Ah, the heart of the day; the sun was at its peak, some burning hellish eye up in the sapphire sky that watched over the Egyptian desertscape like a vulture... It was a cruel, wicked thing, the sun, that burned and killed, but it was perfect for Conláed and his eternally blazing heart. He quite liked the fire that it sent down upon the earth. Night was cold and dark, and though the sand-pelted Mithrellian could hunt and kill well in the dark, he was not fond of the cold, and hunting had become more difficult the older he had become because of the Eye of Horus which was a glowing emblem upon his shoulder.
Ever since Conláed had reached two hundred years of age, the Eye had begun to glow brighter; as blood flowed through that foreleg, it caught fire and shone through his skin. Being born in a temple of Ra had resulted in this, he was certain. Somehow the gods had thought this would be a gift. Was having such a stigma upon his body really such a gift anymore? The gods had gone; they had abandoned the Mithrellians when they allowed them to be captured and nearly wiped out by the human race. The Eye of Horus was nothing but a painful reminder of the misery they'd forced upon these loyal creatures of Egypt.
It was lucky for them that the Mithrellians were not completely dead. They would have allowed their pets to go completely extinct? Apparently. Now they got to live with their guilt, if they were even around anymore. It didn't matter. The humans had settled, finally, and they did not know Mithrellians existed. For the most part, the Mithrellians could live in peace... but human invasions still occurred occasionally. It was really obnoxious... Conláed was sick of them bursting in like idiots, stumbling upon him and ruining his hunt. He was already thinner than he should be for the summer season...
The Mithrellian kept his head low as he stalked across the desert in the glinting sun; along his neck, the blazing red fur which was completely strange and unusual for Mithrellian's was bristling, standing up on end. He did not like being out in the open like this. It was completely disconcerting, and he was anxious. Though the feel of the sun on his back heated his very soul and made him comfortable, having nothing but desert around him made him feel exposed... vulnerable. The fiery Mithrellian did not like that. Not one bit. Fortunately, there did appear to be some foliage ahead in which to hide, which also meant water.
Unfortunately, in most cases, water also meant competition and the company of others, and though there wasn't much of the Mithrellian race left to mingle with, Conláed did not want to be near them. He had been in isolation since he was one hundred and fifty years old; he didn't need, or want, other Mithrellians now. Regardless, Conláed needed a place to get out of the open stretch of desert, and a drink of water probably wouldn't hurt. His deep violet eyes, hidden behind thick Egyptian-styled make-up, focused straight on the river, his black-tipped ears perked up to listen for the expected company.
As he reached the tree line where grass also began to spring up from the harder-caked dirt, Conláed could hear the sounds of other life forms within a mile of himself. His ears flattened back against his tan skull, his fiery red mane brushing against its soft rims, and he felt the Eye of Horus burning a little brighter as his anti-social nature and desire to avoid company kicked in. He could tell where they were, clustered together around the edge of the Nile river; unfortunately, the only way to really avoid that would be to swim, and being born of fire, that was not his specialty.
Conláed kicked up the pace once the trees began to block out the sun; the Mithrellian cantered through the foliage, keeping his head low and his steps light. The sooner he got his fill of shelter and water, the sooner he could get out of here. He reached the edge of the water several yards away from the others, and for a moment he stood with his head low to the ground, the flaming mane on his shoulders bristling, the Eye of Horus flaring up into a fiery beacon, regarding the other Mithrellians which had gathered around the edge of the river.
One was slightly larger than the others; though Conláed did not socialize, he did recognize the eldest of all Mithrellians, though his name was not known. He was a dark brown with other lighter brown markings on his belly and back. Another male Mithrellian was a pretty royal blue in shade with black paws and a white mask, quite a lovely decoration, Conláed though. There was a third male, as well, being a dark gray white white socks and leopard-like markings on his forelegs. The first female he could see in the group was a milky brown in color, generally boring, but a bright white tattoo of a snake on her back made Conláed curious... but not curious enough.
The final of the Mithrellians held a stick, or so it appeared from this distance, and she was a strange pale grayish brown in color with markings like paint splatters all along her chest. They all seemed quite content to be talking in a group amongst themselves, and Conláed was quite happy being here without them pestering him. At last he was content to return his attention to the water, but the Eye of Horus continued to blaze. He lapped up the water with a snaking black tongue, and once he was satisfied, he stood up, licking his razor fangs and looking to the group again. What were they discussing...?
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