Title: My Sacrifice
Author: Frost
E-mail: swatkatsyd@live.com
Date: 7/4/09
Rating: K+
Warnings: Blood and violence.
Copyrights: SWAT Kats are copyright to Hanna-Barbera and unfamiliar names belond to me, Frost.
Summary: The SWAT Kats get caught up in the centuries' old vengeance of an ancient creature.
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Five hundred years ago, when the Americas were still vastly unexplored, there was a legend of a fierce creature. Half snake and half kat. The Spanish explorers angered it greatly in their search for gold. When they invaded its hiding place, they killed its mate. The creature attacked the explorers and scared them off. But, after seeing much gold and treasures hidden away, they went back with more forces.

The natives had known about this creature for decades. They had kept it happy by not intruding and giving it animal sacrifices. After the Spanish explorers had angered the creature, it started killing off herds of the natives’ animals and their fields of crops. The natives asked what they had to do for their tribes to survive. During the night, the creature came out when everybody was sleeping. It left an explorer’s helmet sitting on a sword with a bone across the helmet’s front. The natives knew what it wanted; human sacrifices.

Ever since then, once every year, a relative of the ancient tribe has sent one unlucky kat to the creature’s cave. It is in the warm summer nights when a single native searches out a victim. And, if the moon is full on the fateful night, the creature demands more than one victim.

* * * *

“Tonight,” the voice echoed through the natural cave. “Tonight, I need my sacrifice. Have you found one?”

“Yes, a she-kat.” The dark brown and black tom bowed his head. “She will be here by tonight. You have my word.”

“She better,” the other voice hissed. “Or you’ll take her place.”

“She’ll be here,” answered the tom softly as he sped outside of the cave.

* * * *

“Okay, that just about does it.” Jake stood up and wiped his greasy hands on an old red rag. “There, what do you think?”

“It looks nice, bud,” Chance said as he rubbed his hands over the smooth metal. “How fast will she go?”

“Twice as fast as the old cyclotron,” Jake answered as he wiped sweat off of his forehead.

“Good for ground pursuit.” Chance ruffled the hair on his partner’s head and started to climb the ladder back up into the garage.

“Well at least it’ll replace the last one we lost,” Jake mewed as he took a seat on the couch.

“Okay so we’re gonna order out,” Frost said from where she stood behind the kitchen counter. “You guys want Chinese or pizza?”

“Chinese,” both toms answered.

“Sweet and sour chicken,” Jake specified.

“Sesame chicken,” Chance said as he took off his baseball cap.

* * * *

“What?!” the scream echoed in the barely lit cave. “What do you mean you couldn’t get her?!”

“She was… well… more guarded than I thought.” The tom shook with fear.

“If you didn’t bring her to me, I’ll go get her,” the voice hissed, low and angry. “And, like I said before…”

“No! Don’t! Stay… back…” The tom gasped for air before he fell to the ground, dead.

“Anyone who gets in my way will die.” This echoed in the cave long after the creature left.

* * * *

Ms. Briggs started to dig in her purse. The creature slammed against the door again. She had sweat running down her face, and she was terrified. After fumbling around, the she-kat found the communication device. She pressed the red button in the middle of it.

“T-Bone, please help!” Ms. Briggs panted.

“Okay, Callie, tell me what’s going on,” T-Bone said calmly.

“There’s this… this… this creature trying to get me! The Enforcers can’t even stop it.” Callie whimpered as the creature beat against the door.

“Okay, we’ll be right over. You’re at City Hall, right?” T-Bone asked.

“Yeah,” Callie answered weakly.

The creature knocked against the door with great power. Sickeningly, the door’s hinges began to creak and break. Callie curled up underneath her desk and whimpered. This was worse than when Mist was after her.

“Okay, T-Bone, Callie is in her office,” Razor whispered as he tapped his Glovatrix. “We’ll go in on my command.”

“Roger,” T-Bone whispered in response.

“Three… two… one!”

Razor and T-Bone busted through the door.

“Callie? Are you here?” T-Bone asked softly as the two began to walk around the office only lit by the full moon outside.

“I’m okay,” Callie replied as she stuck her head out from underneath her desk. “I don’t know where the creature went.”

The door creaked shut. The lock clicked. Both toms turned towards the door only to see the tip of a tail.

“Hey, show yourself,” T-Bone commanded as he took a fighting stance.

A she-kat’s head came into view. She had long golden hair and gray fur with brown markings on her face, arms, and torso. Eyes as green as emeralds glittered in the moonlight.

“You do not fear me?” she asked.

“Should we?” Razor asked as he backed up with his partner.

“Yes, you should.” She moved around closer to them.

Quicker than both toms expected, they were down on the floor with the she-kat standing over them. T-Bone jumped up and swung at the she-kat with a fist. She dodged and returned the blow.

“Split and get her that way,” Razor growled real low.

T-Bone jumped into the shadows after the she-kat as Razor jumped at the she-kat from behind. Razor raked his claws down the she-kat’s back and down her tail. But, it was what was below the she-kat’s waist that startled him. It was smooth like scales. Before he had time to think about it, something wrapped around his chest and flung him into the wall.

Callie sat under her desk and listened to the fight go on. There were a lot of sounds like bodies hitting the wall then it was silent. The she-kat stuck her head under Callie’s desk and smiled wickedly.

