Chapter 2
The air was clear above their heads. Clouds dotted the fiery sky as the sun began to make its reliable path down to the far horizon, casting the valley in a warm hue. A certain priestess stood outside of her tent and peered up to the open expanse with her bow still clasped in her hand, chin tilted up and eyes relaxed. What a beautiful day.
"Where the hell is it!" she finally hissed, hands coming up in fists before her, shoulders lifting as her teeth ground angrily against one another. She whipped around to begin trudging toward the barrier edge, the resting priestess who had been sitting beside the tent offering her back a wide eyed and apprehensive stare. Kagome had no concern over just who saw her outbursts or pacing as she regularly checked the far edge of the spiritual wall to peek over the horizon of the hill and into the valley to see if there were any developments with the packs below, much to the annoyance of one tower's lookout.
"Lady Kagome, if there is a development I will inform you of it," he called down from his chair to the priestess who hovered just within the wall. She ignored him, lifting up and onto the balls of her feet and guarding her eyes with a hand from the sunlight.
All of the packs were still there, milling about and looking to simply be settling in for the evening in their respective spots. The youkai were well armored, from what she could tell by the glint of scale and steel reflecting back at her, and looked no more threatening than the usual fare she and the others had encountered in the preceding weeks. Though there was no good or bad news, she still released a hissed curse under her breath, arms crossing and hip cocking in the trademark hitch of sass she was known for once her blood got boiling.
The Wild Dog wasn't known for, however, its grand scale of patience. Everything came on fast, hard, and violent and there was little time between skirmishes that he would allow either side to rest. He was a vicious creature and everyone had been sitting on pins and needles the entirety of the afternoon waiting for something-anything-to come, and the news of his arrival only made them more anxious by what it would bring. It was like waiting for the guest of honor at a gala party with the knowledge that once he arrived a good number if not all of them would be cut down.
'Is this some sort of mind game?' she mused, tapping her foot impatiently as she glowered at the small figures below. 'Is he trying to give us a false sense of security? Or wait for us to crack and break ranks?' It was possible. For all of the stories that focused on the brutality, there certainly was one thing a trained mind could pick from them; this dog was smart. Night raids, divisions of entire armies, strategic hostages and bottlenecking - the list went on to the breeds of battle he'd been a part of which only attributed to the mythos surrounding him. 'Nobody is that good. He might as well be a god if I believed everything these superstitious men spoke of as gospel.'
Still, it didn't ease her spirits any to see night fall over the camp hours later, the fires burning below showing little intent to launch an attack that she could see and the fires burning within the barrier only drawing her further into a sense of unease. Men were sent out in small parties to light the fire pits in the abandoned areas of the camp outside of the protective bubble, a precaution if the dog was truly still down there and truly watching so carefully what it was they were up to. Biding his time for an attack as soon as he was sure there was an opening. Their precautions appeared in vain as every single team returned soundly, the scouts reporting no trace of unusual movement from below, and Kagome about shot an arrow into the forest as a call for this mutt to get on with it. The anxiety was enough to drive anyone insane, the virtual Sword of Damocles ripping her composure down strip by strip.
Luckily for her the antics she portrayed, small tantrums and rants, appeared to lighten the mood of the men. Commenting on the fiery spirit of the young priestess and how the power to be so energetic when standing on the edge of such peril was the exact reason that the battle before them would be won. She would be lying if she didn't say it was, in part, for show. Their rough laughter as she'd stomp a foot or thwap one of them with a bow along the shoulder as they teased her did well to ease a bit of her concern. It helped her forget for a moment just what a prison this plan to protect them had become. The compromising corner she herself had put them in.
Throughout the night she paced the edges of the barrier religiously, checking in on each of her strategically placed assistants with fresh water, a bowl of rice, and bread. A hand-chosen lot of them, the strongest of the last set of trainees to be fully inducted to the faith and permitted to go to the field and fight alongside the tireless soldiers. Unfortunately, she had lost three during the march, brave women who gave their lives for humanity to have a fighting chance, and she cursed the youkai further for their tragic loss as she watched her remaining priestesses struggle under the pressure of their daunting task. For hours they sat still, focusing on their talismans, taking only short breaks since there were no priestesses free to take their spot. Kagome had offered, of course, a number of times. Pled and demanded that she take up one of the pillars, yet the general and her own assistants alike refused her. There was too much of a need with that damnable dog hovering just yonder for her to be at the ready for a fight, and if she were manning the barrier they'd simply be too exposed. Feeling betrayed, yet knowing the truth in their words she begrudgingly opted to keep herself busy tending to the needs of those who did take up the charge and instructing the general or soldiers who were available-at this point, all of them-to run simple tasks.
