Alone

Chapter One
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 crocodile, 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 pack was worn, 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 want to remember anymore, and tried to prepare himself, at least before the next sandstorm hit... He set his things aside, and began to dig underneath the rock, as a last-ditch effort to find water. The soil was hard and his claws were cracked, dry, and red, but he didn't give up...

Eventually, to his luck, the soil softened, and started it to feel damp. He pressed down into the soft, dark 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... Those monks, sages, or whatever they were... they trusted the croc and his friends... The monkey, the horse, and that raccoon... Their names were forgotten. That had to be months ago...

They told them tales of how this desert had once been a lush land, full of treasure and a 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... He took some blankets out of his pack, and tried to get warm before the sun completely set.

Chapter Two
Baron woke up, the very instant that the sun leered over the horizon. His body felt so cold... At least the hole he dug was still damp, so he could he gather as much water as he could from the puddle... Baron put it in canteens, some of which had belonged to his friends... It made his pack much, much heavier, but having the water with him would be worth the extra weight.

Curious, Baron looked up. The sky above him was vivid purple, pink, and orange, and there were no clouds, nor birds, to disrupt the expanse of colorful sky...

The air already felt warm, and so he began his trek once more. After miles and miles, the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, until Baron could no longer see his shadow. He looked behind himself for a second, and the little rock could no longer be seen...

Soon, the brush became thinner and thinner, and more sparse... The earth beneath him got harder and drier, until it felt stiffer than stone... Baron wanted to turn back, but there were no choices. The little rock was much too far behind now, and the only choice was to keep going...

...

The soft sand crunched underneath each of Captain's hooves as he pranced through the desert, trying to keep up with his friends. He started to run, and then finally caught up with Baron... Then the monkey, Fauna, and the raccoon, Flora, started to slow down, so they wouldn't leave their friends behind. Their journey was new, and they needed to practice staying close together.

"Don't get lost, you guys," said Fauna. She was mostly looking at Captain, who was currently staring at a cactus.

Captain ignored her, and continued to look at the cactus. Eventually, Baron and Flora got interested in the cactus, too.

"This place doesn't look barren to me," said Captain. "There's shrubs, cacti, and bugs everywhere. I think I even saw a rabbit a while back!"

Fauna came over to the cactus, too. "You're right, Captain..." She got a little closer to the cactus, but not too close. "I wonder if these things are edible... Sans the spikes, of course. We'd never run out of food!" she said, referring to the vast amounts of the cacti around the whole desert. You could see them for miles! Then, Captain told everyone to back away, and kicked the cactus with one of his back legs. It snapped in half, and fell over onto the sand, with a loud thud. The inside of the cactus was full of wet, white matter, and the quartet nibbled a few tasteless pieces. However, they decided not to take any cactus with them, since they still had plenty of their own food, and there would be plenty of cacti to find later...

...

Baron hadn't seen a cactus in weeks... It wouldn't be near as nutritional as meat, but he was absolutely sure that a cactus would taste much better than the sandy, gritty water he had been drinking...

Across the horizon, Baron saw nothing but flat, cracked dirt and scarce, sandy dust devils. Thankfully, he was sure there won't be a sandstorm for a while, so he may continue his journey in peace.

...

They had been in the desert for a few days now, and there was noticeably less plants around them. Captain had successfully taken the lead, and was a quite ahead of the others. The desert was so flat, though, that everyone had no trouble keeping Captain in sight, including Baron, who was all the way at the back of the caravan.

Suddenly, Flora stopped in her tracks, and her ears began to twitch. The others slowed down, so they could hear Flora speak. "Guys, do you hear that?"

The others lifted their ears, all except for Baron. They all shuddered with fear, and although Baron couldn't hear the noise, he frantically darted between them, just as scared as they were. "What is it? I can't hear it!" Captain was spooked, and began to run away, out into the desert. They could all hear him yell, from a distance, "I don't know what it is!"

The others tried to keep up with Captain, by running after him. He eventually slowed down and grew calm again, and they became reunited. However, Baron was left behind quite far away. "Guys!" he screamed. "Wait for me!"

