Lizard & Brats

This is our little brain baby. Come along for the ride. We promise it will be good. <3.

We will be posting both art and writing set in this fantasy world filled by anthropomorphic animals (name TBD)

Current story: Petal & Olive

Synopsis: Petal and Olive, two siblings lost in the desert. As the older sister, Petal must navigate the unfamiliar world outside their oasis and protect her baby brother from its various dangers. Can they get out of the desert and find another home? Or will Petal be broken down inside and out first?

What happened to their family? Who’s the hooded stranger (there’s two)? And what’s a sexy lizard wizard?

Story Synopsis

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Petal couldn't say how long they walked for until they arrived at the boulder. The only thing in her mind was an alarming buzz as the wind picked up. 

The first true thought to pass her mind was that “boulder” was a misnomer. Olive's “boulder” was only one of many strange rock formations. One was formed by multiple rocks that stacked into a gate-like arc. Another was like an inverted triangle with random ledges jutting out. One had an eerily similar shape to the spongy mushrooms Uncle Spot used for his tea. It was as if a giant children’s block set had been dropped and left forgotten amidst the desert sands. 

Olive’s boulder rose high out of the ground like the sloping back of some massive beast. The stone itself was rough and pockmarked with the abuse of many a storm. Which made it perfect for climbing. They used the holes to clamber their way up the rock beast’s back until it flattened out. The flat bit extended a good thirty paces in all directions. 

There had to be a hole large enough for Olive and her to squeeze into somewhere among rocks this massive.

“It’s big.” Olive murmured, idly kicking at the stone. 

Petal hummed in reply. Her long tail lashed uneasily at the building scent of rain. She clamped a hand on the errant appendage, feeling it twitch as she scanned the stones around them.

A crack of thunder boomed in the distance. Olive shrieked at the sound and clung to her unoccupied arm like a suckerbush. Her tail escaped her hold, puffed and pointed straight up. 

They needed to find shelter now. 

“Let’s play a quick game, huh?” Petal said in a clipped tone. Her fear couldn’t be completely hidden behind the nice words. “First to find a cave wins.” 

“Wins what?” The pup questioned while peering up at her with those big, green eyes of his. 

“Something great. Now, go!” 

The silence was thick and pressing. Olive scoured their surroundings as Petal pretended to do the same. She couldn’t stop the twitch, twitch, twitch of her tail as the sky gradually grew darker. 

“Cave!” Olive declared while enthusiastically shaking the arm he clung to. He pointed at a nearby pillar that looked like a crooked finger. 

Squinting, Petal could barely confirm that there was some sort of opening in the rock that looked big enough for the two of them. Congratulating the pup on his keen sight, she hurried them along in the vague direction of his pointing. Screw saving every drop of water, she was flushing her eyes as soon as they were safe.

Olive soon took the lead as Petal floundered. He grabbed her hand and pulled her limping form behind him. A flash split the sky, followed by roaring thunder a few heartbeats later. Curse this damned paw. She can’t afford to slow them down.

As soon as both of their tails were in the cave, the first drops of rain began to fall. Shimmering gold droplets lit up the darkened sky like shooting stars. A gust of wind blew the bright drops just inside the entrance of the cave. Petal and Olive lurched back as the ground sizzled and smoked. 

That was much too close. But they made it. 

Petal let herself slouch against the furthest wall. Letting the shake in her body subside as her breathing returned to normal. Olive was, of course, completely undeterred by their near miss. The pup immediately began scratching and sniffing all around the cave. Though there wasn’t much to find. It was barely three paces deep. Olive, with arms now outstretched, could almost touch both walls at the same time. 

“Quit that, fur-brain,” Petal scolded as the pup scooted towards the glowing rain. 

“I’m not stupid, Petal.” Despite facing away from her, she could practically feel Olive’s eye roll. “I’m not gonna go outside.” 

“No, but you’ll get dissolved when the wind shifts again. A sad Olive puddle.” 

Olive grumbled something uncomplimentary, but did inch back from the new pinprick holes by the entrance. 

