Three days later...

Thoris: "(groaning) Any idea about where we are Lariat?"

Our heroes are currently baking in the harsh summer sun.

Lariat: "Strange, we should be able to see the Great Veni River by now."

They had run out of water a few hours ago.

Owen: "(groaning) Why is it called the Great Veni River?"

Lariat: "It was named after the legendary heroine of the Fangli, Veni Xiano. The river is the main source of water for all life across these plains."

Thoris: "(groaning) How the hell haven't we seen something so important yet?"

Lariat: "(shrugging) Beats me."

Little do they know, they're being watched.

???: "(snickering) I'm gonna get 'em!"

Owen notices what looks like a riverbank not to far ahead of them

Owen: "(hopeful) Water?"

Thoris: "(hopeful) Huh?"

Thoris and Owen rush over to the riverbank, only to find it almost completely dried out.

Owen/ Thoris: "(dramatically) NO!!!!!!!!"

Lariat catches up.

Lariat: "Strange. The river is almost completely gone."

Owen: "(standing up) I wonder what could've-"

Within an instant, a Fangli girl pounces on Owen from behind.

Fangli Girl: "Gotcha!"

Lariat: "Huh? Quite the hunter."

The girl has bright blond fur, fox ears mounted on her head, white paws (five for her fingers and three for her toes), barefoot, and has really short, brown leather shorts, and a really small shirt that fits tightly around her oddly, um... sized rack, has short sleeves, a black fox like nose, and dark green eyes.

Owen: "(struggling) Can you PLEASE get off me?"

Fangli Girl: "Oh sorry!"

She happily jumps off Owen.

Thoris: "Who are you?"

Rox: "(perky) My name is Rox!"

Owen brushes off the dust.

Owen: "Okay, I'm Owen."

Thoris: "Thoris."

Lariat: "My name is Lariat and we're all-"

Rox begins to sniff the three... a lot.

Rox: "(sniffing) Human, Dwarf, and Elf respectively."

She covers her nose.

Rox: "(disgusted) And none of you have bathed in a minimum of two weeks!"

Lariat: "(confused) Even you Thoris?"

Thoris: "(awkwardly) Yeah I was pretty iffy about bathing after the mines."

Rox: "So what's a ragtag group of different races doing here?"

Thoris: "Actually-"

Rox: "(perky) Oh! Why don't we discuss at my village?! And please be sparing with the water!"

Rox gets on all fours and darts east.

Owen: "I guess we're going east."

They begin to follow.

Thoris: "(groaning) But we're still thirsty as hell!"

Lariat: "(sighing) Maybe we'll learn the reason about the sudden stop of the greatest source of freshwater in Isa."

They slowly continue.