Surveying of the Lands
Inutaisho moved over the western lands in a blur of white. He was doing the normal nightly survey of his lands. His large demonic form, easily, weaving in and out of the forest without disturbing a single tree. His keen scenes noticed everything around him; he had no need to go slowly. He knew even if a mouse moved three thousand yards away if he was in any given area. His golden eyes scanned over everything in front of him as he moved, his reflexives allowing him dodge anything in his path. However, it was obvious on this night he was moving faster than normal. His mate Yuki, a beautiful inu daiyuki such as himself had just given birth to his first pup earlier that dawn. He was a father of a healthy baby boy.
He was none to concern with anyone else that night aside from himself and being able to return to the western castle. His sharp scene of smell detected something; it made him come to a stop in a clearing just ahead of him. He lifted his enormous muzzle to the sky, sniffing more, his ears going back at recognizing the scent that came to him. He let out an angered growl that bubbled up from deep in his chest. He quickly diverged from his set path taking off to the left, heading deeply into the forest. The trees so thick they even blocked out the full moon's beams of light that blanketed the earth that night.
Inutaisho speed picked up as he moved, the scent that had flooded his nostrils was that of a fox daiyuki. The very mate to the lord fox daiyuki in the east that had threatened war between the lands. He was not going to take a chance that she was here to try and get close to the castle and assassinate his new born or currently weakened mate. The female was swift, sneaky, and merciless, in all respects. Inutaisho would show no mercy himself to the she-devil that had made the mistake of coming on to his lands. He would kill her without a moment's hesitation, it was only fitting she had done the same to many. It had won her a very revered name in all of the four directional lands.
Inutaisho easily tracked down the intruder coming to a graceful stop in front of the demon herself. His golden eyes took in the surrounding area, it was cramped with trees being all around. The thick being silent from all the lesser weaklings running off in fear of the demoness prances. Inutaisho took in her appearance; she like him stood in her demonic form. Her haunting silver, blue eyes set in a glare at him. Her beautiful golden, orange tint fur was, matted in dried blood of weaker demons that had become victim of their own stupidity. Blood dripped from her bottom muzzle as she stood on the kill of an ogre one of its arms hung in her jaws. She let out a warning growl to him, she dropping of appendage sinking down, fangs bared, and ears flattening on the top of her head.
Inutaisho growled back setting his right paw in front of him ready to move and attack. He was in no mood to play games with the fox. He let out a bark of warning giving her one and only one chance to turn and flee with her life. Yet he saw in her eyes, she was not taking the generous offer. He watched closely as she moved her feminine paws in front of her, taking a striking position at him.
Although she was a fox and he a dog, he stood nearly four times her size. His body mass in comparison was near triple to her. She was sleek in body making her faster than him, yet his sheer weight and muscle easily could overtake her. Just one wrong move on her part and her life would be over in a match against him.
In a flash they both moved, a fight breaking out faster than a crack of lightening. They both moved gracefully, and deadly. Dodging and attacking going back and forth at one another, claws and fangs both meeting flush and spilling blood. Trees came down crashing into the earth having no way of protection in the brutal brawl that was, taken amongst them. The creatures of the day were, awoken taking off just as the creatures of the night fleeing the dangerous area. In a quicker time then one would have thought from the damage done to the surrounding area the fox laid on her back belly up with Inutaisho above ready to make the final attack.
Inutaisho growled plunging his head downward towards the fox's throat. Jaws open ready to sink his fangs into the soft flesh of her jugular. However, mere centimeters away he stopped from the whimper of submission that suddenly left the proud, lady of the east. Inutaisho considered for a moment if not to simply finish her off regardless. Yet the lord in him out won his demon. He growled down at her, allowing his fangs to graze her fur-covered throat, to show he was still ready to finish her off at a moment's notice.
He slowly moved off her stepping away slowly eyes trained on her if she tried anything. He observed her as she painfully rolled herself to her side so she faced him. Her eyes no longer cunning or malice, they held something that Inutaisho himself could not name. He was surprised when he watched her transform back into her humanoid form. She had weakened herself even further long in front of him. He looked down at her, taking in her long flowing golden hair, which fell around her like a vale. It hid her face from him, making it impossible to know what she was thinking. Her small body shakily adjusted it's self so she was on her knees. She then slowly bowed to him so that her forehead touched the cool night grass.
"Please, Lord Inutaisho" She started, before coughing violently. "Hear me out." She managed to whisper after the coughing attack had stopped. Her voice being even quitter than a small silver bell, it made even Inutaisho strain to hear her.