Fauna and Flora ran back over to Baron, and Captain trotted behind, who apologized to his friends. "I'm... I'm sorry guys... I don't know what got into me..." He began to walk away, while the others stood and watched. Fauna began to follow him, and soon, the whole caravan was moving again. The noise grew louder and louder, but nobody knew what it was.... until they saw it.

Near the horizon, a huge brown wall, that looked almost black, was heading towards them. It was so loud, Baron could hear it now. He had only seen this phenomenon in books and tall tales, but he finally knew what it was. He yelled, as loud as he could... "It's a SANDSTORM!"

The group ran for a small pile of rocks, about half a mile away. It was in the direction of the sandstorm, but running towards the danger was their only chance for survival... Flora had Baron by the hand, and was trying to help him keep up with the others.

They all just barely made it to the rock... Except for Captain. The wind was powerful enough to knock him over... The others watched in horror, as the wind pushed him further and further... Fauna tried to reach out to him, but she couldn't reach, and it was much too risky to go out there...

The wind pinned him to the ground, and he started to sink in, as more and more sand blew around him. Everything around them was dark, and the wind howled louder than anything they had ever heard.

Captain struggled and struggled, and then he finally managed to get free from the sands. Sadly, he just couldn't reach the sheltered rock... The wind howled on, and pushed against him, causing him to slide back across the sand... He was yelling, but no one could make out his words.

They couldn't see Captain's white fur through the dust anymore... Fauna, Flora, and Baron waited it out as long as they could, and so the sandstorm cleared, the howling grew quiet, and the sun beat down upon the sands once more.

Captain's mangled supplies, and his scarf, were spread across the sand in the distance, and his friends could barely make out his white body, flat on the ground, covered in sand.

Flora was crying, screaming... Fauna was tearing her hair out...

Captain had been carrying almost all of the water, and his canteens had broken open and spilled out into the sand during the storm. He had also been carrying most of the supplies, and the group was now left without someone strong enough to carry them... Without Captain, they couldn't make it much longer...

...

Chapter Three
It's been another few weeks now. Baron is almost out of water, but now his backpack weighs a bit less... The desert around him has gotten rockier, but not any more hospitable...

Tired, and with little water left, he takes a break underneath a large rock arch. The soil below Baron is actually harder than the rock above him... Maybe one day, things will be better.

...

Baron, Fauna, and Flora woke up one morning, at the base of a huge, orange cliff. Flora began pacing around it, looking for a path to reach the top, and Fauna followed after her. Baron tried his best to keep up with them, although he knew getting to the top would be no easy task for a crocodile, if they even found a path...

Flora called out to the others, announcing that she finally found a path. Fauna and Baron gleefully ran over, but the "path" seemed quite dangerous. Baron, being the worst climber, would need a lot of help to reach the top, but his friends were still willing to help him, no matter what.

Baron scrambled up the first set of rocks, with Flora holding his hand the whole way. She was just able to barely lift him up onto a small ledge, while Fauna was busy getting up to the next level of the path.

While Flora helped Baron get up the cliff, Fauna was now climbing far ahead...

But then there was the sound. The howling cries of a distant sandstorm.

Flora screamed. "Its.. It's coming! A... a sandstorm!"

Fauna was way ahead. She looked down off the top of the cliff, and saw that Flora was still trying to help Baron up the rocks, and they might not be able to reach safety in time...

Fauna, without a second thought, clambered down to her friends, and helped Flora lift Baron up higher. At the top of the mesa was a small outcrop of rocks, which they could shelter behind, when the sandstorm hit... But unfortunately, they still had a long ways to climb.

Baron tried his best to climb, but he couldn't do so without help, and he felt like he was holding his friends back. He considered just letting go, and letting the sandstorm take him, but something made him continue up the face of the rock, with Flora dragging him on. Perhaps it was his inner pressure to not disappoint his friends...

