Maema was… well. She wasn't lost. To say that she was lost would imply that she didn't know where she was or how to get back home. She absolutely did! The real problem was that she was out of water. The pale sun was beating down on the golden sand and turning it scorching. Maema couldn't even hear any wildlife scratching around in this heat. She had tucked herself away behind a tall stone spire that was shaped a little bit like an animal's rib, but the sliver of shade was dwindling as the sun rose higher in the sky, and the heat wasn't sitting well with her. She had her belly pressed against the shaded sand below her to keep cool, which was probably why she didn't notice the pink belemoid until the stranger nearly tripped over her.

"Shit, kid," she said, her legs going stiff in surprise. "Are you alive?"

Maema looked up but didn't move her head. "Yes, ma'am," she mumbled. "I ran out of water so I'm waiting for the sun to go down before I go home."

The belemoid looked off in the direction she'd been walking and visibly considered her next course of action before she made a sound of irritation and dug through her bag. "Damn whoever let you wander out here alone," she said, but somehow despite her rough tone she didn't actually sound all that angry. "Here. Give me a minute." She sat back on her haunches to dig through her side bag and held out her waterskin.

Maema lifted her head and looked at the belemoid hopefully. "How much can I have?"

She sighed. "However much you need, kid. You're old enough to know that."

Maema took the waterskin and ended up drinking over half of it. She handed it back and said, "Thank you, ma'am. Um, my name is Maema– nice to meet you."

"Daago," she said, stoppering it and sticking it back in her bag. "Here. I know a cave nearby, do you think you can make it? It'll be cooler there through the middle of the day."

"I'm not heatsick," Maema assured her. "I just didn't want to keep going without any water. I'm not from Issiq, you know? I'm from Mireh. Professor Kee said if you run out of water you should find somewhere cool as you can and stay there."

Daago flicked her ear and turned to walk, gesturing with her tail for Maema to follow. "Ah. So you're one of the colony types, are you?"

She nodded, padding after her despite how the hot sand stung. "I like Hakira! That's the colony I live in. Professor Kee is very nice to me and I like Piopi and Shom and Professor Kee– I already said that!"

The belemoid made a noise that probably passed for a stifled laugh. "They don't seem to look after you very well, though. Surely you should be tucked away in some den or habitation pod somewhere."

Maema shook her head. "No, I wanted to go foraging! Professor Kee said it was okay since it doesn't usually get this hot during Mid-Kerah, but… well. Here we are!"