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A Father's Visit

By Chris Gilman

Andy Nubis watches the city come to life as night falls over Megalopolis and the neon lights brighten the gloom of twilight on the streets. The male jackal morph leans against the railing of the observation deck atop the museum and sips his drink as he smiles at the magnificent city that surrounds them.

A dark spotted arm reaches around his waist and a warm, firm pressure presses against his back. He closes his eyes and lets a smile crease his features, "Hello my love."

"Why are you out here all alone?" the lithe black jaguar fem asks as she holds her mate close, her voice a gentle purr in the clear air as her open palms stroke his bare chest where the leather straps from his Egyptian themed warrior costume don't interfere.

He smiles as he turns to face her and leans his butt against the railing as his eyes take in the magnificent view of the female in front of him in her Egyptian themed costume, "I just needed a breath of cleaner air. Besides, I love watching the city come to life as night falls."

Sandy wraps her arms behind his neck and lifts onto her tiptoes to give him a kiss so deep they forget to breathe for a minute and part with gasps for air. He smiles as he leans his head forward to rest his forehead against hers, "Thank you for the birthday party. How did you get the trustees to let you host it at the museum after closing? Not to mention the idea of a costume party," he smiles and rubs the tip of his pointed canine nose against her feline one.

She purrs up at him, her smile shining, "That was the easiest part. They all wanted to attend. Since you started taking more and more of the work for the Egyptology wing, the museum has had a marked increase in visitors. Visitors mean money, and they attribute that to you at least in part." Her eyes twinkle with mischief, "Though the report of a new ghostly apparition of Anubis and his army of the dead protecting the halls of the museum at night may have something to do with that." Together they have a brief chuckle before she continues, "So, when I asked if we could throw you a birthday party at the museum they not only agreed, but wanted to attend." She rubs her nose against his with a feathery touch, "Your exploits in trying to protect the artifacts from that meta helped too. Even months later, they still remember the hero of the night. While they expect a meta did step in to save you, since they didn't want to stay for the recognition, they're more than willing to celebrate the normal who was brave enough to take on a meta single handedly." She runs a finger down his chest and smiles, "As for the costume idea... Well, this is the museum. Almost everyone here has their own favorite period in time they like to image and dress as."

He chuckles, "If only they knew the truth about our other costumes huh?"

"Indeed," a deep voice carries from the deep shadows of the observation deck and vibrates the air so forcibly it is more a physical assault than a voice.

The two lovers jump with a start and turn towards the voice, "Who's there?!" shouts Andy as his hand grips the hilt of the almost useless ceremonial khopesh strapped to his back. "The museum is closed for a private event. You shouldn't be here."

The voice echoes with a deep chuckle, "Hmhmhmhm, and here I thought our son would welcome a visit and a present on his birthday from his parents, didn't you my dear?"

Andy and Sandy's jaws drop open as the two jackals step from the shadows that had hidden them so well. The short female is instantly recognized as Andy's mother with her hair grown long and falling free over her shoulders. The wrapped dress of ancient Egyptian design seems to suit her well as she beams a smile to her only child, "Hello son, it's so good to see you again. You're looking better then I remember in fact. Must be all the training I hear you are doing."

"Mother..." Andy's voice is barely above a whisper as he stares at his mother, large ears perked in surprise as a nerveless hand drops from the fake weapon.

But Sandy grips her lover's arm tightly, her ears laid back in fear as she stares at the figure standing next to and towering over the smaller female who's shorter than Sandy by a few inches. "Andy... It's your father..." she whispers with a throat gone dry with fear, her eyes wide as saucers.

