Inu-Tarzan - Second Chance: Close Call
Knowing they could always grab their supplies later, they left everything behind and raced down the path. As they quickly made their way home the humans took the led with the dogs protecting from behind. They could hear the cats growling and snarling behind them. The scent of blood, birth and new life was thick in the air making the thrill of the hunt twice as exhilarating. They were nearly home when two panthers growled from the treetops to their right.
"Give us the pup Inu-Tarzan!" roared the male panther as he swiped his claws down at them from the left.
"Get lost, Shuran!" Inu-Tarzan barked as he moved his family away from the cats.
"Your bitch is weak!" laughed the female panther as she swiped her claws to their right. "Save yourself the trouble and let her die!"
"You're really starting to piss me off Shunran!" Inu-Tarzan snarled as his amber eyes rimmed red and the markings darkened on his cheeks.
"WAHHHH! WA-WAHHHH!" cried the newborn pup.
"Shhh… baby, don't cry." Kagome soothed as she curled tighter against her mate's chest to protect their tiny son's body from the wind.
"Awe, look!" Shunran giggled as she smiled down at the whimpering bundle. "We made the pup upset!"
"Only one way to shut him up!" Shuran smirked as he licked his fangs. Knowing they were getting close to the cave and running out of time the cats grew desperate and pounced down on them from the trees.
"WAHHH HAAAA!" the pup cried as Inu-Tarzan jostled his mate and pup in his arms as he dodged the cat's attack.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Shunran giggled as she swiped at the dogs that tried to keep her away from her prey. Hitting Takemaru across the cheek she sent him rolling into the dirt. "You're not getting away this time mutt!"
"Your mate and pups will be taken as payment for what you did to Karan!" Shuran said as he jumped over Sessho and sliced Inu-Tarzan's arm. "Then we'll come after that human and his family for killing Toran!"
"Like hell that's ever going to happen!" Inu-Tarzan growled as he rolled to dodge the cat's attacks
"Gugh!" Kagome moaned in pain when they jostled, causing her hip to hit the hard earth.
Inu-Tarzan upon smelling the scent of his mate's blood and hearing his son's distressed cries as his pack tried to fight off the cat's, lost control of his beast. In seconds his eyes bleed red, his fangs and claws lengthened and his blue markings on his cheeks went jagged. As the cat's once again tried to bite and slash at his weak mate and pup he settled them down on the ground and hunched protectively over them. With his fangs bared and his claws scraping in the dirt, he looked wild and beastly.
Before the cats' could react to his sudden shift he attacked. In the blink of an eye he threw Shunran into a tree snapping her back and Shuran pinned to the ground with his neck at his throat. Shuran tried to fight him off but when Inu-Tarzan's fang's severed his windpipe and his claws ripped open his belly he quickly went slack. As he killed Shuran, Sessho and his pack finished off Shunran leaving Miroku and Mrs. Porter to simply stand where they were and stare at the carnage in shock.
"WAHHH!" cried the little pup as he trembled against his mother. "WAHHHH WAHHHHH!"
"It's ok baby…" Kagome soothed as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Growing colder she held him close to her chest. "Everything… will be… oh..."
"Kagome!" Mrs. Porter panicked when her daughter suddenly passed out. Shaking her shoulder she suddenly noticed the blood soaking into the towel around her waist. "(GASP) Inu-Tarzan!"
"Kagome?!" Inu-Tarzan shouted as he ran to his mate's side.
He could still feel her heart beating with his but it felt weak and lethargic. Seeing the bloody towel and seeing how pale her complexion was he knew they needed to get home immediately. Carefully picking her up he cradled her close to his chest. He didn't wait for anyone else. He needed to get home now where their medical supplies was at. As he burst through the clearing he was met with the other lower members of his pack and the rest of his human family.
"Kagome!" Sango panicked as Sota and the Professor waited in the cave's entrance. "What happened?!"
"Bleeding too much!" Inu-Tarzan said as he rushed past them and headed towards his den. "Need to stop it now!"
"Give the Professor the baby." Sango commanded as she went to help Inu-Tarzan set Kagome down on the bed of furs. "Sota, I need you to go and watch the kids!"
"On it!" Sota said as he rushed out of the tiny den with his grandpa holding his new nephew.
As soon as she was settled Sango grabbed everything she could think of to stop the bleeding. By the time she was ready to administer her care Mrs. Porter showed up with her husband. Miroku, not wanting to take up needed workspace, went to help the other men care for the kids. It took both women and Inu-Tarzan's assistance to finally get the bleeding to stop. Having already lost enough blood during her delivery, Kagome was deathly pale and shivering from the cold air.
Not wanting her to get any weaker than she was or risk catching a cold, they covered her fragile body over with furs and had Inu-Tarzan settle down beside her to give her some of his extra body heat. It wasn't until the following morning that Kagome was strong enough to feed her son. As Mrs. Porter brought their crying baby into their den, Inu-Tarzan helped his mate to lean against his chest and pull down her shirt so the pup could nurse.
