Chapter One ~ A Strange Sword
The demoness chuckled softly as she lowered her sword to her fallen adversaries throat. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment, do you Kara? After all these years of waiting, I can finally be rid of you. You and your human-loving ways are pathetic!"
Kara stiffened a little. 'This witch doesn't know what she is talking about', she thought. She didn't understand. What did youkai have against humans? Hate for the demoness standing over her surged through her body. With her last reserves of energy, she knocked the sword away with an armored arm and jumped to her feet. She sprang for her enemy with speed that obviously surprised her opponent. "You thought I was as good as dead, huh Reiya? That was one lesson you never learned: Never underestimate an opponent stronger than yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do than hang around here and waste my time."
With that, Kara slashed violently at Reiya with her claws. Reiya never had a chance to block the attack. In that brief blink of an eye, she was ripped to shreds. Kara, satisfied with the results, slowly turned to make her way back to the village that was just over the hill. As she turned though, she caught a glimpse of Reiyas' sword. Deciding that it was best not to leave it there, she painfully bent over to pick it up. Something in hilt of the sword glinted. Acting against her instincts, she ignored the glint and once again started back towards the village. She thought it best to tend to her wounds before anything else.
* * * Back in the village, with her injuries bandaged and healing, Kara investigated the glint she had seen coming from Reiyas' sword. She saw that it had been caused by the sun reflecting off of a brilliant turquoise jewel that had been forged into the hilt. It was obviously a jewel of some power, for it pulsed slightly under Kara's touch. There was a faint demonic aura around the jewel, which made Kara a little uneasy. Sheathing the sword, she tucked it into the royal blue sash around her waist.
Thanking the family she had been staying with for their hospitality, she set out once again on her travels. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, but her instincts had always told her when it was time to move on. Gathering up her two companions, a young dog-demon named Kiro and a cat- demon named Kita, she started out. Neither animal had a human form (at least not that Kara knew of), but Kara had always understood them completely. As well as a very powerful demoness, she was also a mind reader and she had some miko powers. She was a bit puzzled at times by her wide array of capabilities, and would often find herself wondering if they were a curse or a blessing. For even though her powers had saved countless lives, they had also given her a rather large group of enemies. Far more than any dog demon she had ever known to exist. Dog youkai usually had quite a few adversaries because of their awesome powers and high rank among the demon world, but Kara felt as if she had had more than her fair share.
Kiro barked, startling Kara out of her thoughts. "What is it Kiro?" she asked.
The young youkai was gazing into the woods on the side of the path, growling so softly that even Kara, with her acute hearing, could barely hear him. Kara's sensitive nose picked up the scent of smoke and blood drifting in the late summer breeze. Kita jumped up onto Kara's shoulder, the smells making the little cat nervous. Using her trademark demon speed, Kara rushed towards the scents.
The demoness chuckled softly as she lowered her sword to her fallen adversaries throat. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment, do you Kara? After all these years of waiting, I can finally be rid of you. You and your human-loving ways are pathetic!"
Kara stiffened a little. 'This witch doesn't know what she is talking about', she thought. She didn't understand. What did youkai have against humans? Hate for the demoness standing over her surged through her body. With her last reserves of energy, she knocked the sword away with an armored arm and jumped to her feet. She sprang for her enemy with speed that obviously surprised her opponent. "You thought I was as good as dead, huh Reiya? That was one lesson you never learned: Never underestimate an opponent stronger than yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do than hang around here and waste my time."
With that, Kara slashed violently at Reiya with her claws. Reiya never had a chance to block the attack. In that brief blink of an eye, she was ripped to shreds. Kara, satisfied with the results, slowly turned to make her way back to the village that was just over the hill. As she turned though, she caught a glimpse of Reiyas' sword. Deciding that it was best not to leave it there, she painfully bent over to pick it up. Something in hilt of the sword glinted. Acting against her instincts, she ignored the glint and once again started back towards the village. She thought it best to tend to her wounds before anything else.
* * * Back in the village, with her injuries bandaged and healing, Kara investigated the glint she had seen coming from Reiyas' sword. She saw that it had been caused by the sun reflecting off of a brilliant turquoise jewel that had been forged into the hilt. It was obviously a jewel of some power, for it pulsed slightly under Kara's touch. There was a faint demonic aura around the jewel, which made Kara a little uneasy. Sheathing the sword, she tucked it into the royal blue sash around her waist.
Thanking the family she had been staying with for their hospitality, she set out once again on her travels. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, but her instincts had always told her when it was time to move on. Gathering up her two companions, a young dog-demon named Kiro and a cat- demon named Kita, she started out. Neither animal had a human form (at least not that Kara knew of), but Kara had always understood them completely. As well as a very powerful demoness, she was also a mind reader and she had some miko powers. She was a bit puzzled at times by her wide array of capabilities, and would often find herself wondering if they were a curse or a blessing. For even though her powers had saved countless lives, they had also given her a rather large group of enemies. Far more than any dog demon she had ever known to exist. Dog youkai usually had quite a few adversaries because of their awesome powers and high rank among the demon world, but Kara felt as if she had had more than her fair share.
Kiro barked, startling Kara out of her thoughts. "What is it Kiro?" she asked.
The young youkai was gazing into the woods on the side of the path, growling so softly that even Kara, with her acute hearing, could barely hear him. Kara's sensitive nose picked up the scent of smoke and blood drifting in the late summer breeze. Kita jumped up onto Kara's shoulder, the smells making the little cat nervous. Using her trademark demon speed, Kara rushed towards the scents.