Zahra (Hadiya) - Jen

Sandstorm(Edit)

Zahra sat back to rest for a moment, and took a sip of the warm, odd-tasting water from the catchpockets of her stillsuit. She and the others had been in the desert for several hours now, salvaging what they could from a wrecked harvester. The Harkkonen wretches that had manned it were long gone - lost to Shai-Hulud. There were a few trinkets that might fetch a few coins in the Arrakeen markets, and a couple of half-empty litrejohns, but the harvester itself and most of the equipment was beyond repair. She smiled to herself as she noticed a kangaroo mouse scampering up the dune. As she watched, it stopped, turned, and darted directly toward the harvester, disappearing from sight into the sand beneath it. Instantly, she was on her feet, scanning the horizon. Although she could see no sign of the storm, she could feel it coming, she *knew* it was there. She called to the others, and began to run in her uneven, almost hap-hazzard gait toward the rocks just over the next dune. She did not look back to the others: the desert would not be forgiving if she dallied. The warm wind was picking up, and the sand was starting to swirl. As she reached the edge of the rocks, the storm was beginning to bite. She paused, and counted her companions into the safety of a cave. There was one missing: Nudjum. It was too late to go back out to look for him, and Zahra knew his water was lost to the desert.