Shimmering Sands have i always looked this way?

shimmering sands
7/16, midday
90°, clear skies

Even hours after the vicious attack, blood still trickled from his open wounds. Had it still been pouring out as it was last evening he’d be drained of both blood and life. Hyacinth’s luck had saved him from death for what seemed to be the hundredth time, and he didn’t know whether to be thankful for it or not in the moment.

Everything hurts. Every part of his tattered, scarlet-stained body hurt. First from tooth and nail, then from the seemingly endless running. 

But the running did end fortunately. Unfortunately the road ended in a desolate wasteland. The salt bed scorched his already aching paws. The thin layer of water that covered it did not relive any pain. All it did was bring Hyacinth’s body temperature higher. It wasn’t like there was any place to take refuge either. None that could be seen. The searing salt flat stretched to as far as the eye can see. 

Hyacinth could only limp so far before collapsing. As the minutes passed, more and more blood tainted the water around him. As exhausted as he was, he still managed to keep one eye open. He stared up at the vast blue sky.