punkish furball – Hello, all! XD
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I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. If you want more Kagome/Koga goodness, check out The Castle of Edo by Angelrock on FF .net. It's quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Chapter 1
Kagome hummed happily as she sipped her tea while watching the first snow of winter fall from her porch. It morphed into a groan when InuYasha began to grumble from his spot beside her. He had always the nasty habit of spoiling her good moods.
"What's wrong?" she dutifully asked, her tone dry.
InuYasha turned away from her in a huff. "Don't ask if you don't really wanna know."
"Of course I really want to know," Kagome replied, "I want to know why you can't you just sit here and enjoy a beautiful snowy day like this?"
"Only you would enjoy watching everything covered in this cold white shit," he countered, "There's nothing to do but sit around here and freeze our asses off."
Before Kagome could say there was absolutely no reason for InuYasha to force himself to sit with her, someone beat her to it.
"Watch your language with the miko, half-brother."
InuYasha snorted when he looked up and saw Sesshomaru descend from his flight with his entourage in tow aboard his yōki cloud. By now, his appearance was so common that most of the villagers didn't bat an eyelash when he showed up but still didn't dare approach him.
As soon as the demon lord landed, Rin left her spot behind him and ran inside the hut passing InuYasha and Kagome without a word. Jaken was right at her heels.
"Get back here, you ungrateful wench!" he squawked.
The toad screeched when Sesshomaru firmly planted his booted foot on the back of his head and pushed him to the ground.
"What's wrong with, Rin, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked as she set her cup aside. It was unlike the younger girl to be so upset especially after she returned from a visit with Sesshomaru.
InuYasha barked out a laugh and said, "Now I know why you came here with all that 'brother' shit. You fucked up with your little brat, and you need someone to fix it. Fucked up pretty big from the looks of it."
"You will be silent. This One does not need any counsel from you," Sesshomaru stated, his tone significantly cooler than the winter air, "I do; however, require an audience with the miko."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kagome stood and entered her home to put the teacups away and gather the proper attire for a trip outside. Rin, who retreated to a small, isolated corner of their home, still didn't acknowledge her. Kagome frowned as she retrieved her sandals for her sock clad feet and a shawl Kaede gave her to fight the cold. She quickened her pace when she heard InuYasha speak to the silent demon lord again, making a few more snide observations. This had to be a very serious matter Sesshomaru wanted to discuss if he was willing to let InuYasha's disrespectful remarks go unpunished and begin another one of their one-sided sparring matches. Kagome didn't worry about the possibility of a physical altercation. It seemed to be the only way for the two brothers to spend quality time together.
"I'm ready, sensei," she said when she returned to porch, slipping on her sandals and throwing the shawl over her shoulders.
"I say you let the bastard fix his own problems," InuYasha quipped, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded behind him to support his head, "Serves him right for strutting around here like his shit don't stink."
Jaken had long since recovered for his lord's reprimand and did not hesitate to refute the hanyō, successfully starting a row with him.
"How dare you speak that way about Lord Sesshomaru!"
"Fuck you, frog! This is my mouth! I'll say whatever the hell I want!"
Kagome rolled her eyes at the two simpletons before she walked toward Sesshomaru. He nodded once when she stood before him and turned in a flourish, starting on the quickest path out of the village with Kagome behind him. It wasn't hard to guess where they were headed. There was a small clearing just out of earshot from anyone with demonic blood the two of them used for their training sessions. After the first time InuYasha barged in on one of their sparring with Tessaiga drawn ready to throttle the demon lord, Kagome and Sesshomaru mutually decided it would be best if they trained further in the forest where they would not be interrupted again.
When she and Sesshomaru arrived at their secluded spot, Kagome wrapped her arms tightly around her middle, shivering as she clutched her shawl. Sesshomaru appeared unfazed by her distress, but his mokomoko-sama slithered from his shoulder and wrapped itself snugly around her. Kagome smiled at her sensei, extremely grateful for the extra warmth.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama. So what can I do for you?" she asked.
"As you are aware, Rin is of marrying age," he stated, not answering the question directly.
Kagome nodded for him to continue despite how surprised she was. She may have kept her modern ideals on love and marriage but accepted that girls in this time period simply got married younger than what she was used to. If asked for her opinion, she would readily give it, but it wasn't her place to influence any other girl with her beliefs especially Rin. The teenaged girl retained her childlike tendencies, but her maturity was steadily growing and on a much higher level than the twelve-year-olds of the modern age. All Kagome wanted for Rin to be happy and truly in love with her husband.