* * * *

Razor opened his eyes barely. A headache told him that he’d been beat up pretty hard. Groggily, he lifted his head and observed his surroundings. Wherever he was had dim lighting, yet lots of rich warm colors. It looked a little like Dark Kat’s old lair just without all the machines and gadgets.

“Where am I?” Razor asked himself quietly.

After moving around a little, the dark ginger tom realized his hands were chained behind his back. The smaller chains around his hands were connected to a thicker chain hooked to the wall. His feet were chained together as well.

“Perfect,” Razor mumbled as he started to try and contort enough to get out of the chains.

After a few minutes, the dark ginger tom was able to unlock the chains around his hands. Razor then unsheathed his claws and unlocked the chains around his ankles.

“T-Bone?” The slender tom stood up and started to scan the cave.

The cave was large with a tall ceiling. There were two different tunnels leading off in different directions. Then there was a giant mountain of treasure in the shadows. It was all gold coins, pearls, and all sorts of valuable things.

“Hey, Sure Shot, over here,” T-Bone called.

Razor turned around and walked towards his partner. He was chained just like he had been. But, he was chained closer to a ledge that had a glowing red light coming from it. The slender tom glanced over the edge.

“Wow, lava,” Razor said as he started to work on T-Bone’s chains.

There was the sound of coins falling. Razor turned and tilted his ears towards the back of the cave. The shadow of the she-kat appeared, her green eyes sparkling.

“Just a sec.” Razor stood up and slowly approached the she-kat.

“Why do you not fear me?” the she-kat asked as she tipped her head.

“I guess I’ve seen so many things new things don’t scare me,” Razor answered cautiously.

“Everyone that comes down here is scared.” The she-kat came into the dim light as she spoke.

Now Razor knew why she kept asking why he wasn’t scared. He hadn’t noticed until now that the she-kat wasn’t even fully kat. From her waist down was the body of a huge anaconda. She was a naga.

“You’re a naga?” Razor asked as he took a step back.

“Yes,” Quick, like her reptilian relative, the she-kat slithered behind the small tom. “My name’s Ara, bringer of rain. But, no one wants to know my name. They don’t live long enough to tell anybody else about it.”

“What do you mean?” Razor felt his heart start to beat a little faster as a wave of fear passed over him.

“That’s what they all ask.” The naga started to coil around the dark ginger tom. “But, I’d think you’d know more about me, prince.”

“What? How’d you know?” Razor questioned.

“I’ve been around for over five hundred years,” Ara hissed. “I was there when your mother was born. I was there when you were born, Prince Khuno.”

Razor had been so distracted by Ara talking that he hadn’t even noticed she had coiled around him. A powerful coil wrapped around his neck. Ara lifted the tom into the air and held him there. Razor grabbed the coil and tried to hold himself up with his arms so to prevent from being strangled.

“A prince for my sacrifice.” Ara bared her needle sharp fangs in an evil smile.

Razor screeched as Ara bit into his side. The naga released her coil and let the small tom drop to the ground. The venom in Razor’s body spread quickly. His frame shook and beads of sweat formed on his face. He wrapped his hand over the bite wound, but that did little good to ease the nauseating pain. Without knowing why, Razor forced himself to his knees. That was a bad move to make. He doubled over and started puking violently.

T-Bone watched this all happen. He was angered that he could do nothing because of the chains. Watching his partner go through that was worse than if he’d gone through it personally.

Razor panted as the muscles in his torso started to calm. When an icy cold wave swept over him, he feared that death would soon follow. He lay down on his side and breathed sluggishly until darkness overtook him.

Ara had a calm, cool look on her face. She smirked at her work and started to slither over to one of the tunnels. Shadows fell over her body as the naga disappeared down the dark tunnel.

“Razor?” T-Bone asked as he tilted his ears forward. “Razor, please say something.”

The only reply he got was a twitch from Razor’s ears.

* * * *

Razor opened his eyes, hoping to wake up from a nightmare. The dim, glowing light in the cave told him that he hadn’t been dreaming. Groaning, he pushed himself into a sitting position. His head hurt, and he had a fever.

“Razor? Are you okay, bud?” T-Bone asked when he realized his partner had woken up.

“You got some aspirin?” Razor joked half-heartedly.

“You feelin’ a bit better?” T-Bone had a worried look on his face.

“I’ve got a fever and my head hurts,” Razor answered tiredly.

“So, my sacrifice has woken up?” Ara purred as her body came out of the shadows.

Razor felt his blood run cold when Ara’s body brushed against him. She started to coil around him. Ara coiled around him like a snake around its prey.

“Why are you doing this?” Razor asked.

“Oh, like you don’t know,” Ara hissed as she wrapped a powerful coil around Razor’s chest.

“I swear… I don’t…” Razor gasped as Ara tightened her coil.

“Of all kats, surely you’d know,” Ara snarled as she released her coil and let Razor stumble to the ground.

“I have no idea…” Razor was cut off when the naga wrapped a coil around his neck and hoisted him into the air.

“If you think back hard enough, you’d know,” Ara growled as she wrapped a coil around Razor’s right arm and a coil around his chest.

“I really don’t know,” Razor rasped when Ara let go of his neck.

“Yes, you do,” Ara growled as she tightened the coil around Razor’s arm.

“Ara, I don’t know,” Razor whispered.

Ara pulled her lips back in a snarl. She started to pull Razor’s arm up while using the coil around his chest to keep the rest of him still. Razor felt the muscles burning in his shoulder. He wanted to scream when his shoulder popped out of place.

To Be Continued...