Chapter 82: Target - Sons of the Great Dog Demon
Continuing on with our story, we now find ourselves at the castle of the Panther Demon Tribe nestled within the Western Valley, complete with a giant bronze statue of a feline deity standing atop the gateway...
Inside, down in the lower floors, Coraline is shoved into a jail cell by two of the panther demon subordinates, with Tōran looking on:
"Rgh!"
She stumbles but maintains her balance, and turns to the entrance with a glare as the door closes. Tōran says to her,
"Stay in there and don't do anything foolish."
With that, she walks away, leaving Coraline to brood while rubbing her sore wrists:
At least they had the decency to remove the rope...
Still, that doesn't make my mood on these panther demons any better...
(Flash)
Back at the Bone Eater's Well, Inuyasha asks Karan and her brother in a partially-annoyed tone,
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
"It's not you that we're after. (Points at Coraline) We want the priestess with the Shikon-no-Tama shards."
Coraline eyes narrow at the label as her brothers come to stand at her sides protectively:
"Uh, how about we don't do that but say that we did?"
"Plus, Cora's a warrior, not a priestess, so quit assumin' things."
She smiles and nods at them, and sends her own words at the panther demons:
"I dunno what you panthers want with the jewel shards, but I'm not about to hand them out like candy. If you want them so desperately, you'll have to get past myself and my friends."
Karan was a bit taken aback by the remark, but then smirks and replies,
"Huh, finally, someone who recognizes our nature. And if that's your decision, fine then, warrior."
During the fight:
(Pulse)
"Hm?"
...Another demon!
"Guys! Flip out!"
The twins nod, not questioning her reasoning, and duck and roll away to the sides, while she back-flipped into the air, and over the third panther demon that had showed herself, Shunran!
"Wha-?!"
She sensed me! But how?!
Coraline lands on one hand, and flips twice more, before standing upright once more...
"Who are you, and what did you do to Kilala?"
Shūran then uses his lightning ability:
(Bzzz-Pow)
Everyone cringes from the flash, and as Coraline stumbles backwards, she feels someone karate-chop her on the back of the head:
(WHACK)
"UH!"
Oh, crap...
(Flash)
...If only I was a bit faster in reacting to that second attack.
Letting out a puff of air, Coraline moves to sit with her back against the wooden frame of the cell, leaning her cheek into her palm, her elbow propped against her bent knee, while the other leg was stretched out:
I guess I'll just have to hang tight until Inuyasha busts in with everyone to get me.
"...Hm?"
She then felt a stare, and perks her head up, only to see several pairs of eyes looking back at her!
"Huh?! Who are you?"
Wait...are those...humans?
...What the hell is going on here?
Meanwhile, down in the Lower Valley...
"Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
Inuyasha unleashes the power of his newly-strengthened Tessaiga against the giant wall blocking the path to the Panther Demon Tribe's castle, leaving a claw mark in the rock-hard soil...before it faded away altogether!
As the red sheen fades from the blade, Inuyasha smirks and remarks,
"Heh-heh, I knew it: It was just a barrier."
(...Whooooosh)
Kōga then sprints past him using his tornado speed boost, calling back,
"That wasn't bad for a mutt like you!" Inuyasha calls back heatedly,
"What did you say?!" Ginta and Hakkaku run to catch up with the other wolf demon:
"Hey Kōga, wait!" "Slow down, boss!"
"Hey!"
"...We're here, Inuyasha!"
Said dog demon turns around to see the rest of the group catches up (minus the twins and Hachi):
"It took ya long enough."
"What is that?" He replies to Miroku,
"The castle entrance. The cat demons must be hiding inside it." Shippo remarks,
"If they're around, Coraline must be here too."
"Yeah. Let's go!"
(Leap)
Small Time Skip
As night comes to greet Edo, the group finds themselves within a reasonably large town, which judging from to the blanket of silence, was void of any civilians...
"What is this place?" Sango replies to Inuyasha,
"It seems like a regular village," with Miroku adding,
"You know, it's a pretty good-sized town built around the castle..." Shippo wonders,
"Why here of all places?"
He then hops off of Sango's shoulder to look within one of the homes:
(Slide)
"What's a village doing here?"