The young jackal snaps his attention to the other figure and he is speechless as the eight foot tall jackal grins down at the young couple, Andy's mother cuddled against his side, each with an arm wrapped around the other in mutual companionship. The male's fur is dark as the deepest pit of the void, but his eyes glow with an inner fire that is hotter than the deepest pits of hell. In contrast to his fur he wears a loincloth and vest of the purest white while jewelry that shimmers with misunderstood magic adorns them both. His hair is braided into thick ropes that hang over his shoulders to the middle of his back and does little to hide the hilts of the khopeshes jutting from over his shoulders. The big male's muscular shoulders twitch as he chuckles with his deep voice echoing in that strange way the personal guards' voices do when they speak, "Hello son, I am glad to finally be allowed to meet you in the flesh, but know that I have watched over you since I found out my soul mate was with child. I am pleased with the young warrior you have become."

"But... I thought you couldn't come here? There were rules or something..." Andy stammers as he tries to take in the visage of a god who just happens to be his father and his mind focuses on the most basic of questions in this situation, "How are you here?"

The large male looks to his mate and sighs, "Ah yes, my love, would you entertain our daughter-in-law. I need to talk to our son alone and explain why we're here." He gives a reassuring smile to the young female still clutching his son, "We will get a chance to visit before we leave young woman who takes on the aspect of Bastet. She is watching you closely to be sure you do not tarnish the glory of her name too."

The female jackal smiles and removes her arm from Anubis' waist as she approaches the young couple and takes Sandy's hands in her own, "Please my dear, you must tell me about yourself. I knew your parents by reputation of course and their loss was a tragic blow to all in the field of Egyptology, but I would like to know a few things about my new daughter-in-law." As they walk away Andy winces at the expected question from his mother, "So, when do I get a grandchild to spoil rotten?"

Sandy looks to her mate who gives her the slightest of nods. She looks back to the female jackal and gives a weak smile, "It's good to finally meet you too."

The two females walk to a distant corner of the observation deck while the two males watch. "Is she good for you my son?"

Andy looks up at the towering male and speaks the only possible answer, "More than words can describe."

Lord Anubis smiles down at his son, "That is good to hear. I too know that feeling with your mother. I never thought I would find one who was so alike that we could bond to the very fiber of our souls," he gives the smaller male a knowing smile, "but I don't think I have to explain that to you." He opens his arms and engulfs the younger male in a bear hug that lifts him from his feet, "It is good to finally meet my cub that I have watched from so far for all these years." Setting Andy back on his feet he waves a hand towards a clear spot on the observation deck. Two chairs take form from glowing blue mist on the patio along with a table and solidify into reality. Lord Anubis takes the larger one, a hand extended towards the other, "Please my son, sit. There is much to talk about, and there is only tonight to do it." His lips turn down in a frown, "Yes, I have only been given tonight to tell you so much, and though the night is young, it is also short." He leans forward and fixes his son's gaze with his own eerily glowing eyes, a slight grin returning to his muzzle, "But know that I am proud of the man you have become, a defender of the innocent and a judge of the wicked."

Andy lowers his gaze to the table and is surprised to see two glasses and a couple of bottles have appeared while he was transfixed by his father's gaze, "Thank you father. But..."

"But indeed," the older male's voice seems to echo in the night, though his speech is soft as he reaches out to pour an amber liquid into the two glasses, "Scotch, one of the finer things this world has given us. Our brew masters in the Duat still have yet to get the right mix, even after all these years. I suspect the old saying 'location, location, location' has something to do with it since to be called scotch it must be made in Scotland I understand." He holds one glass out to Andy who takes it. Raising his own he clinks the glasses together, "To your health my son."

They both take a drink of the liquid and Andy sighs as he closes his eyes and feels the liquid fire flowing into his guts where it melts the glacier that had frozen there at the impossible sight of his father. "That is some good stuff."

"Now, first things first as they say. Today is your birthday I believe?" He reaches behind his shoulders to pull the twin khopeshes from their harnesses before he flips them with a flourish and extends the handles towards his son. "May they protect you in battle as well as they have done so for me. The Captain of my guard says that you have learned well the art of using these."

