//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: The Quest for the Sapphire Stone (Daring Do #1) // by BookeCypher //------------------------------// “Hello, Miss Do.” The creature grinned at her, displaying an array of sharp teeth. It stands over her, far taller than the average pony, its coat a deep purple. Around its neck and strange, ape-like forelimbs are bands of gold and red fur. It’s belly is a pale blue, as is the lower jaw of its dog-like head. Its ears are position far to the back of its head, while its eyes are disturbingly far forward, occupying the space Daring expected nostrils to be. A long, dexterous tail flicked about behind it, a primate-like hand sitting on its end. A normal pony would have been rendered speechless by the sight of such a strange creature standing before them, much less addressing them by name, but Daring simply glared at the grinning figure before her. “Ahuizotl! Why am I not surprised to find you here?” “You though you could evade me and capture the relic for yourself, but you are sadly mistaken miss Do!” Ahuizotl replied, the words rolling off his tongue with the lilt of a horsepanic accent. “And now, you shall meet your doom!” The tail curled around, reaching for unseen object, before coming back up with a small, silver whistle. The tail reached around and Ahuizotl used it to let out a barely perceptible, low buzzing sound. Almost immediately the tiger from earlier stepped out from one of the nearby bushes. Daring stared at the cat and blinked. Hadn’t she just seen him in that giant cavern that was under her hooves? How had he gotten up here? Daring gave her head a shape to dismiss the thought. At the moment, it didn’t matter. “You know I can take on one of your minions, Ahuizotl.” Ahuizotl simply gave a shrug, a disinterested frown spreading across his bizarre features. “So be it.” He gave the cat whistle another blow and two more cats stepped out from the underbrush, adding the lynx and the panther along with the tiger to the list of cats that could travel far faster than they had any right to - Really, how had they gotten up hear so fast. “Today really isn’t my day,” Daring groaned before turning and dashing off into the forest, the cats in hot pursuit. Her only hope was to lose them in the trees like she had the first time. Of course, that was easier said than done even with the number of pursuers knocked down to three. They seemed to be sticking closer to her this time, not leading her build up any sort of lead. They were learning from their mistakes, and the same tricks weren’t going to work a second time. Well then, time to try some new tricks then. Daring sharply turned left, shooting out of sight of the cats for just a moment. Luckily, a moment was all she needed. Her teeth wrapped around a low, thin branch as she ran past and it immediately began to bend to follow her - Daring let it go just as the first cat rounded the turn. The branch sprang back into its original position with a sharp crack, smacking straight into the unsuspecting felines face. The cat let out a yowl of pain as it recoiled from the sudden attack. Daring, however, couldn’t afford to stay there and gloat - the other two cats were mere moments behind the first and the blow from the branch wouldn’t slow the first down for long. The sky above her began to darken as a low rumble boomed across the skies. Out here, far beyond the reach of civilization, the weather ran still ran wild. Governed only by the whims of the atmosphere, a dark thunderhead slowly crawled its way across the sky, its dark shadow preceding the downpour to come. It started out weak - a slow staccato of droplets as they collided with the forest canopy. Underhoof, the soft crunch of decaying foliage sounded with every step fall. The steady rhythm of the rain fall began to increase, rivulets of water rolling across the landscape as the ground beneath Daring’s hooves sloped downward. Her hooves began to sink into the quickly softening soil, the quickly muddying ground sending her skidding down the rapidly steepening incline at random intervals, only to be halted as she came within reach of a tree branch - or, in some cases, simply careened into some obstacle in her way. Behind her, the sounds of her pursuers told her they were having even worse luck then she was in this terrain. The sound of flowing water intensified as Daring grew closer to the bottom of the hill as the rainfall seemed to reach a crescendo as the roar of thousands of crashing raindrops mingled with the dull roar of the river Daring found at the end of her decent. Even before the rain the river would have been a worthy obstacle, and now swelled with run-off from the storm it only grew in size and voracity. White water churned as is rushed over the rocks of the riverbed, fallen tree’s whisked along at a breakneck pace… Well, there was an idea. Picking her way over the slick rocks of the riverside, mane matted against her coat by the rain. She carefully made her way down the shoreline until she reached a spot of tree’s that had been toppled at some point in the past - a landslide or a windstorm perhaps. Daring jumped up on the log nearest to the water, half of its length already bobbing in the churning current, the other half wedged by a few of the larger rocks lining the shore. Even as it shifted beneath her in the current, Daring found it easy to stay perched the massive tree corpse. Grinning to herself, Daring hopped of the long and