"I see no problem if Rin is ready to be married," she finally said.
"Rin did express her interest but became reluctant once we began to fully discuss the issue. She has also refused to speak with this One," he admitted.
"What did you manage to talk about?" Kagome questioned, dreading the possibilities.
"This One told her that I would formally announce her intentions to marry and select a suitable partner for her from her potential suitors."
Kagome blinked several times before her eyes hardened to dark cobalt.
"Are you serious?" she shouted, "No wonder Rin isn't speaking with you! I don't even want to speak with you! She is not a prized pet you can parade around and breed with a male of your choice like some toy poodle!"
"Woman," Sesshomaru coldly addressed her, "you will cease your shrieking on matters you know nothing of."
"I obviously know more than you, or we wouldn't be here right now," she remarked.
Kagome didn't flinch when mokomoko-sama tightened around her and took a deep breath to calm herself. She knew better than to cheapen the bond between the lord and his ward, but she was livid. She was well aware that arranged marriages were common amongst royalty in the feudal era and arranged for political reasons, but she also knew Sesshomaru had no need for such an alliance. She would not stand for the girl she taught and cared for to be trapped in a loveless marriage when she had other options.
"I didn't mean to be so disrespectful, Sesshomaru-sama, but you are not going about this the right way," she said, "I may not be married, but I know what I'm talking about. I know you want to protect her, but Rin is growing up. I believe she brought up marriage because she already has a man in mind she wishes to wed and wants your approval not because she wants you to choose her husband."
The daiyōkai's interest was piqued. "Do you know the male she's interest in? You believe he is worthy of this One's approval?"
"Rin hasn't mentioned anyone specific, but you can trust her judgment. All you have to do is listen, really listen to what she has to say," she explained, completely earnest.
Kagome knew suggesting anything contrary to what the great and terrible lord expected was risky business even if he did think of her highly. She only relaxed with the borrowed covering lessened its hold on her.
"Very well, miko. Your observations are enlightening. This One will take them into consideration."
"That is all I ask of you, Sesshomaru-sama. And that you give Rin a little time before you speak to her about this again. Wait for the air to clear and give me a chance to talk to her. I could probably get the name of her mystery man too," she replied, winking.
"That is acceptable."
Kagome giggled. She was sure if the daiyōkai was monumentally less dignified he would have sighed as soon as the arrangements were made. There weren't many who could tell, but she easily picked up on the minuscule changes in his demeanor. He was extremely frustrated with the whole situation with the human girl and, like any father, was eager to pass the problem to a suitable female party.
"I'll be sure to get right on it," she promised, "It'll give me something to do especially since we can't train in this weather."
"The art of battle has no set season. A challenge can come at any time," Sesshomaru assured her and made Kagome stiffen. She enjoyed training with her sensei but still appreciated the short reprieve.
"From an enemy, yes, but my beloved sensei? Would you really attack me in such poor conditions?" she questioned, a nervous smile on her face.
Kagome squeaked when she found herself devoid of mokomko-sama's warmth and her bottom firmly planted in the snow. Sesshomaru stood beside her in the same spot he was before as immaculate as ever with his sentient armor returned to its customary place without a single hair out of place.
"That answers my question," she grumbled and stood back up, "At the risk of provoking another attack, I'm going to get back inside before I get permanent frostbite."
"You are older than Rin and other mated human females," Sesshomaru abruptly stated, "Why have you not mated, miko?"
Kagome shrugged her shoulders and said, "I haven't found my mystery man yet."
"Were you not infatuated with this One's idiot half-brother?"
"I was very much, but, eventually, I grew out of it and realized we were better as friends. The perfect term for it would be 'puppy love'," Kagome admitted. She suspected Sesshomaru had no personal interest in her relationship with InuYasha and was only asking questions to further his own understanding.
Sesshomaru nodded. "You are capable of acquiring a more suitable male than the whelp."
"Thanks I guess," Kagome replied with a crooked grin, "Is there something else you wanted to know?"
Again the demon lord nodded. "At what age is a human female allowed to mate?"
The question stunned her. He's really curious about all this! Today is certainly one for the record books, she thought.
"There isn't a set age for that to happen, sensei," Kagome finally answered, "but when a girl says she's ready, she is."
