Lellia's mood remained dour as they spent a leisurely few days on the road. The humidity from a recent rain shower hung heavy in the air, deepening her distaste for the new lands. Her mouth was drawn in a frown as she watched the mud accumulate on Jahi's hooves. Although the stallion had attempted to walk in a graceful fashion at first, he had long since given up and resigned himself to just be dirty.
Khaba's company had been traveling fairly quietly, save for the few instances of one of the men noticing strange movement or fascinating architecture of the buildings they passed. Lellia tried to make herself sight-see in wonder, but her homesickness had already begun dragging her thoughts down.
They were passing through yet another human village on their trek. Many of the humans would grab their young and shield them as the company passed by. They looked in awe at the large stallion Lellia rode and at the red- and orange-eyed demons that watched them warily.
Lellia huffed to herself as a human tripped over his own legs to remove himself from the near vicinity of her father. She knew her sire was enjoying the attention and reverence these humans gave them. She tried to pay little mind to them, but the harsh whispers of "youkai" irritated her ears. She personally had no prejudices against the humans, but her father had always wanted them to worship their kind.
Queen Senefiri, her mother, had taught her otherwise. The dragons were meant to be protectors and rulers – not gods.
However, when she noticed a young man eyeing her hands that held on to Jahi's reigns, she couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction rolling over her to know his expressions was of apprehension. She clenched her fist a bit more tightly and allowed her claws to elongate, the dyed tips of her fingers adding to her inhuman appearance. The sight of his face going pale and his jaw slacking made Lellia's lips tug upward in a grin.
Maybe her father did have a point in his human-based fun.
While her hood covered most of her face from the sight of the humans, it did not hide her from Ibebi's gaze as he looked back at her. He rolled his eyes at her smirk and Lellia scrunched her nose at him, daring him to chastise her. He didn't, instead choosing to shake his head and turn forward again.
As they exited the village, Lellia felt the unmistakable gaze of suspicion on the back of her neck, but as she glanced around, she could find no one with such animosity in their eyes. The feeling did not leave her even as the village fell far behind them. She became stiff in form, her eyes continuously roaming the area around them.
Ibebi seemed to be the only one who noticed the princess's change in demeanor, pulling his mare back to fall into step with Jahi. "My lady?"
Lellia's crimson eyes flashed over to lock onto Ibebi's auburn. "We are followed." Her words fell back into their natural language, catching the attention of the small group around them. Her father's head twitched back, catching her words, but he remained facing forward.
Ibebi gave a curt nod and Lord Kais spoke a quick, "I know."
Lellia's nostrils flared as she tried to find a scent around them, but the new smells of the strange land did nothing to distinguish whatever seemed to be trailing them. Her eyes were sharper, her hearing and sense of smell more acute than her fire kin. While the company was now aware of their predicament, it was assumed that Lellia would be the one to find their new shadow.
Her frustrations increased as the road they traveled suddenly turned into a narrow path that led into a thick forest. The change did not stop Khaba, though, and he proceeded on, motioning for Lellia to follow close behind him. She remained stiff in stance, and Jahi quickly noticed his mistress's tense legs. The stallion quickly translated her tense muscles into his own anxiety and stress. He snorted several times, shaking his mane. Lellia placed hand on his neck to soothe him, but she refused to soften her awareness.
It was as they entered a small clearing some moments later that Lellia saw it – a quick flash of movement in the canopy above them. Lellia's left hand shot up at the disturbance with honed reflexes, fingers straight and pointed. The burst of fire that flew from her fingertips rushed into the dark trees, giving light to the shadows and revealing a tiny creature bounding through the branches.
Lellia's fire burst grazed the bushy tail that sat on the child's backside, singeing the hairs there and startling the little thing. He fell with a squeal into the underbrush at the side of the narrow road. Lellia quickly dismounted Jahi, much to the chagrin of her father and Ibebi as they voiced their displeasure, and made for the landing spot of the creature.
Pulling her sickle sword from its loop on her side, she swung the weapon so that its tip was pointed at the small bundle of fur and flesh. The tiny child had fallen on its rump from what Lellia gathered staring at its little hands rubbing furiously at its lower back. There was a slightly blackened edge to the bushy tail that lay on the ground behind it.
Lellia noticed he was grumbling and had yet to detect the sword pointed at him. "What's the big idea? I wasn't hurting nobody, I just wanted to see who you people were. Wait 'til I tell InuYasha what mean demons are roaming around here, then you'll never shoot your stupid fire at me again…" The dragoness cocked a brow at the small creature. He spoke in such rapid Japanese she had a hard time keeping up. While she had been able to learn much of the language in their journey here, natural speakers were harder for her to understand. She coughed with a pointed 'ahem' and twisted her khopesh so it held horizontally. That seemed to shut the little furball up.
"Why were you following us?"
Bright green eyes finally noticed the sword pointed in his direction, as Lellia could see the tiny Adam's apple bob in his throat as he gulped from fright. From the auburn hair tied back into a ponytail, she could see him begin to visibly shake at the sight.
