A Lone Wolf
I headed back to the cave, my arms full of flowers that I had picked for mother. Koga followed me back to the cave. Before we got the cave I stopped and looked out over the ocean! It was so beautiful, the waves gently lapped at the sand under our feet. "Oichi are we going?" I looked at Koga his black hair was in its usual pony tail, and he looked eager to give the flowers to mother. I nodded and we headed to the cave, where the wolf demons lived. When we got to the cave I smelled blood and I dropped my flowers. "Koga do you smell blood too?" Koga's nose twitched and he gave a small nod. I found it quiet odd I was ten years old but Koga was only seven and yet he always seemed to have a serious look on his face. We headed into the cave, when we got in we saw all the other wolf demons lying on the ground blood seeping out through wounds all over their bodies! "Mother? Father? Ginta? Hakkaku? IS ANYONE LEFT ALIVE?" My ears twitched as I picked up the sound of clattering rocks. I looked to my left just as two heads poked out from under a pile of rocks. It was Ginta and Hakkaku! "Ginta, Hakkaku you are both alright!" Exclaimed Koga. Me and Koga then pulled Ginta and Hakkaku out of the pile of rocks. The four of us then sat down beside the still burning fire. "Ginta, Hakkaku what happened what killed everyone?" Asked Koga as I rubbed water into Ginta and Hakkaku's scratches. "Well everyone was just relaxing when many panther demon's started to attack the cave! Your father then told us to hide so we did but then rocks started to fall from the wall of the cave and we thought we were done for!" Said Ginta who sounded exhausted. "Yeah then you two came along and got us out of that rock pile!" Said Hakkaku happily! I grabbed Koga's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come on Koga lets look for Mother and Father!" Koga nodded and we headed further into the cave looking for Mother and Father. I then heard Koga gasp and I looked to see Mother and Father's bodies on the ground, Mother's hand clutched in fathers. The black fur around his shoulders was sliced, tufts of it lying on the ground around his body. "MOTHER, FATHER!" Me and Koga ran forward and draped our selves over mother and father's bodies. "KOGA! OICHI!" Ginta and Hakkaku came running and dropped down on the ground beside us. "I think the panthers demons are coming back! So we gotta get out of here!" Koga and I both nodded and got to our feet. We then started running back to the entrance to the cave. Ginta and Hakkaku ran a little ways behind me and Koga. "Come on you two are so slow!" Koga exclaimed. "Its not that were to slow its that you're too fast!" Said Ginta. When we got the entrance to the cave we saw panther demons climbing up both slopes. At the front of each group there were two very intimidating panther demons on one side there were two women one with ice blue hair wearing a pale purple kimono. And the other with red hair wearing a green kimono with a design of flowers on it. The other group was lead by an intimidating man with brown hair and an odd gold head band. The other was a girl with red hair, who wore a pale yellow top and a fur around her waist! We all quickly hid behind a juniper bush that was growing right in front of the entrance to the cave. "I smell wolves!" Said the male panther demon. "Well of course you smell wolves Shuuran dozens of wolves lived here!" He gave the air another sniff then sighed. "I guess your right Karan!" he said to the female panther demon that stood beside. Once all the panther demons were inside the cave we ran down the slope and headed towards the meadow where Koga and I had been picking flowers earlier. Once we got there we headed to the tree line where the meadow met the forest. We all sat against tree's panting. "Now what do we do Oichi?" Asked Koga. "We need to find some help!" I exclaimed still panting a bit.
"I know! We can go and see Inutaisho the great dog demon who rules over the west!" Exclaimed Ginta. "That's a good idea Ginta we do live in his territory after all! Plus I've heard that he's driven off demons who have tried to take the wolf demon tribes home before!" I exclaimed!
"Yeah he'll probably want to help us because well he's a dog and were wolves so were practically related!" I looked over at Koga, he was looking at the ground and I could see that tears were dripping from his eyes. "Koga are you okay?" I asked softly. He nodded. I sat down beside Koga and let him rest his head on my shoulder. All I wanted to do was cry as well! But I knew I couldn't I was the oldest out of the four of us and I had to protect Ginta, Hakkaku and Koga! "Come on let's get into the woods and try to find some food before the sun sets!" Koga nodded and all four of us got to our feet. We then headed into the woods and spent a couple hours picking berries and fruits! We then made a fire and ate our food! We all then crawled up into a tree and Ginta, Hakkaku, and Koga curled up together. I stayed up keeping my ears pricked, and smelling the air every couple minutes. In my hands I held fathers sword which I had grabbed from his belt before we left. With this sword I had to protect Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku until we could find Inutaisho the great dog general!
By the time the sun rose I was exhausted and I layed my head against one of the tree branches and dosed off! When I woke up Ginta, Hakkaku, and Koga were no longer in the tree but were down below eating some more fruits and berries. I jumped down from the tree and sat down beside Koga. He handed me some fruit and I ate it without a second thought! I needed all of my strength if I was to protect Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku! Once we ate the rest of our fruit and berries we all got to our feet. "Let's collect some more fruits and berries before we continue!" All three boys nodded and we headed further into the woods and started collecting more fruits and berries in our small food pouches! Once all of our food pouches were full we headed to a stream and got a drink of water. "So how are we going to find Inutaisho?" Asked Koga. "I don't know but I've heard he has a cabin that he stays in from time to time in the lower main land! But for now we should follow this river so that we know we have a source of water! This river will then lead us to a mountain chain and when we get there we need to go through the mountains and I've heard that after you get out of the mountains it's about a half months walk east and then you'll get to Inutaisho's cabin! It's apparently right on the shore of a lake!"
