The Amulet of Anubis

by DemonWriterX

Evil Within

Cold water was suddenly splashed on Daring Do’s face, she gasped as the cold water soaked her fur. She shot up, sputtering and coughing, flailing her arms as though she were trying to swim away from some imminent danger. Her initial panic disappeared when she saw Ahuizotl holding a, now empty, water canister. Although he tried to keep his expression as serious as possible she could see the corner of his mouth lifted up in a smirk. She let out a growl, so he thinks drowning me is funny.

"What in Tartarus do you think you're doing!" She snarled, baring her teeth.

"It is morning." He stated dully, his smirk now gone. Ahuizotl placed the empty canister down beside her. She let out a sniff and shook her head like a dog, getting rid of most of the water. As she wiped her hoof over her face a light red smear painted her fur. The blood mark, it had washed off.

"Hmm a shame, I need to give you a fresh one."

She let out a disgruntled sigh and glared up at him. He ignored her, and taking his dagger out from it's sheath, firmly grabbed her face. With a quick slice of his index fingers he roughly redrew the symbol. She pulled away from him, and slapped his hand away, “Let go of me!”

"Be in character." He said sternly as he licked his palm.

"Don't really have a choice, now do I?" She said, grinding her teeth. Ahuizotl walked towards the entrance, with a snap of his tail his cats rose from their beds and followed him. "What about breakfast?" Daring asked, yawning as she reluctantly followed him.

"I have already eaten." He replied.

She rolled her eyes. Of course.

"Come, it is almost sunrise and soon the others would be awake."

"It's almost sunrise?!" She shouted.

"Come!" He demanded, already fed up with her morning attitude. "I must take you where I found my brothers."

"Fine!" she snorted whipping her mane back. On the way out she grabbed her headpiece and placed it on her head. She caught up to Ahuizotl and made sure to keep her distance from his cats. "Take me where you found them."

Birds cawed in the distance, adding a rather empty feeling to the campsite. As they walked, no one spoke, the warriors went about their duties in silence. A few were bringing in more firewood, the light from the breakfast fires long since faded. The grey smoke rose and settled high among the trees blocking the harsh morning light, creating a haze around the valley. They tread lightly through the middle of the camp, Ahuizotl's cats stalked carefully behind their master, effortlessly avoiding any of the jungle debris. It wasn't long before they entered the thick brush. After only a few hundred feet before Ahuizotl stopped.

Daring Do looked around, the ground in front of them was barren, there was no grass or weeds blanketing the floor. Besides the naked forest floor, not much was out of place. Frowning, she took a step forward and immediately, a large bloodstain covering the floor told her that this was their destination. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she crouched down. Touching the slightly moist earth, she looked up at Ahuizotl.

"This is where I found the second." He said keeping his voice low.

Daring stared at the blood, most of it had already sunk into the soil, giving it a muddy black appearance. Flies were swarming around her, filling the air with their incessant buzzing. Waving her hoof kept a majority of them away from her face, and hopefully her tail would be able to swish away any others.

As she analyzed the area around her, Daring realized that the heavy foliage that helped keep the campsite behind them hidden, was also responsible for the murders remaining unseen. However, another thought occurred to her as she heard various warriors shouting to each other from the camp. If no pony saw the murder happen because of the plants... What was stopping them from hearing it?

She walked around the bloodstain, pushing apart bushes and looking at the nearby trees, trying to find any sign of a struggle or a discarded weapon. When she found nothing the third time around she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Nothing. There's absolutely nothing. No broken branches, no ripped leaves, no damn hoof steps, there's nothing!" She said, facing Ahuizotl, "It's as if he never even fought back."

"How can't he not fight back?" He questioned. "He was formidable, and yet he was killed without defending himself?"

It was unthinkable."Show me where you found the kid."

"It's this way.." He said pointing deeper into the forest. She followed from behind as they walked farther away from camp. The thought came to her mind that Ahuizotl might be leading her to her own grave. She touched her side feeling the handle of her whip strapped underneath her dress. She notice that the cats began to spread out, going into a v-formation, the larger cats were set at the back going behind Daring while the lynx and leopard took the the front. Daring saw that the white cat climbed up Ahuizotl's back, maneuvering itself skillfully before sitting on his shoulder. The house cat function was more of a companion to him than an actual killer like the other four but that didn't stop it from entering into a fight, it couldn’t snap anypony's neck but it sure could claw out your eyes. It already tried with Daring.

