"Knowing it and seeing it are two different things"

- Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay   The Skidrons traveled at a decent speed, but Sehun would have taken Storm Sail over these birds any day. Because although their long legs were padded perfectly to sprint across the loose sand, they only traveled half as fast as Sehun could have propelled everyone. That, the blazing sun, and the additional time it took for Suho to collect water for the animals resulted in a rather temperamental Lasiam. However, he was still grateful. There had been several occasions where the group had stumbled across a dead carcass; sometimes from an animal who had been attacked by its predators, and other times a human who had met an unfortunate end.   The thing that was the most painful to feel was when he sensed core energy still emitting from one of the bodies. The tactile sense of core energy dripping slowly out of a dying being made Sehun's stomach turn. There was something ungodly about watching something die slowly, though he was still thankful he had been taught such a skill. The Chief had taught him how to sense it when he was younger; it was a sort of Tribe skill passed down from generation to generation. It was honestly one of the reasons Sehun was so good at sneaking in and out of places unnoticed. He could sense how far someone was and wait until they were gone before entering camp. But that was a long time ago. Things were different now.    And by different, he meant very different. Just a week ago he was sailing across the sky, making small dust storms for the fun of it. Now here he was, traveling on desert birds with a misfit group of adventurers who insisted that they needed to enter the threshold of the most hated tribe in the Ökenna, the love of his life and the largest Storm Sail ever built had been captured by Oasis bandits, and the dark-haired girl currently squatting in front of him was poking a dead lizard's baked body with a long stick, making weird squeaking noises as she did so. Seriously, could this get any weirder?   "What the heck are you doing?" Sehun asked gruffly, causing you to flinch and drop this stick you held. You briskly stood to your feet and turned about, face heating up in embaressment since you hadn't realized his presence behind you. "Oh, I was just looking at it," you confessed, sending him a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of your neck, "It kind of looks like an animal from where I come from." Sehun's eyes narrowed to crinkled slits. "Where is that, exactly?" he asked. You brushed the sand from your pants and replied, "The Valley of Eliade." "Ah, that's why you're so tan," Sehun said without thinking. You let out an amused laugh, brushing your hair out of your face as you replied, "I guess so. Anyway, do you know what kind of animal this is?" Sehun looked down at the deceased animal, noting how larger it was and the shape of its claws. "I'd say it was a Roughtail Rock Agama. They can wedge themselves into rock crevasse or trees, then inflate themselves so they can't get dislodged. Looks like this one couldn't find shade."   "Really? That's so interesting!" You exclaimed, picking up the stick once more and turning the body over, "There's a kind of lizard that lives in the Valley that does the exact same thing, but my people call it Laudakia." Sehun's eyebrows rose, suddenly growing interested. "For real?" he asked. This was quite a remarkable discovery, considering that the Valley was a considerable distance from the edge of the Ökenna. You nodded your head and smiled, "They must have have migrated hundreds of years ago and dispersed across different regions. They're kind of like us. I mean, like us humans. We all have common ancestry if we go far enough back."    You continued to played with the burnt tail, not noticing how Sehun's expression had grown rather solemn. Something about what you said had struck a chord with him. Sehun wondered if it was because he had always been seen and treated like the enemy. But he wasn't inherently different than they were. He was human, just like them. That's what frustrated him the most. "Why does it always feel like the world is against me, just because I don't look like everyone else? Is it better to submit and conform? Am I really a freak? And why doesn't anyone see the world the way I do? It so freaking annoying that no one else thinks like me. Well... this girl does. I don't think she sees the barriers others have created for themselves. But why? Isn't it easier to conform? Who is she? Who are these people? Why am I even here? Ugh, so many questions!"   "Hey," You said, snapping in front of Sehin's face and breaking his train of thought. "Huh?" the younger blinked, staring at the other a couple of times. "You looked a bit tense. Do you want to talk about something?" you asked. He quickly shook his head and looked away, focusing his eyes on a random rock. "No, I'm fine," he muttered. You tilted your head, eyes slanting as they observed his facial expression carefully. "Hm... all right then," you hummed before going back to examining the dead lizard.   "All right, the Skidrons have finished drinking," Suho called, waving both of you over. You straightened up and sauntered back with Sehun to regroup with the others. A, Tao and Luhan were giving each other the cold shoulder, again. The Cyreen mumbled something about the other being a stupid elite and how much he wanted to punch him in the throat. Meanwhile, Suho and Kai were saddling up the Skidrons as Kris soared in the air, getting fix on your current location. Every time he flew Sehun would wonder what it was like to fly without conjuring up a gust of wind. He assumed it must be easier, since the other did not have to fully rely on the temperament of the air.   "We could really use your help packing you know," Kai grumbled, shooting a glare at the two silent men to his left. Luhan glanced at Kai, his arms crossed as he rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh before stomping over to help. Tao sneered at Luhan from behind, making mocking facial expression as picked up some supplies and helped you load it onto one of the animals. "These two are seriously getting on my nerves," Kai groaned, face-palming himself as he watched the silent war continue. Sehun snickered, finding everything about the situation humorous. You quirked a smile and handed Sehun a saddle to fasten. "They're always like this," you explained. He looked at you and chuckled as he threw the saddle on the Skidron's back and tightened the strap. "Yeah, I've noticed."   Kris suddenly dove down, the wind blowing harshly against his body as he skidded to a stop in front of everyone. "Get on those things and book it," he yelled, Rayhem is only a few dunes over, but there's something coming on the horizon and It doesn't look friendly!" "What?" Suho questioned, eyes glancing around frantically. "Just get on the freaking animals and run for your lives!" Kris commanded, practically picking Suho up and throwing him onto a Skidron's back. All of a sudd