Valor watched in horror as the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he toppled backward unconscious. The storm returned and without thinking Valor leapt on top him, covering his face with chest. He buried his own face into the ground, buying himself as much time as possible.
"DIARGO"
No answer, the wind was too strong, his mind was too chaotic.
"DIARGO PLEASE"
Valor waited a moment, his arms, and legs raw. He was too panicked, his thoughts too out of focus for his friend to hear clearly.
"Diargo please," Valor thought.
Valor lifted his face slightly, just enough to take a breath of air. It was hopeless, the sand only filled his nose and throat, he couldn't breathe. He could feel himself blacking out. He fought it with all his might, but the beckoning of unconsciousness was too powerful… too alluring. Reality was slipping away. He could hear the storm start to change; the roaring of its winds sounded like Diargo. The same bone chilling war cry that he had grown to love and admire.
***
Diargo screamed as he leapt through the air. His protective instincts fueled him, he had felt Valor's dread, and the comforting presence of his consciousness start to slip away. The gorilla screamed again, a challenging war cry to the storm. He no longer felt the sting of the sand and his eyes no longer watered. He ran across the ground, his knuckles pounding into the sand as he galloped towards the shadowy glimpse of too bodies. The storm was trying to bury them forever. He leapt and landed on top of them, cradling Valor's head in his armpit. He focused his galden once more and formed the crystal shelter. Diargo squeezed his eyes shut and waited. The storm continued to rage and howl well into the night.
***
Valor's throat was on fire, and he woke coughing up wet clumps of sand.
"Welcome back," Diargo said, his body still curled protectively around him.
"ughhhhh, my throat feels like someone shoved a torch down it."
"Worse, sand" Diargo's voice was bitter, he let a handful of sand fall through his massive fingers.
There was a grown from underneath and he suddenly very aware that he was still lying on top of the Machari, his chest covering the man's face.
"Hopefully- "Valor's voice caught in his throat, he swallowed his own saliva and grimaced as it stung his throat. "Hopefully he's okay."
Diargo gently pushed himself upwards, careful not to bump his head on the translucent crystal above him.
"This one is strong," The ape gave the unconscious man a critical eye, "his galden is powerful, like a beast."
Valor nodded his head and watched the Machari, the black mask still snug on the man's face. "He sent out a beacon, that's how I knew he was here."
"Then how come I didn't feel it." The Trykoori bent to sniff him.
The gorilla crinkled his nose, the Machari stunk of despair, like prey in predator's jaws.
"Couldn't tell ya big guy." He pushed himself to his feet, groaning as his stiff muscles screamed in protest.
He craned his neck to look up at the crystal dome, it was dark all around them, and no light shone through the ceiling.
"Storm done?"
Diargo nodded and looked at his brother, his amber eyes blinking slowly. "We're buried underneath this Domhain forsaken sand."
The Trykoori scooped up the Machari with one hand, the man's head and limbs dangling. With his free hand, he placed an open palm on the ceiling. The crystal melted away like water, and the bright Kypeeran sun started to shine through as rivers of sand poured in.
"Ah, fresh air." Diargo stood still for a moment, enjoying the sun and a slight breeze.
Valor agreed, the air in the dome at gone quite stagnant. It stunk like two unwashed racers and a hairy Beast. He climbed up Diargo, using his friend's thick fur as grip. He gazed out at the desert surrounding them, the entire landscape had changed. The dome looked as though it had been placed in a hole, the top of it was flush with the level of the ground. There was a muffled thump behind him, and he turned around to see the Machari sprawled awkwardly just outside the opening. A low groan escaped from the man's lips which were flattened against the sand covered crystal dome.
"Did you throw him!"
There was no reply, the ape was too busy pulling himself through the top of the dome. The gorilla grunted as he tried to squeeze himself through the hole, slightly too big to fit smoothly.
"What?" He said, finally able to stand on the sand.
"Never mind, let's go." Valor said, shaking his head, "Stop trying to squeeze through holes too small for you. Just make it bigger, you can do that you know."
Diargo snorted indignantly and lightly pounded the sand with his knuckles, "The sand would have poured in."
He patted the gorilla's thigh with mock sympathy, "I know buddy, trykoowri scawred of sand."
A meaty finger poked his forehead with enough force to the knock him off his feet. He howled in pain and rubbed the spot on his head. "Why so HARD."
A cloud of steam was blown in his face from the Gorilla's flared nostrils inches away from his own. "You keep it up, and you'll be the one carrying the Machari."
Valor couldn't keep a straight face and burst into laughter before the burning in his lungs forced him into another coughing fit.
He climbed his way up Diargo's back "Grab and the Machari and let's move."
The ape obliged and retrieved the limp body, he twisted around to place it front of his rider, "I'm assuming we're going to deliver him to Machar."
"He's not our prisoner, we're just giving him a lift." Valor stared forward, ignoring the raised eyebrows of his friend. "In return for some information."
They broke off into a slow jog, heading towards the edge of the desert, "You dragged us through that storm for information."
"And to save his life!" He struggled to find a comfortable spot to rest the man's head, whose limp body was already attempting a getaway. "Why else."
"To put him out of his misery"
Valor opened his mouth to laugh but stopped and narrowed his eyes, "You're not serious are you."
The big gorilla snorted and blinked some sand out of his eyes, "obviously not, I had assumed we would give him a lift on our way to Machar," He bared his great fangs, "We have important business there, like winning races."
"Agreed, but you had to have felt it, my galden TOLD me to come out here, to find him."
"I felt something… My driving motivation to crush our opponents in Machar." His voice was light, but there was no denying the voracious appetite of his ambition.
Valor rolled his eyes, but he felt it too, the stirring in his heart. Had he really come out here to help man. To save the broken Machari? Something other than good intentions drove him out here.
"The stadium in Machar is supposed to be beautiful."
"I'm sure it's quite attractive"
Valor nodded, he could feel a growing excitement in his stomach, "You know what the best part is gonna be."
Diargo ground his teeth, "Crushing our opponents into dust."
He thought about that, eventually nodding to himself, "Ok second-best part…"
The gorilla paused questioningly, looking at Valor out of the corner of his eye.
"No sand!"
Diargo bellowed into the air, a gut-wrenching cry of victory, "NO SAND!"