Evening waned on. Second by second passed over as time flowed, ever marching and uncaring for it's riders. It just... went. Sana was awake and away from the den while the sun began to climb below the horizon of a dune's peak in the west. The sky to the east an indigo washed at the edges with vivid violets and reds. A beautiful painting overhead and darkening light that began to deepen the red hues of her pelt into something more mauve or like cranberry. Her feet moved gently below her, walking along the sands in a way she saw her mother do many times before. When Aarani walked out seemed so effortless, so graceful even in the shifting sands of unstable dunes like this. Sana concentrated, tried to mimic the beautiful flow...
And tripped head long over something strange and orange in the grains of the earth. A pumpkin who had no place being in the desert...
@Iofiel

Iofiel had been heading out to see if there might be any lingering greenery that he could collect when he saw the near yearling tumble into the sand. This caused him to reroute the way in which he thought to travel. Instead of leaving the pride he headed instead to go and check on the lioness.

"Are you injured, Miss?" The pale lion inquired of the young lioness. It was then he saw what had caused the tumble into the sand. It was some odd orange object. The desert grew gourds but nothing that looked like this. Curiosity had him lifting a paw to thump it against the pumpkin. There was almost the same sound to it as the gourds had.

@Sana

She was rightfully embarrassed when she realized the tumble had a witness. Sana righted herself and lifted up a paw to dust off the sand from her cheeks and down her chest. She dejectedly sighed but then nodded gentle and subdued. I'm ok A little disappointed in herself, some hurt pride, but physically no harm.

It was then she got a good look at what she'd tripped over. It was strange, a little off color to the sand around it and decidedly harder. When Iofiel touched it it made a sound she didn't recognize. A soft thump but with a firmness to the note. It drew up an air of curiosity to her and she curiously cocked her head at it. What's that?

"Splayed toes distribute the weight more evenly." Iofiel spoke with the confidence of one whom had spent most of their life walking upon sand. He was more than used to the ground shifting beneath his paws. In fact it felt odd to him to walk on solid ground.

Iofiel shook his head when he was questioned about the object. "I can't say I know for certain. It has the sound and texture of a desert gourd but it is larger and strangely colored." It also didn't have the exact round shape that a desert gourd had either. "I can't say that I have ever seen anything like it within the desert before." And here he had thought that he had known every single thing that grew within the desert.

@Sana

She hadn't asked, it was surprising when he offered up some advice. She didn't seem to have full belief in him just yet but it was unmistakable the way she wiggled her toes and spread them out just a bit further in the sands. She didn't say as much, but it seemed at least she was taking his well intentioned advice to heart and giving it the chance it deserved.

She leaned in closer to the gourd and gave it a bit of a sniff. It smells kind of like a plant. She observed, seeming to add into the 'it's a gourd' theory even as unlike the other desert plants as it was. It was just kind of buried, like someone was trying to hide it.

Iofiel had allowed it to slip his mind that not everyone might know what a gourd was. He often took it for granted that everyone would know and understand just what each plant was. That was certainly foolish on his part. He really should have known better.

Of course what the lioness said next had pushed all those thoughts from his mind. She was correct, it was oddly buried within the sand. Regular desert gourds grew atop the sand instead.

"That is odd. Who would be out here trying to bury things?" His own question pulled the pale male's attention from the fruit to the surrounding area instead. He lifted his head to sniff at the air but he wasn't picking up the scent of a trespasser. "I don't smell anyone." And the landscape made ti easy to see if there was anyone about for miles, one would see a body traveling through the sand.

@Sana

double, double toil and trouble;
fire burn, and cauldron bubble...

Nafasi watches from the bushes, never once letting herself be seen by those huddled around her perfectly-placed pumpkins. They really were a curious bunch, weren't they? But, unfortunately for them, the sprite was feeling extra mischievous today, and had a trick up her sleeve! And so, with a small grin, the being tilted her maw down towards the earth, eyes glowing, before she gave a pointed flicker of her tail and brought her vision to life in the process.

Uh oh...

Wait, what's that noise? Is that... bats? And they're coming your way -- eek! There is little warning before the horde descends, chirping as they go! They grab at your fur and manes, a cloud of bats swarming your location. Hope you had your rabies shot, because now it's time to run or fight back!

pixel credit to moonlight-pendent13

What’s that? She asked of @Iofiel as the leathery flapping grew louder, as their cacophony of chitters and squeaks became something overwhelming and deafening. Sana could barely hear herself think as the bats descended around them. She shrunk her head down to below her shoulders as one zipped past and took a bit at her ear. No no no… She snarled at it, fierce enough for the moment but very quickly she was getting overwhelmed by the situation. Pumpkin entirely forgotten Sana began to run, her lungs began to pound as she sprinted away from the swarming bats that pulled at her fur and tried to bit at her fluffy ears. A keen eye though might notice as she began to run her toes did splay out a little bit more in the sand. Iofiel’s lesson not forgotten even in the overwhelming situation.

The sound of flapping wings distracted Iofiel away from the mystery of the gourd. And then they were being swarmed. In one of only a few times did Iofiel raise his voice. He roared and swatted at the bats to try and get them away from the yearling. She took off running the and the winged mammals proceeded to chase her.

This prompted Iofiel to give chase as well. He chased after the girl. Or more particularly, after the bats that chased the girl. "Quick, find somewhere to hide. An outcropping of rock somewhere." Anywhere that they could use as shelter to hopefully end up letting the creatures just pass them right on by.

@Sana

Sana lowered her head further as she ran, fighting away nips and tugs of claws with shakes of her head and flickering ears. Struggling to keep them at bay she wanted to keep her eyes shut tight, protected, but @Iofiel was right about shelter. Hiding seemed the best choice here. Starting to grow winded she lunged for the first sign of safety that she could, a cathedral of rock jutting up from the sands. Some reminant of long ago when this land was not as dry as it was and formations could stand a chance. Its edges were smoothed by the blowing sands, its colors bright and vivid as if polished.

Sana dove up against the rocks and smothered her face and neck against the cool surface, immediately coiling her body up as tight as she could to leave little exposed. What had to be left to the air, to the bat's mercy, was less vulnerable areas of her self. Against the rock she trembled.