The sound of laughter was broken by the sounds of a chorus of howls, startling everyone on the cliffs.

Kagome was playing a modified game of tag with the cubs when it was heard, making her snap to attention and whip around in the direction it came from. She froze, causing more than one cub to slam into her legs in their continued merriment.

Shippo, who had been sitting on the side since he was out for the round, lept to his feet and bounded over to Kagome, jumping up on her shoulder. His voice shook. "What's going on, Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head, watching as everyone turned their eyes on Kouga as he tore out of the cave, then jumped into the air and landed on the highest landing he could reach. "I don't know." Hearing a whimper at her feet, she then looked down and saw Kienta, the youngest cub of the tribe, wrapped up in a ball with tears in her eyes. Wincing, Kagome crouched and gently took the cub's hands in hers with a strained smile on her face. "Hey, little one. It's alright. Why don't you go see your mama? As a matter of fact," looking at all the cubs, "everyone go to your parents." When no one moved, she used the voice she rarely did, that always got the cubs to listen. "I said, go to your parents. Now."

Though they didn't seem to want to, the cubs did listen and break apart to where their mothers where. Shippo, still shaking on Kagome's shoulder, was shocked enough to cry out when Kagome plucked him off her shoulder and set him on the ground. He looked up at her and whimpered. "Kagome?"

She just smiled at him and pointed. "Go with Milo, Shippo."

Shippo bulked at the command. "But, Kagome!"

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "No buts, Shippo. I said go. We don't know what's coming and I don't want you to get hurt."

Before Shippo could continue arguing with her, Kouga's booming voice covered the cliffs. "Alright everyone, get out of here. Rondevu in two days."

Kagome could do nothing but watch as bodies scattered, taking off in singles, pairs, or groups in all different directions. By the time the next chorus of howls was heard, everyone but she, Kouga, and a handful of others remained, Shippo included. Though Kagome cast him a look that clearly told him she wasn't happy, she turned her sights on Kouga when he approached. "It's time, isn't it?"

Kouga nodded to her before waving a hand at his men, telling them without words what he wanted them to do. "Looks like." When he saw his mate frown, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, crooking a finger under her chin to tilt her head back. "We stick to the plan."

Kagome sighed and gave a jerky nod. "Who is it?"

Kouga smirked. "Both of them."

With a gasp, Kagome blinked. "So, they are still working together."

Kouga shrugged while releasing her chin. "I don't think so. One is coming from the north, the other the southwest. We don't have a lot of time before the first one shows up, and I'm not sure which one it'll be. We stick to the plan, and everything will be just fine. Do you have your shards?"

Kagome nodded. "They're in the cave. Still can't believe Inuyasha didn't take them out of my bag when I didn't come back."

Kouga snorted. "Works well for us he didn't. Go get 'em, then get out of here."

Kagome glared. "If you remember, I didn't actually agree to this part of the plan."

Shrugging, Kouga grinned. "I don't care. Split the difference and head due west. If you lose your way, howl, and the wolves will guide you. We might not be able to win, but we can't let either of them win either."

Kagome sighed hard and nodded. "I know. Just... be careful."

Kouga scoffed as he pushed her towards the mouth of the cave. "Never."

Rolling along his palm, Kagome turned back and pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips hard against his. Kouga responded in kind, leaning back and lifting her feet off the ground. When Kagome broke their kiss, she looked him dead in the eyes. "You better still be alive when I get back, or I'll kill you."

Setting Kagome on her feet, he smiled at her. "Go on." Kouga watched as she ran into the cave for a moment before she reemerged, winking at her before she jumped over the ledge and down the side of the mountain. "I have more than just you to live for, now."

Shippo, who was still on the plateau, hopped up on Kouga's shoulder. "She doesn't know yet, does she?"

Kouga glanced at him before he shook his head. "Nope." Scooping the fox into his palm, Kouga crouched and waited for Shippo to jump to the ground. Glancing to where his mate went over the side, he then licked his lips and looked back at the kit. "You know what to do."

Shippo nodded and bounded over to the side, looking back over his shoulder. "I'll keep them off her trail."

Once Kouga nodded to him, Shippo was off and Kouga went about getting the last of the shit he needed to do done before the fireworks started.

*X*

Kagome ran like she never had before. She also didn't realize how hard it was to move in a straight line through the dense foliage once you got out of the eastern mountains.

She guessed she was about halfway to where she wanted to be when she got turned around, or thought she had, and ended up in a clearing that actually looked familiar to her. What made it hard was, though here was a full moon out, there were a lot of clouds, making it darker and harder to navigate.

Quickly turning in her spot to try and get her bearings, she suddenly wanted to kick her own ass for never one paying attention any of Kouga's hunting instructions when it came to navigation. He went over it all the time with the cubs, and she was pretty sure she could use the information. She was also scared, which did nothing for her rational mind.

