Ma'in, the Imperial city-state along the coast of the Arabian Sea
Moving his gaze from one cluster of twinkling stars to another, Lo'gan swept the night sky with an evaluating look that missed nothing. There was a new moon, making the night darker than usual, but having all the luminance he needed from the stars themselves, Lo'gan turned the information he was gathering and compared it to previous experiences in his mind. He knew something was coming. He wasn't sure what yet, but standing in the typical desert dweller stance with both hands clasped firmly behind his back, Lo'gan mused and pondered, too engrossed in the odd patterns he felt in the wind to notice the growing movement around him.
It always started out subtly. A ripple in the sand here and a shifting of a dune there, that given enough time grew to be so much more. Completely oblivious to the shifting sands, Lo'gan continued to watch for changes in the sky, all the while ignoring the changes that were occurring under his very own feet. The dunes were awakening, slowly changing from a thing that was lifeless to a thing that bristled with a consciousness that can only be described as life itself. This fuel was an ancient one, an awareness as old as time that lived in everything of substance. It was fleeting and dormant in most things, but so very full of life when it was commanded to be. When the order came, it breathed realization into all that was nature and twisting with life, the very earth itself hummed with purpose.
And the purpose was clear now. As it reawakened, the desert sands turned to look at the lone man standing in its midst. He belonged to that supreme category of living things that had will of their own, that walked the earth as they wished and detailed their lives as they saw fit. One of the creatures lucky enough to posses so much life that they needed not to be awakened to fulfill their purpose, for that had happened from the instant they were conceived. Only this one was unique among the will-bearers.
Occasionally there would be one gifted with the unique blend of peace and disquiet, temperance and solitude, love and rage that allowed for a glimpse at the grand order of things. These individuals lived in a dichotomy not dissimilar to that of the grand life force itself, for even it was a balance of the two things: disruptive and soothing, selfish and all-giving, horrible and beautiful. They could faintly see the patterns in nature that seemed so random to everything else; the patterns that only those with insight could see, the patterns that regulated everything, the patterns that allowed a tiny little world among so many to brim with life, the patterns that held the secrets to the oldest struggle known to anything alive: the battle of good vs. evil.
Surging with intent that came too fleetingly, the desert sands began to move in earnest now. They simmered and twisted, setting alive everything around them and coiling closer and closer to the target. It was their nightly ritual to try and reach him. True, they breached him every single time, engulfing him in their unstoppable power, but still they were short on their mission. He had yet to brake; yet to see what no one else could, but he was so close. After some thirty-odd years of nightly prompting, it knew he was almost there. It was only a matter of time before he was primed, before he was ready, before he could see. Until then, they had to step up their trappings, step up their nudging of what he already knew instinctively. The precarious balance of things was counting on it.
Gathering strength as it closed in on its target, the desert hoped it would all end soon. He had found a kindred spirit and that was always a promising sign. He would fight for what he loved and in the grand scheme of things that was all that mattered. Finally completely awake, the desert sands closed in for the kill and descended on the one.
Lo'gan broke from his swirling thoughts when his entire body pitched forward in a painful pull. Too busy with his contemplation of the night sky, he had yet again failed to learn the lesson that had eluded him for so long: never turn your back on the sands. They were alive now, hungry and fast and wanting nothing but to break him. Trying to right himself despite the knee deep well of sand he was now trapped in, Lo'gan began his frantic digging.
Cupping his large hands, he attacked the sand that was engulfing him with all his strength. He scooped out handfuls and tried to move, bucking against the strength that held him in place and was slowly pulling him under. But the onslaught was relentless and another element was beginning its conspiracy against him. It was the wind and lashing Lo'gan's bare skin unmercifully with stinging sand, it obscured his sight and made his torture even more pronounced. Already the sand was around his waist and bracing against the inevitable crush on his breathing that always accompanied this part, Lo'gan increased his flailing against the encroaching sand. But it was pretty much a lost battle by then.
In a matter of minutes, he was chest deep in the swirling sand and a minute after that, the unconscious portion of Lo'gan's mind braced for the inevitable. In a final swoop, the sand lunged for his neck and throat and turning to face up towards the now indistinguishable sky, Lo'gan let out his characteristic last defense against the onslaught. With a primal scream full of terror, Lo'gan surrendered his control just as the gravelly sand filled his mouth and swallowed him completely.
Only it wasn't the end this time. Typically, the scream meant things faded to black and in the black he would find her, the only thing that made the entire ordeal worth it. She had a name now - Mari. But this time, the sand did not let go and the black did not come in to take its place. He was still fighting and struggling as it moved and shifted all around him. It was everywhere; in his eyes, mouth, ears, rubbing his skin raw and blocking out all of his senses and even his thoughts. Suspended in the rough palpable mass, Lo'gan felt his sanity slipping. He couldn't breathe and try as he might to fight his attacker, it was a losing battle. Choking and twisting in the monster that was trying to consume him, Lo'gan sent out a final, desperate plea to the conscious parts of his mind to try and wake up.
