Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Thirteen Dragons
"OSUWARI!"
SMACK!!
"Kagome! What was that for?!!" Inuyasha twitched and angrily tried to force his way to his feet. Kagome sat a few feet away on a small boulder, arms crossed and chin up.
"For being mean to Shippo! I swear, can't you two ever get along?" She cradled the tiny kitsune in her lap, and he made a face at Inuyasha while she wasn't looking. Inuyasha growled at him, but the fox youkai cuddled up with the young miko, unconcerned.
Sango and Miroku sat a short distance away, watching the precedings as if they had seen it all before. And they had. Many, many times. Kirara cocked her head to the side. These humans and youkai never ceased to make her wonder. She glanced up at Sango, then sighed and curled up at her feet, tails draped across her nose. Apparently this would take a while.
"He started it!" the hanyo cried, leaping to his feet.
"Did not!"
"Did so!" Kagome sighed.
"Osuwari." SMACK!!
"ITAI!" A shallow inmpression of a dog hanyo now lay in the forest floor. "Kagomeee~!!" he whined. "NOW what did I do?"
"You were getting on my nerves. If you two can't get along, there won't be any Ramen for you, Inuyasha, and no candy for you, Shippo." Both of the boys proceded to sulk, but agreed to get along. Of course, when she wasn't looking they glared at each other. But then, what else was new?
***
The forest was ancient, primal even. Chances were it saw very little human activity, and then most of those humans hadn't returned. The trees was huge, ten feet thick and towering overhead. The light was scattered by a thick canopy, and the animals were silent and furtive. This was not a forest for the weak, and it didn't like strangers. One could almost feel the trees were watching you around the campfire, glaring and hostile. Eager to remove you from their prescence. One way or another.
The light of the campfire was muted, as if the forest was drinking away the warmth and light. Kagome shivered and scooted closer, grateful that she wasn't alone. In the day the forest seemed distant and apathetic. At night, it was angry. Shippo huddled in her lap, hugging his tail and glancing around. Miroku sat nearby, staff across his lap and a thoughtful expression on his face as he gazed into the fire. Sango sat opposite Kagome, idly petting Kirara who slept in her lap without a care. There was no talking, no idle banter. It seemed oppressive.
"Oi, why so quiet? It's just some trees," Inuyasha wondered, perched on a low-lying branch nearby. In the distance a wolf howled.
"Shh! Inuyasha!" Shippo scolded. Inuyasha's ears flicked back in annoyance.
"Feh. You all are spooked by this little forest hike? Pathetic," he replied.
"I don't see you wandering too far from the fire either, Inuyasha," Kagome noted. The hanyo merely turned away and huffed. Kagome smiled slightly.
"Well, since you're not afraid, why don't you scout around, Inuyasha?" Miroku suggested. He smiled a little as well. "Make sure we're only getting 'spooked' by a few trees." The hanyo glanced at him, to see if he was being made sport of. His eyes narrowed.
"Fine. I will."
The hanyo got to his feet and brushed off his firerat coat before adamantly turning and stalking off into the dark forest. Kagome's brow furrowed. Would he be okay out there by himself? There was no telling what was there... But she told herself not the worry. If he was attacked he could fend for himself, and he'd make more than enough noise to alert the rest of them.
Meanwhile, with everyone's favorite half dog youkai...
Inuyasha 'feh'ed' to himself, summing up just about exactly how he felt about this whole ordeal with the forest. He came upon a tree that stretched taller than the others and leapt to the first of the branches, fifty feet overhead. Then he gathered himself again and leapt up higher, until he stood on one of the highest branches, overlooking the vast forest. The stars twinkled overhead on velvet black and the full moon shone brightly.
It would have been beautiful if Inuyasha had cared then. As it was he simply crouched there, watching over a sea of green-black leaves.
That's when the tree decided to wiggle.
"The fuck?" Inuyasha wondered. There was no wind, and that definately wasn't a normal wiggle. He tapped the bark of the branch between his feet. The tree squirmed and wiggled again. "Damnit, that definately isn't normal." He stood up and went to the trunk, and punched it.
"Itai!" the tree cried. Inuyasha jumped back with his hand upon Tetsusaiga's hilt, ready to fight, as the tree took on a life of it's own. The bark rippled and turned craggy and glossy, like scales of the richest brown. And the leaves moved and danced until they became a mane of the darkest green. And the tree unrooted itself and shifted and twisted... Until it wasn't a tree at all anymore.
A pair of big, emerald eyes looked at the hanyo crouching on it's arm. And the hanyo's amber eyes stared unbelieving at was once a tree... and was now a dragon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thirteen Dragons
"OSUWARI!"
