June 22, 2021
Greetings everyone! I hope that wherever you are, you've been enjoying the first days of spring!
I am so happy to be back and posting new chapters to my stories. I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but I will do my best to do it more regularly. Thank you also to all the new readers that have discovered this little story, it's so great to have you here! I'm excited for this next chapter because it brings into play an element of the story that I have had planned since WAY back when I first finally figured out the story line. So, I hope you're ready for a little intrigue and quite possibly, some little green eyed monster action! XD
I would also like to thank all of you who have posted msg's over this last year asking if I have any kickstarter or gofundme type pages where you can donate to help fund my stories. It's something that I've never really thought about before, but so many of you have mentioned it or asked about it, and *~thank you!~* btw, for wanting to do that at all! It's amazing to me and I'm so appreciative, but of course it's also not necessary in order to keep reading and enjoying chapters of my stories :)
Please know that any money raised will go towards my restoring my late father's car that aside from being vandalized several times :'( has sat still for far too long and needs some work done on it. My dad loved to drive and some of our fondest memories as kids included long (crazy) road trips heading (usually) for Disneyland! :) the support page can be found here...
www DOT gofund .me/1654326e
Doing that at all is kind of a big deal for me, so thank you for all the encouragement! And because fanfiction doesn't let you post proper links, I've had to spread out the address, so just be sure to remove the spaces and of course, replace "DOT" with "." :)
Okay! Now on to the really fun stuff. At least, I hope! (fingers crossed)
~*~Thank you everyone for all your support and patience, I love you guys!~*~
Welcome to the next instalment of Snow White & the Wolf, Chapter 17 - Uninvited Guests.
~ lady p.
-ooOooOooOoo-SW&tW-ooOooOooOoo-
The sun continues its slow climb into the sky, still bright and early when Kouga's lands come into view. The sight of bright green rolling hills, lush thick forests, and the familiar winding stretch of river emerging from his waterfall home only enhances the joy coursing through him, having never felt so damn good in his life! Thoughts of what it might be like to have Kagome with him as he travels his lands, adds a spring to Kouga's flying gait and an easiness in his stride he's never felt before. The moment the sentries call goes up, announcing the arrival of their Alpha, Ginta and Hakkaku emerge from the waterfall's entrance, rushing towards him.
"Kouga, you're back!" Ginta cries with relief when his leader slides to a stop before him, kicking up dirt and grass.
"Yeah, fur balls, but I ain't staying long," Kouga grins with satisfaction as he walks past them and through the den's well concealed entrance, more than eager to return back to Kagome and see if he can work on getting that kiss hello.
Ginta and Hakkaku share a nervous glance with each other before following after their Alpha and into the den. Despite standing behind him and passing through the waterfall's spray, Kouga catches their shifting scents easily. An agitated growl rises to the back of his throat as he stops just inside the entrance. He spins to face his betas, fists clenching tight at his sides.
"What the hell is going on?" he rumbles threateningly, causing them both to stagger backwards a step. The forest wolves and youkai moving about the main chamber catch Kouga's shifting energy, edging them back and out of potential harms way.
"Uh . . ." Hakkaku looks nervously at Ginta. Kouga's been in such a good mood lately that there's every chance he's going to take the news pretty good, the beta's gaze seems to tell his counter part.
Ginta blinks wide, uncertain eyes at Hakkaku. "Well . . ." his nervous stare reminding his friend that this is Kouga they're talking about, and there's every chance he's going to . . . well . . . not.
"If one of you clowns don't start talking right the fuck now, we are going to have ourselves a little problem," Kouga barks, his tail giving an angry snap behind him. What the hell is going on with his generals?
"It's not our fault, Kouga. We didn't know they were coming!" Ginta blurts out, his palms rising submissively before him.
"We told them you weren't here, but they wouldn't leave!" Hakkaku yells out at the same time, moving to stand just a little bit behind Ginta.