"Okay then lets get going!" Exclaimed Koga!
After almost half a month of following the river our food pouches were empty again. Plus Ginta's wounds were starting to re-open! I headed into the woods and collected as many herbs as I could carry, then I filled all of our food pouches with food. By the time I got back the sun was already setting. Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku were sitting in front of a fire side by side. Koga looked over his shoulder at me as I walked towards them. He then gasped. "What is it Koga?" I asked genuinely curious. Ginta and Hakkaku looked too and gasped. Koga flipped to his feet and jumped straight over me. I dropped my herbs and turned to see Koga kick a spider head demon in the eye. Hakkaku pulled Ginta up a tree and I drew my sword. "Koga get out of the way!" I exclaimed! Neither me nor Koga had been given much training but at least we knew some basics! The spider head then ran towards Koga and tied him up with his web. He then went to bite down into Koga's shoulder, but I jumped in front of Koga and felt the spider head sink his venomous fangs into my shoulder. "OICHI!" Cried Koga from behind me. "Foolish girl! Sacrificing your own life to save your younger brother!" I gritted my teeth then swung my legs up and kicked the spider head in the gut. I then cut Koga free from the web and shoved him up the same tree Ginta and Hakkaku had climbed. The spider head came surging towards me but I kicked it in the face then followed Koga up into the tree. "Come on were going to have to jump from tree to tree!" All three boys nodded. I looked down at all the herbs I had collected and I was glad that I had stuffed the most important herbs into the bottom of my food pouch. I then followed Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku as they jumped from tree to tree I could slowly hear the noise coming from the spider head starting to fade as we jumped from tree to tree. But I could also feel my strength being sapped by the poison. I looked out back towards the river and saw that we were at the mountains. "Come on! We should get into the mountains and find a cave to spend the night in!" I looked up at the dark clouds. It looked like it might rain, which wouldn't be a bad thing, because it would wash away our scent so the spider head couldn't follow it! We then headed up into the mountains. Not far but far enough so that I was sure the spider head wouldn't be able to track us down! We then found a small cave to rest in. We sat in the cave watching the lightning crackle across the sky, listening to the boom of the thunder and the splatter of the rain drops as they hit the ground. After eating a bit of food we all curled up together and fell asleep.
When I awoke the next morning all three boys were still asleep. I took a minute to sniff the air that was when I smelled an unfamiliar scent. It was the scent of dog! I got to my feet but then stumbled. I had completely forgotten about the poison! I felt weak and vulnerable. How could I protect the boys in this condition? "Father why have we followed the scent of poison this far?" Asked a voice from outside. "Well Sesshomaru recently the wolf demon tribe that lived along the shore was driven out by the panther demons who invaded my territory about a month ago. And so I have been following the scent of wolves this far not the scent of poison!" said another voice from outside. "And it seems as if the wolves Im looking for are just a head!" I forced myself to get to my feet and draw my sword. I walked outside the cave to face the oncoming dog demons. "Who are you and why have you come?" I asked the two dog demons. I knew that I didn't stand a chance against the dog demons in this condition but if one of them was not the demon I was looking for then I would have to protect Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku! Both dog demons were large. The smaller one I guessed was the son whom I had been heard called Sesshomaru. And all I knew about the other was that he was the father of Sesshomaru! "Are you from the wolf demon tribe that lived at the cave of Bankoryu?" I narrowed my eyes at the larger of the two men could he be Inutaisho? He seemed to know everything that had happened to the wolf demon tribe, plus he said that the panther demons had trespassed in his territory. "And are you Inutaisho the dog general?"
"Please just call me Inutaisho! So you must be Oichi the daughter of the tribe leader!" I nodded "But my father is dead so now Im just Oichi and my younger brother is just Koga! Now were nothing special were just another bunch of scrawny little orphaned wolf demons!" Inutaisho kneeled in front of me and put a hand sympathetically on my shoulder "Listen Oichi Im going to avenge the deaths of your fallen comrades then Im going to help you and those boys find a suitable wolf demon tribe to live in! Okay?" I nodded "But I have to admit you are verry strong Oichi you've come this far with poison flowing through your body and yet you can still stand!"
"Well I knew that I had to so I could protect Koga and the others!" I exclaimed. "I know but your all safe now. So you should rest!" I nodded and turned to walk back to the cave. I had found him! Inutaisho, and now me and the boys were safe! My mind was now all over the place and I found it hard to focus on just one thing before I got to the entrance of the cave I felt the last of my strength start to sap and my knees gave in under me. But before I hit the ground Inutaisho had picked me up and taken me inside the cave. He layed me down beside Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku. Koga opened his eyes and looked at me then at Inutaisho. "Koga this is Inutaisho, and that's his son Sesshomaru!" I said looking towards Sesshomaru. Koga nodded. His hand then went around the back of my neck and Koga rested my head on his lap. "How do you feel Oichi?" He asked. I could hear the worry in Koga's voice. "I've been better."
"Sesshomaru can you go and get some water please?" Asked Inutaisho politely. "Fine but Im not staying around here for long, it was a mere coincidence that we happened to run into each other father!" And with that Sesshomaru walked away from the cave. It seemed that Inutaisho and Sesshomaru didn't have the best relationship. Inutaisho seemed kind and compassionate while Sesshomaru seemed cold hearted and power hungry. Sesshomaru came back with a small pale of water about a minute later. Inutaisho soaked a cloth with water and placed it on my forehead. He then gave me some herbs to help cure poison. He then gave me some water which I gulped down. I then let my eyes close. I could feel Koga occasionally stroking my face gently with his soft hands. I then dosed off feeling happy to finally have a care free moment!
