A/N: I wasn't sure if I was going to continue this story or not, but, my
muse has struck again. Don't expect quick updates, "Synthetic Emotions" is
still my first priority.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I don't own the faeries, either.
*~*~*
A Brief Glossary:
Sidhe: a general term for faeries, more or less. Pronounced, "Shee" as in Banshee (or Ban Sidhe). Youkai will be making cameos as Sidhe.
Bright Folk: the Daoine Sidhe. I could write an essay trying to explain them, but I won't. For a ball-park estimate, picture Tolkien's elves with Sesshomaru's attitude.
The UnSeelie: put simply, bad faeries. These are the Sidhe who are twisted in form and nature.
Small Folk: the little people; pixies, gnomes, hobgoblins, leprechauns, etc. Basically your standard fairy tale fare, from Rumpelstiltskin to Tinker Bell.
*~*~*
Hunter's Moon
Chapter One
Rain beat down on red autumn leaves, made grey by the early twilight. Sunset was at least an hour off, but the sky was an ominous, bruised shade that threatened no reprieve from the pounding rain. The wind moaned and creaked in the branches, shaking and rattling the dead leaves. In the dim, indifferent light, the road was little more than scar through the undergrowth.
Kagome could not repress a shudder. She wished she were home, warm indoors, sipping the broth her mother had been making when she left, instead of out here, cold and soaked to the skin. She wished she had stayed with Sango and her family, instead of insisting that she walk home with a storm pressing in.
She wished she were anywhere but on the road through Inuyasha's Forest, exposed to the weather, with night coming on quickly. In the day, with the sun shining brightly, and the forest painted a riot of red and gold, it had been easy to forget the stories of this place, and tales of what befell those who crossed the woods' inhabitants. Most particularly, the stories about the faerie boy from whom the forest took its name. She had grown up listening to tales about Inuyasha, and the Wild Hunt that rode in the late days of fall.
When she was young, she and the other children of the village had dared each other to race to the weathered old stump that marked the boundary of the forest, and more often than not, they had all run home screaming when whoever had been dared claimed to have felt a chill, or seen a flash of red out of the corner of their eyes. That had changed seven years ago, when Kikyo's body had been found after the night of Samhain. Her parents had told her that the older girl had probably been gored by a wild boar, but Kagome had not believed it. Grandfather had told her that the Wild Hunt had taken Kikyo.
At least it was raining tonight. The girl was fairly certain she remembered Grandfather telling her that the Wild Hunt only ran on clear nights, and couldn't cross running water.
With the last of the daylight fading, Kagome couldn't help but watch the thick underbrush on either side of the road suspiciously. Who knew what might be hiding just out of sight on a night like this?
When the first flash of lightning abruptly lit the sky, Kagome nearly screamed. The low rumble of thunder that followed covered the sounds she couldn't repress.
Belatedly, she realized it was only the storm and laughed at how silly she was being. Lightning was perfectly normal this time of year. There was nothing unnatural or magical about it. In the fall, there was lightning. There always had been. It was nothing to get hysterical about.
Calming herself through force of will, she continued on. The weather was at least as dangerous as the Sidhe. She shouldn't be out on a night like this. She could catch cold, or worse, lung-fever.
A moment later, she caught another flash out of the corner of her eye, and waited for the thunder to follow. And waited. And heard nothing. Her throat constricted slightly, and the skin across her shoulders prickled. What was that? 'I shouldn't look,' she thought, remembering what she could of the stories. 'I shouldn't look, and I shouldn't run. It isn't the Wild Hunt, it isn't the Wild Hunt. Oh gods, let it not be the Wild Hunt. . .'
Another flash, again silent, and this time she could make out a disturbing, greenish quality to the light. Only now it was more of a glow than a flash, and it didn't seem to fade away entirely, but lingered just at the edge of her vision. 'Don't look. . .' She could feel something watching her, and a cold sweat started on her already damp skin.
Then it was in front of her, a shapeless wisp of blue green light, and another of a cooler, darker blue. The greenish glow was still behind her and to the left, and there was something vaguely yellowish with it, all these faint splotches of color standing out sharply against the evening grey.
Kagome stopped walking and looked behind her. There were more of them. Ghost Lanterns. She was shaking now, trembling as she considered what surrounded her. Evil spirits that led travelers astray, and drained the life from living bodies. A chill crept up the girl's spine. She was surrounded. They were before her, and behind, and to the left. . .
She whirled right, fearing what she would find, but there was nothing, only empty forest. Darkness hung between the trees, and brambles and nettles all outlined only indistinctly by the failing light.
"Kagome. . ." A high, childish voice seemed to whisper in her ear, followed by an impish giggle. "Kagome! Kagome. . ."
With those voices laughing at her, she did the only thing her panic-blanked mind could understand. She ran.
