Chapter 4: The Strange Man and The Mechanical Thief

It was now late in the morning, the sun in its position high in the sky. The wolf-demon tribe was ready for battle, their pride gleaming as they all brandished their fangs and claws, awaiting the joy of ripping open the enemies' flesh. The mixed group of wolves and tribe members conjugated at the base of the wolf den, preparing their attack on the nests of the Birds of Paradise in the peaks of the mountain that both the wolves and birds called home.

On the other hand, the Birds of Paradise lingered in their nests; eating, sleeping, or just resting. But none were preparing for war. A surprise attack by the wolf tribe was about to be executed on the unsuspecting birds as they unknowingly mingled in their quarters.

Koga came out of his den smiling, hands on his hips, proudly looking on at his tribe. All of these loyal members were ready to die for me, he thought. The only thing that would make my life more perfect would be a victory in this battle. Time to finish these meddling birds once and for all.

"Koga, over here!" someone yelled up to him from the base of the den. Koga looked down to see who had called him. It was Moka with Ruud also looking up at Koga.

"Ah, my favorite two members come to wish me luck in the battle?"

"Ha," Ruud laughed. "Like you need luck, Koga? You're the one who need wish us good luck!"

"Actually, Koga," Moka added, "we came to tell you the tribe is ready to commence battle!"

"Ah, perfect. Then let's do this."

Koga then proceeded to join his brethren at the mountain base. He moved his way to the front of the pack and they went silent to await Koga's orders. For some reason, Koga had a sense of doubt about this attack. He felt that the birds would anticipate this attack. No, he thought to himself, they couldn't…snap out of it, Koga! He felt a little nervous about this war for some reason. He was sweating buckets. His animal instincts were working overtime, it seemed.

Finally, he came to and shook the negative thoughts out of his head. Then, the big moment came and he started towards the Birds of Paradise's peaks, leading his army of wolves and Wolf Tribe members. The pack of wolves ran towards the peaks, following and admiring their great leader, thirsty for blood.

In the birds' nest, the unsuspecting Birds of Paradise mingled; eating food, sleeping, and the heads of the birds engaging in conversation among each other. They were in a state of peace among their own tribe. Ever since their leader was slain by Inuyasha, they were free to do what they liked, and were surprisingly thriving without a leader to guide them.

Suddenly, as if an earthquake had reared its head right through the nests of the Birds of Paradise, a rumbling had erupted that all of the birds could hear. They had all exited their caves and left their nests out of curiosity and made their way towards the source of all the noise. As they peeked their heads over the cliff, they looked down and saw a sea of wolves and human tribe members quickly approaching their home, with Koga at the head.

Although many birds were looking over the cliff, they were not nearly even a quarter of the whole Birds of Paradise tribe. Therefore, a few of the stronger and bigger looking birds turned and made a loud, screeching noise, obviously calling the rest of the tribe to ready for battle.

By the time the birds had turned back round to face the wolves, the swarm was now running up the side of the cliff, spears aimed and pointed forward, or claws sharp and outstretched, ready to strike. The birds that had not turned around to call their fellow tribe members had taken flight, preparing to knock some wolves off of the cliff. But the wolves were too quick. They leaped off the side of the cliff into the air and had amazingly reached the flying birds. The birds struggled as the wolves clung to their backs, clawing at the heads of the strange bird creatures.

However, the human tribe members reached the edge of the cliff and had climbed onto the base, easily catching the remaining birds on the cliff off guard. Some stabbed the birds with their spears, while most enjoyed ripping the flesh of their arch enemies with their own claws. After all the birds at the cliff have been slaughtered, the rest of the pack had climbed over the edge of the cliff and the wolves that were on the flying birds had landed, claws full of blood and pieces of torn flesh and feathers stuck between their fangs and teeth.

Although the wolf tribe had killed the birds who called for backup, they could not stop the call for help from being heard by the rest of the birds. Suddenly, a wave of birds had appeared over the peak, coming down at the wolves. 'There's too many!, Koga thought to himself, not wanting his fear to be seen by his tribe members. 'There is no way we can beat all of these birds!'