As he looks around, Sango comes in and points out,
"No one seems to be here." As they come back outside, Miroku exits another home, also abandoned:
"No one's around, but it looks like people live here. And there's no signs of Kōga and his men either."
Inuyasha replies,
"Yeah...By the way, where are the twins?"
"They should still be with Hachi, and given how scared that badger is, it may be a while before they arrive."
...Suddenly, more than a dozen of the panther demon subordinates appear on the rooftops, surrounding the group! A few hop to the ground, and we see that Karan is leading the charge...Inuyasha growls and exclaims,
"That's where you were hiding!"
He then draws Tessaiga and tries to cut Karan down, but she easily jumps away onto another roof...The subordinates then attack, with Sango dodging two attacks before trying to hit back with Hiraikotsu, Miroku blocking others away with his staff, and Shippo running down the stretch while calling out,
"Coraline, where are you?!"
He's then stopped by more panther demons, before he pulls out a cherry bomb from his trick bag:
Good thing Freeman and Besa gave me these...
(Poof)
With the demons distracted by the cherry-red smoke cloud, Shippo makes a mad dash away, only to have more panther demons make chase:
"Ooowahhh!"
Inuyasha spots the fox demon in trouble:
"Shippo! Wind Scar!"
(Slash)
He destroys some of the panther demons, yet also throws Shippo off-balance, prompting Miroku to call,
"Watch where you're aiming! They could be hiding Coraline in any one of these houses!"
It was then that the panther demon subordinates begin retreating, with Inuyasha making chase:
"Stop! You won't get away!"
The others follow on Kilala not too far behind them, and circle to block the demons from escaping...
"You certainly are impatient!"
"Huh?"
Inuyasha and the others turn around to see Karan poised on the roof behind them:
"How rude, breaking our barrier and busting in like you did."
"Stop yakkin' and tell me where Coraline is!"
"Don't worry; she's safe." That wasn't a good enough answer for Inuyasha:
"Come on: Answer me!" Karan looks up at the moon and says,
"When the moon is directly overhead, we plan to sacrifice her to our Master."
"Sacrifice? (Growl)"
"(Turns back) Naturally, you'll be joining her."
(...Fwooosh)
Suddenly, a hazy black smoke began fumigating from the panels of the nearby homes, clouding the area around Inuyasha and company:
"What's happening?"
"Where's this smoke coming from?"
"Don't worry: I think this is just a smokescreen."
But Shippo was smelling something contrary to Sango's assurance:
"What a stink..."
Kilala was also being bothered by the scent of the smoke, and reverts back to her dormant form with a whimper...Inuyasha raises a sleeve to his sensitive nose as well:
"(Muffled) Damn..."
"Hold on, Inuyasha!"
"My, power..."
Karan laughs before explaining what this smoke was:
"How's that for potent? Considering how keen our sense of smell is, it must be even worse for you dogs."
Miroku asks in a firm tone,
"Is this another trap to stop Inuyasha?"
"Yes, but it's not exactly going according to plan..."
The panther demon subordinates then throw down several spears, which would be blocked by Miroku and Sango. Karan orders,
"Capture them before they escape!"
(Pow)
"Huh?"
But then, a bright blue light emits behind the house she was standing on...before:
(BOOM)
It was smashed to smithereens! Luckily for her, Karan leaps away before she could get hit...
Everyone cringes from the power behind the explosion...before the source calmly walks out from the billowing smoke:
"Huh? Sesshomaru...!"
His eyes were on the panther demon responsible for the ambush:
"What is the meaning of this, Karan? Is it me that you had business with, or is it these people?"
"The elder brother has arrived. Your timing couldn't have been better. Sons of the Dog Leader: We'll be waiting at the castle."
With that, Karan and her subordinates leave the area...Attention would then focus on Inuyasha and Sesshomaru:
"(Growl) What the hell are you doin' here, Sessshomaru?"
"Just what I was thinking. Leave while you can."
"Hm? What did you say?"
"This, is my war. I won't let you get involved."
"Huh, I don't need to have your permission! Coraline's been captured by those demon cats!"
"You're such a fool!"
(Pow)
"Gah!"
