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It was with rattle and moan that the barred caravan traversed the lonely dunes of Darkmoor; adrift within an ocean of sand. The sky lay empty, save for the few carrion birds desperate enough to seek a meal so deep in the desert. Alongside the small train of horses pulling their quarry walked a handful of guards chatting amongst themselves, keeping steady along whatever invisible path they followed. And within one of the caravan's trifecta of cages, legs chained to the bars behind him, lied a dragon. Asleep. At least, so he appeared.

Why am I so... warm? Rimefang pondered silently to himself, reluctant to so much as crack an eyelid. He struggled to recall the last few days, but found the information evading him. All that would come to mind was a hazy vision of himself, relaxing as he so liked to do among the branches of the cold northern forest, and then... Nothing.

For a time, Rimefang pondered, but no matter how long he turned the same image over in his mind, the puzzle would not fall into place. Careful not to sigh with disappointment, his attention returned to the original question: why was he so warm? And for that matter, what was that incessant rattling? Curiosity proved itself superior, and he chanced opening a scaly eyelid, just for a peek.

Blinding brightness quickly forced the eye back closed, stinging as it adjusted to the excess of surrounding light. And when it chanced to open again, prepared this time for the glare, it beheld a peculiar sight. Not a single tree dotted the horizon, nor a solitary mountain. In fact, all that broke the endless flatland were the iron bars from which within the dragon gazed. Rimefang was, assuredly, a long way from home. He considered cracking the other lid to paint himself a more complete picture, but a sneeze and snotty snort from that side persuaded him otherwise.

"Ugh," the voice belonging to the noise croaked out deeply, "I'm tired of this damned sand. Couldn't stop at my boots and bedroll, now it's blowin' up my nose too."

"Just tie a cloth over your muzzle and you'll be fine," chimed a voice from ahead, airy and distinctly feminine, "the desert is a wonderful place. Much more tolerable than that nonstop snow and wind back northward."

"Speak for yourself," he growled mirthlessly, "fur ain't made for this kinda weather."

"You could always shave it all off! Just imagine, you'd be Horatio the hairless hound," Another voice called from further ahead, prompting a smattering of chuckles, "a real hit with the ladies I'm sure!"

Rimefang could hear the sand shifting beneath Horatio's boots as he passed the cage, as well as the slightest chuckle escaping his lips onto the wind. "I take it you're the authority on what the ladies like then, Rendell?" With this the dragon chanced another peek, hoping his captor's attention was fully committed to the exchange of words.

Alongside the small smattering of horses, he could count four silhouettes; two clearly furred though he could not determine their species. The other two, one of whom was driving the steeds, appeared to be scaled, sun reflecting off the plates of their heads. He watched silently as one of the furs, Horatio presumably, reached the group with a fist on his hip casually awaiting response.

"Well..." Rendell gave a nervous chuckle, pulling on the reins as he did. "Don't know if I'd say authority, but I like to think I'm in the know."

"Please," Horatio said sardonically, "I've seen the way you make eyes at Tobias. If you know women well enough to give me advice, I'll eat my boot. Sand and all."

"I'm not making eyes. He was just panting and... and I wanted to make sure he wasn't thirsty is all. You noticed it too, right Leigh?"

"Right, I'm sure his ass was plenty thirsty." The feminine voice from earlier quipped, drawing a collective chortle from the group that soon faded into silence once more as they continued along their unmarked route. Rimefang watched for a time, carefully observing as Horatio and Leigh paced along either side, Tobias and Rendell stealing glances at one another whenever they thought the other wasn't looking. All the while, the dragon pondered the means of his potential escape, but between his four captors and the chains binding him to his cage, he could think of nothing other than to wait. On and on they marched, the horizon remaining static save for the slow cycle of the sun.

"All right," Horatio said, startling Rimefang as the hours long silence was broken, "let's stop and get camp set before it gets dark. Nothing worse than starting a fire in the cold." The caravan slowed to a halt and the four began doing just that, setting up a handful of tents and starting a stew that set the dragon's mouth to watering as it's fumes drifted his way. They chatted casually around the fire as the night wore on, until only embers remained and one by one they retired to their respective beds.

A faint rustling tore Rimefang from his own sleep, emanating from within one of the tents. It was soon joined by more of the same from another, and a pair of flaps opened as their occupants clambered out as quietly as they could. The pair crept away from the remains of the fire to the opposite side of his cage, stopping only a few feet away.

"So..." Tobias began tentatively, scratching the back of his head with a paw. "Are they, uh... Are they telling the truth?"

"No!" Rendell blurted, far too abruptly as Tobias raised a brow. "I mean, I was watching, sure; but like I said, it was just to make sure you were alright. The desert can be hard on non lizans, you know?"

"Oh..." his ears drooped a little. "So you must've been checking up on Horatio too then, huh?"

"Well... No," Tobias's ears perked back up, "but Horatio's pretty tough. Not that you aren't! It's just, he seems like he'd get mad if he caught me staring. Plus, I kind of, sort of like the way you fluff your tail."

Rendell finished with a wince, cracking an eye after a few seconds to find Tobias blushing, tail held across his chest. "Thank you. I... I really like how shiny you keep your scales."

