A Furry Nuisance
Chapter Four

The night was deadly quiet. There was a full moon with a few stars. A little windy too.

He sat there. In that tall oak tree. Staring at the moon and pondering. He closed his eyes.

He heard them coming. Could smell them too. He could smell relief among them. He smirked. If they thought he would follow them easily, they were in for a surprise.

The rustling of leaves told him that they had arrived. One. Two. Three. Three soft sounds of landing feet below him.

He did not look down.

"My lord."

An agile cat youkai with fair turquoise hair was kneeling beneath him. Two more were behind her in the same position, forming a triangle. The cat who had spoken was the one with turquoise hair. She had a graceful body dressed in a combat attire with a small dagger strapped to her left arm.

Warriors of the Hyoneko tribe.

"My lord, please heed the words of your people. There are desperate calls for your return."

He said nothing. His lips were curled upwards and eyes still closed as he twirled an acorn casually between his fingers.

"My lord-"

"Tell me, Karang. Can you read?" His voice was dangerously soft.

"...Yes, my lord."

"Did you find my note?"

"..."

"Answer."

"Yes, my lord."

"Good, then you must've read every single word on that piece of paper right? Because I remeber writing it short and clear. Now, what did I write...Oh, I remeber!" He opened his eyes in an angry glare. "I wrote 'Do not follow me or you will suffer dire consequences.'"

He crushed the small acorn into bits with his index and thumb and littered the pieces onto the ground while getting onto his feet with one graceful move.

The wind seemed to blow stronger as he looked down on his three guards who were slightly quivering under his furious gaze. They could feel his murderous youki that was erupting out of him in vast waves, but they knew better to move an inch from their place. Unless they wanted to be decapitated like the last one of their men.

"Did you truly want to bring an end to your dear life?" He flexed his left hand casually as red stripes appeared on his arm. Swirls of the crimson color was snaking up his left forearm. He brought it up to his eye level.

"No, my lord." Few drops of sweat started to form on the cat youkai's forehead.

"My lord, please come back. Everyone is waiting for you," the smallest of the three spoke up from behind with a quivering voice.

He looked down at the small one with an indifferent expression. He had always been weak with tears from children. Heck, he was weak with crying children, women, and catnip.

He lowered his left arm and smiled. Immediately all pressure from the heavy atmosphere was gone, and it was once again a peaceful night with the wind rustling the trees while the moon bathed everything below it in a lambent silver light.

"Well, all right. I won't punish Karang." He plopped onto the branch again and closed his eyes. "For now. I'm so nice don't you think?"

"My lord, if my life is the key for your return, I would gladly present it," the warrior bowed her head. "Please, my lord. The snake tribes are attacking each day. Many had died and Shunrang-" She paused before continuing, afraid that her voice would crack. "Shunrang had passed away just the day before my lord."

He did not say anything. Instead he started to hum. The same tune the third of the four warriors had sung when she was young. The third that had died a painful, but honorable death in order to protect her people.

"Is she buried?"

"We had cremated her as she had wished, my lord."

"I always liked Shunrang. I'll make sure I avenge her. But I won't go back," he added seeing the hopeful looks on his warriors faces. "Not just yet."

"My lord, if this is about the human you wish to mate-"

"And what if it is?" He opened one eye to reveal a crimson orb staring down at them. They said nothing.

"She's not just some pathetic human you see her as. She is soon going to be your lady and you better show some respect. I refuse to sit on my ass and write letters and send presents like the other pansy fools when I know that canine will simply set them on fire. No, I'm just going to win her over. It has always been my dream to snuggle next to her soft form in my bed and see that warm smile-"

"What do you see in her my lord?" Karang's voice rang through the silent bamboo field. She could not care less that she had just interrupted her lord's day dreaming. "What do you see in her that makes her more important than your people!"

He looked down at her. He stared into her crimson eyes without a word; she did not blink.

"I'll tell you a little secret, Karang," he slowly whispered in his jolly voice. " Every single hebi that had wounded any one of my men are being slain. Oops, grammar mistake. Are slain. They're dead. Oh, and wait..." He closed his eyes once more and smiled widely. "Shunrang isn't dead. Oh good, she was always good at making me laugh."