Before she knew it, the sun was in the sky again, and the soldiers' grim pensiveness turned jovial prodding was now on the verge of becoming panic. They walked silently from tent to tent, fully armored and gripping their weaponry with white knuckles as the tension grew. The scouts announced no changes, though the hints that the dog was still down there confirmed that he, indeed, was still a threat. The priestess was nearly at her wits' end, though there was one thought that gave her a reprieve from the all-consuming sensation of a mouse caught under a teacup: the army that was marching to the fronts to relieve them should be there soon, a pigeon sent as soon as Hiten and Manten had reared their ugly storm clouds. It wasn't terribly often a request would be sent for double time, but in this instant even if the extra numbers had been fatigued it would help, or so the general believed. She wasn't so sure it was necessary any more.
Again, she found herself standing at the edge of the barrier, and again, she peered over the demons who paid them no mind. Again, she was informed by the familiar scout of his duties, and again, she ignored his words. The difference was her posture. The once determined, fiery, defiant body language was exchanged for pensive contemplation. Her shoulders were low, a hand lifted to curl a finger over her chin as she watched.
'This can't be it.' Umber eyes scanned the figures below, 'There must be something I'm missing...' There was so little logic in it. It was as if the dog was taunting her, laying his arms on the table and letting her just stare at them while he sharpened his teeth. Not even the most composed military might she knew would be so patient as to wait out a single army encampment in such a way, let alone a youkai commander. Especially one with such a reputation. Her attention shifted towards the high-seated tower, watching the man with his spyglass for a few moments.
"Yori," she called up. The man lowered the spy glass and glanced down from the tower with a lofted brow. "You've seen -nothing- of note?"
"If I had, I would tell you, Lady Kagome. I just told you that." His tone was on the verge of a pout, made all the more amusing with his masculine baritone. The both of them had turned back to the ridge, though a squeak of wood from above had her flicker her gaze back up to find him standing on the foot bar of his chair. "Confirmation," he breathed, free hand motioning her upwards though she didn't need the gesture. Her hands were already on the arm rail of the watch tower, and she poised herself on the ladder when he handed her the spy glass and directed her toward the tree line. "Look for white."
The magnified image swept along the trees, seeing little and less of anything interesting; it was on the second pass she caught it. Like spying some sort of weird mystical creature, she caught the movement of long, silver hair disappearing behind one of the large trees.
"Is tha-" she gasped, quickly scanning the line again to see where he might re-emerge.
"It is," he confirmed, nodding.
"That's no dog." she muttered, catching a faint hint of the silvery tresses again while he passed behind another collection of trees and disappeared entirely into the forest beyond. It was fortunate he appeared to be so blessed with such bright strands; the rest of him all but disappeared in the shade through which he tread.
"He's a youkai, Lady Kagome. We both know that doesn't mean he's any less of a threat. Or at least any less capable of becoming a dog."
"You don't say," she replied dryly, handing him back the spy glass. The matter of fact way in which he informed her of the obvious basics of youkai painted a vexed expression across her features, sending his cheeks red and his eyes downward. Realizing perhaps she had adapted too harsh a reaction for his well-intended nuggets of information, she sighed. "Either way, all we need to know is he's there. Beginning to wonder just how much of a threat he is, though, making us wait like this."
By the second night, Kagome had sent each priestess to their bedroll for at least two hours, much to the dismay of the now pressure-cooked soldiers. Each time they saw the shimmer of the barrier shifting with the change of power as another priestess abandoned their post, the camp would become a sea of murmurs. She couldn't blame them - it was taxing to be contained in such a way, just waiting for something to happen; death, survival, anything. She had suggested a number of times to the general and the lords whose men were gathered that they take the initiative, charge forward, yet she found no support. Morale was low as it was, and the reinforcements would be there by morning at the latest. Even the weight of her position didn't have the inertia to move them.
Dawn came that third day, and dawn passed on that third day. No flags could be seen, no thrum of marching feet. The army was late. What was even worse was that in the light of day it had become evident a number of tents had gone empty. Bedrolls, supplies and armor all gone, leaving those remaining to begin casting their attention opposite the youkai army and toward freedom as well.
By noon, it had been decided to send out a scouting team with a priestess to try to find evidence of the approaching backup. It had been suggested that perhaps they had been lost, or maybe the pigeon had been shot down and they had not been informed of the urgency of their plight. Kagome would have opposed giving up one of her precious women, though in light of the situation and the white faces of the men going out, she understood that it couldn't be helped; if there was ever a power weapon against a demon, it was a priestess.
