Explorer's Tails

Shadows Under The Dunes

(Word of warning, this story contains brief descriptions of graphic wounds and smells, which may be nauseating to some readers.)

Blinking awake and brushing the sand from her eyes, Avera yawned and crawled to her feet, looking around at the small cave she had claimed as her own, shrouded from the prying eyes of nearby dragons, and hidden under the rolling dunes of the searing desert all around her.

She was average in terms of Scorchwings, but with a few key differences. Firstly, and most noticeably, she had no wings, having been removed earlier on in her life after an... accident. Secondly, her eyes were a strange hue of yellow, seeming to hide an underlying bloody orange tinge.

Her scales were rough like other sandwings, a pale yellow similar to the sands in which they called home, and the scales of her underbelly were that of a rich, earthy brown, slowly becoming lighter and lighter as they curled up towards the tip of her tail.

Shaking the rest of the sand that had blown in during the late afternoon off of her scales, she slung the two small pouches that she carried back over her shoulders, keen to try and find the ever-reclusive group of "Thieves" she had been tracking for months.

Although that was what they were called by Brixus, anyone with half a brain could tell that they weren't in it for their own personal gain, and that each one of them had been wronged by the supposed "King" in one way or another.

"Damn it all!" She kicked a small pile of sand away, having lost the scent of the small scouting party she had been tracking for the last few days. "They always just vanish, almost like they sink into the s~...."

She paused, coming to a realization before diving into the fine grains of the sand like her mother had taught her so many years ago.

Without wings, she always found sand-gliding a tedious task, as she had to propel herself using her hind legs alone, but it also made her much faster than any other dragon, as their wings would cause them to get caught on denser patches or slow down due to drag.

As she dove into the dunes, she felt the sand below her shift, as if something was moving towards her at a rapid rate.

Rolling sideways in a swift motion, she felt a pair of talons graze her tail, slicing across with terrifying accuracy as the dragon tried to latch on.

Avera curled downwards, diving deeper into the sands, into the denser section that she knew was hiding below the desert, compacted after centuries of sandstorms and rains.

She could feel the sand behind her shifting in pursuit,the dragon slowing down as they got caught on the thick dirt-like texture of the matted sand and mud this deep.

Spinning a half-circle in the sand as quick as she could, she shot upwards, waiting to feel the sands move in chase, before crashing through the surface of the dunes, landing on her feet and waiting for the approaching dragon, who was now unable to slow down after building speed to escape the dense sands below.

Side-stepping as their claws broke the surface, she slammed her tail into the dragon's ribs as they grasped at the air where she stood, watching their carmel-brown eyes wince in pain as they came to a halt in an injured heap a few tail-lengths away.

Avera mumbled to herself in irritation, before pacing over to stand above the small dusty dragon.

"You might want to pick a better target if you're thinking of robbing someone, be lucky I didn't take your tongue for the trouble."