Author's Note: Yuuki~desu! Okay guys, I think you'll probably be wondering what the heck I've done with the timeline approximately in the second half of this chapter. So here's the info: It is set on the day of following the one of coronation of the Pharaoh Atem, but Bakura's main attack won't happen for a few weeks or even months! (I haven't decided yet.) Just to make it clear :)
Chapter 4: Taming
I roared as I felt the sudden sensation of cold water engulfing my body.
My survival instincts kicked into high gear as I swam, hoping I was heading up and not down. My prayers were answered as my head broke through the surface and I desperately gasped for air.
As my eyes still stung from the contact with water, I had to rely on my other senses to figure out just where I was.
The first thing I realized was that the water was by no means salty. Which was a good sign. Hopefully.
Also, my pants were coming back in echoes and along with slushing sound the water made when meeting with a hard surface. From that, I guessed I was in a cave. But then, there was too much sunlight for it to be a cave.
I reached out with my hand, trying to grasp onto something. The initial contact with the hard surface however wasn't successful as my hand merely slipped along it. It was slick. I tried again, this time using my claws to hold myself in place.
Once I didn't have to worry about drowning, I calmed down a bit and concentrated on my breathing instead.
Thanks to the deep breaths I took, I quickly caught onto the smell of overwhelming humidity and a hint of staleness, meaning the water was there constantly.
Adding all that to the fact I jumped into a well...
It didn't take a genius to realize I really was in a well. Just that this one wasn't dried up.
Lucky, aren't I? I snorted bitterly.
I blinked several times to get the water out of my eyes. And when I did, I was relieved to see that it wasn't a long way up to the surface and dry ground.
I braced myself for what was to come and jumped up. I used my claws like hooks as I slowly made my way up.
Just don't slip. I repeated in my head over and over.
After agonizing minutes of straining my muscles and forcing my claws into the hard stone walls, I was out of the hell hole called 'well'.
If anyone ever tries to tell me that wells are source of life as they are source of water, I'll rip their heads off. I swore to myself silently.
I didn't get a good look around because I started to feel dizzy, but I sure as hell freaked out when everywhere I looked was nothing but sand.
Then the overwhelming heat knocked me out.
I groaned second time this day as I woke up.
I was just grateful that I didn't have to fight for my life this time. At least not yet. I added as I had no idea what situation I was in.
A simple opening of my eyes told me that whatever the situation was, it was not good.
I was in a cage.
It took me a while to accept that fact, but when I did, I couldn't help but wonder why. Or how, for that matter.
If I was in my regular youkai form, there would be no need to put me in a cage as I could be restrained by simple blessed chains or spells or something. And if I was in my true form, I still wouldn't be in a cage since a cage of my size simply didn't exist as I was of the same size as my father.
That left only one option. I was in my true form, but somehow it was much smaller than usually. And by the fact there were no blessed restraints put on me, I could deduct I was of the same size as a normal leopard, making my captors mistake me for one.
Oh great. Please don't tell me I've been made into a pet! I pleaded.
Suddenly, a cloth that covered the cage and prevented me from seeing anything, was lifted.
To my left stood the perpetrator of my sudden meeting with reality. Judging by the spear he was holding in his hand, he was most likely a guard. Though I've never seen a guard wear a white skirt with a white loincloth over it and a white headdress made of white fabric... I ignored the guard for now as I kept looking around.
There were nine people standing before me.
All of them had a regal air around them, though the person who had the most charismatic aura was the one standing right in front of my cage, glaring down at me.
He was wearing a white tunic, but his loincloth strapped over it was light blue and he had a golden belt around his waist. Around his neck was fastened a midnight blue cape, which clashed with the lights his numerous golden accessories reflected under the sunlight.
He wore gold on almost every part of his body – his calves, his wrists, his arms, around his neck, on his forehead in form of a strange golden eye circlet and, lastly, on his ears as long earrings. The fact one of his bracelets was of an uneven shape resembling a golden bird wing baffled me a bit, but the most fascinating piece of his jewellery was the pendant hanging from a leather string on his neck. It had a shape of a pyramid, which was turned upside down, an eye ornament in its centre.
The man, just like his ensemble, was fascinating. He had bronze, obviously tanned skin, tri-coloured spiky hair and piercing purple eyes few shades darker than my own.
I had a hard time trying not to squirm under his intense gaze and sighed when he finally turned to a man standing by his right.
This man also wore excessive amounts of gold, however the design was different.
Different was even his clothing as he wore blue tunic with a white cape and some kind of a hat with a golden cobra in its centre.
The shorter man, who was obviously the taller man's superior was talking with him and he didn't sound very pleased. I had no idea what they were talking about as I did not speak their language, but I got a feeling they were talking about me.