(Crash)
Sesshomaru then uses the Aura of Tokijin to throw back Inuyasha into a nearby home! As he rises out of the rubble, Inuyasha asks,
"Hey! What're you comin' after me for?!" Sesshomaru replies furiously,
"Silence, Inuyasha!"
The younger dog demon was taken aback by how seriously angry the elder sounded:
"...What the hell...?" Sheathing his blade, Sesshomaru adds,
"...Remember your past, Inuyasha: You lost your heart to a mortal and ended up under a spell for years. Consequently, you have no right to be a part of this battle."
It was then Jaken came rushing up to the elder dog demon:
"Eh, Lord Sesshomaru, we need all the allies we can get. We mustn't get too choosy at a time like this."
...He was then trodden on by Sesshomaru's foot, he continuing on without saying a word...Shippo shivers and mutters,
"That guy's scary..." Sango makes note of the dog demon's current mood:
"I've never seem him look so upset." Miroku turns to the younger dog demon and asks,
"Was it something you said, Inuyasha?"
"I dunno."
"Master!" "Inuyasha!" "Everyone!"
The two look up, and see Hachi and the twins had finally arrived:
"Hachi, it's you!" "About time you two caught up!"
(Pop)
The tanuki reverts back to normal, and lands on the ground smoothly with the twins landing on both his sides. Sango then asks,
"I thought you'd run off on us, Hachi." He rubs the back of his head nervously and replies,
"I did, or at least I was trying to..." Freeman pats his back and adds,
"But we steered him in the right direction, with a little help from a third voice..."
(...Hop)
And that third voice, would be Myoga the Flea, he hopping onto Inuyasha's cheek:
"Master Inuyasha! (Slurp...)"
(Slap)
"I've, come to lend my assistance..."
"What're you doin' around here, Old Man?"
The whole group was soon aboard Hachi's gourd form, as they traveled steadily along to where the castle would be...
"Something tells me this has to do with the great war that your father raged many eons ago..."
"Eons ago?" Shippo was as confused as Inuyasha:
"Wait, didn't Hachi say that it happened fifty years ago?"
"No no, it was earlier than that. It was back when your father was still in the Western Province."
"Well that's all news to me."
"The cat tribe of panther demons attacked the West, and tried to conquer all other demons. But, your father stepped in order to stop them..."
Flashback
We see an army of the panther demon subordinates readying to engage in battle, with the silhouettes of the four Panther Devas over top them...
Above them, is a monstrous cat demon with horns in the sides of his neck wearing armour...
"The Panther Tribe demon was an enormous cat. Your father protected his men, and battled the demons."
On the other side, was Sesshomaru, leading another army of demons of various species...
His father, in true form, then springs at the giant panther demon, each one giving their all in this battle...
In the end, it would be the giant cat who fell to flames...
"Naturally, it was your father who emerged victorious. The other demons who escaped domination of the Panther Tribe, were extremely grateful."
End of Flashback
"However, a cat's anger runs deep, and they cursed your father and his family for all eternity, and they swore they would one day get their revenge."
Inuyasha remarks,
"So it's true that a cat's wrath runs seven generations."
The twins look to one another and shiver:
"Guess we'll have to thank Grandfather Higurashi for his advice on cats next time we see him."
"Amen to that..."
Myoga continues:
"Like you, Lord Sesshomaru did not participate in the great war either. But I'm certain the cats are coming after him to get their revenge."
"What were you doin' when this was all going on?"
"(Hops up and down) Naturally, I was watching over his home while he was away!" Inuyasha mutters,
"That's typical..." Miroku then wonders,
"You know, it was so strange that he was adamant on wanting Inuyasha to leave, wasn't it?"
Inuyasha scoffs,
"Kuh, he just doesn't wanna admit to himself that a half-demon can share his bloodline..."
Myoga remarks,
"Still, I think it would be noble for the two of you to join forces and fight your father's enemy together."
"I'm not gonna have anything to do with Sesshomaru or my father! I came to take back the jewel shards and Coraline, and that's it!"
Myoga sighs...before hoisting his luggage onto his shoulders:
"Well, gotta run!"
(Hop, zip)
"Farewell!" Shippo watches the flea demon drop down from the air:
"Myoga's getting away!"
