Hello. I woke up full of determination.

Today I would greet those people I had finally found. If they responded poorly then I could always run away and try again later.

Unfortunately, I spent so long agonizing about meeting them last night that I had overslept. It was the sun being directly overhead that finally woke me. I scrambled to follow the tracks as I had yesterday.

I was daydreaming, lost in my thoughts of what I would say and how I would be totally cool and not awkward at all, when I heard the first scream.

I stopped, cocking my head and hoping it had just been my imagination when the second scream shattered both that hope and the silence of the sands. Panicking, I rushed over the dune befire me and found a terrible sight.

Ravagers. Those disgusting, horrifying, monsterous bugs had swarmed my new (maybe) friends. Already half of them had been killed. Torn asunder and lying broken and bleeding on the now red sands. The creatures they were riding, beasts I had missed in my obsession with the people themselves last night, were freaking out. The screams came from them as they flailed their gangly limbs ineffectually at the ravenous ravagers.

The men atop them were grimly silent. occasionally grunting or swearing as the swung shining weapons at the vile creatures around them. Crushing shells and cleaving limbs. It seemed the poor fellows on the ground had either been caught by surprise or just kind of sucked at killing.

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It appeared that the remnants had things under control.

But I may have kind of freaked out. Seeing the only chance I may ever have of getting answers being attacked. I responded the only way I knew how.

Howling, raging, and flaming I charged the ravagers. Claws, wings, blades and my own body made of or clad in flames crashed into the rear of the heinous insectoids.

I spent the next eternity dodging claws and mandibles and throwing fire into the maws of the hellspawn around me.

Suddenly, it was over. No more ravagers lived. Most of them were extra crispy. Smoking and leaking a crusty ichor.

I must have been a sight. Because the men on their weird animals were not exactly keen on getting close to me or throwing out words of thanks.

I straightened up from my feral crouch raised my had towards the men and opened my mouth to begin a discourse.

Which led to me getting a lungful of buggy smoke.

Coughing, hacking, and spitting I walked out of the haze towards the men. That's when my nerves hit me like a lightning bolt, and I vomited.

The expressions of the poor men before ranged from disgust to fear. Not a single sign of friendship. They still had their weapons out and it was all I could do to choke out a strangled "Sorry." before I ran for it.

I lost track of time and distance. That determination from this morning is long gone. I just kind of stumbled around blindly after my daring escape from possible friendship. It's night now and I am just sitting hear really wishing that had gone better.

Oh well. Next time, right?

Goodnight