"Kouga, the elders of the southern tribe will be here in a few days, don't you think that you should prepare a feast or something?" Ginta said poking his head into his leaders den.
"Sure, that sounds good." He said staring at the wall
"Kouga, Kagome mated InuYasha, it's time to move on and find a mate of your own." Hakkaku said trying to make him feel better.
Kouga hit the ground with his fist "I don't care that she chose him, I just haven't met anyone else worthy of being my mate! I said go ahead with a feast! I don't CARE!"
Both Ginta and Hakkaku ran out of the den and into the main entrance. "Okay we need a few of y'all to come collect food for a feast for the southern tribe elders." About five other demons stood up and followed them outside to collect food.
Kouga looked at his rocky walls with a blank stare, he was set on making a claim on Kagome. Anyone else seems unfit. He laid down on his pile of furs that acted as his bed, he thought the elders from other tribes bringing their daughters to him was a waste of time. He wasn't going to fall for anyone like he had Kagome.
"Kouga, we need to go to meet them at the base of the mountain and meet the southern tribe" Hakkaku said waking up his leader.
Kouga grunted as he rose out of bed, he redid his ponytail and brushed his fur pelts as he walked out into the main den. "Ginta, Hakkaku, and Cerina, you're coming with me." He looked around "Everyone else, clean up and begin making the feast for tonight." He turned back to the trio behind him and nodded toward the exit "Let's go."
They stood at the base of the mountain and then saw the small group of people emerging among the horizon. They were tan like the western tribe but their hair was not dark although it wasn't really light like the northern tribe either. The elder leading the was had dark grey hair but didn't look like an old man, he stood tall and strong as he lead the group toward the mountain. There were two men on each side of the elder with light brunette hair and a similar build to Kouga. He assumed the princess was in the center, surrounded for protection.
"Kouga of the Western Tribe?" He elder said as he approached the group at the base of the mountain, Kouga nodded and the elder continued "I am Chief Hirama of the Southern Tribe." He stepped to the side and held his arm out and said "And this is my daughter Kiara." He revealed a small but feisty looking girl, although she was short with a small frame her body was fully figured. He could tell she had muscle and wasn't as delicate as the other princess he met. Her hair was a long and wavy with a warm amber color, her eyes a Stirling silver with a hint of blue. She was dressed in a cloth wrap around her chest and a cloth skirt. Her outfit showed off her slim shoulders and muscular stomach, usually wolf demons were covered in fur pelts so the fact that the only fur she has was cuffs around her wrists was odd to Kouga.
"Welcome to the western den." Kouga said reaching a hand out to the chief.
"Thank you for having us" Hirama replied, he then looked at his daughter and they exchanged a look of struggle but she turned to Kouga and thanked him as well. Clearly she didn't want to be here.
Kouga led the Southern Tribe up the mountain and into the den where he introduced the chief and princess and the chief introduced the four men he brought with him for the journey.
"Dinner will be prepared by sundown" One of the women said to Kouga, he nodded and showed the visitors where they would be staying during their journey, it was a cave inside the den on the other side of the main entrance from Kouga's private den.
The princess sat in her assigned bed in the guest den, it was the tallest pile of pelts aside from her fathers.
"Kiara, you need to go spend time with the tribe, it is important that the entire tribe accept you, not just Kouga." Hirama said sitting next to her. She rolled her eyes "Please Kiara, this is your destiny, to be a princess to a strong wolf prince and help lead a tribe as an alpha female."
"Fine." She said getting up with an attitude in her walk she went into the main den and looked around. She saw the women cleaning and preparing the food for tonight. This was not the life she wanted for herself. She sighed heavily and walked up to the women with the food "Can I help?"