-O0o0O-
"Ginta!" a shrill voice shouted, startling the wolf demon it addressed, "Hakkaku!"
"It's the Red Menace," Hakkaku groaned at his fellow tribesman. Ginta sighed and ran his claws through his hair.
"Koga must have already gone into hiding. Ayame always comes to us when she can't find him," he said.
No one was more ecstatic than the northern princess when Koga's attempts to unify the wolf demon packs were noticed by the Elder Council. When he won the title of Alpha, her childhood infatuation grew and grew. Ayame was the first she-wolf to express her interest in becoming Koga's Alpha bitch and let all her rivals know it. The female was ōkami royalty with direct familial ties to the tribal elders, a formidable fighter, and exquisitely lovely. That combined with her boasts of a prior pledge by Koga to take her hand convinced Ayame and the rest of the pack that the two would eventually mate.
However, Koga adamantly and publically declared he had no intention or desire to uphold his lunar rainbow promise and mate Ayame. The redhead was furious and humiliated and immediately brought the dispute before the elders, childishly demanding they force Koga to act on his prior claim. The Alpha was silent as she presented her evidence and even called on her grandfather, Elder Yōrōzoku, to validate the proposal. Then it was his turn to speak, and he tore apart her entire argument with undeniable facts. Koga explained that Ayame was a young, frightened cub at the time he made the promise, and he only meant for his words to comfort her. Furthermore, there were no official arrangements for the mating after the initial announcement, and Koga had no other contact with the northern tribe or Elder Yōrōzoku until Ayame sought him out on her own decades later.
Ultimately, the council decreed the claim was not valid and Koga had no obligations to Ayame. It was only acknowledged several years ago because of the immediate need for a political marriage to unite the unruly tribes. Koga already did so without the aid of the union, and the idea was exposed for the desperate tactic it was.
When the elders finished delivering their decision, Ayame was told if she wanted to mate Koga, she had to gain his favor like any other female in the pack. With that, the old Ayame problem was solved, and a new Ayame problem was spawned. She became Koga's most relentless suitor, stalking her Alpha at every turn and challenging her every rival. Koga dealt with the troublesome situation by avoiding her. He loathed the annoying female, but she was still pack nobility and bugging the hell out of him wasn't a punishable offense—he checked. Ginta and Hakkaku were usually able to run inference and keep the demoness away from Koga without being asked. It was troublesome, but they believed Koga deserved some peace of mind. They were just grateful Ayame seemed to forget the reason why Koga rejected her in the first place those years ago. They, like all members of Koga's original pack, honored the memory of their human sister, but refrained from speaking of Kagome out of respect for their Alpha. Koga's heart still ached for the little priestess, and he didn't need Ayame—or anyone else—carelessly throwing her name around and belittling her memory.
"You want to take this or shall I?" Ginta asked.
"We might not have to," Hakkaku stated and glanced to their right. Their Alpha was approaching with Beta Iwao. It seemed Koga was coming to save them this time. Ayame, who was closing in from the left, grinned and sped up when she saw the object of her search.
"Koga! I was just looking for you," Ayame exclaimed once she stood before the four wolves, "The snow's let up, and I was going out to hunt. Do you want to join me?"
"Sorry, Ayame, but I'm using the pause to take Ginta and Hakkaku on patrol with Iwao and I," Koga explained and nodded at his two subordinates to join him. They quickly did so.
"Can't it wait?" she asked, affronted.
"I'm afraid it can't, my lady. Pack safety is our top priority," Iwao answered, his usual charming grin in place. He was a handsome wolf, toned and muscled like any other proud warrior, with forest green eyes and dark brown hair cut short. Like most wolves after the merger, he wore the brown pelts of the eastern pack with his armor but also wore a small vestment of fur to represent his previous tribe. Iwao chose two, pristine white wristbands.
"There are some females gathered in the common den with our mortal wolves. Perhaps they can provide you company on your hunt, princess," he suggested.
"Perhaps," she replied, trying to sound coy. Before she started to head to the den, Ayame gave Koga a flirtatious wink.
"I'll see you when you get back, Alpha Koga."
Koga refrained from speaking and pressed his lips together in a thin line as Ayame walked away, purposely swishing her hips in an effort to entice him. As soon as he composed himself and led the three wolves out of the caves, Iwao began to laugh, and Koga had no doubts why.
"Shut up," he growled.
