I ran to the North. I ran and ran without at the border, like I normally would. And I didn't stop after that. I ran over hills, through canyons and sagebrush and around great mesas of red and purple sand. I didn't watch as the last of the sun's rays hissed off the top of these great mesas, twisting the landscape into a dark nightmare. I had never, ever in my life ran so far for so long without stopping. It felt horrible.

I felt like a coward. I did what I do best; run away from my problems and my feelings. I didn't try to make myself feel better. I couldn't blame anyone or reason myself out of guilt. I couldn't even blame the shifter or Snake; It was my fault.

All my fault! My brain moaned. They're all in danger because of me. Because I was so stupid! Hare, Delta, Negrita, Bat, Sego, even Creek and Horizon, are all in danger! And I ran away from them!

Of all the heart ache I felt for my tribe, Sego wrenched my heart the greatest. The pain in her beautiful eyes would be forever branded in my mind; an ugly scar that would never heal.

I climbed up a sandy hill, slipping more than making progress. Slobber, blood and tears covered my face. I couldn't see much besides the red dust getting in my eyes. And I still run!

I didn't understand anything. All I felt was hurt and guilt. My body was physically aching, but the demons in my mind were torturous.

You gave up.

You ran away.

You don't deserve to live.

Hare shouldn't have helped you.

They were right . . . they were right!

I pulled myself over the ridge of the hill frantically. The top was made from flat, solid rock and extended to a ravine, like a deep cut in the flesh of the earth.

I ran to the deep scar, and without much thought, I flung myself over, screaming.

<----•••---->

"I hope I made this right and it doesn't make you sick. I know aloe helps for burns, but it may not be so great for cuts and scrapes. But you probably don't care, since you're unconscious."

Someone was slathering a cool, goopy paste on my shoulders. She kept talking, but I didn't understand her.

My head swam back to reality from it's mucky state in the pond of concussions. I opened my eyes, one at a time. There was a bright, crackling red light and a dark figure over me.

"I don't know if you can hear me." She mumbled, mostly to herself. "Hello? Can you hear me when I'm talking to myself!" She barked loudly into my ear canal.

"Agghh!" I screamed, quickly jumping to alertness and rolling away from her.

"Wow! I suppose you can. I must have shocked you." She said. "I thought you were still unconscious."

I waited for my heart to slow down and for my vision to focus. In the flickering of the bright red light, I could tell she was a coyote with big, round ears and eyes.

"I'm glad you're awake!" She continued. "I was starting to talk to myself. I talk to myself when I'm worried."

"I thought I was dead . . ." I muttered. "I hit my head when I fell . . ." I suddenly felt like collapsing, but she caught me.

"Woah, you better just lay down right here. You probably didn't hit it that hard, I'm more worried about the scrapes all over you. They got a lot of sand in them." She sputtered on. "But don't worry, I washed them out and put some medicine on them."

I looked around. We were at the bottom of the ravine. Scabby trees and bushes were licked by the red light. A cut of dark blue sky glittered with stars, reflecting onto a relaxed puddle lounging in the base of the ravine.

"Hey, what's your name? I've been calling you Mr Clumsy because you fell into the ravine. I'm sure it was an accident. That's okay; I'm clumsy too." She went on.

But it wasn't an accident. I thought. What if I had died? If there was an afterlife, and if I continued to exist there, I would never forgive myself for being so selfish.

"I'm Astor." I said, lost in my thoughts.

"My name is Saguaro, but my friends usually call me Sarah. They have a hard time pronouncing my real name. Did you know I was named after a cactus?"

"Why did you help me?" I interjected.

Saguaro seemed surprised by my question. "Well, I, ugh, was just . . . taking a midnight stroll and I saw you in the ravine. You looked hurt, so I wanted to help you."

I was confused. Why would someone go out of their way to help me? "What tribe are you from? What part of the desert is this?" I asked.

Saguaro laughed. "I'm not part of a tribe, silly! We call it a flock. And I'm not sure where . . . I know it's in Kalurato."

"What?" I said, sitting up. "A flock of birds?"

She scowled a little, offended by my question. "No, a flock of spirits."

I was confused again.

"What, is that hard for you to understand?" She asked.

"Umm, a little. I just don't understand. You live with spirits? Like, ghosts?" I asked. Spirits weren't real. But shifters weren't either, a few days ago.

"They don't like being called that, but yes." Saguaro said. "What about you, Astor? Where's your tribe?"

I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. "I-I don't really have a tribe anymore." I croaked. "They exiled me."

Saguero shook her head. "Exiled? Then you must be dangerous. But you don't look dangerous."

"I'm not, at least not to my friends." I mumbled. "I was exiled because the current leader if my tribe is a shape-shifter. A monster from the dark lands. I'm the only one who knows what he really is, so he got rid of me."

Saguaro shook her head. "Ohh, shape shifters are no good. No good. They shouldn't be leading any tribe. Hey, is there anything I can do to help? I can bring my flock to your tribe and we can make him leave-"

"No." I interrupted, standing up. "There's nothing you, or your flock, or anyone can do."

Saguaro began an interjection, but I cut her off again. "No. Thank you for all the help you've given me, but I should leave. I ran into the desert to get away from my tribe, not to save it."

I walked away before she could say anything. As I scanned for a route out of the ravine, deciding which rocks were real and which were shadows cast by the dancing red light, Saguaro called out again.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" She asked.

"What?" I turned around, looking back. Her golden eyes flickered in the red light.

"You don't believe that you can't save your tribe."

"I can't." I growled.

"You may not be able to. I can't help much either, and my flock would be too afraid to do anything. But there are the Guerrero!"

"They can't help. No one can. It's not just my tribe, it's the Fuegos-"

"The Guerrero are great warriors!" Saguaro interrupted. "They live in the south. Legend says they are warriors of the sun; their great strength and power was given to them in ancient times by the great spirit. They destroyed the great evils that plagued the land! If anyone can save your tribe and destroy the shape shifter, they can!"

"You said this is a legend." I growled.

"Legends have power. Every myth has a bit of truth, and every tale has an origin. Members of my flock have seen the Guerrero, they have met and talked with them in person. I trust my flock." Saguaro said, standing very tall. Her eyes didn't look curious anymore, but rigid and almost threatening.

I attempted to swallow the dry sand coating my throat before speaking. "Oh really? Can I see your flock?"

"Do you want to?" Saguaro asked, wagging her tail, happy and annoying again.

"Why not?" I said as she threw sand and stomped on the red light. It reduced to nothing but glowing specks, like stars in a pile of dust.

Before I could say anything else, Saguaro gracefully hopped out of the ravine. She waited patiently for me at the top. "Follow me!"

"What's your name again?" I asked, placing a paw on a sturdy-looking rock and pulling myself to the next.

"Saguaro." She called down to me. "But the spirits call me Sarah. You can call me that, if you want."

With a final heave, I pulled myself on horizontal ground. I could see the valley, with rising limestone cliffs to the  East and the West, and the sky turning the dusty shade of sagebrush.

"Come, they're this way." Saguaro said, walking towards the cliffs to the right of us.

I followed her, walking briskly to keep up.