Ebony perched in a tree at the edge of the jungle. Beyond the forest's cool shade and sheltering boughs waited the searing heat of the sands. He knew that the wastes took a good two day's constant travel, which meant that Dertharion had already gone almost half of the distance. He gazed out into the blinding glare reflecting off the sands. It would have been wiser to wait for dark before setting out, when the sun's merciless rays were somewhat dimmed, but Ebony had no time to waste. Gritting his teeth, he flew out into the inferno that was a desert at midday. The heat slammed into his dark scales like a brand the instant he left the sheltering foliage. As he flew, Ebony had a sudden wish that his scales were a brilliant white. A beautiful, reflective white. He pictured himself flying along, flinging light off him like a massive diamond. But unfortunately, reality persisted in reminding him that he possessed, in fact, the deepest black color that ever graced a dragon's scales.

Stop thinking, he told himself. It's too hot to think. And it's especially too hot to make up silly fantasies.

It's never too hot to make up silly fantasies, a part of his brain muttered, but subsided.

To distract himself, Ebony tried looking at the scenery. The endless dunes were pretty, in their own desolate way. Here and there the golden sands were dotted with a spot of light green where a tenacious cactus had burst through the dry soil. Occasionally the cacti were crowned with red or purple blooms, but more often the small desert sparrows had stripped the tasty flowers from the plants. A few miles away, barely visible over the rolling dunes, a straggling line of hyenas searched for prey. The desert, oddly enough, was full of life. Life that battled every day for survival, perhaps, but still life. As Ebony flew over the hyenas, he spotted a few gangly juveniles among the group. 

Even here, he thought, slightly amazed, life goes on as normal. These creatures were made to endure, and even flourish in conditions that I, a dragon, cannot survive in. As he reflected, a sudden pain tore at his heart. Jet. She would have loved to see this. How she would have squealed at the baby hyenas! She loved all the living world with an intensity Ebony didn't understand, and sometimes laughed at. She had named every single one of the tiny birds that lived near their home, and she was always running up to show him some creature crawling on her palm. He sighed. He'd never laugh at her again if he could only have her at his side now.

He forced the thought from his mind. Wishing for impossibilities only sickens the heart, Ebony reminded himself. But for a moment, the heat hadn't felt so terrible. It burst back down on him now, with renewed strength. He kept pumping his wings. Kept flying. There was too much on the line for him to fail.