Chapter 4
Within the hour Shura's rescuer reached her home at the local inn. Since her husband's death several years back, she had become solely responsible for maintaining the popular tavern, but it was a job she enjoyed. Her determination to keep things running smoothly without the help of others also seemed to add to the inn's appeal. People left with a lasting impression and thus recommended the place to others.
The woman walked inside and placed the cage in a quiet corner of her bedroom. She could see the child within was still very worked up so she covered the crate with a blanket in the hopes doing so might help calm the little girl. Her tactics seemed to work. When she peeked in on the demon child half an hour later, she was huddled in the corner sound asleep.
Shura slowly awoke as a soft female voice echoed in her ears. She didn't recognize the speaker and cringed in a moment of panic when the latch clicked open on her cage door. When she didn't sense anyone approach, Shura reluctantly opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. No longer was she outside, surrounded by unfriendly people and ruthless trappers, instead, her eyes fell on tidy floors, a neatly made bed and small table with a clean white covering.
Shura twitched her nose and sniffed. Instead of smelling of blood and filth, the air carried pleasant aromas, the strongest of which made Shura's stomach growl loudly. The flavorful scents of cooking food made Shura realize just how hungry she actually was. Suddenly the floorboards creaked, and Shura immediately went back on the alert. A tall, elegant woman entered the doorway carrying a large platter of food in her arms. Shura remained still, despite the temptation to investigate the food. The woman smiled warmly and placed the tray on the table. Then she lowered herself to her knees and peered into Shura's cage from a distance. Shura stared back intently without moving a muscle.
"Its okay, I won't hurt you," the woman crooned. Shura curled her upper lip, exposing her fangs slightly. That was a statement she wasn't about to believe. The woman made no attempt to approach or threaten. She just continued to watch with her calm gray eyes. "I know those people hurt you. But that won't happen again I promise." Shura laid her ears back. This person was different from the others. Her calm actions and soft, reassuring voice was reminiscent of her father. When the demon lord spoke to her, it was always gently, never cold like he often addressed others.
Shura felt her stomach growl again. The food smelled more delicious with each passing second. Slowly she inched her way forward toward the cage door. She was careful to keep her eyes focused on the woman. Since traps were no longer foreign to her, Shura wasn't about to rush into anything. Cautiously she crawled out of the cage, keeping her body low, seeing as how she could avoid ambush faster on four legs. Anxiously Shura waited for the woman to make a move. This was the perfect opportunity for her to strike.
"You must be hungry," the woman said calmly "Go ahead…eat up. It's all for you." Shura watched as the woman motioned to the food with her eyes rather then making any sudden movements. Still cautious but a little less wary, Shura seated herself in front of the feast. She glanced over the foods curiously. Having neither seen nor eaten anything like them while with her father, Shura was intrigued by the strange blends of colors and odors of the various dishes. Sesshomaru had told her that she was not to eat human food…something about it being "below her." But Shura couldn't resist. In her mind something that smelled that good couldn't possibly cause any harm.
She was quick to regret that thought shortly after she polished off the final plate full of roast pork. No one had ever told her that eating too much could be a bad thing. Shura rolled backwards and lay sprawled on her back. Was that the woman's plan all along? Too get her so bloated that she couldn't possibly escape? Shura rested her eyes on the now upside down woman. She was laughing, but not the evil kind of laugh one makes when their trap works. Her laughter was happy. Perhaps this woman, whoever she was, could be trusted after all. Thus far she hadn't done anything threatening, and everything she spoke was filled with kindness.
Shura watched as the woman slowly rose, walked over to her and reached down with welcoming arms. The demon child flinched hard, not from the tender embrace the innkeeper offered, but from her scent. It was an aroma she had been taught to stay away from all her life, and now she was surrounded by it. Any other right-minded demon would have panicked, but Shura found herself more curious then frightened. If not parts for medicine…what exactly did this human want with her?
Shura's question remained unanswered for at that moment the woman holding her started towards the door. The demon child shifted her golden gaze as the scenery around her changed. Her sight came to rest first on tidied corridors with different decorations hanging neatly on the walls. Along the hall in intervals were guest rooms, most of which Shura noted with delicate sniffs, were empty. In a few moments the woman reached her destination. As they entered another room the delicate scents of bath salts and perfumed oils danced around Shura's nose. Glancing around, she saw this room was much different then the ones they had passed. It was full of benches and storage cubbies. At the far end was a large basin filled with water.