Satisfied, Petal leaned forward just enough to slip the backpack off. It laid in a sad mound on the floor. It was as if her body was filled with metal now that she sat down. She too wanted to lay limply on the floor. Forever. 

“Want to help me with something?” 

Olive’s ears perked up, green eyes wide and questioning as he turned slightly to face her. 

“I need the sand out of my eyes. Like I’ve been doing for you.” 

Olive scrambled to the backpack without another prompt. He dug out the fullest waterskin and sidled up next to her. 

“Lean forward, please. Good job.” Olive mimicked her perfectly. Since that first horrid day, Petal had been flushing his eyes with the green water when the itchy sand became too much for him. Olive knew this procedure quite well by now. 

Petal wanted to weep with relief as the grit was washed from her eyes. It was stupid to waste water on herself like this. Tomorrow would only bring more sand. Tomorrow her eyes would hurt again. Such a selfish soul. Mama had said that teasingly. But Mama was right and now she was gone. 

Olive examined her face critically as Petal blinked rapidly, clearing the last of the grit. “Do you need more?” He gestured with the waterskin, letting the liquid slosh. 

Petal shook her head with a careful smile. Her eyes still ached and the world was still blurry. Hopefully the damage wasn’t permanent. But she had been selfish enough for today. 

Running a hand through her tangled scruff, Petal let the thoughts sink down again. Once the pup was safe… then she could afford to get lost. 

Olive, satisfied with his work, turned to stuff the water skin into the backpack. His back was exposed. 

With the grace of a falling rock, Petal let her body crumple to the side as it had been longing to do all day. Olive just so happened to be on that side. 

“Petal!” The pup squealed. “Get off!” 

She considered this argument for a moment. But then Petal stretched her arms and wiggled obnoxiously. Quick as a whip, Olive grabbed an arm and licked her hand. What followed was wrestling at its finest, with all the shouting and laughing to prove it. Eventually, they settled against each other. 

It didn’t take long to drift to sleep watching the world illuminated in a soft, golden glow. 

—------------------------

Petal wasn’t sure what woke her up. She would like to say she sensed something was off. A shift in the wind or the smell of something new. Yet one minute she was asleep and the next she was unhappily awake. 

The rain hadn’t let up. Outside the wind wooshed and moaned like spirits coming back from the underworld. Thunder raged in the far distance. It wasn’t as frightening now with them safely tucked into the cave. Petal quietly counted the seconds between the booms as she stared at the darkened ceiling. Olive slept on, cold nose pressed into her shoulder. 

It was weird that the ceiling was so dark. With this much rain it should be almost as bright as day. Petal lifted her head ever so slightly. No need to disturb Olive. 

A figure was at the entrance. It crouched there, completely covered in a strange shiny cloak, approaching where they laid defenseless. Curled claws slipped from under the fabric. The rain cast strange shadows that squirmed and wiggled from the outstretched arms over Olive’s sleeping body. It was as if Zhatkol, the King of Shadows himself, found them lacking and had come to collect early. 

Petal quickly rolled herself up and over the pup and half-rose into a squat. The soft snores turned into groans as he sleepily tried to push her away. She ignored his protests and squished him against the cave wall, eyes never leaving the intruder. 

The strange cloak slipped more as the figure spread its arms, exposing scales glinting in the rain. A growl reverberated through her body when the intruder shuffled forward. Olive hesitantly asked something but it was lost between the storm and the blood rushing in her ears. 

A flash of lightning outside the cave, blinding and deafening in its intensity, caused the intruder to flinch. It was all the distraction she needed. 

Petal had them tackled to the ground in an instant. Her claws couldn’t find purchase in the cloak, which saved the delicate skin around the intruder’s throat. The intruder shrilly shrieked as Petal went for another swing. With a sudden jerky twist, something heavy hit Petal’s stomach. Her body thumped against the cave wall, claws catching on fabric, as the intruder scrambled out from underneath her. 

