Wandering through the sand

The blazing sun of the desert felt wonderful on Eliwood's face. It reminded him of standing next to The Eternal Flame back at his old temple. He sighed as he remembered his home but a smile quickly returned to his face. He would not be bothered with things he could not change. It would not do for the happy monk to dwell on the past. He must push forward and forge a path for himself. Although he had no idea what that really meant.

From the time he left the temple, Eliwood did nothing but wander. He had no real worldly desire or ambition. He only wanted to enjoy the time he had on this earth. His wandering had led him from the humble temple in the woods where he grew up, to the billowing sands of the Land of Wind. His striped scarf was in a constant state of being blown in the wind, but this was nothing new to the young monk. Ever since he was a child, it seemed he was surrounded by wind. His hair and clothes always moved in an unfeelable breeze. The monks at the temple couldn't explain it but for Eliwood, it was only natural.

The breeze in the desert carried an odd smell. In the forest the wind was filled with the scent of life. The trees, the creatures, even the grass. Out in the dunes, there was none of these things. Eliwood only smelled the dryness of the air. There was almost no wildlife to be seen and trees were nonexistent. That wasn't all there was to it however.

There were bright green cacti around with colorful flowers budding on them. Many of the rocks that littered the sand sparkled beautifully in the sun. Buzzards circled around in search of a next meal. Eliwood couldn't help but smile and appreciate the beauty that was available.

Thinking about the hungry buzzards was causing his stomach to grumble. He would need to find something to eat. A difficult task in a location as barren as the desert. Eliwood had met some kind travelers a few days earlier who taught him which plants were edible and which to stay away from. He thanked them profusely and offered the travelers money for their kindness but they turned him down. It warmed his heart to meet such friendly people. He hoped his adventure would be filled with plenty more enlightening encounters.

He walked over to a thick root that was protruding from the sand and took hold of it. He yanked hard to free some more of it so it could easily be cut. The travelers taught Eliwood that these particular roots were edible and also a good source of water. How useful this one plant was. With more of it showing Eliwood could clearly see where he was supposed to cut. His only problem, was that he had no knife.

He had run into this issue many times in his wandering and yet he still owned no knives. He couldn't bring himself to hold weapons of war. Instead he had learned to control his chakra and utilize the wind that seemed to always follow him. He held the root in his hand and focused very hard. He formed the chakra in his hand and expelled it into the root. Wind chakra was sharp and like this it could be used as if it were a blade. Eliwood needed no knives.

Back at the temple he was made to feel ashamed of his wind nature. The monks all worshipped the Eternal Flame and were practitioners of fire style. Eliwood however, was incapable of using fire style even in the slightest degree. The monks saw him as cursed but Eliwood knew different. He was only capable of producing wind, the natural enhancer to fire. Though he could not produce flame himself, his wind stood only to make fire burn bigger and hotter. The Eternal Flame did not hate him, it entrusted him to make fire grow.

With his meal now in hand Eliwood continued walking. He wished he had some sort of instrument to pass the time in a lighter mood. The desert was too quiet for his liking. He enjoyed hearing the sounds of woodland creatures all around him. Now the only sounds to keep him company were the occasional squawks of the scavenger birds flying about. He made a mental note to look for some sort of instrument the next time he was near a town. Eliwood knew how to play a variety of musical instruments, a skill he picked up early in his childhood.

The monks often played stringed instruments around fires at night and the sound of all the different tunes being played at once was always awe inspiring to young Eliwood. He missed their slightly off tune strumming. It always helped him fall asleep at night. When Eliwood played his songs he felt as though the eyes on him were not hate driven and full of spite like usual. Instead he felt as though those around him were able to see him as just another monk like them. His songs were able to reach their hearts. Maybe it would work the same for the unruly people he would certainly come across in his travels. One could only hope.

Night was actually rapidly approaching and with it came a new series of problems for the young monk to deal with. He wouldn't be able to walk much due to the extreme cold that would come with the sun's departure. He would need to escape the winds which carried that cold air on them.

He continues walking until he located a nearby large rock. The young monk began to dig himself a pit in the sand to lay in for the night. It wasnt very deep, but it would keep him sheltered from the harsh elements. He slid down into his pit and layed on his back, staring up at the dark night sky. He had no sleeping bag and no fire but he would be kept warm by the flame that burned in his heart. The monks taught him that he need not fear the cold as long as he walked the path of the flame. He whistled himself a tune and waited for sleep to come. He held a small rock in his hand and twirled it around his fingers idly. The stars were so easy to see with no light pollution around. Millions if not billions of twinkling little lights in space. Every night sky was a brilliant tapestry of nature.

"What an amazing day today was."

(EXIT)
(WC 1106)
Claiming Wind Style: Air Pistol C

Approved