in return for water. What could he do of give this pillar in return for water? He felt that this pillar was not interested in anything he could possibly offer to him. Autumn was not rich,so he had little he could offer,but he kept quiet and climbed onto the camel,also feeling the wind pick up.He didn't know what to say to this pillar.He didn't even want to give out his name.

As Autumn boarded the camel,he felt uneasiness from the other pillars words. He felt.....hated? Autumn wanted to inwardly shoot a mouthy comment back to this stranger,but felt he should keep his mouth shut for without this pillar's help,he could die out here. Autumn knew that he couldn't be a lot less younger than him. "Probably about two years." he thought. So,why did he take this boys words as a form of a threat to him? But Autumn knew he probably ment no harm.
Autmun had been abused by his father since he was 5 years old. At age 10 he moved to Darpan,two years later his father died. He knew not of his mother or any other surviving relatives.He had no friends, just a lonely traveler.He was 17 now, fully suspicions of his surrounding were ever he went,he didn't trust people easily,but he felt that maybe he could trust this boy who didn't seem to like him? He was confused about his feelings,and wanted to get away from this stranger as fast as possible,but his heart told him to stay. The camels started to walk and Autumn was thinking to himself more than he had in a few years.He didn't know what to do.

"Hold on in front of her elytra," he warned, but paused. Would this stranger know his anatomical terms? He was rather smart for his age - he had to be to survive.... He thouht for a second, and corrected his warning.

"Behind the armor that covers her wings," he corrected, shaking his head, and naturally reaching one hand down to a pack attached to Satz's flank. From its contents, he unsheathed two head-cloths. He let out a chirp, and Sonne gave a dull bellow, galloping up close enough for him to offer the stranger one head-cloth - a plain white, a pale gray band to keep it on one's head, and another to tie it around. He quickly tied his, covering his nose and mouth, and nearly covering his eyes. He still had to see, at all...

"Put it on, or you'll be breathing some sand soon enough. It will take a while for the storm to build to its full potential; we have time enough to reach a small canyon about a mile away. We shall reach the shelter within ten minutes, just shy of the storm's fury." he explained thoroughly. He did not intend to be friendly to this person; but it was against his ethics to leave another to nature's tantrums.

He fell silent after delivering these words to the foreigner, sure that if he was someone of foul nature, Sonne would have thrown him by now. Sonne was more sensitive to stranger's personalities, and wasn't at all loathe to show it. So, he at least grudgingly accepted the presence of this other, older male. Well....As long as the male didn't try anything, he would accept the company.

He gave a flick of Satz's reigns, and she lowed before picking her hooves up. Suddenly, his body was lurching in the familiar motion that was formed of a camel's full lope. The ground was moving quickly, and the sounds passing so quickly, that he could hardly hear the dull thud of the lady-camels' hooves over the wind. Sand pelted his body - but this was nothing compared to a full sandstorm. Nothing.

The sand subtly became thicker, growing gradually as they went into the brunt of the phenomenon. But quicker came the view of a sudden drop. Satz instinctively rounded her path, herding Sonne to turn with her, and turning sharply into the miniature gorge, where wind whipped the top, but did not pass below. The canyon-in-miniature was about thirty or so feet deep, and five or more feet across. They would be safe here.

He dismounted, giving Satz an approving pat on her neck. She lowed, and bent her knees, settling onto the floor.

Autumn felt like glaring at the younger boy's pink back as he assumed that he didn't know how to ride a camel. But he understood if the camel was picky on how you held on to her. Animals were one thing he could tolerate,seeing them everyday.
Autumn watched as the boy leaned down and picked into a pocket on his other camel,and pulled out two head-cloths. He gave a chirp and the camel strode over towards him as the boy held out a head cloth,Autmun accepted it,careful not to come in contact with his hands. He quickly wrapped it around his head and face, his fingers working fast,but gracefully.

