DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl or any of the characters included in the package. I do like to play with them and often end up giving them back worse for the wear. (Especially Captain Jack Sparrow!) ;

CLAIMER: I do, however, own the plot of this story and all my OC therein. Some stay around, some don't. That's life, ne?

[a/n1: Well, I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think I've sorted things out in reality and I have a bit more oppurtunity to write. -evil grin-]

Part 12: Tvatui, the Hound of Ra

Will hunched down in an attempt to lessen the volume of the scream, but the movement did nothing. Amazingly, Jack didn't appear to hear the call, or if he had, he was ignoring it. Will nudged the horse with his heels and it sped up, as did the cart horse. Chelsea and Dozell fell in behind Will and Ana and as the group slowed, they all looked over their shoulders as the hound changed its course and followed Jack towards the horizon. Silently, Will led the rest of the group back towards the pyramids, back at a full gallop.

Jack urged his horse on to its full speed, glancing over his shoulder every once in awhile to check on the progress of both the fire hound and the group. His last fleeting look reported that the others were almost back at the pyramid and the hound was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually it occurred to him that the black horse was soaked with sweat and coughing from exertion. Slowly, he pulled back on the reins and allowed the horse to fall to a listless walk. The animal continued in the same direction as Jack loosened his grip on the joined reins and let them drop onto the horse's neck.

'Tha's strange,' Jack thought to himself, searching the dark sands for any sign of the hound.

Nothing.

Finally deciding that they were safe, Jack took up the reins and turned the tired animal back towards the pyramid.

Before they knew what hit them, both horse and rider were hit hard from their right by a hefty weight, sending both sprawling onto the sand. Jack skidded a few feet away from where the horse fell and lay stunned for a moment. A low growl from beyond the terrified horse brought Jack around and he shakily stood.

Jack was showered by sand as the horse jolted to its feet and cantered away with white-rimmed eyes. The pirate captain watched the large animal run with a curious expression, but was distracted when the area was encompassed in eerie, flickering, orange light.

Looking towards the light's source, he jumped back when he was confronted by a hound that stood taller than any horse he had ever seen. The animal wasn't composed of flames; instead, it seemed to be alight but felt no pain from the fire covering its body. A low growl rumbled in the beast's chest and its lips curled up, showing glittering white fangs.

Jack's hand flew instinctively to the hilt of his cutlass and he met the animal's gaze as best he could, trying not to show any fear. As subtly as possible, he started to slide the blade from its sheath and tried not to draw the canine's attention.

With another rolling growl the beast lunged forward, covering the distance between them with one bound. It hit Jack squarely in the chest with one large pawing, laying him flat on his back and sending his cutlass flying several feet away. Placing one front paw on each of Jack's shoulders and one hind foot on each of his legs, the hound glared down at the immobile pirate. Jack could feel the intense heat of the fire through his shirt and tried his best to squirm away from the uncomfortable sensation.

A shrill cry echoed down from the high desert winds, drawing the hound's attention upwards. Another scream followed and the large canine quirked its head as though in contemplation.

The heat was getting to Jack and the fact that the hound's paws covered most of his chest as well as his arms didn't help any. His vision began to haze over and he felt tendrils of darkness pulling him down into oblivion.

In short, breathing wasn't as easy as it should be.

Despite his mind rapidly commanding him to stay awake, the lack of oxygen was slowing everything. Eventually, his thoughts stopped racing and his eyes drifted shut.

A third cry went unheard by Jack, but the hound growled up into the sky in irritation. Reluctantly, the beast released its captive and turned away, vanishing into thin air. With the release of the pressure, Jack's chest expanded and he took several deep breaths, but otherwise didn't stir.

Moments later, the eagle descended from the high winds and landed gracefully beside the unmoving pirate. The bird stared at Jack for a long time, standing in the sand like a statue. Finally, it unfurled its wings and rapidly beat them, stirring up the sand near Jack's head. The disruption sent a mini dust devil into the pirate's face.

Jack sat up with a start, coughing and shaking his head in an attempt to clear away the sand. His sudden movement scared the eagle back into the sky with a squawk of surprise.

Groggily, he ran a hand down his face and looked around. It was still dark, so the others shouldn't be looking for him…and the hound was gone. Jack dragged himself to his feet, staggered, and then righted himself. Taking another look around, he found that the black horse was standing a distance away, trembling with fear. Taking slow, measured steps, Jack made his way towards the horse.

