The scent of camp can stay in the air for a long time. Not only does the smell of the fire's ashes stay, but as well as the scent of the camper's burried bowel remains; remains of food; even things absent mindedly left behind. Such as horse hair; there were several stray strands, obviously from grooming before departure. There were other coloured hairs too, but Sango was overly focussed on the white hair.
She remembered Naraku mounted upon a white stallion, although she hardly believed he would still ride the exact same horse, she claimed he would prefer to the same species of horse. Sango started a very small fire using some dried autumn leaves and small kindling, then lit the strands on fire, and watched them sizzle from the small flames that licked against them. From the way the strands burned, she could tell it was a male, but she did not know if it was the stallion he would ride into a massacre, or even if it was definitely's Naraku's horse - she could only assume so.
Among the camp's remains, she found an abandoned saucer used to drink sake with; there was even traces of dried sake left against it's steel surface. She tasted it to find how old it had been lying here; two days.
However, she still did not know if this camp was that of a hoard of mercenaries. It could have been a camp of soldiers, or even bandits. There was no guarantee it was a mercenaries' camp. They were all so similar, unlike that of a vagabond's.
A vagabond's camp would never be discovered. Not only would all traces be gone, but they would be somewhere difficult to find - such as the dense forest that surrounded the clearing. These camps she had been finding had been left brashly; without a care. A mercenary, or a soldier would not care if small remains were left behind; they would want to leave their mark.
But was this Naraku's camp? She would have to find the hoard first, then hunt down Naraku.
There were wagon tracks, and the ground was trampled flat by horse hooves and heavy boots. She hoped their trail would stay fresh, so she could follow and then find them.
Sango would have to hurry; if they were two days away she would have to travel without sleep. She would be on their trail until she found them. She would kill them, if needed, it wasn't a problem for her. She had been trained to kill if necessary. She knew how to defend herself and how to survive longer then the average soldier or mercenary-which would explain her current existence in this world.
A vagabond was one shock to the social climate, but a vagabond woman was disgraceful. It was abandoning all family honour and stature. As if her family had any stature, but bystanders knew nothing of it.
Although she had only just recovered from slight hypothermia, she was perfectly healthy once again. Well rested, well nourished, and her strength had fully returned, although she reserved most of it for her future battle. Thus, she continued on her hunt.
When she came to a small village, Sango found that she would have to compromise her choice of path; she couldn't travel through a city by day. A city held the chance of spies; although a village did as well, there, she could easily act as a vagabond.
However, a city had more power; lords, officials, less farmers, and even the drunks had their fair share of powers in a city, and powerful people always asked questions. Even to a woman.
Sango circled around the city by travelling outside through the vast plains. She was more vulnerable out in the open, but out of fire-range and out of view from possible spies or look-outs. And she could manage her way in any surprise combat.
It took more time than she expected, however it would have taken more time by waiting for nightfall. By the next lonely day, the tracks had deepened. Sango was so close that she could taste them. Their scent was enough bait for her, for she found their camp by nightfall. The stench of their make-shift facilities, the horse dung, the unbathed mercenaries, and the sake was so strong, but it didn't faze Sango.
She remained perched on a limb of a large Sakura tree - who's blossoms had failed to bloom this year, for the buds were brown and dead - studying their actions. They obviously had no intention of a guard, else there would be one circling the camp.
The mercenaries were drinking and feasting on some beast they attacked in the forest. (Sango assumed it was a kuma - they were the only beast she had yet seen so big to feed an entire hoard.) There were dogs as well; they almost appeared wolf-like, however, Sango couldn't tell the different - they all smelled like a pack of wet mutts. There were several tents set up, some lit from the inside, and some were dark with the faint sound of snoring over the loud cheers.
Sango descended into the bushes silently. She slowly snuck swiftly behind one of the larger tents, and listened carefully.
"Kouga-sama, the others have returned." A tenor voice spoke clearly.
"Excellent, let them rest and we shall meet up with everyone else tomorrow." The baritone, known as Kouga, responded.
"Do you think it wise to trust Naraku?" the tenor questioned. "He has already eliminated so many races, even outside of the emperor's orders. He had taken even the samurai-guntai to the next world.
Sango found herself shaking her head at their guilability. Perhaps if they had verified it those eight years ago, perhaps it might be true.