He heard about how bad sand storms could get. He'd rather not stay out here by himself and most likely get engulfed by sand. By the tone of the boy's voice he could tell he wasn't trying to be friendly,but he wasn't trying to sound mean either.
Autumn leaned forward,gripping the spot the pillar told him to. He wasn't gripping hard,but he wasn't loosely hanging on either.Again Autumn felt hated,and not just by the boy either. He grudgingly sighed under the cloth covering his mouth," This has been one hell of a day."Autumn thought and the pillar gave a flick of his camel's reigns and she galloped off,his camel trailing behind just as fast.Autumn gave up scrunching up his eyes and decided to just close then tightly from the sand. Then he felt a sudden jerk from the camel,and the feeling of one of his horns scratching on something. He opened his eyes as he saw that the camels have turned sharply,causing his head to whip lash and his horn to scrape against the rock wall. His cheeks flushed with red,and he was glad the cloth was covering half of his face.

When he dismounted from the camel,his long green body falling in a pile under him, he saw that they were in some sort of thirty-feet deep trench. He watched as the wind flew across the top of the thin opening. He quickly moved the cloth from his nose and mouth,and sneezed.

Idouma glanced at the other pillar for a moment as he heard him sneeze. 'He better not be sick...' he thought grumpily. He had no idea when this storm would abate - for all he knew, it could be minutes, hours, or at the absolute worst.... Days.

He watched as Sonne eyed the foreigner, and gently nudged him forward with her armored nose - giving herself room to plop down in a similar fashion as her elder camel friend. He chuckled at that. Sonne wasn't to be messed with when she wanted something. Abruptly, the younger camel stood up again, small arms working at her chest as best they could. Oh, she was unlatching the food packages. This was why he enjoyed these beasts - they were highly intellectual.

He let out a chitter, pointing to the wall at Satz's tail, and Sonne promptly tossed the padded bundles there. Then she plopped down once more, grumbling happily. Idouma sat down, curling his body about itself as he laid back against Satz's firm belly and stiff elytra. He gave the other pillar another glance.

"Get comfortable, I don't know how long this storm will last once the sand rages above our heads. I... apologize if I seemed at all hostile. I mean you no harm, nor do I harbor any ill will towards you." he said solemnly. This pillar was innocent to his personal stories... There was no reason why he should hate this foreigner, strange as he was.

Autumn rubbed at his nose,seeing as the sand had made him sneeze. Then he felt himself being pushed by the camel behind him. He moved and watched the camel flop down onto the ground. He then curiously eyed the camel as it stood again,its small front hands unlatching the packages on her sides. "They're very smart." he commented. He wasn't always around very smart animals. So even though they probably didn't like him,he liked them. Autumn loved animals more than people.
Then,taking the other pillars offer, he curled his body into a circle around himself and layed his chin on his arms,much like a dog. " I understand." he said. He was glad that the younger boy had no ill intentions. "I would do the same thing." he murmured. "My names Autumn by the way." he said.He didn't care if the younger boy wanted his name,but he just threw it out there,not really expecting the boy to reply back. He took a deep breath and let it out. He didn't realize how tired he was from the walk around the desert.

Idouma watched quietly, absently petting Satz's nose, the way she liked it.

"Mine's Idouma..." he murmured shyly, noticing the stranger's - no, Autumn's - sudden exhaustion. Oh, he still hadn't given the pillar water! That must be the cause for the sudden change. He gave a curt whistle to Sonne, who looked at him with slight annoyance, blinking her eyes sleepily. She had just laid her head on the ground to rest.

"Sonne, water." he chittered. She grumbled, but promptly turned her neck to one of the bulging canteens, and bit the string that kept it tied, yanking it loose and letting it dangle in front of Autumn's face.
"Go on, take it. It would be extremely selfish and rude of me to keep you from drinking. After all, I did promise you some. Though, I would still ask of you to preform some service....Though I'm not sure what I could have you do." he murmured, babbling off. He often found that he did that.

" Nice to meet you Idouma." he said quietly. He was about to fall asleep until Idouma gave a whistle that hurt his ears. His small antennas perked up.

He lifted the top half of his body,lazily taking the water canteen into his hands.As the camel,Sonne, dropped the canteen into his hands,he opened it and quickly took a large gulp. The water was a little warm,but it was better than none at all. He savored the feeling of the water sliding down his dry throat. He wiped his lips,and he was careful to not drink much,but enough to satisfy himself. "Thank you." he said,handing the canteen back to the camel.
He layed back down,facing Idouma. "I hope I can be of some service to you to repay my debt." he said forming his words carefully as to not make it sound weird.He watched one of the camels sleep,its breathing even, as they both sat in silence.