I awoke a couple hours later. Inutaisho and Sesshomaru sat side by side against the cave wall. That was when I heard the voice of the spider head "Where are you scrawny wolves? Why don't you let me put you little orphaned wolves out of your misery?" I gasped and flipped to my feet. That was when Inutaisho placed his hand on my shoulder to stop me. Sesshomaru then ran outside the cave. "Let Sesshomaru and I handle this!" I nodded. Inutaisho then followed Sesshomaru out of the cave. I sat at the entrance to the cave looking out. Koga Ginta and Hakkaku did the same. "So you have come Inutaisho!" Said the spider head. "You and your son have fallen right into my trap!" I gasped. "What trap?" asked Inutaisho narrowing his eyes at the spider head. "I used those little orphaned wolves to lure you here! You see I was the one who sent you the message about the wolf demon tribe being slaughtered and that there were four young wolves still alive and heading towards the mountains! Then I poisoned the girl to lure you and your son together!" Sesshomaru and Inutaisho exchanged a small glance. "And now that I have you both here I am going to drain all of your demonic powers and become the most powerful demon to ever walk the planet!" I gasped, then looked from Sesshomaru to Inutaisho. That was when I noticed that there was a web surrounding the whole area. Sesshomaru let out a huff of frustration, his silver white hair being blown behind him by the wind! "As if I would let my demonic powers be drained by a useless insect like you!" Said Sesshomaru angrily. He then whipped towards the spider head but it stopped the whip by making another web. It then pulled Sesshomaru forward and quickly tied him up using a web. Sesshomaru struggled trying to free himself but the web was too strong. Inutaisho held a large sword in his hands, he swung the sword back and opened his mouth to say something but the spider head moved behind Sesshomaru who was still struggling against the web. Inutaisho's eyes widened and he stopped. "Would you kill your own son just to get rid of me Inutaisho?" It was obvious that the answer was no but Inutaisho merely stabbed his sword into the ground. After a few seconds he grabbed his sword and returned it to its sheath, at his waist. The sword became smaller to accommodate the small sheath. He then pulled a sword from a sheath at his back. This sword had a smaller blade but looked just as strong as the previous sword. For a moment Inutaisho looked deep in thought. "Father fire the dragon twister!" Inutaisho gasped. "Trust me!" Inutaisho nodded. "What do you wish to die Sesshomaru, so much that you ask your father to kill you himself?"
"Im not doing this because I wish to die Im doing this because I wish to live!" Inutaisho fired the move Sesshomaru had called the Dragon Twister. It went charging towards Sesshomaru and the spider head. Sesshomaru spun himself and the web so that his back was to the dragon twister. Then the dragon twister blocked my view of Sesshomaru. The spider head let out a blood curdling scream. Seconds later the smoke cleared and I saw Sesshomaru land perfectly on his feet. "I get it Sesshomaru used the dragon twister to cut the web then jumped above it at the last second!" Exclaimed Koga. I nodded. Body parts from the spider head fell all over the ground. Inutaisho sheathed his sword and Sesshomaru quickly whipped a leg that almost landed on him. Both Inutaisho and Sesshomaru turned and started walked back towards the cave. Then I saw pieces of the spider head's body start to be drawn towards one larger piece. "Sesshomaru, Inutaisho look out!" I exclaimed but it was a moment to late. The spider head tied up both Sesshomaru and Inutaisho in a web. They both struggled against the strong web. "Nice try but I have the sacred jewel so my body will keep returning to normal no matter how many times you slay me!"
"I knew that this stupid spider was abnormally strong for a spider head! But now all we have to do is find the sacred jewel and take it from you!" The spider demon then charged towards Sesshomaru, who gritted his teeth I could see that he was trying to free his hands. The spider head went to bite into Sesshomaru's shoulder but Sesshomaru quickly spun the web so that his back was to the spider head. When ever the spider head tried to bite him Sesshomaru just kept spinning the web to avoid it. After about two minutes the spider head got annoyed and made another web to keep Sesshomaru's in place. Sesshomaru tried to spin but it didn't work. The spider head bite into Sesshomaru's shoulder and Sesshomaru gritted his teeth. This was enough I got to my feet and rushed outside. Koga followed but Ginta and Hakkaku stayed in the cave. Koga ran towards the spider head and kicked him in the face. The spider head went flying. It then tried to catch Koga but he was to fast, and he was too small of a target! I then ran towards Sesshomaru, I climbed up the web and cut his left hand free. Sesshomaru then wrapped his whip around my wrist. I guessed he was just trying to make sure I didn't fall. I then cut his right hand free, then his feet. The spider head shot another web towards us but Sesshomaru grabbed me and jumped out of the way just in time! He un coiled his whip from around my wrist and whipped at the spider head. He then landed beside his father and I began to cut Inutaisho free. Once I had cut him free Inutaisho grabbed the large sword from its sheath at his belt. "Koga!" Koga kicked the spider head in the eye then jumped out of the way, and landed beside me! Inutaisho jumped to the ground and raised his sword. He then said the words wind scar and swung the sword towards the ground. Five rows of yellow light shot out from the sword and hit the spider head it let out another blood curdling scream and fell to the ground. Sesshomaru grabbed me and Koga and jumped down from the web. "Come on!" Sesshomaru led us to the body. "Do you know where the sacred jewel is?" I pointed to the larger part of his body. "All the other parts were being attracted to there!" Sesshomaru whipped the large part of the spider head's body apart and the sacred jewel came flying out. I caught it in my hand and looked at it in amazement. It was so pretty a bright pink light emanated from it and it was verry smooth. I walked over to Inutaisho and handed it to him. "No you keep it Oichi; I have no need for the sacred jewel. It is a jewel that makes your wishes come true and seeing as how I am perfectly fine with the life I have now I have no need for the jewel. So you keep it because maybe it will make one of your wishes come true!" I nodded and closed my hands around the jewel. "You two were great!" Said Inutaisho. "Thanks!" Said me and Koga at the same time. Inutaisho then took us back into the cave. Sesshomaru sat down against the wall furthest from the rest of us. It was obvious that he was trying to fight the poison on his own not wanting anyone to know that he was weak, but I saw right through his act. I went into my food pouch and grabbed some of the herbs that my father had taught me were good for curing poison. I then grabbed some water and walked over to Sesshomaru. I sat down beside him and put the water and herbs down between us. He looked down at the herbs and water then up at me. "Im fine." Said Sesshomaru calmly. "No your not the poison is already spreading I can smell it." Sesshomaru looked me straight in the eyes. "I don't need anything from you!"