The cloak lay tangled under her and a torn knapsack clung to her hand. Unidentifiable bobbles were strewn at her paws. Without the obstructions, it was clear the intruder was a female Tokaan. She must have been struck by the muscular tail. 

The Tokaan slowly stood and Petal mirrored the action. She used the cave wall as support to keep pressure off her right paw. 

They eyed each other from across the cave, their panting barely audible over the rain. Petal glanced to the side in alarm as Olive crawled forward. 

“Back!” Petal ordered. Olive shot her a glare with ears pinned to his skull. 

The Tokaan’s muscles tensed at the shout, eyes darting between Petal and the pup. Her tail raised slightly and her claws flexed. 

Petal growled and the intruder hissed in reply. 

The intruder rushed forward, trapping Petal against the wall with her shoulder. But Petal went limp, letting her weight overpower the shorter Tokaan. They crashed to the floor again. Yelps and yowls filled the cave as they rolled back and forth, each trying to overpower the other. 

Rain drops pelted their exposed bodies as they accidentally rolled outside. Petal and the Tokaan screeched, the fight forgotten, as they darted back into the safety of the cave. 

They both crouched just out of reach of the rain, facing the storm as the wind howled in fury. Scales and fur burned the same. 

“Stop fighting!” Olive shouted from behind them. He held a small bag above his head. It was embroidered with the golden mark of the spring goddess Orkma, a crescent with a circle inside it.  

“Do not–Do not touch that,” the raspy voice of the Tokaan implored. 

“I won’t if you don’t touch my sister.” Olive glared with as much authority as an eight-year old pup could have. 

The Tokaan stretched her arms out, palms up, on the floor. “Peace. Peace, Small one.” 

Olive nodded, moving the bag to his hip. He turned his attention to Petal, “Are you alright?” 

Petal didn’t answer at first. She waited for the Tokaan to lunge forward and attack. Yet that didn’t happen. The tenuous peace remained unbroken. The Tokaan stayed on her side, only shifting into a more comfortable seated position.

Petal turned to Olive,  “Could you bring the waterskin and a rag?” 

As Petal scrubbed the lingering drops from her skin, she studied the stranger. It was hard to tell by the light of the rain but the reptilian had yellow scales with black spots. The Tokaan hunched in on herself, clutching at her knees, eyes darting around in barely concealed panic. Petal stifled the growl building in her throat, focusing on the last stubborn bits stuck to her fur. 

This stranger had no right to act so scared. They were the ones attacked in their sleep–not her. 

They hadn’t been out long enough for the rain to truly burn them, but the spots would be tender and swollen for several days. Petal glanced at the huddled figure again. There were red patches sprinkled between the black spots. That rain needed to be wiped off, otherwise it would continue to eat away at the skin. Accepting another rag from Olive, Petal cursed her weak heart.  

“Hey,” Petal barked. It was a neutral enough opening. 

The Tokaan startled, head hitting the cave wall. Her big eyes stared into Petal’s soul. 

Too aggressive. “Here,” Petal tried again with a softer tone. She tossed the rag and the waterskin on the ground between them. “Clean yourself up.” 

The Tokaan fidgeted with her hand claws before scooting forward to grab the offered items. Now that they were no longer looming over the pup, Petal could see that the Tokaan’s hands ended in stubby claws. More for digging than slashing open veins. Her own claws were much sharper and retractable. 

“What’s your name?” Olive asked after freely giving away their names to the stranger. His arms hugged one of Petal’s own. Whether this was nerves from the Tokaan or to keep Petal from getting up, she didn’t know. 

The Tokaan stopped her examination of the liquid dripping from the waterskin. “I am called Persistance.” She lifted the green sludge covered rag towards them. “Why is desert dew in your waterskin?”

“To drink?” Olive replied in confusion. 

“I have met no one else that drinks desert dew. The Glader’s secrete it for their tunnels that traverse the desert.” 

“Gladers secrete it?” Petal cut in. Uncle Spot talked in length about the large, segmented beasts, yet nothing about secretions had ever been mentioned. 