trotted over into the edge of the woods for a moment before returning, now with a long and sturdy branch clutched by one end in her teeth. She lightly jumped back onto the log before wedging her branch in between the log and one of the rocks keeping it from drifting off. She heaved and, with a rather un-mare like grunt of effort, managed to leverage the offending stone out of the way. The effect was almost immediate. Daring stumbled as the whole log heaved, but as she had guessed its massive size dampened the worst of it. In moments she was drifting down the river, her impromptu raft bouncing off of a couple of stones in the current before it mellowed out and the log began slowly drifting toward the shore off to her left. Swinging her branch around as she shifted it into her hooves, Daring dunked it into the water until it bit into the riverbed bellow and pushed, adjusting her course back toward the center of the river. The impromptu raft lazily drifted along, pulled onward by the currents of the river that continued to swell under the still growing downpour. The beat of a ten thousand strong drummer corps melded together into what sounded like a clap of thunder that had been stretched out into eternity. The foliage seemed to sag under weight of the falling water as the rivers surface danced from the ripples of countless raindrops. “And me without an Umbrella,” Daring muttered as one hood rose to push a sopping strand of her mane out of her eyes. Daring let out a sigh as she collapsed onto the log, the pole set down alongside her as her body decided to take advantage of the lull Daring had found herself in. Even in the rain, the brief respite was a goddess-send. the mad dashing of the last two days finally began to catch up with her, the adrenaline no longer holding the protests of sore limbs and muscles at bay. “At this rate It looks like I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation.” she muttered to her self before letting out a small chuckle. She watched as the tree's drifted by, letting her legs take a break as she simply took in the scenery. More then the adventure, more then the thrill of being the first to lay eyes on a lost artifact or ruin in millennia, this was why she loved her job. The chance to travel the world, to see places and things most ponies couldn't dream off. Sweeping tundras and vast savannas, the multicolored patchwork of market stalls in a desert city that rose like a jewel in the sands. Temples tucked away on desolate mountain peaks and forgotten castles slowly being reclaimed by ancient forests. It was those brief moments of awe-inspiring beauty that made all the work worth it. Slowly but surely, between the steady rhythm of the raindrops on the canopy and the gentle rocking of the river, Daring began to find herself nodding off, uncaring to the still falling rain as she dozed. Even in her light sleep, strange images filled her dreams – scenes Hayan beasts and crumbling cities, of dark pits and the strange creatures that lurked within. And always, no matter what, the feeling of primordial dread that something was chasing her, something large and vicious and with plenty of sharp claws and pointed teeth. No matter how far, or how fast she ran it kept growing closer. Slowly, surely closing on her until... “Gah!” Daring bolted awake as her improvised raft rocked suddenly, a fresh surge of adrenaline pulsing through her as her eyes darted around, mind on edge and searching for danger. Instead all she found was the rock her raft had bounced off of before continuing down river. With a sigh, Daring collapsed onto her back as she tried to get her now frayed nerves back in order. “So much for my nap.” Shaking away the last of her lingering drowsiness, Daring hefted her improvised steering pole and looked down the river. The waterway up ahead transitioned from the smooth sand-landed banks of before into a tumult of rocks. It looked like a rock slide had crashed into the river and the river had just cut through it. The pole sank into the soft mud of the riverbed as she lowered it into the water, carefully guiding it through the impromptu maze of stones as the rain continued, only slightly abated by time. As she navigated the rocks, she heard another sound along with the pattering of the raindrops. She looked back and saw the sleek form of a carved canoe cutting its way through the drizzle, the familiar form of felines on board. “Really?” Daring thought out loud. “How many times do I have to kick their flanks before these cats give up?” She buried the pole into the riverbed, shoving her raft forward, but the purpose made vessel cut through the water far more easily then her improvised ride. Her only hope was to lose them in the rocks and hazards of the river – or to face them head-on. The pursuing felines closed to less then a raft's length as the river suddenly dropped from them, the current sweeping them along as their speed increased with the slope. The pursuing canoe collided with Daring's with a heavy thunk and a jolt that nearly sent the pegasus tumbling head-first into the river. With a vicious wing she whirled her pole around, catching one of the felines across the jaw and sending it reeling back with a yowl, before giving the enemy craft a hardy shove, separating the two as another tumble of rocks rose out of the riverbed to meet them, effectively splitting the river in two for a time. To Darings relief, the cat's were not on the same side as herself. She