My guess must have been right because once the men stopped talking, everyone in the room looked at me.
Okay, I've had enough. I just have to know what they're talking about!
I used one of my own fangs to cut my lip and then I whipped my head abruptly, making the few drops of blood fly in the direction of the guard.
Once it touched his exposed skin, I discreetly sent my youki into the droplets and started reciting the demonic spell for gaining information from unwilling victims in my mind. To make it work the way I wanted it to, I changed the word 'information' into 'knowledge' imagining the ability to speak while repeating the spell.
After but a blink of an eye, I gained access to the man's mind. I quickly surfed through his memories and instantly relived his first years after he was born, learning to speak along with him. I stopped when I was sure I was able to speak their language and even write using it.
I shook my head to bring myself out of the trance-like state and found that this time when the shorter man spoke, I understood him perfectly.
"Seto, is this really necessary?" he asked, sounding a more than a bit annoyed.
"It has always been our custom to gift the new Pharaoh with a feline beast. They, as holy creatures, are supposed to ward off evil." replied Seto, pointing the golden rod he was holding in my direction. "And this one is certainly special, as you can see."
The tri-colour-haired man then crouched in front of me, examining me closely.
"Yes, well... I must admit I have never seen a white leopard, not mention one with violet eyes and a purple crescent moon mark on its forehead."
Suddenly, an elder man who was silently standing to the purple-eyed man the whole time, spoke up.
"My Pharaoh, I think this beast is a gift from gods and should be treated as such. And even if it does not wield any special powers, it can become a very valuable and loyal companion once tamed properly." The man said.
He kind of resembles this 'Pharaoh'. flashed through my mind. Though I did have to snort at what he said. Gift from gods? Hardly. I am a youkai, being of demonic descent. No way was I ever a holy beast of any kind.
The young man sighed and stood up, turning to a black-haired woman wearing a white dress and a white cape with a hood adorned with golden eagle.
"Tell me Isis, what do you say? Should I keep the beast or not?"
"I feel great power and loyalty emanating from it, Pharaoh. The gods tell me that keeping it will prove to be one of the best decisions you've ever made." she proclaimed as her necklace glowed for a few seconds and then returned to normal.
"So be it." sighed the purple-eyed man, sounding resigned.
"Yay!" squealed a brown-haired teenager girl wearing a short white dress. "What will you name him?"
I growled menacingly when I heard the girl refer to me as a male. How dare she?! Is it not enough that they want to keep me here as a pet?! They have to insult me now?!
"It's a female, Mana." corrected Seto.
"Let's see..." murmured the Pharaoh with his arms crossed on his chest. He kept staring at me intently, as if he was trying to see inside my soul.
"What about Meriss?"
"Wise choice, my Pharaoh." nodded the old man approvingly. "All that is left now is for you to tame it. If it indeed is a beast sent by the gods, it will listen only to you."
Yeah and pigs can fly. Like I could be tamed by a mere human! Not even my father was able to control my actions and he had 58 years to figure me out.
"I understand. Now that this is settled, I have to return to my actual duties." With that, the young Pharaoh left, along with the guard and seven of his followers, leaving behind only the rude teenager.
Once the doors closed behind them, the girl sat down before me at a safe distance and flashed me a dazzling smile.
"Since you are now part of our family, Meriss, I think it's appropriate for me to introduce myself. My name is Mana and I am a mage-in-training. My master is Mahad. You know, the serious guy all in white with a hood pulled up with two golden pointy bat-like wings on it?"
I distinctly remembered someone like that. He, too had a pendant around his neck, though his was a triangle with the eye and a golden ring around it.
"Well, even if you don't, I'll be sure to drag him here and introduce him properly." she kept on rambling and I found I was really interested in who was who.
To my dismay, she aborted the topic of the other's identities immediately after and started telling me of some palace gossip, which had absolutely nothing to do with me.
Oh, please just go away. I can't try to escape with you here...
I saw no sense in keeping still and sitting like an obedient puppy so I laid down and nestled my head on my front paws, already thinking of an escape plan.
Someone up there must have started pitying me because the girl abruptly stopped blabbering.
"It was nice talking to you, Meriss, but I have to go. Mahad is surely looking for me by now. See you tomorrow!" Mana waved at me and ran out of the room.
I perked up once I heard her footsteps getting softer with the distance.
Time to stop this foolishness.
Yes, the people here looked kind and all but I wasn't going to turn into their lapdog. I wasn't the type. Though the young Pharaoh did have me hesitating for a moment or two. I blushed at the silly thought, glad that it wasn't visible.
