As the sun rose over the desert, its rays glowing across the sand, Aristo woke. He was far away from his pride, their territory a day’s walk away, but he was looking for something anyway. Returning to his pride would wait.
From beside him, a light groan sounded. Looking down at the lion at his side, Aristo relaxed slightly. He would be okay. It was Elo beside him after all, and wherever his lover was Aristo would always feel safe. Laying back down and snuggling into his love’s thick and barbary mane, Artisto sighed in contentment.
Despite the sun beginning to beat down on his rose-colored fur, he did not want to move. Finding the temple that was once dedicated to his father could wait. Snuggling into Elo’s mane could not.
After all, who knew what would happen when they got there? Aristo had never had the honor of meeting his father, Helios, the Titan of the Sun. For all he knew, his father would hate him and cast him down.
“Aristo?”
“Oh darling, I didn’t mean to wake,” the lion quickly nuzzled his lover’s head in apology.
“It’s alright, are you okay?” Elo could tell that something was bothering the king. And it wasn’t the hot sand that burned their paws at sunhigh.
“I’ll be okay once we get through this damned desert. I need to know more about my father. That temple… I need to get to it and I don’t really know why.”
Elo nodded, having no clue why but wanting to help his love nonetheless. Slowly, Aristo got the two of them to their feet to continue the trek. They had miles left to cover before sunhigh, and even more before dusk. If they kept at the pace they were both trying to keep, they’d be at the temple in two day’s time.
“Let’s move,” Aristo growled, annoyed at the fly that was buzzing in his ear.
Elo nodded, silently falling into step with Aristo and walking next to him as they began to cross the dunes to find the ruins of a once glorious temple. The small hollow they had dug to sleep in soon faded into the distance, their footprints leading away. They had no idea what was coming, but hoped that they would be able to make it through.
-
The pair had trudged through the desert all of that day and night, not taking a break on their journey. Aristo was desperate to reach the temple before the dawn of the next day, and Elo wasn’t about to argue. The ruins were bound to have shade, possibly water even, a perfect place to cool off in this expanse of steaming sand.
Aristo’s tail lifted, a signal for Elo to stop moving at his side. Complying, the other lion lifted his head and took a deep breath through his nose. There was nothing on the wind, nothing to alert him to a strange presence or threat.
“What is it?” He whispered, trying to find whatever Aristo had.
The king simply snarled in response, his eyes scanning the dunes around them fervently. He had seen a flash of color that was not sand, and he was nervous. Elo was with him. If Elo got hurt, there would always be hell to pay for everyone else.
Soon, a hiss sounded below their feet as a massive snake rose out of the sand in front of them. Aristo stared at it, almost daring it to try to harm them. But it did not, it looked at them. Its eyes almost seemed intelligent.
Its scales were a bright golden color, highlighted by the rising sun, and its eyes… they were bright orange. The same color as the stars in the sky. Aristo had to remind himself that he did not know the snake, nor could it understand him, when his instinct toward it was to say “Hello, old friend”.
Continued on Elo's Page
