A quick guide, for the curious:
Inutaishou's child-name: Kenjirou ("Dog" + "second son")
Terutora's child-name: Tairyoumaru ("big" + "good")
Inutaishou's elder brother's name: Kenichiro ("dog" + "first son")
"This shouldn't be here." Inutaishou rumbled, eyeing the trading post warily.
"Why, y-yes my lord…" Myouga quavered. "The last few traders from this area were quite certain that the profit margin of the Wild Territories was not…" he cut off abruptly, seeing the look on his lord's face.
"No, I meant the trade embargo!" the dog lord snapped. "The dog alliance has not traded with the Untamed Regions for centuries!"
"Ah, that is also correct, but…"
"And this is fresh!" Inutaishou grumbled, picking through a pile of waste. Carelessly discarded, too…there was still edible meat clinging to the fox bones.
Bending over carefully, so as not to disturb the tiny flea perched on his shoulder, Inutaishou pressed forward into the small shack. It was a lean-to, really, nothing more than a few logs piled together…but it was drenched in the unmistakable scent of frog demons, rice, and fire salts. His nostrils flared wider.
"Cheap hair tonic…horse-hide scrolls…and ledger's ink…" Inutaishou mused. "This was their accounting room."
Myouga swiveled his tiny head around, trying to pick up anything else in the failing light.
"They left this place…" Inutaishou inhaled again. "Sometime this morning."
"Then they'll be heading for the Pass!" Myouga decided. "Raven's Head Pass is not far from here…they would be under shelter in the caves by nightfall!"
"The Pass…what's the fastest way there?" Inutaishou asked.
"Well, that would be northeast, straight through the chestnut forest---aauuughhh!" Myouga flailed as his lord spun on one heel and took off running.
"Let's move."
A few minutes later, they were airborne again, riding on a cloud of demon energy thin enough to see through—much to Myouga's dismay. Inutaishou cared little for his retainer's protests, choosing instead to feed most of his energy into forward motion. We hover low, we move fast. he had argued, although he did acknowledge their altitude was a bit disconcerting…flying fast enough to make the trees blur away would be much more comforting if the trees were not a few feet below them.
"We're going to die!!!" Myouga screeched as Inutaishou dodged another branch reflexively. Inutaishou tipped his head and gave the retainer a Look.
"Sorry m'lord!" the flea whimpered, hunkering back down into his master's collar. "I'M going to die!!!" he wailed instead.
Inutaishou sighed and doubled his efforts, putting all the energy he could muster into crossing the forest lands. The sun hung low in the sky already, bloated and red on the horizon, and he would be a tactical disadvantage if he had to fight the caravan at night…in a narrow mountain pass…
Besides, if they have someone who can hide something like this from my scouts… the dog lord mused as he skirted around another errant tree stand. There had to be several hundred traders in the rouge caravan, heading straight for crow territory, and yet their tracks disappeared periodically. Simple fox illusion magic, he had deduced after the first suspiciously pristine clearing dissolved into a camp site, but the scent bombs were the real problem. At every campsite but the last one, someone had taken the time to dump hundreds of gallons of aniseed oil in all eight directions. It would take a team of skilled trackers hours (and several aniseed-induced headaches) to find the right one…
"They have someone who knows dog demons."
"What, m'lord?" Myouga shouted, muffled under Inutaishou's clothing.
"Nothing!" he shouted back, fighting the wind. Every campsite but the last one was scent bombed, which meant…what? They were certain they wouldn't get caught, so close to the border? They were out of aniseed? Or they were rushed into action prematurely...the whole thing felt vaguely unsettling.
Focus on the now, boy! Inutaishou could practically hear his father's annoyed voice, and he fought back a faint smile. He was too much of a "worrier", his father had often complained, always worrying about the future – always worrying about supper so he couldn't finish his lunch, as it were. His silvery hair streamed out behind him, and Inutaishou tried to think.
So what is my 'now', then? Inutaishou wondered, cresting the ridge into Raven's Head valley. 'Now' is all fine and good, but it's the past that gets you killed, and the future you get killed IN…
Suddenly, his 'now' loomed up and smacked him in the face.