"Nonsense, Ginta!" Kouga laughed. "The wolves shall not be so easily defeated as those bastards!"
Sango scowled and hissed lowly at his arrogant reply. How dare he speak of her kin in that manner!
A sudden bark from one of the mutts at her side made her gasp. He was brown and shaggy with red, almost demonic, eyes glowing by the firelight, with one of the many bones of the devoured beast in it's fanged jaws.
"Shh!" she hissed. She hesitantly went to stroke it's fur on it's head, but it sense her caution, and the bone fell and he barked again.
"What's with the pups?" Ginta asked.
"Probably a wild animal or something. Nothing to worry about, Ginta." Kouga muttered; the sound of ruffled silk and the creaking of a chair showed his relaxation.
The mutt barked again. Sango hissed, then she snatched the bone from the ground; "you want it?" she whispered. The mutt growled, then barked again. Taking that as a yes, Sango whipped it away, and the dog eagerly turned and ran after it, barking madly as though the bone was his very life.
Sango breathed in deeply, releaved at his departure, only to nearly jump out of her skin in disbelief as it began to howl loudly, then was soon joined in the chorus of the rest of the pack, howling in response. Sango cursed under her breath, then she ducked and covered her mouth.
"I'm going to check it out. I'll be right back, Kouga." Ginta spoke, then she heard him leave the tent.
Sango took in a deep breath as she gripped the hilt of her katana. She felt a small beat of anxious sweat trickle down her temple, and that feeling gave her power. She flicked the hilt away from the sheath, and with one swift movement, she withdrew her sword, sliced through the raw hide of the tent, then dove through.
She stumbled once she entered - was a warrior, not a dancer - her brown eyes met the oil lamps that lit the large closed area. She immediately, knowing she missed her target, and found Kouga sat upon a wooden chair draped in silk and pillow. He looked at her as though she was Naraku himself; exactly the reaction she wanted from him.
Reacting before he could, she lunged at him and grabbed him throat, forcing him against the back of the chair. He choked lightly at the sudden strangled breath, then clawed at her hand, trying to get her hand off of his neck. His nails tore at her wrist and hand, but she didn't seem to care, until he ripped through the sleeve of her robe. She then flipped her katana in her hand, then held it up against his Adam's apple.
"You... b-bitch..." Kouga sputtered in a dog-like hiss.
"Silence." She demanded in response in a cat-like hiss. "Where is Naraku?"
"N-nani?" he hissed as the blade cut through the skin and drew blood from his large throat.
"Where... is Naraku?" she said it slowly and clearly so there was no way he couldn't understand her, and if he asked again, she would just kill him.
"Naze..." he began, then she pressed the blade tighter into his flesh and gripped tighter.
"Just tell me!" she became irritated with his stalling, as she ignored his nail digging into her wrist.
"Naraku is in the Imperial City with the emperor... o-on business." He muttered uncomfortably. "What matters do you have to attend with him?"
Sango pulled back her sword, lightly him slightly, the tossed him back against the chair. She stood broadly before him, then brushed back her dry bangs; "please inform your successor that a surviving 'bastard' is out on the hunt." She said coldly with an emotionless stare, then head for the open doorway.
"Oh, one more thing." She stopped, then glanced back at Kouga.
"What?" he snarled, holding his hand against his neck, making sure it didn't bleed through.
Her brown eyes burned with the glare of revenge sparking in them. "Ask him if he remembers Koji." She told him, then merely walked out.
The celebrating mercenaries didn't even notice her leave the tent, then walk away from their camp, returning to the forest for her own celebration. However the wolves had continued to bark and howl, with Ginta's persistent scolding for them to desist.
Ginta returned to the tent, and gasped when he saw Kouga; bleeding from the neck. "Kouga-sama!" he rushed to his side and held him up. "What happened?" he asked in a panic.
"Just get Hakkaku..." he winced fiercely. "We leave at dawn."
Sango smirked proudly to herself as she lurked in the shadows of the mighty trees. She had now left her mark, and moved on. She would take her time to reach Naraku and the Imperial City, for she wanted him to worry, and become cautious.
"I'm coming, Naraku." Sango whispered deviously as the night wind brushed past, blowing her long bangs in front of her face.