A Choice of Love

I am Sahara, spirit guardian of the desert. You may have heard of me, or maybe of my domain.

I have been on this earth an incredibly long time; I was born with the melting of the ice in the beginning of the world. I have been watching over you humans, watching your actions with careful eyes. I have seen you do many things in my time; some great, wonderful things that make me wish to know what it is to be a human and feel what you feel. I have seen many more terrible things though, things that can not be forgiven, that are the very things nightmares are made of, that make me shiver and be glad I am not one of you.

I mould my form to look like you sometimes, and I come down to your plane and converse with your kind. Sometimes I find a lost wanderer, pure of heart, and I guide them safely to their destination.

My human form has 2 arms, 2 legs, one head, like all humans. She is female, like me, although she is much younger. She looks to be about 18 human years. She has shimmering brown hair, and eyes of gold. She has eyes like those of the people in my tribes, almond shaped and thickly lashed.

I have a very long tale, but most of it is far from interesting. I am about to tell you the part that is.

I suppose I should start from the beginning. Not the very beginning, of course, but from the part where it started getting interesting.

I was in my spiritual form. The sun was blazing down on my domain, giving me energy and warmth. In my spirit form I was one with my domain. I could feel myself in the sand, feeling the creatures I am home to scuttle and slither about. I was part of the loose rock and gravel that was being blown about along the breeze; flying from place to place along the currents of wind that shape the desert. I was in the breeze itself too, feeling the miniscule insects flying about peacefully. I could feel the people on the outskirts of my domain, walking, talking, gathering in the markets and trading their wares. I could also feel the nomad tribes sitting in their tents, sipping tea and chatting amongst each other. It was a day like any other. Calm and serene. That is what I was thinking anyway.

I felt something off. I felt someone treading into me wearily on some sand dunes. I felt them tread slower and slower until they came to a desperate, exhausted stop, falling onto their knees. Even then they tried crawling further, but after a while they gave up and lay down. I could feel their desperation, their sorrow, their will for survival. They wanted to live, but they didn't have it in them to carry on. I could feel the fight leave them as they gave up. They were waiting now for death to come.

I started humming and with a flash of light felt myself shifting. I blinked my eyes and flexed my fingers. It was always strange when I first transformed into my human self, I felt so contained, so small.

I made sure I was at least 100m away to ensure the wanderer did not see me. I closed my eyes and focused, humming again, drawing the water from my reserves into a leather gourd.

Gourd in hand, I walked towards the figure, approaching slowly, making the sand billow out behind me to make me look like a mere mirage; like some sort of trick of the mind. Most times it worked, and the people I rescued thought they had been hallucinating.

I walked up to the person and crouched, tipping the gourd to his lips, watching him as the water trickled into his mouth. He was lightskinned, with sharp blue eyes and thick black hair. I could tell he wasn't from here, he was far too fair and lithe. His skin had no scars, and he was not dressed properly. He looked young, 20 years at most. He gulped the water desperately, and I pulled the gourd back slightly, slowing him down.

"Easy, wanderer," I said softly. "If you drink quickly your body will reject the water."

After he had drank his fill I helped him to sit up slowly.