was about to allow herself a sigh of relief at her brief respite when she heard a low growl behind her. “Of course one of you is on my raft...” Daring lashed out without even turning around, her hind legs kicking out and catching the offending Lynx square in the chest. She could practically feel the air rushing out of his lungs as he rebounded off of her hooves before bouncing across the raft floor. Claws dug in as he slid over the edge, halting his momentum before he flung himself at his quarry again. Daring responded with another twirl of her pole. The Lynx, however, was not going to fall for the same trick as his friend. Forelegs wrapped around the pole as hind claws dug into wood, and Daring found herself tumbling as all that arrested momentum found an outlet. Two two simply stared at each other for a moment before the Lynx broke into a grin that could only be described as predatory. Daring's ears drooped. “Oh, for the love of-” She was cut off as the Lynx heaved the pole almost straight up, nearly catapulting Daring into the Hayan jungle as she wrapped her legs around the pole for dear life. The pole continued its arc, and Daring found herself heading straight toward the rocks. Desperately, she twisted around as she cut through the air, getting her hind leg underneath her an instant before she met an unfortunate fate. Her legs coiled underneath her, absorbing her momentum before she kicked of the rocks with a twist, ripping the pole out of the Lynx's grip as she bolted forward like a comet. Equine skull met feline gut and found it wanting, the Lynx barreling off the side of the raft and crashing into the water with a satisfying splash. Daring let herself grin. “Bad kitty.” It was at that point that the split flows of the river rejoined, and the still cat-laden canoe came back into view. Daring resisted the urge to simply yell at the still cloud-covered sky. “Oh, come on!” The Panther and the Cheetah both risked leaping across the narrow gap between the craft, and Daring had to duck a vicious claw swipe from the Panther as the pair flanked her. She dodged a swipe from the Cheetah, stumbling back and losing precious ground on the narrow confines of her raft. She risked a glance backward as she felt a hoof skim the cool surface of the water. Both cats stalked closer, eager to be the one to make the catch and well aware that their quarry had nowhere to go. They both tensed, and pounced. Daring ducked under them and threw herself forward, the two cats collided with each other as Daring tumbled to a stop on their canoe, the Tiger that had hung back recoiling in surprise as a pony suddenly dropped herself more or less into his lap, a small grin crossing his face at the prospect of an easy catch. The grin vanished as Daring's hoof met his jaw. The Tiger crumpled into a pile at the rear of the canoe as the other two managed to disentangle themselves, The Panther leaping across to renew the brawl. Daring opted to not humor him, taking another leap back to her own raft. The fact that there was a cheetah still on it waiting for her seemed to have slipped her mind, as she fond herself backpedaling as soon as she landed, a claw swipe coming with in a hairs breadth of her nose, her hooves seeking purchase on the unstable surface under her hooves until they found purchase on edge of the canoe, leaving half her hooves still on the raft. She suddenly found her attention split between maintaining her balance in the precarious position, and avoiding the attacks of the three angry cats. “Son of a-” Daring swung out with one hoof as the panther got a little to close for comfort, the attack doing nothing but forcing the cat back as Daring twisted onto two hooves to avoid an attack from the cheetah. With her attention otherwise preoccupied, it was not unsurprising that Daring did not notice the drifting of the to craft until she started to feel her hind legs drifting back against her her will. “Nonononono...” Her pleas however went unanswered as the canoe and raft continued to part ways. The felines were being uncooperative as well. The panther lunged at one of her rear legs, forcing Daring to kick-off to dodge, propelling her into near hoof-stand. For a moment it looked as if the momentum would carry her hind hooves all the way over to the canoe, but her momentum petered out and her hooves crashed back into the raft. The tiger swiped at her fore hooves, but Daring deftly dodged, shifting between hooves or, at times, off of both hooves for brief moments, as the attacks met nothing but air. The tiger finally opted to simply lunge for her head, forcing Daring to duck with an 'eep' as the black and orange striped cat collided with its monochrome compatriot. Daring gave the resulting tangle of limbs a swift kick that sent both cats reeling into their third companion as Daring finally managed to get all four hooves onto the same craft. The only two now on the formerly crowded canoe were Daring and the small white kitten she recalled from earlier, now cowering underneath a canoe bench. A sharp glare was enough to chase the little thing out of the canoe, the kitten leaping into the water with a small splash as it decided it was better off with a short swim then facing an angry pegasus. With a satisfied snort, Daring turned around to take stock of her situation. The three remaining cats were all now poised on her old raft, claws digging into the wood as they swayed in the rolling current. Overhead, the clouds