SMACK!!
"Kagome! What was that for?!!" Inuyasha twitched and angrily tried to force his way to his feet. Kagome sat a few feet away on a small boulder, arms crossed and chin up.
"For being mean to Shippo! I swear, can't you two ever get along?" She cradled the tiny kitsune in her lap, and he made a face at Inuyasha while she wasn't looking. Inuyasha growled at him, but the fox youkai cuddled up with the young miko, unconcerned.
Sango and Miroku sat a short distance away, watching the precedings as if they had seen it all before. And they had. Many, many times. Kirara cocked her head to the side. These humans and youkai never ceased to make her wonder. She glanced up at Sango, then sighed and curled up at her feet, tails draped across her nose. Apparently this would take a while.
"He started it!" the hanyo cried, leaping to his feet.
"Did not!"
"Did so!" Kagome sighed.
"Osuwari." SMACK!!
"ITAI!" A shallow inmpression of a dog hanyo now lay in the forest floor. "Kagomeee~!!" he whined. "NOW what did I do?"
"You were getting on my nerves. If you two can't get along, there won't be any Ramen for you, Inuyasha, and no candy for you, Shippo." Both of the boys proceded to sulk, but agreed to get along. Of course, when she wasn't looking they glared at each other. But then, what else was new?
***
The forest was ancient, primal even. Chances were it saw very little human activity, and then most of those humans hadn't returned. The trees was huge, ten feet thick and towering overhead. The light was scattered by a thick canopy, and the animals were silent and furtive. This was not a forest for the weak, and it didn't like strangers. One could almost feel the trees were watching you around the campfire, glaring and hostile. Eager to remove you from their prescence. One way or another.
The light of the campfire was muted, as if the forest was drinking away the warmth and light. Kagome shivered and scooted closer, grateful that she wasn't alone. In the day the forest seemed distant and apathetic. At night, it was angry. Shippo huddled in her lap, hugging his tail and glancing around. Miroku sat nearby, staff across his lap and a thoughtful expression on his face as he gazed into the fire. Sango sat opposite Kagome, idly petting Kirara who slept in her lap without a care. There was no talking, no idle banter. It seemed oppressive.
"Oi, why so quiet? It's just some trees," Inuyasha wondered, perched on a low-lying branch nearby. In the distance a wolf howled.
"Shh! Inuyasha!" Shippo scolded. Inuyasha's ears flicked back in annoyance.
"Feh. You all are spooked by this little forest hike? Pathetic," he replied.
"I don't see you wandering too far from the fire either, Inuyasha," Kagome noted. The hanyo merely turned away and huffed. Kagome smiled slightly.
"Well, since you're not afraid, why don't you scout around, Inuyasha?" Miroku suggested. He smiled a little as well. "Make sure we're only getting 'spooked' by a few trees." The hanyo glanced at him, to see if he was being made sport of. His eyes narrowed.
"Fine. I will."
The hanyo got to his feet and brushed off his firerat coat before adamantly turning and stalking off into the dark forest. Kagome's brow furrowed. Would he be okay out there by himself? There was no telling what was there... But she told herself not the worry. If he was attacked he could fend for himself, and he'd make more than enough noise to alert the rest of them.
Meanwhile, with everyone's favorite half dog youkai...
Inuyasha 'feh'ed' to himself, summing up just about exactly how he felt about this whole ordeal with the forest. He came upon a tree that stretched taller than the others and leapt to the first of the branches, fifty feet overhead. Then he gathered himself again and leapt up higher, until he stood on one of the highest branches, overlooking the vast forest. The stars twinkled overhead on velvet black and the full moon shone brightly.
It would have been beautiful if Inuyasha had cared then. As it was he simply crouched there, watching over a sea of green-black leaves.
That's when the tree decided to wiggle.
"The fuck?" Inuyasha wondered. There was no wind, and that definately wasn't a normal wiggle. He tapped the bark of the branch between his feet. The tree squirmed and wiggled again. "Damnit, that definately isn't normal." He stood up and went to the trunk, and punched it.
"Itai!" the tree cried. Inuyasha jumped back with his hand upon Tetsusaiga's hilt, ready to fight, as the tree took on a life of it's own. The bark rippled and turned craggy and glossy, like scales of the richest brown. And the leaves moved and danced until they became a mane of the darkest green. And the tree unrooted itself and shifted and twisted... Until it wasn't a tree at all anymore.
A pair of big, emerald eyes looked at the hanyo crouching on it's arm. And the hanyo's amber eyes stared unbelieving at was once a tree... and was now a dragon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