The voices laughed louder, gaining strength. The lights darted wildly in every direction but one, so she ran. Her skirt caught on thorn bushes, and vines tangled around her ankles. Kagome heard them behind her, and saw them always flitting just out of sight. They were chanting her name, over and over again, calling her in those soft voices. And they were laughing. The sound of their laughter turned to a cold, tight knot of dread in the pit of her stomach. She ran faster. A branch whipped painfully across her cheek, but she ignored it.
One of the lights, the unearthly blue one, floated beside her, and she thought she could just make out a small figure in the glow.
Her skirt caught again, and this time she heard it rip as she tore it roughly free of a wild rosevine. Kagome was not used to running, and her lungs already burned with the exertion, but she forced herself to keep going. She had to get away from the Ghost Lanterns.
"Kagome. . ."
"Kagome. . ."
"Kagome!"
The girl covered her ears in an attempt to block them out. 'Don't listen to them,' she told herself sternly. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and every breath hurt more than the last.
There was another light dancing with the blue one, this one was greener than any of the others she had seen, and she could clearly see the form of a dark haired young girl limned in that ghastly luminescence. Its merry laughter was clear through the patter of the rain, the rasping of Kagome's breath and the pounding of her heart.
'Run,' she urged her tired legs, fighting for another burst of speed, but she couldn't make them go. The wet leaves slid under her feet and she toppled, skidding downhill on her backside.
"No!" Kagome shouted in denial as the green Ghost Lantern came to hover above her, fixing her with eyes that shown with a maniacal glee.
Then a blur of red came between her and the spirit. Long white hair, shining as though the moon had somehow broke through the clouds just to reflect of it. And four gashes in the air, which hit the Ghost Lantern. The little spirit dissolved into nothing. Suddenly, the other lights were gone as well.
Kagome blinked, trying to figure out what she'd seen. It had happened too quickly, leaving her with nothing but a jumble of impressions.
There was a youth standing over her, wearing a red cloak. His long, silvery white hair spilled down his back unbound, and his appricot-gold eyes were fixed on her. She could see him clearly, despite the dark. He didn't glow as the Ghost Lanterns had, but it for some reason, he wasn't obscured by the twilight or the rain.
His face was beautiful, but not human. It was more as though someone had given a dog the shape of a man. There were a pair was triangular white dog- ears on top of his head.
The girl recognized him from the stories. Inuyasha.
She'd had a better chance with the Ghost Lanterns.
*~*~*
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I apologize if my writing occassionally seems awkwark. I am experimenting with what I hope is a somewhat folklore-ish style, so I'm not writing as I normally would, and thus, it feels a little clumsy to me. Sorry.
Until next time.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I don't own the faeries, either.
*~*~*
A Brief Glossary:
Sidhe: a general term for faeries, more or less. Pronounced, "Shee" as in Banshee (or Ban Sidhe). Youkai will be making cameos as Sidhe.
Bright Folk: the Daoine Sidhe. I could write an essay trying to explain them, but I won't. For a ball-park estimate, picture Tolkien's elves with Sesshomaru's attitude.
The UnSeelie: put simply, bad faeries. These are the Sidhe who are twisted in form and nature.
Small Folk: the little people; pixies, gnomes, hobgoblins, leprechauns, etc. Basically your standard fairy tale fare, from Rumpelstiltskin to Tinker Bell.
*~*~*
Hunter's Moon
Chapter One
Rain beat down on red autumn leaves, made grey by the early twilight. Sunset was at least an hour off, but the sky was an ominous, bruised shade that threatened no reprieve from the pounding rain. The wind moaned and creaked in the branches, shaking and rattling the dead leaves. In the dim, indifferent light, the road was little more than scar through the undergrowth.
Kagome could not repress a shudder. She wished she were home, warm indoors, sipping the broth her mother had been making when she left, instead of out here, cold and soaked to the skin. She wished she had stayed with Sango and her family, instead of insisting that she walk home with a storm pressing in.
She wished she were anywhere but on the road through Inuyasha's Forest, exposed to the weather, with night coming on quickly. In the day, with the sun shining brightly, and the forest painted a riot of red and gold, it had been easy to forget the stories of this place, and tales of what befell those who crossed the woods' inhabitants. Most particularly, the stories about the faerie boy from whom the forest took its name. She had grown up listening to tales about Inuyasha, and the Wild Hunt that rode in the late days of fall.
When she was young, she and the other children of the village had dared each other to race to the weathered old stump that marked the boundary of the forest, and more often than not, they had all run home screaming when whoever had been dared claimed to have felt a chill, or seen a flash of red out of the corner of their eyes. That had changed seven years ago, when Kikyo's body had been found after the night of Samhain. Her parents had told her that the older girl had probably been gored by a wild boar, but Kagome had not believed it. Grandfather had told her that the Wild Hunt had taken Kikyo.
At least it was raining tonight. The girl was fairly certain she remembered Grandfather telling her that the Wild Hunt only ran on clear nights, and couldn't cross running water.
