Maya's joyful shout echoed from the basin. She had already reached the water's edge and was splashing her face, her laughter a bright, silver thread in the morning air.
"Theo! Alias! The water is cold! It's actually cold!"
Theo let out a jagged laugh, finally releasing Alias, though he took his hand instead, interlacing their fingers. "Come on. Let's see what our new life looks like."
They led the pack animals down the gentle slope of the dune. As they descended, the air grew even cooler, the scent of the white flowers becoming a sweet, heady perfume.
The grass was soft beneath their boots, a sensation so foreign to people who had only known cracked earth and scorching sand that Maya was currently running barefoot through it, her toes disappearing into the emerald blades.
