It didn't take long for Kurama to figure the riddle out, knowing what he did about Demon World politics and such. The moment he arrived back home, he wrote down the riddle and mulled it over silently. He knew that there were only a select few races of demons that lived in the mountain areas, and knowing that she was talking about the mountain areas in the region that Yomi controlled, that narrowed it down even further.
The races of White Tigers and Snow Owls were the only ones who lived in the Southern Mountains of Demon World. It had been said for years that almost all of the White Tigers had been driven out of the mountains, into the harsher terrains because Yomi envied their power and majesty. Because they weren't used to the warmer weather, the White Tigers didn't last long.
There was still, however, a group of about twenty who were strong enough to survive. Thus, Yomi had been forced to attack the group himself, killing all but three, and even those three were a mistake. He'd thought that they were dead when he left; what he hadn't counted on was their strength as Upper Class Demons. The three healed themselves and vowed vengeance in blood before disappearing into the recesses of Demon World.
The survivors had quickly become legend all over all three worlds, and their names struck fear into the hearts of all those who would dare to oppose them. The strongest and oldest of the trio was Shiro, thus he was named their leader by default. The youngest was Mamoru, though his youth belied his true strength. The third was the only female to survive, a White Tigress named Meiyuki, who, though she wasn't the strongest, was the most ruthless in battle by far.
The Trio, as they had become known simply, had been what most considered to be dormant for going on three hundred years, and now Meiyuki herself had come to Kurama for help. Thinking back, he remembered why they must have chosen him. Of course, he was very well known all over Demon World, but he now remembered a specific fight he had had against Meiyuki as Youko the Spirit Fox.
Surely she remembered his strength from that fight, and because he was close to Yomi, it only made him a better candidate. Now he had a real quandary: To kill or not to kill? Should he really help them try to destroy one of his oldest friends…who had stabbed him in the back…? Gods, what a decision this would be!
About three months later, the competition was ready to begin, and demons from all over the Three Worlds came to the one arena for this battle. Who would win the title of Ruler of Demon World, indeed? Looking around at the competition, it appeared to be anyone's game.
Kurama had confided his conundrum to a few of the friends he had come upon while training for Yomi, and they all said that he should take the deal and help them. He still felt puzzled, however. Shishi had made the point that the old him, the King of Thieves, wouldn't have even considered such an offer before accepting with the greatest of pleasure. True, he had loved bloodshed back then, and he used to thirst for it just as any other powerful demon did. But he had made a promise to himself not to revert to his old self anymore. What was he going to do about this?
The first round of fights ended relatively quickly for the stronger demons, and Kurama found himself back in the waiting rooms with Yusuke and several of the others just moments after their fights began. They watched the screens with interest, and the Fox Demon kept a sharp eye out for Meiyuki. He wasn't sure whether she would be in her demon form or her human form, so he had to concentrate doubly and watch for either.
About a half an hour into the primaries, however, his concentration was broken when she began to communicate with him telepathically, "Youko, please meet me outside the South Gate when all of the primaries are over. We'll take a walk. You and I have much to discuss."