Hundreds of pack animals were milling around in the valley bottom, guarded by mountain ogres, ominous hulks nearly as large as the mountains behind them. Back in the shadowy crevice of the Pass, cooking fires were already burning brightly. And sitting at the top of one cliff, overlooking the scene, was a familiar, mottled brown terrier shape.
"See, m'lord! It's Lord Terutora!" Myouga exclaimed, crawling up to his master's shoulder.
"I'll deal with this! Infiltrate the camp!" Inutaishou ordered, flicking Myouga toward the nearest herd beast.
"Yesssiiirrr…" the flea's voice trailed off and disappeared in a flash of stampeding hooves. The mountain ogres had noticed his presence, and the nearest one was turning its terrible gaze his way. It raised its club…
Inutaishou had no time for elegance, so he transformed on top of the bastard and tore its head off. Paws met oxen and crushed them, and two forceful bounds carried the dog to the cliffside in scarcely two heartbeats. Blood racing, Inutaishou coiled his legs under his body and sprang straight up the nearest mountain, alighting on his cousin's chosen cliff. The spotted dog demon watched him with interest.
What is the meaning of this? Inutaishou howled, although he was sure he already knew the answer. The terrier remained where he was, calmly uncurling his tail from around his body to flick it dismissively. The doggy equivalent of "fuck off". Inutaishou snarled, taken aback.
You act foolishly, pup he conveyed in the gestures of dog-language, sticking out his chest and lashing his tail. Bow to me. His upper lip curled, revealing tree-sized teeth.
Terutora replied by standing. No.
Inutaishou's claws tore chasms through the rocky soil as he tried to restrain himself. Terutora sprang forward, bristling angrily. Leave this place.
Muzzle met muzzle, fangs glistening at each other.Not over my dead body.
Why do you defy me? the elder dog growled, shoving his smaller cousin backwards. Come, let's do this civilized way he signaled at length, bobbing his head.
Only if you will. Terutora replied at length, ducking his head only slightly. He did not break eye contact.
The sudden rush of energy drained the sky of color, and the earth itself groaned as two colossal demons collapsed in on themselves, reforming into humanoid shape. Inutaishou finished first, and waited for his copper-eyed relative. Even in false-form, the boy stood a full head shorter.
"I have nothing to say to you, cousin." The smaller demon wuffed, and Inutaishou's scowl deepened.
"Too bad!" he snapped, narrowing his eyes. "You're talking to me anyway. What the hell is this?" he demanded, waving his hand at the merchant camp.
"I already told you we have nothing to discuss!" Terutora spat. Inutaishou noticed with detached amusement that the pup's entire body twitched, just as if his dog-form hackles were rising. Too newly Changed he realized. The concept was alien; he'd had complete control of both forms for years.
"Would Aika have wanted us to fight?" Inutaishou tried.
"How dare you use that name!" Terutora screamed, and Inutaishou could tell it was taking all of the pup's restraint to stay in his lesser form. Too inexperienced, he can't control himself at all.
"Tairyoumaru, please."
"Don't call me that!" the terrier snapped, but he avoided his cousin's gaze.
"I've called you by your child-name since I was little more than a child! What's wrong now?"
"You presume too much." The other dog rumbled, but would not turn his head. "I am grown now."
"Oh?" Inutaishou's tone was deceptively light. "Seems to me a grown pup would have the sense to stand up for his family."
"You are no family of mine!" the terrier hissed, and Inutaishou faintly realized it was true. His grandmother's sister had been Terutora's grand dam, but his father was not from the main family.
"What about your son? What does this…interaction…with the goddamned crows do for him?" Inutaishou ground out. His mouth was beginning to ache from keeping his jaws clenched, but he was afraid if he didn't his fangs might get the better of him. "You know the alliance will brand your kin traitors for aiding the enemy."
For a moment, Terutora looked exactly like the puppy Inutaishou used to know: his proud shoulders slumped and his eyes softened. Then, as if steeling himself for something, the small dog inhaled sharply and drew himself up to his full height.
