The towering, orange sand dune blocked the evening light. Trundle pointed his nose at the peak, stretching his short neck as far as it would go. He dug his front claws into the loose hill, the dry grains crunching under his heavy shell as he pushed upward.
He marched three steps up, his flat feet paddling hard. Swoosh! The soft sand gave way, and he slid all the way back down to the bottom with a dusty thump. Trundle blinked, shaking a thick pile of grit off his head.
He tried again, scrambling his legs twice as fast to beat the slipping slope. Swoosh, spin! He slid backward on his belly, twirling like a top until he gently bumped into a giant blooming cactus. Trundle let out a long sigh, tapping his chin against the cool green pad.
Staring up at the steep climb once more, he spotted a zig-zag line of thick, twisted roots poking from the dune. He crawled over to the lowest root and hooked his claws into the splintery wood. He stepped up, finding a solid place to stand at last!
Trundle climbed from root to root, wobbling on the narrow wood as avalanches of loose sand cascaded past his toes. He gripped the highest, skinniest root tight as it groaned under his weight. With one final, mighty heave, he pulled his shell over the hard rocky ledge.
Trundle settled onto a sun-baked canyon stone just in time. The sky burst into brilliant streaks of pink and purple, casting a bright glow over his dusty face. He pulled a fallen yellow cactus blossom near, taking a slow, crunchy bite as the sun disappeared.
