Not All Demons
"There he goes!"
"Which way did he turn?"
"To the right!"
"That's left, you fool!"
"Yes, of course!"
"Quick! Let's round the horses over the next pass! The villain's wounded and couldn't have gotten that far!"
As the men urged their mounts on another cry rang up that made Sesshomaru sick to his stomach. "Kill the demon!"
Sesshomaru was in a serious predicament. On any other occasion he would outrun the humans, for at only three centuries (bearing the approximate appear of nine-year-old human) he still had no wish to take up the "practical" manner of dealing with humans.
Now, however, he was beginning to reconsider. The mortals had brought a strange surprise with them this time, powder from the Mainland that exploded when ignited. Unlucky enough to be caught in the blast, Sesshomaru whimpered piteiously as he dragged behind a mangled limb.
The foreign powder was playing havoc on his defensive system. He couldn't fly, transform, and he was nearly as slow as those humans.
Ta-rump, ta-rump, ta-rump.
The dog-demon could hear the hoofbeats getting closer. He turned sharply to his right. Perhaps now he could-
WHACK!
Lightening pain exploded in Sesshomaru's head for moment, then dwindled.
"Die, vile beast!" The mortal prepared to swing his club again.
Wiping blood from his eyes, the young daiyokai snarled and lunged at the man. Fortunately for the human, his own nerve broke and he dove for cover. Equally fortuitous for Sesshomaru, this ruse threw off the last hunter who would have seen him. Precious minutes were purchased to gain some distance.
His breath was coming in short gasps when he spotted a small hut. Sesshomaru mustered the last of his strength for the final dash.
The dog-demon's good leg collapsed underneath him as he rolled inside, but that was the least of his worries. A startled human was staring down back him!
A span of heartbeats was long enough for the two to gawk at each other. The part of Sesshomaru's brain that wasn't screaming "Run, fool!" noted that this leathery, suntanned human didn't smell or look quite like the rest; he wore a decorative bandana and robes with designs no less intricate. And since when did mortals wrap their feet in animal skins? Had Sesshomaru spent more time in the North he would have known that the prayer stick tethered to the man's sash was an ikupasuy.
The oddly dressed stranger already knew what his unexpected guest was, but that didn't stop him from saying, "Hide in there," as he pointed to a pile of animal skins.
Panic ripped Sesshomaru out of his trance. He could hear the hoofbeats approaching once more, mimicking his own frantic heart.
"Do you want to live, demon?" the human barked.
Sesshomaru's mind spun, surely this person could not have foreseen his arrival, no traps could lay in wait. The pound at the outer post transformed the skins into a welcome refuge.
"Eppitarki!" one of the voices from outside hollered. "Blasphemous Ainu! Open up!"
Sesshomaru huddled deeper into the furs as he heard the slide pushed away.
"Do you know what time it is?!" Eppitarki snapped. "The hour of the tiger! I was going to sleep!"
"You think we care, old fool? There be a demon runnin' loose! We reckon he came up along these parts." The speaker paused before adding, "Probably drawn to yer black magics!"
"I've seen nothing of the sort; neither man nor beast nor demon!" Eppitarki was pensive. "However, if you would like to join me, I offer my freshly cured pelts."
Sesshomaru suppressed the urge to gasp in horror, then he heard a pursuer's appalled grunt. "You disgust us with yer barbaric ways! Wearin' unclean furs!" The man turned to the rest of his posse. "Let's go! This cur wouldn't know a demon if it ripped out his throat." He grinned wickedly then. "Maybe it'd be best to leave him be. The demon could curve its appetite here!"
The mob dispersed, tramping back off to their village to convey their tales over gourds of saké.
Eppitarki heard the pelts shift. "You may want to stay there for the remainder of the night, or at least until those wounds close. I shall retire for now. To your left's a water bucket."
The daiyokai didn't have the strength to ponder, running was thirsty work.
-
The old Ainu cleared away the empty bucket the following morning and scanned his cottage for his guest's whereabouts.
Next to the window he saw the young stranger give the finishing brushes to his shoulder's mane. Still not meeting his host's questioning stare, Sesshomaru spoke, "Why did you...protect me?"
Eppitarki scratched his chin for a moment. "Why shouldn't have I?"
"You are human. Should you not have remained loyal to your race and turned over to them the demon they sought?"
Eppitarki sat down on one his pelts and stared Sesshomaru in the eye. "Young yokai, I don't believe I'm as old as you are, but I understand that not all demons have claws and fangs. You ask me, the ones without can be worse."
Sesshomaru blinked, slowly memories about hearing how inlanders were migrating northward to "expel the barbarians" trickled into his mind. But wasn't the displacement of humans a normal occurrence?
"Hunts are common were people see demons." Sesshomaru arched a stunned eyebrow at Eppitarki.
He nodded nonetheless. Stepping out of the dwelling, he turned for one last glance. "Good-bye, Ainu."
He never saw him again.
-
Author's Note: We were discussing the effects of prejudice in class last week and I started wondering what that was like for another species. Furthermore, could it parallel to the oldest culture in Japan?