Author's Notes

give-her-the-sunny-d says: i'm in the mood for something depressing. can you write something where suku dies and awilix's subsequent reaction

Fandom: SMITE

Fan-fiction: Blood Moon

Summary: The Night of the New Moon: Awilix's time of rest. Although she may have wanted a relatively calm evening to herself, invading Chaos forces deny her that right. Her and Suku must rally up the other nocturnal Gods and bring them back to the safety of their Treehouse but even in their own realm, venturing out into the night leaves them very exposed and though Gods are immortal, animals are not and arrows are neutral.

Characters: Ah Puch, Artemis, Awilix, Suku, Tusky

Warnings: Character Death, Strong Language

In the absence of the moonlight, the Lacandon Jungle stood still, devoid of any activity. So many relied on Awilix to illuminate the landscape during the night, even she when traversing the jungle on foot. Though she was a God, her body was that of a human and she couldn't see all that well in darkness.

There was to be no moon tonight and Awilix took this opportunity to spend some time on the ground. She jumped down from the Treehouse, gliding to the jungle floor. As she descended, the gentle glow from the lit candles above faded but were replaced by a bright, white light that was emanating from Awilix. In the sky, at a distance, it was comforting but up close, it was very harsh. The jungle seemed to recoil when she landed, shying away. One entity came towards her. He was unfazed by the light, his steps evenly paced and without hesitation. His eyes were wide open with a sense of urgency about them. Awilix could see the reflections of the plants around them dance across his gaze. She came down to his level and opened up her arms.

"Hey boy! How are you Suku?" The jaguar ignored her gesture, instead darting around to her rear. She was puzzled. There was nothing Suku loved more than a cuddle, except maybe food and sleep, "Oh, don't be like that." She turned to face him and opened her arms once again. He came towards her and licked her face a few times but that was about as much affection as they had time for. He circled once more before bowing his head, beckoning her to mount him. "Eager to get going, are we?" Awilix tried to appear cheery although Suku's lack of affection had disenchanted her. She mounted him as requested and settled in his harness. As soon as he felt she had a tight grip, he took off.

Suku lowered his head, allowing Awilix to slide down his neck and back onto solid ground. When her feet touched down, it was far from solid. The dirt slid between her toes and she grimaced at its surprising chill. Then again, they were by the river.

Now that they were closer, the light emanating from Awilix revealed the black mass that had once been concealed in darkness to be rippling and pulsating. It was the Usumacinta River, its flow as constant as it had ever been. Awilix didn't see anything to be concerned about. Her eyes darted as rapidly as the waters of river were travelling, searching for any abnormal movement that might resemble a drowning animal or a human. She eventually spotted something still: another black mass on the other side of the river. It was prominent against the lighter sandy shores in rest upon. She figured that this was what Suku wanted her to see and a quick nudge from his nose against her leg implied that she take a better look at it. Awilix squinted her eyes to no avail and she was too far away to light it, but she was already on the ball with that.

She relayed the moonlight into her palm, forming a sphere of light. She clutched it and brought her arm behind her, and then turned her head to face Suku, "Don't try and fetch this, okay?" Suku's growl undulated in pitch but she wasn't sure whether he was frustrated with her lack of seriousness or was genuinely disappointed that she'd prohibited him from chasing it. She swung her arm and the moonlight flew gracefully from her palm. As it descended upon the mass in the distance, it partially revealed the structure. She could see it was made from wood as were the oars attached to it, blatantly revealing it to be a ship of some kind.

Awilix had never noticed it before and like her kin, she knew the jungle like she knew her own skin, so it had to have been moored recently. To make sure, she conducted the sphere to shine upon the underside of the boat. The material was still darkened from the water which proved her suspicions. That's why Suku hadn't brought her to the ship itself, in case there were passengers still inside that posed a threat. She brought the light further up and followed the side of the boat, to get a better outlook on its, size. She seemed to be dragging the sphere for a while. The size of the vessel dwarfed the shore it sat upon by far, having knocked down a few trees in order to make room. The sheer size of it implied that it was made for international travel by the Greeks. Now, she felt threatened but her concerns should've been focused elsewhere.

