his journey through the desert heat had not been anymore enjoyable the second time around as it had been the first. his time with sari had made the time pass quicker though, and had left him to enjoy the cool night air and the company of the stars.
he’d not soon forgotten the task set upon him by the prince of the desert palace. to find a treasure, one fit for a queen. he wondered to himself if this was a test of his capabilities, or simply what it appeared to be at face value. not that it mattered much to him, so long as he received payment at the end of it all.
he’d got to exploring, seeking out the southern areas of the dust bowl that he had yet to venture to. traveling in the mid of night was a far more manageable and painless method of travel than in the day. and he’d been rewarded for his nightly travels, the sky a painting of speckled stars and milky streams of pastel light. he stood there in awe for a moment, sight glued to the heavens as he took in the picture worthy beauty.
Between scraps with the Sandstriders, gem collecting, and vicious predators, Meridian longed for a break from the relentless chaos. She returned from her mainland adventure, not with treasure to show, but rather a dire warning of the fearsome cat. Through her travels back to The Tribe, she discovered a region that swiftly dissolved the stress she was carrying.
With the familiar trees and cacti, the texture of the sand made Meridian long for her birthplace one more. It was such an accurate, pristine replica of the desert she was raised in. Her thoughts flickered back to the settlement of Blooming Cactus, but she pushed the homesickness away, determined to enjoy the moment. Even though the sun was not visible at that hour, for a rare second, the coyote allowed herself to marvel the the brilliant starts that lit up the night sky.
In her wonder, the usually alert priestess missed the wolf in the background, fixated on the beauty around her.
his neck remained stiffly upwards as he observed the glittering heavens, his company gone unnoticed. it was only when the reflection of something in the sand caught his attention did he pull his focus downward.
the shimmer beneath the surface of desert was faint, but bright enough to hypnotize him closer to it's light. he dug where the glimmer escaped between particles of sand, and revealed a chunk of weather-worn stone cut to reveal a gem hidden inside.
through years unknown, scarce rain and storms had washed deposits of large, unappealing sandstone down into the basin to be repeatedly worn and weathered away. eventually, through time and persistence, sandstone was molded into gemstone.
he knew then what his prize for the queen would be.
he leapt a few paces away and dug like a frantic child. nothing. he repeated this a few times until finally, another jewel was revealed from beneath the surface.
yes. this would be what he delivered.
The sound of digging drew Meridian's attention. A wolf, scrambling in the sand. She was a few meters away, but the starlight illuminated something of interest. A gemstone. Meridian longed to add another to her collection, to further the progress on the sun shrine. A temple needed stones.
She would need to be clever to rob the wolf of his prize. She approached with a friendly smile, a crafty motive hidden beneath.
he was focused, his attention gripped on revealing the gems he could find that lay few and far between. there were two, and then three. exactly how many rest concealed beneath the surface was a mystery waiting to be discovered, but he was determined to reveal them all.
he dug again, flinging sand here and there and leaving pockets of open holes behind him. he pushed himself on, intent on unearthing as many precious stones as he could before the sun revealed itself again.
the scent of coyote hit him in the middle of digging up another gem, and he paused to glance upwards. he gave a sniff in the direction of the figure — not sari. a stranger. he let his tail swish behind him in a friendly greeting.
perhaps with any luck, he might persuade himself a set of extra paws to help excavate the unseen treasures.
"come! come see!"
He sure seemed friendly. Is it a trap? Meridian edged closer, warily. She spied the gorgeous jewel. Mine! Forgetting fear, she bounded to his side. What'cha got there? Her plan was relatively easy, let him dig up stones, and pick the ones that caught her eye. There seemed to be plenty, so the priestess decided that she would choose who got which stone.