A/N: So, I want to apologize for the wait on this chapter. It's a lot longer than most of my chapters before it. I kept reading and re-reading it to make sure that I could correct as many errors as I could. While I know there are probably still there (there always are) I hope the read comes off as cleanly as I had hoped it would. Enjoy!


Korial nervously stood amongst the group of inuyoukai as she awaited the hog hunt to begin. Jaken had reluctantly taken his post atop one of the fences that separated what Korial saw were little inuyoukai pups from the others.

She could hear their scrabbles as the pups yipped and barked at the others. She had not seen them in their humanoid forms, but could see the tops of some of their heads every once in awhile when they playfully tried to make a leap for Jaken.

"Er-hem," Jaken began as he continuously gazed back cautiously at the pups anxiously awaiting to be released, "while the majority of you know the rules of the hog hunt, we have a new contestant this year. The bird youkai, and future Lady of the West, Korial-sama!" Jaken introduced excitedly, and Korial couldn't help the slight blush that coated her cheeks when all the inuyoukai turned to gaze in her direction.

She caught Sesshomaru's gaze from all the others and held it for a few moments. While his eyes were glazed over in disinterest, she couldn't stop her heart from beating at ten miles a minute. She couldn't really explain it, but she found that she felt proud whenever she caught Sesshomaru staring at her.

She wasn't sure if it was because she wanted him to approve of her, or she was genuinely starting to favor Sesshomaru. She hoped it was the latter, because then it would make their union much smoother if they shared at least some kind of attraction towards one another.

"Get on with it!" she heard Norio yell with a laugh, and turned to spot the inuyoukai general ushering Jaken on with a smirk, "we'll lose all of the sunlight if you don't hurry up on the explanation of the hunt," he added as Jaken sent him a glare before stomping his little foot on the ground.

"I wouldn't even be here if you hadn't dragged me here against my will!" he seethed before quickly shutting his beak when he caught sight of Sesshomaru's disapproving stare.

"As I was saying," Jaken muttered meekly before clearing his throat, "the rules of the hunt are for each youkai to take on a team of pups preassigned to them. They are to watch over their team and make sure to fend off any possible threats that may attack the pups while they are hunting. This includes other youkai leaders or possible youkai who may want to attack from the surrounding area. The team that is able to collect the most hogs or have the most team members left by the time the sun rises tomorrow morning will have won not only recognition as an impeccable leader, but also a slot for each of their pups to serve directly under Sesshomaru-sama when they are of proper age,"

Korial blinked in surprise at that, and wondered why the West would challenge their young in such a way. The pups were merely children, surely they were not prepared to fend off hogs and other possible dangers at such an age.

"I have made sure to attach markers to each of the pups, so that the leaders can keep track of them," Jaken added as he walked over to the edge of the gate with his hand hovering over the lock that was protecting him from the pups' wrath. He visibly gulped before releasing the lock and squawked in protest when the gate was suddenly swung open and he was taken along with it.

The pups ran out in a fury of white colored blurs of fur, and Korial watched in dismay as they ran at the group. She noted a couple of inuyoukai pups making their way over to her at incredible speed, and quickly transformed into her true form. She wasn't exactly sure how little they actually were though, considering that they all were about the size of fully grown horses.

She towered over the pups as she spread out her wings, intent on intimidating them. They paused in their approach at the sight of her dark blue wings and long orange beak, but then simply began to bark excitedly at her. To her dismay the pups began to jump at her, their jaws opened wide to try and sink their fangs into her feathers.

She let out a high pitched shriek to distract them, but they merely ignored her call and kept on their attack. She was about to create a wind to push them away when a large figure stepped in front of her. She glanced to her right to note that the figure was a large inuyoukai.

His fur was an off white with tufts of fur sticking out around his shoulder blades and waist. His fur was a mixture of smooth and curled locks, the opposition in textures having a highly interesting affect to the eyes. He stood in front of her form as he growled loudly at the pups. They barked and whimpered in return, but soon became mere chew toys when he began to softly nuzzle and mouth them with his large jaws.

Korial quickly recognized the play, and found the site endearing as the larger inuyoukai calmed down the pups and commanded their obedience with kind pats and whines. Once the pups were more relaxed they reverted back into their humans forms. Korial soon followed and watched as the inuyoukai did the same.

Her cerise eyes widened slightly when she saw that it was Norio standing before her instead of Sesshomaru. She hadn't realized that the large beast wasn't the taiyoukai, but the inuyoukai general in his true form.

"Excuse the pups' behavior, Korial-sama," he apologized with a smile, "they haven't been around a bird youkai before, and got a bit overexcited,"

Korial could only nod her head in agreement, still taken aback by the fact that Norio had come to her rescue. She had expected her future mate to be the one coming to her aid. Why hadn't Sesshomaru been there?

"You're really blue," one of the inuyoukai pups murmured softly as Korial glanced over at the young boy who stood barely above her waist.

"I've never seen a bird youkai before," he added, as if noting Korial's confused look, "we've only ever been around inuyoukai,"

"I wasn't disappointing, was I?" Korial asked as the pup shook his head.

"I say she was," another pup announced with a huff. Korial turned to her side in surprise to spot another young pup with messy silver hair staring back at her with arms folded over his tiny chest.

"Don't be difficult, Kyoushi," the first pup scolded the other. Kyoushi merely stuck his tongue out at him before giving Korial a stern look.

