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(Old character that needs some working on.)

She was doing her normal traveling of the desert, humming her own tune. She was a lioness, almost blending in within the sands she walked upon. She had wondered into this land by accident; She'd been wondering for days on end without seeing a single sign of life! This left her trying to find people, for the sake of making a few friends. Most would hardly notice she had a set of wings that seemed constantly covered in a fine layer of sandy material.

She looked around more, when she thought she saw someone in the distance. This led to her darting towards the object she saw, easily through the thick sandy desert.

The heat of the day should have warned Murat to avoid travelling, but necessity had driven him anyway. He was bent forward over his steed, his burnoose wrapped tightly around his face, preventing him from breathing in sand.

His steed, a camel, raised its long narrowed head and focused on something in the distance.

"What is it, Jasafar?" Murat reached for one of the javelins tied to the saddle roll upon which he sat. In fact, one look at Murat and his steed, and one would know instantly he was not your typical camel rider. The camel, for one, bristled with a javelin, a lance, and a sword. And Murat himself had another sword tucked at his waist beneath his flowing garments.

He was one of the few Arabian Knights. Sent from a village long ago buried beneath sand to protect the desert from any would-be threat.

Jasafar snorted, alerting Murat to the approach of something not quite rendered friend or foe. Either way, Murat still couldn't figure out where or what Jasafar was looking at. "Easy, Jasafar, let us first determine who it is before we attack."

The lioness darted still, suprisingly fast for a feline of the sands. ''Hey!'' She called out loudly. ''Anyone out there?!''

The camel came to an abrupt stop, throwing Murat forward. He only barely managed to save himself when he heard the voice. Was he at his destination now? He hoped so.

"I'm a traveller of the sands," he called back. And then tried to coax Jasafar forward. "Who is there?"

The lioness trotted up and looked up at the two.

She was a feline...Yet she had dark brown wings upon her furred back. ''I'm a sandy lioness. I live in the desert. Who're you?'' She asked back, light blue eyes staring. She would have seemed friendly had it not been for the gash along her backside that was healed.

Murat looked down at the lioness and blinked. A mirage? The waves of heat emanating from the sand made her wings seem ethereal, though he noticed the gash. His hand tightened briefly around the javelin, knowing that predators often found wandering would kill when hungry.

Jasafar put his ears back and looked ready to spit. Only years of training kept him from fleeing.

Murat hesitated and then replied. If it was a mirage--he was alone with no one but Jasafar to see. And besides, Jasafar obviously saw the sandy lion too.

"I am Murat Naveed, one of the last Arabian Knights," he replied, straightening up and throwing back a cloth on the camel to reveal a shield. "I am making my way towards a city I'm not sure exists anymore. Would you know of it? It should be another two days' journey from here to the south."

''Well, the only city I know of is hidden...I'm not a pedator.''

"A hidden city, huh?" He seemed to contemplate and then looked back at her startled. "You're ah, not a predator? Forgive me, but you look like one." Then again, he was the one brandishing a javelin. He smiled faintly, though it was lost in the burnoose, but the edges of his eyes crinkled, and he set the javelin back into its straps.

"Who are you, winged lioness? I do not believe I have crossed paths with your kind before." He patted the neck of Jasafar, hoping to calm the camel before it spat.

''My name is Cassandra! I'm a winged lioness born within the desert. Though I'm kinda lost currently..I'm starving, but I hate to kill things in this barren wasteland.''

Murat smiled down at Cassandra. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Murat. As for starvation..." he tapped the camel with his left heel.

Jasafar hesitated, before reluctantly kneeling down to allow Murat to climb off. Murat then uncovered a pack on the other side of the weapons, and pulled out a small jackrabbit he'd brought with him.

"It's not much, but it might help." He tossed the rabbit to the lioness. For himself, he found a waterskin and drank deeply.

Cassy cheered and devoured the jackrabbit hungryly, sand coming off her large wings.

''So you belong to a lost city?'' She asked.

Murat wiped his mouth with the edge of his sandy burnoose and nodded.

"Yes. Although the better term might be 'hidden'. It was buried by a sandstorm about ten years ago. Those who find it are trained to be one of the few Arabian Knights." He patted Jasafar's shoulder. "I was given Jasafar when his previous knight was killed."

''I was born here years ago, but back then this place had more life. My famly were serperated after a sandstorm buried us.''

Murat tilted his head. "Years ago? How many? If it was within the last fifteen years, I might remember it."

Although he realized it probably didn't matter. This was his first time at meeting a winged lioness; he would have remembered meeting others. He stared off into the distance.

"I did hear of a place deep in the desert where some strange animals are said to reside there. I don't know if it's anything more than a rumor however." He looked back at Cassandra. "Sorry."

''It was back when I was a cub. MMy family was nice, so friendly. But after the storm I found mysekf here and called it home. Your the first knight or life I've met.''

"Do you know how old you are?" Murat inquired. He threw his leg over Jasafar's back and then tapped the camel's shoulder again. The camel stood up again, lifting Murat as though he weighed nothing. "Or have you been keeping track?"

''Well, I be 29yrs in cat years. How long is that in human years?''

"It's not 29 in human years also?" Murat asked. His knowledge of such things was lacking. "You're welcome to come with me if you'd like. But I need to keep heading South if I'm to make it in time to save the city."

He tapped Jasafar with both heels and the camel moved forward.

Sandra nodded and follows with ease. ''So how long have you been searching?''

He chuckled ruefully. "I'm always searching," he replied. "My task is to help cities unbury themselves after sandstorms, and it doesn't always end well. Sometimes I can't even find them. This particular city I've been traveling for the last two months. It's supposed to be around here somewhere, but I've lost track. And Jasafar-"

The camel suddenly broke into a canter, causing Murat to stop in mid sentence as he clung to his saddle. "Jasafar, halt!" He demanded, trying to lean back in his seat, but the camel ignored him.