Her vision became lopsided and then she realised that she was falling. The ledge couldn't withstand her weight and the mud had crumbled beneath her. She yelped as it gave way and her feet hit the water. The strength of the river tore her legs from beneath her but she did not fall. As she'd flailed her arms, Suku had leapt and took one them in his mouth. The grip of his jaw was strong but it did not hurt her. He hauled her back onto the shore, unintentionally dragging her through the mud.

When she felt the chill of the water leave her body, she let herself go limp and relaxed, taking deep long breaths. Suku didn't like this. It alarmed him. He hung his head over hers and licked her forehead aggressively. She wafted him away with her hand, only to show that she was fine, and then gave him a gentle pat on the head. "Thank you Suku!" She said, chipper as ever. She didn't even wait to catch her breath before hauling herself off of the ground, with Suku helping to support her; her legs were still a little shaky from the chill of the water.

Once she'd steadied herself, she focused on the matter at hand: why were the Greeks here, and did they come with hostile intent? She could only imagine why they were here, and she didn't consider their arrival and the fact that war had recently been declared between the Gods to be coincidence.

Gods from all over the world were losing worshippers to man-made deities, given power and authority by those who'd created them. Some Gods made this into an issue, claiming that they needed worshippers in order to survive (though this was up for debate). These Gods revealed themselves to humanity and punished them, in ways that would make even a demon envious. Their wrath shook the very core of beings that favoured balance in the world. Some openly condemned these attacks and thus created the divide. There were others that had simply said nothing. The Mayan's were the latter. Separated from the conflict by several vast oceans, they felt that they needn't comment on these happenings. If they had, their people may be endangered.

The Greeks, referring to those belonging to the family of Olympus, had made it all to clear they would descend upon those who dared speak out against Zeus' rage, which had unsurprisingly started the conflict . But the Mayan's hadn't said a word, let along condemned the attacks on his own people (even though they certainly didn't approve of it). Surely, they couldn't be here to counterattack, worried that they were a threat, Awilix thought. Maybe they had come to make the Mayans swear allegiance to their cause. There she was, making these assumptions, and she wasn't even sure how many were there or if the crew were even all Greek. After all, the conflict spread across all Pantheons and most of the Egyptian and Chinese Gods were openly siding with the Greeks. Maybe they weren't here to attack at all, but there was no warning or announcement of their visit.

All of this uncertainty only made Awilix more apprehensive and Suku could sense her tension. He gently stroked her leg with his cheek. She solemnly smiled and gave him a pat on the head. Without him, she wouldn't even know they were here, regardless of why they were here. Only he had seen them thus far, so she decided to stop speculating and just ask. She came down to his level. She knew he understood her but his communication was still limited so she kept it simple, "Suku, was there a lot of them?" He nodded. "Okay. Were they armed?" He nodded again, with a grunt. She gulped, "Okay, Suku, where did they go?" Suku tilted his head towards the river, and pointed downstream with his paw, "North West," There was a bridge further along the river in that direction, that would allow the Greeks to cross to the other side of the river as they'd failed to dock their ship on the 'right' side of the river, assuming they wanted to visit the Mayans at their Treehouse.

Awilix could only assume that was where they were going. She sneered at the prospect of them attempting to assault the Treehouse. Though it seemed fragile, it was a fortress, well supplied and well protected, concealed by the upper canopies of the trees and with spells that only the Mayans could see through. She and the rest of her pantheon would be safe up there. There was no doubt that they would make it there before the Greeks did with Suku's speed (and prior knowledge of how to get there quickly as she doubted that anyone would remember the route from the port from the last time they'd visited, the jungle an ever-changing landscape). She gave him one final pat on the head, "Okay boy, let's get back to the Treehouse." Her words were assertive but she froze suddenly. Suku slowly circled her, confused.

Awilix had just remembered that before she was about to leave the Treehouse, Ah Puch had departed for his hunt. Although it was unlikely that he would be spotted by their visitors, as hunting required stealth for which Ah Puch had an unparalleled skill for, Awilix wanted everyone back at the Treehouse for her peace of mind.

