We sat in silence for several minutes. Despite any inner commands to sit still and follow ingrained habit in this situation, my years of wandering took precedence, and I began shifting my weight in a way that can only be described as fidgeting. I extended a claw, wiped it clean, sheathed it, and extended another. Unbeknownst to me, this was making Shippou very nervous, and Inuyasha very irritated (my secondary goal).

"Goddamnit bitch! Stop that!"

I was shocked by the utter lack of originality of the inuhanyou's curses. Honestly, you'd think that someone that smelled of the sort of adventure he smelled of would have something a little more unique up his proverbial sleeve. I sneered at him, but only in my mind. It wouldn't serve me to deride the people, (I use the term loosely) who had rescued me, although it still had no apparent motivation. I quietly sheathed the silvery razors attached to my thin hands and folded them neatly on my lap, doing my best to look demure, if not grateful.

"Girl," said Kagome. It was the beginning of a long, boring monologue, I could just tell. Not that I can remember one. I can't really remember much, but there are some things that I simply don't question my knowledge of, and this was one of them.

"Perhaps 'girl' isn't the best title for you. What is your name?"

I mumbled something incoherent under my breath, making sure it was so low even the hanyou couldn't hear it properly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that. Would you care to repeat it?" he voice was flat, sarcastic.

I mumbled again.

"Look. I didn't send Shippou to rescue you just so you could mumble at me. Answer me! What is your name?"

I didn't see any other option than to tell her the truth, as painful to admit as it was. This was something a human would be ashamed of, because it would separate them from the normal familial structure that rules here, it would prevent them from finding any sort of status. Having no name is tantamount to being worthless, discarded refuse from a family who valued me so little that it didn't even bother to name me.

"I don't know."

The inuhanyou's older son burst out, "How can you not know your own name? What do you call yourself? How do you even get along?"

His dismay at my namelessness was echoed on the faces of everyone at the table, although Shippou's expressed dismay as well as understanding for my earlier reluctance to share my identity. You could almost see the dawning of comprehension reach across his face like the fingers of a ghost casting a shadow on the worn wooden floor of a village house in the light of a waning moon. Ah, to have a keen appreciation for the delightfully tacky melodrama of life...

Back to the situation at hand: I, of course, am deeply offended. They pull this little secret out of me, and they all, including the one that instigated my unwelcome rescue, act like this was something they hadn't even considered.

"I assure you, with the life I lead, a name is unnecessary, and it's quite easy to refer to oneself using first person pronouns only." Where the hell did that little bit of grammatical horror come from? Well, honestly, I have no idea. Just one of those things, like my instinct about Kagome's monologue. Which I could still feel coming in the air, and as much as I regretted what I predicted to be a sleep-inducing cloud of words, I knew it would probably clear a few things up.

"Oookay. Right. Anyway. If you're wondering exactly why I sent Shippou out to find you, it's because I am a miko," she said, eliciting a distinct 'duh' from somewhere in my general location, "and over the years I've gotten my share of visions. The most recent was of you. It rather vaguely showed your location, and impressed the urgency of ensuring your safety."

She continued, but shared no new information. She talked about the panther clans, sharing a remarkable amount of knowledge that would have surprised me, had I not already known about it. Still, actually having something resembling a conversation was relieving. Too often in the past, and real contact was purely the few sentences a stupid youkai uttered before attempting to kill me. They usually lacked the grammar and syntax that would mark them as educated, or at least intelligent. It's a pity that the few intelligent youkai that tried to kill me were trying to kill me. I would have liked to have talked to them. But, understandably, it's difficult to have a conversation in the middle of fighting for your life.

Suddenly Kagome said something that caught my attention.

"What?"

"I'm sending my eldest son with you. Shippou will escort you until the point when the reason for my vision is revealed. I know that might be awhile, but Shippou needs to get out. He's been spending too much time here."

Shippou looked like he would have liked to object to her assessment, but the rules binding him to the miko as son asked that he not question his parents' decisions. Damn. Another baseless piece of knowledge. I had hoped to figure out where all this stuff came from, but I guess that it simply wasn't meant to be, for the time being.

