The sun was shining bright with no clouds in the sky to hinder its light.
There was a slight breeze to keep any travelers cool and it wasn't too hot
yet. Not a bad time to do some walking.
Hikaru hoped that there wouldn't be any trouble. She had inspected the medicine packages earlier that morning and she knew that the people at its destination sorely needed it. Realistically, she was aware that the caravan would run into trouble. But with her and her companions going along maybe it will stand a better chance of survival than the other caravans.
Soon, Sanja mounted his horse and led the caravan out. Hikaru stayed up front with him while Inuyasha took the center and Juanyu brought up the rear. The captain of the caravan guards and several of his men resigned and stayed behind. They had vehemently refused to go along, even when the trio announced that they would tag along.
Inuyasha got a bad feeling about this. He could sense youkai nearby, a lot of them. He readied Tetsusaiga in his hands for when it would be needed. He didn't bother to warn either Hikaru or Juanyu. He knew that they would sense the same thing.
Sanja was feeling a little better about the success of this trip now. Normally, the thought of dealing with hanyou would be unsettling, but Inuyasha and Hikaru appeared to be nice people and sincere in their offer to protect the caravan.
******
Within the woods, the overhanging branches dappled the ground and gave shade from a warming day. The men of the caravan were tense but allowed the calm scene around them to relax them.
Juanyu couldn't relax. Even though the forest seemed peaceful, it was too quiet for him to be comfortable. There were no birds singing, no insects buzzing, or any other normal forest sound. Having roamed in the woods for a good deal of his life, Juanyu knew that this was not good at all. A normal forest should be bustling with the sounds of those who lived in it. They only went quiet when they sensed an immediate threat nearby. Juanyu eased his way to Inuyasha and relayed his fears. The hanyou shared similar misgivings and they both made their way to Hikaru.
******
The spiders watched their advancing prey with relish. They were hidden within the deepest of the shadows in the trees close to the trail. Far ahead of the group, others of the family were reinforcing the roadblock; it had been damaged in the last raid. Someone actually came close to breaking through. The spiders had taken their time killing that one. But they pushed the memories aside in anticipation of new meat.
The men were strong with a lot of muscles and the merchant looked pleasantly plump. The animals looked well fed, almost plump. They all would certainly make good eating. And those hanyou! It had been too long since the last time any of them had tasted hanyou flesh.
The spiders chuckled to themselves in glee. Then they scurried quickly back to the queen. This would certainly be a feast to remember!
******
"I know. I feel it too. Do you have any idea what it could be, Inuyasha?" Hikaru said quietly. She and her friends were a little behind Sanja but ahead of the caravan.
The hanyou shook his head in response. He had no idea what could be up ahead waiting for them. They all could sense something, but what it was precisely eluded them. This made Inuyasha more nervous and edgy than usual. He hated being in here. The branches overhead were crowding in on them, lessening the light and deepening the shadows. He could hear some of the men grumbling about lighting some lanterns to see by.
"Sanja-san! Sanja-san!" cried an incoming voice from ahead.
The merchant signaled the caravan to stop. He dismounted and walked forward, with the trio not far from behind. "What is it, young one?" he asked. There was a trace of fright in his tone.
The young scout staggered into view. His face was pale from shock and from blood loss. The scent of blood was heavy on the air; even the humans could smell it. His clothes were ripped and torn; everyone could see the slashes across his torso and limbs. The effects of the scent on Hikaru and Inuyasha almost made them gag and light headed.
Sanja cried out at the sight and caught the scout as he fell to his knees and almost to the ground. Juanyu rushed forward with bow in hand and an arrow notched. Trouble was coming towards them now; it had gotten impatient waiting for them. Behind him, Inuyasha and Hikaru went on guard as well. The rest of the men tensed but armed themselves as well.
The stillness weighed heavily on the party. The only sound heard besides the animals was the shallow panting of the wounded scout.
Then happened. Something reached out of the underbrush, grabbed a man around the ankle and dragged him in. His screams startled everyone and froze them for a moment. This was long enough for the rest of the spiders to come out and start attacking.
"What the.?" Hikaru gasped.
"Spiders! Dammit, I hate spiders!" Inuyasha cried and barged in. He swung the transformed Tetsusaiga, but the spiders were moving too fast for him to hit effectively.
Juanyu let arrows fly, but kept missing. The damn youkai spiders moved too fast for him. Hikaru simply waited until they got close enough and swung her staff. While her companions were going on the offensive, she was on defense. Several of the men managed to run away, only to discover that an enormous web blocked the path. The discovery was made when they ran into the sticky strands and got caught.
Eventually, the spiders grew weary of dodging and having the hanyou girl hit them with her stick. They released blobs of their silk and managed to imprison many of the prey. The only ones still free were Juanyu, Inuyasha, and Hikaru.
