The Contract

“Next you have Ausar Jah. He is Kajil Ilb's right paw and has been with him for a very, very long time. He is a jackal from the Kingdom of Sahel, thirties or forties, something like that. Anyway, he is not like the pony. He was born in the rough, that much we know.”

A very young Ausar Jah walks down a blue hallway with streaks of white and light blue pulsing through it. Beams of light poke through the windows, illuminating the floating dust in vibrant glitters of red, green, yellow and blue. Behind him is a group of dead ponies laying pools of blood and with more splashed along the wall and their weapons of pistols, rifles and shotguns laying next to them. Streaks and dots of red cover Ausar Jah's slender, black furred body, his golden eyes are dilated and his large claws make rhythmic taps while he leaves a trail of bloody paw prints.

“Min huna!” shouts someone down the hall.

Ausar Jah runs towards the source, and when an earth pony stallion rounds the corner wearing clawed boots he leaps and tackles the pony to the ground. His teeth easily sink into his neck and the stallion gurgles and thrashes as blood gushes out of the holes. Another earth pony comes out with a pistol in his mouth and Ausar Jah spins to his feet and slashes the stallion’s face, forcing the gun change course and barely miss him.

Ausar Jah's ears ring and he stabs the pony in the neck with his claws and pushes him back into a group of other ponies. Blood flows from the gashes on his victim's face and neck, and when he pulls his claws out the pony crumbles to the ground, gagging and pressing his hoof against his open throat.

The ponies Ausar Jah knocked over scramble to their hoofs, and one of them, armed with clawed boots like the first one, yells and brings his hoofs up. When the hoofs come down Ausar Jah gets on his hind legs, blocks the descent, and headbutts the pony in the muzzle. The pony yelps and stumbles back and Ausar Jah leaps over him, tackles another pony to the ground, rolls next to another one and slashes his hind leg.

The pony with the slashed leg cries out in pain and buckles, dropping the pistol he was carrying, and Ausar Jah slams his face to the ground and gives him a hard press, leading to a sickly crack and loss of movement. He then turns to the pony he tackled and slams his paw into his gut. The pony grunts, then screams and tries pushing him off as he drags his claws across his stomach, leaving three large, flowing gashes.

Blood quickly covers the floor, and Ausar Jah is jerked by a very uncomfortable punch to his shoulder. He looks at his shoulder and sees absolutely nothing, and when the punch returns there is again nothing but a force that pushes him back. He looks up at the remaining pony and sees a pistol in his mouth. The pony is pale and shaking, and he pulls the trigger three more times, blinding Ausar Jah with flashes of colorful powder and hitting him with annoying punches.

The jackal's fur bristles, and with a low, vicious growl he stalks towards the pony. Said pony fires off two more shots into Ausar Jah, pushing him back just barely a couple of steps, and then his gun clicks.

Click.

Click. Click.

The pony's eyes widen and his life leaves his eyes as Ausar Jah's bloodied fangs are exposed in a vicious grin.

Click.

Click. Click.

Ausar Jah coils his body, and the pony drops his gun and holds out his hoof.

“Aitazar!” begs the pony.

And that is the last thing he says before he is tackled by Ausar Jah and the pony's scream is the last thing heard from the compound.

When Ausar Jah exits the building a few minutes later the purple sunlight burns his eyes and sand rubs against his coat, sticking to him like fine sugar. However, as the seconds move on by, the purple sun peels away to the colors of orange and yellow, and the sugar colored sand changes to tan sand that actually starts to sting him a little bit.

Ausar Jah keeps walking, though. His steps are quick, yet heavy, and hot pockets of pain begin to grow all over his body. Especially his chest and shoulder. But despite the pain he keeps his eye on the prize.

A red and gray griffin barely in his twenties is sitting patiently on a throne made of crates of muskets, ammo and powder with a proud smile and sunglasses, holding the barrel of a musket with its stock pressed into the sand. Blood is over his face and at his feet are half a dozen dead ponies, all with various fatal wounds and their blood dark red seas on the the sand. Ausar Jah can't help but admire this look. It seems fitting for the griffin.

“You do not look so good,” says griffin, whom he knows as Kajil Ilb.

“But the job is done,” says Ausar Jah.

Kajil Ilb chuckles and tosses him a bag of gold coins. “That it is, my friend. That it is. And that is your reward, as promised.”

Ausar Jah picks up the back of coins and slips it into a pouch strapped to his upper front leg, his breathing and eyes getting heavier, and the vibrant colors fading from his colorful world.

As he puts his reward away, Kajil Ilb hops off the throne and approaches the jackal with a proud and eager smile.

“You are too good to be a drifter,” says Kajil Ilb. “You should come with me permanently. Destiny put our paths together and I know you and I were meant to be. Plus you get good money, good food, good houses.” He winks and clicks his tongue lewdly. “Good tail.”

“You have nothing,” says Ausar Jah bluntly.

“But I will have something very soon.” Kaji Ilb waves towards the throne of arms and ammo. “For what you see is the beginning of a kingdom, and I know it will grant you what you desire.”

Ausar Jah frowns at the muskets, grunting from both skepticism and an increasingly annoying pain and cold creeping into his body. The sun also seems to be getting brighter in the center while dimmer on the edges. Somehow. He hates that. It doesn't seem natural.

“You won't get far. Ballistics are no good. You're better with traditional weapons or drugs,” says Ausar Jah.

“Ah, but you see these muskets are the seeds of greater things to come.” Kajil Ilb pulls the jackal in close for a half hug and lightly punches him in his shot chest, causing said jackal to grunt and recoil from pain. Not that the griffin notices. “Stick with me. We will go places.”

Ausar Jah wants to say something, but realizes that the cold feeling has spread all over his body, and he looks down at al the blood leaking from the holes shot into him, and he looks up at Kajil Ilb, whimpering with ears drooped, body shaking and eyes wide and dimming.

“Oh,” says Ausar Jah. And then he collapses into a heap at Kajil Ilb's feet.

Kajil Ilb looks down at the jackal, clicks his tongue and seethes quietly as he scans the area and runs his talons through his plumage.

“Well then,” says Kajil Ilb. “Stay put. I'll grab some drugs!”

Ausar Jah groans weakly, then blacks out.

“Ausar Jar is not to be fooled around with, all right? He does not like to die, so when you find him you'll have to overkill him. Got it? Good.”