It was like a gift from the Kami when the clouds shifted and the forest was illuminated with the light of the full moon. Still, though, she wasn't sure which way she was supposed to go, and she knew she needed to get to where she was going and back to the den as soon as she could so, throwing her head back, she howled.

Everything she felt in the moment was poured into the sound. All the fear, anger, loneliness, everything she didn't need to feel was expelled as she cried out for help from the moon.

She left herself panting when she cut the sounds off, and it wasn't a split moment later she was answered by one of Kouga's wolves, pulling a smile from her lips.

"Doshi."

Looking back to the moon for a moment with a serene look to her eyes and a smile on her face, Kagome was off again, following the path laid by the wolves to the western border, where amused reinforcements waited.

Sesshoumaru looked up from his claws when Kagome slid to a stop a few feet away from him and his men. He looked the Eastern Lady over, ensuring she wasn't harmed during her run. She was pretty dirty, but other than that, she didn't look any worse for the wares. He didn't say a word as he held out a hand to her, Kagome obeying the unspoken command, and dropping the small jar of shards in his palm.

Sesshoumaru looked at the tiny pieces of irritation for a short moment before tossing the jar to one of his men as he stood. "She doesn't get near the mountain, General."

Though the demon who caught the shards nodded, Kagome bulked at the statement. "What? That's not part of the plan, Sesshoumaru. Besides, I've been in fights before, and no one knows my friends like I do."

Sesshoumaru paused and looked back at her. "I am aware of your past, My Lady, but if you mean for me to believe you have been in a squabble in your condition, you will need to be much more convincing."

Blinking at him, her lip curled. "Well, I'll admit I haven't since this whole loss of humanity thing started, but still, the rest of the statement stands."

With an amount of patience he had never shown anyone else but his ward, Sesshoumaru crossed his arms and leveled her with a look. "It is not your race I am referring to. I am referring to the pup that grows within you." When her face was awashed with sheer surprise, Sesshoumaru blinked at her. "You were unaware?"

Grabbing her abdomen, Kagome's jaw was lax as she nodded slowly. "Yeah." Blinking repeatedly, Kagome licked her lips. "We agreed no cubs until this was over."

Sesshoumaru actually rolled his eyes. "That is hardly ever for us to decide. It is still early yet. You have probably not even missed your heat. But, if you listen, you can hear the heartbeat. Because of that, you stay here."

Not giving her time to say another word, or try and argue the decision to keep her pregnant ass out of a fight to the death, Sesshoumaru, as well as the rest of his men sans the General, vanished in flashes of blinding light.

Kagome's shock over finding out she was pregnant melted away to annoyance as she crossed her arms and looked at the General. "Well... this fucking sucks."

The general snorted as he tossed the jar of shards back to the Eastern Lady. "It is for your own good, and the good of your pup, you leave this up to them."

Catching the jar, she turned her hand over and looked at the shards. They were no longer a vibrant pink to her eyes, but they were glowing. Narrowing her eyes, she shifted them to the General. "Do you see that?"

With a cocked brow, the general looked at the jar, but all he saw was seven pieces of dull white. Shaking his head, the general leaned against a tree. "No, My Lady. They look as they always do."

Blinking at him, she looked back at the jar. "They're... they're glowing."

The general shrugged. "Reflection from the moon."

Kagome looked to the sky, seeing the moon behind clouds. "How? The moon isn't out." Swallowing hard, Kagome popped the top and dumped the shards into her palm. She could feel the eyes of the general boring holes in her, but she ignored him as she watched the shards begin to glow brighter. She actually had to squint and turn away from them so she wasn't looking at them head on. Her palm began to feel warm where the shards sat, and she could feel that burn begin to creep up her arm.

When the general saw wips of what looked like smoke begin to rise off the onna's hand, he pushed himself to fully stand and took a half step toward her. "Drop those, My Lady."

Kagome just shook her head hard. It wasn't that she couldn't, it was she knew she shouldn't. She didn't know what was going on, but something was, and she could feel this needed to happen.

Raising his own arm, the general shielded his eyes as Kagome's aura became visible. But, it wasn't the red it should have been being a demon. It was flashing back and forth between the red of a demonic aura to a brilliant pink of the miko she used to be. There was a magnificent flash of light that left the general seeing spots, and then they cleared, Kagome was laid out ten feet from where she was a moment ago. Jolting, he darted toward her and slid on his knees to her side. The first the he did, once he saw she was breathing, was set his ear over her abdomen, letting out a hard breath of relief when he heard the strong heartbeat of the pup. When she trembled, he pulled off his outer haori and dropped it over her with a shake of his head. "I told you to put the shards down."