Andy reaches out with nervous hands to grip the sharkskin wrapped handles. Holding the pair of gleaming blades he notices the feather light weight of the weapons despite their heavy and weighted blades, the balance more perfect than anything he had even seen or handled in the museum. "What will you use without your blades?"

Lord Anubis gives his son a bark of laughter, "HAH! Good one son, it has been a long time since I've had to draw them in anger, and there are other weapons in the palace of equal quality to Scales and Feather, though I must admit those blades have served our bloodline since the first of us took to the battlefield so many millennia ago that we have lost track of the time. As they were handed to me when I came of age, they are now passed to you. May they serve you well, in both battle and in peace, and may you in turn pass them on to a new generation when the time is right."

Andy studies the blades that radiate with a glow of their own, "Thank you for the gift father," he tears his gaze from the beauty of the golden blades and rests them in his lap as he raises his gaze back to Anubis's face, "but you said you came to warn me?"

The older jackal frowns, a hand coming up to rub his chin, "Yes... There is a threat coming to this world. We cannot stop it, but when it comes you will be tested far more than any event has tested this world. But, take heart my son, you will have far more than the one-hundred elite body guards which you may call on now. Alliances have been formed in the Duat, and Bastet, Sekhmet, and Horus stand with us. You will command an army of more than one-hundred thousand soldiers and elite guardians against the menace. Their numbers cannot win the war, but they will weigh heavily in your favor as you stand with the others who defend this world from those outside."

At his father's words of warning Andy studies his face, "What aren't you telling me father? I can see it, though you hide it well. There is something you aren't telling me."

Lord Anubis studies the younger male for a few moments, his thumb and forefinger pulling at his lower lip before answering, "I see you have that gift already too, to see that which others try to hide by omission. That is how out family judged those who wished to enter the Duat in the ancient times."

Andy nods in understanding, "The weighing of the heart ceremony? And you're trying to change the subject."

The older male lowers his head and takes a deep breath before he looks back to his son, "Son, the threat that is coming has destroyed not only civilizations, but whole worlds, even other dimensions of which you have never heard, and now can never learn of because nothing exists. Those dimensions were wiped so completely from existence that not even their memory remains. All we have are vague feelings that something is missing, something is wrong. We see that this world, with its varied defenders and outcasts has a chance, but only a slim chance. There is no guarantee that anyone will survive the coming storm of violence. I am willing to bring you and your mate back to the Duat with us. We can withdraw from this world and let its own warriors fight for its survival. While we would all regret the loss of this world we loved, we are not sure it is worth the risk to one of our blood."

Andy looks away from his father's gaze and studies one of the swords in his lap, the one his father named Scales. The blade is perfectly balanced in his hand as he lifts it. Both swords are masterpieces of the art of war, but each khopesh has its own subtle characteristics that make it unique. "Father, you know my answer." He looks to his father and locks gazes, "If you didn't you would not have formed the alliance to draw more warriors to fight on our side when they come. I am your son, but I am also a child of this realm, and I will not see it fall before invaders from anyplace or time."

Lord Anubis nods and leans back into his chair with a satisfied smile, "Yes son, I did. You are much like myself at your age, a wild alpha ready to take on the world and prove your power. Your mother will worry, but I think she will approve of your choice in the end." He looks out into the night and the neon glow of the city, "She still loves this world, and would be heartbroken if it was lost to the hoard that is coming."

They sit in silence for a time, the soft voices of the two females chatting and giggling coming to them from across the roof on the crisp night air. "Father," Andy breaks the silence, "Do we have a chance?"