were finally starting to part, leaving them in a partial day-lit sprinkle. Daring lowered her head, glaring daggers at the feline trio. “Alright – lets finish this.” The color seemed to drain from all three cats in short order. Well, Daring considered as she blinked in surprise, she was going for intimidating but they still outnumbered her three-to-one... At that point, Daring noticed the slowly growing, basal rumble coming from somewhere behind her. Daring sighed. “There's as waterfall behind me, isn't there?” All three cats nodded slowly. Daring's ears flattened. “Awesome.” She didn't even bother turning around as she felt the canoe fall out from beneath her, wings trying to unfurl on reflex at the sudden sensation of weightlessness only to send a now familiar jolt of pain through her as broken bones screamed. The quartet fell though the hazy mist of the falls, any screams and cries lost in the roar of rushing water that tumbled over the edge. A few seconds seemed like an eternity to a pegasus unused to being so helpless in what would otherwise be her element. Their cries of terror and shock were abruptly cut off as they crashed into the frothing, churning water of the pool below. Daring kicked furiously for the surface, fighting against the downward current that pounded down against her like a hammer. The surface felt like it was an eternity away. Her muscles ached, her lungs screamed for air. Her vision started to tunnel as inky blackness crept in at the edge of her sight. Slowly, Daring started to make her way out of the down-current, a primitive part of her brain protesting at the lateral movement, yelling at her to simply go up as fast as possible. Daring ignored it as the rest of her body joined her lung in protesting the lack of air. After what seemed like a century, her head broke the surface of the water, the roar of the water fall load in her left ear as her lungs greedily sucked in the most jungle air. After getting her breathing somewhat under control, she took a quick inventory. Hat – still, somehow, resting on her head despite the scuffle and ensuing swan dive. Wings – ouch – still busted, and she was going to need to re-bandage those real soon, but at least they weren't any worse then they had been. All four legs seemed to still be functioning, and even her jacket was looking better then it had in days thanks to the impromptu rinsing. Daring allowed her self a small smirk. “Well, that wasn't to-” Her comment was cut off as a clawed paw wrapped itself around her hind-leg and dragged her back under the surface. Daring mentally smacked herself over her last comment before glancing down at her captor. The tiger had managed to get a hold on her and was now using her to pull himself up even as he dragged Daring deeper. Daring kicked out with a hoof, but what air she had managed to inhale hadn't made it to her legs it seemed, and combined with the weight of the water the normally bone-cracking blow turned into little more then slightly anemic poke. The tiger grinned up at her, and Daring would have cursed if it wouldn't have cost her air. The tiger brought another heavy paw up, wrapping it around her neck as she was dragged deeper. She found herself at eye level with the stripped cat, its grin growing wider as it slowly increased pressure on her windpipe. So, Daring did what any self-respecting adventurer-slash-archeologist would do. She butted him in the head. A flurry of bubbles accompanied the strike as the over-sized cat let out a muffled yowl as the cat recoiled. As soon as she was released, Daring kicked for the surface, the tiger's face making a good push-off board as she once again hurled herself through the water toward the sweet air above. Daring broke the surface for the second time in as many minutes. A second splash several meters away signaled the tiger finally making it to the surface, head still resting in its paws as it tried to recover from the one-two blow of equine skull and hooves to its face. Another pair of slashes in the opposite direction made Daring twisted around in the water, spotting the other two remaining cats sulking towards her with equal parts malice and annoyance as each step deeper into the water was met with more disdain then the last. Seems these felines hated her more than they hated getting wet, Daring mused. Daring started to paddle across the pool, toward the opposite shore from the felines. The two cats glared at her before sulking away from the coast. Daring gave a triumphant grin as she watched them back past the tree line before she heard the crashing of foilage. Her smirk vanished as she saw the panther rip out of the tree line, taking a pair of long strides before launching itself into the air with a roar that to Daring sounded like thunder. Daring's eyes went wide as her hind brain screamed at her to run, and her legs quickly moved to comply. She started to swim for the short even faster, but it was to little to late. A snarling black mass of fur and muscle that probably outweighed her two-to-one crashed into her like a herd of buffalo. The tangle of limbs crashed under the surface, angry claws and jaws leaving trails of bubbles in their wake as they slashed and snapped at Darings face and throat. Daring dodged and weaved as best she could, everything seeming like slow motion in the water as she tried to keep from becoming something's lunch. She dodged another go at her throat and replied with a hoof to the cat's jaw. Lethargic