Artisune arrived in the large cave that was her home and sat down on the single person bed. The cave was nicely furnished and was quite homely...for a cave. She turned her eyes to the dog which had followed her home. She removed the pack from her back and sets it on the bed. Slowly she removed the content which at the moment was nothing more than the Amulet of Anubis and the odd cocoon. The Amulet was an heirloom to the family, the cocoon however she couldn't explain to even herself. She stared at the heirloom for it now had writing on it! All of it was in Aramic but she'd wait till morning to read over it.
The dog barked once, quickly and sharply as if only to get her attention. She set down the amulet aside the cocoon and looked at the dog. It was a beautiful dog at that, although dog didn't fit it...jackle. It was a beautiful jackle dressed in gold jewelery, resembling many of the jackle statues she'd seen in the tomb of Anubis. It had keen green eyes which seemed to show intelligence beyond which is usally given to animals. Artisune was soon to learn just how intelligent the jackle was, for only moments after it let out the sharp bark for attention it did the most surprising thing. It spoke!
"My name is Serth and I am the guarding of the Egyptan cocoon you hold beside you. I was to guard the cocoon from whatever dangers it might face and to, in time, give it to a worthy caretaker. It's parents are two Egyptan's called RainbowMyst and Puzzle. Quite recently while I was standing guard before the temple did the two come to me, telling me to care for their cocoon. So I did and returned to the cript I live within. The Egyptan which will hatch from that cocoon will be lengendary and should be treated as nothing less. Now I must give you a second note of information from the parents is that the Egyptan that emerges from the cocoon is to be called Semerkhet." Artisune sits in slight shock as she listens to Serth continue his small talk about the creature which is soon to emerge from its cocoon and the species of that creature. Serth stands as he finishes and looks gravely at her. "Take care of yourself and take care of Semerkhet." Then he turned and walked outside, breaking into a trot outside the entrance and headed towards the location of RainbowMyst and Puzzle. To announce the once who would be caring for it.
Artisune watched the cocoon for a moment before hanging her backpack on a hook on the wall and then slipping the Amulet on to a chain then around her neck. She gazed at the cocoon once more and then picked it up, gently setting it on a nest made of some of Artisunes old clothing. She then slipped into her bed and with an exhausted yawn. Fell asleep.
Might be a bit intense for some people.
Artisune awoke to an angry growling and the sound of fighting. She leapt out of her bed and saw what was going on. Two men were trying to get to the cocoon which was shaking madly.
"Get the cocoon! And get out! Take Semerkhet and run!" Serth called to her. Artisune's eyes went wide, there was nothing else she could do. She grabbed up a sand robe and grabbed her cocoon before running as fast as she could outside. A man followed, but Artisune was used to the sand and kept away from him. Until a bullet wizzed by her head, causing her to stumble. She ragained her balance and ran as hard and fast as she could. Looking up she saw the Nile closing in towards her. She prayed the bullets wouldn't fly until she'd crossed it. She wasn't that lucky. As she jumped a bullet found its way towards her and hit her hard in the shoulder, another in the leg. She cried out and hit the water. The tide embrassed her and the pain she was in and pumbled her this way and that until at last she felt herself falling. Her mind was a hazing and darkening blurr. Nothing made much sense. Had a bullet hit her in a fatal location? She closed her eyes and crashed into a deep pool of water. Still the current pulled her along, like a happy child with its new toy. Her mind grew cloudy then all went numb and dark.
She could hear something, in the back of her mind. Calling to her, but she didn't know where from. There was a scream from somewhere she could see and then she crashed into something hard. She laid there, pain seering her body, without the will to stand. Everything told her she was alone and she had lost something. Her hands grasped the air, she didn't move. What did she lose? Then something odd happened. Something stepped into her grasping hands, and into her mind.
She heard the words of the prophecies. Words on scrolls she'd read long ago. She saw images. Images of a time she'd never seen. Then she saw a face, of a man. Dressed in golden armor, face hidden from sight. Artisune began to cry as she saw the face. Her heart felt like it was breaking. There was a seer of pain in her body and she heard a voice.
*No please come back!* It begged. *Mommy?!*
A white light shone before her, and yet something else did too. Out of the corner of her eye something shone where the light didn't. Head bent down in a gentle sob. A mirage of a blues, reds and purples. A labyrinth of a design etched upon the creature. Tears offered relief of pain and with each touch of the creatures tears she felt the numbness leave and the light started to go to. She stumbled towards the creature instead of the light and suddenly she was laying on a stone floor in a large room. Half sprawled in a fountain, half on the floor. And infront of her was the creature she'd seen, and behind the creature was a man, dressed in armor. Artisune pleaded a name and it turned away, vanishing. An illusion...or a ghost? She turned her gaze to the creature.
"An Egyptan?" She whispered.
*Mommy!* There was a soft voice in her mind, soaked in relief. *I thought you were gone. We can't rest, mommy. We have to move.* The voice, Artisune thought, was the Egyptan's. So old for a newborn. *They'll come, Mommy. You have to stand up. We have to solve the Maze!*
"I'm alright Semerkhet. Thanks to you." She climbed to her feet, a flood of dizines almost stopped her, but she was determined.
Within a few moments she was running down the hall with Semerkhet.
...To Be Continued...
Idea from Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.
Background from Unicorn Universe
*Tons of credit to my Cousin, Mav, for being so unbelievably kind and sharing his link scheme with me*