The ritual of approaching the edge of the barrier fell flat. No offer of assurance was given by the voice above her, letting silence reign between them in the dimming light of the day. It had been hours since the party had left when she decided to revisit her haunt, and the shadows were long and ominous across the grassy valley. Still, the demons milled.
"Lady Kagome..." Her head turned to look up to him, finding no face greeting her but the hint of his form peering out over the forest.
"Yes, Yori?" she replied finally, encouraging him to continue.
"The Mother won't let us die like this, will she?" his head finally turned to regard her, observing her widened eyes and startled expression. "Trapped under a bubble and staring death in the face. She's not so cruel?"
She was stunned to silence with such a frank inquiry. Morale had been low, she noticed. How could she not? But for such thoughts to be brandished like cold steel to a sworn enemy she couldn't help but bring a hand to her chest, the beads of the rosary brushing against her pulse. "Of course... Of course not, Yori." she finally replied carefully, "The Mother has mercy on all of us, she knows of our pain and struggles. She suffered them, too, at the hands of these creatures. She will protect us."
The answer didn't bring a re-assured smile as she had hoped, the tired eyes turning back to the forest as her own did. They lingered in silence, the hush of the camp an eerie reminder of just how subdued the spirited human forces had become. She blinked, however, lips parting as she came to a realization.
"Yori?" she inquired, earning an inquisitive grunt in reply. "Where are the clouds?"
The man sat up and forward, turning his gaze to the quickly dimming sky and letting his mouth hang open in surprise. Perhaps it had been the endless hours of staring at a never changing sky that he hadn't realized the shift, but the storm clouds characteristic of the Thunder Brothers had, indeed, gone missing.
"Yori." Kagome offered again, an edge coming to her once warm voice. "Ring the bell."
He scrambled for the warning bell, grabbing it up and lifting the hammer, though it was not the ring of the bell that sounded out but a hollow thump from above their heads. A wave of energy radiated from the roof of the shield where an object had collided with it, a mess dripping over the form of protection designed to let no unnatural, corrupted creature in. Those who had heard the sound or seen the ripple began moving toward the center of the camp to peer up at the object that had assaulted them, Kagome being no exception. In fact, she was possibly the most aggressive party to see what exactly had happened, though before she had even come to the epicenter she froze in her tracks.
It was no weapon, not in the traditional sense. It was a figure. The form was laying curled and quiet for the moment on the top of the dome and it was a mystery as to how it remained suspended overhead so easily when strips of white and red fabric dangled and swayed in the wind… and short cropped raven hair - everything stained with blood. Kagome's skin went pale, paler than it already had been as it dawned upon her what exactly she had been looking at. Her knees all but fell out from under her as the form actually moved, writhing and soon enough filling the air with a shrillish cry.
"Mercy!" the woman's voice called, terrified, "Have mercy on me! Please!" The voice cut through the silence like a hot knife, echoing across the ghostly field where men and women stood staring up at her helplessly with all but the occasional clatter of armor or snap of fabric against the breeze to accompany her. "I don't want to die! Please!"
'What do I do?' the priestess thought, hands fisted tightly at her sides and dark umber eyes focused in both fury and fear up to the figure who called for aid. 'It could be a trick.. It must be. Nothing pure could be repelled by this field.' Despite her calm demeanor her minds voice was frantic, her heart pounding in her chest though it stopped readily enough.
"Lady Kagome! Lady Kagome, please!" the voice cracked, assaulted by the woman's sobs, "Let me in! Have mercy!" An army of eyes turned to her, what ones that were not cast toward the ground or staring in disbelief to the woman up above.
"Lady Kagome.." a man to her right began pleadingly, taking a step in her direction. She moved forward, closer to the center of the camp, with no regard to his movements.
"How are you being repelled by the barrier?" she called up to the woman, reaching behind her to one of the arrows in her quiver while she shrugged her bow off of her shoulder. "Have you been cursed?"
"Help me! Lady Kagome!" was the reply, yet the woman below was having none of it. Her composure remained collected, her tone even despite the volume at which she had to call out to the suspended woman above her head.
"Speak quickly! Are you cursed? A specter? Or is there something else at play?" Her chest ached, stomach falling like it was filled with heavy stones as she watched the woman cry, thrusting herself about in random fits of spasms in violent attempts to free herself with animalistic grunts and screams before she would return to crying out for help. She could feel her very spirit ripped in two by the sight, yet there were hundreds, thousands of men all huddled under the protective barrier and - though she didn't wish the decision would come to something so barbaric - she had to take into account the many, especially in the chance that the sacrifice for the few could be for naught if it truly was a trap. This was the way of war.
