Chapter 1 – Coyotes Dawn

Kagome Higurashi struggled up the stairs with the last box for her room. Sweating from the sweltering heat, there didn't seem to be any reprieve from the air conditioning inside the house. Unpeeling the soaked shirt from her skin, Kagome set down the box and collapsed on the mattress that was lying on the floor. Absentmindedly thinking that she still needed to put her bed together, she toyed with the idea of trying to con Souta to do it for her.

Lifting herself on her elbows, she surveyed her new room, trying to ignore the hot Nevada sun streaming through the windows in the center of the room. The new room was larger than her old room, and the closet seemed large enough that she can partially walk in. The hardwood floor was different than the carpeted floor she was used to in New York, but then again, the weather contrast would make carpeted floors a bane in this area. Getting up from the mattress, Kagome walked over to the window. Outside she saw a few other cookie cutter houses like hers, and beyond that was the vast Mojave Desert with mountains at a distance.

Kagome sighed to herself as she slowly accepted her new life, despite the heat and distaste for the rural life, mostly because it had been her choice to move with her family. Her mother had gotten relocated across the country, and she was given a choice to stay and finish her final year at her high school, or to relocate with her mother and brother. Knowing that Souta, as annoying of a little brother he may be, might be as lonely in the south west, as she would be in the north east, she chose to be there for him and they can do the move together. Still, Kagome thought to herself as she brushed her bangs away from her eyes, the view really is pretty… maybe in time she could accept it and enjoy it.

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Kagome gasped as she woke up. Struggling to get her breathing back to normal, her hands went to her heart to try to steady the beating. As soon as her mind started to clear, she reached for the lamp next to her. Her body was shaking slightly as she got out of her bed and walked over to the window. As she leaned her forehead on the glass, she struggled to try to remember what her dream was about, but to no avail. This dream, as every single dream in the past week, avoided her.

Sighing, Kagome pushed herself away from the window and started heading downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. Her throat was parched and she felt like a dry parchment. When she finally sat down at the kitchen table drinking her water, she thought about her past few weeks at her new home. The school year had already started prior to her attendance, but there wasn't an issue since she was ahead of the rest of the class in regards to school work. While everyone was polite to her, her classmates already had their own little groups, which she knew she would be unwelcome if she forced herself into the groups. It was best to wait until she was more accepted, but until then she was probably going to be the outsider. So far there was one guy at the new school that seemed to try to deliberately get her attention by asking about her well being, or trying to find various ways to talk to her. Perhaps, once everything gets settled, she should think about dating him. It wouldn't hurt to start experiencing some happiness sometime.

Outside at a distance from her home, there were a few howls. 'Coyotes', Kagome thought to herself. Getting up from the table, she walked over to the sink and looked out the window that was right over it. Looking up, Kagome noticed that there wasn't any moon that night. 'I wonder what they can be howling about.'

After leaving the kitchen to go back to her room, she grew annoyed with herself. 'I'm not even tired' she thought, 'what am I supposed to do for the next few hours until dawn?' Sighing, she lay down on her bed and tried to force herself to go back to sleep, despite the continuous howling outside, that seemed to be drawing closer.

Should at that very moment Kagome looked out her own bedroom window, she would find out that she wasn't the only one awake that night.

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About an hour before dawn Kagome woke again, this time from a dreamless sleep. Feeling slightly more rested than before, she looked at groaned when she looked at her clock. Figuring that there wasn't any way that she will be getting more sleep that night, she got up to wash up and get dressed. Since it was a weekend, there wasn't any rush to get ready, just the frustration that she didn't sleep in on a day that she could sleep in.

The house seemed a little quiet as she was moving around, but she was careful not to make so too much noise to wake anyone. Biting into a piece of toast and sipping tea from her thermos, she walked out onto the porch and watched the dark night sky slowly turn to a dark gray. 'The sun should be coming up soon.' She mused. Getting up from her spot on the porch, she started to take a short walk around her neighborhood. The desert air was a little chilly, but her sweatshirt was warm, and the tea warmed her up.

Walking past all the houses that looked so much alike, with all the sleeping inhabitants inside, she felt a deeper loneliness. Other than her own family, she felt like such an outsider here. She missed her friends and even her extended family, as crazy as they seemed. A part of her was wondering whether she regrets the decision that she made to move here.

A yelp in front of her brought her back from her thinking. Freezing in place, she noticed about ten feet in front of her was a coyote. It was staring right back at her, not moving from its spot. Kagome took a small step back, she heart racing in her throat. She wasn't she if the coyote wanted to attack her, whether it can smell her fear, or whether it was curious. She froze again when she noticed the coyote take a step forward for every step she took back. Kagome stood in place and briefly looked around the area. She must have walked a little further out from the houses into the desert. She desperately wanted to look back to see how far she was from town, but she was took nervous to turn away from the coyote.

