[Mojave]

Characters:
Zein|Vasengii|Ialu|Kemnebi

The sun blazed, unobstructed, down onto the sands of Wilt'No. No trees would provide shade during the worst heat of the day. The cliffs, plateaus, hills, mountains, dunes, and other large structures of nature were many miles away from this flat portion of the unforgiving desert. Water was buried deep beneath the course sands; so deep that no moisture could be detected except by master adepts with that element. It was a harsh year, even the cacti were dying as they used the last of their aquatic reserves, many having been plundered by the animals of the desert for their treasure. The heat, though intense, did not produce heat waves from the ground any longer so one could see for miles around in such clarity, it was borderline creepy.

It was noon, the time of day that everything still alive retreated to any scrap of shade they could find or make. Everything but a lone ghost, floating over the baking sands, unable to feel the heat. Though her body wasn't corporeal, her dried blood red hair slithered through the sands as she floated, snatching small creatures from their hiding places. Like an amoeba, her body absorbed the creatures, but only their souls filled her insatiable hunger. As she digested their life force, their corpses were left behind, offerings to the desert itself so the living could scavenge and live another day.

Although she hated her barghest form, it had it's merits and certainly made traveling easier. Snickering to herself, she couldn't help but remember there was once a time she would have been ill at the thought of killing so many weaker creatures to keep herself alive. But things had changed... Weather it was for better or worse, she still had a long journey to figure that out. Regardless of the moral direction her life had taken, however, thoughts of the future brought her up short. If she began to remember everything that had happened in her past, she'd travel too far for Vasengii to catch up.

Such an inconvenience that her familiar could not learn her tricks! The fool was a living shadow, he should at least be able to shadow-walk. That invaluable gift to travel from one shadow to another, regardless of distance, was one of the many talents she had stolen from Ialu. And one of the many reasons she was now here. With a sigh, she discarded the corpse of a Gila monster and settled down to nap. She would only get a few hours of sleep before the shadow wyrm would catch up. As she sank into the sands to hide from observers and those that pursued her, she debated if she should punish Vasengii when he rejoined her.

[Mojave]

Beneath the sun's unobstructed fury, a breeze wafted along the trails amid the hills, arches, spires, and plateus. As the breeze lifted grains of sand to dance mid-air, a large paw stamped them back to their earthen home. Glowing sky blue eyes gazed far off into the desert from an aerie perch as twin tails leaden with heavy blades twitched and swayed behind him. The khimera reclined on his haunches, scanning the desert before him with the patience of one who has lived long and will continue to live yet another long span of centuries.

Though he could neither see or smell the corpses left in the wake of his quarry, he was certain he was gazing in the direction she traveled. He had found a trail several days ago, skeletons of small creatures consumed by scavengers; the trail had been unnaturally straight and the bodies too many to result from the heat. So he had continued in this direction, despite the trail ending as abruptly as it had begun. The lack of buzzards testified to Zein's intelligence- she was sticking to small creatures, nothing that would attract the telltale circling of flying scavengers or even a mob of them on one kill. Between some of the corpses, Ialu had seen the prints of larger creatures such as fox, raccoon, and hawk in the sand, indicating that possibly half of the trail was picked up by apex predators that chanced by.

However, the clarity of the desert provided Ialu the sighting he needed. A small dust cloud, alerting him to the movement of something around his and Zein's size. Silently, he turned to follow the paths that led down to the desert floor, his movements smooth and flowing, almost as if his feet never touched the ground. Although he would enjoy ending this madness soon, if he were to fly out in pursuit, she would certainly notice his approach and jump into the first shadow she was able to touch.

Granted he was the one that taught her that skill, but once in the shadows, there was no way to tell which patch of darkness she had traveled to. And if he took the wrong one, she would certainly have a trap waiting for him. It was why he had chosen her as his pupil after all; she was exceedingly cunning and could match him tooth and claw in a fight. Of course, now that she was an akh, things became more complicated since he couldn't touch her but she could still cause him serious injury. Thus, he kept from raising his own dust cloud as he set off to catch his twisted student.

[Mojave]

So everything had been a waste...
I returned home to find nothing but destruction and tragedy....

What will I do now..?

Small paws propelled the kuhna forward as he traveled aimlessly through Wilt'No's heart, a place that had once been close to his own bosom. Though his feet were small, he was built tall and thin, willowy as some would call it. Standing as tall as the taigras in more tropical climes, he was less sturdy and built along the same plans as a wippet or a greyhound.

Kemnebi had traveled to this hostile land to find his family and friends, to take his place among his own kind again after redeeming himself. As a redemption kuhna, he had learned it was their nature to be cruel, selfish, introvert, and foolish at youth. Only age and nurturing their sense of kindness and duty would weed out the unworthy of their people. But the "unworthy" had eventually grown to outnumber the "worthy". Or so he had been told by a kuhna he had found in the ruins. Although he had tried to save her, she too had died and upon burying her according to his people's traditions, he had finally regained his true form.