Being too weak to sit up all the way she rested her head against his shoulder and braced her back against his chest. When their son latched onto her weeping nipple and hungrily drank up his long awaited meal they sighed in contentment. It brought tears to Kagome's eyes seeing her neglected pup feed for the first time. He was starving and his first hour in life had been so traumatic. All of it could have been avoided had she listened to her mate in the first place. Now, a boar and two panthers were dead and she'd nearly been killed herself.
It was something she would not be repeating again in the future. Feeling her mate's warm embrace tighten around her as he kissed on her shoulder she snuggled closer and turned her face to give him a tender kiss. As their kisses grew more desperate they whispered sweet words of their love and forgiveness. She was sorry she disobeyed him and he was sorry she'd gotten hurt during his protection. Once their son had his fill and had fallen asleep snuggled against her breast they watched over him as he slept.
They decided after everything they'd gone through to name him Ken, after Kagome's father. They hoped he would one day be as brave and kind as he was and become a great leader for the pack. As expected, when Izayoi met Ken the following morning she was confused and somewhat timid. She didn't understand why another pup was stealing her parent's attention away. Thankfully, she soon discovered he was a fun playmate and fell asleep safely snuggled between their parents.
When Kagome was well enough to travel they relocated to their house in the trees. Here, Kagome could care for Izayoi and Ken and be able to sleep peacefully in their bed. When Inu-Tarzan needed to go hunt and do patrols overnight with the pack Kagome and their pups would sleep in the den with his pack. Everything was relatively back to normal and it made the last two months of the Porter and Thompson's stay in the Congo more enjoyable. Soon the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months.
When the time came for the boat to arrive the humans packed up what was left of their supplies and moved to the beach. There on the coast they were able to spot the ship and its crew, send off a location flare into the air and load their supplies onto the lifeboats with ease. It was a very emotional time for everyone. They knew the likelihood of ever seeing each other again was slim to none. Having experienced the dangers of the jungle it was hard for the Porters and the Thompsons to leave Kagome and her children behind.
Without their help, the risk of Kagome and her children being killed, injured or eaten increased tenfold. It would be up to Inu-Tarzan, the pack and Kagome's skills to keep them alive. During the last two months of their stay Sango made sure to instruct both Kagome and Inu-Tarzan on every battle move and self defense technique she could think of. Kagome to her annoyance had grown weak during her pregnancy and she needed to get back into shape to protect her babies should anything attack while Inu-Tarzan was away.
When the Tortuga's horn blared its horn to announce its approaching departure everyone hugged and kissed once more in a tear-jerking farewell. As they loaded into the lifeboat and slowly began to make their way towards the merchant ship, Inu-Tarzan pulled his sobbing mate into his arms and waved goodbye to his human family. They stayed on the beach well after the ship had disappeared over the horizon and watched Izayoi play in the sand. The peaceful calm from the ocean breeze and the gentle waves helped to soothe their weary hearts.
"Look Izayoi!" Inu-Tarzan said as he pointed at a dolphin peeking out of the water. "See those fish?"
"Wow!" Kagome awed at the pod of dolphins. There looked to be roughly around three adults with two babies. "I've never seen wild dolphins before."
"Fishy!" Izayoi shouted as she threw her sand covered hands into the air.
"That's right baby." Kagome giggled as Ekon stared at his sister with curious eyes. "It's an entire pod!"
"They're a family, just like us." Inu-Tarzan said making Kagome turn to look at him.
"Hm. Just like us." Kagome smiled as she looked up into his eyes.
Seeing their warm golden depths gave her the peace she needed to calm down. Everything was so scary and unsure now that her family was gone. But after feeling his arm gently hold her and seeing the comforting smirk curl his lip, she knew so long as they worked together as a family they would be ok. As the sun began to set, they watched the dolphins continue their way down the coast. The sky was an explosion of color and with the gentle breeze blowing, it was the perfect start for a new beginning. She didn't know what would happen in the coming days, months or years. But so long as she had her mate, and her children by her side she was happy.
"Dadda," Izayoi said as she tugged on Inu-Tarzan's hand. "Go home."
"Home." Kagome smiled as Inu-Tarzan chuckled and bent down to dust off their sandy puppy. "I like the sound of that."
[End of Chapter 32]
Authors Note:
Thank you all for reading both book 1 and book 2 of Inu-Tarzan! I have one more chapter in mind to close out the series so be sure to click the follow link so you are updated for the final release!
Please be sure to leave a comment in the reviews! I'd love to hear your feed back regarding the series! This story was a lot of fun to write and I greatly enjoyed going on this adventure together with you. Thank you to everyone for your words of encouragement while writing this story as well as your love and support during our family emergency. I hope everyone is staying safe out there. I love you all and I hope you follow me as a writer so we can continue to go on adventures together in the future! I have three more Inuyasha Fanfics in mind to write so be sure to follow me to stay updated!
The last chapter will be updated soon! Until then my friends,
TG1