The pulsing vein at their Alpha's temple makes the two betas drop their gazes to the ground. Kouga's awakening and thoroughly irritated yoki begins to unfurl, filling the main chamber. The potent power scrapes over demonic senses, making all the wolves whine softly at the back of their throats. Ginta and Hakkaku hunch in on themselves and begin to move slowly backwards.
**Don't. Move.** Kouga snarls, halting his seconds in their tracks. It's their trembling submissive posture - eyes trained on the ground at their feet - and the thick scent of their fear permeating his nostrils that holds back the powerful surge of his yoki.
Breathe, Kouga tells himself. Clawed fingers pinch at the bridge of his nose as he tries to focus on doing just that. It's not that his two betas have done anything in particular to earn his wrath for once, but at the moment, any delay that is preventing him from seeing Kagome, especially given all the progress they've made, is making his yoki feel extremely . . . agitated. Fortunately, his two longtime friends seem to understand this, relaxing noticeably when Kouga's tone comes out much less threatening, his tail swishing slowly behind him.
"Let's try this again, shall we?" He turns towards the softer spoken beta, waiting for him to continue.
Ginta grins nervously as he looks at Hakkaku, "Uh . . ."
"Don't start that again!" Kouga barks angrily. "Hakkaku," he shifts his gaze, "last chance or I'm outta here once I confirm you two haven't fucked up too badly while I've been gone. You hearing me over there?"
Hakkaku nods, knowing his leader means it. Taking a deep lungful of air, he lets it all out in a fast-paced, long-winded breath. "You see, Boss, it's like this. The elders you see, they all just sorta showed up yesterday when you were out ah . . . searching for Naraku, and when we told them so, they said they wouldn't leave until they got the chance to talk to you because they want you to agree to participate in the coming wolf games because they said that it's time that you took a mate."
Despite the over forty wolves and youkai currently taking up space in the main chamber, the last few words ring out like cannon fire in the bone silent den. A bead of water hanging from the tip of a stalagmite on the cave's ceiling, drops with a loud splash into the growing puddle beneath it. It hits the water's surface with a light, tinkling sound that echoes off the cave walls, rippling outwards.
Kouga's eyes narrow, the vein at his temple throbs once. "Where are they?"
-ooOooOooOoo-
The sun shines bright and clear on the village that had miraculously survived a youkai attack less than twelve hours before. Townspeople bustle about as repairs are made to huts and stalls that had been damaged during last night's assault. Despite the destruction, the air among the villagers is positive and energetic, knowing they've been spared a far worse fate.
InuYasha shifts restlessly from his high perch in a tall tree where he watches Kagome and Sango make their way to various merchant stands in the village square that had survived last night's mayhem, all the while talking with each other in hushed tones. Kagome's occasional giggle that lights up her eyes as she leans in to whisper something to the slayer, makes the steamed buns he'd had for breakfast turn into a heavy paste in his stomach.
InuYasha curls a fist in frustration. Gods, he wants to talk to her, needs to talk to her, but how does he even start? He'd spent a good part of the morning trying to work up his courage and figuring out what to say to her without much success.
"Shit," he pinches the bridge of his nose, hoping to push back the pulsing of an incoming headache. His yoki must have used up more energy than he'd realized in healing him from his injuries when he'd shifted back. When the throbbing slowly subsides, his head tips back up in time to catch sight of Sango waving to Kagome and making off in a different direction, leaving the priestess alone. Seeing his chance, InuYasha drops out of his tree.
"Hey, Kagome!" he calls out, approaching the moment the slayer is out of sight. If he's going to open up and share, better to do it without an audience.
"Oh, hi, InuYasha," Kagome smiles at him, stepping to the side as several carts carrying wooden planks and bales of hay wheel past her. "How are you doing? Are you feeling any better?" she asks, knowing he never does well when he gets hurt on his human nights. He'd told her once how uncomfortable he felt during those times, how vulnerable he felt, how fearful. It's why she's so happy for him each time the sun rises after a new moon night, restoring his powers.