"Your hurt and Im just trying to help so take the stupid herbs drink the water and be thankful for the things other people do to help you!" I said starting to grow a bit irritated by his lone wolf act! "I said I don't need anything from you!" Said Sesshomaru who also seemed to be getting irritated. "Well Im saying that you need to take the herbs drink the water, and shut up!" I said finding it hard to contain my anger towards the dog demon. I then pushed the herbs and water towards him and looked away. "I don't need to take the herbs or drink the water and the only one who needs to shut up is you!" Sesshomaru then got to his feet and walked out of the cave without another word! I let out an angry huff and sat down beside the fire leaving the herbs and water against the wall in case Sesshomaru decided to come back. "Oichi, we will head to the cave of Bankoryu first thing tomorrow morning! Okay?" I nodded at Inutaisho's suggestion. "Then we should all get some sleep!" Said Koga. I nodded. Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku curled up together and I went and sat beside Inutaisho. "Did I say something to Sesshomaru that I shouldn't have?" I asked curious why Sesshomaru had seemed so upset. "Its not that it's just that Sesshomaru insists on taking care of everything on his own all the time! He doesn't like it when other people try to help him because it makes him feel weak and as if he can't fend for himself! We used to get into arguments about that verry same thing a lot!" I pulled my knees up against my chest, and rested my chin on my knees. "Oh I see." Inutaisho looked at me his gold eyes sparkling from the light given off from the setting sun. "Don't let Sesshomaru make you feel bad, he's been like that since he was young, and I don't think anyone could change that!" I nodded. I then went and curled up with Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku! Koga's head rested against my shoulder and I leaned over and gently kissed my little brothers forehead.
I heard footsteps outside the cave and I opened one eye to see Sesshomaru walk into the cave. He looked pale and it looked as if the poison had really gotten to him. He walked to the back wall of the cave and grabbed the herbs and water. He then walked out of the cave. I got to my feet and stood in the entrance to the cave. I watched Sesshomaru jump up a tree. He then rested with in the branches. He ate the herbs and drank the water. He then layed his head back against a branch and closed his eyes. Before I had even decided what to do I found myself climbing up the tree. I climbed to the branch above him, and sat there letting my feet dangle down. I watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful while asleep. I was almost positive he knew I was here and watching him and yet he did nothing! I grabbed my sword and its sheath from my belt and rested my head against it. I then dosed off.
I awoke just around dawn. I was no longer on the branch I had been on when I had fallen asleep and I was now on the same branch Sesshomaru had been on. His fur was wrapped around me and Sesshomaru was no longer in the tree. I looked around for him then noticed that he was at the entrance to the cave talking to Inutaisho. That was when there was a small rumble and the ground slightly shook. Then a whole bunch of demons came flying towards the clearing. A large demon that had lost a wing started flying towards the tree. I thought I was done for but I felt arms close around me and Sesshomaru's fur. I instantly recognized Sesshomaru's scent, because nothing I knew of smelled quiet like him. He smelled of sandal wood and wet dog. He then landed at the entrance to the cave. All the demons started to gather around Inutaisho and Sesshomaru carried me inside the cave. He headed to the back wall and set me down. He then sat down beside me. I still had his fur clutched tightly in my hands. I handed it to him but he shook his head and wrapped it around my shoulders. "How do you feel?" I asked quietly. "Better, thanks for the herbs." Said Sesshomaru in his usual calm voice. "Your welcome! And Im sorry that I followed you last night! I shouldn't be sticking my nose into other peoples business!" Sesshomaru looked me straight in the eyes. "That's okay you were just worried." We all sat in silence in the cave for a couple minutes until Inutaisho came in. "It seems that the panther demons know that there are wolf demons from the wolf demon tribe that are still alive and now they are coming after you four! They are also trying to dominate all other demons here in the west! But don't worry Im going to go and fight the leader of the Panther demon tribe and drive them out of my territory! I've got many demons willing to help me so we should be able to win!" We all nodded. "Father let me come with you and help you defeat the panther demon tribe!" Said Sesshomaru getting to his feet. I also got to my feet and stood by Sesshomaru's side. "No Sesshomaru first of all you're still hurt from the battle with the spider head and second of all I need you to get Oichi, and the boys out of here and to a safe place!"
