The Icy Quest

Chapter 4

When Pagoniá awoke, the sun was already high in the sky. The meager shade the tree provided was not enough to cool Pagoniá down. In the commotion of last night, she hadn't gotten the chance to observe her surroundings. She did so now, scanning the landscape for threats and water sources. They were surrounded by sand, sand, and more sand. If you looked long enough, you would see a small bush or two, but other than that, there wasn't much. There was one tree that they were sitting under and one more that was off in the distance, but that was it. As Pagoniá rolled over to take a look around, a tiny lizard fled. She slammed her hand down, trapping it.

"Sorry lizard. Who knows when we might get another meal?" she apologized. She lifted her hand to examine the creature, and once she did, she couldn't stand the thought of killing it. It had cute little black eyes and white scales that had a bluish sheen.

"You know what? I think you're better suited to be a pet," she informed the lizard. "I will name you Kryasavra," she declared with a wide smile. She tucked the lizard into her pocket, noticing Pozhar out of the corner of her eye. He was digging through a backpack searching for something.

"Why didn't you wake me when you got up?" she accused him.

He held up his hands in surrender. "You looked so tired. I just wanted to let you sleep. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"I will forgive you this time," she eyed him. "But never again!"

"Okay, okay. I won't do it again," Pozhar promised, lowering his gaze. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a very strong personality."

"Yeah," Pagoniá replied with a shrug. "I've heard that before."

"Do you have any idea where we should go next?" Pozhar asked.

"Probably to the nearest village, to stock up on supplies." Pagoniá answered thoughtfully.

"What supplies?" Pozhar asked.

"Well, no matter what we end up doing, we will probably need food and some other essentials," she reasoned.

"I guess that makes sense," he answered. "I didn't think of that before. Do you know which direction the nearest village is?"

"I don't have any clue as to where we are. How would I know?" Pagoniá responded, hands on her hips.

"I guess you have a point," Pozhar conceded. "I think there might be one that way?" He pointed vaguely off into the distance, clearly not having a clue where a village in the area might be. He started to walk in that direction.

She quickly intercepted him. "Nope, we are going that way." She pointed in the direction of the only other visible tree and started off.

They were drowning in sand. Aside from some scraggly bushes, it was the only thing there. Pagoniá's mouth was dry, and she was sweating hard. She hadn't realized dehydration would be a problem.

"Please tell me that you brought water," she begged Pozhar, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth.

"No, I didn't. Isn't making water out of thin air an ice person subskill?" he asked hopefully.

"In case you aren't aware of it, I am completely untrained. The only time I have used my powers was a complete accident," she confessed, her shoulders slumping.

"I didn't know that. Why haven't you been training?" Pozhar inquired.

"I just discovered I was an ice person 2 days ago. So no I haven't been training!" Pagoniá exploded, overwhelmed by heat, frustration and thirst. "Not everyone has your perfect life where your abilities are prized, you are immediately offered training, and you automatically get special privileges. You get anything you want by merely flashing your badge at people. Not everyone gets to live that way."

"I didn't mean it that way," Pozhar responded quietly, hanging his head. "But you're right. I have always gotten everything I wanted. The second my parents found out about my abilities, they praised everything I did. I started training immediately. I'm sorry you didn't have the same advantages that I did," Pozhar said sincerely.

The silence stretched between them until Pozhar spotted something on the horizon.

"Look! Over there! " Pozhar exclaimed, his face lighting up. "It's a village!"

Sure enough, there were the faint outlines of houses and an oasis in the distance. Pagoniá and Pozhar mustered the energy to walk a little faster, anticipating the refreshing drink that was waiting for them in the village.

-----

I got my first vote yesterday! But please, comment and vote. I need feedback!