"Well, that means trouble." And right Miroku was:
(Fwoom, fwoom)
"Gaaah!"
Suddenly, several fireballs come shooting at Hachi:
"Aaaah! Hot, hot, hot, hot!"
(Pop)
He reverts back to normal in a panic, causing everyone to fall down to the ground...Inuyasha then turns to face Karan:
"Are you gonna ask your brother for help?" As she laughs, Inuyasha retorts,
"Not likely..."
Meanwhile, somewhere in a dark forest...
We catch up now with Kōga and his friends as they continue their search for where Coraline was being held...
"Damn! No trace of Coraline anywhere...Where could those rotten cats have taken her, anyway?"
"Say, Kōga?" He turns to Hakkaku and asks back,
"What is it?"
"Isn't this the cat demon's hideout? Should we really be attacking them on our own?"
"What are you suggesting?" Ginta replies,
"Well, we could join Inuyasha and the others..."
"Not on your life! You don't actually expect me to ask that mutt for help?!" Hakkaku quickly replies,
"No, no, of course not! What we actually meant was we could offer to help him!"
"Kuh, I'm not as helpless as you two seem to think I am..."
"We just think it may be the easiest way to help rescue Coraline." Ginta adds,
"Yeah yeah! We were just thinking of her, that's all."
"...You must be Kōga of the Wolf Demon Tribe."
The two others jump from the new voice introduced, but Kōga assures them,
"Whoever it is doesn't smell like a cat. Who's there?"
Stepping out from the bushes, was Ryoakan, who Kōga recognized:
"You're Ryoakan."
Ginat and Hakkaku relax and ask aloud,
"You mean, the demon who's the Keeper of the Forest?"
"The demon from Hell who gobbles up anyone who happens to get lost?"
Kōga then asks Ryoakan,
"What're you doin' around here and what do you want?"
"That's what I was about to ask you. You're not accompanying Lord Sesshomaru, are you?"
"Sesshomaru? Who the hell's that?"
"You don't know?"
"Nope."
Speaking of Sesshomaru...
We cut over to him facing several panther demon subordinates, being led by Tōran:
"You summoned me here to come. Now let me see your so-called master."
"All in good time, once the preparations are complete. In the meantime, won't you stay here with me?"
Jaken then steps up and says,
"Let me take care of the wench, Lord Sesshomaru. Feel the power of the Staff of Two Heads!"
(Fwoooom)
The old man head opens its mouth and unleashes a torrent of fire, to which Tōran would counter with a current of ice...As both attacks collide, Jaken calls out,
"Be strong, staff!"
Unfortunately, the panther demon's strength prevails, and Jaken was thrown off by the ice wind, before crying out in fright as several icicles fly his way!
(Shatter)
Thankfully, he's saved when Sesshomaru draws Tokijin and blocks the ice...Tōran then summons an ice spear and comments,
"I am indeed impressed. You weapon is formidable!"
(Leap, swing)
At the same time, Inuyasha and Karan were engaged in battle, he dodging a few of her fireballs, before slugging her in the cheek:
"Agh!"
"Damn you!"
Nearby was everyone else of the group, with the twins riding Hachi again while the others rode Kilala...They fly to the starting fire, and Sango calls down for the dog demon first:
"Inuyasha!" Next were Shippo and Miroku:
"Where are you?!"
"Inuyasha!"
They then spot a figure standing in the middle of the flames...
"He's there!"
"Kilala!"
...But Besa and Freeman sense something wrong:
"Wait..."
"That, looks like..."
They squint their eyes...before widening them when they realize,
"Oh crap!" "Guys, wait: It's a trap!"
But their warning came late: The figure, Shūran, then uses his lightning ability to attack the group!
(Ka-pow)
"Aaaaah!" "Aaaaah!" "Whaaaaah!"
As they all fall from their respected rides, Freeman and Besa managed to reach out and grip eachother's hands:
"Bro! The shield!"
"Right!"
(...Sheen) (...Sheen)
Back to Sesshomaru
As he and Tōran continue to clash against one another, she comments,
"Ah, the memories...It is exactly like the last time we fought. Back then, it was a draw. But today, you won't be so lucky."
"I would hardly call that a draw. You simply retreated in defeat."
