Tisis

Busted (N)

The dog who had brought me to the edge of the desert has landed and is now growling at me.

I get down and ask, "What's wrong?"

More growling...oh what I'd give to get behind the secret Sirus and Julia seem to be having...it must be something with their biology, something that somehow allows them to sync with the dogs.
Something I don't have.

"Look, can we go a little further into that direction?" I ask, mustering my sweetest voice.
As a response, I get a violent bark, which actually sends me in a defense position, but there's no bite.

At least the mutt knows what's good for him.

I look out over the seemingly endless sea of sand ahead of me...hard to believe that there was a forest here mere days ago...though I guess we should be grateful, that the widespread destruction was the 'only' thing that happened...at least as far as we can tell.

And by the time climate changes from the dust launched into the stratosphere kick in, we'll most likely already be dead and gone.

I sigh and try to explain, "Listen...aw crud, what did Julia call you again...?"
I shake my head...the name's gone.
Not like it actually makes much of a difference.

"Anyway, I need to examine the wreck, alright? I am hoping to find a few useful things in there...but I can't make it on my own. I mean, just look ahead! I'd never make it there before drying up!"

Another bark, followed by a fervent shake of the head, which spills the saliva of the canine all over the place.
I shake off the viscous liquid slowly and mutter, "Thanks, I'm not that dehydrated yet..."

The large dog whimpers quietly and takes another step away, as the wind picks up and blows a little sand into our direction.

"Oh c'mon, you're fine with going kilometers out over open sea, but you're scared of a little sand?! What, is there some humongous monster hiding beneath the sand I should know about or something?!"

While I'm yelling, the possibility, just how true my proclamation might well be registers with me...we've never been to the desert and while the ground around here should still be too hard for any underground monster to move in easily, but out there, in the vast ocean of sand...

The idea sends a shiver down my spine, as I imagine a pit forming in the sand, making whatever wanderer stupid enough to walk the sands slide directly into the maw of whatever monstrosity might be lurking beneath.

And I mean, just why not?
They've got giant swamp monsters as well, so why not giant desert monsters too?

Nope, I'm not taking a walk in the desert...and the dog seems to be dead set against flying over it as well...eh, nothing I can do about it.

It's not like the shuttle, which would've been perfect for this job, will just magically come back together or anything.

And if it, by whatever mad miracle, does put itself back together, I'm definitely jumping off the next cliff!

I sigh and get back on the back of the dog and say, "Alright, you win...let's go back to the others...there's no use going out over the ocean today."

The canine barks cheerfully, turns around, picks up speed and, after a few leaps, gains in height.

Sirus and Julia keep saying, just how awesome traveling this way is, but I'd very much prefer having the ground a whole lot closer to my feet.

About an hour later, we approach the den of the dogs.

My ride touches down so rough, that I almost fall off...but I cannot complain, seeing how I chose to ask that one to take me today.