[color=8493ca][b]"This certainly is a desert, isn't it?"[/b][/color]  He asked, rhetorically.  In his mind he admonished himself for not knowing that for true fact; a desert was a region with a moisture deficit and they had been here for mere hours.  For all he knew there could be a giant monsoon every month that washed all life away - then it wouldn't be a desert despite its appearance.  Still, it was probably best not to go into semantics with his current compatriots; it was an unnecessary sidetrack and rather pedantic.

They trudged on in silence again, each buried in their own thoughts.  For the most part Julius was curious about where they were; while he had not dismissed that they could still be on Earth, it seemed highly unlikely that they were.  The landscape, the clouds, the red haze, the lack of any life whatsoever.  It all added up to a great big mystery and although he was not familiar with every place on Earth he was sure if such a place existed he would have heard about it somewhere.  But then that meant they were no longer on Earth which posed its own difficult questions, not least in logistics or scientific capabilities.

Then the birds came.  Strange, alien creatures Julius had never heard of before nor seen anything like them.  Added to their strange surroundings he decided that they were all either on hallucinogenic drugs or were, in fact, no longer on Earth.

[color=8493ca][b]"You know, I've never known where that saying comes from.  But I concur."[/b][/color]  Julius agreed as they saw the spectacular sight before them.  It would have been all the more exciting for him if they were in a safe environment, such as on an educational trip.  But they weren't.  This was, apparently, reality and they were on some alien planet and apparently alone with large, wild creatures.

[color=8493ca][b]"I'm sure we could.  We would need to get back to tell someone about it first though so I suggest we focus on the basics."[/b][/color]  The others looked at him and he took a step back, waving his hands as their gaze turned to expectancy.  [color=8493ca][b]"I just meant we should find some shelter, firewood, a source of water and food.  Oh, we'll need the firewood in case it's like the deserts back on Earth at night where the temperature can drop dangerously low."[/b][/color]  He explained, doubling back on his thoughts as he realised how strange the suggestion of building a fire in a desert would normally sound.

[color=8493ca][b]"So... I guess we should explore the mountain a little bit?"[/b][/color]