Unfortunately, Fanfiction has decided that my stars and tildes are not worthy; they refuse to print them anymore. In light of this, I've switched to question marks and exclamation points. I checked over the document, but I might have missed one or two breaking points; please understand.

Thanks again to my reviewers! We've reached the 10 mark!

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The Inuyasha party traveled for another two weeks, virtually untouched by demons. Kagome often commented on the lack of action, surprised by the lull in demonic presence, while Inuyasha grew more and more suspicious. Why would the demons suddenly stop appearing? Before, they'd come in droves, attracted by the Shikon jewel's power. Their sudden and conspicuous absence was almost frightening.

Relations between Courtney and Tack changed considerably and they grew to be almost grudging friends. They still poked fun at one another, spitting a cruel word or two when the time seemed appropriate, but they were still leagues away from their poor beginning. Courtney's less "bitchy" attitude became quite popular within the group and she was soon just another of the traveling companions, if not a bit less capable one. Tack, after working out a few kinks, was able to effectively use her powers and began honing her skills under Inuyasha's watchful eye. Besides the obvious lack in demon activity, everything was perfectly normal.

One pleasant morning, the Inuyasha party was traveling languidly along a deserted forest path, moving steadily towards the village of Takino. On the recommendation of a passing farmer, they sought a suspiciously powerful soldier who'd returned from war acting strange; Inuyasha suspected the foul use of a Shikon jewel shard.

Tack shielded her eyes with one clawed hand, observing the brilliant blue sky through the tree tops. One thing she would miss if she left for home was the unexplicable abundance of ozone. She so thought the word "if" because she'd been thinking lately on the subject of death. Not in a morbid way, mind you, but a purely philosophical one. What if she, per chance, died during some kind of encounter in this world? Her mother, who she'd speculated was already scouring Texas for her, would be left without a trace of her daughter, only to live a life alone with Jeff, Tack's little brother. More importantly, Tack would die without ever truly exploring the ways of the wolf. And wouldn't that be disappointing?

Courtney, though she appeared merely contemplative, was searching her inner soul for any signs of spiritual power. She'd made it a habit to excercise her "inner eye," wondering if the old hag in the village was daft when she suggested some kind of bogus destiny as a priestess. If she was right, however, Courtney couldn't really understand her logic. Not a single thing about her was spiritual; she didn't even go to church. What in the world would she become a priestess for?

As a light breeze ruffled the tree tops, Inuyasha furrowed his brow, holding his nose quickly aloft. Tack followed his lead, smelling a plethera of aromas enter her sensetive nostrils, only to make her eyes water. "Ugh," she moaned, "that smells terrible. What the hell is that?"

By this time, the others had stopped and were watching their demon friends with some interest. Shippo, not one to be left out, took in the scent as well, replying shakily, "That's a demon!"

The Tetsuiga was released from its sheath and Tack removed her own sword dutifully, lowering her eyebrows dangerously. She was prepared for her first ever demon battle.

At first, nothing happened, and the group stood motionless in the roadway, scouring the trees for any sign of life. A sudden rush of wind and rustle of leaves yanked their attention towards the rightmost trees where a shadowed group sillhouettes approached. When the first few stepped into the light, Courtney gasped, taking a tentative step backwards. Fur-covered faces, lithely muscled limbs, roving eyes of a hideous yellow color, cat demons began filing through the forest in abundance.

Each was of a different breed, their fur a myriad of colors, but every single cat demon held the same dislike for Inuyasha and his group. After an encounter not too long ago, leaving their leaders dead and their great king reaplced in the grave, the cat demons were anything but fans.

"Stay behind me, Courtney," Miroku whispered urgently.

The blonde girl nodded with an audible gulp, positioning herself behind the stone faced monk. Sango removed the boomerang bone slowly from her back, glaring intensely towards the growing enemy. Kagome withdrew her bow and arrow, notching one as a precaution while Kirara transformed; it seemed the group was ready for battle.

The front most cat demon, white fur matted with days of weary travel, licked her lips hungrily at the sign of Courtney. "Ah, tender human flesh," came its raspy voice.

Courtney cowered behind Miroku, who gritted his teeth purposefully. "What do you want?"