She turned to face Suku, "Ah Puch is still out there. Do you think you can track him down? I know he can handle himself and if Chaac was here, he'd just say I was mothering him too much but better to be safe than sorry. We need everyone back at the Treehouse, ready to defend if we need to." She trailed off as she finally realised that Suku had been continually dipping his head as she spoke. She tilted her head, rather like a confused animal. He grunted at her lack of understanding and also tilted his head to the side, now gazing at something behind her. Awilix slowly turned her head to look behind her, a little apprehensive.

She yelped when she saw that there was something behind her that wasn't there before, quickly turning away but then turning back to see what it was. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar body with gold markings on a darkened skin tone, glinting in her moonlight. The reflection in them shook as the being who possessed them laughed at Awilix's reaction.

She was not so amused, "Dammit Ah Puch, why did you do that?"

"You know, it's rude to talk about people behind their back, or behind your back," Ah Puch wasn't offended, but his gag still earned him a soft slap on the shoulder. "I see you've noticed our visitors," He gestured towards the ship on the other side of the river. Although no longer illuminated by Awilix's moonlight, he could still make out its shape. Unlike Awilix, his eyes were made for the night.

"Actually, Suku did. He came to warn me," Awilix wasn't about to take credit for her partner's findings.

"Good kitty," Ah Puch rubbed his thumb and fingers together, beckoning Suku to come to him. Though Suku despised his pet-name, he couldn't resist being petted by the God and his longer nails. He sat next to him and Ah Puch fulfilled his gesture, dragging his nails across Suku's head and pinching them together. He did this several times and a satisfied purr echoed from Suku's snout.

Awilix smiled at the jaguar's content but knew there were bigger cats to pet, as it were; She was still concerned about the Greeks, "Where did you see them?"

"The settlement near Yaxchilan, where I was hunting," Ah Puch said it so plainly, it made Awilix cringe. His need to hunt for human flesh was something that the Mayan's were desperately trying to ween him off of, trying to find a more humane way to satisfy his craving.

"Did they hurt anyone?" She felt like such hypocrite, letting Ah Puch hunt their own people but also being concerned for their safety, even though the Greeks could do far tamer things.

"No, they didn't touch them. It was kind of amusing actually. They're trying to set fire to the trees around the village," Again, his tone of voice made Awilix feel so uncomfortable. He was usually pleasant company (despite his vulgar needs) so she didn't understand why he was being so blunt.

"How is that funny?" She said sternly.

"Because they're trying to start a fire, outside, during our rainy season," He slapped his foot into the mud, proving his point, "They were at it for a while. Even as I left, they were still trying."

"You have a weird sense of humour," She murmured, "At least their main method of assault won't work." Forest fires. She didn't think they had it in them. A widespread fire, if they did manage to light one, would completely obliterate their Treehouse and nearby settlements, both homes to many people. She scowled at their brutality. Suku could see she was getting distracted. She often found her overthinking, halted her in her tracks. He gave her an aggressive nudge to snap her out of it. Both gave each other an assertive nod before acting, "Come on, we need to get back."

"Agreed. I feel safer in the Treehouse." Awilix then remembered that Ah Puch was there and would need to ride on Suku too. She didn't want to overbear her partner but also didn't have the heart to leave Ah Puch to find his own way back.

"Suku, can you manage two of us?" She knelt by her partner's side and adjusted his harness, making sure it wasn't too tight. It was a vain effort to make sure he wouldn't be too uncomfortable with two people on his back. He gave a determined grunt. She smiled and mounted him, and encouraged Ah Puch to do so, "Hop on."

"I'm pretty light; I'm only eight and a half stone. Suku will be fine," Ah Puch sat on Suku's back, behind Awilix.

"If you only weight that much, you need to eat more," She felt his hands slip onto her shoulders. There was no way he'd be able to stay on with his current grip, "Ah Puch, you need to hold on tighter than that. Put your arms around my waist." Suku nodded in agreement. He was scraping his claws into the dirt in anticipation.

Ah Puch didn't feel comfortable holding her that way, even if it was out of practicality. He ignored her, "I never thought you'd be encouraging me to eat more-."