"I wanted to win this year by being on Sesshomaru-sama's team," Kyoushi informed her tensely, his disappointment and disapproval of her evident in his voice, "but we got stuck with a girl leader instead. Now I know we won't win,"

"The hog's hunt is anyone's game," Norio pointed out as he took Kyoushi into a playful headlock, "Korial-sama might surprise you. I know she always tends to surprise me,"

Korial blushed slightly at Norio's words before she was shyly approached by the first pup.

"Do you think you could really win it for us?" he asked hopefully. Korial gave him a reassuring smile before she bent down to look at him straight on.

"It's like Norio said, the hunt is anyone's game," she added before giving him a quick wink, "but I do have the advantage of flight,"

"Sesshomaru-sama can fly too," Kyoushi hurriedly interjected, "being able to fly doesn't guarantee us anything,"

"You won't be able to beat Sesshomaru-sama's team with that kind of attitude. You all need to work together as a unit if you want to win," Norio replied as he released Kyoushi from his headlock and grabbed him by his neck before forcing his head down into a bow, "apologize to your alpha," he added curtly.

"She isn't my alpha, and she'll never be my alpha!" Kyoushi cried out angrily, and Korial couldn't help but step back at the intensity of his words. They surprisingly hurt much more than she thought they would.

Norio let out a low growl before he released the boy's neck and quickly grabbed him by the collar of his tunic. He easily lifted the pup off the ground to hold him at his eye level.

"You dare disrespect the Lady of the West?" he challenged the pup hoarsely. Kyoushi merely glared right back at Norio as he struggled to free himself from his grasp.

"She isn't the Lady of the West yet! She's just a stupid bird youkai who thinks she can do whatever she wants!" he fought back. Korial lowered her eyes at his angry words, and couldn't help but sympathize with the pup.

She knew what it was like having to get used to a new ruler. Her father had found a new mate shortly after her mother had passed. Having to accept her as the new ruler of the North had taken some getting used to. Korial hadn't been any kinder to her than Kyoushi was being now.

"Perhaps it is asking too much for me to take part in your Western tradition," Korial murmured softly, and noted the look of surprise in Norio's eyes at her verbal retreat. She looked back at him unsurely, but froze when she noted Sesshomaru approach their group.

Norio quickly placed Kyoushi back on the ground when he spotted Sesshomaru as well. The guard gave the taiyoukai a deep bow in greeting. Korial stared straight at him, but quickly lowered her eyes when he noticed her staring with a displeased grimace. Kyoushi quickly ran to Sesshomaru's side as he looked up at the towering youkai with pleading eyes.

"Let me be on your team, Sesshomaru-sama!" he begged, "it isn't fair that I have to be stuck with that bird youkai. She doesn't understand the rules, or anything!"

"You were chosen to hunt with Korial," Sesshomaru replied levelly, "you will remain at her side. Should I ever need you in battle, you must be willing to be stationed anywhere and with anyone at a moments notice," he explained. Kyoushi stared back at Sesshomaru in slight shock before he adverted his eyes and returned to Korial's side without another word.

Sesshomaru gazed from Kyoushi to Korial, but said nothing more. He merely turned his back on the group and headed over to the pups in his division. Korial noticed then that all the pups on his side were wearing red handkerchiefs around their necks like collars.

Curiously, Korial glanced over to her group to spot matching blue handkerchiefs tied around their necks while Norio's pups all wore green handkerchiefs. There were other inuyoukai with their groups of pups with handkerchiefs ranging in color from dark purples to bright yellows. Korial couldn't be sure if all the group leaders were present, but counted about ten adult inuyoukai heads.

"The handkerchiefs make it somewhat easier to tell who is part of which team," Norio murmured, and Korial gave a start when she noted just how close he had gotten to her without her noticing him there, "but they won't be of much use once the sun goes down. The moonlight doesn't offer much light, so you're better off relying on your other senses to keep track of them,"

"I don't have as sensitive of a nose as you do," Korial replied curtly, and Norio simply smiled back at her.

"Just because you can't do something as good as an inuyoukai doesn't mean you can't use one of your other strengths instead," he answered, "being the only bird youkai in the hunt gives you the ability to be a little more creative with how you keep track of your pups,"

Korial searched the inuyoukai's eyes for a moment as she thought over what he said. She was sure she could use her calls or her power of flight over the others, but how would her pups respond in a way that would let her know that they were hers?

As Korial thought over possibilities, she hadn't noticed that Norio had left to tend to his team. It wasn't until Jaken squawked in protest when some of the pups chased him around the clearing that she realized she was standing alone. Her team had dispersed themselves throughout the groups, mingling with pups from other teams.

The only pup she saw still standing within a few feet of her was the first pup. He glanced up at her with a sympathetic look as if sensing that she was displeased at the lack of authority she had over her team.

Korial could only offer him a small smile as she walked over to him, and he lowered his body at her approach. She blinked in surprise at his action, and for a moment worried that he might be frightened of her.

"I am showing submission to you," the young pup clarified, "it's an inuyoukai thing," he added with a knowing smile.

"Oh," Korial replied before she nodded, "what is your name?" she asked curiously as the pup rose from his lowered position.

"Riyuu," he answered, "I'm glad that I get to hunt alongside a bird youkai, it's an exciting change from hunting alongside inuyoukai all the time," he added with an enthusiastic grin.

"I'm glad that at least someone on my team is excited that I'm the leader," Korial added with a helpless laugh.