I wouldn't mind having Shippou along. He was tall, strong and obviously a clever combatant. Totally unlike me. I imagined that having him along would increase my chances of survival. I didn't particularly want his company, but that was more out of habit than anything else. I welcomed his conversation and protection, as much as the need for the latter galled me. Oh well. It was a necessary evil.

I took a glance at the kitsune. His light brown hair floated serenely in a light breeze. I could hear his heart beating faster, and an anxious scent was coming off him in rolls. Was the little foxy-poo frightened of the big bad panther? He looked up from his tea, eyes half-shadowed by thick bangs. He blushed, again, noticing my gaze. I could hear his heart accelerate, and I kept my eyes on him.

The inuhanyou's son broke the silence with a small interjection, "SO, when are you guys leaving?"

The kitsune and I looked simultaneously at the quarter dog-demon, whose expression morphed from discomfort to amusement to outright grinning. It was like he could see something I couldn't. It was absolutely infuriating, his superior grin coupled with his smug golden eyes.

"I couldn't think of a better idea myself mother."

What was this little worm thinking? His smell betrayed nothing other than his self-appointed role as superior, and I could hear nothing out of place in his body rhythms. Goddamn. I settled for cleaning my needle-like fangs with my tongue. They really never caused much damage in battle, mostly because it's difficult to get a good hold on someone's neck, which is all they're really good for, but they're still impressive in their length.

The boy just laughed. I think he was a lost cause, at least for threats. Kagome looked confused, and then pleased with herself when the inuhanyou nudged her in the ribs. What a nudge in the ribs could communicate, I don't know, but it seemed to convey an entire conversation between the two.

I stood up, and walked out huffily. I didn't really feel that putout, but it's always fun to pretend. And it served my purpose. Shippou exited the room seconds after I did. His anxious and concerned scent filled my nose with it's slightly bittersweet smell.

"What's wrong, ummm?" A little blunder on his part. I suppose he wanted to ask me what was wrong, and address it to me using my name, but I didn't have one.

"Nothing. I was just trying to lure you out of there," I said, barely concealed amusement in my tone. A look of annoyance crossed his face, followed by an expression of mirth despite himself.

"Are you always this easy to read?" I asked, leaning forward onto the railing on the narrow porch.

Panic colored his face; it seemed a little bit of an extreme response for the situation, but hell, who knows what a kitsune will do after growing up with mikos and inuhanyous. Look at me, growing up so far, as I have. I'm certainly not normal, and really, could I really be expected to be normal. All the higher youkai I can think of care for their offspring. The lower forms, those without a human form, they usually lay their eggs and move on. Panthers are among the former group, but my childhood really is indicative of the latter. I would be bitter about, but I don't really care enough to put the effort in.

Back to the kitsune. He suggested we return to the small room to finish the tea and possibly set out a plan of action. I didn't need one, but apparently he thought any foray into the unknown would fall apart almost as it began without a plan, in spite of the fact that I was living proof that one didn't need a plan to wander around the western reaches of the north. Oh well. Maybe this meant they'd give me some new clothes. What I was wearing was...regrettable. It really was, considering it was made of the skins stolen off the bodies of whatever I felt in the mood for eating. I had pants, but I only called them that for lack of a better name. I guess I had a shirt, but it was really just a sloppy band of poorly sewn together rabbit fur. Nothing too special, but it sure beat going around with only the flesh the kamis gave me.

But if they would give me real clothes, now that would be worth sticking around for. And more food. Even though I had developed quite a palate for fresh prey, nothing can push well-seasoned and cooked meat from my heart. And vegetables are far more palatable cooked.

As we reentered the room, the inuhanyou's boy gave me a smug look. I tried to fill my response with as much menace as I could muster, but apparently that wasn't enough to threaten the boy. Well, he wasn't really a boy; he was about my age, whatever that was. One downside to lacking even the most basic of memories concerning of my identity. Oh well. Age wasn't a vital statistic in the long run anyhow. I would live longer than this hanyou's son, and probably longer than the kitsune as well.

