Hi guys, yes I am going to continue this story. I had not gotten any feed back from the last two chapters so I wasn't as inclined to keep writing so I wrote more on my other story that I have yet to post. There will be more after this! I hope you like it.
Sesshomaru had heard the pup call out the first time. He stopped his pursue of the deer he had been stalking and stuck his nose to the air. The wind was not in his favor as he could not smell his brother's scent very well. Wanting to make sure the pup was okay he ran back to the place he had left boy only to find him missing. Reaching his nose up he brought in the horridly thick smell of blood. His mind went blank as his feet had a mind of their own. He sped off in the direction the boy's scent had led faster then he thought his mortal body could go. Why couldn't the pup just sit still and wait. The worried demon lord thought though he wouldn't admit to anyone that he was worried. He could hear snorts and what sounded like hooves upon the ground. The smell of the pup's blood drew stronger as he heard another cry. Damn pup it sounds like a wild hog, why would you pick a fight with one of those! Sesshomaru wouldn't admit it but he willed his feet even faster. He had to reach the boy. He didn't know why he felt this way but he didn't want the boy to perish.
Without stopping to survey the scene, which could definitely cost you in a battle; leaping in without thinking, something his little brother was known to do, not himself, he leapt in and attacked the pig full on. Though his body was smaller than the beast, he felt he was at no disadvantage. The swine had his attention, and mouth, fully on Inuyasha and Sesshomaru took his chance. He was able to grab onto the hogs neck and shake it which helped to dislodge the now limp pup. The pig released the boy as soon as Sesshomaru bit into his neck which caused the unaware pig to scream. Sesshomaru was able to stay out of harms way with the tusks as he put his paw on the beasts back and stilled his head. His large canines were able to rip large chucks of flesh from the neck. Blood rushed out of the gaping wound as Sesshomaru finally released the pig.
The hog looked at his new assailant as he tried to run after him. Sesshomaru easily stepped out of the way and almost ran into the little girl. He had been so focused on the pup that he had not checked his surroundings. The boy was really making him not think, which was dangerous. It seems his little brother was trying to protect the little girl and bit off more than he could chew. Sesshomaru saw the fear in the girl's eyes as she looked upon his brother then to himself. He turned his head away and got into a fighting stance towards the hog. The demon lord then heard the girls hasty footsteps as she rushed over towards his brother.
Take care of him or else. He growled out to himself. He had to finish this now! He could hear human yells coming closer. Undoubtably they were coming to help the girl who he too had heard scream multiple time. He wasn't sure if they would hurt his brother or not. He needed to finish this and get out of here before they came.
Fate was not on his side this time. The western lord jumped towards the boar much like his brother had. He went for the neck again, for a killing bite. He heard his brother whimper and it was enough of a distraction that he missed his mark and the beast was able to land a blow and hit him with one of his razor sharp tusks. The beast was fast. Sesshomaru could smell demon blood in the beast. It was no normal hog. It was a demon. It was very small compared to the demon pigs he had come across in his travels, but that made the thing no less deadly. The hit had shocked the lord enough that the pig was able to bite him on his shoulder. The creature bit deep. Sesshomaru growled out and bit onto the beast's snout trying to dislodge him. Thanking the gods that it wasn't a poison master and was just a bite. Still his own teeth made large gouges in the pigs snout but it still didn't let go.
Unsure what to do but keep biting, then the demon lord heard a thwang from a bow. The next thing that registered in his mind was an arrow that had come out of nowhere and was now stuck straight into the eye of the beast. The thing immediately let the large white canine go and it too released its grip as the western lord looked around for his 'savior'. What he saw was a trio of men rushing out of the woods as more arrows struck the hog. The pig seemed to be rushing straight for the pup and the girl. Sesshomaru growled and rushed towards them. It was not needed as it was dead before it even made it to the pup and girl. It had 3 arrows coming out of its back and one in its eye as it fell to the ground in a heap.
Sesshomaru continue onward towards his brother. This time it was he who had a slight limp. As he got closer he heard one of the humans yell at him to "Stay back mongrel" Sesshomaru looked over and saw that there was a group of three men all pointing their bow and arrows at him. He dropped his head low and gave off a warning growl. How dare these men attempt to keep him away from his brother. His new mortal body wasn't fast enough to evade all three arrows so he was stuck. He would fight before he would run in any case.
That is until he heard the young girl call out. "No Papa wait! Don't hurt him!" She yelled as she rushed over to the largest man, the one in the middle.
"Stay back Yumi, this thing could be dangerous." The man said never taking his eyes off of Sesshomaru.
"No you don't understand. He saved me and the puppy."
