What's wrong with me?

Why do I feel like this?
I'm going crazy now

Sighing heavily, Inuyasha sat perched atop a tall tree overlooking their camp. One knee bent with an arm lazily draped across it with the other leg folded and tucked beneath. An outwardly lazy stance but one that was useful when you needed to crouch and launch on a moments notice. It had been quiet these past few months. Just the regular run of the mill demon battles but nothing too difficult. It almost felt like something ominous was lurking on the horizon and this mainly a reprieve.

A small fire blooming into existence caught his attention and he furrowed his brow. A flute soon accompanied it - it's melody traveling on the summer breeze. All of it a little too close for comfort in his opinion. Humans were a threat of a different kind. On occasion bandits would assault them but mostly it was merchants and travelers who, for whatever reason, felt it was worth their time to make some comment or two. At least with bandits, he could punch them.

Groaning, he moved into a crouching position and prepared to go investigate before Kagome's soft voice filtered into his sensitive ears.

"Where are you going?" she asked softly and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Normally when he did things like this she was asleep. This was why she was able to sleep soundly at night because he took care of threats before she knew they existed. Right now, he needed to find out if that campfire was made by bandits, priests or travelers. How they would proceed in the morning would be based off of what he learned. Not that he ever told them stuff like that. He gave the orders and usually, after an exchanging of words, he'd get his way and they'd avoid the threat, if there was one.

"I'm checking on something," he hissed back, "Go to sleep."

"That flute?" she asked as she gave him a chiding look, "I think after we've fought so pipers you'd think twice before chasing after every musical instrument you hear."

"It's a normal flute Kagome," he sighed with a roll of the eyes, "I just want to see who is it. There's a campfire not too far from here. Over by the base of the mountain. I want to make sure it's not a threat."

"Not everything is a threat," Kagome yawned as she settled back down into her sleeping bag, "But whatever. Carry on with your investigation."

Inuyasha smirked and rolled his eyes again before leaping gracefully into the forest. The closer he got the more easy these newcomers made him. While there were obviously humans in their midst, there were some demons too and based on their scent, they were terrified. Stopping what he considered a safe distance away, he narrowed his eyes and glanced around the smallish camp. There were three or four humans. A priest among them but he'd obviously seen better days and was sorely lacking in funds if his clothing was any indication. The others were bandits armed to the nines with swords and other weapons. But it was the two demons standing slightly to the side, at the very edge of the light, that gave him concern. They weren't moving. Not interacting like his little group did. Those two were not a part of that literal inner circle. Something was off...

Jumping a few trees closer, Inuyasha tried to get a better view of the demons just sitting there. He cringed when one of them suddenly glanced his way - crimson eyes widening in panic and trying to convey a silent warning. That was suspicious too. He needed to go back. Wake the others. They needed to...

Inuyasha tried to leap away from the tree but found his hands strangely glued against the tree. Yanking his body a few times, he quickly realized any part of him that had been touching the bark was now fused in place.

"We caught another one," the priest's gravely voice suddenly filtered up from the camp nearby, "This one might fetch a good price in the ring. Well need their chains though. He's strong."

"You think so?" one of the men laughed excitedly before he jabbed his finger towards the two already in their custody, "You said these two could be sold. If he's strong, what's to stop him from breaking your seal and killing us?"

"No demon has ever broken my seal," the priest laughed once before damn near hacking up a lung and spitting out the mucus he'd managed to dislodge, "And I've been doing this a long, long time."

Inuyasha's amber eyes widened in panic as he continued yanking with all his might. This was bad. This was sobad. Made so much worse because tomorrow was the night of the new moon and he'd be human and if he turned human his secret would be out and...

Glancing around he tried to find some way to mark where he'd been. To leave a strong scent trail for Shippo or Kilala to find.

"Damn it all," he breathed as he seriously considered peeing on the tree but couldn't bring himself to do it. If he was about to be enslaved, he'd like to be captured with dry pants.

"Well are you gunna go get him?" one of the other men huffed and the priest sighed heavily.

"After you three take care of the two we've already got. We'll need their bindings."

Inuyasha huffed before tilting his face so his forelock draped right in front of his mouth. This was gunna be a long shot but his teeth weren't sharp for nothing. Gnawing on his hair, a long chunk finally came loose and he spat it onto the ground below before repeatedly sticking his tongue out to remove the remaining fragments of damaged hair. There. Now he didn't have to pee on himself. Good for him.

"So what do you think we'll get for him?" one of the men asked excitedly as he stood and cracked his back.

"That'll depend on whether he can be broken in," the priest replied in a bored tone, "But this one is only half. We can just wait until his human night and break him then."

"Half?! And you want us to kill the two full blooded demons for..."

"He's stronger than both of these demons combined," the priest clipped back, "There's no denying that aura of his. He's worth ten of those two weaklings."

"If he's so strong, then why'd he get trapped, huh?"

"I said strong, not smart," the priest hissed, "And half-breeds always travel alone. Probably curious about the fire. That's why I ordered you to make it so big. You need to spark an instinctual curiosity."

"You think you're hot shit don't you?" the third man snorted wryly.

"My purse certainly says so," the priest hummed in a bored tone, "We'll need to put that fire out now. Don't want to attract any more weaklings."

"Whatever," the first man scoffed, "Let's get this done with. I'm tired and we've got a lot of ground to cover if he want to make it to the fighting pit in three days."

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder and groaned. Surely the others would come looking for him, right? God he hoped Kikyo didn't randomly show up. She would too and then they'd all assume he was with her.

'Kagome...please find me.'

Huffing, he continued his fruitless struggles and yanked with all his might.