My eyes fluttered open, and surveyed the area around me. I was in the same dark cave I had fallen asleep in, and the only source of light were the remaining embers in the small fire pit I had constructed. I rolled off of the soft patch of dirt I was using as a bed, and yawned, the scar on my cheek stretching, and stinging. I shook my head a little to keep myself away, and began to get ready.
The cave I was in was fairly smooth and damp, as if it had been underwater many years ago, and small but visible stalactites were forming on the ceiling. I walked over to my small pack, and opened it, looking over my belongings with my golden eyes, as I ruffled my red feathered wings to rid them of the dirt that had accumulated there. I pulled out my canteen, and took a small sip to clear my throat, and put it back. Heaving the pack onto my back, I head for the cave entrance.
I squinted as the hot suns light found it's way to my eyes, and shielded my them while they adjusted to the light. I cautiously walked into the hot sand that signaled my leaving of the cave. I wished I hadn't stumbled upon this desert, as the sun bled me dry of the liquids in my body. I began to trudge through the sand, and every hour, I would take a sip of my water. This continued until I ran out of of the precious liquid.
"Damn it all to hell," I croaked as I continued to walk. My wings were still tried from the non-stop nearly twenty hour flight I had the day before, and the heat wasn't helping to sooth the aching muscles in my back.
All that surrounded me were dunes of sand, and for all I knew, behind one of the taller dunes could have been an oasis. But I didn't want to climb each and every dune that surrounded me. I nearly collapsed a few times, but the burning heat of the sand shocked me upright.
A few hours later, I came by houses, if even that. All I could see were roofs sticking out of the sand, like some kind of graveyard.I walked up to one of the buildings, and a sign on the roof said 'Hot Spot Bar' and under it, after a bit of digging I found 'best and only bar in town'. I starred at the sign for a moment before continuing to dig into the ground. It took far longer than I had hoped, since the sand kept filling the hole back in. I finally squeezed into the bar, and noticed the sand had knocked the door off it's hinges. Or, maybe, something else. The windows were all shattered, and san dhad flooded most of the building.
The sand and dust caused me to cough, hurting my dry throat. Once I made my way further into the bar, I sighed as the roof shielded me from the heat.
"You owe me Celestia," I chuckled as I sat on the cold-ish wooden floor. After enjoying the colder air for a while, I stood up and began to search the bar. five tables surrounded me, and a counter, as well as stools, stood to my left. A quick flap of my o-so-sore wings got me over the counter, and I almost fell flat on my face at what I saw. Four pony skellingtons greeted me. All of them huddled close to the counter, as if hiding. One of the ponies that was covered in sand still seemed to be decaying, little bits of flesh on their bones, and bite marks as well. I crept into the back of the building, and smiled the biggest smile I had ever smiled. The pain on my cheek barley even tingled.
Beer... barrels and barrels of beer, and hopefully some water as well. The room was pitch black, but my eagle eyes could pick out all the juicy details. It was square, no windows, and filled with barrels. After picking out the barrels that wren't broken. I began to cry a little as I tested the first barrel. Weird black ooze slithered out of all the barrels I tried to drink from. All but two. One was full to the brim with beer, and the other was about a quarter filled with water. I filled my canteen, and began to drink, sloshing it around in my mouth. I left the beer, it wouldn't help, and hot beer wasn't good.
I pulled out the map from my pack, and after some math, I circled and area where I thought I might be with a little blood from my arm after using my razor sharp claws to make a small cut. I frowned as my stomach grumbled. I had searched again, but still found no food. At least I got some water. But that wasn't enough to save my life.
I woke up with a smile on my beak. My cheek didn't sting, and my wife slowly stirred awake next to me. After waking up my kids, I sent them off with the teacher to the cave where they hosted the school. Suddenly, I saw blood as the scene changed. Billows of black smoke came out of the cave my kids were in, and something slashed at my face, leaving a deep scar on my cheek. I fell to the ground as the griffons I loved stood up from the places they had died, and surrounded me, laughing, and reminding me of my wrongs. The corpses seemed as if they were being controlled by some kind of puppeteer, and hooks in their flesh lifted them up and down. I ran, but my legs seemed as if they were knee deep in sludge, until I realized it was only more blood. My own screams woke me up from the dream.
My chest shuddered, my eyes watered, and I could still taste the blood.