"My son," he began, "is the child of Aika, your half-sister. And as such, I suppose he owes the main family his life--by blood pact."
"Yes…" Inutaishou acquiesced cautiously. He wasn't sure where his cousin was going, but the hard glint in the terrier's eye didn't seem promising.
"But…" Terutora paused, working his mouth as if tasting his next words. "He can only serve if there will BE a main family to rule the Western lands. Your troops grow weary, Inutaishou." Terutora clenched his fists. "And none of them, your Grace included, have mates enough to replenish the ranks. Your ranks are dying faster than you can replace them."
"That's not true!" Inutaishou cried, but the image of the scout-puppy flared in his mind. He had thought she was someone's little sister…
Or daughter. Inutaishou's mind whispered treacherously. No, he would not think of that now!
"They will be fine, with proper support from the alliance! Some of the northern tribes could—"
"The northern tribes grow tired of sending their sons to die, Inutaishou." Terutora scowled. "This is not our war."
"But it is your war!" Inutaishou snapped. "You have stakes in the Western lands too!"
"Not enough…" Terutora scowled. "Not enough to make it worth my while to empty the northern forts! Not enough to leave OUR women and children open to attack! There is no way you can pay me to go to the council and beg for that! Unless…" the terrier paused dramatically.
"What?" Inutaishou growled, increasingly frustrated. Fucking idiot, he's playing with fire and he bothers to sit here and put on a show for me?!
"My son might have an interest in working with the northern tribes, if he were properly compensated. If he gains the authority to speak with them, that is."
Terutora's eyes narrowed to slits.
"After you, my son is the next blood heir to your father's lands." the terrier stated. "And I assist him in his bid for legitimacy."
WHAT?!?" Inutaishou roared, unable to help himself. "That's preposterous!"
Terutora shivered and squeezed his eyes shut, but he did not budge. "I will assist him until he becomes old enough to reign, and you will help him protect the southern border, just as you did for your father."
"What on earth," Inutaishou yelled, "possessed you to think I would agree to this?! No one touches these lands, not as long as I am breathing!"
"Your approval," Terutora sneered, "matters little. The alliance tires of your incompetence." His mask was cracking though, and the fear was beginning to show through, radiating off the young demon in waves.
Inutaishou's gaze softened.
"Who put you up to this, Tairyoumaru? Be honest with me." he whispered.
"N-no one!" the terrier cried, but he shifted nervously.
"Who was it, my friend? And what do they stand to gain from this? Is this really what you want?"
"I-It's how Aika would have wanted it." Terutora quavered, as if he didn't quite believe himself. "S-she didn't want to see her kin slaughtered like this…she would have gone out and destroyed Achou already!"
It was true. His youngest sister had been hell disguised as a puppy, and Inutaishou somehow doubted the joys of matrimony had made her any less aggressive. She certainly would have been chewing on him about the sloppy tactics used in the past few battles, the dog lord thought ruefully. And yet…
"Would she really have wanted you to fight me?" the older demon coaxed. "Because you know I won't back down." He stared directly into his cousin's eyes. "We both know you have no claim."
"Lady Aika was my lifemate." Terutora persisted stubbornly. "And your father regarded me as a son."
"And like a son, you should be supporting him!"
"I support the intent of his decisions." Terutora retorted.
"And how can you know what my father wanted?!" Inutaishou bristled.
"You were only his second son, Kenjiro." The terrier spat out the child-name like an epithet. "You know he didn't think you could handle the alpha position." His copper gaze intensified. "We both know he didn't mean for you to lead."
"He didn't mean for a lot of things to happen!" Inutaishou rebuffed, hands curling into fists. "Tell me, are you a soothsayer? Did you know Kenichiro was going to die?"
"Well I—"
"Did you?!" the older demon howled. "Could anyone have known that my brother—would—die!?"
"N-no, of course we didn't!"
"Then how can you preach to me about my father's wishes?!" Inutaishou's eyes flared bright red. "They died together, and I did the best I fucking could!"
