Bug on the Breeze

The next morning, Pharynx did not have to drag Zephyr out of the cave. The pegasus was roused, if grumpily, after only a couple firm shakes.

After a quick breakfast, the pair re-packed their bags and exited the cave, flying through the cavern and into the early morning light. Pharynx looked around, grumbling as he realized the storm had wiped away any trace of tracks the kelpie would have left. “Hmm…Stay here, I’m going to check something.”

Zephyr nodded and yawned loudly, lazily hovering just outside the cavern and trying to rub the remnants of sleep from his eyes. He smacked his lips and watched as Pharynx flew close to the ground and then came back up beside him.

“Alright, here’s the plan. We are going to fly for a couple hours until the sun starts getting hot, then take a break under whatever nearby outcrop or cave we find first. We’ll cover more ground again near dusk and then settle in for the night. I have a feeling the kelpie headed back home to lick its wounds before coming back for another shot at the hive.”

Zephyr groaned. “Do we have to fly the whole time?”

Pharynx nodded. “Yes. I have no idea where the kelpie is or how far ahead of us it may be.” His tone grew more grim. “These monsters are deadly, Zephyr, and could drag you under the sand before you have a chance to scream.”

Zephyr gulped, much more awake now with the seriousness of Pharynx’s warning. “Riiight, okay, absolutely no walking on the sand. Got it. Um, wait a second, what if it’s just getting reinforcements?”

Pharynx shook his head and started to fly into the desert at a leisurely speed. “They never would have allowed a young one to go alone. It’s likely the older ones moved on to find new territory after Chrysalis’s defeat and the return of vegetation. It will be a while before life fully overtakes the sand again, if it does at all, but they wouldn't want to stick around and find out either way.”

Zephyr followed, grateful for the slow pace. “Huh. Why not?”

Pharynx shrugged. “Sand kelpies are finicky creatures. They are attracted to harsh environments and like having large territories. The only reason they didn’t attack us before is that they knew we were strong and would put up a fair fight.”

“Wow… They really aren’t nice are they? Hey, how come you know so much about them?”

“They only moved in shortly after the changeling hive was founded, when the dark stone of the throne started to leech all non-changeling magic and life out of the area. Early scouts started to notice strange activity in the sand and documented their findings so we wouldn’t accidentally lose anyone.”

Pharynx pointed at the sand below. “For example, we know that during the heat of the day, kelpies tend to stay below the sand, but they leave behind distinct patterns on the surface.”

“Like when you see a shark fin in the ocean?”

Pharynx waved his hoof in a ‘so-so’ motion. “They don’t always appear at the surface like that, but you have the right idea. The ‘waves’ we see on top is the displacement of sand from their movement.”

“So you can see them coming, but if you are on the ground you don’t have a lot of time to react.”

“Exactly. Even hovering above the sand isn’t guaranteed to be safe though, there are reports of them leaping out of the sand to snap at a passing gryphon or dragon.”

Zephyr eyed the ground, trying to judge how far away they were flying and if it would give him enough time to dodge out of the way. Pharynx glanced back and chuckled. “Don’t worry, we should be fine for now. I know the signs to look for, I’ll let you know if we need to climb higher.”

Zephyr nodded, but kept his eyes on the sand still.

~~

The morning was thankfully uneventful, and even a bit boring. It was interesting to hear about the sand kelpies and some of the changeling’s history in the area, but Zephyr wasn’t really sure what to do with the information.

He also didn’t know if he wanted to hear more about their ambush and fighting tactics. He was decidedly not a fighter and would likely be too far away to really help Pharynx in any battle. He rubbed his face, eyes burning from staring at the sand as the sun climbed into the sky behind him, the illumination of the grains growing increasingly hostile.

“Ten more minutes and we’ll take a break. You’re doing good so far Zephyr, just a little longer.”

Zephyr smiled with the praise, but lacked the energy for a proper response. He glanced back at his wings to make sure they were still there, the soreness having long passed into a disassociating numbness that was slowly spreading across his back. Thankfully they were, indeed, still there, dutifully flapping away. Zephyr silently promised them a looong and luxurious spa day after this adventure was done.

Sooner than Zephyr expected, Pharynx was descending towards a small rock formation, the top rock curving over and providing shade to a slab sticking out of the sand. The shaded portion was roughly the same size as the cave they stayed in.

Zephyr collapsed in the shade in a similar manner as when they reached the cavern the night before, his wings simply refusing to work anymore as they splayed out from his sides with the occasional twitch. Zephyr let out a long groan. “You know, if I survive this, I don’t think I ever want to go on another adventure ever again.”

Pharynx laughed as he sat down, taking his backpack off and setting it beside him. “Well, once we are done, you shouldn’t have to. Unless you suddenly decide to see if your calling is in treasure hunting or want to become a forest ranger.”

Zephyr laughed a little, then grimaced as his sides protested the motion. “Ha, ha, ow… Hey you never know, ponies might just pay good money to be guided by ‘the breeze’.”

Pharynx shook his head and walked over to the back wall, tapping along and flaring his horn with magic until a small section of it vanished. He reached in and turned a crank, lowering a small bucket before bringing it back up, filled with cool mineral water from a deep spring hidden beneath. He couldn’t remember if it had been naturally found, or if a changeling before him had created it for the scouts that passed by.

After draining and filling the canteen hanging from his neck, he filled the bucket once more before walking over to Zephyr.

Zephyr lifted his head from the ground as a bucket, seemingly carved from smooth stone, was placed right in front of him. “Drink.”

Zephyr’s eyes widened as he looked inside and found it was filled with what looked like the freshest water he had ever seen. “You are just full of surprises aren’t you?”

“Changelings usually are.”

As Zephyr drank his fill, Pharynx returned to his bag. He then dug out some rope and a bunch of reeds, sticks, and leaves that he had taken from the cubbies of the cave.

“Alright, once you’ve had a bit of rest, I’m going to teach you some basic survival skills. Take out whatever Thorax packed in your bags and I’ll show you how they work.”

Zephyr blinked at Pharynx, water dripping from his muzzle. “Wha?”

Pharynx rolled his eyes. “If you want to survive while traveling and doing whatever ‘the breeze’ calls you to do, you are going to need some knowledge.”

“And…you want to teach me?”

Pharynx shrugged and looked away. “Most of what I did before was training changelings, this isn’t that different. Besides, it’s something to pass the time until it’s cool enough to fly more later.”

Zephyr cringed at the mention of flying even more that day, and was sure if his wings could talk they would be crying at the very thought, but he would persevere. He had insisted on coming along, and even if Pharynx wanted him to live to his true self that was currently screaming to go find a comfy bed and sleep for a week, he wanted to see this one last thing to the end. And whatever information Pharynx taught him would be useful for his future self.

His legs shaking, Zephyr pushed himself into a seated position and fumbled with his backpack. “I’ll try my best, but you should probably know I’m not exactly the most…survivalist pony out there.”

“No, really?”

Zephyr huffed and tossed his head in mock offense before opening his backpack and digging through it. His sleeping bag, which had been rolled and stored at the top, went beside him. Underneath was a few smaller bags, a couple containing food and one containing soap. There was also a satchel with first aid supplies, and a large canvas roll near the bottom that had some other random camping stuff in it. Zephyr took that out and set it to his other side before repacking everything else.

He rolled it out, the inside filled with pockets and loops holding various tools. Pharynx scooted over and looked through the kit. “Wow, Thorax really set you up. Okay, let’s start with this firestarter here.”