Pointing one clawed finger at the pretty blonde, the cat demon smiled a fanged smile. "Her."

This, needless to say, was quite the surprise. Out of the entire Inuyasha party, Courtney seemed the least desirable in this day and age. She couldn't fight, she wasn't brave, her home making skills were most definitely sub par, and her attitude was generally poor. What could the cat demons want her for? This seemed to be the question on everyone's mind as the friends tensed, weapons suddenly gripped tighter.

"Why?" asked Inuyasha in a dangerously low voice.

As though offended by the question, the cat demon scoffed, a hacking sound resemblant of vomiting. "We could feel her power calling us from the mountains, half breed," it hissed, advancing ever more towards the terrified blonde.

Letting out a yell, Inuyasha raised the Tetsuiga mightily above his head. "Well, ya ain't gettin' her!"

Without so much as a warning call, the sword came swooping down, missing the lithe cat leader yet catching some subbordinates behind her. The battle began in earnest, the group taking one cat demon a piece as fur flew in every which direction. Above the melee, Inuyasha was able to yell, "Kagome, take Courtney and Kirara and get out of here!"

Kagome nodded curtly, grabbing Courtney by the arm and dragging her towards Kirara, who fought off a few wayward cat demons before hefting the girls on her back. Sango's cat pushed strongly off the ground, pumping her legs to gain altitude above the fighting as Courtney helplessly watched her friends battling below.

Inuyasha seemed to have no problem with the cat demons while Miroku fought them off valliantly with his staff. Sango's boomerang bone took out dozens per swing, yet no depletion in numbers seemed visible even then. "There's too many of them!" Miroku called, whacking another cat boldly on the head.

Tack, as soon as the first cat charged her, felt a rush of adrenaline invade her veins. The lingering doubt disappeared, followed swiftly by reserve and then mercy. The redheads claws glittered as she held them aloft, swiping down cruelly upon each enemy head. Not a single cat was spared as they attacked her in droves, clawing at whatever they too could get. The wolf demon was a blur of color as she moved, too fast for their blazing yellow eyes to comprehend. After fighting with Inuyasha for only two weeks, she'd surpassed the best of them with ease. She soon resheathed her sword, seeing no reason why she couldn't fight this out the demon way.

Eventually, the four friends worked their way through the innumerable foes towards each other, forming a four square as they fought off opponents in every direction. Above the clanging of swords and the hissing of cats, Sango called, "Everyone okay?"

There were three affirmative shouts from her friends and the demon slayer nodded in satisfaction before using her boomerang bone to bludgeon another cat. Tack had just finished off what she estimated to be her tenth cat demon, relishing in the spray of its escaping blood, when she heard a curious sound from behind. It roared and wooshed, the same rush as a wind storm, and the others seemed to hear it as well, all scuffling pausing momentarily.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyebrows in violent distaste, observing the undulating trees with great malice. "Not that mangy wolf," he muttered angrily.

Miroku let out a sigh, obviously able to decode his friends fierce mumbling, and said to no one in particular, "Here we go again."

Soon, Tack could make out the dim swirling of winds, brilliant whites and greys gathered together to create a rather small tornado. She gasped, a native Texan with an innate sense of reverance towards the natural phenomenons, and prepared to run before she heard Inuyasha actually addressing the twister. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Furrowing her brow, the redhead turned to observe the scene in confusion. The tornado, in all its whirling splendor, slowed down swiftly and dissolved all together, leaving a rather stately demon in its place. Standing tall, blue eyes shining through the murky forest shadows, this man cut a handsome figure. His dark hair fanned out behind him, drawn together near the top of his head, and he observed Inuyasha with a fanged smirk. Everything about him, the way his muscles relaxed, the way his skin burned a light copper, screamed aloud his confidence.

On the outside, Tack seemed genuinely unimpressed. On the inside, however, her heart beat wildly within her chest. She'd never seen such a dashing character, let alone spoken to one. He observed Inuyasha levelly, returning his cold demeanor. "Whatever I want," came his reply.

It was then, when the curious man turned to the side, that Tack noticed something strange about him; just like her, he sported a dark, shining tail. A familiar smell became apparent to the redhead, whose eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. This man was not merely a man, but a demon. A wolf demon.