"Ah Puch, put your arms around my waist, come on," She chuckled when she heard him groan. He complied and slipped his arms around and clutched her waist. She wiggled ever so slightly to make sure he was secured and then tapped Suku's belly with her foot. He took off. She felt Ah Puch pull her closer to him and giggled. He'd clearly underestimated Suku's drive. He loosened his grip quickly once he'd gotten used to the ride. She smiled, "I wouldn't have though that this type of stuff would've made you uncomfortable after all of the spooning you and Hades did." She teased him to lighten up the mood, damped by the circumstances and the thick fragrance of the jungle.

"Awilix, really? You want to bring this up now?" He furrowed his brow. Awilix could tell as she felt the mask move against her back.

Suddenly, she had an epiphany, "Wouldn't Hades have warned you about this, if he knew that his brother was going to invade?" In all honestly, she wasn't sure whether Hades cared enough about the Mayans, let alone Ah Puch, to tell them anything that might benefit them.

Ah Puch quickly interjected, not wanting to prolong the conversation, "Awilix, I don't know what you think is going on between me and Hades or what we talk about, but it's nothing I haven't already told you about, which is nothing; we don't talk." His words were final, and she remained respectfully silent. He realised that didn't answer her question though, "Anyway, he wants nothing to do with the conflict either so he wouldn't know."

"Ah-ha! So you have been talking? I knew it. I knew you couldn't let it go," Of course, she didn't know what their intentions were (and she would interrogate him about that later) but it was entertaining to catch him out. He snarled at his own stupidity. She carried on talking. She said her thoughts aloud to herself, knowing she wouldn't get anything resembling a conversation from Ah Puch now. "At least one of those brothers have sense," She grimaced at the thought of Zeus and Poseidon's horrific ideals, "And Zeus' kids have turned out okay," She mused.

Ah Puch snorted, "Are you sure about that?"

She was confused, "What do you mean?"

"They were all there Awilix, all of Zeus' kids, even the ones that were born out of wedlock," He said that last part quietly.

"Who exactly was there at Yaxchilan?"

"Zeus. There was no sign of Hera. Ares. Athena. Artemis. Apollo. Hercules…" His voice trailed off as Awilix's mind became preoccupied with panic once again. Zeus, by himself, was hardly a formidable advisory, as long as you knew what made him lose his focus. He was a blind fool with no tactical knowledge. His children were truly blessed to have more desirable traits, despite their upbringing and lineage. And yet, they were supposedly aligned with him in this conflict which went against everything Awilix thought they were. She was baffled, and anxious; they were his greatest asset. She was mostly concerned for Artemis. Though she was not entirely familiar with the environment, one of her greatest skills was her ability to adapt. If she had Tusky at her side, they would track down Suku and his passengers, even if their paths met only slightly.

Although the intentions of the Greeks weren't clear, Awilix would rather not find out what would happen if they got caught. She tapped Suku's belly with both of her feet, which told him to speed up. With two passengers, she knew that would be hard on him but she knew that, with the right encouragement, he could make it. "Go boy. When we get back, I've got some of those treats you really like. I picked them up from the market today." His ears perked up. His whole body jerked forward sharply and he picked up speed.

"You spoil this cat," Ah Puch said.

"He deserves it," Awilix replied plainly, trying to focus on her surroundings. She knew that more speed meant more noise so she'd toned down her moonlight to compensate in an attempt to reduce their chances of getting caught.

Suku knew exactly what was at stake. His feet pounded into the ground as he hauled himself and two Gods to safety. With his vision, he could see the light of the Treehouse ahead. Though it seemed further than his energy could take him at this speed, he remained determined.

The sudden sound of shattering wood made him panic but he relayed it into a wheeze, not letting it deter his movement.

Awilix hadn't notice the sound, her eyes also on the Treehouse. Ah Puch had (he couldn't see much with Awilix's large hairstyle in the way). He listened carefully this time, to see if it came again, attempting to ignore the sound of Suku's steps.

He heard the sound again, as he also saw a thin tree shatter and crumble before them. It fell into their path but an alert Suku leapt over it. As they passed the area, Ah Puch could see an arrow resting amongst the debris, parallel to their path. They were firing at them or, rather, Artemis was firing at them.