Kyoushi came by shortly after that, as if he had overheard her laughter, and was greatly displeased by it. His arms were folded over his chest again as he surveyed her with a slight frown. Korial also noted that the other pups on her team had followed Kyoushi. It seemed that Kyoushi was the alpha of her little group, and Korial silently made note of that observation.

"So, how are you planning on winning the hunt?" Kyoushi asked pointedly as the others looked from him to Korial curiously.

"I haven't thought of a strategy just yet, but I was hoping that maybe we could try to come up with ideas together," Korial replied.

"You don't even have any ideas yet?" Kyoushi replied in disbelief, "you're even more pathetic than I thought,"

"Kyoushi," Riyuu scolded his name in an angry whisper, "she is your leader for this hunt, so stop being such a brat!"

"You're being the brat, Riyuu!" Kyoushi growled back defensively as he turned to the other pup, and stood as tall as he could to tower over Riyuu, "if you want me to listen to you, than you're going to have to fight me to prove your worth," he added in a threatening tone.

"There's no need for a fight," Korial pointed out as she tried to catch the boys' attention, but they ignored her as they exchanged more challenging growls. She tried coaxing them a little more, but then the other boys under her care began to quarrel amongst each other as well.

It wasn't until Korial had tried all she could to get the boys to listen to her that she let her eyes go completely red and some of her feathers appear over her pale skin. Her hybrid form nearly doubled her human form in size, and as she towered over the boys her tall shadow began to darken their self-made battle arena. Most of the pups stopped their rustling at the sight of her, but Kyoushi and Riyuu didn't stop until Korial let out an ear piercing shriek native to her youkai species.

The others around her team turned around in alarm at the sound, but Korial didn't let her desire to impress them get the better of her. She needed to exert her dominance over the pups now, or she'd never be able to get them to respect her.

"I am the leader of this team," she roared angrily, with the ends of her words menacingly clipping off into a bird-like hiss, "you will obey all of my commands, and behave yourselves while in my presence," she added sternly, her voice booming over the clearing. The pups hurriedly disentangled themselves from each other before they all lowered their bodies to her without protest. Even Kyoushi had his head bowed low to the ground.

Korial surveyed them for a moment before she reverted back to her human form, her crimson eyes returning from under the raging red of her youkai eyes. The pups kept their heads bowed to her, and Korial later noted with a slight blush that the pups from a couple of the other inuyoukai teams were bowing to her as well.

Sesshomaru and his team were the only inuyoukai still on their feet, but Korial noticed that there was vague interest in the taiyoukai's eyes as he surveyed her. It seemed that her show of dominance had intrigued him.

Korial cleared her throat nervously before she spoke, "Thank you all for your respect, now please return to whatever you all were previously doing!" she chimed as pleasantly as she could. The other leaders quickly ushered their teams away from her, and she saw many of them start to form huddles around the vast clearing.

Her pups rose at her command before they exchanged looks with one another, as if they all were too frightened to be the first one to approach her. Kyoushi quickly let out an impatient sound at his teammates lack of courage before he walked over to Korial confidently. The pups hurriedly followed him before they were all uneasily standing before her.

"Alright, shall we try introductions again?" Korial asked as she extended her arm out to Kyoushi, "I am Korial, and I will be your leader for this year's hog hunt," she added. Kyoushi looked at her hand dismissively before he let out a sigh with the roll of his eyes and reached for it. He shook it strongly before he spoke,

"My name's Kyoushi. It's nice to meet you," he mumbled before letting go of her hand. Korial smiled down at him before she clapped her hands together happily.

"Alright! So, first things first, what are all the rules that I should know for the hog hunt?"


Rin followed uneasily behind Jarius, finding her current predicament difficult to take in. Jarius had told her that he now belonged to her. While she pictured owning his heart as a possible romantic tie between them, Jarius had told her that it was nothing of the sort.

"My heart is as much a body part as my arm or leg," he had said, "and as long as you hold on to it, I am subjected to follow you. I cannot survive for very long if I am far away from it,"

Simply put, Jarius was going to be her forever companion, unless she was killed or died of natural causes. Rin wasn't sure how having an incubus around would come into play once she met up with the real Sesshomaru again. Would he view Jarius as an ally or foe? Even worse than that, would he think that Rin had chosen Jarius over him? That he had claimed her first?

"Impossible," Jarius murmured before he turned to give Rin a wide grin that didn't reach his eyes, "I am but your possession, not a true being that could "claim" you as youkai can,"

"Oh," Rin replied meekly, still a bit flustered by the fact that Jarius could read her thoughts like they were openly written on her forehead.

"You better get used to it," Jarius stated with a light sigh, "your every thought echoes in my mind, so be wary of what you fantasize. Especially when it comes to thinking about your precious youkai lord,"

"But why can't I hear what you're thinking, if you can hear my thoughts?" Rin asked somewhat jealously, "I possess your heart," she added in for good measure. Jarius paused his long stride to turn and glare down at her with a slight scowl.

"My heart does not entitle you to everything," he practically growled, "I've already told you that owning my heart doesn't give you free reign to control me as if I were your life size puppet. Reading my thoughts is another part of me that you do not have power over,"

"I'm sorry," Rin murmured softly while she lowered her dark pooled irises from his fiery ones, "I did not mean for my question to upset you,"

Jarius studied her for a moment before he let out a defeated breath and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's fine," he mumbled after a pause, "I should expect these kinds of questions from a first time incubus master, not get infuriated by them,"

"Have you had other owners?" Rin asked, though shut her lips worriedly when Jarius looked into her eyes again, "I'm sorry, if you want me to stop asking you questions, I – "

"Yes, I have had other masters," Jarius replied with a slight smirk, "but I ate their souls the moment I got within reaching distance of their mouths, and reclaimed my heart before they had time to realize what had happened,"

Rin's eyes widened to an impressive degree at that before her hands quickly shot up to cover her mouth. Jarius watched her actions before he let out a bellowing laugh.