With the last of the daylight fading, Kagome couldn't help but watch the thick underbrush on either side of the road suspiciously. Who knew what might be hiding just out of sight on a night like this?
When the first flash of lightning abruptly lit the sky, Kagome nearly screamed. The low rumble of thunder that followed covered the sounds she couldn't repress.
Belatedly, she realized it was only the storm and laughed at how silly she was being. Lightning was perfectly normal this time of year. There was nothing unnatural or magical about it. In the fall, there was lightning. There always had been. It was nothing to get hysterical about.
Calming herself through force of will, she continued on. The weather was at least as dangerous as the Sidhe. She shouldn't be out on a night like this. She could catch cold, or worse, lung-fever.
A moment later, she caught another flash out of the corner of her eye, and waited for the thunder to follow. And waited. And heard nothing. Her throat constricted slightly, and the skin across her shoulders prickled. What was that? 'I shouldn't look,' she thought, remembering what she could of the stories. 'I shouldn't look, and I shouldn't run. It isn't the Wild Hunt, it isn't the Wild Hunt. Oh gods, let it not be the Wild Hunt. . .'
Another flash, again silent, and this time she could make out a disturbing, greenish quality to the light. Only now it was more of a glow than a flash, and it didn't seem to fade away entirely, but lingered just at the edge of her vision. 'Don't look. . .' She could feel something watching her, and a cold sweat started on her already damp skin.
Then it was in front of her, a shapeless wisp of blue green light, and another of a cooler, darker blue. The greenish glow was still behind her and to the left, and there was something vaguely yellowish with it, all these faint splotches of color standing out sharply against the evening grey.
Kagome stopped walking and looked behind her. There were more of them. Ghost Lanterns. She was shaking now, trembling as she considered what surrounded her. Evil spirits that led travelers astray, and drained the life from living bodies. A chill crept up the girl's spine. She was surrounded. They were before her, and behind, and to the left. . .
She whirled right, fearing what she would find, but there was nothing, only empty forest. Darkness hung between the trees, and brambles and nettles all outlined only indistinctly by the failing light.
"Kagome. . ." A high, childish voice seemed to whisper in her ear, followed by an impish giggle. "Kagome! Kagome. . ."
With those voices laughing at her, she did the only thing her panic-blanked mind could understand. She ran.
The voices laughed louder, gaining strength. The lights darted wildly in every direction but one, so she ran. Her skirt caught on thorn bushes, and vines tangled around her ankles. Kagome heard them behind her, and saw them always flitting just out of sight. They were chanting her name, over and over again, calling her in those soft voices. And they were laughing. The sound of their laughter turned to a cold, tight knot of dread in the pit of her stomach. She ran faster. A branch whipped painfully across her cheek, but she ignored it.
One of the lights, the unearthly blue one, floated beside her, and she thought she could just make out a small figure in the glow.
Her skirt caught again, and this time she heard it rip as she tore it roughly free of a wild rosevine. Kagome was not used to running, and her lungs already burned with the exertion, but she forced herself to keep going. She had to get away from the Ghost Lanterns.
"Kagome. . ."
"Kagome. . ."
"Kagome!"
The girl covered her ears in an attempt to block them out. 'Don't listen to them,' she told herself sternly. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and every breath hurt more than the last.
There was another light dancing with the blue one, this one was greener than any of the others she had seen, and she could clearly see the form of a dark haired young girl limned in that ghastly luminescence. Its merry laughter was clear through the patter of the rain, the rasping of Kagome's breath and the pounding of her heart.
'Run,' she urged her tired legs, fighting for another burst of speed, but she couldn't make them go. The wet leaves slid under her feet and she toppled, skidding downhill on her backside.
"No!" Kagome shouted in denial as the green Ghost Lantern came to hover above her, fixing her with eyes that shown with a maniacal glee.
Then a blur of red came between her and the spirit. Long white hair, shining as though the moon had somehow broke through the clouds just to reflect of it. And four gashes in the air, which hit the Ghost Lantern. The little spirit dissolved into nothing. Suddenly, the other lights were gone as well.
Kagome blinked, trying to figure out what she'd seen. It had happened too quickly, leaving her with nothing but a jumble of impressions.
There was a youth standing over her, wearing a red cloak. His long, silvery white hair spilled down his back unbound, and his appricot-gold eyes were fixed on her. She could see him clearly, despite the dark. He didn't glow as the Ghost Lanterns had, but it for some reason, he wasn't obscured by the twilight or the rain.
His face was beautiful, but not human. It was more as though someone had given a dog the shape of a man. There were a pair was triangular white dog- ears on top of his head.
The girl recognized him from the stories. Inuyasha.
She'd had a better chance with the Ghost Lanterns.
*~*~*
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I apologize if my writing occassionally seems awkwark. I am experimenting with what I hope is a somewhat folklore-ish style, so I'm not writing as I normally would, and thus, it feels a little clumsy to me. Sorry.
Until next time.