Ah Puch slowly and carefully took one hand and placed it on Awilix's shoulder. He pressed down firmly in an attempt to elevate himself and bring Awilix down. He spoke when he saw that she was about to question him, "Head down. Artemis is onto us." She happily complied, knowing Ah Puch could take an arrow.

Ah Puch, even when you stripped away his god-hood, was much more than just a man. He was a creature that possessed incredible strength and agility. His skin was also impenetrable, a protective layer shielding the soft skin beneath. This layer was only permeable to fire and could be burned away, but a lit fire wasn't going to be a possibility tonight. Awilix didn't have such a privilege as invulnerability so Ah Puch tried to use his body to shield her as thoroughly as he could.

With Awilix ducking, Ah Puch finally had a view of the Treehouse. They weren't far and as soon as they passed the threshold, they'd be out of sight, invisible to all except themselves. Artemis can't hit what she can't see. He knew they both weren't blind but Ah Puch still wanted to give Awilix, and Suku especially, some encouragement, "Keep going Suku, we're almost th-egh." He spluttered as an arrow sharply hit his back. It hurt but it didn't penetrate him. He looked behind him and snarled, though he knew that wouldn't deter them (even if they could see it). He couldn't see Artemis. As he scanned the horizon, Tusky popped out from behind the trees. He landed with a thud and propelled himself forward, continuing his chase. He squealed loudly, to attract the attention of his master.

A loud rumble of yells and shouting could be heard in the distance. This was the final push Suku needed. He went faster still. But Tusky was still that little bit quicker.

He was gaining on them slowly but surely, with as much determination as Suku. Ah Puch summoned his staff to his hand and Awilix caught sight of it out of the corner of her eye. It alarmed her but she knew Ah Puch could handle whatever was happening behind her. Though she was finding it hard not to let her anxiety show, she kept her focus on Suku and his morale.

Ah Puch scowled at the boar chasing them, hoping their eyes met and Tusky could see what he was in for. He swept his staff behind Suku and a horde of decaying corpses of varying levels of wholeness rose swiftly from the ground. They stood lifelessly. They were still and not intimidating in the slightest (unless dead bodies made you squeamish). They were still in the way though and Tusky, large and clunky, a complete contrast to Suku, couldn't dodge them and collided with them. He tripped and slid through the mud. A sadistic grin curled onto Ah Puch's face. He kind of hoped Tusky had broken a bone from the collision. Much to his annoyance, he scrambled back on to his four legs and darted after them, relentless in his pursuit. Ah Puch audibly growled. Awilix's stomach tensed upon hearing that sound, knowing how relentless he could also be.

"Alright, you little shit, don't make me have to come down there and deal with you myself," Ah Puch made the claws on his free hand visible to Tusky, trying to intimidate him. The boar was still undeterred, grunting with every stride. Ah Puch effortlessly summoned another horde in Tusky's path. He was expecting it this time and leapt in anticipation. His jump was just not high enough as he collided with the bodies once again. He hit the floor but was back up on his feet just as quick as last time. Now Ah Puch was beyond irritated. In haste, he summoned a horde double the size to get in Tusky's way. As they rose from the ground, he vision slowly became more and more fuzzy. Then, his head became heavy, made more so by the extravagant mask he wore. His body went limp and he slumped against Awilix's back.

She gasped from the shock and her body jerked, alarming Suku, "Ah Puch, are you okay?" She reached one hand behind her and rubbed his back.

His head became clear again but he was still lethargic. He couldn't even turn his head to check if Tusky was still chasing them. In a vain attempt to relay some of his energy, Ah Puch dropped his staff, knowing he couldn't use it anymore. It turned to ash as it hit the ground. "Sorry. Out of mana."

"Out of-? What the fuck have you been doing?" Awilix was beside herself with panic. Not only was Ah Puch devoid of energy, he'd been using his magic to defend against something. Probably a chaser. Probably Tusky. She couldn't tell. She couldn't see what was happening.

"Not that we're…hmm, on a schedule or anything but are we… are we there yet?" Ah Puch voice was sporadic as he was beginning to regain his energy. He clutched Awilix's hand behind him and stroked Suku with the other, to show that he wasn't pestering him.

