This place was incredible!

He thought Lazuli Falls had been neat, with its sugar-coated back cave, but even more so was this! It was a land bridge of some sort made with a length of sand that seemed to stretch out for miles and miles, though he could see the distant shadows of another land beyond. From the way the island had vanished behind him, he figured this had to be some pathway to another continent completely. Not to mention, as he trotted along, sand squishing up between his toes, he could feel the weather shifting. The temperatures here were strange and he somehow knew that they would continue to change as he moved northward, if he moved northward.

Speaking of northward, he saw movement.

A black shape, larger than any he'd ever seen before, was spread out across the sand with something massive and similarly black spreading out from its back. A bear? No, he could see wolven features atop the beast's face though it was far from any he'd ever met before. His tail wagged furiously as he bounded through the sand, letting out a whoop of greeting. Whoa! he was amazed and the idea that this wolf might be one to decide to harm him in some way was nowhere on the young man's excitable mind. You have wings?!