The sandstorm was ever so close... And the group was almost to the top. Flora had Baron's arms, and Fauna was pushing on his back... Flora was starting to drag Baron over to the outcrop... And the sandstorm finally hit.

Fauna hadn't reached the top yet. The storm pushed her against the craggy cliffside, and the rocks cut her back, the sand stung her face, and it piled around her feet...

Her screams could not be heard over the ferocious wind. Flora and Baron were nestled behind the rocky outcrop, grieving their friend... Fauna has met the same fate as their dear friend, Captain.

It was just Baron and Flora, now.

...

Chapter Four
Baron left the stone arch, and continued into the desert, still hoping for a better life.

The frequency of shrubs is picking up again, but there is still no life to be seen. Every shrub is dry and dead, and they are so thorny and stiff that they would hurt even Baron's scales. The wind begins to howl, and Baron notices dark clouds upon the horizon.

He first fears a sandstorm, but as lightning cracks and snaps in the distance, and fierce thunder rumbles throughout the desert, he starts to fill with happiness. The shrubs shiver and shake, and a sprinkle of mist begins to settle upon the dry earth.

Baron tugs the bandana off of his face, and smiles. His body is filled wit energy, and he jumps around with glee! As his scales soak up the soft rain, the wicked lightning continues its barrage upon the land.

Baron holds some canteens up into the air, filling them with fresh rainwater. The dirt below him has softened, and the deep cracks are disappearing. For miles, all Baron can see is a huge curtain of rain, and the flashes of white lightning, deep in the distance.

He rejoices, and thanks whoever send this rain to him... If there is anybody left to thank.

...

Flora's fur has lost its shine, and her ankle is still broken. She's been limping through miles of desert, barely able to keep up with Baron, despite that he was the slowest in the group...

He is patient with her, however. He kindly offers her any water he can afford, and tries to care for her ankle as best as he can. She broke it by getting it stuck in some rocks, and twisting it at a horrible, odd angle...

They decide take a break, next to some lonely rocks, to let Flora's ankle rest. After sitting down, she suddenly says, "When I'm feeling down, I think of my home, The Great Forest. You know it as Sarepia. Long before I ever moved to the Stone City, I would dance and play in the crystal clear rivers..." Her voice was dry and raspy, much like the dirt and sand below them.

"I would chase the little birds, and the lizards... Squirrels would chatter, and I would play with them too..."

She coughed and wheezed, then continued. "I wish you could've seen it...You lived in the city your whole life, familiar with the company of the other animals, and the shouting of shopkeepers..."

Flora closed her eyes, and lifted her head to the sky. "If I close my eyes, I feel like I'm there... As a cub, playing in the grass, without any fear or worry..."

She opened her eyes, and looked down to Baron. "Maybe you can go there some day..."

Baron asked her why she didn't mention herself going back to Sarepia...

She slowly blinked, then looked to the ground. She had to be completely honest. "I'm not going to make it," she said, abruptly.

A single tear fell from her face, and it soaked into the dead, dry earth. "Take my things, and leave me here... I'll be fine. You just keep going... You don't need me anymore."

Baron wished he could cry, but he couldn't...

"I'll be fine."

Flora threw her backpack in front of Baron, and laid down on the rocks. "I'll see you later, friend..."

She sighed, then closed her eyes. Baron didn't want to leave her behind, but Flora wouldn't, and couldn't, go. The dust cleared, and he picked up her tattered backpack, and tethered it to his own. With a deep sigh, he turned around, and continued into the desert. Baron didn't look back.

...

The rain continued to fall softly, as he went on and on through the desert. It was if the world had begun anew, as the rain changed the landscape and dampened the sand and soil.

Days went by, and small green sprouts appeared throughout the desert. Baron was grateful for them, and tried his best to not step on any of them, so they may continue to grow. He drank not only from his canteens, but from the shallow ponds that formed around the flat, muddy landscape. He would splash and swim through them, too, bringing back memories of his life in the Stone City, of when he would dash into the jungle, and play in the rivers and shallow streams...

...

