The sand grains danced around her, surrounding her in a cocoon of the Gobi dust. She wrapped her arms and crouched low, preventing the grains from going into her eyes. The Gobi wind beat mercilessly against her, leaving her struggling with her hair. Elisha found herself on her bed on the island, waking up from the memory she had. Though life on the island was better than the desert, she longed for the familiarity of home. She missed her parents, her pet llama and the list went on. Her family had decided to volunteer to move their roots from the Gobi desert to the wilderness of the American Islands. However in the long and perilous journey, her parents had perished due to malnutrition. Their bodies, along with many others, never lived to see their children step onto the American soil. However, Elisha knew that though her parents were not with her, they watched her plant the seed of new beginnings. A seed which would be nourished and grow to be a flowering tree, a hope for all of them.

Ardeth woke up to a new day. He went to the tent next to him and saw his sister awake. Both of them strolled to the river flowing through their land, watching their reflections. They had faced hardships together and tasted the sweet ambrosia of success. Now, as leaders of their tribe, they had to fend and make sure that their tribe did not fall into any obstacle. They would stand together as one united front.

Elisha ran her fingers through her hair and gazed at the night sky. She could see the Orion constellation aiming its arrow at her. She smiled to herself. It was ironic that such a peace loving tribe had the forebodings of a war. " Twang.." she heard the musical notes of an arrow whizzing through the night sky. She dismissed it, thinking it was Ardeth's usual pranks. Soon she heard a sound that would forever be etched in her mind, a sound that could not be dismissed easily. Tortured screams sung a horrific cacophony across the forest. The fire reflected a somber yet beautiful picture in her mind. She knew who the cause of the destruction was. The Red Indians.

Ardeth found himself in a cave, gagged to prevent him from screaming. He wondered how Elisha was coping. His sister was a meek and gentle soul, one who had never experienced the war between tribes back in the Gobi desert. Though he was 16, he had gone through more trials and tribulations than a rich lord would ever go through in his life. He had gained more than 20 scars in just the first four years he had been initiated. That was one of the reasons why the tribe people had decided to have him as their leader, knowing that he was reliable and could fight for them. Ardeth did not want to dash their hopes, especially during this war. Elisha was also the leader as she was Ardeth's only sibling. He could only ponder on how his naïve sister was surviving on the other side of the cave.

Elisha masked her fear and portrayed a brave front. She wanted to come out victor in this silent game of wills. She wondered if there was a way to maintain a peaceful co-existence without bloodshed. She was going to take a risk. She opened her mouth and plunged, feeling like she was going to drop off a cliff. If it meant that she was going to lose her life, so be it. She was doing this for her tribe and her brother. She stated that her tribe wanted a halcyon life, one that they could share with the Red Indians. She waited with bated breath. Would this gamble pay off? Surprisingly, the woman who she was battling with was the leader of the tribe. She agreed and she released Elisha.

Elisha and Ardeth walked to the same river and sat down. Life is but an adventure and as siblings they were ready to tackle any adventure as one. Though Elisha's move was risky, she valued her tribe more than herself. Her gamble had paid off.