Alone

Chapter 1 - The Desert
He had been trekking through the desert for what felt like days... There was no water. No food, nothing. No lizards basked on the rocks, no insects darted between the shrubs. Even the shrubs themselves were shriveled, and no wind rustled through their branches.

After many more hours, as the sun constantly beat down upon, whatever he, the lone croc, was looking for, it was still far ahead... If only his friends were still with him... They had perished in the sands long ago. Either they had become lost in the sandstorms, or else the lack of food and water had taken them.

The croc wanted to take a break, but stopping would only allow the sunlight to dry his scales even further. Even though he was cold-blooded, the hot, dry air of the desert exhausted him. His walking stick was worn and splintered, and the red cloth protecting his eyes and face now had many holes.

Finally, far on the horizon, a little orange rock formation stood out against the flat, bleak sands. The croc tried to crawl as fast as he could, although his legs ached, and his back could barely handle the stress. With his last bit of life, he reached the relieving shade of the rock.

He was delirious, desperate for water and food. He could barely remember his own name... Baron something. He didn't care anymore, and tried to rest under the rock, at least before the next sandstorm hit... He set his things aside, and began to dig underneath the rock, as a last-ditch effort. The soil was hard and his claws were cracked, dry, and red, but he didn't give up.

Eventually, the soil softened, and started it to feel damp. He pressed down into the soil, causing muddy water to rise up. Mindlessly, he drank all the water he could. His conscious mind began to return, and he finally recollected the events of his trek...

He started to remember his whole purpose now. The sages had trusted him and his friends... His friends, the monkey, the horse, and that raccoon... Whatever their names were. That had to be months ago.

The sages told them tales of how this desert had once been a lush land, full of treasure and prosperous people. They farmed the land and drank up its crystal-clear waters until no life remained, and left the dry desert husk behind, merely an apparition of the land's former beauty.

It is said that the people had 5 crystals, which shattered when the people ruined the landscape and killed off the indigenous life. Baron and his friends were sent to look for remains of these ancient people and their crystals, but after days of searching, they had found nothing... Instead of turning back, they went further and further in...

Baron tried to stop thinking about it. His friends were dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. The sun was finally setting, but the sweltering heat would only give way to freezing temperatures...