It was an empty accomplishment; what good would it do him if he couldn't be received by his own people and take his place in the clan? What good could a redemption kuhna that had regained his true form do in the outside world? Restored kuhnas were only useful as teachers, advisers, and politicians. None of these things had intrigued him and the outside world was overflowing with artists that starved because art was a luxury many disdained to invest in. Not that he was good at any art anyway, but at least a Restored without natural talent could find a way to support himself.

His discouragement was brought up short as he came across a trail of dead animals. It was only five or six long, but it was an unnatural number to find out in the open without evidence of traps, poison, or tracks. Curious, he examined the body of a burrowing owl. There was no evidence of any trauma such as bites, scratches, or broken bones. He couldn't detect any poisonous fumes coming from it either, and so he placed it back on the ground to examine the next body. He found the same peculiarity- no trauma or poison. As he continued to check the corpses, a thought entered his mind, It's almost as if they just laid down and died. However, he was brought up short as he came across a lizard laying halfway out of it's mid-day refuge below the sand. In it's mouth, a single strand of hair was caught between the tiny teeth. It was the color of dried blood and it was moving.

The hair stood up along his spine and he backed away quickly. As he watched, the hair twisted and pried it's way into the corner of the lizard's still open eye. Once inside the socket, it wriggled, jerked, and coiled itself further into the socket. Just as Kemnebi was going to turn aside to vomit, the lizard's eye was pushed out of the skull. As the blood oozed slowly out of the socket, the hair finally stopped moving as it was weighed down by the dark liquid. Apparently, the lizard had been dead for some hours if not a full day.

Aw... no... fuck! Kemnebi ran a short distance away from the spectacle and vomited violently. Even after his stomach was purged, he continued to retch, sides heaving until he tasted bile and stomach acid. But even then, his body wasn't content as he couldn't stop the violent spasms that racked him. As he continued to fight his body for control, he noticed someone approaching quickly. It was the blessing of unconsciousness that saved him in the end, as he finally fainted right as a khimera slid to a stop before him.

[Mojave]

Several leagues ahead of the two felines, two humans were slowing their exhausted camels for the night. Although camels were more resilient to the desert environment than horses, the amount of weight they carried and stress they endured each day wore them down quicker. Each camel carried a human on their back, a wicker basket suspended between them, and behind came a sleigh of desert camping gear. The only food carried on this sleigh was for the camels for Serenity could provide all the water the party needed while War provided the food.

Perhaps the camels could have traveled farther if the wicker basket could have been abandoned, but Vasengii resided inside during the day. As a shadow creature, he could not survive in the sunlight and their ruse required him to remain with the two battlehearts in human guise as much as possible. This was for Ialu's sake, if he knew Vasengii's location, he would be sure to follow Zein's inseparable pet. Vasengii's nightly return to Zein's side also allowed the two parties to communicate swiftly. It was through this pendulous traveling that they were able to confuse the trails so efficiently.

With Zein floating, the only trail she left was from her meals and even those were being limited to the bare minimum she needed to survive daily. Every few days, they would switch direction and placement on the path. In a general sense, they were heading southeast. But false trails had been left in each direction. During the night, Vasengii and Zein traveled via the shadows to leave corpses in identical patterns that the barghest left each day. If anyone had marked the locations of these trails on a map, it would have appeared as a jumbled mess of starbursts. This mess was to confuse and slow Ialu from catching up to Zein.

As it was, with the shadow wyrm in their presence, the camels remained frightened and jittery each day so the distance the three could travel was limited. Very soon now, they would have to come up with a different plan because Serenity and War would be leaving Wilt'no, hopefully leading the persistent Ialu far away from their mistress and her quest. If everything went according to plan, the two battlehearts would spring a trap on the old khimera and dispose of him, completely removing the main obstacle in Zein's path to victory.

[Mojave]

It was sunset when the young kuhna awoke to pain, hunger, and thirst. At first, he didn't remember the afternoon's events, but all too soon it rushed back into his head. Confused, he examined his surroundings, but couldn't find the mutilated lizard or the mess he had made after watching that gory show.

Good evening. Behind Kemnebi, the old khimera lounged on his side, tails curled peacefully before him. To their left, the fire Ialu had built was fading from green, blue, and teal to yellow, orange, and red. Intrigued, he returned his gaze to the stranger.

Who are you? What's wrong with the fire? Wha... whe... He sighed as he stopped the confused questions he desperately wanted to ask- what was that with the hair and the lizard? where are they?

I shall answer any question I am able to, but first you must relax, eat, and hydrate. He inclined his head to Kemnebi's right before taking to his feet and disappearing into the darkness as if to remove the temptation to converse.