“Yes, yes. From their mouths.” Persistence confirmed, now sniffing the green sludge with wide unblinking eyes. 

Nausea rose like a tidal wave. She dry-heaved. They had been drinking Glader spit–wait, no, it would be vomit which was undeniably worse – drinking Glader secretions for weeks. It took several long moments for Petal to get her body and mind back under control. 

“We ran out of water and this didn’t hurt us,” Petal quietly admitted. 

Persistence muttered something too low for Petal to catch and began cleaning the rain from her scales.

“You know how to leave the desert,” Olive cheerfully stated, ignoring the lingering tension. 

Persistence nodded. “After you release my bag, I will tell you.” 

“No-“ Petal shook Olive off and pointed a finger at the Tokaan- “No! You will get that bag back once we no longer see any sand. Not a moment before. Do we have a deal?” 

The Tokaan’s lips curled, revealing blunt teeth. Her eyes darted between the Wolkins, the rain, and the bag. 

“Do we have a deal?” Petal icily repeated. She didn’t recognize her own voice. 

Persistence threw the rag and waterskin on the floor and then gave something barely a nod. With a low hiss, she laid on her side facing the cave wall. The last bit of desert dew spilled out onto Petal’s paws. Wasteful slug. 

Olive fell asleep not long after, holding her hand. Only when the Tokaan’s breath evened out in deep sleep did Petal allow her own eyes to slip closed. Everything could surely wait for the dawn. 

Lizard Fatale

A perching lizard

Story synopsis

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As expected, moving through this giant sand pit didn’t get any easier. The leeward side of the dunes now easily stretched forty paces high. Godsdamned vertical walls of sand. Climbing them took everything in her. By the crest her body felt near to bursting. The only thing her exhausted muscles  could do was scoot a little from the edge and curl up into a tight ball.    

Olive would slip off her back and dig a little dip to keep them cozy and in the same spot. The pup would lay next to her, holding one of her hands tightly until her body stopped screaming. He had gotten surprisingly good at digging shallow pits and pushing her into them. 

Practice, she supposed. 

But Petal was nothing if not stubborn, impending mortality aside. She had put together a thing or two in this sandy hell. 

First, it was possible to collect some sort of dew that was safe to drink at dawn. Any later in the day and the dew layer vanished. The tip of the waterskin needed to be stuck a finger length down and the dew would be drawn up. It tasted oddly bitter, but bitter was better than dying. 

Second, the body did not need as much sustenance when it wasn’t moving. Olive rode almost entirely on her back now to help cut down the consumption of their supplies. He didn’t even need that much entertaining as he mostly slept. 

Lastly, there was an upper limit to how much grit would stay in her fur. The dirtiness couldn’t increase anymore. Though they both had begun to smell rather pungent. 

At least two weeks passed in this manner. Walk, climb, sleep, collect dew, walk again. It was difficult to keep track of time. The cycle of collapsing and walking did not quite match up with day and night. Sometimes, they woke up frozen under the stars and other times to sweat stinging chapped lips. But, no matter what it cost, there was only ever forward. 

—--------------------------------------------------- 

“I’m hooooooot!” Olive bemoaned with his chin propped on her shoulder. “The sun should dieeee.” mood

To accompany this declaration, the pup decided to flop himself backwards to better glare at the aforementioned malicious sun. He had already grumbled a few times today about various things – the taste of sand, the brightness, the feel of the sand. Usually it would result in some minor bickering between the pair. Petal would usually acquiesce to a short rest once the whining really started. 

Unfortunately, this sudden movement was the final straw for the backpack. The left strap snapped under Olive’s paw. He wildly flailed at the sudden shift and grabbed Petal’s neck for balance. But all this served was to send both of them crashing toward the ground. 

They both tumbled down the windward side in an unceremonious tangle of limbs. Snouts hit elbows, knees hit stomachs, and the blasted sand sprayed everywhere as they rolled over and over. Eventually, the dune decided they had learned their lesson and they slid to a stop. 

