It had been three and a half months since Kit ran off and Kouga's throat was still sore from howling so much, but no matter how much he tried he couldn't believe that she was gone. To top it off a couple of the males were talking about overthrowing him because his mate had died without leaving any pups. Kouga had given them a good beating, but he knew that they were right, with his mate dead, no pups, and he being the only one allowed to mate the pack would soon die out.
Karena hadn't been in her best of moods for the past three and a half months, she avoided everyone as much as possible hell she wouldn't even snap at Sesshomaru when he made a comment or bugged her. Karena looked up at the clear blue sky as she walked this time she wasn't able to get away from the others.
Up in the mountains Kit squeezed out of her den, once you could clearly see a swollen stomach as she went to a bush to throw up. Once done her stomach was emptier than before as she went to go hunt, which wasn't plentiful due to the cold weather, leaving her to feed on mice and dare she say-- fish.
Karena sighed for the uptenth time that day. 'Karena what is wrong with you? That sighing is getting annoying.' she heard Sesshomaru's voice in her head, she had gotten use to him just barging into her mind.
'Nothing, just ignore me like you do every other time.' she thought back with out any emotion in it.
Kit found a doe and started stalking it, before its baby came running up beside it. Kit stopped and looked at the two as the mother made sure the baby was ok. 'Looks like we're in the same tight spot.' Kit thought as she looked down at her stomach which was covered by the thin and too small for her belly's kimono.
'It's hard to ignore when you are always in my presence mutt.' Sesshomaru thought to her. And that was the final straw for Karena as she stopped turned around coming face to face with Sesshomaru, after that she slapped him hard across the face leaving a few scratches before disappearing all together.
Kit sighed as she went back to her den on an empty stomach. "I guess its snow for dinner tonight... again." she said before struggling to get down the narrow hole. "And I've got to make that bigger... AGAIN."
Karena stopped after a while as silent tears that she did not even notice began to fall. "Why does he hate me? Why do I love him? Why did Kit have to leave me like this?" she asked all out loud as she leaned against the tree and slid down it.
When she hit the ground she felt her butt fall down a hole. Down below Kit looked up shocked that something was messing with the entrance to her den before starting to growl loudly at the intruder, trying to scare whatever it was off.
Karena struggled then got free "What the hell?! Damn it I can't even sit down with out falling through a hole!" she said annoyed as the tears still fell.
Kit continued to growl, hiss, spat, and whatever else might scare it of as she backed up as far from the entrance hole as she could.
Karena heard that and her eyes widen "Who's there?" she asked loudly as she got ready to defend herself.
Kit growled louder and started kicking dirt up the hole to try and scare her away, still not aware that it was her sister.
Karena glared at the hole. "Hey damn it knock it the hell off geeze, I am not going to do shit to a cub or whatever the hell you are in that hole." Karena said as she covered her face with her arms as to not get hit with the dirt.
Kit didn't stop with the dirt but started to bark and in dog said "Get the hell out of my territory."
Karena growled like a wolf but spoke in fox "What the hell did you just say to me?"
Kit shot a foxfire up the hole still growling and kicking dirt.
Karena dodged, 'That's it,' she thought before going into the hole glaring at her attacker.
Kit kicked her in the face, before seeing that it was Karena. She froze for a bit pushing her out of the den and curling up at the bottom. 'No she can't be here, she can't see me like this.' she thought as she looked scared at her stomach and then to the hole.
Karena growled "Ok that hurt." she said before going back in glaring and ready to kill but she stopped when she noticed who it was, Karena turned pale and stepped back a bit which made her fall over. "It can't be." she whispered softly.
Kit just laid there, waiting to getting beaten for wanting to birth crossbred children just like her mother had. 'Please don't let me loose then.' she thought shaking in fear.
"K…Ki...Kit?" Karena asked shocked and scared about what she was seeing.
Kit flinched at her name, as she curling up more trying to protect her stomach from the beating she knew was she awaited her.
Karena stood up and went towards Kit before sitting down beside her and as gently as possible placed a hand on her head.
Kit squeezed her eyes shut as tears steamed down her face and whimpers came from her closed mouth, trying to gain a little bit of pity in hope that it would make the beating less painful.
"Kit, you are alive." Karena said her voice almost shaky. "Kit, what's wrong?" Karena asked worried about her sister's behavior.
Kit glanced at her older sister before squeezing her eyes again and she slightly scooted away.
Karena watched Kit carefully. "Kit, I'm not going to hurt you I should for what you have pulled but I won't since it looks to me like you're pregnant." she said.
She got to the entrance before bolting out and into the cover of the snow. 'I'm sorry Rena,' she thought as tears steamed down her face and she curled up and the base of a tree.
Karena got up quickly as she ran also scared as of what might happen to Kit. "Kit, come back!" she called out as tears started to fall again.
Kit looked up scared as her sister came into view.
"Kit, please I'm begging you!" she called out again as tears continued to fall.
Kit backed against the tree and stared at her sister fearfully. "Please just... leave. I want them please, don't tell anybody and leave. I'll raise them on my own." Kit said as tears freely fell down her face.
"Kit, please don't leave me alone again." Karena said as she closed her eyes and looked down trying hard to fight back the tears.
Kit looked up confused as she took a step towards Karena before backing up again at the thought of how their mother was betrayed and beaten by her siblings.
