Bloodline: The Cult of Anubis (Pt. IV)

Before they were together, Qatil had dreamed of rescuing and running off with his very own, very first temple prostitute. Of course… what young man didn’t dream the same?

But now that he knew Tikka better, and had been forced to “enjoy” her company at close range, his dreams were shattered. He’d given up stability, power, respectability and a life of service to the Pharaoh for a… well… twit.

“Don’t look! I’m going wee-wee!”

Qatil rolled his eyes and looked away. She was always like this.

“You can look if you really want to!”

He yelled back in the negative, and added an oath.

“Fine then, Mr. Anubis. Be that way!”

She stalked over the tree where he was sitting. “I don’t even think you LIKE me anymore, you big meanie-head.”

Qatil frowned. “I don’t. You have the grace of a monkey and similar sexual habits.”

She stuck out her tongue at him and went off to pout.

It was a gorgeous day. The Nile was off in the distance and they were in a patch of woods bordering the more arid scrublands of the wilderness.

They had been living there for over a month, slowly moving South and away from everything they’d ever known. Fortunately, the Nile had fish… the riverbanks were teeming with birds… and snagging heads of grain from the edges of fields was easy. Qatil no longer enjoyed grain as he had before his initiation. Compared to the salty tang of warm blood, it was unpleasantly bland. He’d been cooking his meat in front of Tikka… though if he caught something out of her line of sight, sometimes Anubis would take over and he’d wolf it.

Qatil had no idea where they were going, other than away from those who were likely to sacrifice him for his insolence towards the powers of heaven. He wished he could’ve rescued someone that was better company, though.

“Look, Qatil! I can bite my own toenails!”

Qatil heard Tikka yell at him from over fifty yards away. By the gods she was loud! Squinting against the sun, he could make her out at the base of a tree… and she was indeed biting her toenails. And so intent upon her task that she didn’t see…

RAIDERS!

“Tikka! Behind you!”

But it was too late. Two men had her pinned and another three were rooting through their meager possessions at the campsite. Qatil hesitated… and for a moment, considered leaving her.

CRACK! Something hit him in the back of the head. He spun around… three men were behind him – and one was brandishing a staff. In a flash, he transformed.

The raider with the staff took another swing as he did – and almost lost it as he realized the monster he was now facing! Qatil dodged the blow and grabbed the weapon in his mouth, snapping it like a chicken bone. The other two men were already running away. Staff man took a look at the foot-long section of hardwood remaining in his hands and turned to run. Too late! Qatil was on him and crushed his spine in a heartbeat.

He raced back to the campsite. Tikka was gone – and so were the bandits! The small baskets of grain they’d gathered had been stolen, as had his knife.

The couldn’t have gone far. He sniffed the wind. The adrenaline rush was holding – his senses were strong. On all fours, he threw himself into the woods on their trail. Sure enough, he could hear Tikka’s complaining through the woods.

“My boyfriend is gonna get you! He eats people for dinner! He’s also got a huge man organ! Bigger than yours!”

Qatil was shaking his head as he crept up on the main body of the bandits, who had now stopped, thinking themselves safe. The two who had witnessed his transformation were nowhere to be seen. His body was strong… poised… a coiled spring of mahogany fur. Closer… closer…

“BEWARE! MONSTER!”

He swung around – the other two were back behind him, crashing through the undergrowth towards the main body of bandits… sweet god of death - they’d alerted the camp! Qatil cursed his poor strategic ability and decided to go straight for the girl… he could see her between two guards, who were craning their necks towards their incoming partners.

With a shriek of demon rage, he tore into the midst of them, slashing… tearing… biting. The surprised bandits were overcome with terror as they witnessed his bloody maw and flashing eyes – their criminal exploits had never prepared them to face a full-on were-beast. All fled screaming as he slashed at their retreating forms.

After looting the half-dozen dead and finding little of value, Qatil snatched up Tikka, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of wheat.

She was unharmed, sadly, and chattered at him as he carried her out of the woods.

“I wasn’t scared, you know. I figured they would rape me, but I was used to it. I told them you’d kill them. And you did! You killed them!”

“Not all, Tikka. Some got away.”

He could feel the god power leaving him. Suddenly, the girl was getting heavier. He set her down, not sure why he’d been carrying her to begin with, other than it just seemed like something grand to do when one was out rescuing.

“You could’ve killed them all if you didn’t stay with me. You stayed with me! That’s sooooo romantic! I should sleep with you!”

“No thanks.” Now he was almost back to himself again… regular, short little Qatil. Not the terrifying visage of Anubis. The blood of the god had calmed.

The… blood…

Suddenly, it hit him. He looked at Tikka.

“How many do you think got away?”

She giggled. “I dunno. Maybe like, eight?”

He remembered biting and slashing more than the few on the ground. Some had escaped… wounded… with the blood… his bites… he had SHARED the sacred blood! Unwittingly, in his rage… he had released what the Temple had kept safe for generations.

Somewhere, off in the woods, the blood of Anubis was coursing through new veins. Men not disciplined nor contained by rites. Men who now had the strength of the gods… without their divinity. Qatil grabbed his head in his hands and fell to the ground, weeping in rage and shame.

And far off, there was heard the echoing cry of a jackal.