"Oh no princess! You relax! Dinner will be done soon" They insisted she rolled her eyes and went to the women cleaning whom said the same thing. That's it, she tried. She looked around again and didn't see her father or the warriors either. A sly smirk came across her face and she slowly snuck out of the entrance of the cave. She ran down the side of the mountain, feeling the wind in her hair. Freedom. She stopped when she got to the bottom and saw the waterfall and small lake it flowed into. She smiled and looked back up at the entrance of the cave, no one was looking for her yet! She dove into the water and swam down deep, she loved the water. As her head broke through the surface she ran her hands through her wet hair and dove back down. She swam around for a while until she started to get tired, she turned to swim to the edge of the water and saw Kouga sitting there grinning, she rolled her eyes and swam over to him.
"Princess." He said as she walked out of the water.
"It's just Kiara." She said ringing out her hair.
"Your father is looking for you." Kouga said still smirking
"Is he?" She said sarcastically
"It's dangerous to be out here alone, unprotected." He rested leaning back on his arms stretching out his legs.
"I'm not as defenseless as I look" she said walking past him
"Where are you going?" Kouga asked getting off the ground
"Back to the prison that is your den." She said getting an annoyed tone in her voice.
"Hey! My den is a good den!" He said offended.
"Yes it is" she said turning around "just like all the other dens were very nice. But I want more. I don't want to live in a den, I don't want to lead a tribe." She let her guard down and sat down on a rock on the side of the mountain.
Kouga sat beside her "What do you want?"
"I want adventure, I want to travel and see where all I can go." She was talking to him but staring out at the forest.
"I don't just stay in the den, if you really think you can hold your own, you can travel with us…if we decided to do the mating that is" Kouga said trying to make her feel better although still not on board with finding a mate that's not Kagome.
"I don't want to travel the land." She turned to look Kouga in the eye "I want to explore the seas"
"What?" Kouga said surprised "Wolves can't swim"
"Maybe you can't." She said looking back to the waterfall lake.
"Well, I mean we can swim but not like out in the middle of the ocean. What'll you do for food or water?" He said standing up still bewildered
"That's why my father is trying to marry me off to someone that'll keep me on the land. He doesn't think that I can do it. He thinks he's protecting me. But I feel like a prisoner, just looking for a new cell." She said her gaze going to the sky.
"I have an idea." Kouga said sitting back down. "Your father wants you married but you want to go and be on an adventure all your own. My tribe wants me to find a mate but I don't want to be settled down."
"where are you going with this?"
"Let's mate!" Kouga said enthusiastically
"WHAT?!" Kiara said, as she started to ramble why she didn't want to mate he put up his hands and began to explain.
"We'll mate and then you can go on your adventure and I can continue looking for jewel shards. When you're ready to settle down you can always come back here." He said giving them both some hope for this plan.
"You'll let me leave? Travel where I want for as long as I want?" She asked
"Wherever, whenever." He shrugged
"If I don't come back?" she asked again.
"I'll assume you're having a great adventure." He assured her
She grinned "I can't believe I'm saying this but let's do it."
"HEY KOUGA! DINNER IS READY!" Ginta called from the mountain entrance.
Kouga looked to Kiara "You ready?" Kiara nodded and then took each-others hands and walked up to the den. When they came into the entrance holding hands everyone in the cave fell silent.
"Kouga?" Hakkaku asked quietly.
Kouga looked down at Kiara and smiled then held her hand in his in the air and claimed "I have taken a mate!" To the entire tribe. Everyone burst into a roaring cheer.
"Really? Kiara?" Hirama said with hope in his eyes.
Kiara nodded and smiled at her father, yes she was hiding the meaning behind the mating but she was doing as he asked her to so she could finally do what she wants.
"Let's feast!" Kouga said walking his future mate to the table where they sat at the head of.
They all ate and asked questions to the visiting tribe trying to learn more about their future alpha female, both her and Kouga felt guilty about the deception of it all but they were set in what they wanted to do.
At the end of the meal the two went into Kouga's den and starred at each other. Traditionally the two intended to be mated would make love and at the climax the male would bite the female in the shoulder making his mark and binding them for life. "We don't have to ya know, I can just bite ya…" Kouga said as he noticed her uneasiness in his private den.
"I think that'd be best." She said moving her hair to all be over one should, exposing the other.