Karena sank to her knees as she started to shake with her suppressed tears. "No I won't cry I won't cry." she said with her hands placed on her knees.
Kit went and stood next to her sister looking confused. She opened her mouth to speak but instead started to back away.
"Kit, why are you scared of me? Do you really hate me that much, to just leave me alone and won't try to talk to me?" she asked as she looked in the other direction.
She ran over to the closet bush and started puking. She started to grow faint as the stomach acid burnt her throat and the cold started to really affect her.
Karena looked up when she heard the noise and ran to her sister's side sacred.
Kit passed out and fell into the snow, her tail, ears, and hair perfectly blended so that they looked to be part of the snow. "Please… don't hurt them…" she whispered in her unconscious state as her sister approached.
Karena looked down at her sister and understood what she had meant. "I'm not going to take that away from you, You know I hate stuff like that." she said gently as she picked up the unconscious body of her sister as gently as she could.
She snuggled closer to the source of warmth and started to purr at the familiar scent as tears started to fall down her pale face. Her hand gripped the front of her older sister's shirt. "Onee-chan..." she whispered so softly that Karena barely heard it.
Karena looked down since she thought she heard something as she started to walk. "It's alright, Kit, I'm here." she said just incase her sister did call out to her. 'Kit will probably be pissed when I tell her what I did to Ice prince but then again she might laugh.' she thought.
Kouga shivered as he headed outside the cave to go hunt. 'Damn, I hate the snow.' he thought as he looked over the white ground and trees. An image of Kit popped into his head and his eyes started to water. 'No,' he thought, trying to stop the tears. 'She's gone... she's been gone and she's never coming back just get over it.' he thought 'I have to be strong for my pack.' He looked back at his fellow wolfs. 'I can't let them down.' and with that thought he headed off into the forest to look for his breakfast.
Karena sighed as she continued to walk Kit still in her arms. 'Damn it sis why didn't just tell me in the first place?' she thought as she kept her eyes straight ahead to make sure she wouldn't walk into anything or into any trouble.
Kouga hulled three large boars back to the den, happy that the hunting got his mind off his late mate, only now there wasn't anything to stop from wonder. 'It's all my fault I'm her mate, I was supposed to protect her.' he thought as he dragged the boars through the snow.
Karena stopped dead in her tracks. 'Damn I almost forgot that a mother has to say in the place she chose as a safe area for the birth.' she thought before she turned around and headed back to the area where she had found Kit.
Kit's stomach let out the loudest growl Karena ever heard. The younger demon whined and squirmed in her sister's arms.
Karena shook her head. 'Of course the girl would have problems with hunting.' she thought as she reached the den "How the hell am I going to go find her food when I don't want to leave her alone." Karena thought as sat down for a minute thinking.
Karena got them down the hole and laid Kit down on the dry, dead leaf that lay on the bottom. She smiled lightly at her sister's sleeping form as she put her hand on Kit's stomach, before feeling something kick against it lightly.
Karena only shook her head while smiling still but got up and left the den but stood outside of the entrance while thinking.
The wind blew and Karena catch the scent of some rabbits around a mile away.
Karena looked back at the den 'She should be ok; I won't be gone that long.' Karena thought before walking in the direction.
Kit woke up about 10 minutes later and went outside to puck again. 'Damn morning sickness,' she thought as she looked around fearfully for her sister. 'Thank God it was just a dream.' she thought when she didn't see hide nor hair of her. She looked down at her stomach. 'Don't worry I'll protect you.' she thought with a smile before heading back down into the den for a nap.
Karena walked on letting her mind wander not really paying attention to much of anything as she walked but just the scent she was after.
Kit couldn't sleep so she decided to add another room to the den. She made the entrance bigger before digging out the new room and cleaning out the old leafs. 'Where am I going to find fresh leafs?' she asked herself. "I know I can get a blanket from a nearby village." she said smiling and darted out of the small territory.
Karena was getting closer, but something kept bothering her, she kept feeling as if she was about to be faced with something that she would rather not deal with.
Kit dodged spears and arrows that were thrown at her by the scared villagers. She slipped into the head of the village's house and two big soft, silk blankets. 'These are prefect,' she thought before searching the castle for a bigger and warmer kimono.
It didn't take long for Karena to know why she had that feeling as Sesshomaru appeared before her glaring, the marks Karena had left still hadn't healed "Whet the hell?!?" Karena asked as she stepped back glaring.
Kit walked happily back to her den wrapped up in the two blankets and under them she wore a dark blood red kimono. In her hands where a bunch of winter baby clothes. 'They are going to look so cute in these,' she thought with a big smile on her face.
Sesshomaru didn't say a thing as he stepped towards Karena who stepped back. "Sesshomaru," she whispered. "Stay away from me!" she shouted.
Kit's ears twitched as she faintly heard this. All thoughts of her pups getting hurt flew out the window as she dropped the items and raced towards who ever dared hurt her older sister.
Sesshomaru got closer still, so Karena being who she was only went to punch him to get away quick. but as she did Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist with his right hand as he pulled her against him then pressed his lips against hers roughly, Karena was staring wide eyed at him as he kissed her 'WHAT THE HELL!!!' was the only thought that went through her mind.
Kit ran into view but went wide eyed at what she saw and stopped dead in her tracks. After a couple second processing what was happening she walked out of the clearing unnoticed. 'Ok I'm scared for life,' she thought and went to get the blankets and baby clothes.