"You do?" Rendell's shoulders sunk with relief. "I was hoping someone would notice! I've been using this new polish I bought from that vendor up north, and--"

"Wait..." Tobias interrupted, hand out to stop Rendell. "Do you feel it?"

"A connection? I mean, I didn't want to say, but--"

"No," Tobias began looking around sharply in every direction, Rimefang keeping his eyes closed as he did, "the ground. I can feel it shaking."

The dragon could feel it too. Slight, but definitely there and getting stronger by the second. Soon, his cage began to shake as well, Tobias and Rendell now struggling to even stay on their feet as they shouted for their friends. Rimefang braced himself against the bars, more concerned with what could be coming than remaining discreet as Leigh and Horatio stumbled through their tent flaps, the shifting sand hindering any attempt to find their footing. Just as he was sure his prison would shatter with the force of the vibrations, they ceased, and all was still.

All eyes were on the now standing dragon, stiff as a statue as he felt their stares boring into him. Rendell, just getting to his feet from the pile he and Tobias fell into, was the first to speak. "So the beast is awake. What part did you play in this I wond--"

The lizan was never able to complete his thought as a plume of sand exploded from beneath his feet, bursting skyward and spraying the caravan with grit. Rimefang raised a wing in time to cover his face, scantly believing his eyes when it lowered. Towering before him, the same color as the ground it burst from, was a monstrous tube ending in a massive maw. A Sand Wurm. With horrified fascination the dragon watched a pair of bulges slide their way down the creature's bulk, joining together before disappearing below the ground. For an eternity of a moment all was still.

"SKREEEEEEE" The worm trilled, angling itself towards the caravan. "Leigh, do something!" Horatio shouted, drawing a blade as he ran to take cover beside the cages.

"Like what!?" She yelled back in a panic, too stunned to even move.

"Cast a spell on it! Distract it! Just. Do. Something!"

"I... I'm just an apprentice mind mage. I don't know if that thing even has a--aaaiieeeee"

The worm chose that moment to turn its attention to the horses so conveniently tethered together, diving back into the sand as they too disappeared into the creature. The reins broke, but not before the force of the tug succeeded in tipping Rimefang's prison onto its side. He landed hard against the bars, his left leg suspended in the air where the chains still held. Thankfully the right manacle had loosened on impact, allowing him leverage to work on escaping it. Horatio staggered into the gap between his cage and the next, the ground quaking heavily as ever before.

Once more the worm burst from the ground, looming over Rimefang and Horatio with faceless menace; maw opening to fully reveal the wide, fleshy hole fading into the dark depths of its body. Large drops of saliva cascaded down, coating the dragon's face and body in the slick substance. He could feel his breath catch as he stared into the worm's gullet, tugging his now gooey right leg free, unwittingly aided by the creature seeking to consume him. There was no time to be thankful however, as without warning it dove at the cage, apparently aiming to swallow it whole. Never had Rimefang been so happy to be trapped, as the worm's mouth was just barely too small to wrap around its entirety.

His sigh of relief was short lived as the worm, sensing the impossibility of what it was trying to achieve, changed tactics. Over and over again it slammed its massive bulk into the cage, attempting to crack it open and retrieve the squirming prize inside. Rimefang began tugging at the other manacle in earnest, spurred on by the crack of the wooden floor on each impact and Horatio's whimpers to his side. "Almost... There," he muttered to himself, feeling the manacle beginning to slip.

With a final impact the floor of the cage gave way, exploding in a shower of splinters. The worm lowered itself to the opening, Rimefang staring captive and captivated down the hole. Just when the creature seemed poised to strike however, it receded, the faintest of lavender glows encapsulating its head.

"I did it!" Leigh shouted from the wreckage of the tents, palms alight with the same lavender glow. "I can't believe my magic worked!"

The snake woman had the worm's full attention, the creature drawing itself up before her.

"Can y-you tell it to leave?" Horatio trembled out, visibly shaking as he gripped the bars of Rimefang's cage.

"I can try."

Leigh began to chant, invoking words of power as she weaved her palms through the air. All the while, the aura surrounding the worm grew more pronounced, even so far as to obscure its body underneath. With a shout, the mage released her spell, the cloud of sorcery dissipating with its completion.

"There," she said with confidence, "I told it to leave the caravan alone and be on its--"Leigh disappeared faster than she could scream, the worm snatching her up and sending her squirming down its throat. Rimefang could even see her feeble pounds protruding the creatures flesh, but even those soon faded as she too sunk below the ground.

Fueled by a fresh burst of terror, he gave one final, mighty pull on the manacle binding his leg to the cage; and rather than feel his hindpaw slip free, he felt the chain itself give way from the bars. Scrambling through the hole left by the worm, he extended his wings as the creature turned back to face him once more. Whatever Horatio said behind him was lost as he pumped his wings, the worm bearing down on him quickly. He felt the chain catch as he gained altitude, redoubling his efforts as the worm surged forward to try and engulf him. His wings were heavy as he felt like a sandbag was attached to his leg, but he was desperate, narrowly clearing the maw with a great and final push.

Rimefang could hear the screech of the worm in the distance as he flew towards the horizon, thrashing about as its meal escaped. He did not stop flapping until the piercing noise faded completely from his ears. And he did not turn back.