The king shook his head as if roused from a deep sleep and opened his eyes. He gazed around himself, disconcerted. He appeared to be back in a temple very similar to Anubis' temple, but... there were distinct differences. The air smelled old – ancient, in fact. So ancient, and yet, there was a crispness to it, a freshness that brought to mind the rebirth of the land that occurred during each rainy season. The air tingled with energy, as it did before a lightning storm, and he felt his fur stand on end along his back.
The temple itself was golden, shining with fires contained in braziers. Behind him lay an open doorway that seemed to lead out into a grand cavern with some sort of river in the distance, and in front of him rested an ornate coffin, with richly patterned markings; markings that made up pictographs including what looked vaguely like a feather, followed by some sort of bird, and then... a dog or jackal settled upon a dais? Wasn't that similar to the markings he had seen in the deity's temple earlier when he had awakened and helped Anubis to regain his vessel? The lion shivered, unnerved and uncertain, confused.
How had he come to be here? The last thing he remembered... oh, yes, he was fighting those slithering beasts that had risen from the pit, and while he battled one, another had struck at him from behind. After that, his memory cut off quite abruptly. Had Anubis brought him here?
"My friend." A warm voice suddenly echoed throughout the chamber, and the lion twitched in surprise, glancing to the side to see a pitch-black jackal pad out of the flickering shadows and light. To the lion's confusion, the black fur of the jackal appeared to be smoothly shifting in colors, with the golden spotted pelt of a jackal emerging, twisting, and joining with the black before fading away in a mesmerizing rhyme. The jackal calmly blinked its golden eyes at him. "You would not recognize me in this shape, but this is my preferred form down here when fighting is not required." The jackal smiled. "Indeed, I go by many names. 'Anpu'. 'Inpu'. 'Lord of the Sacred Land', 'Master of Secrets'... and perhaps my most sinister moniker, "the Dog who Swallows Millions'." The jackal let out a yip of laughter. "But you, you know me as Anubis, and I have fought beside you in the form of a wolf."
"Anubis?" the lion questioned, surprised. "What are we doing here? Shouldn't we be out there, fighting the minions of the Serpent?"
For the first time, a hint of sadness touched Anubis' profound golden eyes. "You have not realized it yet? We were, indeed, doing battle with the Serpent's minions, when you were taken by surprise. You... did not make it, my friend."
"What?" the lion cried out. "But I am standing right here! I am speaking with you. What do you mean, I didn't make it?"
Anubis cocked his head. "You are standing here, yes. Here, in the Duat. This is not the temple in which we first met, as I am sure you recognize. This... this is the temple that leads to the chamber where I weigh the souls of the dead against Ma'at, 'truth', and judge their worthiness." Anubis smiled sadly. "You are, indeed, dead, my friend. I have brought your soul here personally. Given you died fighting at my side, it is perhaps the least I could do."
The lion lowered his head, overwhelmed. He was dead, just like that? What would become of his pride? What... would become of the world above? "But wait," he exclaimed, jerking his gaze back up to Anubis. "We still have to stop the Serpent. He plans to swallow the sun, doesn't he? We cannot allow that to happen, Anubis!"
Anubis cast his eyes to the side, troubled. "I am aware of the fate that awaits our world, should the fight end here. And perhaps, there is a way in which you could continue to fight for your pride, for your lands." He fixed his gaze on the lion's own, now suddenly focused, serious. "I am the god of death, yes. But I am also the god of rebirth... the rebirth of souls. I animated my vessel in the land above... and perhaps, I could reanimate your own 'vessel'. You could return to your body and continue the fight, healed and whole."
The lion lashed his tail. "Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's get on with it!"
Anubis cocked his head, frowning slightly. "Slow down. There are some... conditions, unavoidable facts that are inherent to the process. I can bring you back, yes, but this would tie you to me, irrevocably." The jackal sat down, regarding the lion steadily. "You would become one of my attendants, in a sense. You would be connected to my powers, and indeed, you would gain the power to see glimpses of possible futures, and of events already passed."
The lion sat down as well, troubled. "Are you saying I would... become your servant?"
Anubis shook his head. "No, my friend. You would be your own lion. However, your link to my power would be unbreakable... and sometimes, the visions you see may become overwhelming. I can promise you a new chance at life, at defeating the Serpent. I cannot promise you that your sleep will always be restful, or that your dreams will not be troubled with images of events far from your physical sight. As well, names are tied intrinsically to powers... your name will become that of your newfound ability; your new power will become the embodiment of your new name. If that is acceptable to you, however... we can, indeed, 'get on with it'."
The lion paused, considering his options. But then, he really had no other options to consider, did he? "Very well," he said. "I wish to return to the world of the living, and I accept the conditions that will come with it."
Anubis smiled. "In turn, I will return to the body of the wolf and continue to battle by your side, until the fall of the Serpent. After all, was it not you who reminded me that a god of death could bring death to even the Serpent... if only for a time?" Stepping silently forward, his black tail whisking lightly behind him, Anubis approached the lion, who laid down to be on level with the jackal's focused gaze. Sitting before the lion, Anubis raised one paw and pressed the soft paw-pad against the lion's forehead, just between his eyes. In a solemn voice, heavy with the weight of godly power, Anubis spoke, "You will live again, you will breathe, love, hunt, and fight. Such is my command. I name you Visions... and you shall now wake."
In an instant, the lion's vision went black as the world shifted around him. Life rushed back through him and his soul reestablished control of his fallen body, as the power of Anubis healed the wounds inflicted upon the lion's form, bringing life back to the formerly crippled vessel.
Hearing the familiar sound of the Savannah around him, feeling the grass and dirt beneath his belly, heated by the sun, the lion sighed. He breathed in the scents of flora and fauna surrounding him... and the unnatural tang of the slithering minions' vile forms. One more scent joined the others; the familiar scent of incense, mixed with the scent of a wolf and of some, undefinable but ancient component. Anubis sat beside him.
Visions opened his eyes.
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written by #430441
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