Red Horizon

Across the desert plains of Zer Zerude an ancient stone statue stands witness to a gathering storm. Sand and rain dance in a violent ritual undulating like a tidal wave and burying the stone sentinel under red dunes forever. To the east, scout Aruna En'Var crested a dune, rearing her avian mount to a halt and scanning the wasteland for her quarry. A distant gale of wind like a high pitched song of lament resounded across the plains. The sandstorm crept ever closer, an indomitable wall, an unstoppable force. Dismounting, she lowered the gaiter below her chin, licking her chapped lips as she spotted a conspicuous shimmer below. Descending the dune, she knelt, sand sliding past her as she inspected vibrant blue specks in the sand. "You're mine now, fiend," she said as her damnable cough came back again in a fit. Gathering herself, her gaze followed the line of blue droplets in the red sand meandering in a broken path like an Azure arrow towards-- "No," Aruna whispered, her heart beginning to thump in her chest. Standing, she returned to her saddle, Raksha, her Chapparal, clicked her beak nervously, eyeing the coming storm. Retrieving her spyglass Aruna stood in her stirrups looking through the device in the direction of the blood trail. That's when she heard it again. The hair on her arms stood, a sense of dread filled her body as she heard that gale of wind from before. But she hadn't realized then that it had come from the wrong direction. That was no gale, it had been a scream. "Raksha, home!" She shouted in earnest, whipping the reigns and kicking into the sides of the sure-footed bird. To the West, torrents of sand and wind rumbled their warning.