The heat of the desert collided with the humidity of Cinderglaze, birthing a storm that swallowed the horizon.

  As it neared the rainforest of Cinderglaze, the violent clash in temperature and pressure acted as fuel, further strengthening and accelerating the storm

  In contrast to the sandstorm, a pair of siblings ran dozens of miles ahead of it.

  From a bird's eye-view, the pair appeared no larger than a stone, especially with the storm on their tail. Yet their resolve and tenacity made up for their modest stature.

  Deep frowns formed on the older sibling's forehead as her chest tightened, each breath labored and raw. She managed a steady pace for a while before her knees buckled and she nearly fell—but the small body pressed on her back stopped her short. Her eyes widened in realization.

  She drew one long, defiant breath and pressed forward again, moving even faster this time as adrenaline took over. The world seemed to blur; when it came back, a lot of distance was crossed. Yet their goal still loomed ahead, and the burst of energy had worn out, leaving her utterly exhausted.

  Her legs quivered; her toes throbbed; and her face twitched under the mounting strain. Every fiber of her body begged for mercy, but she could not yield. No, she would not.

  The warm presence of her sister was a bitter reminder of the cost of giving up. She clenched her teeth and forced her failing limbs forward.

  Her body longed to collapse, to sigh and just shut off. But she shut her lips, swallowed the scream, and clung to one mantra: Just one more step.

  Before she knew it, her thoughts had become words: "... one more... step..." Words of a raving lunatic.

  Meanwhile, the younger sibling was concerned: "Sis you can drop me—I promise, I won't fall behind again... sis!"

  However, the younger sibling's words fell on deaf ears. All her sister could hear at the moment were those four words.

  The older sister maintained the raving streak; her eyes shone with the same resolute will, never once waning.

  After an exacting march, the siblings reached the mushroom rock. The younger sibling briskly jumped off her sister's back. While her sister instantly fell down face-first. Fortunately, the sand below cushioned most of the impact.

  "Sis, are you okay? C'mon talk to me."

  Wheezing, the older sister replied, " Get... me... up."

  The younger sister propped her against the mushroom rock.

  The older sibling took rapid breaths, and spoke in a low voice, forcing the younger sibling to lean closer to listen:

  "Wrap our faces and bodies with bandages."

  The younger sister retrieved a few bandage rolls from one of their pouches and wrapped them around herself and her sister. By the time she finished, the older sibling had regained a semblance of vitality.

  The sandstorm, meanwhile, was raging at a frightening proximity to them. Its violent gales laden with weathered debris grazed against the bandages.

  "Listen 'squeak, don't open your eyes—no matter what happens—and keep them covered tightly with your hands. Also keep your head down."

  "Can't I peek a little? I want to see what's inside the storm."

  Grabbing a handful of sand, the older sister tossed it into air: "There, now you've seen the what's inside the storm. Now, close your eyes... the storm is almost here."

  She too closed her eyes and added, "And no peeking; I'll know if you do."

  The winds howled, gaining fury with each passing breath. The gales quickened, becoming more intense and oppressive, threatening to uproot everything that lay in its path.

  Surrounded by the storm's wrath, the sisters crouched low and braced themselves. The younger trembled uncontrollably, uncertain if there would even be a future beyond this chaos. The elder fared no better, but hearing her sister's whimper, she shoved aside her anxiety and feigned courage.

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  Each gust struck like a whip, every lash of sand burned against their skin. The roar of countless grains—sand, dust, grit—merged with the screaming wind into a deafening crescendo. Their bodies, and now senses too, overwhelmed and under pressure.

  The younger sibling's mind faltered, overtaken by panic; she almost rose to flee. Then a trembling hand caressed her back, and firmly held her still. The older sister's hand managed to soothe the younger sibling.

  The future may be fraught with nothing but dangers, at least we are not alone, right 'squeak, the older sibling thought.

  Soon, the full might of the sandstorm was upon the siblings, engulfing them for miles in every direction within its swathe.

  The temperature suddenly dropped. Every minor graze and cut felt more vivid and scathing. Fine dust particles assaulted their nose and some slipped into their mouth. Their parched mouths gulped dry sand, its utterly tasteless and gritty flavour almost made them puke in disgust. All the while, their bodies ached as wind-whipped sand lashed them relentlessly.