The forest became denser. Ahuizotl pushed away the fauna with ease while Daring jumped over thickets and logs. Her hooves sank into the earth from rainfall which concerned her. The evidence could have easily been washed away. She lifted her hoof caked with mud and leaves, she shook it slightly feeling the mud already drying making it difficult to walk. Her eyes glance to the right where the Bengal tiger was and her eyes darted back and forth in confusion, she had made a mistake. She had entered a forest with her most deadly enemy, with four of the deadliest felines in the world and she had lost sight on them. She whirled around, her eyes squinted in a steely gaze trying to find the cats. The brush and trees provided cover that she couldn't see through. It was silent.

The sound of her breath increased in volume, there were no birds, even the wind had stopped blowing.

"Secluded isn't it?" Ahuizotl mused, he had his back at her as he lifts his head towards the sky. Noticing the change in the forest. "Not a sound to be heard...perhaps no pony would hear your screams."

Her breath hitched, her eyes darting back and forth. Adrenaline heightening her senses. Where are those cats?! She leaned forward and felt her hooves sink deeper in the soft mud. He let out a sigh, turning his head halfway to her. His eyes quickly went cat-like and whirled at her.

"Do not move!" He shouted. Her eyes narrowed and moved to grab her whip, only to feel her hooves restricted in the mud. He darted towards her.

"Back off!" She warned, bending her legs ready to fight him off. He stopped immediately, an arms length away from her. She jumped back only to twist her right foreleg, she let out a grunt of pain. She was stuck in the mud and felt her herself sink deeper.

"You fool!" He snarled. "You wandered into quicksand!"

She looked at him in bewilderment. "Quicksand?!" She immediately went still but her right leg buckled from the sprain she took causing her to grind her teeth, and struggle trying to lessen the pain, only to make herself sink deeper. The mud now took half the height of her legs.

Ahuizotl growled from the annoyance of the situation. "I shall lift you out." He whips out his tail, luckily it was long enough to reach her at a safe distance or else he would have been stuck with her. He wrapped the tail around her and pulled. She let out a shout of pain finally being pulled out but her leg damaged. She was pulled towards him and set her down on her side.

"Are you damaged?" He asked boredly putting his hand out, finding her clutching her leg.

"Don't touch me!" She snarled pulling away from him. He retracted his hand placing it back on the ground. "I'm fine!"

"If you have been paying attention you wouldn’t have injured yourself." He snapped coldly. She hugged her injured leg, eyeing it, wondering if she had broken it or tore a muscle. She hissed in pain feeling it throb, a pulling sensation jolted up her leg throughout her body. She curled into it going to a fetal position desperately trying to lessen the pain. She needed to place it in cold water, and put a stilt on it. Ahuizotl let out a grunt, he wanted to get to the clearing where he found the youngling but first he had to deal with the injured. She was really trying his patience.

"I need to find a river!" she growled lowly to him fighting to scream in agony. She flapped her wings but the fabric of the dress made it impossible to hover. She decided to get up and limp, with only one step in she topples over to her side. He rolled his eyes at her failing attempts. He pressed his two fingers into his mouth letting out a sharp whistle. Immediately his predators returned to his side in a matter of seconds, emerging from their hiding place to attend him. He motioned to his panther, making it go up to Daring and moving her onto its back.

Daring made no motion to fight back, the pain of her leg was the only thing on her mind. The panther stalked carefully but quickly, as it followed Ahuizotl, the other cats ran up ahead clearing out any sort of threat that might be lurking in the woods. It wasn't long until Daring heard the thrashing of a river. It was below them as they stood on a hill, the bank was moist and slippery while jagged rocks waited below.

The cats backed away from the slope, knowing that they were not skilled enough to slid in, let alone to climb out. Ahuizotl lifted Daring off with his tail, making his panther wait with the others. Ahuizotl eyes the branches of the trees embedded into the soil, slanted towards the river waiting to fall. He looked at the ones with their roots still deep and most healthy to climb on. With a leap down, he began to swing himself down towards the water, his hand held tightly to the branches which held from the power of his weight and momentum. He landed on all fours on a smooth boulder, the water a few inches away from them. The river cut through smoothly, where there was no rapids, the water was only a few feet deep.

He placed her gently into the water, making her lean her head against the boulder to keep herself from drowning. The cold sensation to the water made her sigh in relief, as the pain lessened, but now she was soaking wet in freezing water.