He threw up his hands to shield his face. "Ahh, don't kill me! I just wanted to see who you were! You're all not from here, I was just curious!"
Lellia's frown deepened. He appeared to be a young child, his little animal-like feet and tiny stature didn't give off any apparent threat. She lowered her sword and leaned forward to loom over the tiny child.
"You are correct, we are not from Japan. What are you?"
The boy stopped shaking quite so violently, although he still regarded the woman with fearful eyes. Her hood had fallen back when she leapt off Jahi, so her dark red hair that she had pulled back was obvious to him. He stared a moment longer and gave an audible gulp.
"I'm just a little kid, a kitsune! I wasn't trying to hurt anybody!" Suddenly his little nose twitched and his tail wiggled to the side as he squirmed to look at it. "You burnt my tail!"
Lellia's head tilted to the side, a small look of surprise flashed across her features. So this tiny child was a demon? He was indeed little; Lellia estimated he would barely come up to her knee if he stood fully. "Kitsune – you are a demon?"
"What is it, Lellia?" Khaba called out to her in their native tongue, more than likely to hide their conversation from the creature.
Without taking her eyes off the child, she replied, "It is a little fox demon. He is tiny – harmless." Her focus was back on the kit as she stood straight, attempting not to crowd him now. "What is your name?"
The little kitsune jumped to his feet, his fists clenched as he stared angrily up the demoness. "Yes, I'm a demon and you burnt my tail!"
Lellia's eyebrow raised. "You were following us."
"Yeah, but you weren't supposed to see me!" He was yelling at her now; a child throwing a tantrum.
"Then you should… be better, I am not a demon to be easily fooled." Lellia talked down to him, as if scolding him. In truth, she was reprimanding him. He had no right to try and mask himself from such high ranking demons if he weren't able to properly do so. "Now answer my question and tell me your name."
He was pouting now, the little bottom lip quivering as he frowned and crossed his arms. A little huff escaped his mouth before he mumbled out a quiet, "Shippo."
Lellia huffed as well and pursed her lips. What a frustrating little child! "Shippo. You mentioned in your… speaking you would tell someone of us. Who?"
The little demon, Shippo, sighed and uncrossed his arms. "I didn't really mean I was going to tell on ya, I was just mad."
"Lellia." Khaba spoke from his saddle, a slight frown on his face. Lellia turned back towards her father. "Bring him here."
Lellia nodded and reached down to grasp Shippo by the back of his clothing and pulled him up as a mother cat does with the scruff of her kitten. The fox kit's arms flailed and attempted to scratch her, but she held him just out of reach. He grumbled as Lellia held him up to Khaba, who regarded the little native with narrowed eyes.
"Little demon, do you wish us to leave you be?" Khaba's deep voice had taken on an authoritative tone, one which Lellia recognized to be his negotiating manner.
Shippo nodded quickly, still kicking at Lellia slightly. Khaba nodded.
"Tell us about your village."
Lellia's eyes glanced quickly up at her father, confused as to why he would ask such a thing and doubtful that the kit would answer. But less than a second later, Shippo launched into an odd explanation of the hanyou InuYasha that protected the little village and two miko priestesses that resided there as well. He spoke with such adoration of the younger miko, it confused Lellia to no end.
"And your parents?" Khaba interrupted Shippo as he began to explain about another young human girl that lived in the village with the priestesses.
Shippo shook his head. "They've been gone a long time now. Kagome takes care of me."
Khaba's brow quirked at that and he regarded Shippo for a long moment, seeming to come to a conclusion. "Little fox, we will leave your village in peace if you direct us how to avoid it."
Lellia's expression betrayed her as she felt her mouth open to question her father, but his eyes caught her gaze with a disapproving look. Her mouth shut with a small 'clack' and she moved to Jahi, not bothering to let Shippo answer. She mounted the demon stallion, setting the kit in front of her, her claws still stopping him from escaping.
He was complaining, but after a few moments of the company moving ahead on the road, he quieted. Lellia let her claws slack. "I am going to let you go. If you run away, I will follow your scent and we will visit your village." She let her statement sink in to his brain. While she had not openly threatened it, she was sure her insinuation was understood.
Shippo nodded meekly in front of her and she withdrew her claws from his clothing. Little hands reached forward to grasp Jahi's mane lightly. He settled himself as best he could on the large horse. "How come this one's so much bigger than the others?"
Jahi moved his head to the side to peer at the little kitsune, his yellow eyes narrowing. Lellia let the corners of her mouth turn upwards in a smirk. "He is a horse of demon birth – because he is powerful, he is much larger."
Shippo frowned and recoiled back from the demon horse as Jahi nickered back at him, although the little demon backed directly into Lellia. She raised an eyebrow at him before turning her attention back on the road before them.
Their company remained quiet for the next hour as their horses picked through the narrow road delicately. Lellia had almost forgotten the small kitsune until his quiet voice broke the silence.
"So who are you people, anyway?"
Lellia scoffed in amused shock at his blunt question. The men around her who had taken lessons in the language chuckled lightly at him. When she glanced down at him, her brows furrowed, she saw him peering up at her with blatant curiosity. "You should not speak so rudely to those more powerful than you, little one."
