Nobara stood and huffed in annoyance. Yet another one of Inuyasha's brotherly squabbles with Seshomaru had left her on edge with pent-up energy. Naturally, the half-demon had told them all to stay out of it.
"Cause it's a family matter," she muttered sarcastically, her red bracers catching the sunlight as she folded her arms across her chest.
The words hadn't slipped past Kagome's ears, and the modernly dressed girl turned her shoulders to look at the female wolf-dragon demon.
Her auburn hair was pulled up in a mid-height ponytail, her bangs hanging freely over her forehead. The fitted armor on her upper body was sleek black, though changed to a red stripe across her breasts that went all the way around her back. The gray shoulder pieces were held to her arms with a thin leather strap to prevent them from bouncing around in a fight. Her hands were partially covered with black fingerless gloves. On her legs she wore black leather rimmed with fur that matched the pelt hanging from her waist. Unlike most wolf demons, she also had a fully functioning tail that was the same color as the pelt.
At a glance, Nobara appeared to be an average wolf demon, but Kagome knew otherwise. Nobara had the power to shapeshift between three different forms as well as control fire at will. Combined with her combatant skills, she was a lethal warrior.
"What did you say?!" an irritated voice barked.
Nobara turned and glared at the dog half-demon Inuyasha. "Nothing," she spat, the lash of her tail meaning anything but.
Inuyasha growled, sparking a visible heat wave between the two of them.
"I don't understand how the rest of you can just sit on the sidelines like this," Nobara stated, directing the insult at the rest of the group as she started to stalk off. "I can't just stand here."
Shippo, the young fox demon, hopped up on Kirara's head and asked, "Where are you going, Nobara?"
The female smirked, her ponytail swishing to the side as she glanced behind her.
"Hunting."
There was one thing Nobara loved more than flying: running. It made her feel so alive. The wind whipped through her hair and tail, the trees rushed past in a blur. Her heart beat against her chest with every few strides she took. It was a perfect rhythm flowing with the sound of nature itself. The adrenaline heightened her senses beyond normal wolf acuteness.
I am Nobara. I am wild. I am wolf-dragon.
Over and over the mantra played through her head as she scouted the forest. It wasn't the kill she got off on; it was the hunt. Lowering herself to the ground on one knee, Nobara sniffed twice and caught the scent of a doe.
Perfect.
Her lips curled back in a snarl. Instinct took over as she followed the trail. A few miles away, she found her prey – a plump doe ripe for the taking. She licked her lips hungrily, already tasting the warm blood on her tongue.
The doe went down easily, but only moments into her meal, a scent came on the wind that made Nobara's stomach quench. It was the smell of human blood, and a lot of it.
A massacre...possibly something caused by Naraku.
Leaving the carcass for the crows, Nobara sped towards the scent, growing more nauseated the closer she came. When she was almost there, a series of howls broke through the air.
Wh-what?
She froze in her tracks. That was not the howl of a hunt.
Those wolves...they're calling for help!
Nobara bounded forward. The overwhelming need to protect her kin was almost blinding. She caught the recognizable scents of the gang and…wolf blood, and nearly tripped over herself.
They…they killed wolves?!
An angry snarl ripped through her throat. Blood relation or not, wolves were her kin, and she was bound by honor to protect them. Another scent blew into her nose, and this time Nobara skid to a stop on the outskirts of the village. It was another wolf demon, a male, but there was something strangely familiar about it. She leapt her way around the rubble, only to find a battle at the center of it all. Inuyasha swung the Tetsuiga at the wolf demon stranger, but the male easily dodged and slashed out, barely missing Inuyasha as his fist smashed into the ground.
"Nobara!" Kagome called out, breaking the female's attention away from the fight.
The nearby wolves that had surrounded the gang started to back away, clearly intimidated by her. All but one. A nearby dark brown she-wolf paused in her step and looked up at Nobara, her head tilting to the side with curiosity. The wolf-dragon's gaze lingered on the wolf as she approached Kagome.
"What the hell is going on here?" Nobara demanded angrily, her hands balling into fists. "Who killed these wolves?"
The surrounding pack quickly dispersed at the sound of her angry voice, a few of them tucking their tails between their legs as they scampered off. The dark she-wolf hesitated a moment, then followed her packmates towards the forest.
"Nobara, those wolves slaughtered this village and then attacked us," Miroku explained. "We had no choice but to defend ourselves."