Petal stared stupidly at the cloudless sky and attempted to get air into her spasming lungs. 

“Move your butt!” Olive shouted. The poor pup had somehow ended up trapped under Petal’s bigger body. He managed to squirm free with some awkward rearranging. Afterwards, they laid splayed out on the hot sand, heads close enough that their ears touched. A glance back at the dune revealed a wide path cut into it like a giant slug trail. Objects, partially buried, sprouted near the slug trail. It would be a pain to collect everything. 

A gentle breeze shifted the displaced sand from around their bodies. The resulting dust tickled Petal’s whiskers. 

She sneezed. Violently. Her whole body arched with the force of it. 

Olive, startled at the sudden sound, scrabbled onto all fours. The fur in his scruff flared up, giving him a mini-mane. Petal, in turn, startled by him startling, instinctively rolled onto her knees and sprung forward. Or at least she tried to. Her limbs tangled together and she ended up face-planted into a different pile of sand. 

The shock gave way to a sort of amusement, deep in her chest. It was tinged with something dark and angry. Her frame shook with the sudden strength of her laughter. How absurd. All grown up yet can’t even stand up right. The sand kept slipping from between her hands, making the pit deeper and burying her body more with every attempt at getting up. But it simply made her laugh more. How utterly useless she was.

Olive settled into a squat outside of the sand dip and giggled at her flopping about. She did get out of the sand dip--eventually--and wobbled her way to stand. A smile remained loose on her face even as her stomach burned from more than just hunger.

Olive gleefully yelled and sprung forward. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed tight, "Got you!"

"Got me!" She parroted, widening her stance so as to not fall over after just standing up. But shifting her weight put pressure on her right paw. She had wrapped a torn off piece of tunic around the pad to not aggravate it any further. It must have fallen off in the tumble, because when she shifted, her full body weight came down on that cracked paw pad. Lightening shot up her leg, stealing her breath and making her mind blank. It hurt. It hurt.

"Are you okay?" Olive demanded, hands framing her head. He was damn near nose to nose with her, staring directly into her soul with those little puppy eyes. Her knees must have buckled.

She grunted something in reply and Olive abruptly let go of her face. Stepping back ever so slightly. Her head lolled slightly now free of tiny-hand prison. It felt awkward on her body, but then again, awkward might be an improvement. Sitting back fully on her rump let her maneuver her legs without that blasted paw touching anything. Her left leg was bent to her chest and right leg stretched out. Don't look at the pad. Just test pressure.

Bending her right leg, she ever so cautiously set the paw fully on the ground. "Sandlicking, fruit fucking, damned whore's son!" The rest of the profanity was, thankfully, muffled into an elbow. Okay. That was not great. "Please don't repeat any of–”

Olive looked terrified. Ears pinned so tight to his skull it must have hurt. His hands fluttered about, reaching out but then hesitating. Like he was afraid to touch her. Like she was fragile. She couldn't be fragile. She wouldn't. 

There was only ever forward.

Petal reached up and tugged on one of Olive's ears, "No sad ears on my watch, pup."

"But Petal..." He trailed off. His hands still hovered in the space between them.

She leaned back; hands planted on the ground behind her and tried to pull her mouth into a lazy grin. The pose was casual, natural. It also took all the pressure off her paw. "Do you want me to be completely honest?"

"Yes! Of course."

"Well, first, you have to sit down. It's weird having to look up at you." The facade felt as thin as a leaf, yet it did the trick.

Olive promptly sat. "Is your paw hurt bad?" He scooted close, trying to examine the leg for an injury. Worry filled his face, but at least his ears were forward.

"Yes, it is my paw," She bent her right leg, so that the messed-up pad faced away from any inquisitive eyes, "All this walking has put a lot of stress on it. It's just a little sore."

"Are you sure? Momma said not to swear ever and you're good about that, but you just sweared a lot."

"I promise, pup. Just sore." Lying to him shattered something in her. Especially when he let out a big sigh of relief at her words. "Do you know what you can do to help me?"