"How about we get you cleaned up?" the woman suggested. Shura realized she didn't have much of a choice in the matter, but considering she still reeked of blood and trapper filth, a bath actually sounded quite appealing for once. Shura waited patiently as the woman sat her on the nearest bench and proceeded to pull a small washtub out of a storage closet and fill it with warm water along with some lavender smelling salts. By the time the bath was ready, Shura had already removed her garments and placed them in a neatly folded pile. Without needing instruction, Shura walked over and climbed into the tub. The warm water was a welcome relief for her aching body, as was the gentle scrubbing of her unknown caretaker.
It was the first time the woman actually got a good look at the demon child she saved. The young girl looked to be about three or four, but her real age was impossible to know considering demons aged much differently than humans. Continual scrubbing and the rinsing away of dried blood and caked dirt revealed that the youngster had fine silver hair that ran the length of her shoulders with the exception of her bangs and two locks of hair that draped down in front of her large, sensitive, canid ears and rested neatly against the front of her shoulders. Red stripes adorned her shoulders, forearms, wrists and back, but the patterns differed on her face. There was a red marking on her forehead shaped like a v, and two more markings on either side of her face; those stripes looked similar to exaggerated, upside down checkmarks with the base laying just below the eyes and the remainder following the outer rim of her cheeks. Along with her flowing silver tail, the demon child also had padded dog-like feet.
When the bath was finished, the woman lifted her young charge gently from the tub and wrapped her in clean towels. For the moment they would have to suffice as clothing, at least until she made a trip to the tailor to get some fresh garments for her new guest. The child's old clothing was blood soaked and torn, not at all suitable for her to wear anymore.
When Shura saw the woman gather up her old clothes with the intent of throwing them out she let out a whine of protest and begged for their return with outstretched hands. The clothing may have been in rough shape, but it had sentimental value to their young owner.
"No dear," the woman crooned in response to Shura's whimpers "They're torn, see? Wouldn't you rather have nice new ones?" Shura bit her lip. She knew what the answer to that question would eventually lead to. As the woman prepared to throw out her belongings Shura finally managed to spit out a forceful "no!" Her cry startled the innkeeper.
"You can speak!" she gasped as she simultaneously dropped the garments she held. Shura darted over and scooped up her clothing from the floor.
"My pappa gave me these," she innocently informed the still slack jawed woman. "They're mine." Shura was waiting for an angry response, but once again she was met only with a smile.
"Of…of course forgive me." the woman replied gently. She was still a little shocked by the youngster's hidden intelligence, but she was managing to adapt quickly enough. The woman knelt down to be at eye level with the demon child. "Tell me, little one, do you have a name?" she asked. Shura blinked. To her it seemed like an odd question considering all demons had names, but maybe this woman just didn't know any better.
"I am Shuramaru" Shura announced standing tall and proud as she recited what her father had told her "Heiress to the demon lord Sesshomaru and future ruler of the western lands." Shura paused and quickly added "but you can call me Shura."
The innkeeper kept a compassionate face, but inside she felt a great swell of pity for the young demon child. If Shura really was from royal bloodlines the father "Sesshomaru" she spoke of would not have simply allowed her to be captured by trappers; not unless it was intentional. And even if it wasn't he would have come to retrieve her by then. The woman knew what Shura was either denying or blocking out all together; that she would probably never see her family again.
"Well then Shura," the innkeeper remarked, keeping up a friendly atmosphere despite her sorrowed thoughts, "It's getting late. Time for all little children to go to bed." Shura sighed heavily but didn't argue. Now that she was clean and had a full belly, the aches of fatigue and mental exhaustion were more apparent. A good nights sleep was just what she needed.
Shura followed the woman to a small bedroom across the hall from hers. It was actually a guest room, but hardly anyone ever stayed there. The bedroom had a doorway that led directly outside, a feature that unnerved some guests. That, combined with its small size made the room unappealing, and so its use had been limited to especially crowded nights. In a sense, the room was not really needed for business, and for that reason, the innkeeper had no qualms about giving it to her new resident.
Shura climbed into bed and snuggled down under the blankets. Never before had she remembered being so tired. As she closed her eyes, Shura felt a gentle kiss on her forehead and in the instant before sleep consumed her, she thought it was actually her father there at her bedside watching over her.