I own nothing! (Except this story plot. And Rai. He's mine :P)
Chapter Twelve
Kagome eyed her prey hungrily. It had been several weeks since she last had deer. That time Touga had caught it for her; it was right after she broke her bow and couldn't go hunting without scaring away the deer yet. Now, however, she was determined to catch a deer. Her more animal side was craving red meat.
She looked around silently, spotting Touga in a tree, watching her closely. This was her third attempt at a deer today and, if she failed again, Touga would show her how to do it the right way. Until then he wanted to see if she could do it herself, without any previous help. So far she was doing good, staying downwind of the deer that was grazing in the small clearing. She had tracked this deer for over an hour before finding it, which showed Touga that she still needed to work on tracking. The deer wasn't too hard to find, and it only took him about five minutes. Even Inuyasha would have been able to find it within ten minutes. But Kagome had also done an extra step in making sure this doe didn't have a fawn, and he had to give her credit for that. Even though she was craving red meat, she still would not stoop so low as to leave a fawn defenseless.
Touga watched as Kagome his among the foliage of the forest, slowly and silently stalking closer to her prey. He saw her make a mistake instantly. She had drawn her dagger, as she was not yet ready to kill with her claws, as the metal glinted in the sunlight. She was very lucky the deer hadn't seen it. He watched as Kagome suddenly realized her mistake and moved the dagger into the shadows as she took a step closer to the deer and made her second and last mistake. She stepped on a twig. A resounding snap echoed in the clearing, startling the deer. Kagome tried to run at the deer with all her speed but she was still too slow to outrun the deer, and the doe vanished into the forest. Kagome groaned loudly in annoyance and sat down in the grass, pouting. She had wanted to show Touga that she could catch a deer by herself. She sighed heavily and looked up at the inutaisho as he appeared in front of her with a light smile.
"You did good, little one, even if you did not catch your prey." he told her. "If you had not been focusing on moving your dagger into the shadows you would not have stepped on the twig and startled it away. For someone who has as little experience in close distance hunting like you do, you did very well."
"But I still didn't catch it." Kagome pouted. "And I really wanted some deer today..." Touga chuckled and kneeled in front of her, looking her in the eye.
"Do not worry so much about that, little one. You just need some more practice. I have seen you improve with each attempt today, and that is all that matters." he assured her. "You have worked hard and, for that, you will get some deer today." he told her, watching as her eyes lit up.
"Really?" She asked with a smile. Touga chuckled and nodded.
"I will catch you a deer, but you must follow me and pay close attention to how I hunt."
"But you're so fast..." Kagome deflated.
"I will slow down for you, little one. I will hunt at your speed so you can copy me the next time you hunt." he told her. Kagome nodded and he helped her to her feet. Then she watched as he sniffed the air, searching for the scent trail of the deer that just ran away. It wasn't too far away so he would just go after that one. "Come. It is nearly noon and I would like some lunch soon." Touga smiled before going after his prey, making sure to go slow enough so that Kagome could follow and watch as he tracked his prey.
Soon enough they came upon the deer in a larger clearing. Kagome stayed downwind of the prey, hiding behind a tree with a great view of Touga as he stalked closer and closer to the unsuspecting deer. She watched as he was very careful about where he put his feet down, all without taking his eyes off the prey. Normally he would use his claws but, for the sake Kagome's learning, he was using a dagger this time. He kept it sheathed but within easy reach as he got in position to attack.
Kagome watched as he took a silent breath, tensed his muscles in preparation of the attack, and then rushed forward when the deer was looking away. He barely made a sound as he jumped over the forest foliage and ran through the tall grass of the clearing. By the time the deer noticed him he was already upon it, unsheathing the dagger in that instant and slicing through its throat, cutting off its air supply as well as severing some major blood vessels. The deer managed to run, but it didn't get far before it collapsed on the ground and died. Kagome watched it all in awe. She hadn't thought to keep the dagger sheathed until the last second, or to jump over the foliage instead of running through it. She would remember that the next time she went hunting, and that was the point in Touga making her watch him. He was teaching her, and she was grateful for it... especially when it meant she could have red meat tonight.