Idouma nodded silently. He would have to think on what the foreign pillar could do for him. Surely there was nothing out here in the wilderness that he could not do by himself. And even more so, because he doubted Autumn knew about most of the desert's hazards like he did.

He got more comfortable - before ending up on his side, Satz's neck thrown over his waist and resting with a hand on her forehead. He hummed softly, looking up at the cloud of quickly passing sand that howled its fury at them. He smiled. He was glad to have this oddly-filled silence. The wind may be howling, but other than that, it was quiet besides his humming.

This Autumn, though, intrigued him, now that he had time to think. Where had he come from, and why? Why had he chosen to join Redclaw, and not one of Darpan's other areas? And why had he been so foolish to be in the desert without an ample supply of water?

Questions continued to flood his thoughts, but he couldn't muster up the courage to ask any of them. Why..? Was he scared of getting to know this unknown figure? Was he being a child once more, instead of the educated young adult he had been since his parents abandoned him? He didn't know...

Yet, the questions continued, plaguing his thoughts.

Autumn watched as Idouma got more comfortable in his position. Then he hummed softly. This wasn't a weird eerie silence he thought it would be,but instead it was a more relaxed and comfortable one. Autumn turned his head,laying them on his arms like a dog,and glanced at Idouma's pink skin. He knew that that wasn't the original color of his skin. The people here all had red something on them. It was obvious to him that he had not originated from here.
Redclaw was however where his mother had originated from. Or that's what he had heard from his mother. He was close to his mother,but she died when he just turned 5. Her body was a beautiful red color while his father's was a dull green and orange. Fate had it that he had gotten his father's skin,which he hated with a passion. He never wanted to go back to the place where his father used to live. He felt it was plagued by an unknown disease his father made.

Somehow,Autumns thought drifted back to Idouma. "If you don't mind me asking,where have you originated from? I've learned people here at Redclaw are red,and you are pink." He blurted out before thinking. His voice was muffled though as he wasn't facing the pillar.

Idouma bristled, the warm silence shattered by that seemingly innocent question....

He looked at Autumn - for a moment it looked like his gaze was fearful, but quickly he looked away, closing his sky blue eyes painfully as memories flooded. Satz grumbled in her sleep, nuzzling his stomach comfortingly, unknowingly. Why had Autumn asked such a pain-imbued question?

'No, he doesn't know any better. He didn't have my life, and I can tell he didn't come from my home - there was never a chance he could have heard of a albino reject like me...' he thought wearily, pressing his cheek into the dirt. Now there was another dilemma....Tell the foreigner, and risk embarrassment alongside ridicule? Or be rude, and ignore the question and let the pillar assume on his own?

It would be less painful to just explain his shameful position rather than let the pillar find out by other means, and then see Idouma as not only an exiled white-thing, but as a coward. That was one thing he wasn't going to let happen. He was no coward!

"I have been here for just over four years, yet my skin shall grow no darker hued," he said slowly, deciding to take his time. "I am from the main-land of Darpan, though I will not divulge to you where specifically." he tossed a wary glance at the stranger, and sighed. He was still to continue.

"My skin will stay this pastel pink due to the color of my original skin; white." he grumbled vehemently, as if the color was poison to his lips. In a way, it could be....He wasn't going to go any farther. If Autumn really wanted to know the rest, he'd have to say so himself. He wasn't about to spill his mind and heart out because he assumed a foreigner wanted to hear his pathetic tale. He curled his lower body into a tighter spiral,cupping Satz's head in between torso and pillar-like extension.

What was he doing...? He was typically stronger than this... What was with this stranger's presence that willed him to...To be friendly? He didn't like it. He hated commitment to people. Satz and Sonne were his only commitments!

Autumn saw the hint of...was it fear in his eyes? He immediatly felt that Idouma was uncomfortable talking about this subject. But Autumn couldn't help it. He wanted to know. And he usually wasn't really this curious. He gave Idouma time to reply. He waited for a "I will not share my personal stories with you." But that didn't come,instead, Idouma started to talk.

