Tay swayed softly on the Hammock of his parent’s house. His eyes were closed, the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the open windows, making his mouth water. The soft roar of voices came tk him as 3rd street bustled in mid-day activity.

“Tay!” A voice came at the base of the stairs that led to his porch. The lounging boy opened his eyes. Three people stood, panting, on the street.

Two were boy's, Fin and Elba. The other was Trini, a girl who had an odd effect on the young Tay. He turned his head away, hiding the tint of red on his cheeks. The tower filled his vision.

“What's up, guys?” The two boys were pushing each other, some sort of uninteresting argument flaring.

“We're going to Ol’ Jack’s. You wanna come?” Ol’ Jack’s was a indoor farm with exotic animals. All of which were child-friendly. Tay tossed the idea around in his head, although he already knew the answer; he couldn't seem too eager, though.

He stared at the tower. It roas high into the sky, unmoving and deceptive. A gnawing fear itched at the back of his neck, a fit of shivers along his spin accompanying it. He finally pulled his gaze away from the white structure and back to the pretty girl.

“Sure, got nothin’ to do today.” He sat, his feet dangling off the hammock before he jumped down. He glanced at the tower once more, his eyes wincing at it.

“You coming?” Trini asked again. Tay furrowed his brows. “I said I was c–” He looked down and saw that he hadn't moved, his legs were still crossed as he swung. He tried to lift arms, but they were still; he couldn't feel them! And now that he thought about it, the only thing he could move was his head. Panic struck him like a punch to the gut.

“You coming, Tay?” the girl asked again. And then Tay cried out in terror. The girl's face was melting, covered in a sizzling liquid. Tay tried again to get up, but his body denied him. Then the liquid started to drop on him from their porches overhang. He screamed, thrashing his head in agony as it ate at his chest.

“Please! stop! Kill me!” It dripped faster now, almost a steady stream. His cries suddenly feel away, his lungs eaten by the liquid, by the poison.

He awoke with a yell of pain. He grasped at his chest, at the hole he knew was there. But it wasn't. There was only soft fabric covering his perfectly intact chest. He looked around warily, seeing that he was in some sort of beige tent. Light flowed in from holes, illuminating his quarter's. He felt soft swaying, almost as if he were on a ship at sea.

“You're awake.” Tays head snapped to the sound of the voice, eliciting a grunt of pain. “I'd advise you to take it slow.” The voice. It was unmistakably feminine, and It had an accent he was in no way familiar with.

In the corner of the room, out of the rays of sunlight, a figure sat in a short chair. It seemed to sway with the motion of whatever they were on. “You are lucky to have survived the Umbra's sting.” She said, her voice soothing to Tays' beating ears.

“Where am I?” his voice came out as a rasp. “You are with the Aldin people. We found you next to the infant Umbra.”

So it was called an Umbra. Wait….

“Infant?” He asked shakily. The voice chuckled softly. “Yes, perhaps 2 months old.” Tay made a strangled, disbelieving sound. “They grow quickly from birth, and are deadly from just their first day.

“Your constitution,” She gestured to a sword standing by what Tay guessed to be the tent flap. “Is really the reason you're alive. If not for it, you would have died within seconds of the sting.

Tay breathed in painfully. I'm not sure I didn't die…it felt like he had. He went to set up from the cote he laid on, but found a hand pressed against his shoulder.

“I would caution you of any strenuous activity for the time being.” Tay could see the person now. She had dark brown skin, accented by what looked like gold jewelry. It hung around her forehead and ears, and he could see it around her neck where her layered clothes did not hide. Her eyes shone a deep red.

“I just need something to lean on.” He said, his voice groggy. Everything was spinning… The woman sighed and put an arm under his, pulling gently.

Tays whole body felt like red uncooked meat looks like. It felt like ants were crawling up and down his bones, trying to eat away at them. The woman kept most of his weight on herself. They slowly walk to the flap, Tay wobilibgly like he had downed a whole tankard of ale.

He grabbed his sheathed sword, using it like a cane. “I am Tifia, current Mother of the Aldin.” Her head bowed as she pulled open the flap, Revealing the wide open desert.

“Tay Mallor.” He said, feeling his name was inadequate. The Adventurer looked around in awe. They were at least twenty feet in the air, and had walked out onto a wooden walkway. It curved around to either side of the pair, out of site. The tent's canvas extended overhead, acting as a shade against the noon sun. Beams of thick wood attached to the walkway disappeared above them, almost like supports.

Tifia walked him to the front, or the way whatever they were on was moving.

A head appeared, one all too familiar. Tay stepped back, wincing in pain as he did. Tifia steadied him, holding his arm with both her hands.

“What…the hell?” Tifia made a cooing noise like a mother to a babe. “Calm, Tay Mallor. She will not hurt you.” He looked at her, his eyes flicking between the woman and the beast—the Umbra.

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“She had been tamed.” She looked warmly at the creature's head. “How…” He breathed. The one they were on had to have been at least a dozen times bigger than the one he had fought.

“Well, she was caught and trained by one of our ancestors—she is well over a hundred years old. As for the others; our best warriors worked together to bring them to use.”

“Them?” Tay croaked. The woman smiled, leading him back the way they had come. They passed the flap to the room he had been in, and took almost a minute to reach the creature's rear. Its long, stinging tale went up out of sight, the base of it massive, almost like a tree. Tay let out another amazing, and terrified breath. Around the tale, attached by a ship's worth of rope, was a bridge. It stretched and contracted like an accordion. At the other end of the wood and rope bridge was another Umbra, The bridge sitting atop its armored head.