Mari had been dreaming of rolling hills and fresh evergreens when Lo'gan started moving at her side. At first she ignored it, pulling her coverlet tighter under her chin and trying not to let go of the green hills around her. But then the movements became jerky and she could hear mumbling as she stepped over stones that lead into the rushing stream that once served as her family's water source. Stopping in her exploration of how far she could go in without wetting her deerskin boots, Mari frowned in her sleep and muttered for Danea to stop fussing. The grumbling she heard echoing over the twitter of birds and rushing water stopped momentarily and satisfied, Mari resumed her game.
She took a few more steps over the rocks and just then a strong wind blew through her hair. It was not very chilly since summer was still fading away, but it did manage to unanchor the first leaves that signaled fall in the Battavian Mountains. Giggling brightly, Mari moved to catch the flutter of leaves that brushed past her. There was something odd about them, but clutching at them happily, Mari ignored her observation as she balanced herself precariously on a wet stone. Holding the cluster of leaves to her rough smock, Mari finished her last few leaps past the stones and triumphantly stepped onto the other shore of the stream. Laughing at the way she knew Danea would be pouting that she got left behind yet again, Mari swung around to tease her sister……only their was no one there. Mari looked up and down the stream in growing apprehension, hoping that Danea was just upset and pouting on a log, but she found nothing. Crushing the crisp leaves in her hands, Mari tried calling out to her.
"Danea!! Danea!! I was just playing. Where are you??"
Mari looked downstream again and hearing nothing decided that something was wrong. Despite having run through those forests her entire life, Danea was very afraid of being alone in them. She would never stray far, no matter how upset she was and dropping the leaves she held, Mari dashed across the stream rocks again, desperately calling for her sister. In her rush, she failed to see that the leaves she had been clutching were not leaves at all. They were curved paisleys, identical to the dark brown designs that were now bleeding through her pale skin to magically cover her body.
Tripping once and almost losing her balance, Mari continued screaming for her sister as she crossed the stream that seemed to go on forever. Keeping her sights on the other bank, Mari leapt over rocks for an eternity until it finally dawned on her that she was not moving any closer to her destination. Scared beyond comprehension, Mari started crying. And then things changed.
The clear, blue sky darkened with black smoke and in the distance, she could make out an approaching sound. It was an army, she knew that with certainty and sobbing harder, Mari kept up her pointless run across the stream rocks, strangely wondering if the army wore red and gold or royal blue. The thought that it could be both was terrifying and knowing that her father was nearby and that Danea had to get away, Mari tried running faster. Desperate that she was going nowhere fast, she eventually stopped in the middle of the stream in exhaustion and bringing her hands over her ears to block out the churning noise, called for her sister again.
"Danea! Danea!"
She listened and instead of hearing the scared voice of her younger sister in response, what she heard instead was a guttural scream that could only belong to a man. It seemed to fill her entire world and petrified, Mari spun around and round to see where it came from, but what she saw was a blur. Her sudden movement had made her lose her balance and she was now falling. Unlike her running so far, the fall was frighteningly fast and bracing herself against the inevitable splash, Mari instead felt her body jerk against something soft.
Scrambling up from the bed, Mari almost choked when she opened her eyes and saw nothing but the dark room she had fallen asleep in. It took a long second for her to realize where she was but it all came back soon enough. She was in Arabia and the body next to hers was not her sister's. It was the dark Bedouin. Lo'gan. Lo'gan was his name, and he was having one hell of a nightmare.
Blinking in the faint light of the quickly disappearing moon and moving cautiously back to his side, Mari debated over what to do. It was an old Battavian superstition that it was a bad thing to wake someone from a dream, but watching Lo'gan struggle against an invisible enemy and his body glisten with a light sheen of sweat, Mari decided to forgo superstition and for once go on instinct. With a cautious hand, Mari reached out for the Jabir. Still not really sure if she should touch him, her hand hovered by his shoulder while she called out to him in a whisper, her own body still trembling slightly from the nightmare she had been trapped in just moments ago.
"Lo'gan? Umm, Lo'gan?"
Clearing his throat of the residual feel of sand, Lo'gan faintly heard his name called and knew he was not alone. Angered that he had fallen captive to the swirling desert yet again and that the dream had somehow again veered off into unknown territories, Lo'gan blindly reached out to his only consolation. He yanked at the presence he felt by him and in a deft movement, flipped around so that he was over her and he could finally touch what he needed so desperately, or what was his, his most primitive mind corrected.