Autumn listened carefully, memorizing all the information about this pillar. He was from the main-lad of Darpan and has lived in Redclaw for four years. Autumn mumbled something under his breath. Apparently he wasn't going to share anymore,so he took this chance to explain his story, rather if this pillar wanted to her it or not,he didn't care regardless.
"My mother originated from Redclaw,my farther from Darpan. My mother died when I was 5 and I was very close to her. My father abused me for 5 more years,until I moved away,him dying 2 years later.My father was a rich merchant who thrived on greed. My mother didn't love him,but somehow got his greedy hands on her." He clenched his fist "He forced her to do things she didn't want to and married him,then tried to be happy just for me to not know his secret of how they became a couple. I despise my father,and I am glad he is dead." Autumn said,talking more than what he planned.

He just told a stranger most of his life story in a couple of sentences,again he didn't expect Idouma to lay his out there to him the way he did. He sighed,this boy made him feel weird,like he wanted to become his friend.He was older than him! He didn't need to spill out his life story to him! But then why did he?

Idouma listened respectfully, as any listener should when something is being told. This pillar's story was grim indeed, and he picked up on small subtleties.

"In a way....My tale is less than yours, but in others, yours is weaker than my own." Idouma breathed, watching the puff of sand float a few inches from his breath.
"I was abused - but in a different manner. These abuses were delivered in a more subtle fashion, and what I think is a more difficult pattern to fix, though I wouldn't fix my abnormalities, now. They have made me, and should I try to rid myself of them, they will break me." he whispered softly.

"From the day I was born, I was a disgrace to my mother and father, and they grudgingly raised me to a young age eleven, before promptly kicking me out the door to live as I wished. Within those years, my intelligence became obvious, and at age seven I was offering political suggestions to my small colony's ways. The entire brood was sickened at the sight of me; the pillars shunned me, the lepidorans tastefully kept their sections barred from my curious youth. I was immature at that point, poking my antennae into anything I could see. I am smarter, now, more educated and aware." he narrated, though his story was long from being finished....He paused to take a lightly-filled canteen from Satz's side, drinking a mouthful sparingly. The storm was no where near pausing, it would be a while, it seemed...

"I was teased on an hourly basis - the kids made a point to jibe at me from a few branches away, where I could not offer them a rebuke. Daily, I suffered the struggles of will and childish thoughts. I still bear the mental difficulties of personal preservation. Excluding natural hazards, I have no clue how to protect myself. For instance... if you attacked me, I would not know how to react. My mind knows how, I have studied the ways, but my body would freeze, and I would be immobile with what seems to be fear. This is one reason I have Satz and Sonne with me." he explained simply, affectionately stroking Satz's nose. She grumbled in her sleep.

He chuckled solemnly.
"I don't see why I feel so willing to spill my story to you, though I now know your history, I do not know you, or do you know me." he chuckled, laying back on the dirt. What was with this sudden sense of euphoria? It was amusing, somehow...

Autumn indeed thought that this pillar had to endure such harsh actions. Autumn was never teased or shunned,by his father maybe but not by any other relatives seeing as he had none.
This pillar had felt no love in his family or his colony. Something a young-ling would need. Autumn huffed. Such a horrible thing to go through,he felt pity for this pillar but didn't show it, feeling that the emotion was not needed. Autumn thought on how this pillar had lived. Being a child a getting kicked out of your home,you would be oblivious to everything around you. He stretched his arms from his body,cracking his back.
"it is indeed hard to learn how to defend yourself with such a long body like ours. If you are living on your own like this,you will need to learn how to fight.It won't be much like an option,but a necessity to your life style.They will not always protect you from danger." he said gesturing to the two camels. "It is the harsh reality of the life you lead,as well as mine. I am by far no expert in fighting but I do know how to." he said.

Was it trust that they both felt to share such personal stories with each other? He let a deep breath out. He felt frustrated somehow. He seemed restless as he gazed up into the sand above him.It was not letting up any,but somehow that did not worry him too much.....

