Authors Note: Well I got a review so as of right now I'm continuing but if I stop getting them, the story stops. So keep 'em coming!
Kouga walked quietly down his path with his wolves behind and in front of him. He was thinking deeply about what he'd just done. Inuyasha had decided to give his sword back with out question. Had Kouga made a mistake in jumping to conclusions? "No!" Kouga told himself firmly, trying to wipe the thought from his head. "Forget the past! All that matters now is getting my armor and going to the new wolf demon tribe!" In an hour, Kouga reached a village that looked as if within it was a weapons crafter. All the village men carried swords at their wastes or on their backs. Right at the beginning of the village was a big swordsman training school. Both signs of their being a decent crafter near by. "You guys stay here" he said speaking to his five wolves, "If you guys walk in with me, the entire village will be after us. So just stay here until I get back."
Kouga held his tail close to his body and began to coil it around his leg so it looked less like he had a tail at all, and walked into the village. "Is their a decent crafter in this village?" he asked, walking up to a young man with a sword at his waste.
"Obviously! Are you blind! There's a training school and every man here has a weapon!" he snapped then ran through the swordsman's schools doors.
Kouga decided to ask a woman this time. "Could you tell me where the crafter of the village is?" he asked and old lady.
"Why yes, of course! In the center of the village. You can't miss it! Many men crowd around his hut, hoping he will forge them a weapon. He is said to be the best crafter ever born! But if I were you, I'd wait to ask him for what you want after the sun goes down. It is said that only then do the worriers come in for what the want. It is also then when he makes his items with all his skill but because of that he is very choosy about who he will build for. From the looks of you, I'd say you'll pass easily. Besides, if you don't get it done at night, you'll be standing in line for thirty moons and suns before you get through."
"OK. Thanks." Said Kouga walking deeper into the village. The best crafter ever born! I must pass and get the strongest, best armor ever, Kouga thought to himself. But first I want to see the hut and the crowd. As Kouga was thinking to himself he accidentally ran into another young man. "Oh sorry." He said, going around to continue walking.
"Hey hey hey!!!" the man shouted after Kouga. The young Wolf Demon looked back at the man he'd run into. "You have to start at the end of the line like everyone else!"
Kouga looked at the man and looked at all the people in front of him. "Line for what?"
The mans face turned bright red. "Yeah like you have heard!" Kouga continued to look confused. "The weapons crafter! This is the line for the crafter! You wouldn't be going through here if you'd wanted something else!"
Kouga's jaw dropped a bit. This was the line!? He looked down it again, it went on for at least half a mile! "Actually," he started after he came out of the brief shock, "I had just wanted to see the hut so I could find it when I go there tonight." The entire line seemed to suddenly go quiet.
"He's lying! No one's ever been able to get past the test!" a villager down the line a ways screamed. Wow, Kouga thought, that's one hard test! "You've got a lot of gut's coming into our village and automatically assuming you're good enough for the night test!" another villager screamed.
Kouga just thought. Either that test is extremely hard or something frightened the villagers into thinking that. But the old woman had said that Kouga looked like he'd pass the test easily. Maybe she knew something that the rest of the villagers didn't. Kouga nodded and turned around, walking away until he was out of the men's sight. "OK. There won't be any villagers around the hut when it's dark, so I probably won't be able to find it unless I see it know." He jumped up onto the roof of one of the huts. "So I'll run across the roof tops, following the line until I get to the hut." And so he did. After it seemed like forever of following the line and leaping across roofs he finally got to the hut.
There a sign hanging just under the roof that had a picture of two swords crossed. Through small gaps in the sticks and hay, which the roof was made of, Kouga could see a boy that looked younger than Kouga surrounded by all kind of tools and materials. OK, Kouga thought, I'll sit up here, out of sight, until the sun goes down and the line disappears. For the next couple hours Kouga lay in a meditative stance, which was only interrupted by the sighs of disappointments that filled the air. Kouga opened his eyes to see the villagers slowly walking away as the bright red sun began to disappear into the horizon.
After all the villagers had left, Kouga stood up excitedly. If he passed the test as the old woman said he would, then he would only be a couple suns and moons away from a new family! He jumped down landing in the dirt quietly and unseen because the sun was now gone and the sky was nearly black. He walked through the door of the hut to see the young boy lighting a fire.
"Some one feeling brave today?" he said without turning around.
"I can't say. I haven't heard any of the stories that are keeping the villagers away after the sun goes down."
The boy turned around with interest and surveyed Kouga. "You are not a villager. You are not even human." He said looking at Kouga with suspicion.
Kouga thought for a moment. He might as well tell the truth because if the boy were going to make him Wolf Demon armor he'd find out. "No I am not. I am a Wolf Demon and I don't wish you to make me a weapon but armor."
"Ah. I see. Yes you are Wolf Demon but you lack the armor. Do you mind telling me why and also why you are alone?"
So Kouga ended up sitting down and telling the boy about how he ended up alone and how he planned to go find another Wolf Demon tribe once he had his armor.
"You're very honest. I like that. Haven't seen such honesty in a long time. The village men come in here, gloating about how they've done all kinds of stuff that they really haven't and saying they are the ones who most deserve the finest weaponry. Because you are the opposite of those village scum, I will make you very fine Wolf Demon armor, made from a material that will allow it to stretch so it will fit you until you die."
"Thank you very much! I greatly appreciate it! How much will it cost?" Kouga asked, pulling out his small brown bag that held his money.
The young boy smiled and held up his hand. "Nothing. I am already rich because I over price the villagers for lying to me. It is only fair that I give you your armor for free. Oh and by the way, I'm Jawdra."
"Wow! Thank you again! Nice to meet you, Jawdra. So how long will it take you to make my armor?"
"Tomorrow night it will be finished. And until then, you are welcome to stay here and talk to me. It gets very lonely when you're surrounded by selfish liars. Not great conversation."
Kouga nodded then snuck out to the end of the village and told his wolves to go hunt and relax a couple miles out until he came out and found them. Over the next day, Kouga was relaxing in Jawdra's hut as angered villagers lined up outside just to hear that the crafter was taking a "comfort" day. Of course he was really working on Kouga's armor. "So, what are the stories keeping the villagers from lining up after the sun goes down?" Kouga asked out of curiosity.
Jawdra laughed. "Nothing really. Random rumors I started. When I first came here and they discovered how good I am, they were here every minute the sun and moon where up. I tried to tell them I was only going to be open at certain times. A riot started because I wouldn't be able to give the people everything they wanted. So I started rumors about great, evil solders coming here in the night and it worked. They're all afraid to come after the sun leaves the sky." The boy shrugged and went back to work.
Kouga smiled then curled back up and fell asleep. Within a couple days he would be at a new Wolf Demon tribe and he would be home! Life was good sometimes.