"Do not fret," he teased with a twinkle in his eye, "I've already told you how I feel about your soul. I will abide by what I said, and wait until you willingly give it to me,"

"But I won't want to do that!" Rin insisted, her voice muffled from behind her hands.

"Don't be so sure," Jarius continued to tease before he moved in to gently run his fingers along her right arm, "I've been known all across the East for my powers of seduction, do you really think you'll be able to resist me?" Rin could only feverishly nod in response, and Jarius let out another joyous laugh in return.

"My, what fun this will be," he noted with a wide grin, "I have never traveled with such a strong minded and stubborn woman before. I am greatly excited to see how you fare in this trying world of ours,"


Korial blinked at Kyoushi in astonishment.

"You mean I have to fight the other inuyoukai throughout the night?" she asked the little youkai, entirely too bewildered by this "hog hunt" to believe its rules. Kyoushi pinched the bridge of his nose impatiently before letting out a long sigh.

"Yes," he stressed angrily, "if any of the other team leaders capture us while you aren't watching, then that pup is disqualified from the game. They have to give up their team colored handkerchief to the leader who caught them. We then have to return to this field, and wait for the rest of our teammates to join us or the game to end,"

"And you have to chase "hogs," which are really bewitched toys that look like hogs that transform back into their inanimate forms once they come into contact with inuyoukai saliva?"

"Have you not been paying any attention to me at all?" Kyoushi growled, "yes, and the team who lasts the longest or collects the most "toys," as you call them, wins,"

"Leaders are also able to give up the win for their team if they think any of their pups are in any danger of getting seriously injured. Whether the injury is coming from another pup or from one of the other leaders, it doesn't matter," Riyuu informed her happily.

"Leaders can give up themselves as well, if they feel that they are no match against another one," Kyoushi muttered with a roll of his eyes, "but only the weaklings do that,"

"Alright, I think I have a plan!" Korial stated suddenly with a wide, confident grin.

"Can't wait to hear it," Kyoushi muttered sarcastically with another roll of his eyes.

"Yeah! Tell us!" Riyuu ushered excitedly, and the other pups in her group nodded enthusiastically as well. All excluding Kyoushi, who looked less than impressed by her sudden outburst.

"I'll need you to herd as many pups as you can into open fields for me," Korial began, "once there, I can swoop down and catch them one by one. That way we can disqualify as many pups as possible, right off the bat,"

"But the main objective is to collect as many objects as we can!" Kyoushi exclaimed, "not to try to get rid of the other pups,"

"Think about it though," Korial stressed, "the less pups that are out on the field, the more hogs you will have the ability to catch,"

"What about the leaders?" Kyoushi asked back feverishly, "with the majority of their pups out of the way, they can focus more on catching us instead,"

"Weren't the rules of the game to have as many pups left standing at the end or collecting the most objects of any other team?"

"I guess that's true..." Kyoushi muttered, unappeased, "but no other leader has ever done this before, how do we know it'll work?"

"It'll work because the other leaders won't be expecting it. They'll be too set on trying to lead their pups to hogs, and fighting amongst each other to disqualify an entire team first," Korial replied, "It'll at least buy us some time, and better our odds of winning even if we can't herd all of the pups from the other teams," she added hurriedly when she noted Kyoushi's lack of enthusiasm for her idea.

"What if the leaders pick up on what we're doing?" Riyuu asked worriedly before he shivered slightly, "I don't want to be on the wrong side of an inuyoukai leader's rage, especially if it's Sesshomaru-sama's,"

"Then I'll fight them off as best I can. Meanwhile, you'll all need to start hunting hogs, because I most likely won't have the option of continuing to catch pups with you if I'm trying to fight off other leaders,"

"Understood," Kyoushi stated, and Korial couldn't hide her surprise at the young inuyoukai's sudden sign of support, "but how will we know where to herd the pups?"

"I'll send out my bird calls to let you know where I am in the sky," Korial answered, "Given that I am the only bird youkai in the game, my cry should be easy to pick up among the various inuyoukai calls,"

"Shouldn't we have a call for you too?" Riyuu asked, "in case one of us are in trouble? Or if we need you to come to us to get another pup from a different team?"

"Good thinking," Korial praised the inuyoukai pup, who smiled proudly back at her, "you'll all need to make a distinguishable bark of some sort that can't be confused for another sound that a pup might normally make,"

"How about this?" Kyoushi asked before he let out a short, sharp yip that sounded almost like a whistle. Korial smiled broadly at the inuyoukai pup who merely scowled her appreciation with his signature eye roll.

"That sounds great, and very noticeable," Korial praised, even though Kyoushi wasn't all that excited to receive it, "all of you should try it, just to make sure everyone can make that sound," she instructed. The pups all went around making the whistle-like yip until Korial was sure they all could produce it effectively.