He seemed to notice her at the same time, for his eyes shifted back towards the group, ignoring the masses of cat demons who were watching the exchange with interest. The wolf demon leaped over scores of cat rabble, landing lightly before Inuyasha. Looking behind the hanyou curiously, he asked, "And who are you?"

The dog demon barred his teeth, shifting so that he once more stood between Tack and Kouga. "None of your business, Kouga."

Kouga raised his eyebrows in mild amusement. "I think it is my business, dog breath."

Leaping clear over the hanyou, the wolf demon spun about to face the mysterious girl, taking in her appearance with one scrutinizing glance. He furrowed his brow curiously, observing her claws and tail before meeting eyes with her. Piercing green met icy blue as the two wolf demons stared silently at one another, both trying to win a silent battle of wordless power. When at last Kouga felt his suspicions were confirmed, he took a bold step forward, coming within mere inches of Tack. "I'm Kouga, leader of the wolf demon tribe."

Trying to keep her cool, Tack half hooded her eyes. "Good for you," she said quietly.

Kouga was rather surprised; even Kagome hadn't spoken to him in this manner. The girl's insubordinance should have been offensive, but the wolf leader found it rather intriguing. Tack grew increasingly uncomfortable under the wolf demon's stare and barred her teeth, growling fiercely. "Back off."

Instead of heeding the girl's word, Kouga said confidently, "You're the one I want I can smell it. You're coming with me."

With nary so much as a question or consent, Kouga leaned boldly forward and grabbed Tack around the waist, clutching her tightly as he bounded off into the forest. After overcoming her intense shock, Tack gave an angry, rolling bark and began punching mercilessly at her captor. Kouga winced, thinking to himself she's strong for someone who just came about their powers.

Inuyasha was about to charge after the retreating pair when the cat demons came out of their stupor and let out fierce hissing screams, flinging themselves towards the now diminshed threesome. Unable to leave Sango and Miroku on their own, the hanyou growled angrily and began trying to destroy as many demons as possible. Unfortunately, he found himself unable to get away for even the slightest moment; Tack would just have to wait.

Meanwhile, Kouga was trying his best to hold on to the redhead as she struggled. Every scratch she wrought seemed more painful than the next and, finally fed up with her rebellious behavior, Kouga landed and let her push away from him. Her green eyes bored holes in his skull as she glared venemously at him, shouting, "What the hell do you want with me?"

Wiping some blood from his cheek, Kouga replied evenly, "It's a long story. But I'd be taking you to meet my tribe, you would be with your own kind."

"I'm perfectly happy where I am, thank you!" came Tack's outraged reply.

Kouga felt his all too familiar temper rising up in his throat, threatening to unleash on this poor, unsuspecting girl. "How can you be, surrounded by humans and half demons! Don't you want to meet other wolves?"

At this question, Tack hesitated momentarily. Surely, she did want to meet other wolves, but not without properly bidding farewell to her friends and making the necessary preparations. She couldn't just abandoned Inuyasha and the others. Still, it would be nice to meet others of her kind...

Aware of her deliberation, Kouga asked in a more restrained tone, "Can you just live like this? Becoming a wolf demon and not knowing anything about it?"

Shaking her head to clear it of any improper thoughts, Tack clapped her hands firmly to her ears. "Shut up!"

She leapt forwards with her claws outstretched, preparing to do away with this pitiful upstart of a demon. He reflected her swipe easily, far more experienced in battle. As he blocked more sloppy attempts at murder, he continually ground at her concious. "The leader wants to see you, you would be high up in the clan, everything you've ever dreamed of. Power, mates for the choosing, subordinates to do whatever you asked..."

Desperately kicking out in Kouga's direction, Tack caught the wolf demon leader square across the chin. "I don't want any of that shit! Power, servants, I don't want it! And how the hell do you know about me becoming a wolf demon anyway!"

Rubbing ruefully at his jaw, Kouga replied, "I could smell it, the whole tribe could. And what else could you want?"

