Whitestar opened his eyes as the sound of a shrill yelp echoed through the large oasis, jolting him awake. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, glancing up at the sky, alert for any signs of Nightwing patrols in the area. He couldn't hear anything that sounded like approaching wing beats, but he was pretty sure the high-pitched shriek he'd heard had been a human. The sun was just beginning to drop from its peak in the sky, and every now and then, the moisture in the small cluster of forest faltered as the wind picked up, blowing some of the drier, hotter air in from over the open desert. He stood beneath the shelter of a low-branched tree for a moment, before slowly pacing through the tropical undergrowth in the direction of the large pool that sat in the middle of the little haven. Keeping his wings tucked in close and his head low, he stepped carefully over the ferns and brush, slipping silently through the shrubbery. He approached the pool carefully and crouched low, peering between a cluster of large Dragon Leaves.
A human was lying sprawled out on the bank on the opposite side of the pool from him. For a moment, Whitestar almost thought it was dead. But after watching for a moment longer, the creature sat up stiffly and then stuck its arms into the pool, splashing it up over its shoulders. Whitestar watched curiously, and the human stooped down to the water again, taking a long drink before sitting back and staring around at the oasis surrounding it. Whitestar froze, keeping low in hopes the thing wouldn't see him. Who knew where it had come from. Perhaps--or maybe, most likely--the Scorpion Den. He watched the scavenger stand up unsteadily, leaning against a tree as its gaze swept the foliage. The creature was a mess. Scrapes and bruises covered nearly its entire body, its clothes were ragged and partially burned in spots, and the fur that fell from its head was a knarled mess. The human muttered something to itself as it glanced around the oasis. The thing didn't look particularly dangerous... it almost looked sort of pathetic. After hesitating a moment longer, Whitestar stood and stepped lightly out into the clearing, ignoring the creature and sliding down to the pool before bending his head down to drink the cool water. He tried to appear as nonthreatening as possible, hoping the creature wouldn't react too violently.
Just an Idea for ya