Korial then noticed the estranged looks their group was getting from the other teams, and smiled apologetically. Many of them merely shrugged her off, but she noted a couple leaders continue to stare. Two leaders, to be exact. Her smile faltered slightly when she recognized that the two leaders still staring at her were Norio and Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru's gaze was calculating, and slightly suspicious. Norio's stare was a mixture of those, but she also noticed a praising twinkle in his golden eyes. Of all the other leaders there, Korial was convinced that Norio was the only one who had truly understood what she was doing. That fact could be a good thing, but also a bad thing if Norio's team were one of the few left standing at the end. He'd know her strategy, and that those calls were from her group of pups. It would only make them that much easier to find, and eventually capture if she wasn't careful.

"Alright, it sounds like everyone is ready to begin the hunt then!" Jaken exclaimed happily, and Korial didn't miss the grateful sigh the youkai gave out afterward, "so I ask that all the leaders line up at the end of this clearing, and prepare for the release of the hogs!" he added as the leaders and their groups began migrating towards the beginning of the forested area. Korial could only follow in unison with the others, and gave her group her most convincing smile when they reached the edge of the clearing.

A silence suddenly fell over the crowd as Jaken walked over to another fenced door with a large wooden lever appointed to the left side of it. He gave the group of awaiting contenders his cheekiest smile before he spoke,

"Good luck to everyone!" he cried out before he jumped from the fence to land on the top of the lever. His weight pushed it down as the fence swung open, and a collection of thirty or so hogs came running out. They ran around the group of inuyoukai at a far distance so that they were unreachable from their present location. They scattered themselves into the forest, and after the last one disappeared into the thick woods, Korial noticed that all the youkai began to transform into their true forms.

It was truly an exciting sight to see all the human-like creatures suddenly disappear behind large collections of tufts of fur and teeth. The leaders were nearly ten times the height of their pups, and easily towered over their groups. Upon closer inspection, Korial noted the subtle differences among the inuyoukai leaders. Their curled tufts around their shoulder blades and waist were different from youkai to youkai. She had noted that Sesshomaru's tufts of hair were gray against a white body, while Norio's was the complete reverse. A sharp contrast that she kept in the back of her mind, in case she had to face either one of them later on in the game.

Korial also noted that her group was changing as well. Riyuu and Kyoushi looked far more intimidating than she had previously noticed before. Their faces extended forward to form muzzles while their canines elongated to pop out from under their lips. Their bulky forms towered over her human one as they began to prance around their section, anxious to start the hunt.

Korial wasted no time in changing into her youkai form. It felt good to shed her human skin for feathers as she ruffled out her wings before sitting behind her group of pups. She awaited movement from the other leaders to signal that the hunt had officially begun. Norio was the first to sound off the game with a menacing roar that resembled a lion more than a dog, and his team was the first group of pups to enter the forest in an all out run.

The other teams quickly followed suit. Korial noted that the leaders stalled behind as the pups quickly dispersed themselves. She ushered her pups forward as they nervously stared from each other to her. She fluttered her wings impatiently, and they soon got the hint. With a light growl Kyoushi led the pups into the forest. Korial was pleased to see them enter as a unit, instead of widely dispersing as the other pups had done before them.

Korial turned her red eyes towards the other inuyoukai leaders, and wondered why they all stood around idly while their pups were running around on their own in the forest. Not wanting to waste any more time there, she quickly opened her wings before she flew into the air. As she made it to the top of the forested arena, she spotted Inukimi observing from the front of the castle. She comfortably sat atop a high balcony along with a few other inuyoukai as they eagerly surveyed the forest.

She caught sight of the female inuyoukai's gaze, and she gave Korial a pleased smile in return. She nodded to her before she adverted her eyes to look upon the vast forest. She had no idea where the arena ended, and where the actual boundaries began. Nothing was closed off, and she suddenly realized why Jaken had stressed the importance of keeping their pups safe from the possible dangers of other youkai outside of the hunt.

Korial let out a loud cry over the trees, and waited for her pups to answer her. A moment later her wish was granted by the sound of a collection of whistle-like yips that soon echoed in a clearing not far from her location. She turned to spot her pups corralling a small group of confused pups from other teams into the clearing. She swooped down once she had a good shot at them, and dived down quickly before gently grabbing hold of two of the pups with her talons.

They let out surprised cries at her catch, and collapsed in her talons before she gently released them back on the ground. She then went after the other pups that her group had gathered, and made sure to catch each one of them until six defeated pups stood in the clearing. Once she had captured all of them, she nodded to her group to continue on. They quickly disappeared into the forest to begin herding again.

Korial watched then as the pups she had captures reluctantly grabbed their handkerchiefs with their jaws, and tugged them off their necks. They each presented their team markers to her as she quickly reverted back into her human form. She folded each one before putting them in the pockets at the sides of her kimono. She noted with a prideful smile that one of the handkerchiefs she and her pups had collected was red.

The pups then reverted back into the human forms as they disappointedly returned to the clearing where they had started. Korial transformed back into her true form as she took to the skies once again. This time she spotted movement coming from the main clearing. The inyoukai leaders had taken notice of their pups returning back, defeated.

Some of the inuyoukai leaders that Korial didn't recognize hurried into the forest to track their team, and she noted how their movements were slowed due to the barrier the trees of the forest made for their massive forms.

Her wings fluttered as she kept air born, and she watched in interest when she caught sight of a pup getting hold of one of the hogs. The moment their jaws clamped onto the hog's neck, it disappeared into a small collection of smoke before what looked like a stick took its place in the inuyoukai's mouth. It proudly pranced forward, back to the main clearing. Korial could only assume that each team collected their objects there once they were obtained.