Suddenly, somewhere to her right, howling took her attention away from the coyote. When she realized that the howling was far away to concern her, she quickly turned her head to look back at the coyote, but it was gone. Glancing around quickly, Kagome realized it was nowhere in sight. When she thought it was safe, she finally allowed herself to relax and turned to walk back into the town. The sky was starting to become a lighter shade of gray, meaning the daylight was approaching soon, and she wanted to be home before her mom and Souta wake up.

Before she took a step back, she nearly screamed when a voice called out right behind her.

"Yo."

Turning around quickly, she noticed a boy snickering to himself with a twinkle in his eye.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that." He spoke.

Kagome's heart was still racing and she struggled to keep her temper in check. "You didn't mean to scare me?!" Kagome exclaimed. "How could you not?! You just appeared out of nowhere and you expect me to relax?!"

The boy rose his hands up in front of him. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." His sandy brown hair went in front of his eyes and he brushed them away. Kagome noticed he was shorter than her, possible a few years younger, maybe even Souta's age. His hair seemed a little long, but that seemed like a common thing around the area. His eyes were a little darker than his own hair color, and the way he was dressed…

'He looks like some punk kid' Kagome though as she took in his baggy jeans and tee-shirt with pictures of laughing skulls all over. He had a gold earring in one ear, and his sneakers looked like they were a few days past retiring.

"Is there a reason why you are so far from town? What is your name?" Kagome asked cautiously.

"Well, I noticed you were in fact walking out from the town not paying attention to where you are going. I wasn't going to let you walk into the desert alone and get lost, you know. You should be thanking me instead."

Kagome seethed, but at the same time was turning red from embarrassment. 'He is right,' she thought, 'I can't be mad at him for making sure I was okay… but he doesn't have to be so arrogant about it'. Inwardly sighing, Kagome looked the weird boy and sheepishly smiled. "I guess I do have to thank you…You probably scared away the coyote, didn't you?"

The boy shrugged slightly, "I guess so… you are the new girl, right? From the north east?"

'Gee, news travels fast around here.' Kagome though. Regardless, she stuck out her hand. "My name is Kagome. And you are…?"

"My friends called me Coyote. It's really up to you if you want to call me that too..."

"Right...okay, Coyote?" Kagome started to feel uncomfortable around him and started to take a step back towards town. "Well... It was nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping me from going further into the desert..."

And with that, she stepped away to go back to town.

"Wait."

And she waited. Kagome involuntarily shivered. There was something creepy and commanding in that tone of voice, something that made her want to get away and not trust what he says, but she couldn't seem to tell her legs to move.

"You feel alone here, huh?" The comment seemed more like a statement, not a question. Coyote walked over closer to her.

"You feel like you don't belong here right now, do you?" With that statement, he was by her side.

Starting to feel agitated, Kagome turned her head to look at him. "Now what would you know..."

"You are having disturbing dreams every night." He interrupted.

"What..." But Coyote didn't let her finish her thought.

"If your friends were in trouble, would you help them? If they were going to die, but there is something you can do to help, would you?"

Kagome stammered "What do my friends have anything to do..."

"Would you go?"

"What?"

"Are you willing to help your friends?"

Coyote was now only a few inches from her face, staring directly into her eyes. His gaze was fiercely intense and Kagome finally had the strength to take a step back from him.

"How dare you think I would abandon them?! I don't know where this conversation is coming from, but I would not abandon my friends if they need me!" Kagome felt anger in her statement, and an unshakable fear that she was about to seal her fate.

"Then would you go to them?"

There was a sudden tension in the air and the desert was silent. It was as if fate herself was holding her breath for the answer.

"Yes." As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Coyote shoulders seem to relax from an invisible tension, as though he was relieved for an answer the was unknown to him. Then, with a wide smile, he winked at Kagome and time seemed to stand still.

"Then I wish you good luck, Kagome," he said as the world seemed to be unstable under Kagome's feet. She fell to her knees and braced herself for the incredible wave of dizziness that seemed to overwhelm her. She forced herself to look up to Coyote in confusion, and struggled to understand why there was two of him: Coyote the boy and Coyote the animal. Both Coyotes seem to speak at the same time.

"And Kagome...please don't die this time."

Before the darkness overcame her, she saw the sun rise from the corner of her eyes and mournful howling in the background signifying that the day was just beginning.