The tiny Lumine had wandered for hours, her throat a dry rasp, vision blurring under the relentless sun… Just as delirium set in she saw her salvation. A Fountain oasis, bubbling with cool, inviting water in the heart of the dunes.
With a gasp of relief, Lumine scrambled toward it, plunging her face into the pooling liquid. She lapped greedily, the refreshing flood quenching her parched mouth. It cascaded over her tongue cool at first, then oddly viscous, with a salty tang that made her shiver. So revitalizing…. So strangely addictive…
…Meanwhile, Candace, froze in abject horror. She’d paused to rest her weary feet after patrolling the sands, kicking off her sandals to let the breeze soothe her sweat-slicked soles. Now, staring down, she saw the tiny Lumine clearly delirious from heatstroke, fervently lapping at her feet. The tiny girl’s tongue worked eagerly, mistaking the salty soles for an oasis.Candace’s heart raced; how could she properly intervene without ruining the Traveler’s fragile state of mind…?
Chosen idea from this month’s creative prompt pool for the Bigger Banty Tier