I summoned my violet demonic energy and formed it into the shape of a blade, using it to cut the bars. Free of the restraints, there was nothing preventing me from getting out of the door Mana so conveniently forgot to close behind her.
I peeked out, sniffing the air and expanding my youki to detect any nearby auras.
There were none.
Without thinking twice about it, I used this chance to run down the hallway to my right, letting my instincts lead me.
After a short trek, I found myself in a beautiful exotic garden with plants I haven't seen before. The sight might have been refreshing and breathtaking had it not been for a fact the same greenery clogged up my sense of smell, robbing me of my only way to navigate through this unknown place.
In my disorientated state I couldn't even find my way back into the room with the cage, forcing me to either run around blindly or hide here and wait until I got used to the smells.
Neither sounded acceptable.
In the case I used the first, I might run into some magician who was able to hide his aura. As for the second, it was nearly impossible for me to hide successfully. I wasn't exactly what you call invisible since I was white and the plants were green. I stood out too much.
Yeah, thanks dad. I'm gonna haunt you if I get killed because of your genes.
I crawled under a bush that I was sure wasn't poisonous and waited to get used to the damn flowers.
After three hours of waiting, I was getting restless. It was noon and I had no doubts they would send someone to feed me too. I can't wait anymore. With that, I jumped out of the bush and ran through the maze-like palace in top speed.
I was just rounding a corner that looked eerily like the last 7 ones, praying this one would finally lead me out.
I wasn't that lucky. Instead of joyously running out of the palace like I wanted to, I bumped into someone. The person fell to the ground, me landing partly on top, breathing heavily from exercise. I tried to scramble up but exhaustion caught up to me and my legs wouldn't listen to me.
That's when I heard the groan and my heart stopped in horror. You're kidding me, right? Please don't tell me it's...!
I looked down, only to come face-to-face with the last person I wanted to meet.
The Pharaoh.
I whined at the irony of it all and regretted it shortly after. The sound must have been too loud because he opened his eyes and stared up at me, confusion clearly reflected in his deep purple orbs.
My limbs miraculously sprung to life and I jumped off of him, slowly backing away, my eyes never leaving his as he rose on his elbows.
"Meriss?" he asked and I tried to keep my panic contained, telling myself that rash actions would only lead to my death.
His eyes widened as he finally realized that he was alone in a secluded space with a potentially dangerous beast on loose.
I did the only thing I could think of, to ease his shock and raising wariness – I laid down on my back, exposing my stomach to him.
The very wolf-like gesture of submission looked odd and playful when I did it but I didn't care. I would give my all for this man not to attack me or be afraid of me.
Why the heck do I even care? I thought.
But this was hardly the time for such thoughts. The Pharaoh stood up, watching my every move. My paws twitched with tension as I didn't dare to move in the slightest, waiting for the male to give any sign of what he was going to do. What he did, however, astonished me.
He started laughing.
The sound was strangely pleasant and I felt myself relaxing.
"What in the Ra's name are you doing, Meriss?" he asked suddenly, a hint of amusement evident in his tone and sparkling eyes. "You are acting like a dog. I hope you don't expect me to rub your belly."
Inside, I blushed like a tomato but on the outside, I grumbled. Slowly, as to not startle him, I rolled over, clearly letting him know that I was not interested in such an act.
The man chuckled and took a step closer to me. Curiously, I kept watching him, my ears twitching in anticipation.
"I can see you understand what I am saying, so listen closely. You have obviously gotten out of your cage. If you seek freedom, I am not going to stop you. All I ask of you is to not hurt any of my people." The amusement from his voice faded, making him look more like a capable leader he was.
My eyes widened at his words. Is this man for real? He'll let me go just like that?
My brain couldn't seem to comprehend the situation. This man standing before me was offering me freedom even after his advisers told him I would be a great asset to his country, and all he was asking for was for me not to attack anyone I might encounter.
In that instant, I made up my mind. I would stay with this righteous and kind man for however long I could. I had a feeling I would never be bored in his presence.
Not like I have anything else to do. I added.
I heaved myself up and trotted up to the Pharaoh, rubbing my head against his thigh affectionately all the while purring.
He stiffened when I approached him, but as soon as he heard me purring he relaxed and even patted my head. I leaned into his touch, revelling at the feel of his warm palm on my head.
"I didn't know that taming beasts was this easy." he remarked and I swatted my tail at his knee playfully.
Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm probably the only youkai stupid enough to give up my freedom in order to observe an interesting human. I said mentally despite the fact I knew he couldn't hear me.
"I was just about to head to the diner hall for lunch. Do you want to come with me?"
I inwardly shook my head at his naivety and easy-going attitude he had towards me, but nudged his hand with my nose in confirmation.