There was truth to his words, but Nobara still snarled under her breath. Wolf blood had been shed, yet her loyalties were supposed to be to the killers of her kin.
Dammit.
"Who is that?" she barked, nodding her head towards the fight.
The male wolf demon had light blue eyes, black hair tied up in a ponytail much like Nobara's, and wore a fur band around his head. His armor was silver and black, though he had fur on his shoulders instead of armor. Nobara was surprised to see that he, like herself, had a tail protruding from the pelt around his waist. There was a sword at his hips as well, but he wasn't using it. Inuyasha was holding out so far, but the demon clearly had the upper hand.
"He said his name is Koga, the new leader of the wolf demon tribe," Kagome said. "And he has three Sacred Jewel Shards, one in his right arm and one in each leg."
Nobara flinched.
"Koga?" she murmured questioningly.
I…know that name. But how? I don't recognize him.
"You know him, Nobara?" Sango asked.
"I-I-I don't know," she admitted. "I think so."
In battle, Inuyasha blocked an attack and deflected the wolf demon into pummeling an empty building. When the smoke cleared, Koga had a smug expression on his face.
"What a joke," he snorted. "You can barely keep up on the defensive, let alone attack."
Nobara gasped, her eyes widening.
That voice. I…know that voice. But how?
Kagome glanced at her, a hint of worry in her voice as she said, "Nobara? Are you alright?"
Out in the dirt, Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga over his head, a battle cry leaving his lips. Koga rushed forward with a fierce shout, unaware of the coming attack.
"Inuyasha, stop!"
Suddenly, a force hit the ground right in the middle of the two canine demons and the shockwave knocked them both backwards. After a few moments, the dust cleared to reveal Nobara standing in the crevice she had created.
"Nobara, what the hell was that for? I was just about to finish off that mangy wolf!" Inuyasha shouted in complaint as he sat up.
"Shut up, Inuyasha!" she snapped furiously. "You've killed enough of my kin already."
Nobara turned to the other figure who had already stood up. The irritation on his face was clear as he dusted the dirt from his arm. As he caught sight of her, his eyes widened.
"Impossible…" Koga gasped. "They told me you were dead."
Everyone's heads snapped up to where the wolf demons were staring at each other. The cocky attitude of Koga had all but vanished, and Nobara had never looked so shaken in all her life.
"What?" Nobara whispered with disbelief, putting a hand to her head. "Wh-who said I was dead? How do you know me?"
Koga's eyes narrowed. "You…you don't remember?" he asked gruffly, taking a step towards her. His voice was borderline between panic and dismay.
Nobara shook her head. The disappointment on his face only made her more desperate to recall his face in her mind. Instinct said this wolf demon meant something to her, which meant getting her memories back was of the utmost importance.
"My childhood memories were wiped. I don't have any way to –"
Her voice suddenly cut off, replaced by a sharp inhale of breath as Nobara's amber eyes began to glow. It started with quivering hands, then her tail, and then her whole body began to shake. Golden flames burst around her hands, jumping off and disappearing as soon as they touched the ground.
"Nobara!" Kagome shouted.
A scream left her throat as a blinding light enveloped her body. It grew brighter and brighter, expanding beyond the crevice she stood in. Seconds later, the light vanished with a bang, knocking everyone to the ground. When they were once again able to open their eyes and look around, Nobara lay unconscious on the ground, and Koga and his pack of wolves were nowhere to be found.
"Nobara!" Kagome called out as they rushed to her side.
"She's still alive," Miroku confirmed, briefly laying his hands on her ribcage.
"W-w-what just happened?" Shippo asked nervously.
"Huh, it seems that wolf demon triggered something to uncover her memories," Inuyasha snorted with disgust.
"Whoever he is, Nobara clearly has a past with him," Sango pointed out.
"We will have to be cautious in our approach if we intend to take his jewel shards," Miroku stated.
"Why don't I just rip them out of him?" Inuyasha snapped, the irritation clear on his face.
"Inuyasha, surely you could sense it as well. Nobara was once close with this Koga. If we try to attack him, she may side with him and use her powers against us," Miroku explained, his tone gravely serious.
"She was very upset when she learned we had killed those wolves earlier, even though it was in self-defense," Kagome reminded them.
"You really think Nobara would turn against us?" Shippo asked, his expression frightened.
"It's very possible," Sango answered.