Kagome came out from her hiding place as Touga gathered up his catch and threw it over his shoulder, making sure not to get any blood on his pristine white clothes. He turned to Kagome with a smile. "That, little one, is how you stalk and kill a deer. Next time you are on your own."
-break-
This time Touga accepted the meat Kagome brought him. Not only was there plenty of meat for his little onna, but he was also the one to provide the meat this time. So, when Kagome brought him the best cuts of meat from the deer, he didn't hesitate to eat them. Although, he did go outside to eat. He didn't think his little onna would be able to handle watching him eat raw meat just yet, not until her mindset of being human left her and she accepted the fact that she was now an inuyokai and therefore could eat raw meat... and even needed to eat raw meat on some occasions.
Kagome still hadn't started to eat by the time he returned, even though her meat was fully cooked now. She watched him come into the cave and, when she saw he had no meat and no desire for more, she smiled and started to eat her own meat. Touga chuckled and sat down against the cave wall to watch her eat. He frowned at how little meat she gave herself. The amount would be acceptable if she were human, but she was no longer human. Since she was still very young she needed much more meat than what she had, so he got up, cut out another portion of meat, and put it over the fire as she watched him curiously. Kagome had, at first, thought he decided to eat some more. But then he put it over the fire and she realized it was for her. When she looked at him in question he merely smiled.
"You did not give yourself a sufficient amount of meat, little one. That is an appropriate amount for a human, but not for a young yokai like you." he said, motioning to the meat in her hands. "From now on you need to eat much more than that. That is the reason why I made sure you eat as much as you could of the rabbits you caught."
"Is that why I've been so hungry lately? I'm not eating enough?" Kagome questioned.
"That is it indeed." he nodded. "You are young and still growing, which automatically means you need to eat more. Add in the fact that you are female and of a good pupping age, and it means you need to eat even more."
"Pupping?" Kagome questioned, cocking her head to one side curiously. Touga chuckled and nodded.
"The human equivalent is impregnating." he told her, watching as she blushed deeply. "You are at a very good age to be a mother, even though you are young for a yokai. Your young age makes you healthier, more fertile, and more likely to carry a pup to term."
"More likely? Is it hard for inuyokai to carry?" Kagome questioned, still sporting a pretty blush.
"Hai. For my clan, especially. My strength makes it hard for a woman to carry a child with me. The actual pregnancy and birth are normal when a healthy pup is finally conceived, but miscarriages happen often within a few days of conception. Not only that but it's difficult for a pup to even be conceived." Touga sighed heavily. "It was like that with my parents, as well. I was the third attempt at a pup, surprisingly. Sesshoumaru was the seventh attempt with Mayumi. Inuyasha was actually unexpected. I never thought a human would be strong enough to carry a pup with me." the inutaisho shrugged. Then he looked at Kagome with serious eyes. "We may be soul mates, little one, and it is certain that we will eventually be mates... but I want you to be prepared for this. I know you desire to be a mother, and I will try to make it happen, but do not get your hopes up when I tell you that you have conceived."
"O-okay." Kagome said quietly, her cheeks still rosy. They sat there in silence for a while, Kagome still blushing, until she looked up at him. "U-Um... is there anything I can do to make it more likely?" she asked. Touga smiled lightly.
"Eat plenty of meat and train diligently until we mate. The stronger you are and the healthier you are, the more likely it is you will not lose the pup."
-break-
Kagome grinned as she watched the unsuspecting deer. Keeping her dagger in easy reach she stalked closer and closer to her prey, careful of every step she took. Finally she prepared her attack, waiting until the deer looked away. Then she leaped out of the forest and ran at the deer, hardly making a sound. She unsheathed her dagger and went for the deer's throat before the deer even knew she was there. In a few seconds it was all over, and Kagome had killed her first deer all on her own. She smiled happily and looked up at Touga, who was smiling proudly at her. It was her first attempt at a deer since the day she watched him. His little onna was, indeed, a very fast learner.
-BREAK-
Hurray! Two updates in one day!
Please review politely!
Gotta go to Psychology class now :)
Adios!
Aozora12