There was a large, stone building, lit by smoky sconces. The back of the building had a slightly elevated floor, and three stone desks stood upon it. Behind each desk, a green-cloaked figure stood, with their face shrouded by a hood.

There was an emblem in the center of the floor, made of differently colored stones, some of which were cracked and decayed. Baron, Captain, Flora and Fauna all stood on the emblem, facing the cloaked figures. Nobody had been brave enough to accept their requests, for none had ever returned from the desert before... Most people had forgotten about the desert long, long ago... And they forgot about it for a reason. There was nothing there.

The sages convinced Baron and his friends about the tales of the ancient civilization. They packed them up with supplies, and sent them off... Not one of them doubted the existence of the treasure, or the crystals...

It had all been a trap.

They had been sent to the desert to die.

...

Chapter Five
The scenery of the desert was picking up. Baron's attitude was, too. He might kick a stone across the damp dirt, or draw pictures in the sand with a dead branch. He has been finding plenty of small cacti, but he can't really figure out how to eat them without getting tons of spines in his face...

It's been raining for days now. Baron hasn't been this happy in his whole life... He turns around and looks down at a tiny flower sprouting from the sand. He gently pokes it a couple times, and accidentally knocks it over.

Frantically, he tries to bend the flower back into its proper position. While he continues to do so, a loud roaring sound begins to approach...

...Baron successfully returns the flower to its former position. He looks up, and gets ready to continue his journey, but there's a little tiny itsy-bitsy snag in his plan.

A Flash flood.

On the horizon, a huge, vicious wall of water crashes through the desert, and it topples towers of ancient orange stone with all of its mighty strength. Baron tries to run, but by the time he's turned around, the water has swept him up...

The water is murky and it's full of debris, and it's moving so fast, Baron can barely figure out where he is or what's going on anymore. Finally, the waves wash him onto a large stone hill. Baron's bandana and bag are soaking wet, but thankfully they're intact.

Baron stares in awe as the waves gush through, sweeping plants, shrubs, and even large rocks away. The entire desert looks like an ocean... But as fast as it started, the flood is over.

All the plants have been dislodged and spread across the ground. Most of them will probably never be able to root themselves... Water brings life, and water destroys it.

Baron tries to wobble down from the rock. He has almost no idea what direction the water took him in, but he certainly hasn't seen this rock before. It's shaped a little bit like an arch, with a partly hollowed out middle.

Baron takes a good long look at the rock, still trying to recollect what just happened. Out of the blue, he recognizes a few faint carvings on the side of the rock... A horse, monkey, raccoon, and a crocodile.

Baron shudders, and can't help but speak out loud. "What..." He inches closer to the rock, and places his hand on one of the carvings. "This is probably just a coincidence." he mumbles. "But... What if it isn't?"

He looks to his side, as if there was someone who would respond to him. Disappointed, he sighs, and continues to examine the symbols, and the four characters, that dot the sides of the rock. There appears to be a story written in the rock, told in symbols and with the characters, like an ancient comic strip...

Baron looks at a carving of 3 cloaked figures, standing in front of he and his friends. Well, it's probably just a coincidence. It probably isn't meant to be Baron on the carving...

The next picture shows the group moving out in the desert...

The next picture is relatively the same, just with fewer cacti, and the horse is gone...

The third picture shows a lone raccoon and a croc on top of a cliff. No monkey to be seen...

The last picture shows the croc, all alone. The carving looks unfinished, as the lines in the croc's body are much less defined than the lines of the surrounding pictures.

Baron can't help but cry. Is he delirious? Crazy? Is this all some stupid joke?

He misses his friends. They're all gone, and he's alone.

Alone.

All alone.

Sobbing, he leans against the wall, letting his tears stream down it. Trying to make himself feel tougher, he insists to himself that they're just crocodile tears...

He rubs his eyes, and backs away from the carving. He looks at the other side of the rock, that shows many other pictures, each with a different group of animals. His nose is swollen now, and he regrets getting so upset.

Wobbling closer, he sees just how intricate these carvings are. Who would stand out here, in the middle of a desert, carving all this? How would they know what happened to Baron's friends?