Iwao ignored the command and remarked, "Really, Alpha Koga, you are the only male I know who's running from one of the pack's most desirable females with your tail between your legs."
Koga rolled his eyes. "By all means, take her if you want her. I noticed you were laying it on pretty thick back there. It won't take much more than that to get her attention." His trio of followers highly doubted that.
"I'll pass," Iwao replied, "I'm a confirmed bachelor. Besides, I only said all that to get her to go along with my idea. Flattery always works on their fairer sex."
"Whatever works is fine with me," Ginta said with a shrug, "Let's get going."
Koga nodded and began to run with the others following him as closely as they could. The search was only an excuse for their Alpha to leave the den for a few hours and clear his head. Iwao was there to witness the reason why he needed this release. Another one of his more persistent suitors approached him, a female originally from the south named Shino. She was a hardy ōkami known to be brazen and bold among the wolves of her former tribe and the beauty to back it up. She had long raven hair and haunting ice blue eyes so bright they were nearly transparent, her most attractive trait.
She approached Koga with news from a recent hunt with the intention of shifting the conversation to something more intimate, a tactic that always failed on her part. The difference with this attempt was that Shino mentioned running into a human hunting party. The cold weather drove away most of the game from their normal hunting grounds, so the wolves traveled out of the eastern pack's territory and straight into human territory. Their run-in escalated when the resident miko, old and haggard as most priestesses were rumored to be, who accompanied the human males revealed herself and her holy powers. She stood in between the two groups, effectively stopping the fight before it began. With the hunting party at arrow point, the priestess offered her own village's kills in exchange for the demons to leave the area. The wolves especially Shino were amused with her request and decided to leave the humans with their meat and their lives before returning to their den.
Shino heartily laughed at the holy woman's audacity, assuming her Alpha would join her. However, Iwao saw the exact moment mention of a miko treating her natural enemy with some semblance of amiability and Shino's subsequent slander against her kind triggered a response in Koga. He quietly led his Alpha away with the excuse of an impending patrol. They only retrieved Ginta and Hakkaku when they heard Ayame searching for them.
Iwao shook his head. He heard of the little priestess Koga loved and mourned from his eastern brothers but still couldn't understand his fixation with her. Sure she was rumored to be immensely powerful with a sense of honor unseen in most humans, but that was it. She was human, and a human female couldn't compare to a demoness not that Iwao knew from experience.
Before Koga banned the consumption of human meat, Iwao and his pack enjoyed it on occasion. Of all the prey the wolves hunted, humans were by far the easiest to catch, and, once they picked out the ones plagued with disease or injury, they made a decent meal. They were slow, stupid, and, even though their lifespans were short, they procreated like insects making their numbers substantial. For every one they killed, a dozen more took its place.
Iwao only ate them, but he knew a few of his brethren rutted with the human bitches before they ate or killed them. They enjoyed briefly taking pleasure in their flesh but never mated or impregnated them. A human as a mate or lover—willing or otherwise—would never be permitted by the Elder Council or accepted by the pack. Cubs born from such a sinful union would undoubtedly be killed if the mother wasn't killed before she gave birth. A hanyō would only bring shame and weakness to generations of proud wolf demons.
Despite all this, Koga was hopelessly in love and hopelessly devoted to the miko who wouldn't have him, spurning the attentions of every interested she-wolf in their pack. Iwao respected his Alpha, acknowledged his strength and skill, and loved him like a brother, but, if his life of sorrow and solitude was the result of love, Iwao vowed to never let a woman gain such a tight hold on his heart. Love was a handicap he didn't need.
-O0o0O-
Ayame ran alongside her pack sisters as they searched for any available prey. The snow may have ceased, but they still had to travel outside of their territory to find suitable animal populations like previous hunting parties.
Despite the lowered possibility for success on this hunt, it was particularly special. It was the first hunt for the moral wolf cubs born this past spring. At seven months old, they were more than ready to hold their own with their older pack mates and the demons that controlled them. Among the young cubs was the litter of one of the white wolves Ayame commanded who mated with a brown wolf from Koga's original pack. Ayame was very proud of her and herself. Taking care of matters like this was one of the tasks she would be entrusted as the Alpha female of the pack. Showing Koga she could do it would certainly gain his favor.
"Such a shame our Alpha pushed you out in the cold."
