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BirdWings
Here's the lore! Let me know if you need anything fixed, hope you like it :)
Heat. The air shimmered over the distant dunes, sand shining beneath the pulse of the sun. Each tiny grain a mirror, reflecting the brilliant golden rays and beaming them straight into his eyes.
Sands squinted at the horizon. The sky was blurred by heat waves, the entire landscape an oven in which any inexperienced dragons would quickly burn. Luckily, the Searing Caravan knew their way around.
A speck of green, sliced between the dull blue sky and the slithering dunes. Wind coiled around Sands like a snake, tussling with the Ridgeback's dusty wings and blowing sand into every little crevice beneath his sunbaked scales.
"We head East, towards the oasis. There we can gather supplies and information towards the coordinates of the temple."
Toumma nodded from his left. Though silent most of the time, the freckled dessert owl as wise and had more than once led them out of a tricky situation.
Once the others had gathered, Sands began. The trek to the oasis would be long, but hopefully it would be worth it. The dragons of the Searing Caravan were always on the move, exploring the Sand Wastes and it's ancient ruins. Of all the regions of Acora, the boiling desserts of the Sand Wastes had the strongest connection to the deity of the sun; Celeste. Therefore it had many fascinating temples dedicated to her, one in particular which interested Sands. There were tales of an ancient sanctuary where Celeste had offered food, shelter and guidance, until it's destruction when a sandstorm half buried the building and the dragons there were forced to evacuate. So intrigued were the dragons of the Searing Caravan that they decided to travel there to collect information about it. The only problem was, they needed directions.
They were halfway to the oasis when they saw her. Toumma took off suddenly, wheeling towards a strange pale dragon. Sands followed, speeding up as he realised the dragon seemed to be struggling. She was white as the bleached dunes of the Sand Waste's heart, with golden sunset ribbons swirling in the breeze around her. Clearly she was tired, for the beautiful imperial was limping towards them with drooping eyelids.
"Greetings,' he paused, unsure what to say, "Do you need help?"
"Well, I suppose you could say that. I've been struggling to reach the oasis - I ran out of supplies a few days ago, you see."
"We're heading there two! You can come with us if you'd like. I'm Sands, by the way."
"Thank you, I would much appreciate that. I'm Ce- Nymph."
"Well then, Nymph, welcome to the Searing Caravan! We hope you'll enjoy your time travelling with us." A wink, and off they set again, with Nymph gratefully downing a flask of coconut water.
It took two more days to reach the glorious pool of water, surrounded by gently swaying palms and dusty canvas tents. Sands spent the third day restocking their supplies; filling water flasks and packing satchels with dried meat and fruit. A notable amount of money was spent on stuffed dates, for which Sands' response was 'Well, we're going to need some celebration food for when we reach the temple!'
The fourth day was one for planning. Before Sands could set out to the oasis market in order to buy directions to the temple, Nymph stopped him and asked to talk.
"I know rather a lot about the Sand Wastes, especially it's temples. Perhaps I could lead you there, in return for your kindness. And, maybe... I could stay? With my knowledge and your survival skills, think of all the information we could gather!"
"Why- of course! Thank you very much. Could we begin tomorrow?"
"I don't see why not."
The sand was red and hot, swirling around the crumbled stone. A lonely arch stood before them, it's too engraved with a detailed spiraling sun. Slowly, Sands breathed.
The temple was breathing taking. Despite its ruined, desolate state, it felt as though Sands was bathed in Celeste's power and kindness, her ancient light still beaming down on the cracked walls. Beside him, Nymph stirred. There was something in her eyes, something like... Recognition? Familiarity? Sands could not be sure, but he watched as she placed a paw on a pale stone at the base of the arch, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply.
Beneath the howl of the wind, Sands thought he could hear whispered words drifting from Nymph's slightly parted lips. Carried away swiftly like a roll of tumbleweed, but still... There.
"Home. Sweet home."