Then, to his surprise, an even bigger wave of birds had flown over the peak, and like the first wave of birds, the second had begun to swoop down at the wolves, ready to kill. Koga then opened his mouth in surprise and fear, basically gaping, at the large number of birds that were coming his way. He knew that they would not win this battle, but it was too late to call for a retreat, as the birds would chase them anyway out of anger and hatred. The birds had already made contact with his comrades, anyway.

Some birds had landed and started to fight with their wings and their human-like parts started to claw and punch at wolves and human Wolf Tribe members. Some had swooped down and picked up a member or two with their huge, sharp talons.

The Wolf Tribe, on the other hand, had quickly changed from aggressive offensive mode to a desperate defensive mode as the birds outnumbered them at least twenty to one. After the cliff-dwelling birds had perished, maybe ten more had died. The birds started to easily overcome the wolves as the second wave had merged with the first, forming a giant swarm of birds.

Koga had managed to survive though, in the middle of his comrades he was, barely holding off attacking birds with the help of his jewel shards. Accepting defeat was hard for the Wolf Tribe, but they did have enough sense to realize when they were obviously getting annihilated.

"Retreat!", Koga yelled out to all of his remaining comrades, and with that, he jumped up into the sky, bursting through the flying birds into clear sky. Then, he thrust forward and landed many yards away. He was now at the bottom of the cliff, and he looked back to the rest of his tribe, watching them perish at the hands of the Birds of Paradise. He wished he could help, but he could only watch, as he reluctantly made his way back to the Wolf's Den, leaving his comrades behind. Very few followed Koga back.

. . .

Kagome had awakened the morning after that terrible night in the mountains of Ryuukotsusei. She sat up and looked around at her friends and noticed they were all still sound asleep. 'Inuyasha seems so peaceful when his mouth is shut', she thought, a giggle passing her lips. She then proceeded to stand up fully, and she walked out of the hut into the sunlight. A good walk is what I need to settle my nerves, she decided, thinking of the terrible events that had occurred the night before.

She recalled the terrors of Kagura on the mountain of Ryuukotsusei while she was briskly walking on the dirt road. Inuyasha had been in his demon form, she thought, and he easily slaughtered Kagura, and he even came after me! He loses all thought and self-control, and that is why he must always keep the Tetsusaiga by his side. I have to make sure of that.

As she was walking thoughtfully on the old road, she suddenly felt a sensation in her body that made her turn to the west. A jewel shard is in that direction! Now she was no longer walking, but running back to the home of Lady Kaede.

When she arrived, her friends were all awake and eating in the hut. Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha, and Shippo were all enjoying Lady Kaede's wonderful meal as they sat, legs-crossed, around a boiling pot. Each was equipped with a bowl in their hands and chopsticks in the other hand, rapidly picking up noodles and shoving them into their mouths. They all looked away from their food to the door, where Kagome had just entered. She was red-faced and panting and a feeling of concern swept the room.

"Kagome", Sango said, hurrying over to Kagome to see what was wrong. "What happened? Why are you so red in the face? Is something chasing you?"

Overwhelmed by the sea of questions, Kagome simply said, "No, everything is OK."

"Your bent posture and tired face contradict with that, Kagome", Miroku observantly countered. "Something must be happening for you to be so flushed."

"I am not hurt or anything, it's just that I sensed a jewel shard to the west.", Kagome replied to Miroku and all of her confused and concerned friends. To this, Inuyasha tuned in, as this was really the only thing he wanted to hear.

"A jewel shard, you say", Inuyasha finally responded. "Then we must leave immediately."

"But Inuyasha, your wounds are not yet healed! You must stay another night." Lady Kaede responded to the wounded Inuyasha.

"No demon that possesses a single jewel shard could match up to me, even if I am injured. There is nothing to worry about, Kaede. I'm sure I can handle my self, thank you very much."

"Just because my sensation of the jewel shard was weak, does not mean that the demon possessed only one shard; it could mean that the jewels are very far away. I think it is too risky to go, Inuyasha." Kagome said, trying to convince the stubborn Inuyasha.

"There is no changing my mind. We have to get every possible jewel shard we can. Do you realize what could happen if we ignore this shard and it gets in the hands of Naraku?" Inuyasha countered as he stood up.

"Inuyasha, you do have a point, but you are not thinking of the short-term effects. Yes, Naraku may get any jewel shards that we ignore, but wouldn't you rather fight him when you're at full health or die trying to get one jewel shard?" Miroku explained.

