The sun was high and shining with little breeze; just enough to take the
heat off. The merchant caravan was traveling through a shaded path in the
forest and making good time. The merchant smiled and wiped some sweat off
his brow. He calculated that the caravan would reach the next town before
tomorrow afternoon. And so far, nothing has gone wrong. The merchant
hoped that it would stay that way.
There had been too many stories going around lately of caravans being destroyed and anyone with them, animal or human, killed. Well if the wilder rumors were to be believed, then they were actually eaten and their remains left for carrion eaters. Despite the warmth of the day, the merchant shivered. If there was another way to get to the next village without going through this forest he would have taken it, even it meant taking more time to get there. But no other route was available.
As the caravan made its progress down the well-worn trail, the canopy overhead got thicker and was shading more of the path. This made everything harder to see and more like night. The men got nervous but did their best to hide it and the animals were beginning to get jittery and harder to control. Several of the horses threatened to bolt. The men hired to help guard the caravan tightened the reins and kept their horses still. But they were a reflection of the feelings coursing through their riders. They wished that they could turn back. However the path was too narrow for that to happen.
Suddenly a cry arose from ahead of the caravan. Everybody halted and waited for the scout to return. He ran back pale and panting.
"What is it?" asked the merchant. He hoped it was something that would force the caravan back. Right now he would accept any excuse. He didn't care about the money anymore, life was more important.
"Sir! There is a blockage up ahead. I can't see any way around it," the young man said.
A rustling in the thick underbrush to the sides of the path stopped any more conversation. That was until the screaming started.
******
"How much longer do we have to wait until she gets the directions?" Inuyasha said. He was acting bored, as usual. They were all sitting by the roadside as Hikaru was listening to another one of her birds. Being on the road again felt good, but he missed Kagome and the others. Hikaru and Juanyu made good traveling companions yet it wasn't the same. He wondered what was wrong with Hikaru.
Juanyu noticed that Inuyasha's tone had a little more respect in it. He smiled to himself at the change. The hanyou was more respectful to Hikaru ever since she had saved his life a week ago. Juanyu knew that Hikaru was powerful, so did Inuyasha and now he was beginning to realize how strong.
It was good to take a rest at the moment. He let the straps of the basket on his back slip to his shoulders and felt the pressure on them ease a bit. His slightly enhanced nose let him know that the weather was going to be fine for the next few days. And that was good. He would feel better if it weren't for Hikaru's expression.
Hikaru listened intently to what the bird was saying. Her ears twitched up and down in time with the bird's twittering. Her eyes were worried and hard. She understood what he was saying and his concerns. But she couldn't just take another route and ignore the mystery. She whistled her thanks to the bird when he was done and let him go. Then she stood and stretched.
"All right, boys. We have a bit of a problem on our hands," she said.
They both looked up at her, curious. What could the problem be?
"It seems that the most direct route to your village, Inuyasha, goes through a forest not far from here. But there's a problem there."
"What problem?"
"Any travelers that go through there are brutally killed. Their bodies are found by people who try to take the same trail but turned back when the remains were found. Unfortunately, there aren't any other pathways available. We could go around the forest."
"But." said Inuyasha. He had a good guess what she was going to say next.
"But I can't just walk away form this. I was raised to help people. I say that we go to the forest and figure out what the problem is and try to solve it."
Inuyasha had guessed right. Dammit, this girl was reminding him of both Kagome and Kikyou at the same time. He gave a grunt and stood up.
"Which way is it?" He knew better that to try to argue with her. Most likely any attempt to argue would end up with him having a headache courtesy of her wooden staff.
Juanyu said nothing and got the basket back on. After knowing her for two years, arguing would be a waste of time and energy. It was better to just give in and go along with it.
Hikaru smiled and led the way. She was thankful that neither of them wanted to argue. She really didn't want to knock heads together, but she was willing to do that if that was what it took. Hikaru thought for a moment, wondering where this was coming from. She normally wasn't that inclined to hitting people. The hanyou healer shrugged and finally gave it up to Inuyasha rubbing off on her. Then she began to wonder if that was a good thing or bad.