"Uh, yeah, all healed up, thanks," InuYasha nods, his head bobbing involuntarily. Gods, why does it suddenly seem so hard just talking to her? "Do you . . . ah, do you want to walk for a bit?" he asks nervously.
The surprise is clear on Kagome's face who catches herself quickly, her hanyou friend is not one for strolls after all. "With you?" she asks, finding it hard to keep the smile out of her voice.
"Keh, yeah with me. Why's that so strange?" InuYasha instinctively crosses his arms over his chest in a defensive manner, looking away. "Think I'm too weak to handle a little exercise?" he gruffs while inwardly cursing himself and his inability to properly communicate what he's feeling.
Kagome fights back her smile, "You know that's not what I mean, InuYasha." He grunts at her in reply, widening the grin on her face when he doesn't say anything else, confirming her suspicions - he must have something on his mind. Something that's hard for him to talk about. "Come on," she says, nodding in the direction she'd been walking, InuYasha's answering grin brighter than it usually is.
The two friends continue to walk along the main village causeway in easy silence, watching as people make various repairs to destroyed structures, and women and children bustle about, moving about the market space as if the town hadn't been viciously attacked the night before. The people of the Feudal Era are resilient indeed, Kagome notes to herself.
She tries hard to keep her focus on her surroundings as they walk, but her mind keeps playing back what she had been telling Sango about earlier, flitting back to the flare of Kouga's eyes as he'd gazed at her, devouring her completely without landing a single touch. She remembers the drugging pull of his lips on hers, burning her skin with the memory and inspiring many vivid repetitions in her minds eye. Shouts continue to go up around her as townspeople go about their day, but Kagome barely hears any of it, including the hanyou walking at her side.
"They sure are getting a lot done this morning," InuYasha offers when the silence stretches a little too long, even for him. Kagome returns a silent nod, but he can tell by that far away gaze in her eyes that her mind is wandering again. He doesn't have to guess very hard about what or rather who she might be thinking about. Thoughts of the wolf, irritating as they always are, bring up thoughts of what had happened with Yuki-Onna and InuYasha cringes inside, knowing he's fucked up.
"So uh, crazy, huh?" he chuckles uncomfortably, surprising Kagome out of her thoughts.
"What's that, InuYasha?" she asks, cocking her head in confusion.
"Well, uh, you know," he grips the back of his neck, giving it a nervous squeeze, "after all that, there really was a snow queen." He tries to chuckle about it, but the sound dies in his throat.
"InuYasha," she knows he feels guilty for not having believed Kouga before, knows it's even harder for him to admit when he's been wrong about something. "You don't have -"
"No, Kagome," reaching to grip her wrist, InuYasha halts their steps, turning to face her. "Yes, I do. I need to say this," his eyes glow bright with his fevered energy and the grip on Kagome's wrist tightens just a fraction more. Enough that she inhales a sharp breath, acutely aware of how tightly InuYasha holds her, how close he is, the energy of his growing yoki brushing up against her aura.
"I'm so sorry, Kagome," his rumble is hoarse when he speaks, surprising her with his words.
"InuYasha?" her eyes grow wider, sensing easily the way the dog demon before her fights to gain a hold of his emotions, a task he struggles with on the best of days.
"I'm so sorry I put you in danger, Kagome. I let my pride blind me and it . . . " he drops his head in shame, giving it a little shake, "it almost cost my friends their lives." For the first time in his life, InuYasha feels grateful to the kami for whatever part they may have played in ensuring that didn't come to pass. He lifts his head, locking his quicksand trembling eyes to Kagome's surprised ones. "It almost cost me you."
A soft gasp escapes Kagome's lips, not entirely sure what to say, it's the first time that she's known him that InuYasha's spoken so openly with her, so honestly. She can see how hard it is for him, how vulnerable he feels in sharing so much, and yet, the realization comforts her for some reason, knowing that he really does care about her.