He couldn't believe the audacity of the pup. My father's wishes?! You're betraying his memory, helping the fucking crows fight a war against his land! Inutaishou dug his claws into his palms hard enough to draw blood. I will not hear this from the likes of you, pup.
"You didn't really know them, you little bastard." Inutaishou ground out. Terutora snapped to attention. "You licked my father's hand and he loved you for it, and I was the one who kicked your ass when you strayed too far from home." His nostrils flared. "And now you're betraying everything they fought for, and you preach at ME for losing battles? I'm defending their lands!!" He stepped forward, raising his fists in an unconscious threat. "How can you possibly presume to know what they wanted?!"
Silence, for a moment, and a cold wind sent Inutaishou's silver hair streaming to one side. Terutora stood stock still, looking at the ground.
"I…"
"Yes?" Inutaishou rumbled.
"I know what he wanted of you." Terutora's voiced strengthened, and the terrier lifted his head. The spirit was back in his eyes again, flashing defiantly. "I support the person he wanted you to be, not some weakling who can't even control his mate…his…" He stopped, squeezing angry tears out of his eyes. "Your bitch killed my Aika, and you couldn't even stop her!!'
Oh, Tai-chan…Inutaishou's heart twisted, watching the strong demon crack. Why didn't you tell me?
"So that's what this is all about." he stated slowly. "It's about Makoto."
Terutora remained silent, and would not meet his cousin's gaze.
"No one could do anything about Makoto, Tairyoumaru. You know that. She waited until we were too far to--"
"But you were her lifemate!" the younger dog cried, baring his fangs. The faintest glint of tears graced the edges of his smoldering eyes, threatening to dampen their fire. "You should have known that she would…"
"Mate, Tai-chan, not life partner. She was…" Inutaishou grappled for the right words, not finding anything remotely fitting. "…a mistake."
"She was your mistake!" Terutora howled, lunging forward. "Do you know what it's like, without Aika? Every waking moment it tears at me, " he snarled, slashing the air for emphasis. "She rips my soul out, piece by piece, and there is Nothing—I—Can—Do—About—It!" The pup pressed closer with every word, shaking as if he were fighting against a high wind.
Inutaishou fought the impulse to back away defensively. He's losing it…he's going to attack me if I don't do something. Steam peeled away from the smaller demon in thick clouds, shooting away in geyser-like bursts. He's going to Change…
"I have been good to you, cousin." Terutora spat, curling his upper lip. He was stalking now, circling closely. Wicked fangs glistened harshly in the dying light. "I supported you when you didn't have the courage to stand on your own. And I stood against that bitch, when she turned on us." He paused slightly, shuddering with the effort of restraining his transformation. "Where were YOU?"
"I tried, Tairyoumaru. You know I tried to get there in time." Inutaishou comforted slowly.
"Not GOOD ENOUGH!" the other demon screamed, streaking forward. Inutaishou barely managed to dodge in time, and Terutora's claws sliced through his sleeve. A perfect square of cloth snapped loose and fluttered to the ground, pooling there like inky-black blood. Inutaishou twisted away and jumped as far as his human form would allow, watching his cousin warily.
"You…let her…kill my Aika." Terutora accused, panting heavily. His eyes were unnaturally wide, filled with red heat. "You…should…have been there…"
"You weren't the only one who lost someone!" Inutaishou cried desperately. "She killed my children too!" All of my children…he thought angrily. Your family was there too, and at least you still have your son.
His only response was a wordless snarl. Terutora's jaw unhinged and grew longer, filling with knife-sized teeth.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Inutaishou commanded, but the words were lost in the other dog's howl. One maddened, blazing eye swiveled forward, and Inutaishou stared straight into madness.
He doesn't recognize me. Inutaishou realized. Gods, but I hope I don't have to kill him.
"Tai-chan…Tairyoumaru…it's ME! Inutaishou!" he called, watching the pup shudder uncontrollably. His peachy skin was rippling, filling with stiff bristles of proto-fur. "Your cousin!"
