The White Desert

As the day went on and the desert climate changed. Although the sun was out the harsh winds had picked up, beating away at us.

We walked in a straight line, using the spare rope to keep track of where we were headed. Heading up and down the crystal white sand dunes. Some towered above us fifty feet high, so we kept in check. With Quine and Kairui ensuring we all made it to the top. Each person looked out for one another. With Kairui in the front, followed by Quine. Yannu in between Shassii and Ussu. Ending with me at the end. The wind was unforgiving I can tell you that. Nothing we'd experienced back home, in the forest. Sure, we met cool open winds there, even near the lake sometimes but this was different. The volume and speed were uncanny.

It was up to the Śeingtt to ensure we made it through all this. Only their aims could prevail in the end.

Kairui reached the top of a long dune. Quine second behind, taking a moment to catch her breath. Over the horizon, she could see a never-ending loop. Like the world went on and on forever. She moved a piece of her turban to speak out, lowering her head to the floor. Fighting off the winds and sand that came brushing up against her.

"HOW FAR, OFF!!!!!" she shouted during the winding glade.

Kairui turned over to her. Covering her mouth.

"Till, there. six yards far off, then we can sit down and…..."

"Camp….. for the night…."

Quine hit the dorsal of her hand.

Twisting back to pull the rope and bring the others over the slope.

Once all six were gathered, she raced and jumped off the edge. Sliding down the edge, gaining speed. Tussling and twirling down as she landed.

Kairui laughed at the childish attempt.

Spotting Quine, who waved down the others to follow along.

Ussu seeing the moment.

Jumped first, sliding down in a cute fashion with a butt slide.

Yannu was scared for her, but was assured by Shassii.

Then the two went down next, Yannu holding his arms out for her to climb on. Shassii responding in a cute proud manner, as he picked her up. They skimmed down together in a neat fashion.

The squad all clashed at the bottom, falling on top of each other.

This spawned a chuckle and humor, with the residents atop also joining in.

Aya and Kairui never got along till now. But at the moment, laughter did in this one instance.

They both smiled at each other, even though their turbans covered it.

Kairui took a step forward and pushed the joyous girl down the slope. Who propelled down at a rapid speed headfirst.

She rolled and landed poking the complacent Ussu's butt, sandwiching everyone else.

The couple of friends burst into a giggle together as Quine jumped and squashed them all. Hugging and mocking each other.

While amid all of this. Kairui drifted down, nimbly hitting her stride as she came to a stop.

Reaching out to give a leg up to Aya.

Aya was still laughing with her friends. They all turned to the two to see her reaction.

Aya thought for a second, reaching out. She pulled Kairui on top of them all, which caused another wave of amusement.

Day passed, again. The mid-day had reached.

The group had made significant progress so far. Being students of academia hadn't taken away from their physical training in the least. The professors handed them over to army soldiers to run routines. That would prepare them for Seinq training.

They had gotten the hang of climbing the dunes. Now it was more about the stretch rather than the uphill battle.

Shassii was taking the initiative now, filling in for Quine who had strained her voice most of the day. Keeping everyone on their toes.

They were moving along the center of a dune.

What looked like to be twenty feet high.

"Come on Ussu, Aya!! Keep up…nearly there".

As the two passed her.

She heard a song that hit her ear.

She spun around quickly, to see a dune across them.

The sand withered and flew, like grain off the top.

A song was growing and climbing hitting her ears.

She couldn't tell where it was from, but it sounded like it came from the desert.

Turning back to the click, they all stopped to hear it.

So, she knew she wasn't mad at the very least.

Kairui came out of position, lowing her scarf to speak out.

"Guys stay focussed. It's nothing….just tricks of the….desert…"

Yannu took time to listen to it.

It grew louder, sounding like a symphony he had heard.

Ussu tugged his gown.

"Yannu, do you know what that is??"