"It's not your fault, InuYasha," she reassures him, placing her palm against the arm still clutching her wrist. "Yuki-Onna put us in danger, not you."
"Yeah, but I," Fuck! It's killing him to even think it! Releasing his grip on Kagome, InuYasha drops his head, giving it a disbelieving shake. "I could have listened to the damn wolf," he rumbles the words thick with agitation. "Well," he lifts his eyes back to meet hers, "at least just this once," he says in a lighter tone, making Kagome laugh.
"Yeah, you could have," her tone is gentle instead of scolding, "but, what matters is that you get it now. That's what counts."
InuYasha stares at her a moment, her ready forgiveness only reaffirming how blind he's been for so long. "Thanks, Kagome."
She grins at him, pleased to have things easy between them again. "Besides," turning, she continues their walk, InuYasha keeping pace beside her, "she can't bother us anymore, now can she?"
InuYasha chuckles, thinking back on their encounter. "Yeah, and no thanks to that wolf," he grunts.
"Hey now, InuYasha," Kagome laughs, nudging into his side, "that's not fair and you know it." Her light tone only mildly scolding.
"Keh, say whatever you want, Kagome," InuYasha crosses his arms into his sleeves, "but in the end, you're the one that kicked Yuki-Onna's ass, not me and not the wolf."
Kagome pauses in her steps, her grin so wide and bright she can feel her cheeks hurting. It's the first time InuYasha's ever praised her like that. He pauses to turn towards her and see why she's stopped, her eyes gleam bright as she stares at him. "I did, didn't I?"
InuYasha barks with laughter, a sense of calm settling over his nerves for the first time in days as he and Kagome continue their walk. Just maybe, he still has a chance.
-ooOooOooOoo-
Kouga can hardly believe what he's seeing as his eyes fall on the gathering of wolf demons now camped on the eastern side of his mountain, where the sprawling land meets forest before being cut off by the cliff's sheer edge.
"I thought you assholes said it was just the damn elders!" he growls with heat, his gaze sweeping over a number of young, strong youkai males, and an even greater number of young, beautiful youkai she-wolves that by the looks of their armor, seem to come from a number of different wolf tribes.
"Yeah . . . ah, well . . . you see . . ." Ginta doesn't exactly know how to tell his leader that the elders have every intention of spending the festival here, at the eastern den, whether or not their Alpha agrees.
"Oh, I don't fucking think so," Kouga snarls low in his throat, not needing his beta to finish his thought. His incredulous gaze takes in the preparations that are already being made for the coming celebrations only days from now.
A powerful howl rings out from the forested area that is joined by two others, making even Kouga turn his gaze sharply in its direction. He watches with growing annoyance as all eyes turn to the forest's edge. From within the bright green foliage emerge three massive wolves in various shades of brown, black, and gray that trot towards him, their large paws eating up the distance quickly. The height of the large wolves as they draw closer easily matches Kouga's own tall stature.
"Remember, Kouga, these are the elders. Try not to kill anyone," Ginta's hushed voice behind him provokes the already irritated Alpha even further.
"If you don't shut it right the fuck now, I know exactly who I'm gonna kill first," Kouga growls, not needing to be reminded.
**Kouga, we have been waiting for you,** an all gray wolf in the center speaks in annoyed growls as he approaches. **We thought you'd never return,** the elder wolf known as Daiki continues to bark and growl, drawing the attention of all the other wolves. **For an Alpha to be gone so long, it's not right.**
All three elder wolves stop before him and Kouga crosses his arms stubbornly over his chest. "Well, I'm here now. So, what do ya want?" ignoring Ginta and Hakkaku's sighs behind him.
**Always the feisty one, eh, Kouga?** A brown and gray elder named Noriko states.
Kouga snorts, ignoring the comment. It's not until his eyes fall on the third elder, a large, midnight black wolf that has stayed a little farther back, watching him with quiet amusement, that his voice takes on a less defensive tone.
