The afternoon came with a vengeance, raising the temperatures to new heights. Meanwhile, the tortoise relaxed in its new skin treatment that kept the sun from heating it too much and kept it cool. The fact that it was damp and a lighter color than the tortoise's shell and skin made all the difference in the world. The only downside to it was that it was hard to move in. Which wasn't a problem since nothing would want to move in this heat anyways.

Not all the creatures in the oasis were as lucky. Right before the tortoise was a dead toad, falling to the heat. And then, one of the two remaining vultures flew down to the shore for a drink. Except, it mistook the sludge as the shore and ended up trapped much like the tortoise was before. Unlike the tortoise, the vulture traveled mainly by air while its claws weren't positioned in a way for it to dig out of the mud. It flapped its wings and simply made the situation worse until it sunk below the surface.

Then there was one. A single vulture occupied the wasteland oasis. It cried out for its fallen comrade and the ones before, flying to the edge of the mud and looking around. The more opportunistic kinds of birds had a tendency to be smarter than their cousins. Wit was needed to figure out the best time to fly in for a meal without being killed or being too late to even get scraps. Now, such an intelligent bird recognized that it had lost a brother and felt genuinely sad for it.

As time passed, the vulture finally flew off, looking for shade to hide out in. The mud around the tortoise lost its moisture and solidified, becoming a second shell. Acting like an oven, this secondary shell absorbed and then trapped heat. With every passing moment, the sun bore down on it and increased the settings, slow cooking the tortoise. It couldn't do a thing about it as the shell imprisoned it, restricting its movements.

If it wasn't for a passing cloud, this would've been the end for the tortoise. Rare they were, even rarer were ones that rained. A gentle breeze caressed the tortoise, seeping into cracks and cooling the tortoise. A small sprinkle showered fresh water onto it and started to erode the second shell. A few movements from the tortoise broke off chunks of hardened dirt. Rain, actual rain in this desert. A miracle and a sign of good times to come.

The rain passed by quickly with the cloud, resuming the heat wave. Barely any rain meant that it just made everything damp only for it to instantly dry as it passed. Such a disappointment. Thankfully, more clouds were approaching from a distance. Or rather, a single cloud stretching as far as one could see and as dark as night itself. A low rumble sounded as the skies themselves growled and seethed.

The passing shower was definitely a sign. Perhaps not a sign of good things to come, but a sign of more to come. Too much more.

Humidity in the air hit an all-time high as the storm approached yet all of the heat disappeared. Not hot or cold, just a silent pressure as a lumbering beast came. Freed from its earthly constraints and facing the wrath of the heavens, the tortoise sought out the underworld for protection. In other words, it fled to its burrow as it instinctively feared this storm. Even if its instincts hadn't stated as such, it would still be wary of this event.

First came the wind. As opposed to the gentle breeze, this was a violent gale alike the one that tore up the land a few days ago, perhaps the origin of them. In fact, it was stronger, lashing out with brutal cracks like a whip.

Plants, even the hardier varieties were torn from the ground, roots and all. Metallic sand scraping its shell was the least of the tortoise's worries as rocks as big as it's head whizzed by. If it had not entered the burrow by now, its life would have been forfeit.

Of course, there was rain too, a light drizzle that seeped into the land. Every drop was swallowed up greedily by the scorched earth. A few raindrops slipped into the burrow and landed on the tortoise, proving to be an annoyance but not dangerous yet. Clouds swallowed the skies and the world entered a state of pseudo night, cooling down rapidly.

Land that was hellishly hot suddenly became a freezer within the blink of an eye. Not unusual for the area per se, yet the transition would normally be a bit slower and obvious. The sun went down and things cooled down. Now, there was no sun and the cooling process was skipped right to the freezing.

The annoyance of raindrops became a fight for survival as every drop robbed the tortoise of precious warmth. Something it would have been all too willing to give up a few minutes ago.

Like this, the tortoise tried to sleep as the storm raged on. A constant source of water dripping into the hole, cold temperatures, and the occasional thunder made this task nigh impossible. Hours passed and the night ended while the storm did not. Not that it was possible to tell the time of day with the current weather.