Inutaisho slowly shifted himself from one set of paws to the others. He thought quickly running over his options in his head. The fox had visually given into defeat; she was in no condition to do any damage to him anymore. He glanced up at the sky; the full moon's light now shinning down on him from the clearing that formed from the trees being taken down in the fierce fight. It was lowering in the sky, under normal conditions he would have already been back at the castle. He would be with his mate at this very moment looking down at his son, the fact that he was not irritated him. He looked back at the demoness, her position had not changed even a hair's inch.
Inutaisho stepped forward only slightly before changing back into his own humanoid form. He stood directly in front of the female his boots so close to her that if he had wished he could have bid her to kiss his feet and she would not even need to move a full inch to complete the task. He walked around her, circling her for a moment, taking in her new appearance. His demon within found it amusing how pathetic she suddenly looked. When he circled her a full three times he stopped again right in front of her, before speaking.
"Explain yourself quickly fox. You test my patience on keeping you alive." He says to her his golden eyes cold as he looked down.
The fox nodded slowly before lifting her head to look up at him. She gradually moved so she sat on knees in front of him, like a vassal begging for shelter. She licked her dried lips, which Inutaisho noted were, cracked as humans had a tendency to get in the winter months. He also noticed she looked very tired, something that was not easy, especially for a daiyuki to feel. Yet the evidence was clear from the bags under her eyes, and her flush was paler than normal, nearly cloud white.
"I was banished from the east." She started her voice just barely reaching a whisper; it was obvious her throat was vocally, over worked. "My mate sent out hordes of demons to claim my head. I have disgraced him." She spoke looking down at the ground to Inutaisho's feet.
"Disgraced him you say?" He says looking down at her. "What could you have done to disgrace him that badly as to run you out of the castle and the east altogether? You have been mates for centuries now." Inutaisho spoke his voice cold; he believed the female was lying to him currently to try to catch him off guard.
"Only one simple act my lord." The fox said and glanced over to a large oak tree that had managed not fall in the fight.
Inutaisho raised a fine white eyebrow. He looked over to the oak tree, seeing a large tree hollow at its base. He thought back briefly only now realizing that the fox had used most of her energy to keep their fight away from that tree as not to cause it harm. He looked back down at the fox before turning on his heels and started to it. He stopped when he felt the fox's demonic energy flare up at his approach to it. He glanced back at her over his shoulder, seeing she still was in the same position yet was currently in a fight with her inner demon as to move or not.
Inutaisho hummed lightly looking back to the large oak tree. He sniffed the air carefully taking in every scent around. The first that came to him was that of blood, his and the fox demoness. After that was sweat from the amount of energy, they had put into their battle moments before. However, those things were at the fore front things that even mere humans would have picked up. He closed his eyes sorting through the smaller scents in the air like the faint scent of cherry blossoms from a grove of them about four hundred yards off, the scent of minor demons, and that of rabbits, and birds. He narrowed his smelling view on the oak tree in front of him. He could smell its age; smell every animal that had once taken refuge within its branches and within the hollow at its base. Nonetheless, the scent that currently came from the hollow shocked him.
He reopened his eyes glaring at the hollow of the tree, wrinkling his nose in disgust at what the fox was keeping hidden away within it. He looked back over his shoulder at the fox, it explained why her inner demon wanted to move and attack him, even though she had submitted to him. He pondered for a moment if he should simply kill her and then the abomination with in the hollow. It would currently save him time and allow him to finish the survey of his lands. That way he would be able to return to the castle finally.
"Fox." He spoke. He watched as the fox looked to him, that her eyes previously observed the tree hollow. The corners of her eyes were slightly tinted red; she fought against her inner demon to keep control. "You may move to it." Inutaisho says looking back to the hollow of the tree.
The female did not waste a second, with permission given to move. She quickly as possible got to her feet; she walked past the great dog demon at a stammered rate. She came in front of the tree bending down to the hollow. She could feel the cold golden eyes of the dog watching her every move. She was taking a great risk, yet she had to have a small bit of hope, she knew she did not have long for the world of the living anymore. She knew that the scent of the death would soon wrap its arms tightly around her, and by daybreak only her physical from would be left on the earth to rot away.
Inutaisho watched as the fox slowly dipped in her hands into the hollow of the tree. He watched as she carefully pulled out a small bundle, cradling it close to her chest. He let out a snort walking closer, as the fox turned to face him yet again. He stopped in front of her, as she rested against the tree keeping the buddle close to her, in defense. Inutaisho looked down at the bundle the fox held. He looked to the fox when she looked at him.
"Perhaps this is fate Lord Inutaisho." The fox spoke quietly. "I beg you sit, and listen to my story." She pleads in a soft voice, their eyes gazing into one another's.