"Elder Hiromasa," Kouga acknowledges, tipping his head forward in respect towards his old Alpha.
Elder Daiki snorts a puff of air through his nostrils. **So, the young whelp is capable of showing some respect to his elders.**
Kouga scowls but says nothing, making Hiro grin wolfishly. "Why have you come?" he asks them instead, not wanting to get baited into any more traps.
**You know why we've come,** Hiro rumbles softly, his thick, pitch-black tail giving a joyful swish behind him.
"Actually, no, I don't," Kouga barks with irritation, doing his best to maintain his temper with the elders assembled before him, but something about this whole situation doesn't sit right in his gut. Why him? Why now? He can feel a subtle warning flickering at the back of his mind, a warning he doesn't quite understand. A warning that further aggravates his already irritated yoki.
**Kouga, don't be so thick. You've been Alpha of this den for over five years now,** Elder Daiki growls with annoyance while taking a commanding step forward.
"And?" Kouga's gaze narrows. Has it been that long already? Has he really been searching for Naraku for five fucking years?! A mere eye blink in the life span of a demon, but still.
**Don't you think it's time that you think about your responsibilities to those you lead and choose a mate?** Elder Daiki pushes, his aggressive tone and posture testing the young Alpha on every level.
At the dig to his leadership, Kouga starts to get angry, really angry, his control starting to slip. "I take care of my pack just fine," he growls in a low, dark tone, "and I'll have words with anyone that says otherwise." The red that flashes through the Alpha's eyes promises very little understanding to any further slights.
**And what of choosing a mate?** Elder Noriko asks in a much less aggressive tone.
"Not that it's any of your business, but until I've destroyed Naraku, I don't have time for that sort of thing," Kouga barks with a bite of irritation, hating that he's being made to defend his decisions to anyone. "And even if I did," he stands tall, his shoulders rolling back proudly, "I've already chosen a mate."
The elder wolves gaze at each other, some silent communication going on among them.
**The human miko,** his old Alpha Hiro states, a glint of something unreadable shining in his eyes.
"Her name is Kagome," Kouga rumbles defensively, "and, yes," he declares proudly, daring any of them to say anything.
**But surely you must see that's not possible,** Elder Noriko remarks as gently as he can. The brown and gray elder is well known for his kindness and easy demeanor, but Kouga's gaze narrows hard on him at his words.
"And why is that exactly?" the warning in his rumble is clear, promising more than a little blood and pain.
**Because we must strengthen the blood of the wolf demon tribes,** Elder Daiki barks loudly, his large gray head tipping back, **not weaken it!**
Kouga roars with fury as he fights back the desire to sink fangs into fur at the slight that any offspring he might have with Kagome will be considered weak. As hanyou's, he knows others will think that, especially compared to full-fledged demons, but that doesn't sway Kouga in the slightest. After all, his pups will also carry powerful miko blood in their veins and who knows what such a combination might produce? Even without his sword, the worthless mutt wields some incredible power because of his lineage, and his own pups will be no different, especially with someone like Kagome as their mother and him there to protect them.
"So, this is why you've come here?" Lips pull back to reveal sharp tips of ivory as Kouga takes an aggressive step forward. **To insult me?!** he snarls in wolf tongue, his control slipping further away.
**Of course not,** Hiro steps forward, using his large body to come between Kouga and the other elders. He growls harshly at his companions, waiting until they back down before turning his attention back to the seething wolf. **But there are many young, strong, and beautiful she-wolves among our various tribes that will also make excellent mates and breed many strong pups,** he declares boldly, not in the least phased by the young Alpha's temper.
"Good for them," Kouga snorts, taking a step back to show his cooling temperament. "They better get on it then," he rumbles, crossing arms over his chest to keep from accidentally strangling anyone.