She swooped down closer to the tops of the trees when she caught sight of her team trying to circle around another group of pups from the other teams. They seemed to be having more trouble with this group, and fought to keep the pups trapped within their herding circle. Korial let out a supportive cry from above, which was quickly followed by the collection of whistle yips.

It took some time, but soon her pups had collected another six pups into the clearing that they had come to before. Korial followed the same tactics as she had with the previous group, and happily urged her pups forward with a happy squawk when she had finished capturing the competing pups.

In this pair, they had captured three of Norio's pups. The other purple, orange, and yellow handkerchiefs were taken more pridefully than the green. She somewhat sadly collected the green handkerchiefs, disheartened that she had nearly cut Norio's team in half so early on in the game.

She didn't dwindle on that fact for too long though, for she quickly reverted back to her youkai form to take off yet again into the sky. More inuyoukai had come barreling into the forest, and she recognized Norio amongst them as he made it through the trees, pausing to most likely to bid his fellow teammates farewell as they returned to the main clearing.

Korial hadn't noted any losses on her side yet, but the inuyoukai also hadn't come into the forest to start fighting until a few minutes ago. Not to mention having her team in one single unit made it harder on the other pups to fend them off.

She swooped down again to try and look for her team, and quickly noted the blue handkerchiefs in a sea of white as they formed yet another circle around three other pups. They followed their maneuver the same as before, and Korial let out a breath of relief when she didn't see any red or green handkerchiefs in their latest catch.

Korial continued their maneuver for a total collection of thirty handkerchiefs. Korial would have called her plan fool proof, if she hadn't noticed the inyoukai leaders beginning to catch on to their strategy. Sesshomaru was the first, being the largest inuyoukai of the group he was easy to distinguish.

He hadn't run into the forest like the other had, but merely strolled through like the calm and collected creature he was. Korial hadn't missed his watchful gaze as she exchanged bird shrieks with her teams' whistle-like yips. It was only a matter of time before the others caught onto it as well.

Her team had just called her in another group of pups when Korial spotted Sesshomaru making his way over to her. She feverishly swooped down to catch as many as she could, but only got a hold of three of the six there before Sesshomaru made it into the clearing.

Korial squawked helplessly before she ushered her pups away from the clearing. They scattered into the forest in a fury of white masses of fur. The large taiyoukai let out a low growl when he spotted that two of the three pups she had caught were wearing red handkerchiefs. He approached her slowly, his legs getting tangled in the trees as he tried to stay upright.

Korial took his weakened balance as a chance to fight back. She flapped her wings feverishly to bring up a wind storm that blew through the taiyoukai's fur. It didn't injure him in any way, but Korial noted that he was quickly losing his footing while trying to remain on all four of his paws.

Korial held him there, trapped under her gusting winds before she gave a start when another inuyoukai slammed its body into Sesshomaru's. The taiyoukai let out a low growl at that as he was shoved to the left, and turned to face the other inuyoukai. Korial quickly recognized Norio as the inuyoukai slammed all of his weight against his alpha once again. He used his sheer size to try and bring the bigger inuyoukai down, but he was no match for Sesshomaru's power.

Korial watched in dismay as Norio was roughly shoved back, his body weight alone unable to surpass his alpha's. Korial wanted to stay and help, but she knew that Norio had purposefully given Korial a window to escape by trying to pick a fight with Sesshomaru.

She used the chance gratefully as she flew away to tend to her pups. She spotted Kyoushi with an object in his mouth, along with Riyuu a few feet away with another. She swooped down into the nearest clearing before letting out her calling shriek. The pups quickly formed a group around her once they reached the clearing, and she was pleased to find that all six had collected objects while she had been trying to fend off Sesshomaru.

She quickly reverted back to her human form to converse with the pups,

"Let me fly you all back to the clearing where we started," Korial stated, "having you above ground will keep you all out of reach of the other youkai," she added before reverting back to her bird youkai form. She lowered her body so that the pups could climb atop her back before she took to the skies.

She flinched slightly when she felt all of her pups dig their claws into her skin to try and hold on, but ignored the pain when she noted that none of the inuyoukai around the forest had noticed that her pups were on her back. She assumed that she was flying too high for them to see anything but the underside of her body.

When she made it back to the main clearing, her pups quickly leaped off her back to start a pile where a large blue flag atop a silver pole was whipping back and forth in the breeze. Jaken let out a surprised gasp at her tactic, but couldn't find anything to argue on about why what she had done was wrong. Given that they had never had a bird youkai take part in this tradition, Korial could see why rules about what she was doing weren't implemented into the rule books yet.

When her pups happily returned to her side, Korial allowed them to climb atop her back again before they were airborne. Korial flew them to the nearest clearing inside the arena before she let them dismount. She quickly turned back to her human form as she called her pups to attention.

"I'm pretty sure the other leaders have caught on to our plan," she stated loudly so that they all could hear her, "so go for the hogs now, and try to fend off what pups you can as a unit. You'll have better chances of winning with bigger numbers. I'll call out to you every ten minutes or so to check on your progress. When all six of you have collected hogs, then report to my location so that I can fly you back," she explained. The pups nodded to her in unison before they turned and galloped into the woods once more.

When Korial reverted back to her bird form, she was surprised to see that there were a significantly less amount of inuyoukai leaders wandering about the forest. Whether they had been disqualified by another leader, or their teammates had all been captured, Korial wasn't sure.

