the people of the si wong desert
wear clothes that cover their entire bodies
to combat the heat
and wrap their limbs in strips of cloth
they wear robes of beige and white
or of olive green
though pigmented fabrics are rare
due to the scarcity of dye

the people of the si wong desert
make their dye from cactus
the only plant that grows in the harshest of the sands
likewise, the sandbenders
are the only people on the continent
with enough wisdom
(though some would call it desperation)
to learn to cultivate such a hostile crop
for something as frivolous and simple
as green dye
the old stories say
that the people of the si wong desert
were born from the cactus itself

the people of the si wong desert
tell their stories under moonlight
when the night air is cool and dry
they gather around fires
and show faces to their kin
the world does not see
they bring out the most prized of possessions- their instruments
and play songs throughout the night
to scare those that might hunt them
and welcome those being hunted

the people of the si wong desert
make their music from the waste of the common folk
crafting their instruments from bone and skin
what spare material they have
it’s a harsh world in the desert
and nothing should go to waste
but to the people of the sands
view their song as essential
it carries their message across the winds of the desert
and those who know to listen for it will hear its sound

the people of the si wong desert
speak their own tongue
a harsh language so different
to what kyoshi is used to hearing
they have words for things she doesn’t know
the ideal times to travel across the desert
the plants that grow beneath the sands
the fine line between motion and stasis.
kyoshi doesn’t speak the language of the desert
its consonants are awkward and foriegn on her tongue
and those she speaks it to
laugh at her attempt at communication
but she grows to appreciate the way the language sounds
even in her voice
it’s like hanging onto a memory

the people of the si wong desert
brandish swords of bronze and iron
their blades curved to better accommodate
the slashing techniques common in the swordplay
found within the desert
and the surrounding areas.
kyoshi has never seen or held a si wong blade
-the swords, she’s heard, are known as saif amongst the people who use them-
only read about their use
in manuals about swords.
the people of the desert
use their blades
to direct the movement of the sand they bend
someday, kyoshi thinks
she might find a swordsman of si wong origin
and ask them if the fact is true.

the people of the si wong desert
are predisposed to involvement in crime
at least according to a report published
by the earth king’s official ledger
on the demographics of daofei circles
they say the harsh environment of the desert,
as well as the poor economic situation most sandbenders find themselves in
lead the people of the desert to a life of crime
though the report also suggests
that those born of the sand and open skies
are simply predisposed to crime
because of their uncivilized culture.
kyoshi closes the report
and makes plans to speak with the earth king’s ledger

the people of the si wong desert
live in smaller tribes than the inhabitants of the poles
and carry their homes wherever they go
they are welcoming only of outsiders
and do not look kindly to the faces of authority
or the farmers and settlers
who threaten to take their lands
without knowing the nature of the desert itself
kyoshi understands

the people of the si wong desert
bury their dead in unmarked graves
to let their bodies return to the earth’s embrace
kyoshi didn’t know of si wong funerary practices
until she had to learn
she wishes she didn’t

all kyoshi knows
of the people of the si wong desert
can be recorded on only a few pieces of parchment
and within a few faded memories
of a boy she had to bury
a brother she lost
a child, killed both by the murderer she sought revenge on
and a world that failed him
because they did not understand his people

the people of the si wong desert
do not speak words of the dead
and believe the only honor
fitting of their deceased
is the silent embrace of death
and to fade back into the sands
of which they came

kyoshi wonders
how to mourn for a brother
within the si wong tradition
while still being respectful
she wonders about the lives of the people of the desert
simple things, like what colors the horizon became
under a cloudless sky
and what his favorite foods were out there
and did he think she might like it there (though the answer was most likely a no)
and did he ever miss it

and she wishes she had the time to ask them