"I do not…have…a cousin." the other demon ground out throatily, his demon-voice echoing in the lower tones. If he transformed much more, he wouldn't be able to speak in human-tongue.
"I sponsored your bid to mate my sister, you little bitch!" Inutaishou snarled, unable to help himself. "At least you HAD her! You never would have touched her, if it weren't for me! She would have eaten you whole!"
"ENOUGH!" his cousin rumbled, shooting into action. He crossed the gap between them in one fluid motion, sending his older relative flying. "How DARE you!" Inutaishou skidded on the smooth stone surface, unable to regain his footing.
"How dare you? You're going to cost us everything, you self-righteous bastard!" Inutaishou wobbled desperately, trying to get his balance back. "You're handing the land to the crows, you egg-sucking whelp, and I know that's not what Aika wanted!" the dog lord fumed.
"Let them have it! We'll drive them out again!" Terutora growled, settling into a fighting stance. Electricity crackled around his limbs, setting sparks off whenever it touched the ground, but the terrier did not continue Changing.
"With WHAT?! Your puny clan alone won't do it! They're spread thin as it is!" Inutaishou admonished, circling Terutora warily. Unnatural, staring eyes tracked him hungrily.
"We will take solid hold of my northern territories, and then consider these western lands." the younger demon announced at length, enunciating carefully around his wicked teeth. "At a much later juncture."
"You would forsake your homelands?!" Inutaishou exclaimed. "What of your family? What of your son!? If you get rid of me, this mess will be his, for godssake!"
"My son can deal with a seat on the council as his inheritance from you." For a moment, Terutora's eyes flickered bronze again, and his ghoulish face twisted with pity. "The Western lands are lost, Kenichiro." he rumbled. "Get out while you still can."
Somehow, the image of his cousin standing there…so smug, so self-confident. You can't even stay in one form for long, you little bastard, and you expect the tribal alliance to follow your lead? You expect ME to?
"I will NEVER accept you as leader!" he howled, and Terutora fell on him.
Cousin met cousin in a flurry of tooth and fang, each desperately trying to overpower the other. The electricity surrounding the younger dog pulsed once, sending them both to the ground.
Shit! My legs won't move! Inutaishou panicked, feeling nothing but an alien tingling in his lower half. His cousin grinned and pounced, crackling with energy again—completely at home with his lightning powers.
"You will secede..." the terrier's jaws flapped strangely, almost completely unhinged now. He bent down slowly, aiming for Inutaishou's pale throat, but the older demon lunged to one side, forcing his stiff body to roll. His legs were healing, but not nearly fast enough… Terutora wheeled to face him, shaking with anger.
"You…will…raaaauuuughhh!!!" the rest of his sentence was lost in a roar as Terutora summoned all of his power at once, searing the air with demon energy. The terrier's skin erupted in hair and he loomed over his relative. That's it! Inutaishou saw his chance, and took it.
Caught in the stupor of Change, Terutora didn't anticipate the sharp elbow to his knee. His left leg unlocked and his unwieldy intermediate form hit the ground like a ton of bricks. That was all the time Inutaishou needed, and he felt his internal healing complete with time to spare.
The dog lord sprang to his feet and planted his foot squarely on Terutora's head.
"I want you to bow down and swear your allegiance to me, you sniveling bastard."
"No!" the terrier rumbled.
"Say it!" the dog lord twisted his foot, making the pup writhe beneath him.
"N-No!" Terutora resisted.
"Say it!" Inutaishou screamed, and the lightning flared around his own form, setting every hair on end.
"I…" Terutora choked, and his energy spiral collapsed. "I submit to you."
The fire died in Inutaishou's eyes, and he stepped off the puppy's face. Terutora shrunk back in on himself, dissolving into a pathetic ball of mangled flesh.Ouch…Inutaishou winced instinctively.
"Yes, I submit to you." Terutora groaned, gathering his legs into a shaky stand. "But I cannot stay silent forever." His eyes were bleeding, and Inutaishou couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "The alliance will support me."