Left alone in the warmth of the fire, Kemnebi looked to his right and saw fresh meat, some fruit, and a bowl of water. Now that he saw the nourishment before him, he realized just how hungry and thirsty he was. However, he forgot his upbringing in the desert and swallowed the water first in one gulp. As soon as the cold liquid hit his stomach, he slipped into the darkness to expel the water he desperately needed.

Ashamed, he watched the water absorb into the sand before him. However, before it could sink past his summoning capabilities, he called the water back to the bowl. By letting it sink deep enough into the sand, the course grains filtered the impurities out of the liquid, leaving it as pure as it was when he first drank it. Returning to to his place before the fire, he finished his meal without further incident.

As he finished the last sip of water, the khimera returned and placed himself as before beside the fire. Are you sufficiently refreshed?

Yes, thank you. I am in your debt, though I have no money or possessions to repay you with. It was pointless to offer water, he was obviously able to obtain it. Once again, he felt the pang of the loss of his home, for though it was unintentional, he was reminded of how untalented he truly was.

I fail to see how you owe me anything. It's the least I could do after the trouble I caused you. Though his facial features remained unchanging, his voice was gravelly with grief and shame. As he sighed, however, his face altered to match his tone. I apologize for what you saw earlier, a stranger was never supposed to be dragged into this dilemma.

What I saw... so you know what... what that was about?
Indeed, though I wish I didn't. To answer your questions, I will have to tell you a bit of a long story. If you have questions after that, I will answer them as best I can.
Sounds fair.
You had best relax... The khimera's tails paused in their lazy movements as Ialu realized he didn't know the other male's name. What is your name, by the way?
Kemnebi. Yours?
I have no real name, but you may call me Ialu, if you must call me something.

Kemnebi refrained from responding, the more this khimera talked, the stranger he sounded... like he was from a time so old it was beyond archaic.

Well then, Kemnebi, I suggest you make yourself comfortable. To begin, I suppose I shall have to start with the sire and dam of my experiment. I suspect Zein's corruption began there.

[Mojave]

All I am about to show you, happened a long time ago. There are several parts that I will briefly outline for you. It is not going to be pretty and I do not expect you to enjoy what you are about to see. This is the tale of Serenity:

The air distorts to show a brief glimpse of reality- how different universes touch and affect one another. Then it blurs and focuses on the image of a black dog statue, expanding to show a walkway lined with them. The path culminates at the base of a pyramid, small, simple, and surrounded by greenery. Upon the doorstep of the pyramid, a bundle is squirming and inside lays a female battleheart hatchling. Although she is squirming madly, she is sleeping, a would be ferocious snarl upon her features as she chases imaginary prey. A naked human male priest wearing only a huge ring of disks around his member, picks the hatchling up, looking about as if to find the mother. He turns to re-enter the temple, and the scars and weals of old and new lash marks are revealed. The 'movie' follows the priest inside and shows him depositing the creature- who has transformed into a female child in his arms, at the feet of another priest. This higher priest is old, clothed in luxurious robes and jewelry, the statuette of a hermaphroditic god around his neck. Suddenly, sound is provided, and a weedy voice commands, "Call the acolytes. They have received their matron." From every entryway around the old monk's throne, younger male priests enter the room, all in varying amounts of clothes. The naked ones are pushed to the front unceremoniously, obviously the lowest ranking. Those in the back, as if to corral the rest, are ones in varied style of dress from casual to formal. "You have asked for a matron to continue our lines and to receive the gods' favors. She has arrived." So saying, the older man bends down and picks the child up, holding her aloft for all to see. In his hands, she changes form once again to an infant battleheart. It is then that the full congregation falls to their knees in obeisance.

The perspective changes again, this time to illustrate the nature of the religion the priests serve. It is a barbaric cult, worshiping sex, rapine, and reproduction. The entire population of monks and acolytes are all male, their sacrifices both genders, each one taken to an altar sitting between the hermaphroditic god's legs, the victim tied to the statue's male anatomy. In the altar, grooves have been carved to collect the bodily fluids that accumulate and funnel them away. Briefly, the scene shows a man and a woman side by side upon this altar, mounted by a different acolyte until they faint from the abuse. Finally, a pregnant woman gives birth on the altar. While the infant is never harmed, the mother is drugged (weather killed or simply sedated is unclear), spared the torture of sex after her ordeal.

Blessedly, the scene changes again to show the hatchling, now a little girl, studying the texts of the cult, but otherwise being raised as a normal child. There is no indication that she has ever been molested, and the scene briefly shows one of the men attempting it. He is quickly put to death in a brutal manner.