She looked up, hopeful. The Treehouse was closer, understandably so, but she genuinely didn't know if they'd make it. She tightly held Ah Puch's hand and lied, for his benefit and her own, "Don't worry, we're almost-. Woah!"

Awilix has felt this sensation before: her vision becoming lopsided and then her realising that she was moving. This time, she was rising. She flew across the jungle, a relatively small distance from the ground. Noticing a tree in her path, she shielded her face with arms and they took the brunt of the blow. She fell to the floor with a sharp thud.

The impact and the chill of the wet ground gave her a new lease of life. She could have lay there and let the pain soak and then dispel. But she got herself up and still had the energy to encourage Suku that there was just a little bit further to go. She looked for him, expecting him to already be on his feet and ready to go.

A sorry sight dragged her hopes to Xibalba.

She dragged her feet sluggishly through the leaves on the jungle floor, drawn towards Suku's eyes. She hoped to see something in the black expanse, but they were as lifeless as his body. If it weren't for the eyes, she would've thought he was just resting, his head resting on a fallen tree for comfort. She tried to so hard to believe that he was just sleeping but the realisation and grief inevitably slipped through. There was a huge weight on her shoulders that brought her to her knees and then her tears fell, just as heavy. She scrambled to Suku's body, before she became so overcome with grief that she couldn't move. She took his head in her hands, and pressed their noses together. Holding her breath, she waited for any sign of life from the jaguar, his own muggy breath on her face.

There was silence for so long. Then, her own breathing could be heard as it echoed in the small clearing. It was sporadic and laced with her own cries. Maybe the noise would stir him.

It stirred Ah Puch. He shook his head where he lay to dispel the aches, though he hurt all over, "Fuck me, that hurt," He groaned. As he got up, the sounds around him became clearer though he did not expect to hear sniffles. He thought Awilix would've made another joke about him and Hades. A familiar sensation travelled up his spine. A shiver. He knew exactly what that meant. He saw Awilix first. She was fine. Then he noticed Suku beneath her with an arrow lodged in his spine, in a place right behind where Ah Puch was sitting, where he'd failed to protect.

Everything seemed to slow down: the trees waving in the breeze, the sound of the jungle, the way Awilix's body jerked and her moonlight flickered as she cried and his own movement. He felt hot with anger and thought if he lost focus for a second, he'd tear apart the first thing he could sink his claws into. Awilix's voice, though slightly unpleasant to listen to as it carried her emotions, still had a calming remedy. He sighed in place of tears as she spoke to Suku.

Awilix caught her breath, "Suku, you can't go to sleep now. Don't you want your bed?" She knew he could hear her from wherever he may be but still felt delusional. The softness of Suku's fur as she nuzzled into his neck melted away her paranoia but then only made her more sad when she thought of a life without Suku's presence. Even in her grief, it was in her nature to acknowledge the practical things but that too was masked by the delusion that he could smell the treats she'd just summoned to her palm. "Come on, I can't eat these. What am I going to do with them? You know you want them. They're your favourite." The longer he remained motionless, the more Awilix squirmed, shifting herself and stroking him in various places she knew he loved. Maybe the movement would stir him.

But alas, she didn't want to disturb him. She whispered softly, "Okay boy, you have a rest now. You've earned it." She popped a kiss onto his back and another on the top of his head, though she could not bring herself to move away. She sank her face into his fur and twiddled some between her fingers. She was all too familiar with the comfort it provided but it still felt refreshing, as if she was meeting him for the first time.

Though her head was down, she could still sense a figure behind her but paid it no mind.

Ah Puch didn't want to touch her though he felt like he should, like it would help. He knelt beside her and slipped a palm around the back of her neck, taking care not to catch his nails on her intricately styled hair (that was, astonishingly, still intact).

This familiarity of his palm told Awilix who it was. She knew it was for comfort but every stroke of his thumb against her neck made her tears run hot and sting her eyes. She quickly swung her head round, alarming him but he did not remove his palm. He gripped tighter, thinking it would ground her as her face was managing to muster up a look of hatred.