Anubis studies his son with narrowed eyes, "Even the smallest ant has a chance against the mightiest of elephants. If you are asking if I think you will win, I do not know. Maybe one of the others can tell the future, it wasn't my strongest of powers. However, I do know both this world and many more hang in the balance, and the scales are still moving even now, not yet settled on the outcome. The Norse gods are calling their warriors for what they fear is the final battle of Ragnarok. Their avatars and chosen here on the Earth are receiving similar warnings to what I am giving you." He smirks and gives a short bark of laughter, "Thor always did love a fight." He refills his glass and downs it in one gulp before releasing a sigh of contentment, "Ahhh... Some of the other deities are waiting to see what will happen before they commit any forces or power to assist. Some think it cannot be stopped here and they are hoarding their forces to protect their homes for when the shadow comes for them. And come it will, it is never happy, it is never sated, and it is always consuming. If it had a name, we don't remember it, but we know it is coming, and you will need to train to be ready. Form alliances, warn those who are defenders, even warn those you would fight on a daily basis. Good and evil is all relative, and when faced by a greater threat often they work well together."

Andy downs his own glass of scotch and refills it from the bottle on the small table as he asks his father with as casual a tone as possible, "Tell me father, what have you done with time so that we can have this chat?"

Anubis' muzzle breaks into a wide and mischievous grin, "Ah, you noticed." He pulls a small ankh from his sash and holds it up, "Just a party trick, but enough so that this time on the roof is passing in only the space of a moment to your guests. Otherwise, there would be the real chance one might stumble up here and find you having a glass of scotch with 'ol Anubis and your mother chatting up that pretty little female of yours." He snorts, "I like to use it for a little private time with your mother now and then, ruling a kingdom is not all it's cracked up to be son. Enjoy your freedom before it is your turn to take the reins of the kingdom when I pass on to what lies beyond."

Andy nods without questioning the device as Anubis slips it back into the sash around his waist. "Father... You know if we fail, I will not be able to take over your kingdom when it is time."

Anubis frowns, "I know my son." He fills both glasses to the brim, emptying the bottle of its last drops and holds his up in salute, "But let us not think on that. Let us instead talk of the future that will be, one after the darkness is defeated and the evil is driven back to the plane from which it came."

Andy raises his glass in return and together the males drink deeply of the fine scotch.

***

The ladies return from their quiet talk and find the men sipping scotch and discussing things as any other father and son might be found on a quiet night. Anubis smiles at his lady before he pulls the small silver ankh from his sash and frowns at the diminished glow. "We have to go in about ten minutes my love, or we might be discovered." He chuckles, "And while you can still fit in here, I think the return of an ancient Egyptian god might cause a panic even in this city of supernatural beings."

Andy stands as his mother steps up and wraps her arms tightly around her son, "I am so proud of you Andy." She looks over her shoulder to Sandy and gives a bright smile, "And your young lady here is quite a catch. You did well in picking one who is as strong and unique as yourself."

Andy smiles as he hugs his mother, "I couldn't agree more."

He buries his nose in her hair and enjoys her light scent, "Do you really have to leave again?"

His mother closes her eyes and a tear rolls down her cheek to fall on his chest, "Yes, I'm sorry but I must stay with my love, as you must stay with yours. I will certainly visit," she halts as she looks to Anubis who nods with a soft smile in agreement.

Andy looks to his father, "Will I see you again?"

"In time my son," responds the large jackal with a soft voice as he watches his soul mate hold their only child to herself.

As the sounds of the town start to drift up to them again Anubis frowns as the glow of the ankh finally fades in his hand, "I'm sorry my queen, but we must go. Our time is up and you know I can't stay."

She nods and gives her son a quick peek on the cheek before she steps back to join her lover and Sandy steps up to take her place beside the young prince. Anubis and his queen start to fade into mists as they wave farewell. Andy and Sandy both return the wave until the two figures are gone.

Andy leans over and buries his nose in Sandy's hair, "What did you and my mother talk about?"

"This and that," she says. "I wish I got to know her more, but maybe as time goes on she will visit more."

All characters unless otherwise stated are the property of Christopher Gilman.

Story © Copyright Christopher Gilman 2015 all rights reserved

Megalopolis © Copyright Goliath Thunderstep and Emerald Cistern and is used with permission mail me and tell me what you think at [email protected]