Ah, the glories of being a panther. I made a rude noise in my mind. I was younger than the kitsune, so it's a given that I'll live longer. And the hanyou's son, while obviously healthy, strong and affected by his miko mother, he's part human. That greatly reduces a life span. It's not through any special-ness on my part that I'd live longer, it was just the chance of nature. Thinking otherwise would be stupid, and probably get me killed. The worst thing you can do in a fight is underestimate your opponent. The second-worst is to overestimate yourself. I shrugged that thought from my mind as the odd family questioned me about my wanderings.

"How far north have you been?" asked the hanyou's son, his voice sounding slightly abrasive after the silken baritone of the kitsune.

"Not very. Every time I come close to getting mildly north, or even merely further inland from my usual haunts, I am hunted. That last pair were the worst though. I was tracking a trading caravan. They had certain...items...I wished to obtain, and I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention to my location. I was a good three miles behind the caravan when they first showed up. Then it was a few days of chase, and then good sir knight Shippou arrived."

The miko looked faintly scandalized at the reasons for me following the caravan. I guess she's never been as low as I am, but when you need something, you need it, and when no one will trade with you, you're left with only one choice: steal what you need. And I needed food and clothing, as well a weapon a little more potent than my natural ones.

The miko made a non-committal noise, and the inuhanyou looked at me with resentment coloring his expression. I guess I reminded him of something in the past. His irritation is understandable. Demon-cats, in general (and with rare exception), are devious, self-serving, violent, cynical, and will kill any human they meet at an opportune moment. While I only qualify for four of the above five, that is no reason to expect a dog-demon to forgive me for my breed's past sins. But judging by the level of dislike I saw in his eyes, the cats must have done something remarkably ambitious, and remarkably stupid. I would have asked, but I'm sure that would equally idiotic.

"Shippou and you will leave tomorrow. The taijya is currently occupied with her own affairs, but the village I am sending you to needs those services." Hmmm. Demon extermination isn't something I've tried before, but I don't mind, really. I have no special attachment to other youkai, just as they have none for me. Youkai, in my experience, are about as cold- blooded as it's possible to get, except for the few higher youkai that are surprisingly human, like the fabled lord Inutaisho.

You should travel some more. Maybe it will trigger some memories. I don't know. But please try to avoid the north, at least for now. And for kami-sama's sake, get some real clothes."

Apparently Kagome has a mouth on her, and uses it often, because this invocation was basically ignored. Shippou's eyes communicated his amusement in his adoptive mother's words, but I was surprised. Her ki was so clean, and so...good...and here she was, casually invoking the name of the kamis. I approved. Being pure of heart was no reason to be naive. And I was going to get real clothes. Hopefully not the sort of garment the miko was currently dressed in; I would prefer a dress kimono to the blue pants and odd "shirt" she was wearing.

"Shippou, take her to the chest in the back room, and get her in something presentable." Kagome's voice was crisp, and brooked no arguments.

Shippou lead me into a small, cramped and dark room at the back of the house, past my sick room. It had a wardrobe with clean lines, the tight grain of the cedar shining brightly in the dim light with the polish spread carefully over it's surface. Beside the wardrobe stood several stacked trunks, and Shippou moved to them. After opening one, he tossed a set of clothing much like the inuhanyou's at me; the blue fabric sliding against the rough skin of my palms. This was not the powerful fire-rat type robe I could smell on the hanyou, but I wouldn't refuse clothing that was actually clothing: I needed it too desperately.

I stared to pull off my furs, but the kitsune stopped me with a yelp. I looked up and watched him exit the room. Who knew? A kitsune who was a prude. My breed may be, on the whole, some of the least desirable of the higher youkai, but none were as free with their sexual favors as the kitsunes. This one must be an anomaly because of his obviously non- traditional upbringing. Really, who ever heard of a hanyou surviving long enough to have children, let alone have children with the most powerful miko I had ever encountered. Oh well. How it happened didn't matter to me; I had received food, new clothes, and a traveling companion.

I walked back into what I dubbed "the tea room" to find Shippou discussing exactly what was plaguing the village in the south. I ignored the conversation, mostly because I didn't care. Life was looking up, and I didn't care to break the perfect shining image I had of it. Shippou, his voice gliding over the words like silk, spoke the only words I heard: "Stupid wolves."