"Now now, you're one to talk with all the men you lost."
That seemed to strike a nerve, in which Sesshomaru would push forward before unleashing Tokijin's Aura at Tōran:
(Pow, crash...)
She leaps out of the way in time, with another village home taking the attack in her place...As she lands, she says to Sesshomaru,
"I wasn't nearly as determined back then as I am right now...because now we have our Master."
Several panther demon subordinates spring at Sesshomaru...who easily destroys them with one swing from his sword:
(Pow, BOOM)
...Once the explosion dies down, we see several more homes have taken damage...Surveying the area, Tōran remarks,
"Now things are completely different..."
Flashback
Sesshomaru observes a desolate landscape, spotting a large group running across the plains...
"Fifty years ago, the Panther Demons that my father fought, came back..."
It was then several demons, Ryoakan included, came to the dog demon:
"Lord Sesshomaru. My men and I have come to lend our assistance."
"Let's get them!"
"We'll teach those cats a lesson!" He turns to the demons and asks,
"Why do you wish to assist me?"
"We are indebted to your father for the last war, so we would like to assist you, my lord."
"What are we waiting for?"
"It's been so long since we fought those cats!"
...Suddenly, Jaken comes running from the forest:
"Lord Sesshomaruuuuu! I bring, terrible news!"
End of Flashback
Closing the memory, Sesshomaru turns to one pile of rubble, thinking of the imp that always followed him:
"...Jaken."
Back to Kōga's group and Ryoakan
"What do you mean, slowed him down?"
"What do you mean, route?"
Ryoakan replies to Ginta and Hakkaku,
"In the end, me and my men failed Lord Sesshomaru. We said we'd defend the front lines, and he was battling in fine form at the time..."
He recalls when the Four Devas used their abilities during the battle, forcing him and his fellows to retreat, but Ginta and Hakkaku saw differently:
"(Whisper) I guess they lost."
"(Whisper) Yeah, and ran away." Ryoakan bellows,
"I FOUGHT FOR AS LONG AS I COULD! THOSE CATS WERE NOTHING BUT COWARDS!"
Kōga cuts in before things got anymore heated:
"That's enough. Who cares about what happened in the past? Just how deep is this forest, anyway?"
Hakkaku and Ginta agree:
"I'll say..."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say we've been goin' around in circles..."
Ryoakan was as suspicious, and spews out several three-eyes wolves to check into it:
"Alright! They'll sniff out the area."
The wolves run about, but seemed a bit, disoriented...
"What the...?"
"I'll take over now."
(Leap)
Kōga hops up a tree to get a better view, but cringes when he feels a strong gust of wind try to push him. He kicks it down, and leaps high above the trees, to see Shunran and some other panther demons standing nearby in another clearing!
"(Gasp) It's her!"
He lands back down and begins running to her:
She's put up a Demonic Aura!
He then tries to lunge and attack at Shunran, but she leaps away in time:
"I see you have a couple of jewel shards!"
She then casts a gust of wind with the illusionary flowers at Kōga and company, with Ginta and Hakkaku calling over the rush of air,
"What's goin' on?!"
"How should I know?!" Kōga calls back,
"Don't breathe in this scent!"
He then tries to attack again, only for Shunran to dodge while giggling...Just when he does get a swipe, she bursts into a shower of flowers! Ryoakan exclaims,
"She's a sorceress!" Hakkaku comments,
"It looks like they've trapped us inside the forest."
Kōga lands back down with a frustrated growl:
"Rgh! The only thing I can smell now is flowers!"
"...Kōga!" "Ginta! Hakkaku!"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Freeman and Besa come running out of the trees, their bodies glowing a bit from a rainbow-coloured sheen! Once they reach the wolf demons and forest guardian, Kōga asks,
"You two? Where'd you come from, and what's with the glow?" Besa replies,
"We're not exactly sure ourselves. We got thrown off by one of the panther demon's attacks back in the old town, and woke up near the woods just as our shield finished dissipating."
Freeman adds,
"Our crystal shards just won't shining, but it looks like it's doin' us good if we found you guys through that demon aura."
The twins turn to another direction, narrowing their eyes:
"It's like, our senses have been hyped up something crazy..."
