Sara had witnessed many terrible things. This wasn’t the first time that she had seen mass murder. That didn’t mean that it was any less shocking. What was even more shocking to her was that Bast had only sat there on her temple’s steps to watch the scene. She sat there stock still as if she had no remorse for the people that she’d told Sara that she still cared for. It didn’t make sense to Sara that she would threaten Sara so freely for harming her people, but watch them killed so easily.

Jack didn’t talk much to Sara. He’d tried to start a conversation, and tell her that things weren’t only different because they were in a different country, but also a different time. She wouldn’t hear it. Jack ended up letting her be and occupied himself by solemnly dangling some string in front of a pair of kittens who obviously didn’t know or care about the events that had taken place directly down their steps.

Meanwhile, Bast kept a visual over the scene. Sara was sure that Bast had been the one stopping her from getting to Sakmet’s men. Anyone else didn’t make sense.

It didn’t take others long to show up. One of Sakmet’s men had left. Sara assumed that it was to tell his godess of the latest events. The rest staid to look menacingly over the foot of the temple steps. Sakmet’s men stretched the bodies of the dead out in front of the temple. Men woman and children came back to the temple, with long sheets. They were allowed to bind the bodies with the cloth and thin cord.

Despite the bloodshed and death, Sara noticed that the foot of the temple was becoming more and more crowded again. The crowd wasn’t nearly as big as it had been earlier but it was still bigger than before the kills. Sakmet’s soldiers, mourners, and other defiant Bast supporters stood so close together. Sara was worried that Sakmet’s men would kill again. But what would she be able to do if she couldn’t get through that barrier?

“Bast you’re a monster.” Sara said as she stared at the back of the small cat. She’d drawn her knees up to her chest a she sat with her back against one of the large stone pillars. Tail twitching. It was then that Bast turned to look Sara right in the eye.

The small house cat that was Bast stood, and Sara pushed herself up off of the ground as well. The Egyptian feline passed through her invisible barrier with a flick of her tail and a slow stretching arch of her back that lengthened like a normal cats. Her front claws fully extended out in front of her, then she grew to her half human half lioness form in front of Sara.

eyes up…. Eyesupeyesupeyesup…..

Sara crossed her arms, clearly still disgusted with what she had scene. “I don’t know what I’m more disgusted with right now. Your idea of who is harmful of your people, or the fact that you could have saved them.”

Somewhere in the back ground, Jack looked up to see the two felines talking again. He scooped up the two kittens that he’d been playing with and retreated towards the back of the temple.

Bast was silent for a moment. At first she looked like she was going to scream back at Sara, but she took a moment to collect her thoughts. “I could have.” Bast admitted. “You could have saved them too.” She added and instead of keeping Sara’s eye contact she dropped it to stare at one of the decorated pillars. “Those men gave their lives freely, and if they did that demonstration thinking anything else, then there really was nothing that I could do to help them.”

“Or you could have stopped the guards.” Sara rolled her eyes.

“And if I’m not there next time?” Bast asked Sara and Sara’s head tilted. Her right ear flicking. “I don’t know what your idea of a god or goddess is where you come from, but here, it’s not that clear. They raise us up on pillars, They record us and tell stories that are so much greater than we really are, and then they immortalize us. Not only because they think we live forever, Granted typically better health makes us live longer, but the majority of us do die. It all depends on the blood in our bodies. They’re like children that way. They don’t quite get it.”

Sara chose to rip her eyes away from Bast and look out over the temple at her people and Sakmet’s soldiers. A woman and her child cradled one of the victims in their arms between them. They allowed her to be there screaming at them as she mourned her families’ loss. It suddenly occurred to Sara that perhaps Sakmet’s men were just following orders and reacting, but it didn’t make her feel much better in her situation. The woman insulted the men once too much and while most of them stood there stock still taking her verbal abuse, one walked forward, his back straight and his jaw line drawn as tight as the grip he had on his long blade. Bast saw this too and as Sara approached the edge of the temple steps, she fully expected Bast’s invisible wall to stop her again. So far, nothing stood in her way.