Chapter 14: Gruesome Meal

(There's one thing that everyone does and that's eat. Most love to eat, and others only eat because they have to. Others will eat anything as long as there's plenty of it; some think eating is the most important thing there is. But it's not because they eat a lot, it's because they're very picky about what they do eat. For them, they love a certain kind of food so much that they'll do anything to get it—anything. And if someone gets in their way well…)

Inuyasha opened his tired eyes and sunlight was shinning in through the small cave. He yawned widely as he stretched out his sore and aching muscles. He got up to his feet and looked around at his pack to see that everyone was still asleep. Ayame was curled up right up next to Koga's side—who was snoring loudly.

Kohaku was sleeping between Sango and Miroku—obviously keeping a close watch on Miroku and making sure that he stayed away from his sister. While he may be a gentle pup, he was still very protective of his sister.

Inuyasha smirked at that as his eyes fell on the last pair. Shippo was curled up tightly against Kagome's side and was snoring. He cautiously approached the newest member of their pack so that he could smell her scent again. She had a warm and floral smell—like tree blossoms at the beginning of spring, just after a rainfall. He never found such a wonderful scent… but it brought up several questions.

Where did she come from? He'd never seen her before, and he knew for a fact that she didn't come from either his brother's or Naraku's pack… so where did she come from? She said that she had come from far away… there was something strange about that. But the way she moved… it was like she was a pup still trying to get the hang of walking. She didn't know how to climb those rocks—and unless she did something terrible, he couldn't think of a reason why her old pack would want to kick out such a strong and young female. Unless there were already a lot of females…?

He heard another yawn and he backed away just in time to see Miroku stretching and slowly getting painstakingly to his feet. He obviously was as tired and sore from all that running as he was. Of all the times for Ayame to be having pups…

Miroku looked up at him and seemed to smile as he walked over.

'Inuyasha,' he said to him and, like always, sounded like he was in good spirits. 'What's for breakfast?'

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. 'Why do you always ask me that? Whatever we can catch, is what we'll be having for breakfast,' he said annoyed.

'Doesn't hurt to ask oh fearless leader,' Miroku grinned as he looked down at the sleeping Kagome and turned back to Inuyasha.

'So…?' he said to him quietly, so that they wouldn't wake the others. 'What do we do with her?'

Inuyasha had a pretty good idea to what 'her' Miroku was talking about.

'Don't know,' he answered truthfully. 'I mean… it's not like she has anywhere else to go. And she has been helping us even though she doesn't know us…'

'Yeah,' Miroku nodded. 'And I can't deny that we could always use more females around here…'

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. 'Is finding a mate all you ever think about?' he demanded.

'You wound me, Inuyasha,' Miroku smirked at him. 'I already found my future mate.' He turned his head longingly to the sleeping Sango. 'Now all I have to do is convince her to bear my pups…'

Inuyasha felt the need to gag. 'She's said no to you a million times already,' he reminded him. 'What is it going to take for you to see that she's just not that interested in you?'

'So winning her heart is taking longer than I thought it would,' Miroku said. 'You mark my words. She will be having my babies someday. I just have to…'

He shut up instantly.

'What were you saying, lecher?' Inuyasha asked annoyed. But Miroku just shook his head.

'We better talk later,' Miroku whispered quickly, 'Everyone's waking up now.' He pointed his snout at the others and Inuyasha turned to see them all opening their eyes and yawning.

As for Kagome, she had hoped that when she woke up, she'd be a human again. That it was all over with—and that she could go home to a safe and warm bed that was waiting for her. But no… she still had fur and four legs. She sighed in disappointment before she raised her head. She looked up to see that everyone else was also getting up.

She was about to say good morning when Sango groaned and rolled herself from her sleep. 'Oh good, everyone's awake,' she said brightly as she walked past the boys and right up to Kagome and said, 'Come on, today we need to go out and find some food.'

Kagome nodded at her and clumsily got to her feet as Shippo sleepily rolled away. She supposed that it was going to take a lot longer than one day to get used to more than two legs. She looked at Inuyasha then back at Sango who was walking away, towards the woods, she followed. Inuyasha stood there and watched her go; he didn't move until Miroku asked, 'Inuyasha?'

'Huh?' Inuyasha replied confused.

'What's with you?' Miroku asked him.

'Nothing. Come on, let's go and help the girls. I'm so hungry I could eat a moose,' said Inuyasha turning and walking back into the cave with Miroku not far behind.

'A moose?' Miroku repeated longingly. 'Oh, I'd kill for a moose… which we would have to.'

*Outside*

The four of them wandered around the high cliffs, sounded by tall, white stone on either side of them—it felt like being trapped in a canyon instead of being up on a cliff. Kagome's stomach was roaring in hunger… it was then she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since dinner the other night with her family—and even then she just picked at her plate. What she wouldn't give for some of her mother's homemade food.