Ayame sneered at the demoness who spoke. Her name was Eiko, a blonde, hazel eyed but otherwise average female who many of the tribesmen, including Hakkaku, favored. Ayame tried to use the wolf's infatuation to her advance and befriend her, but, unfortunately, Eiko had a strict preference for the company of she-wolves in her bedding.
"Koga needed to go on patrol. As much as I love him, pack safety takes top priority, and I understand that," Ayame haughtily explained.
Eiko snorted a laugh. She thought Ayame was a very fine specimen but deluded herself for a male with virtually no interest in her.
"Whatever," she said with a shrug, "At any rate, I think we've gone out far enough. Any further and we'll enter a human settlement."
Ayame nodded. "I believe it's called Edo."
She rallied the hunters and their wolves before she counted their kills and their numbers, paying close attention to the cubs.
"There's one missing," she commented. Eiko hummed and counted them herself.
"So there is."
"I wouldn't worry about it," one of the females said as she straightened her game, two medium sized hares, over her shoulders, "It was probably no more than a baseborn runt."
"You may be right," Eiko replied, "I have to say it was a tough little guy if it held this long. I thought most of them died already."
"But not tough enough," Ayame quipped, "Let's get moving before nightfall."
It was a cruel truth of the wolf pack, but only the strong survived. Weakness would not be tolerated and was filtered out of the gene pool by natural and artificial selection. Such actions made the wolf demon tribe as strong as it was and will continue to be.
If you're strong, you live and, if you're weak, you die, Ayame thought as she led her pack sisters, It's always one of the other.
-O0o0O-
"Rin, do you want to take a walk with me?" Kagome asked the sullen girl.
Other than a few short and clipped responses, Rin didn't speak to her after she returned from her meeting with Sesshomaru. The kid was smart and correctly assumed Kagome would approach her on the demon lord's behest.
Finally, Rin nodded her consent but said nothing. Kagome still counted it as a win.
After making sure they were both dressed for the cold, Kagome led Rin outside and through the frozen village. As expected, it was practically deserted with all of the villagers holed up in their huts for the winter. The two of them walked until they ended up standing beside the river.
"You spoke to Sesshomaru-sama about what happened," Rin stated, her tone dry.
"I did," Kagome replied with a nod.
"I'm not going to forgive him," the younger girl affirmed with her arms folded over her chest.
Kagome grinned at her resolve. "I understand perfectly. I wouldn't either."
"Do you…do you really mean that?" she asked, incredulous.
"I sure do, but, Rin—"
Rin interrupted her with a snort. "There's always a 'but, Rin'."
"Anyway," Kagome began again, "I also understand where Sesshomaru-sama is coming from. You know better than anyone that he views you as more than just his ward. You're his daughter, and he loves you like any father would."
Rin's icy attitude began to melt as she started to smile.
"I know, and I love my lord as well," she admitted, "But that means he should know how I feel!"
"Unfortunately, that's not always the case," Kagome started to explain, "He's didn't act as he did to hurt you on purpose. He's did it because he loves you."
"Sesshomaru-sama has an odd way of showing it," Rin remarked, "He is my lord, but you always told me it should be my choice who I love and want to marry. He can't choose my husband for me."
"It is your choice, but you have to understand. A girl's father is the first man she ever loves, who protects her and takes care of her. When she wants to get married, it can seem like he's being replaced, and it can be very frightening."
"Sesshomaru-sama is not afraid of anything," Rin interjected.
"I know, but he's never experienced these feelings before, and the only thing he realizes is that he still wants to protect you even if it is time for you to live your own life. He wants to be sure your husband will love and protect you in his place and assumes the only way to be absolutely sure that will happen is to pick him himself. Again, it's only because he loves you."
By the time Kagome finished, the younger girl was near tears. "I never thought of it that way."
"I know, but don't get me wrong. I'm still on your side. I told Sesshomaru-sama to listen to what you have to say the next time he spoke to you," Kagome assured her.
She paused then asked, "So do you forgive him?"
"Maybe," Rin replied as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono, her playful attitude returning.
"…do you forgive me?"
"Always."
Kagome smiled and brought Rin into a big hug. They quickly parted, but, before they left, a high pitched whine caught Kagome attention.
"Hello?" she called out as she searched for the origin of the small wail. She stepped lightly so her the crush of her footsteps wouldn't drown out the sound.