- - - - -

Ana stood a few yards away from the rest of the group, her gaze fixed desperately on the horizon. It had been over an hour since they had parted company with the pirate captain and they hadn't seen hide or hair of him or the fiery hound since. She was beginning to get worried.

"Ana, you do know he'll be okay, right?" Will asked, coming up behind her and placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.

Ana sensed that the blacksmith was asking in hopes of being reassured himself; not to reassure her. She forced a small smile and turned to face him. "O' course, he's Captain Jack Sparrow."

An exhausted groan carried across the sands on a night breeze to the waiting group and all heads turned to face the sound. A black figure slipped haphazardly over the top of one of the dunes and the group squinted into the darkness, trying to discern details. Eventually the figure slipped into the range of their lit lantern and was cast in a warm orange glow.

"Jack,"

At Will's identifying call, the group surged forward to meet the pirate captain. When they finally reached him, he looked up and gave them his best attempt at a grin, but it did nothing to hide his fatigue. Ana shoved her way to the front and glared up at Jack, her heated gaze making him flinch.

"What took ye so long?!"

"I, uh, took a…nap…as it were," Jack replied, stopping halfway as if to collect his thoughts into a coherent sentence.

Ana crossed her arms in front of her, obviously unconvinced.

"Shall we?" Jack questioned, motioning toward the ominous dark pyramid before them.

Dozell took up the lantern and turned his back on the others. "Right, we'd best get started."

Jack nodded and swung his leg over the horse's back before dropping to the ground. He took a few steps toward the entrance to the pyramid before his knees buckled and he sank to the sand, where he lay stiffly. With a growl of irritation, he tried to force himself back onto his feet with little success. Narrowing his eyes in vexation, he curled his right hand into a fist and slammed it down into the sand. He grinned in some semblance of satisfaction as the sand gave way and when he lifted his fist a small crater was left in the sand.

"Jack, are you alright?" Will asked slowly, looking down at the pirate with caution in his stance and gaze. Despite Jack's earlier reassurances regarding his sanity, Will felt a chill of fear at the pirate captain's odd behavior. What if the voice had taken over and was just toning down its actions until now?

Jack didn't reply to the inquiry. Instead, he clenched his jaw and forced himself up onto all fours. Regardless of his attempts to hide it, it was obvious that his arms and legs were shaking with exertion.

Ana silently sank to the ground at his side and lifted one of his arms to rest over her shoulders, ignoring the warning glare from her captain. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she stood, dragging him up with her.

Once on his feet, Jack swayed violently, accidentally bumping into Ana. He remained there for awhile, leaning on her more than he would have liked. Irritated with himself and his weakness, he reached deep inside himself and drew strength from an inner reserve of stubbornness. Suddenly feeling strong enough to stand on his own, Jack pushed away from Ana, though, by his stance, it was obvious he was still much weaker than usual.

During their contact, Ana had taken note of the fact that Jack was much warmer than he should be, causing her to worry. "Jack, you're not alright."

"Right, 'cause I've got too many people worryin' o'er me."

Becoming more stubborn herself, Ana stepped close to Jack once more and, placing a hand on his shoulder, she placed her other hand lightly on his forehead. Her eyebrows came together as their touch confirmed her earlier thoughts. "Jack, ye've got a fever. Is it yer arm?"

"No, s'nothing. Just desert heat." As Jack turned to move away, Ana's hand slipped lower on his chest and she quickly withdrew it when Jack hissed in pain.

"What'd you do this time?" Ana demanded, dragging him back towards her and pulling his shirt open to inspect his shoulder. "How the-"

"S'nothing luv," Jack said rather brusquely, shaking her off and stepping away once more. "Now leave me be; tha's an order."

Review Responses -ooh...aliteration! Loot for Amber! XD-:

kungfuchick - Well, not kill persay...lol. And I've got a feeling Jack just did something rash. hehe. Thanks fer reviewing.

Mrs Capt Jack Sparrows - Well, I'll hold ye to that, mate. Here's another bit o' writin' and now I need some reviewin', lol. Thanks fer taking the time to review!

Ferntree - I'm glad you find this story so intriguing and new to you. I hope you'll continue to read.

JackFan2 - -thwacks self with the trout of justice- I'm so sorry fer makin' you depressed, mate. But guess what...I'm baaaaaacccckkkk! MWAHA! And, apparently, Dia has stopped with the silent treatment. It's good t' know you care.

[a/n2: Please review if you read, it means a lot. Thankies to all!]