Once more, Tack found herself lost for an answer. What would she say? Friends? Happiness? Her father back to life? None of it was possible, with Tack the way she was, and she'd just as soon give up on the whole notion of comfort. She would never be comfortable in this wretched life as long as people like Naraku and those punk bastards who killed her father existed. But wouldn't Kouga sense some kind of weakness if she revealed this? And besides, there was a deep burning desire within her, wanting to understand what was happening to her, why all these changes were occuring. Maybe if she just went with Kouga for a little while...

Lowering her claws grudgingly, Tack asked sourly, "So you want me to come back to your den with you?"

Kouga sensed a sort of defeat in her voice and smirked. "Yep. And elder Ikasu will explain everything to you."

Glancing briefly down at her clawed hands, Tack remembered a day when she'd seen only skin, stubby finger nails and a few fading scars. Now she saw talons, merciless weapons which so longed to destroy. She wasn't a peacenik by any means, but back in the battle, she'd wanted nothing but the death of others. And it'd felt so wonderfully wrong, she couldn't help but want more. Nothing about this was okay in Tack's book.

Meeting eyes with the wolf tribe leader once more, Tack said softly, "I'll go."

Kouga grinned triumphantly, giving a curt nod to the redhead. Before she could walk in their previously traveled direction, Kouga stopped her, a suddenly serious expression on her face. "But I want you to swear. You have to spend two weeks at the den."

At this, Tack felt all her doubt rekindling. "What? Two fucking weeks!" she asked in disbelief.

"Two weeks or nothing at all. And don't even think about following me later; I'm still too fast for you," Kouga replied coldly.

Wrestling with her demons, Tack finally gave into temptation and nodded. "I swear."

Kouga lifted his right hand, using his left du-claw to rip a thin cut along his palm. Blood flowed from it as he nodded in Tack's direction. Looking bravely down at her own hands, Tack sliced a line along her hand in turn, lifting it to grasp Kouga's. The oath had been sworn in blood and there was no going back on her word. Tack would take her sentence as she'd requested it.

Without looking back, the redhead nodded to Kouga and he began a swift run towards the north, Tack right at his heels. It seemed things had just taken an interesting turn for everyone.

About a half mile from the wolf den, Tack began to catch rancid wiffs of decaying carcasses and wet animal fur. Kouga glanced over at her, eyebrows raised. "What's the matter with you?"

Not bothering to hide her disgust, Tack replied venemously, "It smells like shit."

Kouga only faced front in response, replying shortly, "Get over it."

As Tack took in the upcoming landscape of waterfalls and lush forest banks, Kouga raised his head to the wind and howled eerily. Responses tore from the wind in kind, issuing from the surrounding forests and some from what appeared to be the waterfall. Tack watched in fascination as wolves of every color bounded from the trees an leapt through the falling waters, obviously housed in some kind of hidden cave. She and Kouga came to a halt, waiting for their kinsmen to assemble as the howls continued.

When finally the noise subsided, Kouga addressed the crowd. "Hey, this is Kyoujaku's daughter."

Everyone gave yips and growls of approval while Tack looked swiftly to the side. "Excuse me?"

Glancing back at her, Kouga said noncomitally, "I said your Kyoujaku's daughter. I don't know your name."

Anger threatened to pour out from Tack's throat, though she kept a tight reign on her emotions momentarliy. She did, however, allow her green eyes to burn with fury. What nonsense this wolf spoke! "First of all, I don't know who the hell Kyoujaku is. Second of all, you could have fucking asked me my name!"

Kouga spun about, ignoring his tribe's amused stares, as he answered hotly back, "Kyoujaku is your father and I don't give a damn what your name is."

With this, Tack leaned in closely, eyes mere slits and fists clenched at her sides. "And what's that supposed to mean!"

The leader of the wolf demon tribe crossed his arms haughtily over his chest, replying snidely, "You're just some worthless human girl masquerading as a demon. You don't act like a wolf at all. If the leader hadn't asked me to get you, I would've left you to die with that mutt Inuyasha."

Without so much as a moment's hesitation, Tack lashed out with her claws and caught the thoroughly surprised Kouga right across the cheek. Blood dripped down from three horizontal cuts as he stared aghast at the girl, wondering where she'd gotten such speed. Her eyes burned with anger as blood dripped from her claws, in rythym with her heavy breathing. "How dare you," came her vehement whisper.