"What?" He asked way too eagerly. Gods, forgive her. He didn't deserve this.

"Tear off a little bit of your tunic. I'll wrap my paw and be good to go."

Olive complied happily, with only a little bit of assistance in the actual tearing. The pup didn't have his adult claws yet. She firmly tied the cloth scrap around the paw. Purposefully not looking at the pad, even when it twinged in protest. Please allow her to be ignorant just a little bit longer. There were only so many problems to be borne at once. 

“Stay still now.” With that command, Petal used Olive’s head as a crutch to stand. 

Olive laughed and tried to shove her hand off, “I’m not a stool!”

“Are you sure?” She ruffled his head fur. “You’re short enough.” 

She let her hand be pushed off, now that she was fully standing, as Olive spluttered and rose to his feet. He prodded her shoulder and said something teasingly. A playful smirk was hopefully enough of a response. Petal had to bite her tongue to keep from making noise as she put weight on her right paw. Talking was a bit beyond her at the moment. The only thing likely to come out would be some melodramatic groan. 

However, the cloth cover helped. Standing was painful, but manageable. 

Olive leaned into her left side, little hand finding her bigger one to hold, “Where are we going now?”

That was a good question. Petal titled her muzzle up and concentrated. Her whiskers stirred in a slight breeze. Coming from the south. She hadn’t been imaging it earlier then. Any breeze was a welcome change, but it did pose its own problem. Up till today, there had been an unsettling stillness to the desert. Just an endless, shimmering horizon. A breeze meant a change in weather. What did rain look like in the Glader’s desert? 

“We need shelter,” she muttered, muzzle still in the air, trying to determine how long they had until the rain came. Uncle Twig would have known it down to the second. The thought made her heart ache. Stupid, selfish girl. 

“How ‘bout over there?” Olive pointed towards a spot on the horizon. 

The grit stuck in her eyes turned everything a bit blurry. She could barely make out her hand in front of her face, let alone whatever Olive had found. “Describe it to me, pup.” 

“It’s a huge rock. Like really huge.” He held his arms wide, as if to measure the width of the rock. “It’s not that far away.” 

A boulder that big should have caves. Caves would make good shelter. 

“Your eyes are so much better than mine,” she said with an exaggerated pout. “I guess you will have to lead the way. Since you’re going to spend so much energy leading, I guess you could have a sweet.”

The pup’s eyes damn near sparkled at the idea. He scampered around, gathering all the items that had scattered during the fall. After everything was haphazardly stuffed into the backpack, he reverently pulled one of the few remaining sweets from the leaf pouch and popped it into his mouth. 

They had made those sweets about two moons ago. It wasn’t an easy process. Picking, cleaning, and drying the fruit then coating it in hot syrup. Olive had complained mightily when it was his turn to keep bugs off the drying fruit and the boiling syrup. 

He hadn’t complained once since they left home. 

The pup grabbed her hand and tugged her along, happily sucking on the sweet. With the pup focused in front, Petal let herself limp and her body sag. They were proudly marching forward to a place only he could see.

The slight whistle of the wind over the sand was oddly soothing to her overstimulated mind. It resonated with something deep in her bones. 

A strange place for a moment of peace.  

Story synopsis

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The sand kept shifting underneath her paws. Claws, blunted from travel, did nothing to maintain traction. Every step up the dune was three steps lost when the sand slid from underneath. Sweat, precious water that she couldn’t afford to lose, built up and stunk in her undercoat. Her teeth bared in frustration, she moved one paw at a time, testing and probing for compacted sand.

The deeper into the Glader’s desert, the deeper the sands became. This was the biggest dune she had scaled, yet they were supposed to become bigger still before the desert ended. But there was only forward. Only ever forward.

Finally, she reached the crest. Sinking into an ungraceful slump, she allowed herself the space to breathe. The sand stuck to her fur fell away as she massaged feeling back into her legs, barely revealing orange and black patches. Usually, the colors popped against her white coat, but the sand made everything an awful yellow shade.  