"Has your pain been relieved?" Ahuizotl asked, wanting to continue where they left off. "We must reach to the other murder site."

Daring lifted her hoof out the water giving it a shake. Three pops rang but it did not made her wince in pain, but she could feel that it was sore.

"Yeah..Its okay for now, just a pulled muscle." She pulled herself out going on the boulder, drenched from her neck to her tail. The dress was adding weight. Ahuizotl suddenly grabbed at her injured leg with his left hand.

"We must make sure that it is just that, Miss Do." he started twisting her leg side to side giving it a once over.

"Let go of me Ahuizotl-I said I'm f-" He gave her a tight squeeze making it crack, she shrieked in pain. Making him let out a hum.

"Just as I thought, it is worse than you suspected." he mused. She retracted her hoof, cradling it as she turned to him in a fury.

"You egotistical maniac! It's worse because you pressed on it!" she shouted, he shrugged his shoulders showing no sense of apology, grinning at her. "You think this is funny?!"

"Please, Miss Do...you are far more damage than we realize, I did not even press hard enough to cause injury, once you see where the youngling was, we may return to camp where Izel will attend to you. He is a great medicine pony."

She rubbed her hoof gently and nodded. "Fine." she muttered.

"Until then we shall carry on like this." With his tail, he picked her up the scruff. She let out a small grumble of protest but decided to go along with it. She couldn't walk, let alone fly in fear of being seen. She held her hoof, massaging it slightly trying to get the pulsing pain to lessen. Ahuizotl made his way out of the steep slope, and continued down into the forest with his cats following behind. Daring back legs swayed side to side in each step Ahuizotl took.

While Ahuizotl kept his eyes towards the front, his ears stood up tall listening intently for any sort of hoofsteps that might be following them. He blinked keeping it tightly close for a moment, the white of eyes had turned bloodshot, his body was slightly sore and he was getting a headache. All signs of lack of sleep.

He rubbed his eyes, fighting off the need to collapse in the fauna and sleep. Sleep is too much of a reward to him, he would rest when he catches the killer. He trudged through the muck and leaves before stopping.

"This is it-his body was in the middle." he stated moving her in front of him, placing her on top of the moss. She limped forward taking a look around. In front of her was a perfect circle of moss growing, her hooves sank as water bubbled to the top. It was damp and there was no evidence of blood in the field.

She cursed under her breath, she could only speculate that the blood was washed away. She bent her head down looking closer at the moss trying to find one piece of evidence that might tell them who might have done this. She walked up towards the middle fighting off the pain. She had to find something, anything, a piece of clothing, a hoof print, or a sign of a struggle. She sat on her flank letting out a disgruntled sigh.

"Nothing...I don't see anything." she admitted. She turned back at him expecting him to tell her to look harder or threaten her for being incompetent. He bit the inside of his cheek looking over the scene.

"Neither do I...this was a waste a time," he said softly, with a hint of frustration. "I thought a fresh pair of eyes might see something I might have missed."

"You were here?" she asked. He nodded.

"Last night," he answered. Her eyes widen slightly, she didn't hear him wake up. She usually heard any sort of sound, sleeping with one eye open as the saying goes. "I wanted to make sure I did not miss anything, but I saw nothing...with you validating it, I can say this with confidence," he exhaled turning away. "There is nothing here for us."

Daring frowned, he was serious on catching whoever killed his tribe ponies. She could see it in his eyes, the tiredness and disappointment. Even anger, towards himself. She had never seen him act this way before. He sniffed, quickly going back to a stern look.

"We must go back, Izel will look at your leg." he put out his hand grabbing her. She was silent until they made it back towards camp.

Ahuizotl put her down before they entered into camp, as her cover, she was his bodyguard if she was found injured and carried by her superior, the others would find her weak and start to question her and Ahuizotl. As a leader of the tribe, he was ruthless and mercifulness, if seen carrying her they might think that he was going soft.

Daring gritted her teeth and with her head up high limped alongside Ahuizotl as they entered into the campsite. The tribe ponies were up and about, already eating their breakfast and sharpening their tools and weapons. As if they weren't sharp enough, thought Daring. She saw the tribe ponies peer up at their master and looked away to look at her. This time instead of looking away, they were staring at her. She pretended not to notice but the air was tense, something was not right. The cats were wired up, their fur standing on end feeling the tension coming from their master even though when Daring notice, his stern appearance never falter.