It was later that afternoon that they reached the village. It seemed quaint, if it weren't for the large funeral bonfire on the edge. Smoke rose to the sky and the hanyou could smell the stink of burning flesh and hair.
"This must be it," Inuyasha said through clenched teeth. They hadn't even gotten to the town, and already he was getting a bad feeling about it.
Next to him, Hikaru was having the same feeling. There was something definitely wrong here. For her, it was mostly coming from the forest a bit to the south of the village. Her ears picked up Juanyu growling softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him and it had some effect. He was still tense but at least he could pass for a human better.
They entered the village cautiously, ready for a fight. But none of the villagers that looked their way seemed to care. Their faces were too sullen and sad. To Hikaru it appeared that the townspeople had fallen into a state similar to a broken wild animal; defeated.
Inuyasha was fuming inside. These people had the look of those who had given up on ever winning. He had seen a few in his time. Mostly they were the people caught in the middle of two armies in battle. They knew that no matter the outcome, it would not be well for them.
Juanyu went ahead a little and found the headman of the village. "Excuse me, sir," he said.
The old man managed to tear his gaze away from the pyre and gave the young man a once over. "What is it, youngster?"
"I was wondering if there was any rooms that my friends and I could stay in for the night?"
The headman nodded. He gave directions to a hut not far from the edge of the village. Juanyu thanked him and quickly left. The headman's depression was so thick that even he could smell it.
The trio found that they weren't the only guests of the village when they reached the hut. There was a small camp made there. Men were starting cooking fires and tending to about a dozen horses laden with heavy saddle packs. It had the look and feel of a trading caravan.
Sitting in the doorway of the hut was a middle-aged man in finer clothes than the others. His belly was starting to bulge and he wore a sword at his side. They guessed that he was the merchant in charge of the caravan. Standing in front of him was a younger man who had the stance and bearing of a trained soldier. They seemed to be having an argument.
"This is foolishness, sir! We shouldn't be here. Everyone knows about the stories that have been going around about this cursed forest," the soldier said. "We should turn around and find another route."
The merchant slowly shook his head. "We can't afford to. The path that goes through this forest is the shortest route. If we did back track, we would have to go almost back to where we started to get onto an alternate route. No, I'm aware of the dangers that going this way present but it is a risk that we have to take."
The soldier's face turned bright red. "You merchants are all alike. All you care about is your money!" he hissed. With that he turned around and stormed off.
Again the merchant shook his head and finally noticed the newcomers. "Oh! I didn't see you there. Please, come closer and sit with me. I could use the company right now. My name is Sanja," he said. He gasped when he got a closer look at the hanyou.
Hikaru giggled, "It is all right. We have no intention of hurting you. Have you been to anyone about your eyesight?"
"What about his eyes?' Inuyasha asked.
"He's nearsighted. That's why he didn't know what we looked like until we got closer," she replied.
The merchant nodded. "Yes, that's true. But I have to admit, young lady, you are the first to have noticed this quickly. Most other people figure it out much later."
They settled around him and introduced themselves. Fortunately, the wind was coming from behind them so it didn't bring the stink of the pyre to them. As the evening fell, the workers began to assemble together for dinner. Sanja invited the group inside to dine with him and it was accepted graciously.
"If you don't mind my asking, who was that you were arguing with earlier?" Hikaru asked after dinner.
Sanja set his bowl on the table and eased back. "That was the captain of the caravan's guard. He wants to retrace our route and find another that avoids this forest."
"You mean because of the stories about it?" Juanyu said.
The merchant nodded. "Precisely."
"Then why don't you?" Inuyasha put in. His chin rested on his hand and he was back to his indifferent mood.
Sanja sighed. "I wish that we could. But I'm afraid that we don't have that option open to us right now."
Inuyasha grunted. "It's because of the money you'd lose, right?"
The merchant hastily replied, "No, no. That's not it at all."
The others looked at him in surprise. Just what was it that this man was willing to risk his life for that couldn't wait?