Again she made to strike him, but Kouga was prepared; he leapt out of the way in the nick of time, narrowly evading her ruthless nails. The surrounding tribe members watched, mouths agape to the ground, as this newcomer challenged their powerful leader. Did she not understand the meaning of the jewel shards? With two shards in his legs, Kouga was virtually the fastest creature on earth. There was absolutely no competition between them.

As Tack came at him a third time, Kouga let loose a powerful kick with his strong legs, sending the girl flying through the air. Tack was stunned, pained, and almost scared into submission. She hadn't even seen the blow coming, owing to the amazing speed in the leader's legs, and now felt enormous pain across her chest. It was like a dull thud, like she'd done something terrible to herself, and pain racked her body. If she weren't so proud, she would've stayed down.

I'll just get up and th... her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the impact of a terribly large solid object at her back, knocking the breath from her weak chest in one fell woosh. The surrounding wolf demons let out low moans, wondering how painful that must truly be to hit a tree at 45 miles an hour.

A second after Tack felt the impact, she fell slowly towards the ground where she lay motionless for a moment. Kouga exchanged glances with Ginta and Hakkaku, who had removed themselves from the group to stand with their friend. The wolf leader entertained terrible thoughts of facing the elder, being reprimanded severely for killing Kyoujaku's daughter. He might even be kicked out of the tribe.

A grunt sounded from the tree's base, easing Kouga's nerves as he watched the girl get slowly to her feet. The crowd was virtually stunned; how was she even awake after a hit like that? But Tack held the most dangerous power of them all: overactive adrenaline. Wiping a trickle of blood from her lip, the redhead narrowed her eyes dangerously and concealed a painful cough into her sword hand. Staring coldly at Kouga, the girl said lowly, "You'll pay for that, you bastard."

If the tribe members weren't stunned before, they sure were now. No one, and that meant absolutely no one, spoke to Kouga in such a tone. Even Kagome hadn't dare called him such a vile name and never had she picked a physical fight with him. Was this girl absolutely mad? Or brilliant? Or both?

Observing the girl with a regal eye, Kouga said with a smirk, "Like hell I'll pay for it. You can't even stand."

What Tack did next surprised everyone: she literally pulled herself together and charged Kouga with all her speed.

Kouga's immedeate reaction was to dodge and he did so to the right, only to find Tack's fist waiting to meet his face when he arrived there. With one solid smack, the wolf demon leader found himself flying backwards towards the other wolves, cheek stinging and no doubt beginning to bruise. Many would later describe their leader's face as one of deep thought, maybe even a sort of impressed frown. He didn't seem angry and only a bit surprised, owing to Tack's obvious determination in battle.

When Kouga hit the ground, Tack managed a sort of wild smirk. "That'll...teach ya...ugh..."

Wavering a bit on her feet, the redhead fell limp to the ground, a motionless heap of blood and bruises. Kouga stood after only a moment, placing one hand to his cheek and pulling it back, revealing a bit of blood. His eyes widened slightly, no doubt reacting to the injury he'd sustained from a mere demon girl, and he observed his fallen opponent curoiusly. The wolves were silent until Ginta stepped up, tentative before his recently battling leader.

"Uh...Kouga?"

Without turning to meet his friend's eyes, Kouga said, "Hakkaku, Kyoko, Reyna and Kenji, take her to the den and do what you want with her. I'm going to talk to Ikasu. If you know what's good for you, stay away from the elder's elm."

With that, Kouga turned on his heels and became a mere blur on the wind, racing towards the towering elm in search of Ikasu. The wolves stared dumbly after him until Hakkaku shrugged, turning to the others. "You heard him."

Kenji, a wolf with a full set of teeth and wild black hair, scooped Tack softly into his arms, following Hakkaku with a nod of his head. Kyoko and Reyna, female twins, exchanged glances as they observed Kouga's odd retreat. Did something about this girl strike a chord with him? Knowing their hides were to pay should they disobey the leader's orders, the dark haired wolf girl's nodded resolutely and followed after their comrades towards the den.

To end, a quote from Harry Potter, the sixth book of which I finished on Saturday.

"Did you think I would leave him because he wasn't beautiful anymore? I'm beautiful enough for the both of us I should think!" -Flour Delacour, reacting to Bill's change

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