She walked closer to the river bank, kneeling down and searching through the barren brush and tangled weeks. Rin didn't join her but kept quiet so her mentor's search wouldn't be disturbed. The snow began to melt as Kagome crawled and seeped into the thick fabric of her hakama, but she still didn't stop.
Finally, she felt a matted mass of ice covered fur half buried in the slush. As she pushed the snow aside, Kagome assumed the furry creature was already dead until a dry, tiny tongue grazed her pinky finger. She dug faster until she unearthed a small, dark grey wolf cub.
"Oh my goodness!" she cried and scooped the cub in her arms, cradling the poor creature to her bosom. It whined and trembled in her hold.
"Let's go, Rin!" Kagome shouted as she ran to their home.
Rin fought to keep up with Kagome's pace but managed. The priestess didn't stop until she reached the hut all the while whispering soothing words to the cub she held.
"Hang on, little guy. Just hang on," she cooed, "I have you now. You're not going to die. Please hold on."
InuYasha jumped when Kagome burst through the straw door and went straight to her futon. In a frenzied flurry, she pulled it toward the fire pit as she ordered Rin to bring her backpack and several towels.
"What the fuck?" he shouted.
"InuYasha, please get me some water. If there isn't any on hand, get some snow. I need it in a pot over the fire now!" she ordered.
"What the hell for?" he asked.
Then he smelled it, the stench of wet wolf. InuYasha approached Kagome and saw her gentle hands plucking the ice balls from a scrawny cub's fur and the spaces between each of its paws. He sighed and went to fetch the water from a jar they kept near their other stored rations. The pot and other cooking tools were close by.
The cub was a runt, malnourished and abandoned to die in the snow. It possessed a slight hint of demonic nature in its scent meaning it wasn't an ordinary wolf, but the stench of death overrode its natural odor. InuYasha didn't know how long it was exposed to the harsh weather, but it was still a wonder it survived as long as it did. It would likely die before nightfall, but InuYasha had no intention of telling Kagome that. The miko was strong but tender-hearted with a desire to save or help whoever—and whatever—she could. Even now, he could smell the salt from the tears she shed for the poor creature.
InuYasha returned and set the pot on the flames, stepping away from Kagome to Rin as she watched her work. Kagome absently thanked him without looking up from her task. Once she removed the ice from the cub's fur, she covered it in blankets on top of her futn as she waited for the water to warm. The cub's tremors lessened, but it had a long way to go to regain its strength.
"InuYasha, I'd hate to ask for another favor"—the hanyō had a considerably difficult time believing that—"but could you go hunt for some fresh meat. It doesn't have to be anything big. Just enough for this little guy. Dried meat would be too difficult for him to eat right now."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it," he mumbled before he leapt outside. He could probably scrounge up a rabbit or two. He'd prefer to get something less gamy and easy for the runt to chew. He knew Kagome wouldn't hesitate to chew the raw meat for it if she thought she needed to.
With InuYasha gone, Kagome checked the water's temperature again, satisfied to find it warm but not too uncomfortable. She dipped a hand towel inside the pot and wrung it out before she gently uncovered the cub. It didn't seem to fear her.
"Hang in there, little one," she whispered, "I'm going to wash you up, okay? Just hold on a little longer."
Kagome gingerly bathed the cub—a male, she discovered—and took note of its frail condition as she removed the barbs and dirt from its pelt. She didn't know much about wolf reproduction and development but assumed they gave birth in the spring like most mammals. That would make the cub several months old.
But he's so small. Can he eat meat yet? Or does he still drink his mother's milk? Kagome considered, her worries mounting with every thought. There was no way she could get milk in the middle of winter especially milk necessary for the cub to consume.
I can't worry about that now. I'll wait until he more stable, Kagome thought as she finished the cub's bath.
She patted him dry and pulled him close to her after she wrapped him in the blankets again, providing him more warmth with her body heat. For now, she would focus on keeping him alive through the night. After all, no creature deserved to be left out in the elements to die from exposure even if it was the runt of the litter.
"Please live, little one," Kagome whispered as she lovingly stroked him, "Please live."
She jumped when she felt the cub lift his head, shaking due to the intense exertion, and lick her chin. Kagome smiled and placed a kiss on the top of his skull right between the ears.
"You just keep fighting, little guy. I'm right here beside you."
-O0o0O-
punkish furball – Another chapter down! Of all my fan made wolves, Beta Iwao is shaping up to be my favorite. Until next time, TCB! X3
(edited 07.21.2014)