"Youkai blood!" she bellowed, now on her back and getting dangerously close to the steeply declining curve of the domed shield. "T-They doused me in youkai blood! Lady Kagome, have mercy! Let me in! Do not forsake me!"
The plucking sound of the string drawing back drew another snap of attention into her direction, hands lifted as if to stop her, though they hesitated. A priestess's arrows could do many things, including putting a woman out of her misery and in this situation many of the soldiers would just as eagerly take a bolt to the head versus the claws and fangs of a youkai. At least the arrow would be fast. At least the arrow wouldn't revel to your death throes.
"Do not move!" Kagome yelled up, swallowing thickly as she secured her posture as best she could, the arrowhead of her weapon of choice taking on a golden shimmer as she infused it with purifying magic. "If you move you will be stricken down, do you understand?" There was nothing but guttural sobs in return, yet she had visibly gone still, much to Kagome's relief. It was a long shot, the distance was vast and she had to be spot on - the risk of potentially skewering a limb was the least of the woman's worries while exposed on the outside of the shield - but so long as the arrowhead could touch at least a hint of the blood there was a chance she could purify it and let the woman fall through without exposing the rest of the army. If only the light had not retreated so heavily, the sun now dangerously low over the horizon and clouds beginning to collect overhead. Eyes widened in sudden realization, the bow string only growing tighter as she worked her best to solidify her aim.
'Please… Please!' she pleaded, releasing the string with a thick 'thwung!' and sending the arrow flying with an explosion of gold, then purple light. The purifying energy was all but forgotten, however, as a thick, violent bolt of lightning collided with the surface of the barrier. Collided with the exact position of her trapped priestess dissolving both the figure and the arrow that collided with the blast of energy.
'What monster… would do such a thing?' but she knew the answer to that. The shield began to warp, bend, and crack under the assault, wound only deepening, growing more severe as time went on. Once the first bolt ebbed, another crashed down and against it with a delayed, deafening, crack and bowing the top of the dome further toward the ground.
"Maintain your positions!" Kagome called, as loud as she could over the roar of panic that erupted within the camp. "Grab your weapons!" she cried, racing toward the barrier's edge, following and trying to step in front of a retreating crowd of men, "And do not leave the barrier alone! Stay strong!" But it was to no avail. For every four men who were grabbing their weapons, three were rushing toward the forests opposite of the youkai army. The moment they erupted from the protection of the shield, youkai began to pour over them from every direction, devouring each that dared the trek without mercy and showering the once clean and fresh green grass with warm, sticky gore and viscera.
They were surrounded. On every side, surrounded. Through the warped rainbow of colors that was once their sanctuary, she recognized just how foolish she had been, and yet in the heat of this moment she found it hard to seek out and embrace regrets and sadness. She could only see the bloodied priestess's robes, hear the ringing terror echoing through the valley air, and know of the deep-seated hatred that must have fueled such vicious, cruel and undeserving tactics. The songs that had once risen from campfires in days prior were replaced by cries of vengeance, roars of youkai on the hunt, and the final cries of good men and women as they fell prey to their worst nightmares realized.
Youkai collided angrily with the shield, wild and angry in time with the blasts of heated energy above. Their claws raking against the spiritual energy creating shining, brilliant fireworks that rained over the scurrying humans below and wracked the priestesses sustaining the shield with pain. If it hadn't been for the absolute terror that awaited her on the outside of this shield, if it wasn't for the bloodlust that coursed through the veins of these monsters, and if it wasn't for the heat that pulsed through her from the very core of her being that cried out for justice for those who have been lost, will be lost, on this field of battle the light show could have been beautiful. She found herself walking toward the center of the camp again, bow in hand and bolt in the other as she came to stand beneath the dangerously low point of the electric blasts. She could nearly see with the naked eye the shimmering stress fissures formed there. She could definitely feel the pure heated energy radiating out and downwards causing the long black tresses to shift against her cheeks and brow, the white and red material of her attire to sway against her skin and armor. She could hear over the roar of death and rage the gentle clatter of the rosary beads against her armor. Warmth pooled into her fingertips as her hands began to lift, deftly slipping the bow into position with its slender partner nestled against it. Aiming the bow directly upwards and over her head her shoulders arched back and her posture opened, her own energy beginning to radiate out from the intricately carved arrowhead which now shone like a star in its own right. She waited patiently for the next blast, watching the violent wave lower the shield again before she finally let go and brought daylight to the night time sky.
They had drawn first blood, but she was sure to take the last.