Mari yelped in surprise and with little choice in the matter barely had time to brace against Lo'gan as he pushed forward to press his lips to her neck. With one hand on her hip and another threaded in her hair, Lo'gan buried himself in Mari's scent as he tried to gather his composure over the especially brutal dream he had just had. Mari gasped at how swiftly she found herself overwhelmed and ignoring the delectable tingling from where Lo'gan's lips were connected to her skin, tried to push him away. This was the thing that brought Lo'gan's senses back up on full alert. Mari was struggling under him and that had never happened before. Remembering the palace, the beach and later falling asleep by Mari's side, it suddenly dawned on Lo'gan that he was no longer dreaming.
His own final scream still reverberating in his head, Lo'gan blinked against the imaginary sand that still filled his eyes and pulled back with a start. Instead of finding clear green eyes looking straight through him with unabashed lust he instead found worried ones.
"Mari……I……you……"
With a final push upwards, Lo'gan bounded off the bed and tried to make it to the door, his head still swimming with all it had just undergone. But failing to see the edge of the rug curled on the floor, Lo'gan tripped and came down to the carpet on his knees before he could run out. Forgetting everything that had just happened, Mari jumped to Lo'gan's side, knowing whatever had occurred to him in his dream, still had a firm grip over his heart. Holding his head with two hands, Lo'gan rocking back and forth and mumbling something that even if she couldn't comprehend, Mari knew to be nonsense words, tried to forget the sound of sand roaring all around him. She didn't think it was possible having seen him in action all day long, but Lo'gan was terrified.
Kneeling close to his side, Mari thought about how to approach Lo'gan and opting for the direct approach, placed her hands over his. Taking his hands slowly away from his temples, Mari tried calling to him.
"Lo'gan? Lo'gan, okay?"
Still panting from the lingering feeling of being crushed alive and swallowed whole, Lo'gan tried to focus on Mari's voice. She was close and concerned for him and……and reaching for him. Fighting all that screamed in him to avoid being vulnerable in someone else's embrace, Lo'gan inched closer to her and allowed himself to be gathered into Mari's arms. She was safe and pressed against her warm pliable body Lo'gan finally felt the roar of the sandstorm he was churning in disappear. After a long moment all that was left were her soft words and a few minutes after that it occurred to Lo'gan that they were in Bedouin.
Bolting straight up from where he was leaning against her chest, Lo'gan looked into Mari's face just as she was explaining about shells and Nayif and how the stallion might think prickly pears were good. A flash of something filtered through Lo'gan's eyes and suddenly self conscious, Mari stopped her broken ranting and just stared at the man she had just cradled like a baby on the floor for a good twenty minutes. He really didn't look that helpless anymore and diverting her gaze from his bare chest, Mari wondered how exactly she was going to get up without appearing as awkward as she felt.
Lo'gan read her intent and reaching out to hold her by her shoulders, thought hard of something to say. He was absolutely, positively no good at dealing with people and was more than a little embarrassed but she deserved……something in response.
"I…………Nayif likes pomegranates better. Pomegranates."
Mari snapped her gaze back to Lo'gan and tried out the word for lack of anything else to do.
"Po-me-graa-netes. Pomegranates good?"
Lo'gan nodded with a slight smirk, amazed that Mari caught onto what he was saying so quickly, and awfully glad that she did.
"Yes, they are."
Not sure if he was amused at her or her lousy pronunciation, Mari let a shy smile escape her too before asking what was really on her mind.
"Lo'gan okay?"
Lo'gan's smile faded and he took a minute to think over his answer. He wanted to tell her. The urge was unbelievable strong. Of course his mother and father knew, since they had been dealing with his nightmares since childhood, but other than them, he had never willingly told anyone else. They were his private torture, something that spoke too much of himself to allow anyone else to know, but somehow Mari was different. He wanted her to know, especially since she had been a part of them in the past few weeks. Lo'gan smiled at that. She had become part of him, part of his dreams and so she needed to know. Only ironically enough, he didn't know how to tell her. Deciding it had to wait a little longer or at least until they were communicating a little better, Lo'gan opted for the short answer.
"Yeah……thank you, Mari."
Satisfied that she understood every word Lo'gan spoke, Mari's smile widened and she finally moved to stand up from the carpet, bracelets tinkling a little as she moved.
"Good. It good."