"Maybe one day I'll be way more powerful than all of you combined, then I can talk to ya any way I want."
The men around her chuckled again as a smile cracked through Lellia's lips. "When you are more powerful than all of us, Shippo, come find me and you can speak in any manner you wish."
The boy puffed up his chest at that, and Lellia's heart felt lighter knowing he no longer feared them. He was naïve in that respect, but it made the trek all the more easy.
"If I ask nicely, then will you tell me who you are?" A glance down told Lellia that the young Shippo had had far too many opportunities to perfect such pouting eyes. She almost rolled her own eyes at him, but instead she shook her head.
"My name is Lellia. The man who spoke to you earlier is my father, Lord Khaba. We are of the fire demon tribe from a land far across the seas."
"Oh… We've had a couple fire-wielders around here – Renkotsu, I think was one, but he only got things to start on fire, not actually shoot it from his hands or anything. Are you related to any of them?"
Lellia scoffed. "I sincerely doubt it. We have traveled many months crossing the ocean to reach these lands – our people do not travel across the water often." She kept her eyes forward as she contemplated. "Where is this Renkotsu? If there are fire wielders here, I would like to learn how they fare here."
Shippo had begun to relax and leaned back against Lellia, still facing forward on Jahi. "Oh, he's dead." The nonchalance in his voice made Lellia raise an eyebrow in curiosity – he'd obviously been around enough death to think nothing of it. Or was that the culture here, to be so detached from the death of others?
The company remained on the road only for another hour, traveling at their leisurely pace. Lord Khaba remained ever the tourist, soaking up the natural elements of their new home. When they broke free of the canopy of trees, Shippo sat up suddenly.
"We're close. My village is just over the hill." He glanced back up at Lellia. "Can I go now?"
Lellia's mouth quirked up in an amused smirk. She picked the little kitsune up by the back of his hakama and dangled him over the ground, his angry 'hey!' lost in the rustling of his arms and legs as he squirmed.
"Remember, little one – if you send this InuYasha after us, we will come back for you and your whole village." Shippo swallowed audibly, his small Adam's apple bobbing. He nodded furiously. Lellia released him and the little demon shot off into the distance with surprising speed.
The soldiers who had come with them chuckled at the kitsune before turning back forward. Lellia shook her head as she met Ibebi's eyes. "Make a note of this place. I think I should like to see this Shippo again when he has grown."
Ibebi nodded to her as Khaba shook his head. "He shall be entertaining, that is certain." He motioned forward. "Move on. We still need a place to camp."
Khaba pushed onwards with the small troup, leading them several days in the same direction in the unhurried pace they'd set previously. The sea was far behind them as they reached a valley nestled in the mountain range nearly a week's walk from where they had left the kitsune kit.
The demon lord had his men and daughter set up a small camp as they rested in the shade of the large trees for three full days. The forest was not nearly as thick here, though the age of the forest was far more than the majority of their company. After three full days of lingering beneath the canopy of the boughs, Lellia became restless and decided to take action.
She approached Khaba as he relaxed against the tallest tree in the nearby vicinity, supposedly dozing. Lellia's aura was dense with energy, her frustration and anxiety rippling against her skin as she stopped in front of her sire. "Father." Khaba let out a sigh and lazily cracked an eye at the woman. "We have remained here far longer than I anticipated. Are we to move on?"
Although her voice remained even, her body language spoke of agitation – furrowed brow, deep frown, and clenched fists clued Khaba in on her current state. Sighing once again, Khaba straightened his back and flashed a bright smile at Lellia. "I like it here. Send the messengers back – this will be our new land."
Lellia huffed through her nose before nodding curtly and turning on her heel. As she approached the few men they'd deemed messengers some days ago, her thoughts grew contempt. Could he not have decided this two days prior? Such a selfish lord, keeping his thoughts to himself when his decisions still affected the whole of their clan.
Giving out curt orders to the messengers to move as quickly as possible back to the coast and lead the rest of their people back, Lellia gathered her energy around her. If they were going to stay for a while, she would place more permanent boundaries around their camp.
Using the large tree her father was still leaning against for the center of their new territory, Lellia planned a border for their new lands. Since they were still a small group, she would set up a small perimeter. Discarding the thick boots she'd donned previously, she wiggled her toes as they were free of their confines. She took 200 steps away from the tree and began to walk in a circle around their camp. Focusing her energy and body heat to her soles, each smoldering step added to the border of what was now to be considered the fire demon's territory. By embedding her own energy into each movement, Lellia created a warning barrier to any demons who came too close. They would not be caught unaware.
Author's Note: Yeah… sorry this story takes so long to update. I'm still trying to flesh the whole thing out. But now we've introduced Shippo! At least you get one character in there now… No promises on when the next chapter will be out, but I'm hoping soon. I really do love Lellia as a character, but she's… complicated to write, to say the least.
Okay, let me know what you think! Also, check out my profile to take my poll – it helps me shape the story. (Doesn't work on the mobile version, btw.)