There were only three inuyoukai leaders left standing. To her delight and horror, Korial noted that Norio and Sesshomaru were two of the remaining three inuyoukai's left. The third leader was someone Korial didn't recognize, but noted that the other two were swiftly cornering him. She had no idea that partnerships could be devised in this hunt, and suddenly began to worry about how she'd fare against the two formidable youkai.

Sesshomaru was the first to strike, clamping his jaws onto the inuyoukai's neck while Norio tackled the rest of the inuyoukai's body down to the ground. She heard the third inuyoukai elicit whimpers before a sharp yelp echoed in the clearing, followed by Sesshomaru and Norio's steady retreat. Korial noted then that the third inuyoukai had disappeared, and assumed that he had given up. Korial couldn't blame him, having to fight an inuyoukai tag team was intimidating. She wasn't entirely sure if she could handle them herself.

She flew into another vast clearing before she called frantically for her team to assemble. Kyoushi and Riyuu were the first to appear with their catches, while the other four came back empty handed. Korial turned back to her human form to usher them closer.

"Only Sesshomaru and Norio's team remain now," she stated as calmly as she could, "so you all have to be on your guards. I won't be able to fly you back like I had hoped. I don't want to risk either of them attacking me and possibly injuring any of you. So you must go back on your own, but be careful," she explained. The pups nodded before they left as a unit, and Korial noted with a small smile how evenly distributed all six of them were. Having twelve eyes were much better than two when looking out for possible dangers.

Korial flew to the skies once she had transformed back, only to flap her wings exasperatedly when Norio appeared in the clearing before her in his human form. Unable to resist transforming back, Korial joined Norio on the ground in her human form as well.

"I'm glad to see that you've made it this far," Norio stated with a small smirk, "I had an inkling that you would though,"

"Without your help I wouldn't be here," Korial replied gratefully, "I should be thanking you for that,"

"There's no need," Norio shrugged, "Sesshomaru-sama and I have always been the most competitive of the leaders here. Having a third contender left Sesshomaru distracted and open to my attack. It's too bad that I couldn't have utilized my chance more effectively though," he added with a soft sigh.

"You saved me from him," Korial pointed out once again, "surely I can come in handy now that we're the only three teams left standing,"

"I suggest you keep your pups working to collect more hogs," Norio advised, ignoring her offer, "Sesshomaru was never one to collect pups from other teams. His only objective is to stop the other leaders, which in turn eliminates all of their pups,"

"Aggressive strategy," Korial murmured thoughtfully, "can I ask you a question?" she asked as the inuyoukai nodded for her to continue.

"Are you trying to distract me so that Sesshomaru can catch me off guard?" Korial asked as Norio's eyes widened before a soft smile spread across his face.

"I suppose I don't have as much power as I thought I had over you," Norio noted before he glanced up into her cerise eyes, "you've seen right through me,"

Korial's eyes widened slightly at that, and she quickly reverted to her true form before she was suddenly ambushed mid-transformation by Sesshomaru. His enormous form trapped her underneath him as she clawed and pecked at his chest and neck, but his pelt was far too thick for her hybrid form to cause any substantial damage.

He glared at her with his youkai red eyes before he bent down to grip her elongated neck with his jaws. She let out a shriek of pain as his fangs dung into her skin, and she wasn't sure if it was his competitive nature or his rage at her ability to remain in the hunt so long that caused the grip of his jaws to be so rough.

She knew that he wanted her to give up, but she merely continued to transform as her talons grew and she was able to grip his flanks with them. The sharp pinch of her claws caused the taiyoukai to momentarily let go of her neck to make a move for her feet. During that window of freedom, Korial quickly wiggled out from under him before she successfully made it to her feet.

She jumped into the air before angling her wings in such a way that when she flapped them she was able to push Sesshomaru back a little. The taiyoukai let out a loud growl as he struggled to stay with his paws planted firmly on the ground. When he finally turned his head to the side to protect his eyes from the flying debris, Korial dived forward to tackle him.

But before she made it to him, she was roughly shoved to the right as she flew into the surrounding trees with Norio atop her. The inuyoukai general kept her pinned to the ground as Sesshomaru made his way over and trapped her neck in his massive jaws once again. Korial let out another pained shriek as she was trapped under the two massive inuyoukai. She was no match for them, but she didn't want to give up. She had to try to win for her team.

She fought and struggled against their hold, but her movements were only tiring her out as Sesshomaru's jaws were slowly closing off her windpipe. Her motions grew sluggish as her chest heaved while she struggled for more and more air. It wasn't until she felt her eyesight start to blur that she felt Sesshomaru's grip begin to loosen.

The whistle-like yips of her team echoed through the forest as Korial glanced to the far right to see her team of six pups running to her aid. While they were no match for the massive inuyoukai leaders, Korial was touched that they would try to help her anyway. She spotted Kyoushi at the front of the pack as the group came into the clearing.

Norio let go of her bottom end before making a dash for the pups, and tried to catch some of them in his jaws. He caught two of the six at the end of the pack, but the other four zigzagged between his legs to make a go for Sesshomaru. He didn't let go of Korial's neck as the pups threw their tiny bodies against his massive feet. The pups growled and snapped their jaws impressively while they dug their claws and fangs into various parts of his paws and legs. The taiyoukai didn't seemed phased by their attack in the least.

Norio came bounding back to the pups as he caught hold of two more. Korial let out a weakened cry before she tried to move her head as best she could to signal the remaining pups to leave. They didn't listen to her, of course. Norio then caught hold of the third pup bitting into the back of Sesshomaru's right hind ankle.

