A dark figure seemed to fly out of the woods and up to the man who towered over the unconscious little hanyou. Using only a small dagger, he sliced the man's throat, readying himself for the next attack before the man even fell. The group of men, stunned into paralysis at the first appearance of this stranger, now scattered. Taking on a baby hanyou was one thing, taking on some unknown creature taller and possibly stronger than them that seemed to fly through the forest, well, that was quite another.
The rain and the panic of the man gave the stranger a shadow-like appearance, he seemed to simply disappear then reappear with deadly speed. Two more men fell, their throats sliced open by the stranger's dagger. In fear and panic, one man began to shoot off his arrows blindly. Most didn't even come close to the target, but one shot seemed to have a certain luck with it, for it put a scratch through the strangers upper arm. The stranger looked at the wound slowly and deliberately, the man who shot the arrow began to shake with an instinctive fear. Suddenly, the stranger appeared in front of the man and grabbed his shoulder in one hand and his wrist in the other. There was a ripping sound as the stranger tore the man's arm off with sheer strength, then reached up and snapped the man's neck.
Returning to the use of his blade, the stranger quickly hunted down and beheaded the four remaining men, anger still coursing through his veins. Once that was finished, he quickly went around to all the men Inu had knocked out or injured that were lying on the ground and killed them, silently. Then and only then did he sheath his knife and turn his attention to the dying hanyou before him.
For his age, he had put up quite a fight, the stranger reflected, he took out seven of them on his own.
The stranger tore away Inu's shirt, seeing no other way of getting it around the spear, and examined his wounds. The spear wound was by far the worst. Judging by it's position and the amount of blood on the ground, the stranger guessed that it had missed his heart and lungs but had broken his ribs and caused internal bleeding. The stranger quickly assessed the boy's other wounds. His face was bruising from the beating he took and the arrow was still in his side, plus his arm was twisted horrible and had to be broken. One quick jerk brings the arrow out of Inu's side, along with a yelp of pain from the unconscious boy. The other wounds would have to wait until later and the break couldn't be set until he had a straight piece of wood to hold it in place, no use setting it just to have it move again.
Inu, still solidly unconscious, was picked up by the stranger and held before him. Bracing Inu under his arm, the stranger removed the spear by breaking off the back and pushing it the rest of the way through, since the tip was barbed and would have cause more damage if pulled out. Even in his unconscious state, Inu couldn't help but scream as the spear slid out of his body, the stranger did nothing to stop him. There was a fresh surge of blood from the wound and the stranger used his own coat to staunch the flow, but the wound still bled profusely. The young hanyou looked even smaller as his body lost color as it lost blood and began to convulse. The stranger pinned Inu to the ground as his small body began to spasm wildly under his hands.
The stranger realized what must be done, but he doesn't like it.
Suddenly, the boy's body jerked in another spasm and he turned to the side, spewing blood from his mouth. Inu lay on his back again and, amazingly, opened his eyes. Inu didn't feel any pain and wondered if he has died, but when he opened his eyes to see the forest once again he knew he had not. He wondered who the shadowy figure above him is, but his eyes are too tired to focus enough to see more than the outline of his face.
Inu watched with an unattached sense as the man brought his wrist up to his mouth and tore away the skin with one quick bite. Blood rolled down the stranger's sleeve as Inu watched now with curiosity. The man gently picked up Inu's head and brought his wrist to Inu's mouth. Inu jerked his head away, refusing to drink the blood.
Though half demon, Inu's mother had been human and the thought of drinking the blood of anyone like her made him sick. Inu had simply decided at a young age that he would never drink human blood and he never had. Now, with his mother's death, Inu wanted less than ever to drink human blood and break the silent vow he had made to his mother.
But the stranger didn't know this and it is doubtful that he would have cared. Seeing the hanyou's resistance, he placed his wrist on the boy's lips.
