Title: Untamable Stallion

Author: The Scientist Wrangler

Rating: T for swearing and god only knows what else.

Movie: The Mummy and The Mummy Returns

Disclaimer: I don't own anything other then my OC's. Everything else is the wonderful creations of Universal Studios. I like Universal, I don't want to be banished from the theme parks for stealing that which is not mine.

Chapters: 8/15

blah= something spoken in Arabic.

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

What ripped Tanis out of the darkness was sudden intense white hot searing pain that traveled along her right arm. Consciousness yanked back into her physical being with the inelegant grace of a newborn goat, but when she tried to recoil from the pain... her limbs would not respond. Delayed realization sank in as the memory of what had last transpired passed through the girls mind. She'd been captured… by whom was still to be determined… but based on all the stories told about her Uncle and Aunt's escapades it couldn't have come as much of a surprise that this could happen.

There was a very brief respite from the pain as her captors realized she'd awoken. There was murmuring in some ancient sounding language… a question… then a cold emotionless response. Then the pain began again. A scream tore from her throat, she realized just what was happening… they were using some antiquated form of tattooing. It was basically several needles though fashioned out of what appeared to be bone and tied together, a crude form of ink made out of goddess only knows what, and what looked like oily milk. Having had numerous tattoos done in the past, though not in such a primitive manner, the needles wasn't where the burning blinding agony was coming from. The frigid female voice was chanting in that same ancient language, and her words were causing the ink to glow in an impossible way. It felt as if instead of just being marked up with color… they were branding her with a white hot poker.

What fucked with her the most… was the massive cobra statue that loomed behind her with an aura of malice that resonated off of it in waves. The empty eyes almost felt as if it stared down fixated upon her prone form that was laid out like some tribute to its long forgotten glory. Thankfully the pain was able to outweigh the terror that wanted to overtake her brain… probably the only time she'd ever be grateful for something like that.

It was a miracle that Tanis managed to stay conscious as long as she had though the ordeal. Eventually the pain was so overwhelming, that her eyes rolled back and sweet oblivion engulfed her once again. The last thing that she saw was those empty reptilian eyes locked upon hers… Waiting…. Yearning… Prepared to strike...

When she came to it was in the confines of a small cell that appeared to be carved into the side of a cave wall. The kidnappers seemed to have zero care for her state of comfort, only a ratty excuse for a blanket. They didn't even bother to leave any food behind for her.. Tanis hissed as the new marks on her arm throbbed in protest of the torture that had just been delivered upon the flesh. Without any form of bandaging, she was able to take a good look at what had been down to her. Hieroglyphics of some sort had been elegantly carved in small lines along the expanse of skin, down to her elbow. From the look of things they hadn't gotten to completing the entirety of their work. It appeared as if mid-image the captors were forced to take a pause.

The youngest O'Connell female struggled to her feet, desperate to make her escape before the tormentors came back to finish their work. Whatever was happening… it didn't seem right. There was a buzzing sensation under the skin that they'd marked up, like a hive of hornets had been let loose to run amuck. If it didn't ache so much she'd have clawed away at the symbols… itching like no one's business. She removed one of her earrings and began to pick at the lock of her cell with a type of desperation. No matter what happened, they would not continue with this torment. Every single cell in her body screamed out that this was wrong… that she should carve these symbols off her flesh entirely.

A 'click' reached her ears, and the door creaked softly as it swung open. Adrenaline surged through Tanis's veins, freedom… she could do this. She WOULD do this. Thankfully there were no guards stationed to ensure that their prize couldn't flee. Stupidity and underestimation on their part, a blessing on her part. With that she tapped into all the skills of her youth, all those nights sneaking out to meet up with some mischief making cohorts; those moonlit nights slipping out to rendezvous with a forbidden beau; those evenings where she had to ghost away from her foster families… just to find a moment of sanity for herself.

The shadows were her dearest companions, and Tanis used their cover to her advantage. By the skin of her teeth she managed to avoid running right into a guard or priest. How she could tell they were priests? Simple… Who the hell else wore such ridiculous garbs? With snake headpieces? God this was like something out of a childhood nightmare! But she just kept pushing forward, continued moving towards her freedom, there was no other option. No other possibility. Other than getting the fuck out of here… Getting home… The images of her Uncle, Aunt, Cousin….

Ardeth…

If there was a God or Goddess… she prayed that he would not blame himself for whatever happened to her here. This was not his fault, she had been careless and underestimated all those stories Rick and shared of their previous exploits… of all their enemies that seemed to lie in waiting for the perfect instance to strike with venomous fangs and vicious intent. Who knew it was possible for so many malevolent people to hate you? Hell she'd managed to piss some bad people off in the past… but not to this extent! For fucks sake!

Tanis overheard two priests talking in that same ancient language as before… but this time… this time something was very different. She could understand what was being said, as if it was something she'd spoken her entire life… rather than a likely long dead dialect spoken by only those dwelling within what she assumed was a temple.