"Bring him back," She said suddenly, not vicious but certainly with conviction.

He wasn't alarmed by her question but still recoiled, knowing he couldn't give her the answer she wanted, "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" She stood up, her tone dangerously quiet and then loud and overpowering, "You're the God of the Mayan Underworld. Bring him back!" She jabbed a finger into his chest, forcing him back with every word.

Ah Puch bit his lip. Someone must have heard that. Though Tusky has seemingly given up the chase, there was little doubt that he'd returned to find Artemis and bring her to them. His tone remained soft, though he felt it was useless at this point, "It doesn't work like that. Artemis killed him. He's hers for the taking."

"He doesn't belong to her. He's mine. He was mine," Awilix began strong but then trailed off as the realisation of the tense she was using brought her emotions to the brink once again. Her head sunk, her eyes heavy with tears. Her forehead ended up resting on Ah Puch's chest. When she did not move, he took it as she wanted contact, by something alive (and he was, barely) and so he wrapped one arm around her shoulder and put another on her head but was neither pushing it down nor pulling it away from his chest, it was just there. Awilix clung to his arms. She did pull down slightly, if only to focus her energies elsewhere. The grief was overcoming her body, and now being away from Suku caused her to ache. She looked up at Ah Puch and gently pushed on his chest, trying to pry herself away so she could return to Suku's side.

His grip around her stayed firm, "Awilix, we need to go." His tone was still soft.

"Ah Puch, I can't leave him yet," She shook her head and tears fell from her cheek.

Ah Puch couldn't afford to be gentle anymore. He had to lay it down, "Artemis is going to come and find us. We're not safe."

"We can carry him back."

"We can't. We're not strong enough," He began to slowly and subtly pull her away from the clearing, towards the Treehouse. Not subtly enough, she noticed immediately and tore away from him. Ah Puch recovered quickly and attempted to grab her arm, earning him a much harder slap on his hand.

He couldn't be angry at her. The way she helplessly fell to her knees at Suku's side was pitiful. Ah Puch could feel his own eyes welling beneath his mask. He blinked to release the tears. Immediately, a striking orange colour caught his attention that wasn't their previously. Damn, Artemis is quick, he thought.

Her bow was still drawn and she had both eyes firmly on Ah Puch. He didn't move, so neither did she. He seemed isolated at first glance and he still must have been low on mana so there was no reason to attack. Tusky had already flanked him and was prepared to strike so she used this as an opportunity to assess her surroundings, to make sure he was alone. He was not. At first, she saw two accomplices – Awilix and Suku, but neither seemed too animated. She flitted between them and Ah Puch before finally resting her gaze on the silver arrow in Suku's back, striking against his dark fur.

Her hands began to shake, causing her drawn arrow to tilt before falling to the floor. Tusky was beside himself, his master never losing focus like this. He darted to her side, not before stopping to pick up the arrow in his mouth. He prodded her with it gently to get her attention but to no avail. A little harder and she glanced down at him, if only for a second. She shooed him away absentmindedly, prompting a protest squeal but after stern look and sharp nod from Artemis, he complied and trotted away, the arrow still in his mouth.

Artemis thought it would be insensitive to have her own, living animal companion by her side as she spoke to Awilix though it was only a small gesture, given what she'd done. Her breaths became heavy as she thought of Tusky and what she would do if anything happened to him. She didn't want to find out and didn't want anyone else to find out either, but Awilix had and she was responsible.

She'd suspected that they were an attacker or someone with ill intent. Why else would they be running? She was acting in self-defence and though she could justify it logically, it still didn't satisfy her and she knew it wouldn't satisfy Awilix either. As she squatted by Suku, pulling her bow over her head, she couldn't tell what Awilix was thinking and what she might appreciate from her. He face was devoid of feeling, though she suspected a sadness had stripped her away of everything else. She didn't know what else she could offer other than an apology.

She took a deep breath, choking back her guilt, "Awilix, I can't… I don't know where to-."

"Get away from her."

