"Here dog! Here girl," Kagome called into the clearing. She heard a noise and saw a young girl sitting with her feet in a pool of cool water. Her white blonde hair was matted with blood and her leg and arm were bleeding profusely. She wore men's clothing that had been altered to fit her curves, pants and a sleeveless shirt and there was something familiar about those yellow eyes. "Hey," Kagome said gently.
"Go away!" she snarled, standing as fast as her injured leg would allow her.
"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you," The young girl winced and leaned on a tree for support. Kagome put a hand on her uninjured arm. "You're the dog, aren't you?" She nodded. "Are you going to let me have a look at those wounds, or are you going to be stubborn and bleed to death to sate your pride?" Kagome crossed her arms stubbornly and the girl eyed the bow on Kagome's back with agitation. Kagome followed her gaze and placed both the bow and the quiver of arrows on the ground. She looked around nervously. "Boy, you're a skittish little thing aren't you?" Kagome asked.
"Your friends aren't here?"
"They won't hurt you. Inuyasha was protecting me. That's why he drew his blade." She shivered, her cloths bearing many rips and tears. Kagome rifled through her bag for the medical supplies and she begun to tend to the girls wounds. "I'm Kagome, by the way," she said gently as she dabbed the blood off of her arm.
"I'm Rosaline," she said quietly. She grit her teeth as Kagome poured a little alcohol on her wound. She wrapped her arm in a tight bandage and moved on to her leg, which seemed worse then the arm. Rosaline removed her pants so Kagome could tend to the deep lacerations that were scattered from her ankle to a very nasty looking one near her hip joint. She winced as Kagome reached the worst of her injuries.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you? I've never seen a demon that could claim their demon form at will."
"I'm a hybrid," she said, wincing once more.
"A what?"
"A hybrid. A half fox demon half wolf demon. I retain the fox shape shifting abilities only well enough to shift into my other form, a wolf." Kagome smiled, tightening the bandage around her thigh.
"All done," Kagome said brightly and Rosaline stood stiffly, pulling her jeans on over the bandages. She then leaned back, placing her long white hair in the pool to wash the blood out. She shook her head in a very dog-like fashion, sending little droplets of water everywhere. With her wet hair plastered to her face, she turned to Kagome, smiling for the first time.
"Thanks," she said, her voice holding a pain filled grimace. Kagome helped her stand and she gently coaxed her out of the woods, assuring her that her friends would not harm her. The second Inuyasha saw her, he drew his blade. Kagome stepped in front of her as she shifted forms, snarling at Inuyasha. Throwing caution into the wind, Kagome grabbed Rosaline around her neck, preventing her from attacking Inuyasha.
"Easy Rosaline. Inuyasha, why do you have to be such an idiot? She' s not hurting anything." Miroku giggled.
"She's kinda cute." Kagome and Sango both glared daggers at him, but what really made him cringe was Rosaline's hateful growl. She shifted back into a human and stood carefully, wincing.
"So, you must be a hybrid. No wonder you don't smell like any distinct demon." Inuyasha snapped.
"Hey, it's better then being half human." The two growled at each other, their hackles raised.
"Inuyasha, sit!" Kagome ordered and he collapsed to the ground, cursing. Rosaline giggled.
"Beaten by a human pup," she said with obvious amusement, causing Shippo, Sango, and Miroku to giggle as well. Miroku, who was standing behind her, reached his hand out to touch her. Rosaline growled. "You do it, monk, and you will loose a part of your body you cherish. I'll let you work that one out for yourself."
"I like her already," Sango said laughing. Miroku hastily moved away from her to stand behind Inuyasha.
"Hey, I won't protect you," he said and Miroku looked around desperately for protection. Rosaline smiled again and Kagome giggled. Kylala was nuzzling Rosaline's ankle and she scratched her ears. The sun was setting by now and Rosaline looked out over the horizon, her nose twitching.
"I should go," she said sadly.
"Why don't you stay with us," Kagome said, "We're after Naraku as well."
"I work alone now. I don't have a pack any more."
"You have us," Sango said, her partiality more then likely because Miroku was afraid of her. Rosaline looked at Inuyasha, who rolled his eyes. She growled. "Oh, don't mind him. He's not as scary as he looks. His bark is worse then his bite."
"Feh!" Inuyasha snapped again. Rosaline smiled sadly and turned to Kagome.
"Thanks for your help, Pup, but I really need to be alone."
"You'll never be able to take him on alone," Miroku said gently. "We've all got reason to hate him. We work together."
"Work together to do what? My whole pack couldn't take him down. Do you think that your scruffy band of misfits can?" She made a wild gesture with her hand. "You'll be slaughtered, just like my sister…"