Karang raised her head to look at her lord incredulously. Not dead? They had found her body at the entrance of the valley! It was impossible. And what's this about all of the invaders being slain? How would he know?

"How would I know?" Karang flinched; she had forgotten that he could read her thoughts.

"Well, let's see... How would I know..." He looked up in the skies as if he would find an answer. "Oh, yes! I'm special, remember!"

His jolly laughs were the only sound that rang through the bamboo trees around him. The others said nothing.

"That body you found was just a clay doll. That old hag Tsubaki must've made it." He muttered in his still happy voice. "Shunrang's hurt pretty badly. She's at the creek near the snake camp. Better get her now before the survivors of those pitiful worms pick up her scent."

"Anyways..." He straightened his position from his spot. "I'm not leaving yet. I am going to take Rin as my mate and I refuse to leave without her."

"As you wish my lord," Karang bowed her head once more. "We will be here when you need us."

"Yeah, yeah, all right. Lovely night we have today but farewell for now 'cause I'm going to go snuggle next to my lovely lady." He got up and jumped gracefully off the branch. When he landed on the grass in front of his warriors, he was not the tall powerful youkai anymore.

He was a silver neko.

He gave a curt nod, his yellow-green eyes gleaming, and took off, tail high in the air, headed for the castle. The three remaining youkais did not move as he streaked across the glowing grass under the moonlight.


"Kaede, have you seen Kero?"

Kaede stopped in mid brush at her lady's question. The sun had set a long time ago and the moon was hanging in the pitch black sky. Kaede had gotten into a fit like Rin had predicted when she had came back to the chambers to find her lady gone, but she only scolded the smiling woman half-heartedly and helped her get ready for bed. She may be a grown woman of eighteen, but she was still a sweet child to her just the same. Kaede had been brushing Rin's fine river of hair when she had been asked about this Kero.

"Kero, my lady?"

"Oh, it's what I decided to call the cat." She giggled.

"I thought he was going to be released in the morning," Kaede said, rather annoyed.

"I am going to release him, but still... I don't want him to be nameless even if it is for a night."

"Oh... Well, no, I haven't seen him my lady," she started brushing her hair again as her eyes quickly darted to the doors. "Not since you brought him back to the chamber."

"I wonder where he went..."

Kaede hastily placed the brush onto the small dresser and bid her lady goodnight. She opened the door of the chamber to exit. A silver blur whizzed passed her legs.

"Kero!"

Rin laughed in delight as the cat jumped into her open arms, purring happily. Kaede scowled inwardly and glared at the sweaty two demons just outside the chamber doors. She quickly exited and shut the doors behind her.

"I thought I told you two to keep him in the sword shelters!" She hissed at Dakeru.

"Why are you only looking at me for?" Was his only reply between his unsteady breathing.

"We tried, but that little furball got the better of us," Narita grumbled. "He ran into the bamboo forests and it was already dark by then. We couldn't find him."

"Couldn't you just sniff him out?"

"Woman, do you know how thick those bamboo trees are?" Dakeru snapped.

"Kero, what's this?"

The three turned their heads and looked through the crack that was formed between the two sliding doors when they heard the curious voice of their lady. Rin was holding up a branch of long slender leaves in her free hand. The cat merely mewed in her arms.

"Siyouchi herbs!" Dakeru whispered. "I bet that furball knew we were going to kick him out, so he brought the leaves to have a reason to stay!"

"That little..." Narita growled. "He is going to be out of here before-"

"Before what, Narita?"

A cold voice bought the attention from all the three youkai/human who were huddled at Rin's door. Sesshomaru was standing behind them in his casual kimono, his armor and fur gone, but his two faithful swords, Tenseiga and Toukijin, strapped to his side.

"Er... Good evening, my lord."

He knew from the moment Dakeru started to sweat that something was up that wouldn't please him at all. Then he no longer was suspicious of his,nose which had been picking up the unpleasant stench of the feline, and his ears, which heard the soft mewing and purrs. His elegant eyebrows joined the slightest to show his anger and he passed his three servants to slide the door open, again a little rougher than he had intended.


Quick note: The Hyoneko tribe is not my characters. They do come out in the animation. For those who don't remember the four cat youkai siblings that were trying to revive their weird cat lord, well there is a part in the animation like that. The only character I invented that is a Hyoneko is the furball Dakeru really doesn't like.