"Not sure, I've heard the elders say. It's the voice of Śeingtt which house in the realm past. The voices of those who passed our ancestors maybe. The Seinq who never made it to the Linniq. This eternal desert!"

Aya snooped in on their conversation.

"Maybe it's the Śeingtt showing their disapproval of us. You know encroaching on this sacred land" she fearfully suggested.

Quine came in at this point.

"It's a test. To see whether the tides eat at us first. Or our sanity"

Ussu poked Quine, eager to hear more.

"Remember only the Śeinq chosen to ascend into the Linniq venture for pilgrimage here. We are too early. What we've done is taboo. The Śeingtt may have let those foreigners trample on the desert abandoning us. But maybe it's all a test, to see whether we are worthy to be visited" she whispered out, trying not to strain her voice.

"Strange stuff has been happening with all of us since they came. The lake, the Śeikl, the fountain Aya! And much more…" Shassii backed up.

Aya kept quiet, not responding to the statement.

"Plus, when I was stuck on that rope. At the devil's gate, I felt something. Something ominous…."

"Like what??" Ussu asked.

"I don't know! But it's following us, maybe watching over us. I don't where the trail ends. But I think once we leave, we'll find out…" She said to herself.

Kairui noticing the sunken mood around the click.

"The Śeingtt visiting you all. The dead souls linger through here, it's a good sign. Stop worrying you all. A day ago, you all thought the world ended at the ridge. Now you all near deep in this desert. There's no turning back. Let's go on…" she explained.

"Nothing to go back to anyway!" Quine finished in a depressive tone. Leaving the idle members, picking up the rope, and tugging it. Then she set off.

"Someone would've thought we are still Ābids and not Śeinq" Aya spoke out, trying to ease the nervous tension.

Aya did the same too.

Ussu had a worried look. She stared at Yannu concerned.

He jolted his head, swaying it ahead. Then he left with the group.

Shassii and Ussu stayed a while gazing at the far-off dunes as the desert sang its song.

Then they trotted along.

Leaving the giant sand dune, sprinkling its sand in the air. As the wind carried it along, it gleamed in the air as the wind picked up its trail.

Days had passed. The travelers had been walking for days now. Fatigued broken and torn off. The endless wind, the cold sand beating on them.

On the ledge, stood atop Aya. Pointing far into the distance.

In the eye of the desert, there was a storm starting to bloom, it was gaining traction as the group moved on. they saw the trees flicker and fight the harsh winds, that beat across them swaying and tussling. The son had hidden his face away from them, they were now alone left behind in the cold winds and the desert frozen sand.

Kairui made her way to the front passing by Aya. squinting her eyes she saw in the very far range of where they were standing lay her tree.

"Guys, we need to get going to that tree"

"what's at the tree" Aya questioned.

"answers"

"answers"

"I need to send a message. The treehouse is a nest of a Hawk" she replied.

Aya nodded.

She did the same.

it was a few miles away from where they were. but the clique hadn't given up, keeping warm was now a factor in their minds. they wrapped their turbans tightly from their heads to their chests. the winds had now reached a speed so fast it knocked them off their feet. they know how to claim the dunes carefully and attentively. A wrong step on an uphill climb, could spell disaster for the ones at the back.

For this measure, Kairui unhooked herself from the rope to make sure she could speed up. Steering and pulling whenever the wind faced against them.

In their Homeland they had never encountered winds as fast as this, being housed in the middle of canyons. The khors channeled the winds far away from Eein. It was only when abid's ventured into the gorges that they would encounter and note down this weather. So to many people, it was fiction or spirits past. But now their friends were living it.

In the air, they spotted some vultures that flew past them. Even the desert snakes and scorpions were nesting in the banks of the sand. The weather was too harsh for now, unfortunately, they had no other options to turn back or go around. They were open fish in an open sea with no end in sight. At this point, they had felt like they were in a walking loop.

The desert all looked the same. With a few canyons littered across, they could tell they were making some progress. But for the most part, the dunes tricked them.