Baron sniffs, and glances back over to the carving of "himself." This time, it's slightly different, causing his heart to skip a beat...

The croc in the picture is looking at a large round rock, with a hollowed out area in one side. Very faint details are carved into the rock, which Baron assumes are representative of the various other carvings on the very rock that this carving is on.

"Zios, wish my friends could see this..." mumbles Baron. "i just don't understand..."

Afraid to leave the rock, but also afraid to stay, Baron decides to just keep a decent distance from it. The sun is falling below the horizon, and it's time to rest anyway. Baron spreads the blankets across the sand, and across his scales, and goes to sleep.

A sound wakes him up in the middle of the night... The faint sound of sliding mud, and scratching stones. Baron can't usually hear stuff like this, but this time, it sounds really close.

He slowly looks up from the blankets. Strangely, it's not very cold out this night. He examines everything around him, but there's nothing there...

With a sigh, he lays his head back down. "It's probably just my imagination," he groans.

Suddenly, a voice replies, gritty and hissing. "Nothing about me issss jussst in your imagination," it says.

Baron's eyes widen, as a long and graceful rattlesnake twists around the edge of his blankets. She's as thick as one of his legs...

Baron, not having seen another living being in Zios knows how long, tries to respond politely. "Oh uhh, hello miss... My name is Baron... And you are?"

The snake stopped in her tracks, and turned to Baron. She got right in front of his face, and flicked her tongue. "I would prefer if you jusssst called me Ssssssleeeping." Sleeping backed away from his face, and curled up in front of him. "I'm ssssso sssurprisssed that you're not afraid of me..."

Baron stood up a bit, and looked at Sleeping. "I'm surprised that you're not scared of me too," he says, actually quite nervous. "A-are you l-l-lost?"

Sleeping lowers her head, and flicks her tongue a few times again. "Oh, I've been lossst for a long, long time... Ever sssssince I found my way into this ssSSSssstupid desssert..."

Baron tried to get a glance at her catlike eyes. "I've been lost here, too... I don't even know how long." He offered some extra blankets to her, but she declined. "So, how'd you get here?"

She looked up to him, and sighed. "It'ssss a very, very long ssstory friend. Are you sssssure you have time to lissssten? It'sss so late..."

Baron nodded politely. "I really don't have anything better to do... I'm alone out here. I'd love to hear your story."

Sleeping shifted through the sand a bit, then began to tell the story.

"It wasss late, oh ssso late at night, as late as now... We left the rocky woodsss... The warm brown rocksssss, the pinesss, the fallen leaves of oakssss, we left it all behind, for some sssSSSsSssstupid reason..."

Sleeping lowered her head, and frowned. "Ssssome old wolf, probably off hisss rocker, told usss there would be treasssure and prosssperity in thissss place... I took my friendssss, and ssssaid farewell to my family, and my home..."

She coughed. "It took weeksss jusssst to reach the desert. I don't know what I even exsspected... We kept going further, and further, hoping we would find sssssomething... But we never found anything..."

Baron felt bad for Sleeping now. "That's almost exactly what happened to me, and my friends... How long ago did this happen to you?"

Sleeping shook her head, unhappily. "Oh, ssSSSsssso many yearssss ago... I wassss sso little, and my friendsss were not much older than I... It could have been 10 yearsss ago... Or 20."

Baron wanted to ask Sleeping where her friends were, but now that question was off the table. He decided to tell her his own story, instead. "I was sent by three men in cloaks... Along with my own friends..."

Sleeping looked up at Baron, interested. "Go on, sssspeak," she urged him.

Baron sighed, and looked back down at Sleeping. "I didn't tell my parents, we just left... We had fun at first, traveling the desert, but it's no place for a horse, monkey, or raccoon, let alone a croc..."

"My friends just, died. One by one. And each time hurt just as bad..." Baron's eyes started to water, and he sniffed, Sleeping felt bad for him, but didn't trust him enough to get closer, yet.