He looked down at his hands. "You see, normally I'm a silk trader and I have down well for myself. But a few weeks ago, I received a message from a friend. He needed to deliver several packages of medicine to a town south of here. Unfortunately, he had broken his leg and couldn't make the journey. I was asked to take his place. I agreed. He told me that the medicine had to be delivered within a time frame. Right now, that time is almost up. There is no time to go back and make it in time. You now see my dilemma. I know that I shouldn't risk the lives of my men, but there isn't any other choice."
They sat in silence. It was quite a problem that the merchant had on his hands. And he was right; there wasn't any other choice. But there was something that could be done to lessen the risk.
Inuyasha grunted and clasped his hands together. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
The merchant thought for a moment. "We leave at mid morning. Why?"
"Just wanted to know what time we should be ready to go with you," he replied. The others looked at him in surprise.
"Are you serious?" Juanyu asked. The hanyou nodded. Hikaru smiled and Sanja looked relieved.
"We're going that way ourselves. Might as well go with you and try to protect the cargo."
With that agreed, they settled to sleep and the lamp was blown out.
******
In the darkness of the night, a silent figure made its way down the darker forest path. The person held a lantern, but it was dimly lit. There was hardly any light provided from it.
Eventually the figure stopped and turned the light up a bit. It proved enough to chase away the huge spider-like youkai that were climbing down from the trees and emerging from the bushes. They hissed at the light and stayed well out of its range.
With the light on, the man felt safer and sat down on the ground. He radiated patience, which barely covered his fear. The creatures had assured him that so long as he kept up his part of the bargain he was safe and would receive his share of the merchandise taken from the caravans. But that didn't stop his primal fear from rearing its head whenever he came here to meet the youkai.
After a few moments, the spiders had quieted down as their leader descended and hung a few feet away from the man.
"What do you want now, human?" asked the queen, the mother of them all.
"There is another caravan coming this way tomorrow. The merchant in charge refuses to go another way. More food for you and yours," was the reply.
The queen's rubbed two of her legs together in delight. Unknown to the human, she would be laying her eggs soon. That meant that the family would need more food to feed the newborn. This was perfect.
"Good, we'll be ready. And as usual, whatever remains is yours to do with as you see fit," she said.
With that the man got up and went back the way he had come. Allying with the youkai spiders was the best move he had made. Dealing with them was a lot easier than to keep paying any band of bandits. He smiled and hurried back to the village.
There had been too many stories going around lately of caravans being destroyed and anyone with them, animal or human, killed. Well if the wilder rumors were to be believed, then they were actually eaten and their remains left for carrion eaters. Despite the warmth of the day, the merchant shivered. If there was another way to get to the next village without going through this forest he would have taken it, even it meant taking more time to get there. But no other route was available.
As the caravan made its progress down the well-worn trail, the canopy overhead got thicker and was shading more of the path. This made everything harder to see and more like night. The men got nervous but did their best to hide it and the animals were beginning to get jittery and harder to control. Several of the horses threatened to bolt. The men hired to help guard the caravan tightened the reins and kept their horses still. But they were a reflection of the feelings coursing through their riders. They wished that they could turn back. However the path was too narrow for that to happen.
Suddenly a cry arose from ahead of the caravan. Everybody halted and waited for the scout to return. He ran back pale and panting.
"What is it?" asked the merchant. He hoped it was something that would force the caravan back. Right now he would accept any excuse. He didn't care about the money anymore, life was more important.
"Sir! There is a blockage up ahead. I can't see any way around it," the young man said.
A rustling in the thick underbrush to the sides of the path stopped any more conversation. That was until the screaming started.
******
"How much longer do we have to wait until she gets the directions?" Inuyasha said. He was acting bored, as usual. They were all sitting by the roadside as Hikaru was listening to another one of her birds. Being on the road again felt good, but he missed Kagome and the others. Hikaru and Juanyu made good traveling companions yet it wasn't the same. He wondered what was wrong with Hikaru.
Juanyu noticed that Inuyasha's tone had a little more respect in it. He smiled to himself at the change. The hanyou was more respectful to Hikaru ever since she had saved his life a week ago. Juanyu knew that Hikaru was powerful, so did Inuyasha and now he was beginning to realize how strong.
