By the time Kitshiro collapsed from exhaustion it was already noon. She had pushed her body to its limit by running so far for so long and she knew she was far enough away from the castle now. Naraku didn't seem interested in stopping her, so she was sure she was safe at this point. She rolled onto her back in the field she had fallen in an d panted heavily, staring up at the bright blue sky. It had been a while since she had some time to herself, and since she was lost why not relax here for a while? She reached out to the sky and blocked out the sun that was hurting her sensitive eyes. Clouds were randomly placed across the beautiful light blue canvas of the sky and the wind was blowing lightly through the tall grass. The smell of spring was heavy in the air and she felt calm. She snapped out of her calm daze and stood up to continue her journey. She raked her brain for possible allies from the past.

"There's not a lot of demons I know and trust... In the valley we didn't get many visitors," she spoke to herself, setting out toward the next forest. "Our family was allied with the Red Fox clan, but there was a fight between father and the head of their clan... I still can't remember much. There was a wise tree somewhere, papa and momma told us about it being in a lush forest somewhere. How am I supposed to find something like that though?" she continued arguing with herself. The forest in the distance was getting closer as she briskly walked toward it. To clear her mind she started to sing, instead of speak. Her singing calmed her and seemed to help her focus on her surroundings.

"Swinging in the wind, flying through the trees, free at last~

The petals flutter by, I hear the voice of spring, calling our name~

'Come my child, back to my arms, how you been missed' she says~

Flowers fade, children grow, hearts change, but your love keeps me here.~"

Kitshiro breathed into the air, remembering a few lyrics from a song her mother used to sing to her. Her head was clear, as she listened to the sounds of the tranquil forest. The birds were singing with her, the wind carried the worries of yesterday away with it. Her song turned into a hum when she ran out of lyrics to sing and she looked around. The forest seemed to be endless. Everywhere Kitshiro looked there were just more trees and blocked paths. 'Could this be the forest I was supposed to find the grand tree? I'm not sure how far I was taken, I don't know where I am. I could have looped back around...' she questioned herself, desperately looking for a sign from the gods.

Briefly going back to the morning at the castle, Naraku's barrier was being attacked by a group of misfits. Kentaoku finally caught up with the trail he'd been on for a few hours and watched the events before him unfold. The one who was attacking the barrier appeared to be a half demon clad in a red kimono and swung an oversized sword at the barrier's surface multiple times. His comrades had apparently slain a great deal of lesser demons that continuously attacked them. The fight seemed endless from Kentaoku's perspective as the demons seemingly came in droves from nowhere. He touched his forehead and felt the tender spot where he had been wounded before. 'That bastard, it'll take him hours to catch up. Still, I should hurry.' Kentaoku ran to the back of the castle's barrier find another trail to the girl. So far, the trail had been scattered so it was difficult to have even gotten this far, but he knew the fox had been here.

Before he reached the back of the castle, the barrier started to vanish. The scent of demons and death seeped out from behind the castle walls and a purple miasma followed the powerful stench. Kentaoku moved away from the miasma that sat near the edges of the castle and caught a whiff of the fox's scent. His pupils dilated and he leapt to the top of the wall of the castle and ran along its edges. 'I knew it, she's at the very back of this place. She's not too far now.' He continued making his way along the wall and was almost at the main part of the castle when he saw a flash of white dashing up the side of the cliff. The long white hair and scent was unmistakable.

"Wait!" he bellowed in vain, hastening his steps. The demoness ignored him and disappeared over the edge of the cliff in an instant, her speed was unmatched by any demon he had encountered. He lightly chuckled to himself, amazed how often this happened. 'Chasing after a wily fox demon I know nothing about, how foolish of me...' he scolded himself as he reached the cliff. He stared up at the cliff and smiled to himself. 'Someday, I'll catch up to you.' The determined Black Wolf Chief made his way up the side as well to continue this silly game of cat and mouse.

Back to the present, Kitshiro hadn't made much progress trekking through the vast forest, but she wasn't very upset about it. The forest reminded her of home and it was very peaceful. She finally found a small path, it seemed like it was made in the past week or so. She followed it for about an hour but nothing looked special so far. Still, something was pulling her in and she continued her search. The path ended in front of a tall magnolia tree, it looked like it had been there for years but didn't really stand out. She touched the smooth bark and felt the warmth from the old tree.

