A home once was

A paw shot up to hold her nose. It ached a little and Kien got a whiff of the smell of the rifle. Probably filled with gun powder, bullets, what not. She's not an expert in guns. Rude much... she muttered.

It was then that Xavier froze. Staring in wonder, Kien studied the melting ice. Quick thinking got her to understand what had happened. Who would have done it besides his brother. She emitted a short laugh and started to walk back towards Juem.

He's not my brother. Kien said when she heard what the Anubi spoke. Thanks for inviting us. We'd love to visit your village. Juem looked at Kien with a brow raised.

<span style='color:steelblue'>An Anubi village? Kien, what if we're... killed? If it's dangerous?</span> he said to her, now wanting to go back more than ever. The Anubi had already started to run towards the village. Kien ignored Juem and followed the stranger. Juem was left standing under blazing heat as he considered in following Kien or not.

 

Talon growled and nodded at Hakuen. With a savage hit with the end of his partisan the ice shattered, dropping a ruffled, and certainly wet looking Xavier. <span style='color:red'>Bastard...</span> Xavier pouted and got up, already close to dry due to the sun. He chipped off a piece of ice and popped it in his mouth, noisily sucking it as he walked lazily after Hakuen. Talon was soon to follow, after breaking off a piece of ice for himself. So the spell won't go to waste... He told himself, acknowledging his aching hands from the aftershock. Both brothers began to jog after Hakuen, the gleam of metal replacement claw and partisan blade clear in the desert sun...

 

Kien studied the acient ruin. There were pieces of evidence that told what life they'd lived. She listened to what Hakuen was saying about her village. Again, she could only understand half of what she said. Kien made a mental note that when she get back to Janardan, she'd take that thick Ramathian book she was supposed to read and read it. She looked at the Temple. It seemed newer than how the rest of the village looked like. "How old is this village?" she asked Hakuen.

Juem half jogged, half ran and practically took all his will to stop focusing on how hot the desert was that day. He reached the village and saw only ruins. To him, the village meant nothing, just an empty place. He found that he envied Hakuen. Envied her for having a memory of her childhood. Juem, suffering from amnesia, had tried to recover, but the furthest he'd gotten was remembering what his full name was. <span style='color:steelblue'>Do you remember where your house was?</span> he asked.

 

Talon and Xavier slowed to a walk as they drew close to the other three. Talon immediately drew off to the side and headed towards a small hut close to the High Council's Temple. After pushing the almost totally dried out mummified wooden door out of the way he stepped inside, and picked up a shattered photograph close to the door. It was half buried in the sand that had consumed the hut, drowning everything else out in a thick layer of gritty tan stuff. It was Xavier and Talon, only three or four years old, standing beside a large Sand colored Anubi that towered over the tiny children, a toothy grin plastered on his face.

<span style='color:orange'>Pohk... How could I ever forget you?...</span>

Talon sighed as he pocketed the photo, after carefully removing it from it's shattered glass frame, and then left the hut, to meet up with Xavier as he stopped beside Juem.

<span style='color:red'>Bad memories...</span>

He commented to Talon, and Talon nodded sadly. They both gazed at the temple, wondering what happened after they left... After Talon had...

<span style='color:orange'>How long after we left did the illness strike the village Hakuen?</span>

Talon asked, clearly grieving over the fact that everyone he had known, besides Hakuen, had died. Xavier seemed less troubled, but was clearly silent for once, because both of the twins had loved Pohk dearly, as an adopted father, as a mentor, and as a friend... He taught Talon how to use his partisan, showing him the ways of the ancient anubi taking him out into the desert to train, and he had played with Xavier when all the other children shunned him for popping the ball with his metal claws, even though they had to be attached after he lost his own during the attack...

 

Juem looked over Talon's shoulder to see what the anubi had in his paw. <span style='color:steelblue'>Who is that?</span> he asked while he studied the picture. It was really old, faded and it was a little crumpled. But the images were clear enough to see.

Wow that's a long time... Kien commented, after hearing what Hakuen said. Juem, her house is here. she translated Hakuen's answer and pointed to the place Hakuen had mentioned. Turning back to the anubi femme, she asked, No one ever found what the illness was?

 

Talon Sighed, at glanced down at the picture, before turning to Juem.

<span style='color:orange'>It's an old friend of mine, long since passed on supposedly... He acted as Xavier and my guardian, caring for us... We lived with him... Until we were banned from the village...</span>

He ignored Xavier's suspicious look at Juem and looked back at the picture, before tucking it away in his robes.