"Fine but where should I take them?" Asked Sesshomaru. I could hear anger in his voice at not being allowed to go and join the battle! "Take them to my cabin at the lake of Sokoryu!" Sesshomaru nodded, and I handed him his fur. Inutaisho then turned to walk out of the cave, but I ran to him and grabbed his sleeve. "Inutaisho after the battle can you and Sesshomaru take us back to our cave to help us bury our fallen comrades?" He nodded. "I will come to the cabin once the battle is over then we will bury your fallen comrades!" All of us nodded, and I let go of Inutaisho's sleeve! He then walked back down the mountain path heading in the direction we had come from! Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku got up and we all followed Sesshomaru as he headed through the mountains. After walking for half the day we stopped and took a break. Me, Koga, Ginta and Hakkaku sat down and ate some fruit. They all sat eating their fruit drawing pictures in the dirt with sticks. I grabbed an apple and walked over to Sesshomaru who was sitting against a tree. Petals from cherry blossoms floated in the wind. I looked at Sesshomaru, the wind gently blew his hair to the side and the cherry blossoms made it seem as if I was having a dream. Sesshomaru was so dashing! I blinked quickly then pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming! And after almost yelping in pain at how sharp my own claws were I came to the conclusion that no it was not a dream! Although it would have been nice if it was a dream because then I could watch Sesshomaru for as long as I wanted. I walked over to tree and sat down against the tree trunk beside Sesshomaru. "I brought you some fruit!" I held the apple out to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru looked me straight in the eyes then grabbed the apple from my hand. "Thanks." He said quietly. "Your welcome. Hey Sesshomaru I've been wondering what do you do most of the time?" Sesshomaru took a bite of the apple. Then it seemed like he thought about the question for a moment. He swallowed his bit of the apple then began. "Well I mostly travel around looking for ways to become stronger! What did you do most of the time in the wolf demon tribe?" Asked Sesshomaru before taking another bite of the apple. "Well I did some training, every now and then I would go around and collect flowers for everyone and get them another type of gift! But I mostly gathered food! Sometimes I would collect fruits and berries from the nearby forest or other times I would catch fish! It mostly depends on what season it was!" Sesshomaru swallowed again. "Wow it would be really nice to have a fish right now!" Said Koga from behind me. Ginta and Hakkaku both nodded then their eyes went wide and it seemed that all three boys were day dreaming about biting into a fish because they kept biting at the air! "I think their a bit sick of fruits and berries and that they wanna sink their teeth into a meaty fish!" I looked at the boys who still seemed to be in dream world and sighed "Me too!" I then picked up three rocks and threw one at the head of each boy! "OW!" Said all three boys at once! "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR OICHI?" Asked Koga angrily. "Well you three were off in dream land so I had to wake you up somehow!" Koga gritted his teeth. "Im gonna get you Oichi!" Koga came running towards me. I jumped up the tree and Koga followed. I jumped from branch to branch avoiding Koga! I then snapped a branch and jumped to the next tree so Koga couldn't follow! "Ha! Try to catch me now Koga!" Koga gritted his teeth again. "Why you…" Koga was cut off by the roar of a demon. I looked down towards Ginta, Hakkaku and Sesshomaru and realized that me and Koga must've gone too far and we were now alone in the woods. "Let's just follow our scent back to the others!" Koga nodded. We started following our scent back to the others when it started to rain. "Oh no the scent is being washed away!" Exclaimed Koga. "SESSHOMARU! GINTA! HAKKAKU!" Me and Koga wandered around heading back in the direction we came from, or at least the direction we assumed we came from! The sun started to set and we still hadn't found our way back to the others! "I know we will just start traveling through the mountains tomorrow and head to Inutaisho's cabin like we intended to in the first place!" Koga nodded. "Hey Oichi what did Inutaisho call the lake that his cabin is by?" Asked Koga quietly. "I think he called it the lake of Sokoryu." I said. "Okay then we have to remember that so if we need to we can ask someone for directions!" I nodded. Koga and I then found a tree with a large hole in the trunk. We climbed inside and curled up together hoping to find a way back to the others!