as the action seemed in the aquatic environment, it still seemed to be enough to send the cat reeling. Daring pressed her brief advantage, wrapping her hooves around the cat's neck and twisting the two of them around, heaving the two of them around like a demented carnival ride before kicking off. Less accustomed to to sort of disorientation a three dimensional environment can cause compared to a pegasus, the cat flailed for a moment before locking its eyes on Daring again. It let out a muffled snarl before launching itself toward Daring. And straight into the bottom of the pool. She could almost hear the resounding crack as the Panther's not inconsiderable momentum met the stony bottom of the pool, and as hard as its skull might have been the stone was harder. Daring made for the surface again, breaking the surface a moment before the panther's now limp form popped up, tongue lolling from its unconscious mouth. Daring dismissed him with a snort before turning two the two remaining cats, who seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of their opposite number knocked out cold. It looked like they were expecting the fight to have gone a little differently. Daring gave them a cocky smirk as she regarded her two remaining opponents. “So – who's next?” It looked like neither of them felt like waiting their turn, since both cats lunged for her, One sending up great sprays of water as it charged her while the other simply leapt at her. The jumper hit her first, but unlike the panther, it came it at enough of an angle to drive her back as well as down, crashing her into the pool bed with enough force to drive the air from her lungs and make her see stars from the complementary concussion. Her only saving grace was that the cat was seeing red at this point it seemed, for the blow that caught her under the chin was a closed fist and not a claw swipe to give her a new breathing hole. The blow actually sent her flying out of the water briefly before quickly crashing back into the smooth river stones of the beach. Daring could do little more then gasp for air like a beached fish as the cat stalked over to her. Daring finally got her hooves under her as the cat stopped behind her, glaring down at her with one clawed paw ready and its own little smirk across its face. Daring glared at the cat. “Piece of advice, cat.” The cat paused, not expecting lip from its prey. “Don't approach a pony from behind.” Daring kicked out with her hind legs, the cat's breath leaving its body with an audible whooshing sound as its body arced over the water before crashing back into the water with a splash. Daring practically dragged herself out of the pool and onto dry land, wincing as the smallest movement sent jolt of pain shooting through one part of her or another. She gave the last cat one final glance, just in time to catch it dragging the last of its cohorts ashore and back past the tree line. She left it to its business and started her trek into the woods. Every step elicited a protest from her aching limbs, but Daring ignored them as best she could. She had what she had come for and was finally, finally free and clear of those pesky cats. Now all she had to do was figure out how to get off the island. A cool breeze wormed its way through the trees, making Daring's teeth clatter as the breeze washed over her. Okay – make a fire, dry out a little, and then find a way off this Celestia forsaken island. She stumbled through the forest, grumbling to herself about the whole thing. Stupid Ahuizotl and his stupid obsession with that stupid rock had to go and take down her stupid plane and make her bust her wing. Her hoof decided not to cooperate on the next step, sliding out from under her as she continued to stumble forward. Her legs really hurt now – that stupid cat had packed more of a punch then she had thought. He still got his flank kicked though, so there. Why did her eyes keep drifting down? She shook her head, trying to see straight and ignore the three identical tree's in front of her. Sweet Celestia, her head hurt. She leaned against one of the trees as she waited for her head to stop spinning. She shivered. She was cold – why was she cold? Oh yeah – she had been fighting in the water. Stupid cats, chasing her around in a canoe. They should know when to leave a pegasus be. Stubborn furballs. She shook her head again. Focus! Need to find some shelter. Need to start a fire, get warm. Need to wait for this headache to go away. Instead it was just getting worse, like somebody had stuck her head in a cement mixer. Her legs felt like lead – the adrenaline must have been wearing off, and burning pain took its place. She could practically feel the bruises forming over her body. She kept stumbling forward. Had to keep moving forward. Get off this stupid island and away from Ahuizotl and his stupid cats and away from stupid - The ground fell out from under Daring as she stumbled sideways, gravity taking over as her overtaxed body found itself unable to stop her tumble down the hill. The world spun around in a dizzying blur before coming to a lurching stop. Silence prevailed in the jungle, Daring's limbs finally giving up the ghost of keeping her upright. The slow, calm crunch of foliage underhoof preceded a familiar set of unwelcome paws padded into view. “It seems our little game has finally come to an end, Daring Do.” Ahuizotl shifted as he turned to address somebody else. “Take her.” And then, darkness.