The camp suddenly became silent, which made her go on edge becoming difficult to keep her composure. They almost made it to Ahuizotl's tent when Daring was attacked.

With a plate of food slammed across her face. She teetered over the side but managed to catch her footing hitting Ahuizotl's arm. She shook her head, now instead of her mane drenched with water, it was porridge. She was slow to respond as she calmly looked at her assailant to find the same mare with the scars, shouting at her. Almost demanding something from her. She gave her a blank look, from not understanding their language, which made the mare become furious. Ahuizotl stepped forward, putting his arm in front of Daring, almost protectively as he addressed the mare.
He calmly stated a set of sentences to her and looked at Daring, motioning her to get inside of the tent. She walked inside flicking her mane, bits of porriage hit the ground. While Ahuizotl spoke with the mare, Daring grumbled bitterly as she stroked her mane, cleaning it out. He walked inside, once the curtain closed behind him he addressed her.

"She has challenged you to battle with her when the sun goes down today." He said bluntly.

"What?...why?" she demanded continuing to pick porriage out of her mane.

"She thinks of you as unworthy to be an 'Untouchable', and wanted you to prove to her and everyone in the tribe that you are worthy to stay by my side."

She snorted. "Well, tell her to shove it up her-!"

"I have agreed to spectate." He answered quickly.

"You did what?!..I'm not fighting anypony!"

"It is out of my control." he stated calmly. She slammed her hoof in protest but immediately regretted it as she stomped with her injured leg. Ahuizotl rolled his eyes and walked passed her going to a small urn. "You are acting like a foal, what do you have to worry about?" he asked opening the top of the urn. Daring clutched on her leg tightly, taking in sharp breaths, like she was ready to give birth.

"I have a lot to worry about." Daring growled, fighting with the pain. "Like this leg for one!"

She watched as Ahuizotl dip his right hand into the urn, his fingers dipped inside smeared with a green paste. He turned back to her showing her the green paste, that looked like foal food but smelled like sweet mint.

"This shall lessen the pain." he explained walking back to her and took her leg by force making her wince.

"Get off me!" she yelled, she punched his hand making him loosen his grip. She jumps back protectively covering her leg. Ahuizotl shook his hand letting out a snarled from her attack. He turns his injured hand into a fist.

"You stubborn mare, I am trying to help you!"

"No thanks! it's obvious you have no idea how to take care of injured ponies!" she argued motioning to her leg. "I rather have that pervert Cabelleron touch me than you!"

She was suddenly grabbed around her torso by Ahuizotl's tail and pulled harshly through the cloth into his room. She began to punch and kick wildly at him trying to get him to let go of her, but her limbs waved wildly as Ahuizotl hand his fingers on her shoulders and waist locking onto her like a vest. She was slammed on the pillows while it lessen the blow on hitting the ground it still made her shout out. Her yells were quickly muffled as Ahuizotl wrapped a piece of cloth over her mouth in between her teeth swiftly tying it in a knot.

"There!" he growled triumphantly as he tried to hold her still, her legs still kicking. "Now you have no choice in this matter." He grabbed her injured leg again making her yell out, but muffled enough that no pony outside would be able to hear. With his right hand he began to smear the green paste onto her hoof, making sure to spread it over her whole leg. Its consistency was like glue but as Ahuizotl began to rub it onto her writhing leg, the color disappeared and a cooling sensation filled her arm and the inner pain started fading away. She slowly began to calm down feeling that it was working, the smell of the mint filled her nostrils clearing her airways.

Ahuizotl began to knead her arm with his fingers, his thumb gingerly rubbing the back of her hoof where the pain was centered. With the medicine placed it did not hurt, the pain was still there but with Ahuizotl massaging it, it felt...good.

She eyed him closely, wondering if her might give her a harsh pull and damage her leg severely. His hand-tail still held her down while he gently massaged her arm. His thumb rubbed against it counter clock wise, she felt her muscle pop with each rotation. Her eyelids began to flicker, whatever was in the green paste was making her become overwhelmingly relaxed. Which was extremely dangerous when in the same room with a sociopath. Her head fell back, the pillows slowly starting to feel like a cloud.

Ahuizotl let out a dark chuckle.