Remembering that he was still on the floor too, Lo'gan got up also, nervously hoping that Mari wasn't upset over how he grabbed her earlier. But she seemed okay. He watched as she walked over to the window and looked out. He himself followed her gaze and remembering their plan, Lo'gan walked up behind her to check on how much time they had. Without acknowledging him, Mari pointed past the countless stone houses lining the curving Ma'in streets to the tall palace on the cliff in the distance. Even in the darkest point before sunrise, the palace's alabaster walls glimmered and Mari couldn't help but shudder.
Wanting to offer some of the support she had just shown him, Lo'gan placed a hand on Mari's shoulders and kissed the top of her head chastely. Like he had done during their ride on Nayif the night before, Lo'gan then casually crossed an arm over her stomach to rest on her hip. It was a bold move on his part, but he figured they had shared enough to have it. Mari understood the gesture perfectly and with a deep sigh, leaned back into his chest.
Together they contemplated the journey they had taken so far and wondered what else was in store. Mari eventually brought her hand to rest over Lo'gan's at her waist and remembering Harabi's warning, Lo'gan carefully constructed a question in his mind. When he was finally able to bring it to words, he watchfully gripped Mari's waist and slowly turned her around so that she was against the window frame and facing him. Mari watched with curiosity as Lo'gan took a deep breath and began his much thought out question in a low steady voice. It was clear that she was still tired, having slept only a few hours and to top it off waken up to his hollering, but it was imperative that they leave soon and he had to know now.
"Mari, I have to ask you a question."
Mari nodded, having understood the first and last words.
"Question."
"Yeah, umm, we……"
Mari raised an eyebrow and Lo'gan started again.
"Harabi and me, we are going away, back home."
"Home? Harabi?"
Lo'gan took a deep breath and tried again.
"To the desert. You know desert. You said it earlier. We're……"
Mari perked up and quickly responded.
"Rub al-Khali?"
Lo'gan's lips quirked into a half smile and he quickly agreed.
"Yes, Rub al Khali, that's my home." Taking the hand he had lovingly held in his until his struggle with the desert began, Lo'gan pressed it to his chest. "Home. The Rub al-Khali is my home."
Mari cocked her head slightly and furrowed her brows, the sign that she was busy translating. Lo'gan waited and watched with his heart in his stomach as she mused over the concept. She knew the al-Khali was the land she had crossed with Battam and his people. She also knew with certainty that her rescuers were desert dwellers. So maybe that was where they were going. Perhaps that was what `home' meant.
"Harabi, Nayif, Lo'gan, home……desert?"
Lo'gan smiled and nodded quickly, unconsciously taking a step closer to Mari. Mari nudged back slightly, not really minding that Lo'gan was as close as he was but very unsure of what was going on. Apparently it was important that she understood this and so far she had.
"Yeah, Mari, our home is the desert. The Rub al-Khali."
He paused and Mari's smile withered a little as it became clear that he was going to add something that may not be that good. Her own insane fear of perhaps being taken back into slavery crossed her mind and swallowing tightly, Mari gripped the edge of the sill she was against and braced for the worst.
"And I, well……I need to know if that's where you…Mari…want to be."
He said it all in a rush and not having understood any of it, Mari looked at him blankly. Sighing and reaching for her shoulders, Lo'gan began again; trying to remember the words that Mari already knew how to use.
"Umm, do you, Mari," He pointed at her to make sure she followed him, "want to come with me, Lo'gan, to my home? Home."
Lo'gan watched Mari's face without breathing as she carefully processed the concept. After what seemed like an eternity, Mari spoke up, voice full of emotion and something else he could not identify.
"Lo'gan desert home? Mari and Lo'gan?"
Lo'gan nodded solemnly, already assuming by the strain in Mari's voice and the way she immediately looked away that she was not liking the idea at all. With a knot in his throat, Lo'gan dropped his hands from her shoulders and took a step back from her. Unable to speak at all, Mari brought a hand to her forehead. Lo'gan watched her shake her head a little and fumble with her words, but too disappointed to help her out, he stood numbly apart from her until a knock at the door startled them both.
Grateful for the interruption, Mari turned back to the window again, wanting anything but Lo'gan's gaze burning through her. Gripping the edge of the window firmly, she closed her eyes to think about what he had just asked her. She must have misunderstood. He must have meant something else. Giving up on explanations, Mari brought the hand Lo'gan had rubbed last night to the cuff on her arm and sighed into the night air.
Lo'gan stood in place a short while longer and seeing that Mari was not going to respond, dejectedly turned and stomped to the door, practically yanking it off its hinges when he swung it open. It was Harabi, looking rumpled and groggy, but on time at least. Giving Mari one last forlorn look, Lo'gan swallowed his hurt and stepped out into the hallway to confer with his partner, closing the door behind himself and trying hard to ignore the devious little voice in his head that laughed at his assumption that someone like Mari could ever want to be with someone like him.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000