All three men exchanged glances at this proclamation. Finally the father of the girl said "Puppy?" He looked over towards the direction the girl had come and finally his eyes came across the fallen white pup. He looked to be in pretty bad shape as he noticed that blood coated pretty much it's entire coat.
Sesshomaru noticed that the men's attention had been drawn away from him and now was on the pup. Inuyasha did look horrible. The pup was unconscious from his injuries. From this distance he could see that the boy had a few large gashes across his back and a pretty nasty one running down his leg. Blood seemed to mar his neck as well but he would need to look closer. The dog started to make his way over towards his brother until once again the men addressed him.
"I said stay, you filthy mutt."
"Please Papa. He just wants to see his pup. He won't hurt us."
"Yumi, dogs are very protective of their young. He could try to attack us just for being this close to his pup. We shouldn't go near it."
So they thought the pup was mine. Sesshomaru thought as he once again looked at his brother and then to the little girl. Oh what a conundrum you have put us in pup.
Sesshomaru growled at the men again as their bows were all faced towards him once again. He gave off a few warning barks to get them to back off.
Fearing the worst the little girl, Yumi, ran from her father's side and headed straight for the pup. When she reached her destination she scooped up the boy's head and held it firmly her grasp. "No look, he won't hurt us. He saved us. The puppy tried to help me first, then he got hurt and his Papa came for him. He was protecting us."
"Yumi, he was protecting his pup. Like I said dogs are protective of their young. You are incredibly lucky we showed up when we did or he may have turned on you after he got away from the wild hog."
"No I don't believe you!" The girl then surprised Sesshomaru as she ran up to him and hugged herself right into his neck.
"YUMI!" All three men shouted. Everyone there stood tense, breath hitched as they all waited for what would happen next.
Seeing this as an opportunity, though his dignity would never survive, he stopped his grolwing, pulled his head up and licked the girl right across the cheek. She reminded him of his Rin. She was outspoken, and was true to what she believed in. She didn't seem to be any older either.
All the human men seemed to relax at the choice of the demon lord. "Stand down men." Sesshomaru heard the head man say. Once the bows were no longer facing him, he continued on towards his brother.
What he saw was not a pretty sight. He had already seen the gashes on his back and leg, but there was also a deep injury along his neck and side. He had lost a lot of blood and would need help soon. He reached his nose down and started to try to lick the pups wounds to try to clean and heal them. His youkai saliva had healing properties, as did the pup's, but he wasn't sure about mortal canine. He wouldn't know until he tried. He started with the worst one, which seemed to be his neck.
The boy made no movement as his tongue made contact with the wound. He made no motion that he had felt anything. He knew that the action would be very painful for the boy, yet he made no action as if he felt it. Sesshomaru was starting to fear the worst.
"We have to help them, like they helped me." Sesshomaru heard the little girl say, but he was too interested in his brother. He wasn't sure where these feelings were coming from but hearing that ear splitting scream the pup had given off had done something to him. He had seen red and had raced without a care to his brother's aid, which had cost injury to his self. An injury that though hurt very much, the Sesshomaru couldn't think about right now. He was usually more careful about things, more calculating. The pup was dulling his senses.
The leader was concerned for his daughter. He wasn't sure if the large dog was a threat or not. He had never been this close to wild dogs before and had never heard of ones behaving like this. Why would they protect his daughter like that? His daughter had no reason to lie, and she seemed unharmed while both dogs seemed to be injured. The younger one was coated in blood and did not look too good. It would probably die if they didn't do something. He could tell that Yumi was already getting attached. She had made her way over to the pup and was petting his head. The older dog didn't seem to mind. He was just inspecting the pup and licking his fur. Maybe they are lost pets? The leader thought as he watched the display before him.
The father of the little girl walked over slowly towards the trio. He didn't want to spook the very large white canine. He knew how protective animals were of their young. Just because he didn't mind the little girl, didn't mean he wouldn't get aggressive with him. The little girl was no threat, but he had already shown that he could be a very big threat. The man slowly inched forward trying to get closer and closer while still being cautious. Finally his heart nearly stopped as the large white dog looked up from the fallen pup and starred directly into his eyes. The man could see an intelligence there that he had never seen in an animal before.