"You were always so easy to catch when injured, Miss Do." He started noticing that she was getting drowsy. She shook her head trying to keep herself alert. "Under any other circumstance, if you are like this, I would have easily taken a bite of your jugular." He admitted smoothly. She turned her head to the side looking at him with hate and disgust from him touching her and holding her down so easily. He let out a small laugh, bearing his canines in a large grin.

"Your eyes so full of hate and anger, Miss Do, I see the same thing from my warriors that I often wonder if you are part tribe-pony...you must really hate it when I touch you." He whispered lowly with a hint of amusement in his voice. He used his other free hand to grab her injured arm, lifting it up slightly to cup her elbow. Her eyes narrowed and quickly began to struggle. He ignored her as he rubbed his fingers up and down her arm feeling every muscle. Her breath hitched and her struggling ceased. He looked back to her finding her head to the side, her eyelids half closed. He let out a small growl of excitement.

"Getting sleepy...Miss Do?" He said jokingly. "Hmm how easily you lowered your guard, it must be this herbal medicine. You see, it has mint and white chestnut flower with a hint of chamomile. It tends to relax the muscle, and make a pony a little more manageable."

She let out a soft groan in response before closing her eyes completely.

"Am I interrupting, my Lord?" Ahuizotl turned to find his advisor with his head peering inside holding a blank look. Ahuizotl raised a brow and noticed the situation he was in. He let out a scoff at his advisor's attempt of a joke.

"Please come in, Izel, I was just applying the ointment onto her, she has suffered a sprained hoof."

"Yes it is quite obvious, especially when you trying to take advantage of your enemy.."

Ahuizotl let out a glare and moved away dropping her arm.

"Do not be ridiculous Izel." He said sternly. "I do not have time for trivial matters."

"Of course my lord," Izel said respectively, not wanting Ahuizotl's temper to catch fire. He picked up Daring's limp hoof, rubbing his own on top of it.

"She has a strained tendon, very bad, it will take three days to heal....that is not good when she is fighting against Aila." He said looking over Daring who slept soundly. He shook his head in disbelief that she actually fell asleep.

He took out his medical instruments that he had in his saddle bag. He took out a set of therapeutic needles. Ahuizotl watched from the side and let out a snort.

"I have seen her fight with her wing broken, she will be fine against Aila." Ahuizotl replied. Izel began to stab the needles into her hoof getting into the injury and pressure points.

"Why do we have this mare here, My Lord?" Izel asked seriously. He put his hoof gently on the ballpoint of a needle rotating it slowly.

Ahuizotl pressed his lips together.

"We need her Izel." Ahuizotl stated.

"No, we do not." Izel argued. "She is a distraction, a nuisance, we don't need her to find the killer, what we need to do is weed him out."

"How?...For him to kill more of our brothers and sisters? perhaps he might make a mistake, or best yet we might even catch him in the act." he exclaimed mockingly. Izel began to pull the needles out one by one.

"No..." he said slowly. "but confiding with your enemy, this Daring Do, the one who always stopped you in your plans, made a fool of you,she is the only pony I know that has even bested you once in battle."

"She caught me off guard."

"Even so...as your advisor I bid you to change your mind and kill her while she sleeps." He said taking out the last needle. "I have a dagger in my bag if you wish to use it." he took out a short sharp dagger holding it out to Ahuizotl. He blinked at his old advisor.

"Put that away. We will not kill her...at least not today. If she does her job we will let her live, if not, I will think about killing her."

"As you wish-" his advisor sighed putting the dagger away. "Her hoof will feel much better when she wakes, but if something or somepony were to damage it again, the pain would slow her down."

"I will keep that in mind." Ahuizotl replied, "You may go..."

"Of course, my Lord" he bowed before taking his leave. Ahuizotl looked back at Daring, who slept peacefully. He let out a chuckle noticing how different she was when she slept. Her face was much more relaxed than the scowl she kept. He rubbed his eyes, thinking about what Aila had done. He could not refuse a warrior fighting another, if he was to do that, it would lead his tribe into suspicion especially the killer. Yet, he was confident Daring would win, Aila didn’t know her fighting style, but he could not help but feel on edge.

Author's Note:

Thank you Leapingriver, Honeyglen and nioniosbbb for being my editors.
Sorry for the long wait, but I have school, work and school so, it might be a while for the next one. I'm trying to update my stories as soon as possible but I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. ^_^

Comments

[SCP Pinkamena]

What I don't get is how something this good is flying under the radar of everyone else...

[Hellblazer]

I really enjoyed this. Can't wait for the next chapter!