[Amon/Alex's POV] *Continuation of chapter "Sport for Kings"*
"Shit!" he cursed, already reaching for the next two arrows, but he knew the animal would be able to reach him before he would be able to fire his arrow. Not to mention what would happen if the lioness decided she wanted a piece of him too. This miscalculation would probably cost him his life. The hyena sprang for him, its jaw hanging wide open, large pointy teeth closing in on his head fast! But before the large animal or Amon could do anything, a second lioness knocked it away and ripped its throat out effortlessly, blood splattering everywhere.
Amon froze.
Two lionesses? Even though Amon was glad the beast had helped him, this was going to be a problem. Lions were much more efficient hunters than hyenas, not to mention that they were larger and stronger. He placed another arrow on the string, his movement deliberately slow as to not provoke the large cats, and held it ready to attack, but froze as he noticed the animals disinterest in him. The lioness in front of him was gladly liking the spilled blood from its paws and the other had closed its eyes contently and lain down.
Another wave of goosebumps overwhelmed him at the sight of the two content cats. What was this? How could they relax with a stranger who had killed a bunch of other animals right in front of it?! Had he missed something? Was there a third lioness he hadn't seen? He frantically looked around, but nothing happened.
Amon lowered his bow in confusion. Why didn't the lionesses attack him? The way they were acting now reminded him of tame house cats.
The animal who had killed the third hyena cleared her nose loudly and lazily walked towards him with a grace only large cat-predators possessed. Amon didn't dare to move. If he made a sudden move, he could end up as a cat toy. Even though, it was obvious the large cats didn't harbour any ill-will against him, but still his muscles tightened, ready to run if necessary.
He didn't need to worry, apparently. The moment the lioness reached him, she sniffed his hand and rubbed her head against it lovingly. Amon dared to scratch her head lightly and the animal started purring.
"Just like a cat," Amon thought tenderly. But the gentle interaction didn't last long. Soon the majestic animal walked behind him and bumped her head into him roughly.
"Hey!" Amon complained as he stumbled a step forward, but it didn't look like it affected the animal at all. Instead it looked up ahead towards its sister. Amon followed her line of sight and noticed that the other cat had started walking away from them. She was walking towards a little lump, laying quietly in the tall grass.
Were the lions protecting it? Did they have a nest of cubs there? No, it wasn't a nest of cubs. Cubs would move. This lump was motionless.
Amon's blood ran cold as he walked over closer and noticed it was a human body they were protecting. A non-moving human body.
The body was a strange sight to see; definitely female, dressed from shoulder to ankles in rough dirty linens, skin chapped and dirty from the dessert sand, no shoes, feet raw and caked with dried blood and dirt. The majority of the visible flesh was badly burned by the sun. A thick wig had toppled from her head, and short, rough, wild, blond hair was peaking from underneath it. Amon sucked in a breath and dropped to his knees next to the body.
"Otto! Otto!" Amon screamed her name. But she didn't react. Memories of an almost forgotten life overwhelmed him and a wave of panic hit him. He gently pulled her shoulder, tilting her body so he could see her face.
It was definitely her.
What had happened to her? Was she even still alive? A second wave of despair washed over him. The goddess had said they were destined to meet, but why... ? Was this it? Was he destined to find her dead body?
"Otto, please still be alive," he begged as he touched her face haphazardly. She didn't feel cold, but it could be because her body had been exposed to the dessert sun. If she was breathing it was so faint he couldn't see it. And he couldn't hear her heart because his own pulls was ringing in his ears.
"Merenre!" he yelled with all his might. If anyone could save her, it was him. "MERENRE!"
Of course, there wasn't an immediate reaction. They must have been a few hundred meters away from where the others of the hunting party were waiting. It would take a while for him to cross the distance.
The sight of Otto's still form choked all the air straight out of him.
"Please don't be dead," he murmured softly and gathered her limp body into his arms. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and held her tightly.
"Please don't be dead," he murmured again like a charm as he felt hot tears prickling in his eyes. "You are my one hope to get back. Please don't leave me behind."
"Amon?" Merenre asked from a few meters away. "A lioness is blocking my way."
The utter confusion that could be heard in his voice almost made Amon laugh.
"Don't worry, they won't bite," Amon said. "They're send by the gods."
