Mounted atop his violet-feathered hawkstrider, a large satchel now slung over his right shoulder, Varrestian followed the single set of camel footprints leading out into the desert. Several times during his trip he spotted the orcess off in the distance, his concerns over being several miles behind her soothed by the fact he knew where she was headed, and she remained in sight. Despite his elven heritage a sheen of sweat had begun to prickle the skin around his eyes and brow, and the teasing scent of water on the bone dry winds that gusted past him and tousled hair and feather alike promised a refreshing stop.<br/><br/>Sometime later he approached the river bank, easily spotting Haruna’s camel watering itself, but of the orcess he saw no sign. Scowling, he pulled his hawkstrider to a halt and, removing his hat, daubed the sweat away from his forehead with the back of his forearm. Squawking its impatience Varres gave his mount a solid pat on the haunch and it immediately set off for the river, eyeing the camel critically before ducking its long neck down to lap up the water and toss its plumed head around, sending a spray of glittering droplets into the mid-afternoon sun. Rolling his shoulder and then his hips to work out the stiffness Varres looked off to the south, where his ultimate destination rested, shimmering in the distance like a mirage.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>