Korial let out another shriek when Norio grabbed hold of Riyuu and forcefully tugged him off of Sesshomaru's body. Kyoushi was the last left standing, and he quickly let go of Sesshomaru's front paw to evade Norio's jaws. He ran around the taiyoukai for a couple of seconds before Norio caught him, and thus disqualified their entire team.

Sesshomaru let go of Korial's neck the moment Kyoushi was caught, and moved to Norio, who quickly submitted to him. By their body language, Korial could only assume that his submission was his form of quitting for his team. The taiyoukai let out a light growl before turning back to Korial. They stared at one another as she rose, and Korial noted how his dark red eyes almost seemed to lighten while he observed her.

It was only a fleeting observation, for in the next he bounded back into the forest to make it over to the main clearing. Her team had all removed their handkerchiefs, and sadly held them in their jaws as they all looked up at her solemnly.

Korial wrapped her wings affectionately around her group as she embraced them before she ushered them back to the main clearing as well. They had made it far, and she couldn't have asked for more from them.

When they all made it back to the clearing, Korial as well as the rest of her team reverted back to their human forms while Jaken smiled triumphantly when he heard the news that Sesshomaru's team had won.

Korial turned to form a huddle with her teammates before they joined the rest of the group. She smiled at each of them before she placed a supportive hand on both Riyuu and Kyoushi's shoulders.

"I'm very proud of all of you," she stated, "you stuck it out with me, even though I'm a beginner at all of this. You even came to my rescue, and I'm sorry that my carelessness cost us the game,"

"Winning doesn't matter," Kyoushi huffed, "we couldn't sit around while you were getting double teamed by Norio and Sesshomaru-sama. That just isn't fair,"

"We were willing to throw away the win, so long as you were safe," Riyuu chipped in as the other pups nodded in unison. Korial softly smiled at them as she whispered a soft thank you. Korial then directed her team back to the large group surrounding Jaken to hear him announce the winning team.

Sesshomaru's pups came forward to be awarded with the chance to serve Sesshomaru as his own high ranked guards. Jaken again mentioned that it would only be when they were old enough though, gaining a disappointed groan from the winning team.

"We thank all the inuyoukai pups that participated, and we hope we have as great a turn out next year!" Jaken cried out happily before muttering, "and hopefully I won't have to open for them next year either,"

"Hold on, Jaken," Sesshomaru called suddenly, silencing the crowd of chattering youkai, "I want to award the privilege of fighting alongside me to Korial's team as well,"

"W – What?" Jaken exclaimed in shock, "but – but that's never happened before! Two teams can't win the hog hunt!" he added exuberantly. Sesshomaru merely ignored the toad's words as he turned to face Korial and her team.

"I have noted how well your team has worked as a single unit, and even when it cost them the win, they were willing to come to an ally in need. Having loyal soldiers like that, despite the possible dangers such actions could put them in, would greatly benefit me as well as the Western lands," he added. Korial couldn't hide her grin as her team let out a collection of cheers before running to the front of the group.

The pups from Sesshomaru's team glowered at them as they came forward, but Korial was happy to see that their disapproval hadn't fazed her own pups' enthusiasm. Jaken could only stare in disbelief before he shrugged his shoulder with a long, defeated sigh.

"If Sesshomaru-sama says it's so, than we shall have twelve winners this year," he stated before his chipper voice returned wholeheartedly, "so please help me in congratulating all of the winning pups of this year's hog hunt!" he added as the other youkai clapped their hands politely. Korial, on the other hand, excitedly hollered and screamed for her team as they waved as the others surrounded around them.

The group then swiftly exited as Jaken ushered the pups away from the clearing to enter the castle walls. Korial could only assume that they were exhausted after hunting and fighting almost all night long. When the bustle of moving bodies had finally calmed down, Korial was surprised to see that Sesshomaru was still there. He turned to look back at her before he slowly approached her. When he made it within arms reach of her, he took a moment to observe her.

"Look up," he suddenly instructed. Korial blinked at him in surprise before she did what he asked, and her eyes widened when she felt the soft caress of his claws against her neck.

"Your wound is gone," he observed before taking his hand away. Korial slowly brought her head back down before she nodded.

"I heal pretty quickly," she smiled, "thanks again for letting my team join yours. You don't know how much it means to them to be able to serve under you directly in battle. When they're old enough, of course,"

"What I said earlier was true," he replied levelly, "their loyalty to you, even at the cost of their lives and the hunt, was astounding for ones so young,"

"I agree," Korial answered before she glanced off to the right when she noted that Norio was walking away from them. She hadn't noticed him around before, but took notice of his retreat as he causally walked into the thick forest, and eventually out of sight.

Her eyes saddened slightly at his departure, and wondered if he were coming back anytime soon. While she should be angry that he had tag teamed with Sesshomaru to ultimately finish her off, she also knew that his loyalty to his lord was fiercer than his attraction to her. In a way, Norio had come to aid Sesshomaru much like her pups had come to her aid. She couldn't denounce Norio's character for that.

"You should rest," Sesshomaru instructed, catching Korial's attention once again.

"Yes, of course," she replied before pausing when she noted the light reddish hue of sunrise peeking out from over the horizon. She hadn't realized how close to dawn the hunt had gotten. Sesshomaru noted her stare, and turned to gaze at the sunrise as well.

The two stood there to watch the rest of the sunrise in silence.


A/N: So, kind of an awkward place to stop, but I wanted to end it right after the hog hunt before the chapter got to be too long. Hope everyone enjoyed the update! Until next time!