'I'm starving!' Miroku whined as he put his nose to the ground and took a few good whiffs. 'Oh, good!' he cried out, suddenly brightening up. 'There's a bunch of mountain goats not too far off!'

Kagome made a start and realized that what she feared was true. When she thought that she would kill for a steak… looks like she's gonna get her wish.

'Wait,' she said and they looked up at her in puzzlement. 'We have to k-kill a goat?' she asked him in a whimper.

'Hunt,' Inuyasha corrected. 'And of course. How else do you expect us to eat?'

Kagome felt sick to her stomach.

'What's wrong, Kagome?' Sango asked in confusion.

'Nothing…' she told them all quickly. 'It's just… after what happened yesterday…' she trailed off for a moment. She remembered the hateful look in the hunters faces and how savage they looked. Was that how they would look to their—prey? She felt no different than the monsters that attacked them before.

'What is it?' Inuyasha asked annoyed. 'Don't you want to eat? If you don't want to hunt, then go back to the cave.'

Kagome started getting angry. 'Of course I'm hungry!' she barked at him. 'I haven't eaten anything since the day before yesterday! But…'

'But what?' Miroku asked confused.

Kagome took a deep breath and asked softly, 'How is us hunting other animals different than how the hunters came after us?'

'That's different,' Sango said as if it was obvious. 'We don't kill for sport… we hunt to survive. It's not like we can live on plants like a deer can. Besides don't you remember we only go after the weak ones?'

'What?' Kagome asked bewildered. The other three stared at her as if she suddenly grew another head.

'You mean you've never hunt before?' Miroku asked in astonishment. 'Kohaku's barely older than a pup but he's already starting to go out on hunts with us. You're pretty much full grown and you've never hunted before?'

Kagome suddenly realized her mistake. 'I told you…' she gasped quickly. 'I lived a very sheltered life.'

'A little too sheltered,' Inuyasha said as he turned to her suspiciously. 'Even if your old pack never let you hunt before, you would have some idea. Just where are you from?'

Kagome shivered, wondering what she was going to do. Finally, she decided on the truth… or at least not a complete lie. 'You really want to know?' she asked softly. 'I was raised in… in captivity!'

'Captivity?' they all demanded in bewilderment.

'You mean…?' Miroku asked slowly, 'You were raised by humans?'

'It's a long story,' she said softly. 'But you see, not all humans are bad. At least… not all of them go after wolves. Most humans think it's barbaric! I was still just a baby—a pup when I was brought in to be raised in a human environment.'

'You mean you were a pet?' Inuyasha demanded in outrage.

'They were very kind to me,' Kagome said quickly, she was on a roll. 'But…'

'You ran away?' Sango gasped quietly. 'That takes a lot of courage.'

'Not really,' Kagome sighed. 'Some… hunters found out about me and thought I was a monster. They were hanging around our house and I was worried for my human family. I overheard some of the hunters talk about the Areno wolf pack—and how it was led by a wolf named Quicksilver.' She smiled up at Inuyasha who let out a bark of amusement.

'And so… I left,' Kagome finished lamely. 'I've never been hunting before because my human family took care of me. What I told you before about my ordinal pack was a lie… or at least, parts of a lie. I don't like lying to you guys… but I was worried if you found out about how I was raised, then you wouldn't accept me. And I can't help but feel… I feel like we look how those hunters must've looked when they came after us.'

For a moment, no one said anything. Kagome could only stand there with her head down, hoping that they wouldn't turn her away because she was part of the human world. She waited, too scared to look up… and then…

'I'm sorry,' Sango's voice said. She slowly stepped forward and rubbed her furry head against hers. Kagome felt the need to cry as she breathed in Sango's comforting scent. She shut her eyes… trying hard not to feel sick with herself. She hated lying to them… but what else could she do?

Sango pulled away. 'That explains a lot,' she told her. 'How you knew so much about humans. So you think that you're a monster too?'

Kagome nodded dully. 'I just don't know anymore. I mean… how are we any different from the ones who tried to kill us yesterday?'

'There is a big difference,' Miroku told her firmly.

'Let us show you…' Sango said and she led her away. 'I'll show you the basics… and the boys will be looking for those goats. Come on.'

Kagome hesitated for a moment, and slowly began to follow her, leaving the boys behind them.

'Ok. This is the perfect spot to train you,' said Sango after a few minutes of walking. They were in a huge clearing that was surrounded by tall walls on all sides—with the only way out a sliver of an opening where they walked in. 'First thing that I'm going to teach you is to run fast and gracefully,' said Sango turning back to face her.

'This is going to take awhile isn't it? And by graceful you mean running and not making any noise right?' Kagome asked her with a shake of the head.

