When Tarik awoke the next morning he had forgotten where he was or what was happening. He knew it was early, probably too early to be awake. He sat up and looked at Lishay's sleeping form. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful, so calm. He crept as quietly as he could out of the room and out into the sunlight, maybe it wasn't as early as he had thought, then he remembered he was in stetriol. The sun was up early to bake them all the second they got out of bed. He went to sit on a low wall and thick. Was it possible Abeke, Conor, Meilin and Rollan were all here, in this village? He decided not to get his hopes up. He stared out across the desert. He didn't release Lumeo, for he wanted to be alone. He must have been sitting there thinking for at least an hour, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped.

"Tarik" sniggerd Lishay.

"Oh Lishay it's only you"

"Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Yes" he admitted, he found it very hard to lie to Lishay. She put her arm around him as she sat down next to him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. Tarik didn't really know, so he changed the subject.

"We should really get going," he told her.

"That's not answering my question, what's wrong, is something bothering you?"

"No," said Tarik, then he thought, something was bothering him, but he wouldn't admit it, not even to Lishay.

"So then why are you out here?"

"I just came out here to see Erdas in this form of beauty"

"I'm not so sure that's the real reason" but it was. Tarik had no reason to be out here, but he knew that Lishay wouldn't believe that.

"Stop worrying about me, and let's go, you can pester me on the rode"

"Sand" corrected Lishay.

"Whatever" Tarik got up and pulled her to her feet, but for some reason he didn't let go of her hand. She wasn't upset anymore, so Tarik didn't need to comfort her, but still she didn't seem to mind either, so Tarik just let himself hold her hand as they walked back to the hose together.

"I've already paid him, he ses to get lost as soon as possible" said Anushka, from behind them. Tarik dropped Lishay's hand and spun in place. Since when did she get there? "Come on" she said, grabbing Tarik's wrist and dragging him away. He snached Lishay's hand and the yonger girl led the three of them out of the village, and into the desert.

"You didn't have to drag me," said Tarik.

"You were being too slow" said Anushka. Tarik relaced Lumeo as they began their trek across the desert. Just as they began their walck, the man from the village came rushing out.

"Whit" he called. Tarik stopped again and looked back.

"Gone as soon as possible ey" he said to Anushka. She rolled her eyes.

"Take some horses" three more villagers, all around Tarik's age, came walking over, each one leading a horse. Anushka paid them all.

"Anushaka dont give them so much," Lishay warned.

"Why? They are being kind, and deserve the money"

"I soposse" Lishay sighed. She jumped grasefully up onto one of the horses and Tarik followed. He wasn't used to riding untrained horses, but he was a good rider. Anushka struggled onto her horse, and fell off on her first attempt to get on. It reminded Tarik of Rollan and his horse, when they were in Eura. Tarik really hoped that Rollan was ok now, he hoped all four of them where. He looked across at Lishay.

"Don't worry" Lishay laghed "they are strong, they will be just fine"

"But Meilin"

"Is a warrior if ever I saw one, if she is anything like her father i'll bet you she has found a way to fight the bile" Tarik smiled at that.

"Tell me, Lishay, what did you really think of them when you first met them"

"Well, I thought Rollan looked annoyed, Conor looked scared, and Abeke looked worried," she placed a hand on Zhamins tattoo, "but of course that's what they ought to think, after what happened" Tarik did not want Lishay to end up in tears again, so he changed the subject.

"What of Meliln?"

"Well when I first met her she had a knife to Jobodaba's neck" she laughed "so of course I thought she was sly and brave"

"What did you think of their performance in battle?"

"Conor did not hesitate to save Abeke, sadly, nether did shane" she trailed off, but then picked up agen "Meliln knew what she was doing and where she was needed, despite how much she wanted to see her father, she fought where she was needed. Abeke is the most skilled archer i've ever met, and Rollan" she thought for a minute "is funny"

"You laugh at his jokes!?" Tarik was laughing now, it felt good to laugh.

"Nope, but he has excellent comedy timing"

"I met Abeke once," piped up Anushka, Tarik had almost forgotten she was there.

"Relay?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yeh she was out on the savannah, after the same herd as me"

"So you hunted together?"

"More than that, I was using a spear, not the right kind of weapon for hunting- umm I think it was anatalope? I honestly can't remember," she laughed "anyway, Abeke taught me how to use a bow, and it's only because of her that I am now able to hunt properly"

"That's amazing" said Lishay. Then a sudden realisation hit Tarik;

"We forgot to get food from the village," he said.

"Well you forgot to get food from the village, I got some" said Anushka. How was this child more organized then Tarik? he must be distracted by something (Lishay)

"When I was in Artica, we lost lots of our food, we had to ration it, we can do the same here" Anushka nodded.

"I brought enough to last me happy till we reach muttering rock"

"So if we split it between us, we will be able to survive, we will be hungry, but we will survive" Lishay nodded.

"I've gone a week with no food before....but I don't think I can go a week with no water"

"Agen I have water," Anushka said, "but I don't think it will be enough to last us"

"Do you think Essix could find us enathing? Or uraza? Conor what about briggan?"

"Tarik" said Lishay softly, "they aren't here"

"Oh yeah, right of course" Tarik sighed, he wished they were there, he wished more than anything. "Lumeo what about you?" the otter stayed put on his shoulders. Tarik was fine with that, he wasn't too keen on his spirit animal going off on his own anyway.

"I guess we just have to survive then" said Lishay.

"Yeah" sighed Tarik "I guess we do" he was very thankful for Anushka right then, without her they wouldn't have any food or water.

pls ignore how wird this image is (and all the wird images) i menal like Tarik looks allright but Lishay's face XDD

Larik art is very hard to find XDD