I woke up the next morning, and let out a small yawn. Both me and Koga climbed out of the tree trunk and stretched our arms above our heads! We then both ate some fruit and headed on our way through the mountains! We found a river and stopped to get a drink! I heard an odd bird screech from above us and looked to see large birds with odd blue bodies on top of them circling around the peaks of the mountains! Two large birds saw us then came swooping down towards us! I grabbed Koga and jumped out of the way. I dropped him on the ground and patted his back as he choked on the water that he had in his mouth. "Come on Koga we have to get out of here!" He nodded and we ran following the river. "We have to get away from the river Oichi because were out in the open because there are no trees right here by the river!" I nodded and looked towards the tree line. Wait where were the trees! The trees had disappeared and gave way to bare rocky slopes! "Koga there's not a tree in sight!" Koga huffed and we kept running along the river. "Look the river turns and goes behind that boulder!" Koga nodded. "I think there's a waterfall up ahead because I can hear falling water!" I nodded. We ran around the corner to see a large waterfall up ahead! Around the waterfall there were large pointed rocks, and the smell of wolf was all over the place! A couple wolves came running towards us from the top of the waterfall. One roughly grabbed me by the arm and the other grabbed Koga! "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Koga didn't say anything. "Let us go now or else you'll regret it!" I said angrily. "Insolent little brat! Like we would be afraid of you!" Said the wolf demon that was holding my arm. He then let go of me and hit me across the face sending me flying. I pulled myself to my feet and grabbed for my sword. But before I could un-sheath my sword a different wolf demon tripped me. Then more wolf demons came and they started kicking me. I looked towards Koga just in time to see him kick the wolf demon that was holding him in the face. "LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!" Yelled Koga angrily! He then started to attack all the wolves that were kicking me. They all backed off as Koga helped me to my feet. "Thanks Koga!" Koga smiled at me. "Oh it's nothing you are my sister after all! And don't worry you were just at a disadvantage you are as good of a fighter as I am! Remember when you kicked that spider head sorry butt!" It was odd Koga always seemed to know what I was thinking! I nodded. The wolf demons started snarling at us. "Wait there is no need for unprovoked violence!" Said a voice from the top of the waterfall! A female wolf demon jumped from rock to rock until she stood in front of the wolf demons! The female wolf demon was beautiful she had Long red hair that fell halfway down her back, and she wore a white fur around her waist that went down to her knees, and another white fur around her shoulders! "Who are you?" Koga snarled. "I am Ayagozen leader of the wolf demon tribe!"
Koga looked at Ayagozen in astonishment. "What? A female leader of a wolf demon tribe! I've never heard of that before!" Ayagozen completely ignored what Koga had said. "Where are you two from and why have you come here?" She asked. "We are from the wolf demon tribe that lived in the cave of Bankoryu! And we didn't come here on purpose we were being attacked by odd bird demons!" Ayagozen nodded. "I apologize for the rudeness of my wolves! It was an unprovoked attack on you two and I am verry sorry please find it in your hearts to forgive me!" Me and Koga looked at each other. "Don't worry about it! We probably would've attacked intruders in our territory as well!" Ayagozen smiled at us. "So if your from the wolf demon tribe on the shore then what are you two doing here?" Asked Ayagozen politely. "Well you see our pack was slaughtered and only us and two other young wolves got out of there alive! So then we started searching for Inutaisho the dog general. We then found him and right now he is heading off to avenge the deaths of our comrades! We were traveling with Inutaisho's son Sesshomaru and our two comrades when we got lost and couldn't find our way back! And then we were at the river when we got attacked by those odd bird demons! And that's how we ended up here!" Ayagozen nodded. "I see well then my wolves and I will help you get back to your companions! So tell me what does his Sesshomaru guy look like?" I swallowed and thought for a second. "Well he's about the same height as you. He's got silvery white hair, and gold eyes! He has a crescent moon on his forehead and two stripes on each cheek! Um… He wears a white kimono and a white fur over his right shoulder!"
"Okay and do you remember what he smells like?" I thought for a second before replying. "He smells like Sandal wood and wet dog!" Ayagozen nodded then went to speak with her wolves! Then me and Koga headed out in search of Sesshomaru and the others with a couple of Ayagozen's wolves! We were walking past a large boulder when another bird demon swooped down from the sky and grabbed the wolf that had been named Hitomaru. "HITOMARU!" Cried a female wolf demon! Then more bird demons swooped in taking more of the wolves. The female wolf demon pushed me and Koga forward towards a small cave. We crawled into the cave followed by the female wolf demon. The cave was barely big enough to stand on you knees in. And only us three could fit into it! Screams were coming from outside and the female wolf demon covered me and Koga's ears. Koga and I hugged each other and the female wolf demon hugged us. After about half an hour the female wolf demon let go of us and poked her head outside. "Ayagozen is probably on her way with the majority of the pack by now so we'll wait until they get here!" Koga and I both nodded. Then one of the bird demons ripped the roof of the cave off and swooped in towards us. It was obviously trying to grab me but the female wolf demon jumped in front of me. I felt her blood splatter my face as the bird's claws hooked into her. Koga jumped and grabbed the female wolf demons leg trying to get her back but another bird swooped by and grabbed Koga by the legs. "KOGA! NO KOGA!" I un-sheathed my sword and threw it straight at the bird demons head! It got the demon straight through the brain and it dropped to the ground. I grabbed the sword from its head and then grabbed Koga. I sat on the ground beside the dead bird demon, with Koga in my arms! "Koga! Koga wake up!" I placed my head on Koga's chest waiting to feel it rise and fall under my head, but there was nothing! I moved my head up and looked down at Koga. He couldn't be dead! I refused to believe he was dead! "Koga, Koga wake up! This isn't funny anymore Koga! Come on wake up! KOGA! KOGA PLEASE WAKE UP!" I rested my head against Koga's chest and started to cry! I had lost everything! I had lost Mother, Father, and now Koga! What would I do without Koga? I tried to shake Koga awake. "Please Koga wake up PLEASE KOGA WAKE UP! