Content Warnings:

If you see (adult) next to any of the stories, chances are there are things there that aren't kid-appropriate. Be it extreme violence or sex or any other thing you wouldn't want your twelve year old reading about. If the story is out-of-this world mature, I'll add a note at the beginning to warn the reader in more detail.

There are no pornographic images hosted on this website. The author claims no responsibility for content that may be found on other sites that are linked. Basically, if Barnes and Nobles (at least the one where I live) wouldn't stop a minor from buying it, it can be found here.

Enjoy and please don't copy.

     The sun beat down angrily upon the desert. It seared the
 cracked, red earth and taunted the eye with mirages; ghostly oases
 that constantly slid away, shimmering and rippling toward the
 horizon.

     Everything shone with a burning white light that sought to purge
 the desert of any shadow. It ached to look at; the cacti and the
 small, struggling trees, with their peeling, grey bark. The distant
 mountains. all was affected by that insistant light... it bounced off all
 surfaces, always managing to find the eyes no matter where one
 looked; burning negative images over one's visage.

    I'wilo kept one eye shielded as he gripped the saddle with powerful thighs. He'd knotted the reins to keep them from dragging, so that his other arm was free to cradle his precious cargo, a small package, protectively against his chest.

    Undaunted by the vicious light and the heat accompanied by it, his raptor sprinted across the desert, scattering sand, rocks, and the occasional red-gold scorpid, which would lie flat against the ground, relying stubbornly on its natural camouflage until it was flung in the raptor's wake, waving its stinger and snapping claws at the air.

    The dinosaur didn't pause; its scaled feet impervious to the scorpids' stingers. It let loose a joyous roar, followed by a string of contented clicking sounds, as it charged across the Durotar desert without slowing for anything. "Ahk'ktahn fahsoah i'impaaht.", I'wilo muttered in his native tongue. At least someone was enjoying the heat.

    He let his hand drop to grab the knotted reins. His eyes were still squeezed shut but the sun glowed through the lids, refusing to be denied as it painted his vision red-gold. He felt he was melting, any semblance of his natural stoicism burned away in the hellish heat. His balls itched and he dropped the rein to scratch them, the muscles in his legs tensing around the saddle to compensate for the shift in weight.

    I'wilo gasped, "Wuh!", as both rider and mount suddenly dropped into the shallows of the Southfury river. His pants were soaked up to the thighs as the raptor waded unerringly toward the opposite shore. After what had seemed an eternity beneath the sun's punishing rays, the water, however warm, was a welcome change.

    The river marked a border; the end of the Durotar desert and the beginning of what was known as the Barrens. While hardly a rain forest, the Barrens, despite its foreboding name, was home to all manner of wildlife. Striped zhevra and gawky, ostrich-like plainstriders freely roamed the land.

    Spiky cacti gradually gave way to golden grasses and the occasional sprawling boab tree; a pride of lions panting in its shade. The terrain was still decidedly sparse; rocks and mountains ( the latter of which were haphazardly deposited everywhere, as if dropped in handfuls by mischievous titans, for the soul purpose of slowing travelers ) far outnumbering plants and trees.

    Yet, as one ventured further into the Barrens, the dry earth grudgingly gave in to greener grass and even flowers. The landscape was decidedly varied. A mile of unshaded, stark plains, carpeted only by dead-looking yellow grass, would suddenly give way to a brilliant emerald oasis, teeming with fish and frogs. In these places, giant ferns jostled for space, nestled between the roots of pressed-together trees. Vines of varying thickness wound their way up tree trunks and covered most of the ground that wasn't already overgrown with ferns and bushes.

    Multihued, fragrant blossoms were harassed by all manner of insect, which, in turn would attract a variety of birds. Massive turtles with armor plated shells would watch any passersby with a look of disinterest before sinking back into the cooler depths.

    Slender snakes in shades of brown, red, and green slithered across the leaf-littered floor in search of slugs, small frogs, and the little iridescent blue lizards that seemed to cling to the undersides of most of the shining, jade leaves. The entire effect was a brilliant display of color and a cacophony of sound: The din of bird cries that dominated the little jungle's song, accompanied by the constant hum of insect wings and the rustle of small animals shuffling through a maze of thick undergrowth.

    Lending itself to the surreality of such dreamlike perfection, the foliage was so thickly laced that one wouldn't know they were traveling out of the isolated paradise until they'd penetrated the last green wall... To find themself deposited right back in the dry savannah from whence they'd come. The experience was both fantastic and unsettling, the sudden change in climes so unwarranted that I'wilo felt certain there was magic at work that went beyond the inherent energies of nature.

    Whatever the cause, the little rain forests had a distinctly invigorating effect and it was obvious that whatever forces played a part in the creation of these isolated ecosystems were benevolent. There was no evil here. This felt like the opposite of the forces that currently sought to destroy his faraway, native homeland.

    I'wilo threw his head back, his eyes fluttering open to study the green canopy that suddenly shielded him from the sun. He gave the reins three short tugs, signaling his raptor to slow as it entered one of the cool oases. His mount immediately slowed its pace and I'wilo took several deep breaths; greedily sucking in the damp, fragrant air. The raptor sped up as both rider and mount exited the oasis. I'wilo sighed, readjusted the package he shielded against his chest, and closed his eyes once more.

    Night was upon the land. A small, undecorated tee-pee stood alone in the center of an equally featureless plain. A slight breeze kicked up, shaking the dry grass with a quiet hiss.

    The ground in front of the tee-pee was devoid of grass; a circle of dry, sandy earth that began to swirl even as the wind died down. The sand spread out, flattening with eerie perfection before large furrows began at it's center and dug outward, as if manipulated by invisible fingers.

    An opaque cloud appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and covered the moon, darkening the night until the land was blue-black, even the tee-pee becoming formless and unidentifiable to the eye. A deep rumble began within the tent, rising steadily in pitch until it finally became recognizable as laughter.

    In the space of a minute, the wind brushed the cloud away and the full moon once again lent her illuminating glow to the land. All was quiet.

    The moon shone brightly, revealing a scene unchanged... except...

    At the foot of the tent, where the ground was once bare, an image had formed on the sand. It was startlingly realistic, and more strangely, instead of being scraped from the ground, appeared to rest on top of it... A perfect bas relief that was built up, cleverly, in layers; much as an oil painting, the minutiae so intricate that it was a wonder the finer lines of the image didn't crumble under their own weight.... Tiny grains of sand in lines a single grain thick.

    The image depicted the head of a troll, in detail so fine it appeared as if one could reach out and stroke the fine, velvety fur on one long, pointed ear.

    The grass vibrated slightly; a silent, electric hum of expectation.

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