One of her paw pads was cracked and oozing. It wouldn’t be possible to disinfect it fully out here. But, she should at least try. Swinging the pack off her back and onto the ground, she rummaged through it, looking for the tea-wasp ointment. 

A yip distracted her. She twisted around just enough to peer at the leeward side.

Almost halfway down, a bushy white tail stood out of a pile of sand. Olive must have found a dip and gotten buried.

“Peeeeetal,” a muffled, squeaky voice whined.

Swallowing a snarl, she stood on quivering legs, displacing the sand around the crest. She abruptly dropped two body lengths, rolling ass over tits until she slid to a stop. Spluttering, Petal pushed her upper body off the hot ground. Everything itched fiercely. Frantically running a hand over her muzzle only succeeded in pushing the grit deeper into her coat. She wanted to scratch her eyes out. Instead, she walked the last few steps to the buried Wolkin pup. 

It wasn’t difficult to dig Olive out of the sand dip. The pup had simply become too tired to do it himself. After a moment, he sat free albeit miserable in the sand. Petal kneeled beside him with a hmph. 

“It’s itchy, Petal.” He growled, rubbing at his muzzle. The sandy stripes around his eyes blended seamlessly into the dust covered fur of his cheeks. 

“Stop it!” Petal snapped. Grabbing his wrists roughly, she held the offending appendages away from his face. 

“You stop it!” Olive squirmed against her hold. Tears leaked from his eyes, cutting through the grime layered in his fur.  

Petal took a few deep, exaggerated breaths. Trying, and failing, to get Olive to mimic her. 

“Let go!” He shouted, teeth bared. 

Olive flailed about and twisted so abruptly that he nearly sent them both careening further down the dune. Amidst the struggle, more sand pummeled Petal’s face. Tiny shrapnels exploded across swollen eyes and chapped lips. She grimly held on, her own teeth bared in response. 

Unable to stand it any longer, Petal turned her head and spit harshly into the sand. Trying to clean her mouth of grit. This stifling heat made every thought evaporate and dissolve into the air. Magnifying every little misery. Olive needed his eyes flushed clear. They needed to climb the blasted dune and get to the backpack. She needed to pull herself together. 

Holding both of Olive’s wrists in one hand, Petal gently pulled him forward until he was nestled against her chest. Right by her heart. The pup sniffled and whined but didn’t fight, which she took as a win. 

“I’m going to stand up and move you to my back. I’ll need both my hands to climb.” Petal gently rubbed his back. “You will hurt your eyes if you touch them. Can you not touch them for a little bit?” 

Olive somberly nodded, rubbing his cheek against her fur in apology. 

She kissed his mucky forehead. “Good boy.” 

Standing with Olive strained her overworked muscles in the worst way possible. Petal hoped she concealed the shake in her arms as she maneuvered him to sit on her back. Wrestling his legs to cross around her waist took longer than desired. It didn’t help that the pup refused to open his eyes. 

Once he wasn’t falling off, she pried his little hands away from her throat and placed them on the tunic collar. “Hold this. Tight.” 

Olive promptly complied with that, at least, scrunching up the fabric in his fingers. 

Then they started up the dune. If it was hard before, it was grueling now. The pup knew better than to squirm, but the extra weight and shifting sand kept throwing Petal off balance. She ended up with new mouthfuls of grit with every staggering step. The heat of another body so close was also a new form of hell. 

Yet, there was only ever forward. 

They eventually reached the top of the dune. As she knew they would. Letting Olive slide off into the sand, Petal took stock of the water supply. There was one partially full and another completely full water skin left. The two others had already been sucked dry. That was before they realized the colossal size of Glader’s desert. Stupid to not have rationed from the start. 

“Keep still,” Petal absently murmured as she aligned the tip of a water skin to Olive’s left eye. Or at least tried to. It was next to impossible to tell anything apart between her own smarting eyes and the glaring sun.