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE YOUR DEAD! PLEASE KOGA WAKE UP!" I then heard three sets of footsteps from behind me. I looked and saw Sesshomaru, Ginta and Hakkaku running towards me. A bird demon swooped in towards Koga and I, but Sesshomaru whipped it in half. He then came running towards me. "Oichi are you alright? We've been looking for you and Koga everywhere!" He said. "We shouldn't have gone that far! It's my fault now Koga's dead because of me! It's all my fault!" I broke into tears. Sesshomaru kneeled in front of me and gently patted my back. But I didn't care I launched myself forward into Sesshomaru's arms and hugged him. Sesshomaru seemed a bit surprised at first then he wrapped his arms around me. "Oichi do you still have the sacred jewel?" I nodded. "Then wish for Koga to come back to life!" I looked up at Sesshomaru, then nodded. I moved towards Koga, then sat down beside him. I grabbed the sacred jewel from belt where I had been storing it in my food pouch! I then looked at the jewel. "I wish for Koga to come back to life!" The sacred jewel started to glow an intense pink, before it disappeared from my hand! I put my hand under Koga's neck and propped him up against my legs. "Koga! Koga wake up!" Koga let out a small sigh then opened his eyes. He looked up at me, with his sky blue eyes and I felt happier than I had ever felt before! "Oichi, what happened?" I didn't reply I just pulled Koga into a tight hug and cried into his shoulder! "Im so glad your okay! Don't ever scare me like that again!" Koga wrapped his arms around me, and I was so relieved that he was okay! Ginta and Hakkaku then joined in the hug and we all sat there for a couple minutes hugging! "We should get going!" Said Sesshomaru calmly. We all stopped hugging and got to our feet! We then followed Sesshomaru out of wolf demon territory and over the mountains! We got to the other side of the mountains by sunset! And found a nice little clearing to rest in. We all ate some more fruits and berries then went to sleep. Koga, Ginta and Hakkaku curled up together against the roots of a tree and Sesshomaru climbed up a tree. I followed Sesshomaru up the tree and layed down on the branch above him. I closed my eyes. Then the memory of the female wolf demon blood splattering my face came back to mind. And the memory of the bird demon dropping from the sky killing not only it but Koga as well! I opened my eyes and jumped down the tree. I went to the river that was just a little way outside our clearing. I looked at my face in the water. I had blood splatters on my face along with a couple bruises and scrapes. I had a cut on my lip and my hair was a mess. I dipped my hair in the water then rung it out to try to get most of the water out! I thought back to when the female wolf demon had died. On the ground she had left a small piece of black fur which I had tucked into my belt! I grabbed it and soaked it in water. I then used it to wipe the blood off my face. I then tucked it into my empty food pouch and headed back to the clearing! I climbed back up the tree and on to the branch above Sesshomaru! I closed my eyes again but again the same memories came back. I climbed to the top of the tree and sat looking at the full moon. It was truly beautiful! I felt my branch sway as Sesshomaru sat down beside me on the branch! "Are you okay Oichi?" I looked at Sesshomaru; he seemed worried about me "I don't know. You see a female wolf demon sacrificed her life for Koga and that's why my face was splattered with blood because the bird demons grabbed her and her blood splattered my face! Then Koga tried to save her which lead to him dying! And now whenever I close my eyes that's all I can see! And I can only feel the female wolf demons blood splattering my face again! She didn't even know me and I didn't even know her and yet she gave her life to protect me and my brother, why?" Sesshomaru looked at me sympathetically. "Well maybe she just thought that you and Koga were worth saving!" I nodded. I moved closer to Sesshomaru and rested my head on his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind. And after a minute he put his arm around me. "It'll be okay!" I nodded. I then closed my eyes and let myself dose off!
I woke up and felt myself being moved I opened my eyes and looked up at Sesshomaru who was moving me down to one of the lower branches! "Sorry did I wake you up?" I shook my head, and Sesshomaru smiled at me. I rested my head against his chest as he moved down to one of the lower branches. He then laid me down on the branch and slid his fur under my neck! He then layed down beside me. I moved closer to Sesshomaru and rested my head against his chest! He wrapped his arms around me, and I fell asleep.
When I awoke I could hear something approaching our clearing fast. Sesshomaru seemed to sense it to because he let go of me and swung up to the top of the tree. The air was chilly for the middle of summer and I couldn't help shivering. I wrapped Sesshomaru's fur around me and followed him up the tree. He sat perched on one of the highest branches looking towards where the noise was coming from! I sat down on the branch beside him and looked towards the area where the noise was coming from. Then the wind blew a scent our way. It was the scent of Inutaisho! "Father is back." Sesshomaru jumped down from the tree and I followed. I handed him back his fur and followed him towards Inutaisho. Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku were all awake and followed us. We all stopped in front of Inutaisho. He had a cut on his right arm, and a cut across his cheek and other than a couple scraped and bruises that was pretty much it! "I drove the panther demon tribe out of your home! So are you ready to go and bury your fallen comrades!" I nodded, and so did the boys. That was when I picked up the scent of blood and the female wolf demon! Koga obviously smelled it to because he ran towards the source at the same time as me. We headed to the river I had cleaned up in the previous night. Blood flowed through the river and the body of the female wolf demon layed on the pebbly shore. Sesshomaru must have recognized the scent of the blood because he instantly grabbed her and took her back towards the clearing! She was only just alive. Koga and I sat beside her knowing that these would be some of her last moments! Her eyes flickered open and Koga and I smiled. "Thank you for saving us! But why did you sacrifice your life for ours?" The female wolf demon looked at me then Koga. "Because I lost my two children to the birds of paradise so I wasn't going to watch it happen again! You are both so innocent, whether your demons or not! And because of that I would not let your lives be claimed by the birds of paradise! Plus I knew that you both had to live to say one final goodbye to your lost comrades!" She looked at us, and I couldn't help thinking that I could have lived with her! She could've taken care of me and Koga! "Wait please tell us your name!" I exclaimed wanting to at least know the name of the person I owed my life to! "My name is Akane, it means brilliant red!" I nodded! Tears were forming in Akane's eyes and both me and Koga hugged her! "Both of you be strong and live long happy lives!" We nodded. Akane then stopped breathing, and both Koga and I started to cry! Ginta and Hakkaku started to rub Koga's back trying to make him feel better. I got up and walked over to Sesshomaru, I had only known Sesshomaru for four days and yet my thoughts about him had completely changed! At first he had seemed so cold hearted, but really he had a larger heart than he would ever admit even to himself! I hugged Sesshomaru and he held me in his arms! I cried into his shoulder and he held me close to him! After about half an hour we buried Akane's body in the clearing, I then collected the most beautiful red flowers I could find and placed them on her grave! We then set out towards the cave of Bankoryu!