"Maybe this is-" she started before the knot under her hand turned into something that resembled a face. "Wha-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" her hand flew off the tree and she jumped back. The face on the tree stared blankly back at her and she silently observed it, scared to go near it again. When the face blinked, Kitshiro flinched. She wasn't sure if she was seeing things before but now she knew that this tree was a yōkai like her, but she'd never seen one like this.

"Young fox, what brings you here?" the tree finally spoke with no emotion. The tree continued to stare at her, not really impatient for a reply. Kitshiro thought this night be the tree everyone knew about.

"Ah, might you be the wise tree?" she asked, hoping her luck might have changed. Happening upon a tree like this wasn't something she was expecting. The tree didn't respond immediately as it seemed to be assessing the fox demon standing before it.

"I am Bokusenō. I wasn't expecting you nor did I know your intentions, or else I would have announced my presence earlier. What is it you seek?" he stated more than questioned. Kitshiro moved closer to be face-to-face with the tree spirit.

"My name is Kitshiro, wise tree. I have quite a few questions really... But if you can st least help me with a few, that would be fine. First, would you know where my valley would be? It's supposed to be protected, a place where few can enter. My small clan of white fox demons lived there for a long time, but some things happened and I was taken away from it." Kitshiro explained, hoping the tree would have an idea of where the valley is. 'He's the grand tree the priestess spoke of, right? I'm not sure I'd be able to find another grand tree...' she thought, while the tree seemed to think as well.

"A valley. I remember a valley that was near the mountains." Kitsiro's heart sank when she heard the news, her fears were a reality. She had to find the mountains again and find another grand tree, and she knew it wouldn't be easy. The tree seemed to notice her disheartened appearance and continued. "For a demon, it would take less than a day to reach the mountain from here. If you can summon a guide, it would take less time, young fox." the tree hinted, making Kitshiro's mood brighten instantly. She was about to summon something when she realized she didn't know what she was supposed to be summoning. She laughed half heartedly at the tree and scratched her head.

"Eh, would you happen to know what I should do?" she asked stupidly. The tree continued to stare blankly.

"Can you not make something that will show you the way? You seem to possess more power than you think." the tree stated. Kitshiro understood this and moved onto her next question, thinking she could figure something out later.

"I'll think of something, thank you for your help. Another question I have might seem odd but I have no one else to turn to." Kitshiro twiddled her fingers nervously, searching for the right words. Finally, she just said what came to mind, knowing she didn't have much time to dally. "Since I woke up from my slumber, something strange has happened to my body. I was attacked in my valley and near death, when I came to I had transformed into a more fox-like appearance. This has only happened at night when the moon touches me, and a pink mark appears on my chest and on my head." When kitshiro looked down at her chest she saw that the sakura mark was vaguely noticeable and one of the petals was more faded than the others. "Please, tell me what this is! I've been stalked and attacked every time I transform, I don't know what's going on with my own body!" she started to panic and tear up. The tree didn't really react to her mild hysteria.

"It seems as though this is merely a breeding mark, Kitshiro." he simply replied. Kitshiro looked up at him through her tears confused. "Apparently your symbol on your chest is telling you when you're ready to mate with other demons. From what you've told me and what I know, you'll transform at the full moon each month. Though I don't know much about the white fox tribe, I do know they possess more magic than other kitsune. Unfortunately I don't know what those powers are, the white foxes were always very secretive and reserved." Kitshiro was stunned and trying to absorb everything the tree was saying. 'Breeding? I understand that, but why? My parents wouldn't do this to me, right?' she shook her head and looked at the sky. Judging by the light it would be night in a few hours and she needed to keep moving.

"One last question, Bokusenō. Do you know what happened to the white fox tribe?" she asked firmly, ready for any answer Her memory was so scattered she wasn't even sure how long she had been asleep. The tree, again, took its time to reply. When he did, he looked Kitshiro in the eyes and echoed before vanishing back into the tree,

"Fire."

*Wah, sorry it took so long~! Power's back on, so, yay! If there are errors, I'll see them when it's too late. ;P I tried to get this out ASAP~! The song she sings isn't really a song, I was trying to think of something peaceful and soothing I guess. I don't own any Inuyasha characters, I'm just using them~ Message/review if you have any questions or suggestions or complaints~.*