**But, Kouga, it's been years already. What if it takes longer still to defeat Naraku?** Elder Noriko asks, seeking to make the volatile young Alpha understand. **Are you to put the welfare of your tribe on hold until this madman is defeated? Sacrificing life for vengeance?**
The words are startling to Kouga, "Sacrificing life for vengeance?" reverberating as a loud gong through all the layers of his soul, and in a bright, clear moment, he knows that he doesn't want to wait anymore to be with Kagome. He needs to live for right now Kouga realizes, not some moment in the future that may never come. Nothing in life is guaranteed after all, and he'd lost sight of that.
**Or is it because of the human female that you put a mortal above the welfare of your own kind?** Elder Daiki accuses, his thick wolfish brows drawing together to a hard point.
"Enough!" Kouga barks, shaking off his thoughts. "I won't take anymore insults," he snarls with venom, eyes bleeding red as the wild power of his pissed off yoki pulses around him, causing more than one wolf in the clearing to whine softly at the back of their throats. "Not even from you, Elder," he rumbles in a low tone, the feral cast of his eyes daring the elder wolf before him to say one more thing against Kagome.
**Come, Kouga,** Hiro's voice gentles, his large body acting as a buffer between the very irritated young Alpha and the elders behind him, **it has been a long time since we have seen each other, and I had hoped you would consider hosting this years celebrations that we might visit awhile. It would also give you the perfect opportunity to consider your choices.**
It's a fact that Kouga can not deny as he ponders the elder's words. It has been many years since he's seen his old Alpha, the closest thing he's ever had to a father, having been whelped and born within his very pack. His own father had been killed before he'd even taken down his first kill, and he doesn't even remember his mother, having died in an attack when he was still quite young.
**Do not you think your pack would enjoy the festivities?** Elder Noriko adds, hoping to sway the young Alpha as he steps forward cautiously, thick furry ears twitching thoughtfully atop his head.
Kouga growls to himself, unable to again deny the words. To turn down hosting the celebrations with the elders themselves asking will cause him to lose face in front of the other packs. There's also no denying that it will undoubtedly increase morale among his wolves.
"Fuck," he barks, a hand sweeping through the side of his hair in agitation. "Do whatever the hell you're going to do, just don't get in my way. Are we clear?" Apparently, he's going to play host after all.
**A fine decision,** Hiro barks with contentment, his thick tail giving a happy wag behind him. Despite his sour mood, the sight makes Kouga grin to himself, maybe it won't be so bad having guests for a while. His nose twitches, picking up the incoming scent of a she wolf from behind him a moment before the elder speaks.
**Ah, Mia, there you are,** Elder Daiki barks in soft tones that surprises Kouga, for the elder's difficult personality is well known among the tribes. A tall, slender she-wolf with long, wavy auburn colored hair and bright emerald eyes approaches, moving to stand before the sandstone colored wolf in her fetching black and white studded armor.
"Hello, Grandfather," she bows her head with respect to the older wolf before turning her piercing gaze on the young Alpha of the eastern dens.
**Kouga,** Elder Daiki straightens to his full, four-legged height, **it pleases me to introduce my granddaughter Mia to you,** he states with pride.
Kouga scratches his head as he looks over the she-wolf that he hates to admit, is more than a little easy on the eyes. "I thought your granddaughter was named," his forehead furrows as he tries to recall the name, "Ay-a-pe? –te?"
The elder wolf looks at him strangely. **Ayame?** he asks curiously.
"Yeah, that's it, Ayame," Kouga nods, knowing it had been something like that.
Elder Daiki gives a bark sounding something like laughter, the first true non-hostile sound the short-tempered wolf has made. **How do you know of her? She is still a young cub, still in her pup form. She is at home with her mother,** the elder clarifies.
"Really?" Kouga says, finding that strange. "I thought I remember once . . ." he cups a hand to his chin as he thinks back, "this one time . . . something about a rainbow?" he mumbles to himself, causing all the wolves around him to look at him strangely. "Ah, never mind," Kouga states, shaking his head. "It must have been some crazy dream."