After burying our fallen comrades at the cave of Bankoryu we headed back to the mountains! Inutaisho had told us that he would try to convince Ayagozen to take us in! The sun had set before we got to the territory of the wolf demon tribe so we all worked together to make a fire and make our selves comfortable in a small clearing! We all sat around the fire eating fruit and drinking water! "Oh what I would give for a fish!" Exclaimed Ginta. "Tell me about it!" Said Hakkaku. Koga nodded but said nothing. Burying our comrades had obviously been as hard on Koga then it had been on me! Sesshomaru sat beside me with my hand clutched in his! I found it kinda odd, I had known Sesshomaru for what five days and yet I felt such a deep connection to him! It had taken me five days to touch Sesshomaru's heart, but it had only taken Sesshomaru five minutes to touch mine! After we ate Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku had curled up together like usual! Inutaisho layed against the roots of a tree with his eyes closed. Sesshomaru then climbed up a different tree and I followed him. I layed down on the branch above him and went to sleep!
I woke up the next morning and felt as if I was being moved. I felt Sesshomaru's arms around me and looked at him. I was on Sesshomaru's back with Koga, while Ginta and Hakkaku were on Inutaisho's back! It seemed that Inutaisho and Sesshomaru had wanted an early start to the trip so they just carried us instead of waking us up! Not that any of us minded! By mid day we were into the wolf demon tribe's territory! When we got to the waterfall where the wolf demon tribe lived Inutaisho started negotiating with Ayagozen telling her why she should take us in. Within ten minutes Ayagozen agreed to take us in. But that was the thing; I didn't want to live in the wolf demon tribe! I wanted to travel with Sesshomaru or even Inutaisho! I just wanted to keep traveling and becoming stronger! "It will be great to have all four of you here!" Said Ayagozen politely. "Well that's the thing, it's really nice here and you are verry kind Ayagozen but I don't want to stay here! I do think it is best for Koga, Ginta and Hakkaku to stay here but I think its best if I keep on traveling and getting stronger!" Ayagozen didn't seem surprised. "I guessed that seeing as how you had tasted the real freedom away from a tribe more than the others that you would want to keep traveling! But I just hoped you would stay!"
"Im sorry Ayagozen but I think it would be better for me to keep traveling and getting stronger! I have to become as strong as my father was and defeat all his foes that he never got to beat! My father walked the path of supreme conquest, and because he is dead I shall now walk that path for him! Inutaisho can I please continue traveling with you?" Inutaisho looked at me, it was obvious he was also expecting this because he had nodded within about five seconds of me asking the question! "What you can't leave me Oichi!" Exclaimed Koga! I hugged Koga and kissed him on the cheek. "Stay strong and healthy Koga, and always do as the older wolves tell you! But don't let any other wolves bully you! And don't forget to say please and thank you! Also always be polite and share with Ginta and Hakkaku! Make new friends too but don't forget about your old friends! Be nice to everyone in the cave and…"
"OICHI BE QUIET! I already know all of this stuff! I wasn't born yesterday you know!"
"I know, I just worry about you sometimes that's all!"
"I know you worry about me but don't worry I'll be fine!" I nodded. Inutaisho, Sesshomaru and I then headed out of the mountains towards Inutaisho's cabin at the Lake of Sokoryu! We all spent a couple of days there relaxing while Inutaisho recovered from his injuries from the battle with the panther demon tribe. That was when Sesshomaru told us he was leaving. I hugged Sesshomaru and he hugged me. All of my friends and family except Koga, Ginta and Hakkaku had been slain. But I had already begun to find new friends and even new people to consider family! I had Sesshomaru and Inutaisho! "I'll see you again right Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru nodded. Sesshomaru said goodbye to Inutaisho then headed on his way. "Lord Inutaisho where are we going to go now?" I looked up at Inutaisho. "We are going to go where ever I am needed!" I nodded. "Oichi I want you to have this." Inutaisho kneeled in front of me and handed me a fan. "This fan was made with immense spiritual powers, though it can only be used by demons. But it can only be used by those demons who understand that kindness and compassion are needed in this world and that we must show kindness and compassion to all other living things. That is why I believe you can use the fan!" I looked into Lord Inutaisho's eyes; I could tell that all of what he had said was truth! "Thank you Lord Inutaisho!" I opened the fan; it was beautiful one side was pink with a design of only a few cherry blossoms. The other side was green with many cherry blossoms on it along with a small design of a tree! "Its name is Bankoryu, because it was forged in the cave of Bankoryu centuries ago!" I nodded and tucked Bankoryu into my belt. We then set out towards where ever in Lord Inutaisho's territory there was trouble!