"Yeah, and I'm catchin' somethin' stronger coming from that way, which must mean the castle of the Panther Demon Tribe's over there somewhere."
The four demons look at Freeman and Besa with surprise, and Ginta remarks,
"...Well, seeing as they can see where the cats are, maybe we should follow them."
Hakkaku nods in agreement, and Kōga sighs before stepping over by Freeman to say,
"Alright. If you two know which way's out of this damn forest, lead us that way."
The twins nod, before all six start running to where the castle would be...
Coraline's POV
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse then I've already discovered, Shūran suddenly appears and tosses Miroku and Sango into the cell, both stripped of their weapons!
"Miroku! Sango!"
Damn it!
"You and your friends will be sacrificed and be offered to our Master."
"(Narrows eyes) What master? What do you mean?"
"You will give us your jewel shards and your lives, and our master will be resurrected."
Shūran then closes the cell door, and walks away, leaving me to become a bit more anxious of our situation:
...This is bad.
At least my brothers, Inuyasha, Shippo, Kilala and Hachi are still out there, so not all hope's lost.
I just gotta stay calm, and wait...
But if all goes to hell...I'll fight tooth and nail to get outta here.
Meanwhile, back in the abandoned town, No POV
We see Jaken, who managed to escape unharmed in the earlier explosion, wandering around to find his master:
"Where could he have gotten to? Lord Sesshomaru? Where are you? I can't find you..."
His attention is then drawn to several panther demons approaching him from behind:
"Guh-uh, stay away!"
But he ends up backing into another panther demon:
"Grh-rh! Not cats again!"
He then yelps and runs off, with the panther demons chasing him. He tries to stave them off with the Staff of Two Heads, but some jump over the attack and close in on him:
"Gaaaah!"
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash)
Inuyasha then jumps in and takes down those demons, prompting the rest to turn and flee...Jaken decides to follow their example in the other direction:
"My chance to get away!"
Unfortunately, he wouldn't get far, as Inuyasha leaps in front of his path:
"Waah!"
"Hey."
Jaken tries to run the other way, but is grabbed by his robes and lifted to Inuyasha's eye-level:
"Have you seen my friends around here?"
"No, but would you happen to know where Lord Sesshomaru might be?"
"How would I know? Besides, what the heck is he doin' here? This isn't any of his business."
Jaken furiously barks back,
"How dare you say that and defile your father's memory!"
"Now you've totally lost me."
"Your father waged war against the Panther Demon Tribe a long time ago."
"Oh that? Myoga told me. But I thought Sesshomaru didn't even fight in that battle."
"The Panther Tribe showed up again fifty years ago bent on revenge...Your father had passed on, but they came to ravage the countryside and kill his people. But at that time, you weren't much help!"
"Hm?"
Flashback
Continuing off after the demons led by Ryoakan offered to aid Sesshomaru, Jaken arrives with some troubling information:
"Lord Sesshomaru! I bring, terrible news!"
"What is it?"
"Forgive me, but I acted on my own and went to fetch Inuyasha. He may be a half-demon, but he's still your father's son."
"I see...Where is he? What? Is he too cowardly to show himself, or did he simply refuse to come to his brother's aid?"
"Neither. I'm afraid he's been placed under a spell." That caught Sesshomaru by surprise:
"A spell?"
"Indeed. He lost his heart to a mortal priestess, and fell prey to her sacred powers."
"(Frown) How foolish of him."
"Yes...(Turns to see the demon group) Who are those demons?"
"My father saved them in the great war..." Jaken was happy to hear that not all hope was lost:
"We have allies. How wonderful. I was concerned, I admit, but now that your father's allies have arrived, we can go into battle with confidence."
...Sesshomaru doesn't reply, and merely steps on Jaken as he walks off.
End of Flashback
"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru had never expected you to come to his assistance, but victory would've been so easy if we had the Tessaiga, the sword that was forged by your father."
"Kuh, Sesshomaru can't wield my sword."
"That's not the point, you ungrateful son!" Inuaysha turns away from Jaken:
"Would you stop harpin' me about the past?"
"Huh?"
