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Korash gazed over the dunes, lost in his thoughts. Sand devils whirled about mischievously and farther off the guttural complaint of a stone gargoyle echoed. This was his desert, the desert of his ancestors, the refuge from the insane riot of growth that afflicted other areas. Life was hard here but then, that was how life was supposed to be. Wetlanders complained and stomped about when they ventured into these sacred, rolling plains but the Sand Dwellers were used to such infantile behavior from Wetlanders.

The desert was clean and hard. It was the testing place for the body and soul. This is how men should live and how they were able to reach towards the Oneness of creation. Life had to be hard or there was no growth. All wise people knew this. For uncounted years, the Sand Dwellers had lived amid the shifting dunes, hidden and spurning all contact with the soft lands. For centuries they had tended their small herds of goats and sheep, guarded the oasis and the Shrine.

At night the stars blazed down with clarity and knowledge. The days were testing and husbanding. The Sand Dwellers had lived in utter peace and contemplation forever, but that had changed.

Short months ago, more Sand Dwellers had encroached upon the clean sand. These were a different breed than the Family that had inhabited the sands for time out of mind. These Dwellers were arrogant and loud. They cared not for the knowledge of the stars but strutted about like arrogant wetlanders. But they also knew Sand Dweller ways and so the Family reluctantly offered them hospitality.

That had been the first mistake. The new ones should have been slaughtered out of hand. For more had come, and more and more until the desert appeared to be bursting apart. Hard eyed ones with no compassion or understanding. They spat evil words and were filled with unreasoning fury. Instead of wisely concealing themselves from the Wetlanders, they attacked them!

This was forbidden and the Families across the deserts held council. The elders of each Family approached the largest encampment of the new ones and spoke of knowledge and purpose. They spoke with clarity and compassion but their eyes were righteously stern. The new ones laughed scornfully and slaughtered the elders with an insane glee. From that point on, the new Dwellers razed the encampments, the defiled the Shrine, they forced young novitiates into battles and blood ran o'er the sands.

Korash sighed and poured a handful of glittering sand over his head. All was lost, the Way was forgotten, madness reigned.

Bayn
I always enjoy your stories!!
Once again, Great job!!


Herakles

I thought bayn was doing a story about me next

simon wrote:I thought bayn was doing a story about me next

He did--you're one of the sand dunes.

lol