The trio gathered together in a huddle with their backs to each other. None of them were winded from the struggle; they had higher endurance than that. Up from above, they began to hear a hissing chuckle.
"Well, well. It seems that these are fighters. Their meat must be ripe for the stripping," a voice said. From within the dark shadows of the trees, the Queen spider lowered herself down to the ground. She was about the size of a young cow with six blood red eyes to match the same colored mandibles on her head. There was a small pair of black legs that probably functioned as arms right beside the head. The other legs came from the abdomen; the design on the back was mottled with the same coloration as the forest.
Inuyasha growled, "Okay, just who the hell are you?"
The Queen laughed softly. "My family and I have lived here for years, hanyou. We lived on whatever creatures we could feast on, but it was never enough to satisfy our hunger. We even had to resort to eating our own young in order to survive. But not any more!
"There was a ward in the village behind you that kept us from intruding onto this path. But recently a human came to us with a proposition. We kill any caravans that come this way. We keep the flesh for our own purposes while he kept whatever the caravan had. It has been a most profitable partnership."
"And the ward?" Hikaru asked, even though she could guess the answer.
"Why, the human was kind enough to destroy it for us." The Queen laughed loudly now for several moments. Then she quieted down and glared at the trio closely.
"It has been some time since I have seen one hanyou, let alone two together. And I am bored. How about a little game before your deaths?" She seemed to think for a moment. Then she made some signal to the others. Inuyasha and Juanyu were picked up by a pair of spiders and bound by silk to a tree. This left Hikaru all alone facing the Queen.
"What do we get if we win?" Hikaru asked boldly. She knew that there was little chance that she could win against the Queen. But that didn't mean that she couldn't try or get to a draw.
The Queen laughed. "If you insist on it. For every one of you that wins, we'll let you and one of the other humans go with your lives," she said. Hikaru nodded in agreement to the terms. There wasn't any need to ask what would happen if any of them lost.
Inuyasha struggled against the tight silk that bound him. Dammit, he couldn't believe that Hikaru agreed to this. He knew that she wasn't much of a fighter. Then that might be why the Queen chose her to go first.
The two women were left to face off with each other. The rest of the spiders gathered the horses and wagons and lifted them up into the treetops to clear the field. Hikaru made sure that she had a good grip on her staff and cursed herself for forgetting to arm herself with her bow and arrows. Yet, judging from the speed that these youkai moved she doubted that the arrows would have made much of a difference.
The Queen made the first move. She lunged forward with alarming speed and stroke out with one of her claws. Fortunately Hikaru managed to dodge just in time. But the claw did scrape across her chest, cutting her kimono and leaving a small cut just above her breasts.
The spider chuckled. "You're certainly faster than I thought you would be. Be assured that it won't be a mistake I will repeat."
And she was true to her word. The Queen kept charging and slashing and Hikaru was doing everything she could do just to avoid a serious wound. The hanyou was completely on the defensive. Then she dodged one claw only to be hit from behind with another. The hit slammed her to the ground. Hikaru quickly got to her hands and knees and almost stood up. But the Queen took the advantage and stabbed Hikaru in her right side with a leg. The leg carried Hikaru off the ground and pinned her to a tree. Hikaru screamed at the pain as the leg started twisting in her side.
All around her, the spiders rubbed the forelegs together to cheer their queen on. Inuyasha and Juanyu stared on in despair and frustration. Hikaru needed their help badly yet there was nothing either of them could do about it.
Another leg rose up and pinned Hikaru in her left shoulder. The healer dropped her staff, got quiet, and hung her head. Inuyasha began to smell something different about Hikaru just then. And it didn't seem like a good thing either. When the realization about what must be happening to her hit him, he increased his struggles in the silk.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Juanyu basked quietly. None of the spiders were paying attention to them. They were all focused on the fight.
"I have to get out of here," he grunted.
Meanwhile, the Queen's attention was fixed on her pinned prey. The hanyou girl hadn't done anything for a few moments, but she was certainly still alive. The spider knew that her children were watching with delight and wanted the show to continue. Not wanting to disappoint them, the Queen released Hikaru and the hanyou fell to the ground. But instead of hitting the ground flat, the hanyou managed to land on her feet. It was then that the youkai noticed something odd about the hanyou's energy.
"Bitch," the hanyou said softly. There was something about the tone that sparked fear into the Queen. "Did you honestly expect to be so cocky to think that I could be taken down so easily?" Hikaru raised her head. Pairs of purple stripes had appeared on her cheeks and forehead. Her upper fangs had grown and protruded from her mouth. The whites of the eyes had taken on a garish golden color while the irises had turned blood red and slitted like a cat. Hikaru smiled and brandished her claws, "Now, let me show you precisely how pathetic a fighter you are."
