Big doggos and scratches
Sep. 27th, 2020 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
summoning_godsHis death and the end of his bloodline had been faked, his 'tomb' had been sealed with the mummy of an unknown man inside and a 'young' teen hiding between the shadows. When the former pharaoh stopped aging properly, something carrying over from a 'curse' his father's actions brought to the whole family, people worshiped him as a god reincarnated... but it didn't take more than a decade for priests to turn their back in his direction and start accusing him of horrible things- the 'eternally young man' couldn't be but a bringer of bad luck, right?
He was painted as a walking bad omen, realizing what was happening only when his public image had already been tainted, and... well, he and his most trusted priests, Set and Mahado, made sure the Pharaoh would 'die' in front of everyone. The charred remains that were found in the middle of a fire, barely preserved enough to be mummified, convinced most things and Atem prepared himself for a long wait-
Set was supposed to come back, eventually, and unlock the door to the tomb where he was hidden. Mahado was their 'contingency plan', in case Set couldn't find a way to travel to the Valley of Kings (even in his elder age, Set was a good contender as possible pharaoh, at least considering the fact Atem wasn't going to leave any heir behind). He was supposed to be allowed to walk in freedom again, to become a protector of his beloved kingdom from the shadows... yet no one came.
Hours turned into days, days into weeks, even if it was difficult to keep track of time in a completely sealed tomb... Atem could tell enough time passed for both his most trusted people to pass. Their children too, possibly. And then the children of their children and... and he just accepted no one would come.
The doors leading to the inner chambers had been all 'decorated' with desperate scratches from the inside. At first his hands were 'normal', they were humanoid, but when his powers and his ability to fight the curse with those waned- well, hands were replaced by paws. Large one, dangerous ones, and even there his claws could only scratch the stone surface without doing any actual progress in granting him freedom. It was perhaps in the second or the third decade as prisoner of his own tomb that Atem finally gave up, hiding back in the secret chamber built just to hide a stone bed for him and... sleeping.
He didn't know exactly when he finally woke up- but by the time he came to his senses there were noises inside his tomb. The now-jackal's tail instinctively moved back and forth as he got up on his legs, but as soon as his mind cleared and it dawned on him that none of his people could still be alive? Atem let out a growl. If thieves were desecrating his final 'place of rest' he was going to make them pay.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-27 09:47 pm (UTC)Look, who wouldn't be?
It was a Pharaoh that was said to be without a face or name, charred in magical flame in order to protect Egypt from a great evil. Not that he thought that was the actual truth, but it was always fun to pretend.
That was what happened when you were the grandson of a former treasure hunter and gambler, with connections in the archaeology world.
Heck, that was the only way he was able to get in here to begin with. Did you think a college student would be able to get into the recently opened tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh alone?
... yes, because he got lost.
He was lost, he was hot, and he was now hearing something like growling on the other end of the chamber--
"Hello...?" He called.
Gods, please tell him a wild animal didn't somehow get in here!
no subject
Date: 2025-09-27 10:04 pm (UTC)The doors had to be open now, right? If this person -Atem couldn't hear more than a set of footsteps- survived all traps and moved deep inside the inner chambers then... then the way out had to be- ah! And here he thought the gods abandoned him! If he could thank the faceless bastard, he would! The simple idea of possibly feeling the breeze upon his skin -well, fur- was enough to make him careless as he stepped into the other's light almost with a bounce and... stopped. Mostly in confusion.
That... man. Whoever he was? His hairstyle was basically identical to his own and even if the features were slightly different and the skin pale like the one of the merchant coming from the north...
A descendant, perhaps?
Not Atem's, of course, he never took a partner nor he had a wife, the curse was to die with him, but... perhaps his father had other children? And those perhaps sired more kids and- and maybe they had some right to be there? For how many generations did the Pharaoh sleep in that tomb? The eccentric and nonsensical clothes the other man was wearing almost confirmed his theory of him being related with some exotic merchants.
Unable to ask any question, the 'jackal' merely stood there in the light, neither offering a friendly body language (why should he, after all?) nor an aggressive one.]
no subject
Date: 2025-09-27 11:55 pm (UTC)Why did he find something that looked interesting -- a mural depicting a man on fire on the wall, as well as the eye of horus -- and then follow what looked to be a pathway down into this stuffy old chamber? Everyone else was halfway down the hall when he stumbled off!
(Yuugi, that was a secret passage.
You were led down a passage that appeared before you, just as your hand dared to touch the mural.
As only one with pure intentions and a good heart had the power to unseal the pharaoh and bring him out of his prison. Otherwise, people would take advantage of him and steal his power for their ends...)
Yuugi swallowed, and then a...
...
A dog entered the light.
A big dog, but definitely a dog. He didn't look mangy, rabid, or anything else, either. He just looked...
...
Okay, he looked gorgeous. Look at that golden fur! Look at those eyes! They were quick to melt any heart, he was sure of it. That was a giant puppy and he somehow got himself caught in this place without his owner, the poor thing!]
Oh, you scared me, boy! I thought you were...
[Yuugi shook his head.]
Nevermind that. You...are you lost? Is your owner anywhere?
no subject
Date: 2025-09-28 04:45 am (UTC)Only a fool wouldn't be careful in front of a creature like that.
A dangerous Jackal and a tomb's guardian, as if Anubis himself left someone to protect the remains of the cursed prince. A warning, perhaps, not to disturb something so awful it was better trapped forever in the depth of an abandoned tomb, left without pets or proper supplies for the afterlife. Then again, they all pretended the pharaoh had been buried with everything he required, didn't they?
Boy... tsk.]
Be careful with your words, fool.
[If he had been human, his words would have been intimidating, fierce, yet only a bark escaped his mouth in that form. A shame, truly, yet the maybe-thief-maybe-family didn't seem intimidated at all. That... was okay. For now he was allowed to live regardless, especially because stopping for one moment to think about it- who said the way out didn't require opposable thumbs to be reopened?
Fine. He was going to be the boy as long as he had to be one. Atem was to observe the other man in the meanwhile and choose if he was to die by his own fangs or not only by the time he was finally outside.
The Jackal took in a deep breath, as if he was trying to calm himself in a rather 'human' way and took a few steps forward before taking a seat not too far from the human. Tch, as if Atem could have an owner]
no subject
Date: 2025-09-28 03:39 pm (UTC)He was quite big, though. Did dogs normally get this big? He was almost bigger than Yuugi?]
You're a really pretty dog, though. I wonder who would have kept you? You're big, bigger than most dogs I've seen. But from your fur, you're definitely healthy. Probably some kind of showdog, huh? You don't have a collar, though, so I'm not sure...
[Could he try touching him?
Better not, right?
Not when he didn't know him well, and didn't grampa always tell him not to get too close to strange animals?
But...]
Hmmm...Are you hungry? I might have something you could eat. It's probably been a bit since you've had anything, right? I have water too, but I don't have a bowl or anything...