"If you don't drink, you'll die," he whispered, not completely sure that the boy could hear him. The blood was hot and stung Inu's lips as he tried to keep them sealed shut, but some must have gotten through, because Inu suddenly felt a yearning take hold of him. The blood was there on his lips, running down his chin, and he wanted it more than anything, but still he tried desperately to keep himself from drinking it.
Willing the boy to cooperate, the stranger reached up and tore open the wound on his wrist more, causing a fresh surge of blood to run over the hanyou's mouth. With a wild surrender, Inu grasped the wrist with his good hand and latched onto it with his mouth, only to jerk his head away a moment later.
"It burns," he hissed as the blood stung his mouth and burned is tongue. The stranger seemed surprised for a moment, then seemed to understand.
"Yes," he said, "yes, of course it does. But that doesn't matter, it will go away and you must drink!"
In silent agreement, Inu grabbed the man's wrist and lapped at the blood again. The pain didn't matter to Inu anymore, only the all consuming thirst for the blood that was running out of this man.
The man settled himself down on the ground next to Inu and readied himself for a long wait. Inu drank his fill and tried to pull away, but the man gripped his jaw and silently shook his head, leaving his wrist in Inu's mouth. Inu drifted in and out of consciousness, his body remembering to swallow even when he was not awake. The rain slowed to a drizzle, then stopped. A few hours later, the man finally removed his wrist from the boy's mouth and re-inspected the boy's wounds. The hole from the spear was gone, replaced by a huge, discolored bruise and the remaining broken arm and ribs. The boy was not yet out of danger, as moving within the next two or three days could cause one of the broken ribs to poke a hole in a vital organ.
The stranger sighed, he had not bargained for staying with the pup a week or so, but he had wanted to assess the boy's skills and knew that he had to take responsibility for not intervening before the boy was hurt.
While drinking the stranger's blood, Inu had somehow ended up halfway across his lap. Now shirtless and wet, he shivered in the cold that the storm had brought. Gently, the stranger lifted the boy in his lap and began to carry him to a shelter not far away. He knew that the boy would need more treatment than he had received and also that he himself would need to sleep off the loss of blood, but most importantly, he knew that the boy was still not safe anywhere near humans.
The rain and the panic of the man gave the stranger a shadow-like appearance, he seemed to simply disappear then reappear with deadly speed. Two more men fell, their throats sliced open by the stranger's dagger. In fear and panic, one man began to shoot off his arrows blindly. Most didn't even come close to the target, but one shot seemed to have a certain luck with it, for it put a scratch through the strangers upper arm. The stranger looked at the wound slowly and deliberately, the man who shot the arrow began to shake with an instinctive fear. Suddenly, the stranger appeared in front of the man and grabbed his shoulder in one hand and his wrist in the other. There was a ripping sound as the stranger tore the man's arm off with sheer strength, then reached up and snapped the man's neck.
Returning to the use of his blade, the stranger quickly hunted down and beheaded the four remaining men, anger still coursing through his veins. Once that was finished, he quickly went around to all the men Inu had knocked out or injured that were lying on the ground and killed them, silently. Then and only then did he sheath his knife and turn his attention to the dying hanyou before him.
For his age, he had put up quite a fight, the stranger reflected, he took out seven of them on his own.
The stranger tore away Inu's shirt, seeing no other way of getting it around the spear, and examined his wounds. The spear wound was by far the worst. Judging by it's position and the amount of blood on the ground, the stranger guessed that it had missed his heart and lungs but had broken his ribs and caused internal bleeding. The stranger quickly assessed the boy's other wounds. His face was bruising from the beating he took and the arrow was still in his side, plus his arm was twisted horrible and had to be broken. One quick jerk brings the arrow out of Inu's side, along with a yelp of pain from the unconscious boy. The other wounds would have to wait until later and the break couldn't be set until he had a straight piece of wood to hold it in place, no use setting it just to have it move again.