"And I will fight them!" Inutaishou snarled. He was tired of playing. "Just like I fought you!"
"And just how long will you last after that?!" Terutora sighed wiping the blood from his cheeks. "Once they withdraw their supplies—and support—you'll be gone." He rotated his shoulder, wincing as it popped back into place. "They've written you off as it is."
"It would be helpful if certain members of the alliance obeyed the trade embargoes!" Inutaishou barked, folding his arms.
"The old pacts are dead, Inutaishou." Terutora replied. "You never bothered to strengthen them. You're on your own."
"Wha—I---when?"
"Last week. The meeting you weren't at."
"I was fighting a battle—"
"That could have been avoided, if you'd pulled your troops back. Lord Achou isn't entirely unreasonable."
"But he's after our lands—"
"And whose were they, before your father came into them? Crow territory, probably, and centipede, and the other so-called Lawless races." Terutora straightened up, looking much less worse for the wear. "Territory isn't a question of ancestry. It's a question of who can hang on to it. And I'm sorry, but my people need goods, if we're going to hang onto our corner. We can't survive here on the outskirts with nobody trading cross-country."
Inutaishou's mind raced, trying to recall the last shipment he'd sent to his cousin's corner of the territory, and came up blank.
"I give you seven days." Terutora stated flatly. "Seven days to prove you can rule these lands, not talk about it. And after that, these merchants move."
"I…" Inutaishou gave up, and nodded. Seven days…that would see a shipment to Terutora's holdings, and raiders be damned. They would secure the trading routes, and then everything would be all right…
"So be it. I just wish it hadn't come to this."
"Me too." Terutora sighed, and for one brief moment they smiled together. And then, the smaller demon's expression clouded.
"Just remember, you brought this on yourself." the terrier whimpered.
"Hrn?" Inutaishou queried, half-exhausted. He didn't even want to bother wondering what the pup was getting at.
"Makoto hurt you, but she stole something from me too." Terutora said, moving his robes aside to reveal the marriage knife Aika had given him. "But I remarried, and went on with life. As you should have."
He shook himself and put the bridal knife away.
"You have seven days."
The terrier turned back to watch over the caravan, and the negotiation was over.
So, the plot thickens! Did I lose you (well, lose you completely?) If so, let me know and I'll rewrite parts of it. This chapter really SUCKED to write, btw…there's backplot to the backplot, and I have to ease it in slowly ^_~
Response to Reviews:
Dark Kitsune:
Thanks for your continued support. Means a lot to me ^_^ I hope you still like the cultural references after this chapter – I tried to keep it from getting too confusing, but I really wanted to keep their childnames in ^_^;;;
Thunk:
Thanks for your nice comments on the battle sequences – I was worried about those ^_^;; Characters aren't that hard, btw – I keep killing most of the minor ones off before they really get much of a personality ^_~
lynnxlady:
Thanks for taking a chance on this story! Not many people do…I never thought I might be hurt by the WAFF stereotype though. I haven't really seen many backplots at all, excepting the "Sess hates humans because his One True Love got killed by one." Blargh. Hope this chapter pleased ya!
Catwho:
Yes, you are correct – Mei Lai is Chinese ^_^;; One of the problems of studying East Asia is that I automatically assume those subtle cues mean something to people – I completely forgot that most people won't know that "Mei Lai" is Chinese (or Korean or Russian or whatever). Oops. I'll clarify that in the next chapter anyways. And THANK YOU FOR THE FANART! It was absolutely perfect…her hair just stuns me ^_^
ChibiJen:
Hehe…don't worry, I promise not to write 5 pages of reviews either ^_~ I'll get to work on the next chapter immediately!
To Everyone Who Reviewed:
Thank you for your continued support (and nagging)! Next chapter will be out as soon as I get some other things taken care of; until then, please accept my deepest love and affection.
To Everyone Who Didn't Review But Got This Far:
REVIEW, YOU BASTARDS! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE…I HAVE SUPPORT SERVICES ^_~
Ok, I'm done now ^_^;;; baka deshi out.