"There was Captain... The horse. White fur, brilliant orange mane... He was kind of a braggar, you know, he liked to talk about how strong and fast he was compared to us..." Baron smiled a bit, as he rubbed a tear off his eye. However, a few seconds later, he resumed the frown. "The first sandstorm got him. We never underestimated the storms after that..."

Baron sighed, and then introduced his next friend to Sleeping. "Next, there was Fauna, the monkey. She had purple fur, and shiny green eyes... Smart and thoughtful, she was always there for me... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her..." Baron cried a bit more, and tried to explain what happened to Fauna, but it all came out as mumbling and whining.

"It'sss okay, Baron, you do not have to elaborate...." said Sleeping, perhaps trying to comfort him.

Baron cleared his nose, then started to talk clearly again. "Flora, the raccoon... Kind and gentle, but she never gave up. She broke her ankle... And... She made me leave her behind..."

Baron started to feel a bit angry towards himself. "I should've taken her with me anyway. She wanted me to live... I would've rather died with her than be alone out here for the rest of my life!"

Sleeping widened her eyes. "Oh, don't sssay that, child... If you had perissshed, you would have never found thissss rock, nor me... Where would I be then? Are we meant to meet each other?"

Baron sighed. "Perhaps... But, I need rest... I'm sure you do, too... Just, take some blankets or something..."

Baron handed some blankets to Sleeping, then covered himself up with the last extra.

Sleeping tried to decline once more, however. "Oh, keep them... I do not need theessse..." She pushed them to Baron, but he just pushed them back. Eventually, Sleeping gave up. "Well, if you insssssissst...."

Chapter Six
Baron woke up, and the sun gleamed upon the dirt. Everything was drying up again, and most of the plants had already died.

"Good morning, Sleeping?" said Baron, slightly excited and slightly confused.

Sleeping was over near the rock. "Oh, good morning," she whispered.

Baron folded the blankets into his backpacks, then crawled over to Sleeping. "So, uhh, what are you doing?"

Sleeping nodded to a bunch of new pictures carved into the rock. "Look," she hissed, gently. "Itssss ussss..."

Baron squinted, and saw the details of the new carvings. It showed a croc sleeping under a full moon, with a large rattlesnake twisting through the sand around him.

The next picture showed him awake, speaking to the snake.

The next picture was very faint and mostly unfinished, but it looked like the croc and snake were looking at the carving stone together.

"It'ssss amazzsssing, isssn't it?" asked Sleeping. "Sssso sstrange, how the rock recordsss everything..." She looked up, to the other carvings, and stared with great interest. "Do you ever believe what the cloaked people told you? Or at leassst, maybe their ill stories contain a sssslight but of truth..." She turned away from Baron, and murmured something.

"Huh?" asked Baron.

"Oh, nothing," said Sleeping.

Baron looked at her, deeply. "Please tell me..."

Sleeping sighed. "Okay, okay... I ssssaaid to myssself that I wissshed thosssse evil animals with the cloakssss are dead by now. I know that old wolf is dead, though, for he wassss sssso old..."

Baron frowned. "Why would they want to trick us?"

Sleeping swirled around the rock, and then flicked her tongue at Baron a few times. "Maybe they didn't know," she said. "But they may have tricked usssss... It isss obviousss that many people have come here before. Perhapsss they ssssent them, as well?"

Baron shrugged. "I should probably get going, though."

Sleeping seemed surprised. "Oh, why, Baron? You know there issss nothing in thissss dessSSssert... The mossst you have ever ssssseen is this rock, is it not?"

Baron sighed. "I don't know why I keep going... The rock just makes me want to go even further. It's proof that something is out here, somewhere... I, no, we, have to find it."

Sleeping scowled. "You think I'm going to go with you?" she hissed.

Baron sighed, and solemnly slipped the torn supplies over his back. "Yeah, I guess..."

Sleeping looked around, trying to imprint every last detail of this specific landscape into her memory. "I had been here before the flood," she whispered, gentler now. "As soon as the wavessss dissssappeared, I came back.... But then I found you..."