Sesshomaru was tending to the pup when he noticed the little girl make her way over. She seemed concerned about the boy. Why, he would never know. Humans were such and odd species. She lacked instincts if she was showing no fear, yet he had already given her a reason to not fear him. He guessed it didn't hurt anything for her to come closer. Inuyasha had trusted her with his life so she couldn't be that bad right. He watched as she started to pet his brothers ears and whisper soothing words to him. He flicked his ears at the hushed words, then continued his ministrations. The boy was badly wounded. Though he was trying to clean them, there were just too many. He could hear that his heart beat was getting slower, and his breath was barely there. The boy was losing his battle with life. Finally he heard the archer come closer. He looked up to see if he meant anymore harm. He would attack him without thought if he tried. Looking into his eyes all he saw was concern. He also saw uncertainty which gave him a sense of balance. The man was smart to fear him. When the man crouched down to put a hand on the pup Sesshomaru couldn't hold back a low growl.
"Shhh. It's okay. I only wish to help." The man said in a calming voice. His way of consoling the beast that could do him great damage.
"Papa won't hurt him, doggy. He wants to help now. Right Papa?" Yumi spoke to him. She too looked up at him. Thankfully she kept to herself this time. Sesshomaru had allowed as much human contact on his person as he could take.
"Yes Yumi. The pup seems really badly injured. I don't think he's going to make it sweetie." The father told his daughter. The pup was fading. There wasn't much that could be done.
"No we have to try!"
Nodding his head the father reached his hands underneath the pup and scooped him up into his arms.
Sesshomaru watched as the man picked his brother up. His head lolled to the side without life. His brother was dying and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He would have to trust these people not to cause him any more harm. Sesshomaru was forced to take a step back as the man stood.
"Come along men, we make for the village. We have to hurry if we wish to save this puppy's life." The man motioned to his crew. They all nodded. Then he motioned to his daughter. "I don't know if we can save him, but as you said, we will try sweetheart." With that his daughter hugged his leg and they started to walk down the path towards their village.
"Thank you Papa! Come along doggy we are gonna save your puppy now." She motioned with her hand for him to come, but Sesshomaru hesitated. He would have to trust them to help his brother, but what about himself. He had no desire to go to a human village. Should he go, or just watch from the sidelines? His brother would die if they didn't take him so it was no issue that they did. Feeling torn the demon lord just watched as they got further and further away.
The father of the little girl held the pup in his arms as he continued the trek to his village that was luckily not far. If his daughter had been correct, then he owed it to the small little canine. He had protected his little girl. Had been willing to give his life for her. But why? He had no idea why a wild animal would do something like that. He had to be a lost pet. He didn't look too famished. So either the pup's father was providing well for him, or he had simply gotten lost. The problem was, there wasn't another village around for many miles. They would to of been on their own for quite some time.
"Papa, the big doggy isn't coming." The man felt his daughter tug on his pant leg as she made this observation. He noted the worried tone in her voice. She was just so caring.
"Lets just let him do as he pleases baby girl. He probably just doesn't trust us right now. I bet he will stay close though." He could see she still didn't seem satisfied so he added. "How about this? If we don't see him again before the pup is better, we will return to this spot and see if we can find him again."
"But, he was hurt too. His shoulder was all bloody and he was limping. What if he was too hurt to follow us." This time she had fully stopped and was looking back in the direction they had come.
The man too stopped as he felt the weight of his daughter's hand upon his clothing disappear. He saw his daughter standing still as she looked back at the quite large white figure that now sat upon the hill they had descended from. Sighing the man gave off a few whistles to try to entice the canine to follow.
"Come on boy." He tried as he motioned the best he could with the pup still in his arms. He did notice this time that the large white dog got up. Feeling hope that he would follow he gave off one more whistle, but he felt that hope immediately deflate as the dog turned the opposite way and disappeared into the brush.
"Sweetie if we don't hurry, the pup may not make it. I know you are worried but he will be fine. He trusts us for now to take care of the puppy. We have to hurry." The man could hear the sniffles before she even turned around to reveal the tears. Luckily one of his men came to the rescue as he scooped her up in his arms and started to console her.
The group finally continued on towards home to hopefully help this little lost pup.
Sesshomaru watched them go. As the adrenaline left his system he started to feel the massive pain the hog had created in his shoulder. Blood poured out of his wound but he still watched the group carry his brother away. He sat to try to alleviate the pressure on his shoulder. He wanted to keep watch until they went out of view. He knew where they were going. He had already seen the village. He could sniff out the exact hut of which they took him too later. He saw the girl stop. Then the man stopped. Finally he heard the man trying to call him forward. No, he had decided not to follow. He couldn't leave himself vulnerable to the humans. He was still not 100% sure of his abilities in this new foreign body. He would watch from a distance. If they tried anything, then he would intervene. When the man called out again he knew he had to leave. Getting up slowly he limped into the woods. Hopefully his disappearance would make them continue on. His brother was in critical condition and they needed to hurry.