It was good to take a rest at the moment. He let the straps of the basket on his back slip to his shoulders and felt the pressure on them ease a bit. His slightly enhanced nose let him know that the weather was going to be fine for the next few days. And that was good. He would feel better if it weren't for Hikaru's expression.
Hikaru listened intently to what the bird was saying. Her ears twitched up and down in time with the bird's twittering. Her eyes were worried and hard. She understood what he was saying and his concerns. But she couldn't just take another route and ignore the mystery. She whistled her thanks to the bird when he was done and let him go. Then she stood and stretched.
"All right, boys. We have a bit of a problem on our hands," she said.
They both looked up at her, curious. What could the problem be?
"It seems that the most direct route to your village, Inuyasha, goes through a forest not far from here. But there's a problem there."
"What problem?"
"Any travelers that go through there are brutally killed. Their bodies are found by people who try to take the same trail but turned back when the remains were found. Unfortunately, there aren't any other pathways available. We could go around the forest."
"But." said Inuyasha. He had a good guess what she was going to say next.
"But I can't just walk away form this. I was raised to help people. I say that we go to the forest and figure out what the problem is and try to solve it."
Inuyasha had guessed right. Dammit, this girl was reminding him of both Kagome and Kikyou at the same time. He gave a grunt and stood up.
"Which way is it?" He knew better that to try to argue with her. Most likely any attempt to argue would end up with him having a headache courtesy of her wooden staff.
Juanyu said nothing and got the basket back on. After knowing her for two years, arguing would be a waste of time and energy. It was better to just give in and go along with it.
Hikaru smiled and led the way. She was thankful that neither of them wanted to argue. She really didn't want to knock heads together, but she was willing to do that if that was what it took. Hikaru thought for a moment, wondering where this was coming from. She normally wasn't that inclined to hitting people. The hanyou healer shrugged and finally gave it up to Inuyasha rubbing off on her. Then she began to wonder if that was a good thing or bad.
It was later that afternoon that they reached the village. It seemed quaint, if it weren't for the large funeral bonfire on the edge. Smoke rose to the sky and the hanyou could smell the stink of burning flesh and hair.
"This must be it," Inuyasha said through clenched teeth. They hadn't even gotten to the town, and already he was getting a bad feeling about it.
Next to him, Hikaru was having the same feeling. There was something definitely wrong here. For her, it was mostly coming from the forest a bit to the south of the village. Her ears picked up Juanyu growling softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him and it had some effect. He was still tense but at least he could pass for a human better.
They entered the village cautiously, ready for a fight. But none of the villagers that looked their way seemed to care. Their faces were too sullen and sad. To Hikaru it appeared that the townspeople had fallen into a state similar to a broken wild animal; defeated.
Inuyasha was fuming inside. These people had the look of those who had given up on ever winning. He had seen a few in his time. Mostly they were the people caught in the middle of two armies in battle. They knew that no matter the outcome, it would not be well for them.
Juanyu went ahead a little and found the headman of the village. "Excuse me, sir," he said.
The old man managed to tear his gaze away from the pyre and gave the young man a once over. "What is it, youngster?"
"I was wondering if there was any rooms that my friends and I could stay in for the night?"
The headman nodded. He gave directions to a hut not far from the edge of the village. Juanyu thanked him and quickly left. The headman's depression was so thick that even he could smell it.
The trio found that they weren't the only guests of the village when they reached the hut. There was a small camp made there. Men were starting cooking fires and tending to about a dozen horses laden with heavy saddle packs. It had the look and feel of a trading caravan.
Sitting in the doorway of the hut was a middle-aged man in finer clothes than the others. His belly was starting to bulge and he wore a sword at his side. They guessed that he was the merchant in charge of the caravan. Standing in front of him was a younger man who had the stance and bearing of a trained soldier. They seemed to be having an argument.
"This is foolishness, sir! We shouldn't be here. Everyone knows about the stories that have been going around about this cursed forest," the soldier said. "We should turn around and find another route."
The merchant slowly shook his head. "We can't afford to. The path that goes through this forest is the shortest route. If we did back track, we would have to go almost back to where we started to get onto an alternate route. No, I'm aware of the dangers that going this way present but it is a risk that we have to take."
