Daring Do and the Search for the Winter Pearl

"Trust"

Chapter 2

"Where are we going, Ahuizotl?" demanded Daring Do. They had been walking through the humid rainforest for over an hour. Ahead, Ahuizotl pushed down a set of branches with ease. With his fierce strength on display in front of her, Daring had to remind herself to stay on the tips of her hooves. If he decided to go back on his word... well, she'd rather not think about that.

He grunted in response to her question.

"You ask too many of these questions," he started, looking back at her. "Where are we going? Where are we going?" he said with a high tone, trying to mimic her voice. "It is getting tiresome." He carelessly pushed down another set of branches, which came crashing down in front of Daring Do. Startled, she angrily flew up to his face.

"Hey! Watch it, you almost crushed me back there!" she growled. Ahuizotl pushed her away with his tail and shrugged.

"Almost means nothing, which means it did not hit you and you are alive... unfortunately," he mumbled under his breath. Daring Do glared at him.

"Typical... well, whatever. I want to know where. We're. Going."

"Yes, yes, yes," he said, quickly waving her off. "You will know soon enough, Miss Do, we are already here."

They broke through a final set of brush, entering into a camp full of Aztec ponies, the Ahuizoten, the followers of Ahuizotl. Daring saw over fifty warrior ponies gathered around a large bonfire, with their spears pointed straight at her. It was a trap! She landed on the ground, taking her trusty whip from her side. She snapped it towards them, her teeth clenched tightly around the handle, ready for any attack. The ponies advanced toward her, ready to hear the command of their chief and master.

Ahuizotl calmly strolled in between them.

"Please, enough with the formalities," he said at them, "Regrettably... she is a guest." he sighed. The Aztec ponies glanced at one another, raising brows and whispering amongst themselves, wondering what had gotten into their master. Daring looked at them with uncertainty; refusing to let go of her whip. As their whispering continued, Ahuizotl became impatient and slammed both his fists on the ground. As the earth and trees shook, multi-hued birds flew out of the trees, cawing in distress. The Aztec ponies' eyes widened and they quickly huddled against each other. They quivered in fear; dropping their weapons in the process.

"Enough!" he roared, "I am in no mood to deal with you now, so somepony deliver my dinner to my tent right now or all of you are getting thrown in the fire!"

The ponies instantly scattered. They hurried to a nearby fire pit with a cauldron full of boiling soup set above it. They all began to hurriedly slice and throw into the soup pieces of vegetables, fearful of incurring their master's wrath. Daring Do slowly put away her whip and looked up at Ahuizotl, who signaled her to follow him. They, along with Ahuizotl's cats, walked toward the end of the campsite. The camp had tents set up to accommodate individual families, along with three large fire pits to cook meals for over one hundred ponies, male and female. Surprisingly, Daring noticed a few fillies and colts running about too. She arched a brow; seeing this side of the warriors she had fought against so often gave her a new insight into their daily lives. She had never imagined that her enemies could have families of their own.

The camp appeared to be designed to relocate at a moment's notice, in accordance with Ahuizotl's own lifestyle. Daring followed Ahuizotl to the far end of the campsite where a large rectangular-shaped tent stood, designed to better accommodate Ahuizotl's size and cats.
The exterior seemed to be crafted from the finest blue and gold fabric. Daring had a strong suspicion that he had stolen the material. Inside, the tent was just as extravagant. At the entrance, five sets of large pillows rested, one for each feline. A small table was situated in the center of the tent, and everywhere Daring Do looked she saw statues or similar objects depicting cats or having to do with them. Something else Daring suspected he may have stolen (this sentence sort of disrupts the flow of the paragraph). Ahuizotl sat on his own pillow in the middle of the room, in front of the table. His white kitten settled on his lap; waiting to have its fur stroked.