She noticed Ah Puch move straight away but couldn't react quick enough to stop him from yanking on her bow. He hauled Artemis into the air before slamming her face-down onto the ground. She yelped but it became stretched into a gasp as she felt her hair being pulled up, forcing her to arch her neck. She couldn't arch the rest of her spine to ease the tension as Ah Puch had his foot firmly planted on her back. Sharp pains prickled across her body from the shock of his brutality.

"Did you enjoy your little hunting trip?" Her stomach cramped at his words. She hadn't expected such a reaction from Awilix which had led her into a false sense of security but Ah Puch was making sure she got her comeuppance. Truly, she'd already been punished enough. She closed her eyes in shame. Soon after, she felt her hair be let loose but she didn't have much time to recover before she felt a different kind of pain as Ah Puch gripped her head, his nails digging into her skin and turned her head to face Suku. "Take a good look at your prize." Her eyes had already been forced open from the shock, and hers and Awilix's gaze finally met. Again, there was very little that could be told from her expression. Her moonlight revealed eyes, unblinking, damp from her tears and as empty as Suku's.

"I'm sorry," Artemis was forced to say. It was all she could muster.

"Why don't you do something useful, that's actually going to do something?"

She already knew her words were empty to them both but even under pressure, she couldn't think, "I know that nothing will bring him back but I can-."

"Stop talking to her," Ah Puch snarled, tightening his grip on Artemis' head. Her ginger locks were now stained with blood. It was making him kind of hungry but his mind didn't wander as drastically as Awilix's did; He remained focused, "Do something useful: Tell me why you and your family are here, armed and unprovoked."

"It may look unprovoked but we know better. We know what you're planning." She seemed smug. Ah Puch didn't like that.

"And what is that?"

"We got a tip off; Order forces are assembling here, readying for an attack on Chaos soil."

Ah Puch was baffled by this assumption, "Well, that's the first I've heard of it. Who told you that?" There was a pause. He saw her grimace so he knew was thinking about it, "Who said that there were Order forces here?" He repeated slower.

Now that she had thought about it, Artemis realised how ridiculous it sounded. But her Father preferred to act than to waste time contemplating the possibilities. Though that was her style too, Athena didn't question him so Artemis didn't think to either. She sighed, "Ratatoskr."

His eyes widened so much Ah Puch thought they might burst, "Rat'?" He roared, "You trusted Rat'? Hah! If it was Loki, fair enough. When he tries to start something, he tells the truth, but Rat's just a shit stirrer."

She wouldn't be made out to be stupid, "No one would suspect you guys," She protested, "You haven't openly declared your side so it's the perfect alibi."

"It's the perfect alibi because it's the truth. Look around you!" He yanked her hair again, "Have you seen anyone around you that's threatening? Because all I've seen is you turning up unannounced and attempting to burn our villages. And, by the way, nice job, trying to start a forest fire during our rainy season." There was a pause and he knew that he'd shut her down but he still couldn't resist, "I knew Athena was the wise one, but I still didn't think you'd be this stupid Art'." He looked for his impact, and she smiled which was not quite what he was expecting.

He also wasn't expecting a huge boar to slam into and send him hurtling towards a tree for the second time tonight.

As swift as he was in getting himself back up, fuelled by anger, her and Tusky were gone from the clearing.

"Don't you think you can run from me."

"No, wait. Let me," Awilix perked up. Ah Puch only just noticed she was standing, staring blankly at some plants, still waving from when Artemis and Tusky had brushed passed them and fled.

He shook his head and advanced towards the spot, "Awilix, you'll never catch her on foot." He was halted in his tracks by her spear that she'd recently summoned.

"I'm not going for her." She whistled loudly and a jaguar leapt into the clearing, immediately bowing his head for the Goddess. "I'm going for Tusky." She mounted, and they took off.

Author's Notes

Request for give-her-the-sunny-d on Tumblr.

So, here's what we've learnt:
- I kind of like writing angst.
- I still throw in the occasional joke every now and then because I can't resist.
- I can incorporate Ah Puch into any fic.

Given that all I've written about so far has involved the Gods drinking and going to bars or suffering from hangovers, it's kind of refreshing to write something a little darker. I even made a playlist I was that into it.

So, give-her-the-sunny-d, thank you for such a stimulating request! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm just sorry it took so long to write.