Inuyasha looked at Miroku and frowned. The stare was not a cold glare, but it seemed to be an affectionate gaze. "Yes. I am not the type to let an opportunity pass me by, no matter how dangerous it is. You may think it is foolish, but it is how I think and nothing can change that." He then proceeded to walk towards the door.

"I guess there is no stopping him," Sango said, gathering her things and equipping her boomerang. "Well, let's get going." Miroku looked troubled. He interpreted Inuyasha's persistence in getting the shard as an attempt to make his wish on the Sacred Jewel. I hope Inuyasha is not still planning on becoming a full-fledged demon, but that look threw mixed feelings out in the open. For his and all of our sakes, I hope he does not go through with his wish.

I guess I have to take into consideration all of the troubles he has gone through and all of the adventures he has endured. With Kagome and the rest of us at his side, I strongly believe his opinion has changed. But I can never be one hundred percent sure.

"Miroku! Hurry and catch up before Inuyasha is out of our sight!" Sango yelled from outside. 'Looks like we're in for another adventure,' he thought, smiling, and he got up and left the hut, waving to Lady Kaede.

Miroku caught up to Inuyasha quickly since Inuyasha was slowed by his injuries. The group headed to the west in hope of finding another jewel shard. It seemed that for every shard found, the journey would become tougher. Evil does not give up fighting so easily. The battle between good and evil would rage on until the Shikon no Tama was destroyed. But Inuyasha would not let that happen for the corrupt thoughts in his head required the Jewel to be executed.

Finally, after walking for what felt like hours, the group reached a large village. The village was a terrible sight. It was ransacked, buildings were aflame, and people were scattered all over the place, all dead or seriously injured.

Kagome and Sango were petrified, and Inuyasha and Miroku went to investigate. They walked to the back of the village and noticed a palace that was in perfect condition. Confusion arose between the two as the looked back at the buildings destroyed or on fire, where this building was glimmering with jewels and standing on a magnificent foundation, untouched.

"Let's go inside," Inuyasha said, already opening the palace's door. He stepped in followed by Miroku and they gasped at the sight. The inside of the palace was decorated with tall pillars, and the walls were covered with beautiful portraits and jewelry. It was an amazing sight for Inuyasha, as his lifestyle is not so lavish.

They reached the end of the hall and came to a lone altar. It was a short, marble-carved structure that had carvings of what seemed to be gods and goddesses, and illustrious decorations, despite the fact that it was not colorful. On top of the wonderful pillar sat a fancy pillow, laced with gold and silver strips, diamonds embedded in the strips. The beauty of this pillow seemed to be wasted, as nothing was placed atop of it.

Finally, in the wall above the pillow was an inscription. Miroku studied the inscription as it was in an old-fashioned calligraphy, and he doubted Inuyasha could read anyway. After staring at the inscription and brushing his fingers over the fine stone, he had the message.

"It reads, 'This work of beauty has protected our fine village for centuries, ever since our father's fathers founded this land, and every day we should return the favor by praying at this altar. Please, kneel below and pay your respects to the fragment of the Shikon no Tama that has kept us safe.'"

Inuyasha jumped slightly when he heard the last sentence. "A jewel shard was here. That can only mean trouble. Someone must have taken it."

"It must have been Naraku. Destruction seems to be his specialty." Miroku agreed.

"I don't know about this one, Miroku," Inuyasha said. Miroku had a puzzled look on his face as he was sure Naraku would be the one to steal a shard. "You know my nose," he continued, "I could pick up Naraku's foul scent from a mile away. There isn't even a weak trace of his odor here. Plus, he is not one to do things like this on his own. He would need a lackey to do it for him, and Kagura is dead."

"Then…who?"

"That's what we need to find out. Let's get out of here." Just as they were making their way out, Kagome and Sango screamed for them. When they arrived to the girls, they were holding a man's head in their laps. He was almost dead and stained in blood.

He began to speak, but Kagome tried to stop him and attempted to give him a bandage from her first aid kit. He refused to be silenced and looked at Miroku and Inuyasha. "Fair warriors, please help me and my village! We were attacked out of nowhere by a terrible beast. He was accompanied by a man dressed in robes. This man was dangerous, he set fire to the whole village himself without breaking a sweat! His monster killed all of the villagers and attacked my fellow warriors and me. We were all left for dead." The man struggled with every word, spitting up blood as he spoke and wincing in pain as he recalled the previous events.

