Kidd Dustie's Arc

Chapter 4 of 7

Kidd drove through the night, his buggy's headlights cutting through the darkness. The map from the gathering spot lay on the seat beside him. Two days to the oasis—that's what the note had said. His ancestor had made this same journey and returned with clear sight. The headlights caught something unusual ahead. Brown vines twisted between tall cacti, creating shapes against the dark sky. Kidd slowed the buggy and stopped. He climbed out and walked closer. Desert flowers dotted the ground, their petals open and bright under the moon. During the day, these same flowers would be closed tight against the heat. But now they glowed purple and white in the darkness. The vines wrapped around rock formations, holding the cacti in place like a natural wall. This wasn't random growth. Someone had arranged these plants, perhaps marking another point on the path. The flowers proved that life existed even in the hardest places, surviving by only showing itself when the sun couldn't burn it away. Kidd touched one of the blooms gently with his claw. The petals felt cool and damp. Water had to be near for these plants to survive. The oasis might be closer than two days. His ancestor's journal had mentioned night flowers that grew near sacred water. These could be the same ones. Kidd pulled out his map and marked the spot with a small X. The path was becoming clearer with each discovery. He climbed back into his buggy and started the engine again. The flowers faded behind him as he drove on, but their message stayed clear in his mind. The desert rewarded those who traveled at night, revealing beauty and direction when others would be sleeping. Two more days of searching, and he would reach what his ancestor had found. The night flowers had shown him he was on the right path. An hour later, Kidd spotted a dark shape rising from the sand. He slowed the buggy and aimed his headlights toward it. A massive tree stood alone, its trunk thick and twisted. The branches reached out in gnarled patterns, some pointing northeast. Kidd stopped and walked to the base. Deep grooves covered the bark, carved by wind and time. This tree had stood here for hundreds of years, maybe longer. His claws traced one of the twisted roots that broke through the sand. His ancestor would have seen this same tree on the journey to the oasis. The thought made Kidd's chest feel tight. He was walking the exact path his ancestor had walked. The tree marked the way forward, a living sign that had survived every storm and drought. Kidd stepped back and looked up at the branches. They pointed the direction he needed to go. He returned to his buggy and drove on, following the tree's silent guidance into the darkness ahead. The sky lightened as dawn approached. Kidd crested a ridge and stopped. Below him stood a stone monument, rising from the desert floor like a giant's hand. The fingers pointed east, one extended further than the rest. Kidd drove down and parked at its base. He walked around the structure, studying the carved surface. Symbols covered the stone—the same water marks from his scrolls. Someone had built this centuries ago to guide travelers to the sacred waters. His ancestor had stood here, reading these same signs. Kidd placed his claw against the pointing finger and looked where it directed. The horizon glowed pink and orange with the rising sun. Somewhere beyond that light, the oasis waited. He had followed the night flowers, the ancient tree, and now this monument. Each marker had brought him closer. Kidd climbed back into his buggy and drove east, the stone hand growing smaller behind him. The journey was almost over.