Inu, still solidly unconscious, was picked up by the stranger and held before him. Bracing Inu under his arm, the stranger removed the spear by breaking off the back and pushing it the rest of the way through, since the tip was barbed and would have cause more damage if pulled out. Even in his unconscious state, Inu couldn't help but scream as the spear slid out of his body, the stranger did nothing to stop him. There was a fresh surge of blood from the wound and the stranger used his own coat to staunch the flow, but the wound still bled profusely. The young hanyou looked even smaller as his body lost color as it lost blood and began to convulse. The stranger pinned Inu to the ground as his small body began to spasm wildly under his hands.
The stranger realized what must be done, but he doesn't like it.
Suddenly, the boy's body jerked in another spasm and he turned to the side, spewing blood from his mouth. Inu lay on his back again and, amazingly, opened his eyes. Inu didn't feel any pain and wondered if he has died, but when he opened his eyes to see the forest once again he knew he had not. He wondered who the shadowy figure above him is, but his eyes are too tired to focus enough to see more than the outline of his face.
Inu watched with an unattached sense as the man brought his wrist up to his mouth and tore away the skin with one quick bite. Blood rolled down the stranger's sleeve as Inu watched now with curiosity. The man gently picked up Inu's head and brought his wrist to Inu's mouth. Inu jerked his head away, refusing to drink the blood.
Though half demon, Inu's mother had been human and the thought of drinking the blood of anyone like her made him sick. Inu had simply decided at a young age that he would never drink human blood and he never had. Now, with his mother's death, Inu wanted less than ever to drink human blood and break the silent vow he had made to his mother.
But the stranger didn't know this and it is doubtful that he would have cared. Seeing the hanyou's resistance, he placed his wrist on the boy's lips.
"If you don't drink, you'll die," he whispered, not completely sure that the boy could hear him. The blood was hot and stung Inu's lips as he tried to keep them sealed shut, but some must have gotten through, because Inu suddenly felt a yearning take hold of him. The blood was there on his lips, running down his chin, and he wanted it more than anything, but still he tried desperately to keep himself from drinking it.
Willing the boy to cooperate, the stranger reached up and tore open the wound on his wrist more, causing a fresh surge of blood to run over the hanyou's mouth. With a wild surrender, Inu grasped the wrist with his good hand and latched onto it with his mouth, only to jerk his head away a moment later.
"It burns," he hissed as the blood stung his mouth and burned is tongue. The stranger seemed surprised for a moment, then seemed to understand.
"Yes," he said, "yes, of course it does. But that doesn't matter, it will go away and you must drink!"
In silent agreement, Inu grabbed the man's wrist and lapped at the blood again. The pain didn't matter to Inu anymore, only the all consuming thirst for the blood that was running out of this man.
The man settled himself down on the ground next to Inu and readied himself for a long wait. Inu drank his fill and tried to pull away, but the man gripped his jaw and silently shook his head, leaving his wrist in Inu's mouth. Inu drifted in and out of consciousness, his body remembering to swallow even when he was not awake. The rain slowed to a drizzle, then stopped. A few hours later, the man finally removed his wrist from the boy's mouth and re-inspected the boy's wounds. The hole from the spear was gone, replaced by a huge, discolored bruise and the remaining broken arm and ribs. The boy was not yet out of danger, as moving within the next two or three days could cause one of the broken ribs to poke a hole in a vital organ.
The stranger sighed, he had not bargained for staying with the pup a week or so, but he had wanted to assess the boy's skills and knew that he had to take responsibility for not intervening before the boy was hurt.
While drinking the stranger's blood, Inu had somehow ended up halfway across his lap. Now shirtless and wet, he shivered in the cold that the storm had brought. Gently, the stranger lifted the boy in his lap and began to carry him to a shelter not far away. He knew that the boy would need more treatment than he had received and also that he himself would need to sleep off the loss of blood, but most importantly, he knew that the boy was still not safe anywhere near humans.