A/N: Hi! this is my first YYH fic, i really tried on this one, so i hope you like it. i understand completely if you don't get a lot of it in the beginning, and if you don't, then i will be more than happy to 'splain everything to you. well, enjoy:)
Nyomi's POV
A bitter wind cut through the trees like a knife; my packmates and I were starving with no extra hoardes of food stashed away for us to eat. To make matters worse, I could sense several very strong demonic auras heading this way. I motioned for my pack to go on so that I could make a further investigation, ignoring their whines as pleas for me to stay with them. I shook my head no. a leader must do what is right.
These… presences were not normal, and it was my job to get them out of our forest. I motioned, once again, for my pack to go ahead. This time, they heeded my warning, casting me one last long look before dissapearing into the snowy underbrush. I ran swiftly through the forest, ignoring my numb fingers and toes. I knew these woods like the back of my hand- or paw, whichever I was. I skidded to a sudden halt as I heard voices.
I bent down low and put a hand to a pouch where I kept my small knives. (A/N: I'm just gonna say that they're kunai for the rest of the story cause repeating 'small knives' just gets annoying after a while- ya know? Anyway, sorry, back to the story!) The voices suddenly stopped, and footsteps were coming this way; my heart, already pounding from my half mile sprint, accelerated so fiercely that I felt dizzy for a few moments. I gathered my courage, and hid quickly behind a tree. Putting a hand to my chest and closing my eyes, breathed gently in and out trying to calm down.
"Well now, what do we have here?" a low, velvety voice spoke softly in my ear. Opening my eyes, I found two golden orbs staring at me, silver hair covering part of his face. My eyes widened and my heart sped up again as I discovered who the disturbing presence belonged to: Yoko Kurama.
"What do you think you're doing, spying on us like that?" Kurama asked, his eyes, though golden as the sun might as well have been silver, for they were as cold as steel. Summoning my courage, I said:
"I am guardian of this forest. I have a right to know who is in it at all times, especially when they cast such a disturbing amount of demon energy," I heard distant laughter, and I saw out of the corner of my eye, another demon with black hair and four ears say:
"This is a witty one, Kurama. Strong too, by the look of her. She would make a fine addition to our group," Kurama turned sharpy to face him, silver hair swinging in his wake.
"Quiet, Yomi. I am leader, and I will decide such important matters," he looked me over, taking in everything about me. As he analyzed me, I thought: what have I gotten myself into? Ugh, never mind that- how am I going to get out of this mess?
"Who are you?" Kurama asked, not backing away from me.
"My name is Nyomi. I'm a wolf demon whose pack rules over these forests. As their alpha leader, I rule over all the woods in this region."
"Alpha? Then you must be strong. If you are really that determined to make us leave your forest, then battle me. If you win, then we will leave quietly. If you lose, then you must remain with us as part of our group, and never return to your pack again."
"What?!" I heard myself scream. He backed away, putting a hand to his ear. "I can't leave my pack without a leader, that isn't our way!"
"Then it looks as if you have no other choice than to fight me. you can't escape," at this, he looked at the rest of the group as they made a circle around Kurama and me to prevent me from escaping.
"It looks like I don't have a choice," I said, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice.
"Good, then lets begin," Kurama said stepping into battle stance.
Normal POV
"You're gonna regret ever saying those words," Nyomi said, putting her hands together and closing her eyes. A white flame enveloped her as Kurama looked on with interest. The white flame vanished, and what stood there was not the human Nyomi, but a small, silver wolf. Ah, I've heard of these types of demons, Kurama thought, though they are powerful, they do not have much experience because they have been dying out, and have no elders to learn from. Nyomi rushed towards Kurama, who did nothing but pull out a single rose.
"Rose Whip!" the harsh cry echoed throughout the woods as Nyomi's blood spilled from a neat cut on her shoulder. The wolf growled menacingly, then rushed at him again. Repeatedly, she flew at him, only to be taken down by the smallest of swings from Kurama's whip.
"Is this really the best the guardian of this forest can do? Pathetic,"
I'm not done yet! Nyomi thought fiercely. White flames rushed about her wolf body, making her silver fur seem to glow. A harsh growl eminated from the back of her throat as her body shook with concentration. Like a flash, she rushed at Kurama who, unable to see her did not get out of the way soon enough, and was on the, now slushy, forest floor, staring into a pair of brown eyes that, Kurama noticed, were streaked with the slightest touch of silver. He could feel her sharp claws cutting into his skin as she kept him pinned to the floor. Though the look on her face was terrifying, he smiled at her slyly.
"Don't think you've won this just yet," he said, pulling a small dagger out of his sleeve of his robe. The next thing Nyomi knew was a blinding sickening pain coming from her chest. Coughing up blood, she staggered off Kurama as he stood, triumphant. The last thing Nyomi felt before changing back into her human form and loosing her vision was the sensation of falling, but being caught in strong arms.
Nyomi's POV
It was night when I opened my eyes. Immeadiately, memoreies of my previous fight came back as well as the pain from the injuries I aquired. From my 'bed' I could see a small fire someone had made. As I lay there, listening to the fire crackle and cast long shadows on the trees, my fingers began to move, feeling the soft padding of a thick blanket beneath me, and the soft touch of a thin blanket on top of me.
"Get up," a cold voice commanded me. I sat up, wincing at the pain in my chest, and the cold night air that blew against my face, making my thick, knotted hair fly out. I noticed a searing pain also coming from my right forearm. I looked at it, and saw to my amazement that a small, dark blue jewel had been embedded into my skin. I glanced at my captor, but my eyes traveled back to the deep cut in my chest, and saw that a coarse white cloth had been wound tightly around it.
"You are now one of my bandits. From now on, you will have to steal for me, and obey my commands like the dog you truly are," at that moment, I felt a flame leap up inside me as anger boiled in the pit of my stomach. A distant music rang in my ears that sounded like an echo from the past; an echo from my ancestors.
"Never. Wolves are honorable creatures that would not sink so low!" I shouted, even though it hurt my throat. I had heard rumors before about Kurama, and how cruel his ways were; I wasn't about to let him gain that much control over me even though I had lost the fight. His eyes looked amused as he knelt down beside me, roughly grasping my face with his strong hand.
"We are very strong willed, aren't we?" he whispered, our faces inches apart. My dark brown, almond- shaped eyes clashed with his hardened gold ones. I tried to see anything in those eyes that represented the nearest thing to gentleness. Perhaps it was a trick of the firelight; a flicker of pity in which I saw his eyes soften, but the next moment, I was sure I had imagined it, for he released me, and turned away.
"Your training with me starts at dawn. You can't invade a guarded fortress without a little practice first." As I watched him leave, I notitced a tear in his robes. My eyes widened as I looked from his torn robe to my bandages.
A/N: so, how was it? if you guys think it's confusing, then i'll try to explain more to you. if you also don't get the character of Nyomi, then that's understandable. More of her character will be defined in later chapters. Another thing- this is sorta kinda like a mix of Wolf's Rain and Fruits Basket in a way- if u watch either of the shows, then you'll know what i'm talking about, if not, then i'll have some more 'splanin to do. reveiw plz!!!