Inuyasha then starts leaping off to find everyone, with Jaken calling,
"Wait, please don't leave me!" The dog demon says to himself as he was mid-air,
"Now I get it: All that stuff happened while I was under the spell."
Castle Jail Cell, Coraline's POV
After about ten-fifteen minutes, Miroku finally stirs awake, before going to gently wake Sango:
"Where, are we?"
"Yeah..."
I smile and say to them,
"Welcome back to the real world, you two."
They turn to me as I kneel down on one knee with an arm resting on top:
"Coraline!"
"Coraline! I'm glad you're alright...Wait, what happened to you?"
She was obviously talking about my minor injuries, but I just shake my head with a smile and reply,
"Oh these? I woke up about halfway to the valley, and tried to escape the three panthers. Unfortunately, it didn't go according to plan, and they just tied my wrists together before dragging me along...Still, totally worth the scratches and bruises I gave those bitches for every hit they gave me."
Sango gapes at me in surprise...before shaking her head with an amused smile:
"Good grief: I think you've been hanging out with Inuyasha for too long."
I just laugh at her response...Miroku then turns his head to the door and remarks,
"So, is this some kind of prison cell they've put us in?" I reply with a straight face,
"Afraid so...and we're not the only humans captured..."
"Who else is in here?"
I turn to the back of the jail cell:
"See for yourself..."
Our eyes fall on a huge group of villagers, whom I learned occupy a town not too far from the castle.
Not a good place to call home, if you ask me...
"Who are they? Do you think they're the villagers?"
"No wonder there wasn't a sign of life in the town." I explain to Sango and Miroku,
"Based on what I could gather, these people had escaped the harshness of war and built the town as a safe haven."
"I see: It's a perfect place to hide in peace."
"It was, until those damn panthers discovered the place and took over. Things only got worse from there..."
One of the men trembles and mutters,
"You've got to help us, or else we're all going to be killed by those cats." A woman holding their child adds,
"I'm afraid...Why did those demons have to come?"
I smile sadly at how desperate and frightened they sounded, before walking over to say with courage,
"Please don't worry: Help is on the way, I promise. Those panthers we'll regret the day they were born!"
One young, frail man replies worriedly,
"The demons will get wind of it for certain."
"The one coming has strength that has surpassed many demons. Trust me: He won't stand idly by and let these panthers win."
Not all of the villagers were convinced:
"I'm terrified!"
"Oh lord, please help all of us..."
But a few seemed to perk up, and one man asks,
"Um, who's stronger than the cats?"
"(Smile) His name is Inuyasha. There's also someone by name of Kōga who has formidable strength, and their own respected allies. Plus, my brothers are still out there, and they won't stop at nothing until they see me safe."
Miroku then says something that threw me off:
"I wouldn't be so sure about Sesshomaru, though."
"Whoa, what?! Sesshomaru's here?!" Sango explains:
"He's here battling the Panther Demon Tribe."
"Hmm...Wonder what his gambit is?"
Courtyard, No POV
As Coraline was trying to keep everyone's spirits up in the dungeon, we turn to the outdoors where a simple yet elegant altar has been set up, the embers of the two fire posts casting shadows on the ground...
Tōran is the only soul there, placing a holder with the three Shikon-no-Tama shards stolen from the Inuyasha group in the middle of the set-up.
As the jewel shards emit a soft glow, she looks up and remarks,
"The time has almost come...Soon, you will be resurrected, Master."
And following her view, we see the giant carcass of the panther demon that fought Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father many years ago...!
The Gates
At the same time, Sesshomaru reaches the bridge leading to one of the entrances to the Panther Demon Tribe's castle, while on the other side, stood Karan cloaked in her fire elemental energy:
"Huh. It's the older brother again."
At a second gate, Shūran begins battling against Kōga, Ginta, Hakkaku, Ryoakan and the twins using his lightning attacks:
"Go home, wolf! You're not wanted here!"
(Bzz-crack)
Everyone scrambles to dodge the lightning strike, while Kōga leaps up to counterattack the panther demon:
"Get, outta my waaaay!"
Finally, at the third gate, Inuyasha and Jaken arrive to face Shunran:
"Jaken to the rescue!"
"You're here...(Giggle)"
"Kuh, (Pulls out Tessaiga) where have you got Coraline?!"