Idouma gave a small twitch of his antennae, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.
"Violence is such an interesting thing; a phenomenon stirred up by either personal, moral, or ethical reasons, violence will always break out. Whether it is verbal, or physical is another matter, however. I can win a battle of tongue easily enough, but like I said. I know how to fight - I have the practice, I have done so alone. I discovered, though, one time in a scrabble with a bandit, that my body refuses violence in a physical aspect. I do not know why," he chuckled, shifting a little.

A little bit of dirt flitted onto his eyelid, and he rubbed it away gently. Pesky stuff....But this was the only place he could live, at least in his mind. Everywhere else...Just held no home for him. And besides it all, Satz and Sonne could hardly live anywhere else! This was their home, always and forever. They were his heart - and if home is where the heart is, Redclaw had to be his home; forever.

He felt at ease in the presence of Autumn - both of the girls slept deeply, so they obviously had no suspicions. He wasn't going to let himself settle into sleep, though. He didn't know how long this storm was going to hold out - it was never wise to sleep in a sandstorm, no matter your safe-spot. Sand could break through a house's wall, if the construction is faulty, and you'd have just seconds to dive behind something to try and shelter yourself. There was a similar case with this canyon-in-miniature. Sand could very easily start to pile in from the entrance and exit, blocking them in. They would need to be aware of their sounds and sights.

He doubted that they would get blocked in, though. He'd sheltered here several times, which was another reason for the camel-ladies' comfort. They knew this spot was safe. But he still was careful, and watchful, listening intently for different pitches in the sand's wind.

"Maybe your scared?" Autumn offered. "Your mind might not think you are scared but your body might. Causing you to react that way?" he inquired.

After a moment of silence Autumn looked up into the sand once again. Again it wasn't letting up any. He was flustered and tired.He felt as though he could fall asleep then and there,but he wanted to keep Idouma company for a while longer. He was very curious and wanted to know more about this pillar.His curiosity sometimes got the best of him,but he controlled it this time. He was very much at ease in his position,a little ways in front of Idouma and the camels.He was used to sleeping on cotton which was supposedly more comfortable than the ground but he didn't think so.

Apparently he would not leave this pillar as soon as he thought at first. He had to repay that debt didn't he?

He sat up, glancing up at the sand.

"Quite possibly, it wouldn't surprise me if that was the actual condition. I never fought when I was younger; and I was bullied. That would explain the mental desire to freeze up, for that's what I usually did when the bullies went to strike at me, and most of the time the blows were meant to get that reaction, and they wouldn't strike me." he replied, puzzling out the possibilities.

He sighed as he watched the sand flew by, it seemed that the storm was growing stronger, not weaker. Just great - he hated camping out during storms - he was used to being on the move, not being trumped in a single place. Though, Satz and Sonne for the time being were more than happy with the change, snoozing away.

Autumn nodded,saying nothing. As they all sat-or slept- in the thick silence the sound of the wind and sand above him lulled Autumn in and out of sleep. He shook his head,waking himself up again. Autumn wanted to say something,anything, to make this silence go away. It was irritating the crap out of him and he hated it. Then he moved,getting up from his laying position and stretching his arms above his head and wandering around the small area they were in,feeling the smooth and rough textures of the rock around them,casing them in.

As his claw passed over some parts of the rock,it crumbled into small pieces after his hand made contact with it. The rock was black mixed in with other random colors. Autumn suddenly felt eager at something to happen. Anything to break this loud silence he was hearing.

(OOC: Sorry I took so long. ^.^ been having a rough few weeks, and no ideas have come to me, either! D:> )



Time creeped slowly on, and nothing much happened, but Idouma found himself asleep for a short while - and when he awoke, it was to a slobbery tongue on his cheek. He cringed slightly, reaching one of his four arms up to wipe the saliva off, glancing at Satz, who had her head placed over his on her elongated neck. He grumbled, looking up at the parted edges at the top of the miniature-canyon, expecting to see the continuing wave of sand. Surprisingly, there was none.

"Hoyyy!"

He shot up, and swiveled around on his hips, looking at the other side of the canyon. A gold and green insect stood there, ducked slightly, peering at him and the two camels. Oh, that's right, Autumn was here, too. Was he asleep? He couldn't really check right now; the person was coming down. The person was male, no doubt about that. As the person loomed closer, Idouma inspected the details.