'Yes, oh and if you're a fast learner, then I don't think it'll take that long. You just have to practice and soon you'll be as fast as any of us,' said Sango confidently. 'I'll be showing you the basis while the boys do the hard stuff. Now, first you crouch down so you're on your hunches then you place one paw in front of the rest and you push off of you hind legs and run!' said Sango demonstrating, she ran the length of the clearing in about 3-5 seconds.

Sango came back with hardly a pant; 'Now it's your turn. Do just as I did.'

Kagome nodded and repeated the steps in her mind. She crouched down and placed one paw in front of the rest, and then she pushed off of her hind legs and ran across the clearing in about 10 seconds.

'Not bad, you're pretty fast for a house-pet. Nice job! The only thing I'd say is that you were a little too noisy but don't worry I'll teach you how to stay quiet. Just keep practicing and you'll be faster than me,' said Sango pleased with how quickly she learned.

Sango told her to barely touch the ground when she's running and she'll make less noise. But on Kagome's first try she stumbled over her own feet and fell. Sango kept on demonstrating—and Kagome couldn't help but feel as if Sango was showing off.

After a couple hours she was finally getting the hang of it, but she noticed that she was still a bit noisier then Sango. 'Nice job! Much better than before,' said Sango leading the way back to where they last left the boys. Kagome nodded and slowly walked behind her for her legs and paws hurt.

They walked through the maze-like cliff faces… the sun was already high. Kagome was just wondering how long it had been when Sango let out a howl—letting the boys know that they were done and that they should get their butts back here. Kagome snorted as Inuyasha and Miroku suddenly appeared far ahead of them and were sprinting back to where they stood. 'It's about time ladies. So Sango tell me how it went,' Miroku asked as he neared them.

Sango answered, 'Not bad, in fact she's really good. A little more practice and she'll be as good as me, maybe even faster.'

Kagome smiled at that, but it didn't last long when Miroku said, 'We finally tracked down the little herd of goat. They're over here!'

'But…' Kagome began but they already took off without her.

Hoping that she wasn't going to regret it, she followed them. But her mind was still spinning. No matter how many times she tried to wrap her mind around it, she just couldn't understand just how was what they were doing any different than what those hunters were trying yesterday? She was starving… she couldn't deny that… but could she truly kill and eat another living creature like this?

*10 minutes later*

Good news is… they found the goats. Bad news is… they found the goats. Kagome felt her guilt rise at the sight of the little baby ones prancing around the rocks… making little bahhing sounds… oh why did she have to turn into a wolf? Why not a deer or bird? Why do wolves have to be carnivores?

'What luck?' Inuyasha asked excitedly. 'I didn't think we'd find any decent food so soon. Normally we go hungry for a couple days before we find even a rabbit.'

'Don't complain,' Miroku grinned. 'I haven't eaten anything since those squirrels yesterday and I am looking forward to a full belly.'

'Don't eat the whole thing!' Sango scolded. 'We still have to bring it back to the others. They're probably wondering where we are… and Ayame's has to eat for her and her pups!'

'Great,' Inuyasha grunted. 'More mouths to feed.'

Sango looked back at Kagome and saw how sick she was looking.

'We don't kill unless we have to,' she explained to her. 'We are not monsters who hunt for sport. We hunt for food and only enough to get us through the day. But with such a large pack, it's sometimes hard to get enough food for everyone. Ayame and the pups have been taken most of it.'

'Keh,' Inuyasha grunted again. 'We do all the hard work and they get all the good food.'

'Inuyasha!' Sango snapped at him before she turned back to Kagome. 'Ignore him. Anyway we're very picky about our prey as well. For example, we are only going for that big one over there.'

Kagome looked to where Sango was looking and saw a very old looking goat staggering off some of the larger boulders—it looked as if it was having trouble moving. Kagome gulped. 'We're going to kill him?'

'Smell him,' Sango commanded. 'He smells different from the rest of his herd.'

Kagome blinked several times before she looked back at the old goat. She took a deep breath and suddenly she could smell it. The scent of sickness… like she had stepped into someone's room when they had the flu.

This old goat was sick, real sick. Was that it? Did wolves really only go after the sick or weak ones?

'Think of it as putting that goat out of his misery,' Inuyasha said, but it didn't help when he licked his chops. 'He doesn't have much time left. This sickness is common in for a large herd. If he lives for too long, then he could pass the sickness to others. Think of it as a service to all.'

'Stay here and watch,' Sango commanded. And before Kagome could say or do anything else, before she could even blink, Inuyasha charged. The other two close behind…

Inuyasha had bolted straight for the old goat. The younger—smaller ones scattered and ran away. But they had nothing to fear because they weren't the target. Kagome couldn't move… she had never seen anything like this. She watched in horror and amazement as Miroku and Sango darted around, surrounded the poor creature. This was perfect teamwork, all of them working like a well oiled machine—knowing exactly what each other was going to do.