The soldier's face turned bright red. "You merchants are all alike. All you care about is your money!" he hissed. With that he turned around and stormed off.
Again the merchant shook his head and finally noticed the newcomers. "Oh! I didn't see you there. Please, come closer and sit with me. I could use the company right now. My name is Sanja," he said. He gasped when he got a closer look at the hanyou.
Hikaru giggled, "It is all right. We have no intention of hurting you. Have you been to anyone about your eyesight?"
"What about his eyes?' Inuyasha asked.
"He's nearsighted. That's why he didn't know what we looked like until we got closer," she replied.
The merchant nodded. "Yes, that's true. But I have to admit, young lady, you are the first to have noticed this quickly. Most other people figure it out much later."
They settled around him and introduced themselves. Fortunately, the wind was coming from behind them so it didn't bring the stink of the pyre to them. As the evening fell, the workers began to assemble together for dinner. Sanja invited the group inside to dine with him and it was accepted graciously.
"If you don't mind my asking, who was that you were arguing with earlier?" Hikaru asked after dinner.
Sanja set his bowl on the table and eased back. "That was the captain of the caravan's guard. He wants to retrace our route and find another that avoids this forest."
"You mean because of the stories about it?" Juanyu said.
The merchant nodded. "Precisely."
"Then why don't you?" Inuyasha put in. His chin rested on his hand and he was back to his indifferent mood.
Sanja sighed. "I wish that we could. But I'm afraid that we don't have that option open to us right now."
Inuyasha grunted. "It's because of the money you'd lose, right?"
The merchant hastily replied, "No, no. That's not it at all."
The others looked at him in surprise. Just what was it that this man was willing to risk his life for that couldn't wait?
He looked down at his hands. "You see, normally I'm a silk trader and I have down well for myself. But a few weeks ago, I received a message from a friend. He needed to deliver several packages of medicine to a town south of here. Unfortunately, he had broken his leg and couldn't make the journey. I was asked to take his place. I agreed. He told me that the medicine had to be delivered within a time frame. Right now, that time is almost up. There is no time to go back and make it in time. You now see my dilemma. I know that I shouldn't risk the lives of my men, but there isn't any other choice."
They sat in silence. It was quite a problem that the merchant had on his hands. And he was right; there wasn't any other choice. But there was something that could be done to lessen the risk.
Inuyasha grunted and clasped his hands together. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
The merchant thought for a moment. "We leave at mid morning. Why?"
"Just wanted to know what time we should be ready to go with you," he replied. The others looked at him in surprise.
"Are you serious?" Juanyu asked. The hanyou nodded. Hikaru smiled and Sanja looked relieved.
"We're going that way ourselves. Might as well go with you and try to protect the cargo."
With that agreed, they settled to sleep and the lamp was blown out.
******
In the darkness of the night, a silent figure made its way down the darker forest path. The person held a lantern, but it was dimly lit. There was hardly any light provided from it.
Eventually the figure stopped and turned the light up a bit. It proved enough to chase away the huge spider-like youkai that were climbing down from the trees and emerging from the bushes. They hissed at the light and stayed well out of its range.
With the light on, the man felt safer and sat down on the ground. He radiated patience, which barely covered his fear. The creatures had assured him that so long as he kept up his part of the bargain he was safe and would receive his share of the merchandise taken from the caravans. But that didn't stop his primal fear from rearing its head whenever he came here to meet the youkai.
After a few moments, the spiders had quieted down as their leader descended and hung a few feet away from the man.
"What do you want now, human?" asked the queen, the mother of them all.
"There is another caravan coming this way tomorrow. The merchant in charge refuses to go another way. More food for you and yours," was the reply.
The queen's rubbed two of her legs together in delight. Unknown to the human, she would be laying her eggs soon. That meant that the family would need more food to feed the newborn. This was perfect.
"Good, we'll be ready. And as usual, whatever remains is yours to do with as you see fit," she said.
With that the man got up and went back the way he had come. Allying with the youkai spiders was the best move he had made. Dealing with them was a lot easier than to keep paying any band of bandits. He smiled and hurried back to the village.