Hikaru hoped that there wouldn't be any trouble. She had inspected the medicine packages earlier that morning and she knew that the people at its destination sorely needed it. Realistically, she was aware that the caravan would run into trouble. But with her and her companions going along maybe it will stand a better chance of survival than the other caravans.
Soon, Sanja mounted his horse and led the caravan out. Hikaru stayed up front with him while Inuyasha took the center and Juanyu brought up the rear. The captain of the caravan guards and several of his men resigned and stayed behind. They had vehemently refused to go along, even when the trio announced that they would tag along.
Inuyasha got a bad feeling about this. He could sense youkai nearby, a lot of them. He readied Tetsusaiga in his hands for when it would be needed. He didn't bother to warn either Hikaru or Juanyu. He knew that they would sense the same thing.
Sanja was feeling a little better about the success of this trip now. Normally, the thought of dealing with hanyou would be unsettling, but Inuyasha and Hikaru appeared to be nice people and sincere in their offer to protect the caravan.
******
Within the woods, the overhanging branches dappled the ground and gave shade from a warming day. The men of the caravan were tense but allowed the calm scene around them to relax them.
Juanyu couldn't relax. Even though the forest seemed peaceful, it was too quiet for him to be comfortable. There were no birds singing, no insects buzzing, or any other normal forest sound. Having roamed in the woods for a good deal of his life, Juanyu knew that this was not good at all. A normal forest should be bustling with the sounds of those who lived in it. They only went quiet when they sensed an immediate threat nearby. Juanyu eased his way to Inuyasha and relayed his fears. The hanyou shared similar misgivings and they both made their way to Hikaru.
******
The spiders watched their advancing prey with relish. They were hidden within the deepest of the shadows in the trees close to the trail. Far ahead of the group, others of the family were reinforcing the roadblock; it had been damaged in the last raid. Someone actually came close to breaking through. The spiders had taken their time killing that one. But they pushed the memories aside in anticipation of new meat.
The men were strong with a lot of muscles and the merchant looked pleasantly plump. The animals looked well fed, almost plump. They all would certainly make good eating. And those hanyou! It had been too long since the last time any of them had tasted hanyou flesh.
The spiders chuckled to themselves in glee. Then they scurried quickly back to the queen. This would certainly be a feast to remember!
******
"I know. I feel it too. Do you have any idea what it could be, Inuyasha?" Hikaru said quietly. She and her friends were a little behind Sanja but ahead of the caravan.
The hanyou shook his head in response. He had no idea what could be up ahead waiting for them. They all could sense something, but what it was precisely eluded them. This made Inuyasha more nervous and edgy than usual. He hated being in here. The branches overhead were crowding in on them, lessening the light and deepening the shadows. He could hear some of the men grumbling about lighting some lanterns to see by.
"Sanja-san! Sanja-san!" cried an incoming voice from ahead.
The merchant signaled the caravan to stop. He dismounted and walked forward, with the trio not far from behind. "What is it, young one?" he asked. There was a trace of fright in his tone.
The young scout staggered into view. His face was pale from shock and from blood loss. The scent of blood was heavy on the air; even the humans could smell it. His clothes were ripped and torn; everyone could see the slashes across his torso and limbs. The effects of the scent on Hikaru and Inuyasha almost made them gag and light headed.
Sanja cried out at the sight and caught the scout as he fell to his knees and almost to the ground. Juanyu rushed forward with bow in hand and an arrow notched. Trouble was coming towards them now; it had gotten impatient waiting for them. Behind him, Inuyasha and Hikaru went on guard as well. The rest of the men tensed but armed themselves as well.
The stillness weighed heavily on the party. The only sound heard besides the animals was the shallow panting of the wounded scout.
Then happened. Something reached out of the underbrush, grabbed a man around the ankle and dragged him in. His screams startled everyone and froze them for a moment. This was long enough for the rest of the spiders to come out and start attacking.
"What the.?" Hikaru gasped.
"Spiders! Dammit, I hate spiders!" Inuyasha cried and barged in. He swung the transformed Tetsusaiga, but the spiders were moving too fast for him to hit effectively.
Juanyu let arrows fly, but kept missing. The damn youkai spiders moved too fast for him. Hikaru simply waited until they got close enough and swung her staff. While her companions were going on the offensive, she was on defense. Several of the men managed to run away, only to discover that an enormous web blocked the path. The discovery was made when they ran into the sticky strands and got caught.
Eventually, the spiders grew weary of dodging and having the hanyou girl hit them with her stick. They released blobs of their silk and managed to imprison many of the prey. The only ones still free were Juanyu, Inuyasha, and Hikaru.