It tried to move, but Inuyasha was quicker. He leapt forward and grabbed the goat by its throat—and with one quick snap, broke it. The goat became limp… then it remained still.

Kagome had never seen anything so terrifying… and exhilarating. The three of them reared their heads back and began to howl… a victory… tonight they would eat.

Sango walked back to her as the boys began the challenge of dragging the goat back to the cave. She looked behind them before turning back to Kagome. 'It's harsh yes… but if we don't hunt, we go hungry and die. We make it quick. So that they are spared any pain—they don't even feel it. Unlike those weapons the humans use. Will you be ok?'

Kagome wasn't so sure. But nodded. She wasn't sure what was right or wrong anymore. But she needed food… she would do whatever it took to survive.

*The cave*

When they arrived back at the cave, Shippo came running out to meet them.

'HEY!' he howled happily as he bounced around them. 'You finally came back! 'bout time! I'm hungry! Did you get anything good? What did you find?'

Kagome could only laugh as she lowered her head and nuzzled her nose against him. He laughed until he saw Inuyasha and Miroku dragging the dead animal—you could see the drool coming from his jaws. They dragged the goat into the cave where Ayame, Kohaku, and Koga were waiting.

After much arguing, Kagome discovered how the order went. Ayame would eat first because she was pregnant, the pups will go next, and then the ones who caught the goat which would be Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha. Koga and Kagome were to go last. Miroku offered for her to eat with them but Kagome shook her head. She didn't help catch it, and she was trying to wait as long as possible before she would be forced to do something that looked so gruesome.

Kagome sat back and watched, slightly nauseated, as they all dug in like—like a pack of wolves. She shook her head at the saying… looks like she now knew where it came from. She watched as they all dug into the carcass and bloodied their muzzles.

Once everyone else had their fair share, there wasn't much meat left on the bone, (so to speak) but Kagome could tell that there was still enough for them. Koga jumped up and immediately dug in, but Kagome hesitated.

'Well then, come on and try some, it's really good,' said Sango nudging her in the back, licking her own mouth clean.

Koga sat down and bit into it and ate more and more, Kagome stepped cautiously next to him and sniffed it. It smelt better than she thought it would be but she was still nervous. 'Come on, try some it's really good,' Koga told her as he ripped part of the leg off.

Miroku also spoke up, 'You'll like it, and besides this doesn't come around very often. Wolves only hunt what we can catch… not all the time. So just try some.'

Kagome looked at him and smiled. And at last, she bent down and took a small bite off one of the back legs. It tasted sweet and sour and bloody… nothing like mom's wonderful home cooking… but nonetheless it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango waited for her to answer. She swallowed and looked at them and smiled, 'Not bad!'

'See we told you!' said Sango happily as she lay down and seemed ready for a nap. For the first time in days, Kagome felt full. She continued eating with Koga until all that was left was the hair and bone. As she lay down and began to wipe the blood off her mouth, Koga actually dragged what was left of the hair from their meal and over to where Ayame rested… to help make it more comfortable for her no doubt.

Kagome still felt bad for that something had to die for them to eat, but she knew that it had been her only choice. She stretched out and allowed Shippo to climb over her as he played. Kagome could still see the sadness in his eyes and knew that he was missing his father—but was trying hard to be strong for the rest of them as well.

Kagome smiled at him and gently began to play with him as they all talked and laughed. All too soon, the sun began to go down and Kagome took the same place where she slept the night before. Shippo curled up right next to her—Kagome was getting attached to this little pup and she wrapped her tail around him to keep him warm.

It scared her slightly… how easily she was getting used to the life of a wolf. She lay awake for a long time, with Shippo snoring, trying to think of what was going to happen to her. She couldn't stay here forever could she? She wanted her parents… and her brother. Her old room and even her school… she would have to do something. She had been missing for more than a whole day—everyone must be so worried. Her eyes closed. She had to find a way back. One way or the other.

*That night*

Inuyasha had taken his time falling asleep. He drifted off several times—but was constantly awoken because he thought that he had heard something outside. But it just turned out to be the wind or the sounds of bats. He grunted annoyed as he turned his back on the opening of the cave and glanced over his pack once again.

Inuyasha cautiously got to his feet and approached where Kagome slept with Shippo. He bent his head low over her to smell her scent again. She wasn't like any other wolf he ever met… the way she moved, the way she talked… it was like everything was new for her. Had she really gone her whole life without meeting another wolf?

He lowered his snout nearer and took another deep breath and smelled her wonderful scent. There was something different about her… she almost smelled—wild.

No… she was a wolf… she may have been raised by humans.

But she was still a wolf.

Inside she was all wolf.

(Another chapter down. I know that I've been neglecting this story, but it's because my dumb computer had to go and get viruses and it's taken me awhile to get everything working again. But here's the next chapter and I hope that you all enjoyed it.)