At first he couldn't put a finger on what was going on, but Zears came to realize that there was something like quicksand underneath him. He proceeded even more cautiously, trying to avoid the holes while still keeping an eye on that moving, raised sand in the distance. At some point he caught sight of the spines, confirming his thought that it was probably some kind of beast. He wanted to avoid confronting whatever it was if possible, but perhaps he would have to do so as part of Selkat'aris's task.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Zears, Ridge had ended up in the desert too. The Serraptor had gone looking for Zears at Keirn, so Selkat'aris had taken him here as well. The two, however, seemed to be in very different places.
Ridge had been shocked when he saw the statue of the demi-goddess come to life, and he was even more at a loss for words now that he was suddenly in what appeared to be a dark, musty chamber. He supposed that Selkat'aris had somehow heard his unspoken concern for Zears and had brought him here, which hopefully meant that he would find Zears here too. He took a moment to recover from his surprise and examined his surroundings. He really couldn't see much at all, though the temperature and smell seemed like that of an old tomb. The only thing his eyes could detect without difficulty was the form of the demi-goddess beside him.
"Selkat'aris," he gasped, "is my friend Zears around here?"