What was a hyme doing here? Hymes didn't particularly do well in deserts; there were hardly any flowers, here. The male wouldn't need to be here unless he was an enjoy, or an outcast. Idouma looked closer, and saw a red mark under the male's left eye.

"Hey, I know that mark! You're a drone from the Kingdom of Zeph! What are you doing here?!" Idouma blurted, scowling. This drone could not be an envoy in any way; what was he doing here, indeed?

"Calm downnnn, frrriennnd. I nnnoticed yourrr camels, annnd came to see if you nnneeeded help," the bee responded, pausing his advances. "Myyy brrrotherrr prriinnnce annnd I arre onnn ourrr way to the kinnnngdom of Ennnt."

Idouma glared. Royalty.

(OOC: x3 no biggie. I've kinda been drawing a blank as well XD )

Autumn was jerked awake as Idouma had shouted out. He stumbled to his feet and got himself tangled into his own body. He grumbled,untangling himself and seeing what Idouma had shouted out about. He rubbed at his eye,trying to rub the sleep away,and looked at Idouma. He was looking up and Autumn followed his gaze,a smile creeping on his face as the sand had finally stopped,as has the wind. "We can finally make our way out of this hole!" he cheerfully stated,grinning like mad.

Then he felt the presence of another person here with them. Slowly turning around, Autumn took a glance at a hyme standing in front of them. Even he was smart enough to know hymes don't do good in a desert,especially this particular desert. "Who are-?" Autumn mumbled before Idouma blurted out about the mark on the hymes left cheek. Autumn took a good look at it. Kingdom of Zeph? Autumns never seen that mark before. Nor has he seen this man or heard of the Kingdom of Zeph.

"Kingdom of Ent huh? So you are royalty. Why are you all the way out here in Redclaw?" Autumn strongly disliked royal people. And this man made him feel on edge.

"Zeph is from Fellgrad, Ent is of Darpan, I also would like to know the reason you are so far from home." Idouma asked darkly, glaring openly at the tall male hyme. The green and yellow figure frowned, unsure of what he'd done wrong.
"Mmmy mmminnnuh annnd I arrre vvvisitinng the kinnng Vvvaas, forrr diplommmatic ties." the bee replied gently, his accent thick and a little hard to understand. And what in the world was a Minuh?
"I just wannnted to help you two. Mmmy mmminnnuh is up therrre," the bee gestured to the top of the crevice. Idouma found himself glancing up, and sure enough, another figure was up there, pale green and golden like the one in front of him, though this figure looked more feminine...

Idouma couldn't help but soften his gaze as he saw what appeared to be the female. He had no quarrels with females - he had never really had a mother, so he treated all females with the respect they deserve, hence why he typically avoided meeting any, because he knew he wouldn't be able to treat them wrongly. Males on the other hand, especially royal ones like this bee, just drove him mad. Especially since it looked like these two were either related, or lovers. Maybe Minuh was a pet name for his wife.

"We don't need any help, I've lived here for years. Though it looks like you two are lost." Idouma called grumpily, glancing back at the male bee. Wait...The male bee said he and his brother were going to the kingdom of Ent, not he and his wife. Was that feminine figure up there, breasts or not, male? Impossible! No true male had such a kind face! He nearly smacked his forehead, realizing what the situation was.

Minuh was the male bee's nickname for the little brother, who is not really a brother nor a sister, but a hermaphrodite, the queen-in-waiting prince for the Kingdom of Zeph. It all clicked, now, and explained why both had a pure white mane of fur around their necks like fluffy collars. Only the royal-blood lines had manes in that family.

The male though, nodded.

"We donn't knnow this lannnd. Would you help us?" the male asked sincerely. Idouma looked at Autumn. He already had one straggler, who still needed to pay his due for the water, and future drinks of water, would he be able to guide two more? Well, the bees would be able to fly, instead of riding Satz or Sonne, so that was not the issue, but he simply didn't want any more company! Autumn was pushing it, just alone with him. These bees were going to make him go insane!