  With each passing second, the battering diminished, and shortly thereafter the storm moved away. The near proximity of Cinderglaze's gradient pull helped quicken its passage.

  It's gone, the younger sibling thought.

  But with their backs burning in pain, the siblings could not rise on their feet, not for a while, at least. Slowly unwrapping the bandages from their faces, they spat sand and dust out.

  The younger sibling sticking her tongue out, manually began to remove the debris. Her comical look, made the older sibling giggle, until she slumped on the ground—exerting pressure on her abraded back. She let out a short yelp before again chuckling.

  They looked at each other, without uttering a single word, their faces beamed with a radiant grin. And their eyes conveyed a simple truth:

  We did it!

  We won.

  The harrowing sandstorm that had once assailed the siblings was nowhere in sight. Its unchecked rampage had engulfed everything in sight. Until, at last, it subsided and dissolved at the edges of Cinderglaze.

  The world bore no evidence of its existence, nor did its brethren—sand and gust—eulogize its deeds. Bereft of remembrance, the storm's life and death were, above all, pitiful.

  The siblings' journey across the torrid plain, while nowhere near as grand as the storm's, was certainly just as forlorn.

  However, there was one difference: they were alive. And life provided, if nothing else, an opportunity for change.

  There was another thing that the siblings had, not shared by the storm: loved ones. Their existence always affirmed that these nameless siblings belonged to someone and that they too had identities; of daughters.

  A few hours passed solemnly, devoid of any untoward developments. The siblings used this period for rest and recuperation—at least the older one did. The younger sister possessed an inexhaustible vitality and a curiosity far outstripping her sense of danger. So, straining an arm, she prodded into a deep hole.

  The older sister opened her eyes and sat up. She looked around but found no trace her sibling anywhere. A hint of unease sprouted at the back of her mind. She heard a small grumbling noise from behind the mushroom rock. Dragging her sore body around the rock, she found her sister—with her hands shoved deep inside a burrow.

  "Hey pipsqueak, what are you doing there? Don't tell me you've found another Dilly," her voice grated unpleasantly.

  "No silly... how do you think Dilly would fit in this tiny hole?" The younger sibling replied, still focused on the burrow.

  "Oh, pray tell 'squeak, what mystery awaits us at the end of your exploration?"

  "It's not a mystery, sis. See Pinty there... I found her coming out of this burrow. So I figured there must be more of her."

  Pinty? The older sibling was confused. Has my foolish sister succumbed to some mirage like hallucinations?

  Her concerns were put to rest, as she noticed a small, mobile rope-like shape writhing near her sister.

  Is that ...a snake?

  The realisation dawned on her. It was a snake's burrow that her sister was thoroughly inspecting—with her bare hands, no less.

  Before any other thought could form, she reacted instinctively and yanked her sister away. But the spontaneity of the action, made her exert more force than would have sufficed; she had thrown her sister a foot away.

  She rushed to her sister, "Are you alright, 'squeak?!"

  Brushing dust off herself, the younger sibling replied, "Yea, I am, but.."

  She pouted and asked seriously, "Why did you do that?"

  The older sister raised her eyes. Why indeed.

  The younger sister mumbled, "I could almost feel them, y'know."

  The older sister let out a small sigh and sat on the ground in a cross-legged posture. Gesturing for the younger sibling to come closer, she placed her sister on her lap.

  Wiping grime off her sister's face and tidying her dishevelled hair, the older sibling said, "Are you hurt, 'squeak?" Her voice was tender, though a little raspy.

  The younger sibling was taken aback. What has gotten over, sis? She's rarely this chummy.

  Slightly blushing, she replied, "No. I told you already, sis... I'm fine. You are not strong enough to hurt me."

  The older sister censored the last sentence from her psyche and continued, "The sun is still up. If we continue now, we should reach Cinderglaze by nightfall. Can you travel?"

  "Yes, I will manage, as long as we can get water soon."

  The younger sibling began to get up, but her sister placed a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

  Slowly caressing her sister's hair, the older sibling added, "On an unrelated note, 'squeak. Should you ever feel the need to search a snake hole again, do tell me. I'll ensure you can insert not only your hands, but your head and body too. Okay."

  Her voice remained composed and poised, but the younger sibling felt her hair stand on end throughout her body. The blush on her face got replaced by horror.