He walked up slowly and put his hand on the small of her back, placing his other hand gently on her head. Both felt a tingle down in their stomachs, he brought his lips to her shoulder and kissed it lightly before sinking his teeth into her shoulder. Her arms sprung up and grabbed his back as she hissed at the puncture from his teeth. A heat rose between them and they looked into each-other's eyes, the animal in them both taking over, they were now mated and their bodies naturally craved each other. They both leaned in and started to kiss, getting more passionate with each kiss. Kouga pulled her to his bed and climbed on top of her. For the first time she felt like submitting to someone and she did, she allowed his hands to explore his body and the smell of the intimacy began to fill the cave.
Ginta was sitting at the edge of the cave when the scent hit his nose, he grinned and looked around and saw Hirama walking toward the exit. "Chief Hirama! Is everything okay?"
"I am glad my daughter has taken a mate, however I am still her father." He smiled as he looked at the horizon, "I think I will go on a walk until the smell dies down." He grinned at Ginta and Ginta grinned back. Hirama walked down the trail leading to the bottom of the mountain and sat on a rock near the waterfall, the smell of the water helped him forget the smell from inside the cave.
Kouga and Kiara made love multiple times that night finally coming to a rest when they were both out of energy. Kiara laid on Kouga's shoulder and the two of them just starred at the ceiling. What did they just do? This wasn't part of the plan. Kouga suddenly felt protective of Kiara and didn't want her to leave his side. He couldn't keep his end of the bargain, she had to stay with him, she had to stay safe. Kiara felt so safe in Kouga's arms she felt as if nothing could harm, that he would protect her. But nothing would get in the way of her following her dreams to set sail to explore the seas.
Kouga woke up before Kiara, he looked down at her tussled waves and breathed in her scent. He didn't know how to tell her that he couldn't allow her to go on her journey. He felt her shift and look at him with a smile, "Hello mate." She teased
"Morning" he responded with a kiss to her forehead, they'd have to show affection to one another in front of the pack to show they really are mated, although the smell that lingered in the cave last night should be enough to prove the mating. Though they didn't mind the affection to one another, after the mating they felt a connection much stronger than they expected, especially Kouga.
They both came out of Kouga's private den and greeted the pack all eating breakfast, Kiara walked over to her father and their warriors. "How long will you be staying with us father" she sat down next to him and started to eat some of the food in front of them.
"I was thinking I could stay a full moon cycle." He said
Kiara choked on her water "Wh-what?" That was way too long, she was ready to leave now!
"I am only joking dear Kiara, we are leaving after breakfast so that we can travel in the daylight for most of our trip back to the south." He said taking a bite. "I am so happy you mated Kouga. He will you bring you much happiness."
"Father," she said blushing, but she didn't have anything to contest, she knew Kouga was a good leader and if she stayed he would do everything he could to make her happy. However, the only thing that could make her really happy was the water.
The Southern Tribe said their goodbyes to the Western Tribe after breakfast and they made their way back home. Kiara stood at the entrance watching them leave, once her father was out of ear shot Kouga approached her. "When are you leaving?" he asked with a lump in his thought, he had to keep her here as long as he could and try to convince her to stay.
"I don't know," She shrugged her shoulders "I guess in a few hours, once they are far enough away."
"You should wait." Kouga said trying to think of reasons for her to stay.
"Huh?" she turned to him in confusion.
"Yeah you should wait a day or two, by then they'll be home and you won't have to worry about it." He said thinking quickly.
"Maybe you're right, but I'm leaving first thing tomorrow." She said walking back into the cave.
He bought himself twenty-four hours, he had to try to get her to stay, did she not feel the same connection?
"Kouga!" Ginta said walking up with Hakkaku
"We haven't really talked to you since the mating!" Hakkaku said
"See! We told ya you'd find someone other than Kagome!" Ginta said as Hakkaku nudged him with an annoyed look
Huh, Kouga hadn't even thought about Kagome since he bit Kiara. "Yeah, I did." He responded to them looking at Kiara the whole time, she was helping the women clean breakfast. She fit right in.