"I was the village's best warrior…I thought I could face the monster, and I was swatted away like a fly. I saw the man and the creature head out of the village through that gate," he continued, using all of his strength to point to the eastern part of town. "Please…I beg of…you. Slay this creature and his master for me…and the…village." The man was barely hanging on to life, and he died after speaking those words.

Inuyasha stood up and looked at the gate with a determined stare. He ran to the gate immediately without saying a word.

"Wait up!" Miroku yelled, and the group started chasing after him. He was much too fast though. Inuyasha was serious about catching this beast, Kagome thought. He has changed a lot ever since the first time I met him…

When Inuyasha reached a forest, he got on his knees and started searching for a demon scent. The others finally caught up to see Inuyasha on his knees, staring into the forest.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Sango asked.

"I don't smell a demon or a human."

"How could that be!" she replied. "Something ransacked that village!

"Well, whatever it was, we'll have to find it the old-fashioned way," Inuyasha sighed, and started looking for footprints.

"Let's try this way. The leaves are depressed in this area." Miroku observed.

The group walked through the trees and bushes for a while, trying to follow the depressed leaves trail. Finally, they reached a clearing in which a fire had just been put out. Suddenly, Inuyasha heard rustling in the bushes, and his ears perked up.

"This way!" he yelled, and leaped into the bushes. There was a beast with a robe-dressed man on his back. It was them! "We have to follow them! Hurry!" With that, Inuyasha began pursuit of the beast and his master. They were obviously not in the mood to fight, but Inuyasha would change that. The creature had excellent maneuvers, and was trying to lose the group, but Inuyasha would not be thwarted by a few slick moves.

The forest had ended, and the creature stopped short before running off of a cliff. Inuyasha came out of the forest a few seconds later, sword drawn.

"This is the end of the line! I will not let you get away after you had destroyed that village and stole its Jewel Shard!"

"On the contrary, my friend," the man in the robe sneered back at Inuyasha. "This is the end of the line for you, not me." Although his robe concealed his face, Inuyasha could see his wicked smile. The robed man motioned to his beast and then, to Inuyasha's surprise, leaped off of the cliff!

The creature inched towards Inuyasha, drooling as it growled menacingly. It charged at Inuyasha with its claws outstretched, ready to kill. The creature swung at Inuyasha, but he blocked the claws with the Tetsusaiga, and backed away from the force of the swing.

"Damn, if he nailed me with that one, I would've been a goner. And I fear that wasn't his strongest move." Inuyasha winced, and readied the Tetsusaiga. "I will call the wind scar, and rid this beast from the world." Inuyasha was able to use the wind scar at will now that he has defeated Ryuukotsusei. "Let's test this baby out!" Inuyasha yelled, and hit his sword on the ground, streaks of energy running across the ground at the vile creature.

The creature stood there and withstood the attack like it was nothing! It seemed that the attack felt good to him! Out of anger, Inuyasha charged at the beast with his arms outstretched, ready to deliver a blow from the Tetsusaiga. He swung full force, but the creature dodged the sword. His speed was amazing for a creature that large!

It landed perfectly, and galloped towards Inuyasha like a bull, ramming him in the stomach with its head. Inuyasha was lifted off his feet and thrown back into the forest, landing in a bunch of bushes. He slowly got up out of the brush, and stood, ready to fight again.

He clenched his sword with all his might, and summoned the wind scar once more. He launched it at the beast, and just like before, it seemed to be enjoying the surges of electrical energy as it hit its body. But unlike last time, Inuyasha used the creature's contentment against him. He charged the beast right after the waves of energy hit it, and stuck the Tetsusaiga in its neck, piercing its body. The beast fell to the floor and stopped moving, as Inuyasha pulled his sword out, satisfied with his slaughter.

He looked at his sword to observe its magnificence, but to his surprise, the sword had no blood on it! Just then, Kagome and the others reached the clearing, panting as they burst through the brush into the open sky. She rushed to Inuyasha to see if he was intact, and looked down at the beast and gasped.

"It's…a robot!" she exclaimed, alarming the others.