"Divine intervention? Here?" Merenre asked even more confused, but came closer. Once he saw Amon with the limp body in his arms it was like a light went on in his mind and he gasped: "The girl from your vision!"
"Merenre, can you tell if she's still alive?" Amon asked urgently. "Can you save her?"
Merenre looked doubtfully at her limp body.
"May I?" he asked as he moved closer. Amon frowned as he thought the question was ridiculous, but blushed as he realized how close he was holding her.
"You may," he said as he gently put her down again. His brother immediately pressed his ear to her chest and listened.
"She's alive," he said. Amon's heart fluttered with hope. "But barely."
Without further ado, Merenre took the water-skin from his belt and held the opening to her lips.
"Amon? You stand there and provide shadow for her. She's heavily burned," Merenre commanded. Amon obliged without a second thought. He watched as Merenre poured a little water into her mouth. A lot of it came pouring back out, but Merenre didn't give up. He slowly poured little bits of water into her mouth until she started to swallow.
Relief washed over Amon as he saw her breathing more defined now. She was still unconscious, but at least she was alive.
"That should be enough for now," Merenre said as he inspected the rest of her body. He hissed once he saw her feet. "We have to get her to the temple so I can treat her further."
"Give her to me. I'll carry her," Amon said as he gathered her into his arms, his one arm around her torso, his other under her knees.
"Are you sure?" Merenre asked concernedly. "You're covered in blood..."
"It's not mine. I'll be fine," Amon grumbled and started walking. Now that he had finally found her, he wasn't planning on letting go of her any time soon. It would be a trial even for this weathered and sturdy version of his body, since it was a long way to their boat. Yet, she felt light as a feather in his arms. Had she always been this small and frail? Or had he gotten bigger?
"We have to rejoin with the others first," Merenre said in an apologetic way. He must have noticed how tempted Amon had been to just hurry home without them.
When they actually did rejoin with the others, they all seemed to be shrinking away from him. What had they never seen blood before?
"We are leaving," Amon commanded with a stern voice.
"What?! You can't cut a hunting session short like this! We didn't get to kill anything," the oldest general exclaimed, his annoyance clearly audible in his voice.
"Again with the disobedience?" Amon thought. Yet, the reply annoyed him less than he thought it would have. Maybe that was because he had anticipated this reaction. Amon sighed and glared at the complaining general. "You are wasting my time."
The generals eyes widened in surprise. It looked like he'd finally realized he was walking on thin ice. His eyes shot from side to side, undoubtedly reevaluating the situation, trying to come up with a new strategy. That's when his eyes noticed the unconscious person in Amon's arms and his brow knit in confusion.
"Who's that?" the general asked doubtfully.
"A wounded woman," Amon said seriously. "She's in urgent need of further treatment. So we're leaving."
Amon didn't wait to see the general's reaction. He simply started walking.
"Merciful ruler!" the urgent shout made him stop and turn once more. This time, it was the large farm owner. He looked pale and ready to faint.
"I-I'm sorry my Pharaoh. This lowly citizen isn't worthy of accompanying you!" he nearly cried and dropped to the ground in a very humble bow. Amon froze and shot a confused glance at his brother.
"I think he's referring to the lionesses," Merenre said.
"The lionesses?" Amon asked surprised and only now noticed that the two large cats were indeed hovering around him like a protective barrier. He couldn't help but laugh. He had completely forgotten the animals were there.
"So that's why they're acting so nervous," Amon thought.
"Thank you for protecting her. We're safe now," he said in a dismissive way. He would have scratched them on the head, but his hands were full. They reacted lovingly, nonetheless, both of them rubbing their heads against his legs one last time as they left.
"That was amazing!" the scribe's son exclaimed. "Those animals were beautiful! And they were so kind?! Why did you send them off? They would have made lovely pets."
The boy's enthusiasm caught Amon off guard. Hadn't he been scared of him just a minute ago?
"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "Sekhmet is a wild and ferocious beast. She can't be kept in a small house. She needs to be free."
"That was rather poetic of you," Merenre mused when the scribe's son only looked at him in awe. Amon felt his cheeks heat up. He was used to being feared, admiration usually wasn't part of the deal.
He took a look around his hunting party. The mood was completely different now. Even the large farm owner seemed to look at him with stars in his eyes.
"Well," Amon thought, "Maybe these hunting parties aren't so bad after all."