The trio gathered together in a huddle with their backs to each other. None of them were winded from the struggle; they had higher endurance than that. Up from above, they began to hear a hissing chuckle.
"Well, well. It seems that these are fighters. Their meat must be ripe for the stripping," a voice said. From within the dark shadows of the trees, the Queen spider lowered herself down to the ground. She was about the size of a young cow with six blood red eyes to match the same colored mandibles on her head. There was a small pair of black legs that probably functioned as arms right beside the head. The other legs came from the abdomen; the design on the back was mottled with the same coloration as the forest.
Inuyasha growled, "Okay, just who the hell are you?"
The Queen laughed softly. "My family and I have lived here for years, hanyou. We lived on whatever creatures we could feast on, but it was never enough to satisfy our hunger. We even had to resort to eating our own young in order to survive. But not any more!
"There was a ward in the village behind you that kept us from intruding onto this path. But recently a human came to us with a proposition. We kill any caravans that come this way. We keep the flesh for our own purposes while he kept whatever the caravan had. It has been a most profitable partnership."
"And the ward?" Hikaru asked, even though she could guess the answer.
"Why, the human was kind enough to destroy it for us." The Queen laughed loudly now for several moments. Then she quieted down and glared at the trio closely.
"It has been some time since I have seen one hanyou, let alone two together. And I am bored. How about a little game before your deaths?" She seemed to think for a moment. Then she made some signal to the others. Inuyasha and Juanyu were picked up by a pair of spiders and bound by silk to a tree. This left Hikaru all alone facing the Queen.
"What do we get if we win?" Hikaru asked boldly. She knew that there was little chance that she could win against the Queen. But that didn't mean that she couldn't try or get to a draw.
The Queen laughed. "If you insist on it. For every one of you that wins, we'll let you and one of the other humans go with your lives," she said. Hikaru nodded in agreement to the terms. There wasn't any need to ask what would happen if any of them lost.
Inuyasha struggled against the tight silk that bound him. Dammit, he couldn't believe that Hikaru agreed to this. He knew that she wasn't much of a fighter. Then that might be why the Queen chose her to go first.
The two women were left to face off with each other. The rest of the spiders gathered the horses and wagons and lifted them up into the treetops to clear the field. Hikaru made sure that she had a good grip on her staff and cursed herself for forgetting to arm herself with her bow and arrows. Yet, judging from the speed that these youkai moved she doubted that the arrows would have made much of a difference.
The Queen made the first move. She lunged forward with alarming speed and stroke out with one of her claws. Fortunately Hikaru managed to dodge just in time. But the claw did scrape across her chest, cutting her kimono and leaving a small cut just above her breasts.
The spider chuckled. "You're certainly faster than I thought you would be. Be assured that it won't be a mistake I will repeat."
And she was true to her word. The Queen kept charging and slashing and Hikaru was doing everything she could do just to avoid a serious wound. The hanyou was completely on the defensive. Then she dodged one claw only to be hit from behind with another. The hit slammed her to the ground. Hikaru quickly got to her hands and knees and almost stood up. But the Queen took the advantage and stabbed Hikaru in her right side with a leg. The leg carried Hikaru off the ground and pinned her to a tree. Hikaru screamed at the pain as the leg started twisting in her side.
All around her, the spiders rubbed the forelegs together to cheer their queen on. Inuyasha and Juanyu stared on in despair and frustration. Hikaru needed their help badly yet there was nothing either of them could do about it.
Another leg rose up and pinned Hikaru in her left shoulder. The healer dropped her staff, got quiet, and hung her head. Inuyasha began to smell something different about Hikaru just then. And it didn't seem like a good thing either. When the realization about what must be happening to her hit him, he increased his struggles in the silk.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Juanyu basked quietly. None of the spiders were paying attention to them. They were all focused on the fight.
"I have to get out of here," he grunted.
Meanwhile, the Queen's attention was fixed on her pinned prey. The hanyou girl hadn't done anything for a few moments, but she was certainly still alive. The spider knew that her children were watching with delight and wanted the show to continue. Not wanting to disappoint them, the Queen released Hikaru and the hanyou fell to the ground. But instead of hitting the ground flat, the hanyou managed to land on her feet. It was then that the youkai noticed something odd about the hanyou's energy.
"Bitch," the hanyou said softly. There was something about the tone that sparked fear into the Queen. "Did you honestly expect to be so cocky to think that I could be taken down so easily?" Hikaru raised her head. Pairs of purple stripes had appeared on her cheeks and forehead. Her upper fangs had grown and protruded from her mouth. The whites of the eyes had taken on a garish golden color while the irises had turned blood red and slitted like a cat. Hikaru smiled and brandished her claws, "Now, let me show you precisely how pathetic a fighter you are."