"Larger, more powerful clans moved into our fertile valley and set upon us. They drove us from our Green into the Western desert. Guards were posted to see that we did not return. It was a death sentence; no one willingly enters the Dry. Only its eastern fringe had been explored and then not very much or well. No one knew what, if anything, lay beyond those barrens. If there were fertile lands, it likely was already in the possession of bigger, stronger clans than ours. The Dry would either be our abode or our grave, and the latter appeared to be the most likely. The only mercy our conquerors allowed was the use of our vehicles and to load them up with enough fuel to carry us out into the Dry a good nine-hundred miles. We were also allowed to take water, but no food. I don't think they were trying to help us survive; just to expire far beyond their sight and consciences. In the Western Dry, most water holes will kill you if you drink from them. There's not more than a half-dozen within a three-thousand square mile area that's even fit to drink from--and then just barely tolerable. So it was a miracle when our small clan discovered Sweetwater Spring; for it insured our survival. Emaciated and dehydrated, we were all in pretty bad shape by the time we stumbled across the spring. We had always been a small clan, but by the time we found its sweet water, we numbered a bit less than two-dozen folks, and most of them were adults. The desert had proved too hard on most of the children. There were five left and only one was an infant. We always called that first trek half way across the Dry our "Path of Tears." A hundred-seventy-one graves of our family are strung along that trail all the way back to the Green." --from the daybook of Mazie Stewart, a Survivor of the Path of Tears. ______________________________________ This picture is dedicated to kalebdaark, whose wonderful (and very reasonably priced) models are the stars of this render. Thanks, Kaleb! Check his store out at: http://market.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?vendor=15958 As always, thanks for dropping by and taking a look. Comments are always appreciated. Jeremy CREDITS: Bryce 6.1, Poser 6.0, PSP 5.0, Roadbuilder 2.GID. All vehicles: "Roaring Out of the Wasteland!" series of apocalyptic vehicles by kalebdaark (Renderosity). The lead driver and gunner figures are A3 realistic with clothing "Rudi for Aiko 3" by MAB and Will Dupré (DAZ). Driver of the bus and the vehicle behind it is DAZ's Michael 3.