The scene changes again and now she is sixteen, her first 'red moon' having risen with the rise of the great river that flows close to the temple. Instead of being clothed, she is now naked and tied to the altar. Her face is stoic- she has been raised to expect this and is ready to play her part in the cult as the matron. As such, she would assume the role of altar, and eventually produce children with the most honored monks. However, she is still virgin and when she is deflowered by the largest endowed member of the cult, her calm demeanor shatters. Her shrieks are mercifully muted from Kemnebi's ears and the scene plays out. There are many who join in the ceremony, some at the same time until she is hidden from view by the men so eager to teach her her responsibilities in the cult.

[Mojave]

At this point, Kemnebi yowls in protest, jumping to his feet, ENOUGH! I don't want to see any more of this, it's disgusting! He spat at the older khimera, believing him to be out of his mind and just as evil as the brutes who raped the poor girl.

Ialu snarled at him and whipped his tails. I liked it less than you and I was there! I have spared you the worst of it, but I can assure you I helped her.

Kemnebi wasn't completely satisfied, but he at least sat down again. The fur along his back remained raised and his tial remained frizzed in agitation. He planned to look away and refuse to watch any more of the girl's abuse, but the vision changed again. Unable to help himself, he turned his attention back to the scene before him.

[Mojave]

This time, the vision is from the girl's perspective. Kemnebi sees the man kneeling between the girl's legs, but before he must witness the acts or hear her scream again, the scene changes. He looks through the girl's tears to see the khimera standing before him. The girl looks down and Kemnebi sees that she is just a spirit. Her soul has fled her body and the traumas the priests were inflicting. She looks back up at the khimera, "Am I dead?" She asks, her tone monotonous and her emotions unreadable. No. I have spared you the ordeal that you were raised to endure. It is not your destiny to be cowed by such heinous crimes. "My destiny? I don't understand. If I am not the sacred altar, then what is my purpose?"

The khimera laughs kindly and shrugs his muscular shoulders. Whatever you want it to be. You have been shown only one way of life. I can show you the world. But you must ask for my help. The choice is yours. Return to your body and suffer the attentions of the men for the rest of your child bearing years. Or let let me help you escape to live as you choose.

She deliberated a moment. She had been raised her entire life to be a tool for the men who had raised her. But unaware of her true desires, she always dreamed of this day. Until that man who had found her had approached totake her virginity. She ccouldn't deny she was scared and deep down she knew it wasn't natural. Though how she knew she couldn't say. She looked up at the khimera and nodded. "Help me. Please!"

[Mojave]

The scene changes again. This time Kemnebi screams, the panther scream causing the khimera to wince. In the vision, the girl has returned to her body; but the ceremony is well under way. Three men are taking their pleasure from her, and many more stand ready to jump in when they have climaxed. The scream that escapes from the girl's throat tears the flesh with it's power. She will be hoarse for a week, Kemnebi speculates as he helplessly relives the scene. With a powerful heave, she squirms free of one of the men and bites the second one. The second one screams, pulling away from her instinctively. But her teeth are clenched and he rips himself. She spits his flesh out of her mouth and he scrambles away, spilling his life blood from the artery that supplied his tool of worship. The other men are backing away, too surprised to defend themselves or knock her unconcious. Free from their hands and ministrations, blood running down her bare legs, and the seed of men who had already finished with her glistening on her molested body, she roars and in an instant the girl is gone. She is replaced by an adolescent battleheart- a creature too large for the temple to contain. As she changes, she begins tearing the men apart. Destroying the temple by breaking the ceiling until she rises above the small building. She spreads her wings and takes flight, pushing herself out of the temple ruins. Once airborne, she turns midair and spews fire into the temple. Men run out of the ruin and she cuts them down with her deadly tail. It takes less than half an hour to demolish the temple and kill every member of the cult that raised her. When spent, she settles onto the temple ruins, now just a pile of smoking blackened rubble, and Ialu physically appears next to her like a mirage appears out of the distance. What is your name? "Serenity." She answers placidly. Her terrible anger spent, she spoke well mannered like she had been raised to speak.

[Mojave]

No longer, child. You must shed all of your past for the life you have chosen. May I bestow a name to you?

In her current form, she is near sighted and she lowers her head to peer at the khimera beside her. "No. I chose to live a different path than the one I was raised to. I shall call myself Hetep."

Ialu smiles up at her, and nods. Then go, Hetep. I shall call on you when I have need of you in return for freeing you.

Without a backward glance, Hetep soars off into the bright day, her future completely open. Dependent on her choices and actions. There is a quick vision of a life of good deeds. She is surrounded by friends, by priests of Anubis, the embalming god, as she serves those leaving the land of the living and entering the land of the dead. She is also a fierce fighter and defends the innocents of the city she resides in and serves pharaohs and commoners alike.

When the vision ends, Kemnebi looks across at Ialu, visibly eased. "So she lived happily ever after? How does that explain what's going on?"

Patience, young one. Ialu laughs, his eyes closing serenely. Her tale is not the only one that matters.