When she tipped the skin, water drenched Olive’s muzzle. It clung to fur and dripped onto the ground, but missed his eyes as he wiggled. The few attempts it took to properly flush his eyes drained what was left in the waterskin. 

She folded the now empty skin and placed it neatly into the pack as Olive harshly shook his muzzle to dislodge any remaining sand clumps. 

“Better?” 

“So much! That was awful.” Olive looked down at his paws and a cheeky grin overtook his features. “Look, it’s raining!” He raised his right paw and shook it, staining both of their clothes with muddy droplets. 

Petal’s gaze dropped to the ground, as did her stomach. Olive was standing in a puddle. She had spilled so much water that Olive could stand in a puddle in the desert. Her hands curled into fists.

The pup’s giggling slowly died as the silence stretched on. He sullenly kicked at what was left of the mud puddle. Nearly all of the moisture was already gone. Petal bit her lip as her vision grew even hazier. 

“My toes are icky,” he commented while bending down to pick at the mud crusted onto his claws. A drop of water on the back of his hand startled him. The drop was quickly followed by many more, which were greedily absorbed into the ground.

Olive sprung forward to hug Petal around the middle. She couldn’t respond with sweet nothings or admonishment as she normally would. Her world had narrowed to the hitch in her breathing and the pressure of her palms against her eyes. Stop crying. She was so, so stupid. Crying can’t fix anything. Crying can’t fix stupid. Stop. Crying.  

“I’m sorry I got you dirty,” Olive hiccuped against her, halfway to tears himself. “I know you don’t like to be dirty and I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.” 

She was trying. Honest. But by the gods, the tears wouldn’t stop. They kept flowing, every drop a waste of precious water. 

Eventually, the sun set, taking the omnipresent glare and heat with it. The cool breeze should have felt good. It should have felt refreshing. Petal didn’t feel refreshed. She was just… there. The night wind swirled the sand into complex patterns. Silver and radiant in the moonlight. 

Something squeezed her hand.  

The pup was leaning against her, tucked between her crossed legs. As the wind picked up over their dune, her other hand rose by itself and covered Olive’s eyes. 

“Are you feeling better?” Olive whispered, timidly peering up at her. 

The white in his coat shone under the dim light. He was beautiful. Even with the grit of travel. Olive was so good it made something in her chest ache. How long had the pup held her hand, patiently waiting? 

“Yeah. I’m better.” The words felt like chewing glass. Petal gave him a squeeze and tried a smile. “I’m a lot better.” 

“Are you sure? Your face looks funny.” 

“I’m sure, pup.” That brilliant coat of his would certainly attract beasts. “C’mon, up. I’ll carry you.” They needed to keep moving.

“Camel-beetle back ride!” Olive cheered as he scrambled to his paws. “Oh, wait. Have some water!” He tossed a water skin laying on the ground nearby in Petal’s direction. “I had some water. Earlier, while we watched the sunset.”  

She fumbled the catch and it hit her muzzle. It didn’t hurt, which made her heart sink. When she peered through the opening, there was only a thin layer of sludge. Olive must have forgotten to cap it and sand had gotten inside. 

A traveling day wasted. Another water skin gone. 

“I’m not thirsty. But, thank you.” She neatly folded the useless water skin. 

Standing up took more effort than she wanted, joints stiff and achy. Petal slipped her arms into the backpack straps so it would rest in front. Then Olive climbed on her back, hooking his paws into the straps. That’s what she taught him to do, when he was really little, so the pup could come along to pick fruit. 

There wasn’t any fruit now. There wasn’t any water. 

As she trudged on with her treasured burden, she playfully asked, “Do you think we can reach that next dune before sunrise?” Her abused eyes started weeping, but she kept her head firmly fixed on the horizon. 

“Maybe. You would have to go, like, lightning fast.” 

“Then lightning fast it is.” The glass stayed in her throat. Even as she jostled Olive to hear him giggle. As the moon rose, the giggling gradually turned into soft snores against her neck. 

There was only ever forward.