three shadows fell across the sand in a marching line.

@Kheti, @Safiya, and their father moved through the desert. he had bid them stop several times by now, encouraging them to drink from the soaked skins brought out of muat-riya. normally khusobek would not have paused until reaching the pass, but they were children. 

and the more frequent stops gave the crocodile a chance to point out herds of antelope, leaping hares, the tracks of their coyote neighbors, and twice, a rattlesnake lying coiled in the coolness of higher shrubbery or large stones.

"here is luneshale," khusobek grunted when they had come to the place. "you see how the walls rise high? beyond this pass the land turns to meadow, and then to golden flatland. akashingo can be seen then, rising over all."