The she-wolf before him smiles seductively. "Well, I can assure you that I am quite real," Mia purrs softly, taking a step closer, "and it is a pleasure to meet you, Alpha," she says, blinking her large, liquid eyes up at him.
Kouga turns a hard look on the three wolf elders that stand silently watching them, knowing exactly what they're trying to do and not at all pleased with their interference. The elders glance at each other, and even though it doesn't show on their faces, he sees the smiles in their eyes as they turn to nod at him before slowly padding away. Ginta and Hakkaku stand nearby, having not yet been dismissed and knowing that Kouga won't want to be detained by anyone, including a beautiful she-wolf.
"Yeah, you too . . . Mia," Kouga finally replies, doing his best to keep from being rude to the innocent female. "Now, if you'll excuse me," he tips his head to her, turning away.
"Wait!" Mia lunges forward, latching onto Kouga's forearm in an effort to keep him from leaving. He stops and stares at her hand on him, then back at the she-wolf that blushingly releases him. "I'm sorry, it's just . . . I thought we could get to know each other a little better."
It takes an incredible amount of power for Kouga not to audibly sigh. "Look, Mia, I don't know what the hell the elders think they're trying to pull here, but I'm sorry, I ain't on the market," he tells her as gently as he can. A slighted and pissed off she-wolf can be a handful, even for an Alpha.
Leaf green eyes spark with fire, the she-wolf's jaw momentarily clenching tight before she relaxes again, a soft smile turning up the sides of her mouth. "Well, I'm not trying to pull anything," Mia answers, swishing a swath of red hair over her shoulder. "I was just thinking," she smiles sweetly, placing the tips of her fingers gently on Kouga's forearm, "your lands are so beautiful, and it would be lovely to get a tour of them." Batting her long thick lashes, she slowly drags her fingers up and down his forearm in clear invitation, "Don't you agree?"
Kouga's eyes drop down to the slender fingers touching his skin. A caress that feels like ice dragging over his flesh compared to the heat Kagome's touch always inspires in him. He locks his eyes back to Mia's, the beautiful she-wolf's proposition as clear and obvious as the scent of her growing arousal. A scent that inspires only one recourse in the Alpha wolf.
"You know, Mia, that's a great idea," Kouga grins, his eyes lighting up with his pleasure. The action makes the she-wolf's heart and stomach flutter at his handsomeness.
Ginta and Hakkaku look at each other strangely, staying silent behind their leader as they watch the interactions.
The smile on Mia's face widens, revealing the tips of fangs. "I'm so pleased you think so," she purrs softly.
"Oh, definitely," Kouga nods, his eyes sparking with some inner knowing. "Ginta!" the Alpha barks loudly, surprising the she-wolf as his beta steps forward anxiously.
"Uh, y-yeah, Boss?" he asks.
Kouga never takes his eyes off of Mia, "The lovely lady here would like a tour of the lands."
The she-wolf blushes under his praise.
"O-kay," Ginta replies nervously, not sure what Kouga wants of him.
"Be a good escort and show her around, will ya?" Kouga answers non-nonchalantly, pretending not to see the incredulous look of shock that passes over the she-wolf's face as he suddenly turns and walks from the clearing without a word or a glance over his shoulder.
Mia fumes at the retreating form of the Alpha, the scowl on her face showing the hard edges of her heart.
Hakkaku grins at his boss, Go, Kouga!
"So, uh . . ." Ginta scratches the back of his head nervously, "you ah . . . still wanna go for that walk?"
.
A/Note:
Heehee, so for those of you that didn't catch onto the whole Ayame thing that happened earlier with the elder wolf and Kouga saying he must have had a strange dream, it was just my subtle dig/reference to the fact that Ayame never existed in the comics (which is where my journey with InuYasha began) and was added in only later on during the TV show, so as to add some conflict. Objective achieved, lol. Anyways, it was really just for fun more than anything, so thanks for holding off on any hating ;-)