Baron stopped walking, then turned back to Sleeping. "Why did you come back?"

Sleeping started to slithered towards him. "I had losssst all my hope... The rock wassss the only placssse I knew, the only placssse that reminded me of home..."

But, sudden courage had washed over her. "I should stop clinging to the passssst... I ssssshould go with you. I'm no coward.... I've ssssurvived here ssso long, I sssshouldn't wassste my time here. Go on, lead the way."

Baron felt dignified now, and led the way for the snake. She somehow managed to go faster than him, but she never mentioned his speed, to avoid hurting his feelings.

...

Pouncing literally pounced into the desert, followed by his friends, all with well-earned names: Crashing, Scooter, and Daredevil.

Pouncing was the tiger. Despite how everyone argued that everyone in the "pack" was completely equal, Pouncing usually rises to the top during most situations, and the others usually decline his leadership as being a thing...

Crashing, the koala, arguably had the coolest name, but he was the slowest and calmest of the group. His friends would tease him for being the least athletic, but none of them meant it in a particularly bad way.

Scooter was the quietest and the largest, a rhino. He stomped and smashed through everything in his path, but beneath his thick hide, he was really the friendliest. He was always trying to help his friends stay further ahead than himself...

Daredevil was the hyena. Crooked, hilarious, and practically unstoppable. He would run and run, far ahead of his friends, only to zoom back over to them, howling and laughing like a clown...

"I heard nobody's ever, EVER been in this desert before! Like, it's been totally forgotten!" shouted Crashing, from the top of Scooter's back.

Daredevil pranced in front of them, howling with laughter. "Ha, I bet we could find a RARE SPIKED COLLAR? Huh? Am I right? Eh?"

The others just stared at Daredevil, until Pouncing finally got enough courage to speak. "I bet so, Daredevil..."

Then Pouncing ran back through the sand, closer to the others. "I really should've brought my phone, huh? I bet there's great service out here, heheh..."

The others chuckled a bit, but they didn't really care. The only reason they came here was for the rare treasures they may find, but the journey ahead looked tougher than they originally thought.

"Jeez," exclaimed Pouncing. "I didn't expect it to be so hot..."

Scooter slowed down his pace a bit. "It is really hot," he boomed. "Hopefully it'll cool off... Soon..."

...

Chapter Seven
It had been weeks since Baron and Sleeping had left the "recording rock." The desert hadn't gotten anymore lush since then, still dotted with cacti, shrubs, and jagged rocks.

"So," began Baron. "What did you eat?"

Sleeping continued to slither on, while talking. "Oh, mice, birdsssss, even bugsssss... Anything I could find, and I didn't find much..."

Baron seemed surprised. "How did you find mice?"

Sleeping seemed confused why Baron would ask such a ludicrous question. "Oh, they're everywhere, you jusssSSSSssst have to watch, and lisssssten..."

Baron nodded, then kept walking. A few yards later, he asked her another question. "So uhh, would you find a mouse for me? I haven't eaten in such a long time..."

Sleeping gave him an odd look. "Well, ssssure I guesssss... I have a quessstion for you too, though. How are you sssstill alive?"

...

Months have gone by... Scooter is just barely pulling through. An oddly shaped rock catches his eye on the horizon, so he decides to check it out...

Across the entire rock, there's carvings of animals, including a pack that looks like what used to be his own. Confused, he sits in front of the rock and cries...

"I should've never come here," he whispers. His deep voice is weak now....

Once he finally cheers up, he takes the time to view all the other carvings in the rock. "A croc and a snake together... How silly is that...?"

However, he realizes that these carvings are all scenes in the desert, which all probably existed before he and his friends entered the place... If the scenes of his pack are true, then what about the others?

"WHoa, huh? We weren't the first ones in the desert...?" Scooter backs away from the rock. By now, he's completely forgotten what spike collars even are. He just wants to see his friends again...

Scooter then pays more attention to the carvings of the croc and the snake. "How long ago could this have been? It looks like that guy is wearing ancient stuff or something..."

...