<span style='color:red'>Well the village looks thrashed...</span>

Xavier commented after a few moments of silence, and then started walking off into the long abandoned huts to the right. He was soon lost to sight...

 

<span style='color:steelblue'>Banned from the village? Why?</span> Juem asked. He didn't really feel comfortable with Xavier there, but Juem found that he was curious about the anubi life.

Kien looked at Hakuen and then Talon. She's right, you know? He's always there. She looked at the ground. I know how it's like to lose someone close to you.

 

Talon seemed uneasy at the question of why he was banned, but relunctantly answered, aftering shifting the tiniest bit.

<span style='color:orange'>Me and my brother have a small, problem, in that we're hosts to a pair of sick ancient spirits, cruelly evil beings who change our bodies around when they decide to take control, and make our lives anything but normal, we've killed many innocent people while under the influence of the beings, and due to mishap in this very village, where Xavier's spirit killed several villagers, we were banished from this place, forced to leave Pohk, my guardian, and Hakuen, both dear friends... I'm glad to see that Hakuen is still alive, but Pohk...</span>

He trailed off, lowering his head to stare at the sand. He remained like this for several moments, until a shout from Xavier made his head snap up.

<span style='color:red'>WHAT THE?!...</span>

Then silence. Talon immediately started jogging towards the direction of the brief, cut off shout, his robes flailing around and his partisan grasped firmly in his hand...

 

Kien immediately dashed after Hakuen. The voice that Xavier had made didn't excactly sound as if everything was alright. She mentally check if she'd brought any weapons with her. It would come in useful if there was a not so good encounter.

Juem was about to prod more when Xavier had shouted. Talon had passed him and was running towards the sound. Before he knew it, Hakuen and Kien were also running after. He had no idea what Hakuen said but he had heard a slight hint of urgency in her voice. He turned, run and began to follow them. Juem didn't like surprises and he would very well leave for Swaraj now. But being a sick good hearted person as he is, he decided to help. Besides, he couldn't leave Kien.

 

Talon slid to a halt suddenly, teetering over the edge of a large and nasty looking black pit.

<span style='color:orange'>Hello!?</span>

He called down, and then without hesitating, he jumped down into the hole, and a dull thud was heard, followed by an;

<span style='color:orange'>OW!!!</span>

From far below, before silence...

 

Kien and Juem halted behind Hakuen before she made her jump below. Kien peered down in the hole, deciding whether or not to follow. Taking a deep breath, she took her plunge. It was not a really long fall nor a short one. By instinct, she spreaded her wings out. It acted like a parachute and soon, she was on the ground. Unhurt.

Juem followed suit, first giving time for Kien to touch the ground. He didn't want to be landing on her. Like Kien, he also spreaded his wings so slow his fall.

Juem? Kien called. It was quite dark and her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet.

<span style='color:steelblue'>Here. Where's the rest?</span>

Don't know

 

The sound of retreating footsteps came suddenly, from seemingly all directions. Then an echo, until there were several pairs of feet trampling everywhere around them, just out of the circle of light created by the hole above. It seemed like an entire empty room underneath the entire village. The footsteps continued before suddenly stopping with a dull distant thud. Then a drum chorus began, war drums far off in the darkness... There was absolutely no sign of Talon or Xavier...

 

Juem turned at the sound of his name. He nudged Kien and pointed somewhere to his left. But that time, his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness and he hoped that Kien's had too. <span style='color:steelblue'>Hakuen? Is that you?</span> he called through the darkness and the mysterious beating of drums.

Kien turned towards Hakuen's voice and the sound of beating drums. Her eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness but her hearing was sharp. Hakuen? she called out. We're here! Keep talking I'm going to try to find you. Is Talon or Xavier there with you?

 

The drum chorus suddenly escalated, and the figures moving in the darkness suddenly came quicker and closer. Finally, all at once, torches lit and the drums stopped, revealing a large chamber with entrances off to the sides, like being inside a spider. A brighter light came from a corridor off to Hakuen's left, as where all the other exits were dark and massive stone figures of Anubi warriors stood between every doorway. A faint wind could also be felt, from somewhere up above, as well as from all the doorways.

<span style='color:purple'>Follow The Light, To Be Plunged Into The Darkness...</span>

Came a young 'dragon's voice from all around them, and a small ball of light appeared, before floating off towards the lit up doorway...