On its back was a whole building made out of canvas, rope, and wood. There were two stories to it, the same wooden walkway shaded by overhanging fabric on both floors, and Tay could see that everything was held in place by a harness, each strap as wide as a man was from arm to arm. Behind the second Umbra was two more, both with the same huge tents and bridges. He could see a few people moving about the walkways and bridges. They wore the same multimedia layered clothes of Tifia.

Each creature was big enough that a whole inn could have sat atop them with ease. They crawled Along the Ridge of a dune, their legs gripping onto either side, their underside barely a foot above the sand.

“Incredible…” He whispered. Tifia grunted agreement. “But how can so many people live in the desert? With such animals?” Tifia pointed to the tops of each two story tent. Poking out of the canvas was crystal held aloft by metal rods. Glistening blue particles flowed into it like it was the mouth of a river.

“I assume you mean water, and those are how. They gather moisture from the air and form it into something we can consume. It's not much, but we don't need as much as you might. As for the Umbra, they only take two men's worth of water each, so it's not taxing on our system.” She guided him slowly across the waving bridge. He found it exceedingly difficult to keep his footing on the everchanging boards.

“We live with the Umbra. They provide us transport and transportation, and we provide them water.” They passed over the head of the second monstrous animal, its dozens of melon sized eyes were black as night. After they came back onto the relatively steady footing of the walkways, she brought him into another room, bigger but smiling to the one he awoke in. Several dozen people laughed and talked as a surprisingly sparse meal was set before them.

“We don't need as much food, either.” She whispered. A few heads turned to him. Most nodded.

“And here he is!” Came a booming voice. A man stood, his brown skin glistening in the rays of sun that beamed through a window flap. He walked over to Tay, clapped him on the shoulder, apologized for the pain, and walked him over to an open place at the low table. Tay was let down gingerly to the floor, or what he now knew was the Umbras carapace.

The man and Tifia sat back down together, hand in hand. “A toast to our brave, if foolish guest for surviving the trials of our home!” The crowd yipped and hooped, wooden cups clanking against one another. Tay wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but decided to not harp on the words of his saviors.

A cup of water sat before him, and he took and drank It greedily. “You must tell us your story!” A man at the other side of the table said. Proving grunts came from the others.

Tay felt a rush of embarrassment as the room's eyes fell upon him expectantly.

“Where do you come from?” A woman prompted. Tay felt himself relax a bit.

“Finick's Bay.” The group nodded as one. “I set out a little over a week ago to find a friend.

“In the desert?” Said one of them. “Mmm” Tay confirmed. The man chuckled. “Don't know anyone crazy enough to live in the desert besides us.” A woman who looked like the man's wife hit him in the ribs with an elbow. The man held an arm to his side defensively.

“Aye, woman, it was just a joke.” The woman raised an accusing eyebrow. “If you talk about us leaving one more time, I'll bury you and live as a widow. We are not leaving my sisters to be poached by your damned cousins.” The group snickered.

“Well, he is here. I know it.” The man who greeted him put a balled fist down on the table. “And by the gods you will find him. And we will help, it's the least we can do for the man who provided us such great food.” He picked up a parcel of meat and ate it. Tay's stomach lurched as he realized what animal had been used for their meal.

“As the current father of the Aldin, I proclaimed it!” The group cheered. “Do you know where your friend is in the desert?” Tifia asked. “Al-Hadun.” The room fell silent, the pounding of the Umbras many feet now deafeningly loud against the sand. People cleared their Throats and looked rather uncomfortable. Tay looked around, all too aware of the change.

“Im…sorry?” He said, unsure. The man, or “the father” had a hard expression. “No, no. It is us. Al-Hadun Is…” He searched for the word. “Terrifyingly sacred.” The man from before said. The father made a conceding gesture.

“We do not go there normally, but I believe that under your circumstances, we can make an exception.” He eyed the room to make sure no one found issue with that. No one did.

He clapped his hands and brightened. “But for now, we will eat, and you will heal. Then we will send you out with one of our warriors and mounts and he will guide you.” And with tha, the conversation was completed. Tay spent the rest of the afternoon conversing with the Aldin people, and replenishing himself. Eventually he had to leave them, his body aching more than he could handle. A pretty girl, perhaps a year younger than Tay, brought him back over the swaying bridge and into the room.

Over the next two and a half days, Tymay rested and was given more healing medicines than he knew there were. Everything from healing items to beneficial herbs were thrown at him like he was their new favorite thing.

He was quickly engrossed in the people, finding them to be absurdly auspicious. People often came to him, clearly not understanding the concept of privacy, and would talk to him for hours about his life. Although he found the people much more interesting than he thought he was.

Their ancestors had been the first to settle in the desert after it's forming almost four hundred years ago. As far as their history tells. They had come across the sea from a land called Enconia, which was at one time a beautiful place before war, famine and drought overtook it.

As far as they knew, they were the last of the direct blood descendants of those people.

But eventually the day came when Tay could travel again. It had been yet another bitter parting, but one that left him much more prepared for the journey. A man named Gyon accompanied him, a very accomplished fighter of the Aldin, and one who held seemingly endless respect for Tay. Something about killing an Umbra on his own.

Their mounts were not dissimilar to a horse. Their main difference was their long, scaled legs and slender and thin haired bodies. They also had hooves more akin to that of a deer, rather than a horse or mule.

The set off in the early morning of one day and rode for another two, the treck a far cry from the heat, hunger and thirst slave-drive of his first stint.

At the end of their ride, Gyon had pointed to a spot just at the edge of the horizon, looking like a mountain peak. The man gave him a farewell and rode off, visible Scitish at the sight. Tay rode on, a single thought echoing inside him.

Just wait a little longer.