The sky began to darken, and Unit 294 knew that soon it would be too dark for humans to see. If the moon had been fuller, perhaps her light would guide their steps, but she was a mere sliver of her full glory on this eve and so the world would be consumed by shadow. Unit 294 did not mind the night--he could see in pitch darkness. But he knew it would be more difficult for his human companion to navigate, most likely. Unless Sozin carried with him a lantern of some kind, which he did not appear to, he would be out of luck.
It had not become too dark--not just yet. But night was falling, and Unit 294 understood that they would not arrive to their destination before it had arrived. The shippai did not mind--a journey took however long it needed to, and Sozin set the pace that they moved upon, as the puppet did not wish to leave his intended companion behind when it had been his very goal to guide him safely to the village. But it did bring up a concern for warmth--what would Sozin do? Many outsiders did not know or expect that the plains of sand grew insufferably cold during the evenings--with no moisture or atmosphere to trap any heat above the earth.
Unit 294 could not feel anything.
But he would keep himself alert--discomfort and distress would be easy enough to notice if his human companion began to suffer. And if they needed to rest for the evening and create a campfire, it would pose as no problem for them to do so.
Though, another concern would rise. Unit 294 had heard it--the reverberation beneath the sand, the humming of life. It had been far off--distant. But with their continued travel, it seemed that the sound had grown closer and more near and it was at a point where it was no longer ignorable. The shippai would halt, his sword drawn in an instant and with a hand held out he signaled for the human to stop walking.
"Remain still," it instructed, his voice low.
It was not the first time he had encountered such creatures--and so he was aware of their existence and did not grow frightened at the prospect of facing one. Sand shifted as the creature rose from beneath--a large, hardened outer shell and piercers that could snap a human in half.
Sand scorpions were a native species to Kaze no Kuni--and there happened to exist a kind that were unusually large.
Unit 294 had dealt with bigger in his past--not that he could recall it--but even if the two that awoke as the sun set behind the horizon were smaller in stature than the largest of their kind, they were still nothing to laugh at.
They had not initially noticed the two travelers, and Unit 294 would not hesitate to cut them down should they turn hostile--but the puppet hoped to avoid any conflict if it wasn't necessary. Much a creature of nature's own, the puppet understood the language of animals and monsters alike; he knew when to stay still and when doing so would leave him unnoticed and unbothered, he knew when to strike first, and he knew when he was prey.
Nature understood him, too. And it often left him alone, as there was no benefit in trying to destroy something that was not alive.
He had killed giant scorpions before, and he had been unbothered by them before as well. His attention would be fixed on the creatures to discern what would become of them, this time.
SAs Active:
Unflagging Endurance
Armored Bodies
Titanic Speed
Enhanced Sensory
Enhanced Reflexes