"When are we to complete the ritual? We've waiting long enough to bring our lord back to the realm of the living."

"Patience. We are not to question the orders of the head priestess. If she says we are to wait… then we wait. It is better to take our time than risk the vessel dying in the process."

"...I suppose you are right. Though that does not mean I enjoy having to wait... "

"I don't either. But it is all for the greatness of our lord."

She held her breath as they passed, for fear of them even so much as hearing a soft intake of air. Once they had passed Tanis silently sprinted forward, the panic surging forth like a creature clawing away at the inside of her chest. How she successfully managed to make her way to the exit without being caught… was a miracle within itself… Realistically she anticipated being busted at some point along the expanse of the maze tunnel network. But before the O'Connell girl knew it, the brilliant white light of the desert sun met her eyes and for a instant she believed she was to be forever blind.

The landscape slowly took shape out of the white canvas that was her vision. Neverending golden sand as far as the eye could see, any hope within her heart died in that instant… but even so. She could not remain here. Her instincts screamed out that by now someone had to have noticed that she'd gone missing. There was no way she could get off this easy. It was simply impossible. So either it was to potentially die within the expanse of desert… or at the hands of some demented snake worshipping chaos cult. Not exactly much of a choice to make… kinda obvious in the long run ultimately. Without even a glance behind her, Tanis used that pathetic excuse for a blanket as some form of protection from the merciless Egyptian sun above her.

Rather than just heading straight out from the direction of her captors temple, the young woman wandered in more of a senseless pattern of turns and zigzags. Anything to make certain that those bastards wouldn't have an easy time of discovering her with any form of ease. The marks on Tanis's arm continued to throb and ache in an almost agonizing manner. As if protesting her abandoning whatever sadistic ritual they'd been inflicting without any care of her well being. But she ignored the pain and forced herself to push forward. Almost as if her subconscious was repeatedly chanting on loop, 'Get away, get away, get away, get away'.

How long she had to struggle through that deserted landscape… Tanis didn't have even the foggiest clue. It could have been hours, days, months… all blurred into a single solitary instant which seemed almost unceasing. Eventually her strength gave out entirely and the young woman collapsed upon the dune she'd been attempted to trudge her way up. Her cheek pressed against the burning hot sand without any care in the world. All she wanted was peace…. Peace from this agonizing unceasing desperate attempt for freedom… safety… relief. Before long she felt her body be lifted from the spot she'd finally considered to be her grave.

At first there was that buzzing panic brewing beneath the skin yet again… she couldn't go back… couldn't…. Wouldn't… .no….

But then her saviors spoke, and the language wasn't the ancient forgotten one from before… it was familiar… soothing. She knew this dialect, knew it all too well. It pulled a comforting image into her mind. Someone she felt safe around. At peace around. Someone she trusted with her life… which was something that she hadn't experienced in far too long.

Ardeth…

Darkness greeted her yet again, as if it were an old friend that wanted to embrace her in a hug that lasted far too long for what was comfortable. And when she awoke again it was in a situation just as foreign, yet far more physically comfortable than the last one. Her body lay open a cushioned pallet of some sort, from the 'roof' it appeared that it was some type of large tent intended to be used a type of building… but suited for a more nomadic lifestyle. The pillows under her head was soft and helped with the headache that throbbed beneath the temple. A type of incense seemed to be burning, sending a wave of sandalwood and jasmine to float almost whimsically through the air around her. Tanis let out a long deep sigh of comfort as that buzzing sensation eased up… but only by a miniscule amount.

Even though she couldn't bring herself to move, let alone even lift her head, Tanis could tell that she wasn't alone. The soft sounds of movement adjacent to her made it very evident that someone else was in the process of getting some form of chores done. Perhaps it was dishes or laundry or even just a simple sort of tidying up. But the presence was soothing rather than hostile and that knowledge alone made her more inclined to try and speak. Somehow through her woozy nearly delirious state she managed to strangle out the words,

"Where… where. Am. I?"

After a long silent moment passed, Tanis wasn't sure if it was from shock or bewilderment. After a pause there was movement, and then something cold and damp came to rest upon her forehead. If she had had more energy perhaps Tanis would have jumped straight out of her very skin. But the sensation seemed to ease the brutal burning that was traveling almost in waves within her.

"You are burning up with a fever and must rest." The voice was peaceful and compassionate in tone, it made the young woman force her eyes to open again and take in the individual that was nursing her back to health. The facial features had a quality to them that was one she felt she knew far too well. Why? That was a question that Tanis could not answer at this very moment. The fever burned so fiercely that it made her mind feel almost akin to the sensation of being drunk.

Those warm brown eyes though, they belonged to someone… In her delirious state the name spilled out without any thought, right before the oblivion dragged her down one more time…

"Ardeth…"

TBC

Author Note: I wrote this while I was drunk... so I apologize if this made absolutely no sense whatsoever. TT^TT