I could hear her cackling in the back of my mind. Everything was pitch black in my dream, nothing absorbed where the priestess was at or where she was laughing from. There was only her laughter echoing before a glimmer of white light shown through the darkness and revealed the tepid fox.

"Oh how far you've come now, child." The fox grinned ear to ear, showing her gleaming fangs and fox eyes glinting in a supercilious manner. "The demon cub finally shows his fangs and took the power for his own."

"What are you talking about?" Lost, confused, the priestess snuffed her snickering and vanished from sight to be behind her and caress her chin.

"The power of the foxfire is enticing to all demon's, dear child. You were but a sweet nectar of power waiting to be plucked. Now, just like me, you have bound a great dog demon as your own."

"Bound?"
Her body flared in heat as she recalled what transpired between her and Sesshomaru and she felt her legs shake before falling to her knees.
"Was this what you've wanted? Why you've picked me? To do your bidding?"

"All foxes want power, child. The great dog demons are a mighty race that we have claimed for thousands of years. I claimed the mighty Lord of the East centuries ago and bound my power to him so he may bound his essence to me."

"I'm not like you!"
The fox immured her in her grasp, forcing Clara to see the true demon emerge from the priestess' face and watch as the facade of a human slip away even more. Claws puncturing her skin lightly, her demonic aura seeping through to her core, the priestess was devoid of any human emotion as she spoke.

"You don't have a say in your fate with the young cub! His existence will change history, surpassing his father! I felt it when they came with you...the father had reached his limitations of power and knew he needed another priestess to uphold his standing. You sought him all on your own when blessing your fire to his fang."

"That...that was you..." rebutting her words, the deceit, all of it.

"No," she stepped back and revealed more of her fox-like features until she was just that: a fox. "You and that young cub were tied by fate the day you came to this realm. If you were to see with unclouded eyes and just accept my power fully, you will see it too."

"I'm human!"
My words carried through the empty void as she hopped away. Her laughter echoing as she dispersed to the back of my mind, leaving me to think on my own.
"I'm human...aren't I?" Her thoughts wavered multiple times as she stared at the void around her. To believe the fox of all her trickery or believe in herself she'd done everything of her own volition. This was something troubling, and in no time did she find answers to the whole in her heart of what transpired. "Was it the fox all along then wanting Sesshomaru? Isn't anything I had felt my own?" Feeling her heartbeat as she thought of him and everything they went through, it was slightly encouraging noticing the small subtle changes in him that made her emotions heighten. He wasn't forceful in the slightest during our journey; we argued, fought over training, had our quarrels about humans and demons, but nothing seemed out of place to be the priestess' doing.
"I won't believe the fox is behind everything."

Waking up with sweat beading down my face and a strong pressure build-up in my abdomen, a roundhouse of emotions filled me, making the room spin. I settled though, thinking about what I really felt and easing my breathing while trying to ignore the pain.

"Clara," his voice across the room beside the window, he was on guard, ready to kill. It was enough for me to realize something had gone wrong.

"Sesshomaru wh-" he stopped me short when he motioned for me to look out the window. Covering myself and sneaking a peek I witnessed the villagers grouped around the field discussing something while a few eyed the house we were in. "The old man must have told them something..."

"Most likely." His expression askance at the villagers, he moved to the opposite end of the room, thinking ways to get away without causing suspicion and collect the Kirin. "Clara, remember your human form and change. We need to fool the humans here to get to the Kirin. I do not wish to spill unnecessary blood if it can be helped."

"I'll try."
Collecting myself and focusing on transformation, something felt different? I felt more in control...the flames flickered in the palm of my hand easier than before, allowing me to shape and mold the image of my mortal self easily. Once I took in the flame and felt my body change, looking up and seeing Sesshomaru watching me with awe was surprising, and perhaps a little gratifying.

"You look exactly as you did when we found you..." his tone low, he seemed perplexed? "Come, we need the Kirin to get to the temple."

Following him out and seeing all the villagers gather around, the old man stopped us with a stern expression.

"...now I must ask you two...are ye demons?" Voice shaken, hands trembling at his sides, the fear among them palpable, Sesshomaru moved me close and motioned we were of no threat.

"Just travelers. We thank you for housing us through the storm, it was ideal to be out of it."

"Your woman there...she didn't feel the weight of those potatoes we gathered in the sack. No strain! Women are not that strong." He clarified. Voice rattled, he was eyeing Clara with utter fear.

"Mine is," Sesshomaru's voice deepened, only a little. He took my hand in his and had me step forward. "She was raised by brothers and men in her village to become a demon huntress. She held weapons far larger than a sack of potatoes, so of course that wouldn't bother her."
The villagers began to ease hearing this and began to disperse willingly. It was the first I heard of demon hunters, but were they so common to make people fall so easily into security?

"We apologize," the old man sighed with relief. "Last night we thought we heard a beast here in the village and only did what we thought was right to protect ourselves."

"A beast?" Sesshomaru questioned the man before he realized something. A small hidden smirk filled his expression and I did not understand the reasoning behind it.

"Something howled in the night during the storm. Sounded like wolves mating, but much louder and inhuman sounds." Waving his hands to the dreadful afterthought, it took a second to realize what he heard.

Embarrassment doesn't even describe what I'm feeling right now. I could see the amusement on Sesshomaru's face, holding back a grin. facing down and heading to the stable where the Kirin was and placing my face on it's neck, I wanted to run. Apparently Sesshomaru kept the conversation going for I could hear the man describe other sounds he heard in the night and I buried myself further into the Kirin.

"I'm going to kill him..." a newfound determination, it wasn't likely I could succeed, but the thought of it was gratifying.

"This one found it quite amusing. To have it described in such a way by humans is a rare opportunity." Sesshomaru was walking the Kirin up the path with me riding as he spoke of his thoughts. I half-listened and mainly ignored him since I did not want to recollect the sounds I was making while Sesshomaru had his way with me. "Clara," his hand on my knee, he was beside himself in such a strange way that I perceived it to be happy? "You're foxfire has tamed itself. Though unprecedented, I have laid claim to you."

"You say this as though I'm an object," bitterly speaking, he did not falter as he stopped and moved his hands smoothly across my thighs.

"Though I am young, do not take me lightly as other demons having their way for fun. This one desires you like no other has done before." His eyes were serious unlike before when I looked upon him with fear and slight admiration. This was different than all those times he and I shared during this journey. I thought it was just a mood and we both succumbed to the feeling, but he was clearly ready to accept what we've felt.
"I am a few-found lord with no land as my own. You are a newly born fox. This will not be an easy task..." he whispered that last part and we found ourselves thinking deeply of what to do from here on out. Though I had a little more to think about than he did probably, but for the time being at least the air between us won't be so stifling.