By the next morning, the sandstorm had subsided, so the clan packed up to get moving just as normal. Although, it did take longer to brush away the sand covering the tents, and anything that had been left outside. Their Dominion escort packed their belongings just as quickly, and followed along without a word. Just as before, they did not interact with the clan in any meaningful way, apart from observing them. Even so, the side of the clan nearest to the soldiers was much quieter than it had been during their last few days of walking. 

Traversing the desert sands did become marginally easier over the next week, due to their growing experience with the issues it presented. The Humans and Elves were still being sunburned, but it was at least starting to take longer thanks to the tan they were developing. After a few days, the clan was able to mostly relax around the soldiers, though they still rarely spoke to one another directly. In general, the soldiers were respectful to the clan, even if there were more than a few occasions of some of the soldiers, particularly the men, giving long stares to some of the clan's unclothed women. Otherwise, Meesei made sure to keep their scouts scanning the area behind them to be sure they were not still being followed. 

After roughly a week's time, the clan was drawing near to Orcrest. They made their camp in the space between two dunes, as usual, to serve as some protection against the wind. From their current location, they would be able to reach Orcrest itself in four days, and according to Ra'jorr, it was the perfect time to confront the soldiers. Their own supplies had run out days prior, so they were now reliant on the clan's food and water. With a four day journey ahead of them, they would still need water to survive it, so they could be forced to abandon the notion following the clan. Meesei, Ri'nakhad, Ra'jorr, and Gallus all met together on the opposite side of the camp from the soldiers to have a final discussion on the details of how to enact their plan. Meesei started them off. "Okay, we should keep this brief. We do not want any of them wandering over here to overhear us. Gallus, you have been watching them for the past day, correct? Do you believe they have noticed anything unusual about us?"