The trail wasn't hard to follow; the perpetrators had not bothered to conceal their tracks. And those tracks led straight down the path to the next village.
This village, too, had been targeted by the wolves. The difference in this village was that the wolves were still here. As soon as Kirara landed, and he and Sango dismounted to join their friends, the wolves began to appear. They crept out from behind buildings, and through empty doorways, growling threateningly as they moved to surround the interlopers.
"Watch out: we're surrounded," Sango warned.
Miroku was already moving to put himself between Kagome and Shippou and the nearest cluster of snarling beasts. While Kagome's spiritual powers made her a force to be reckoned with, at least when pushed too far, he did not want to think about what might happen if a wolf got a hold of her.
"Bah, they're just mindless beasts," Inuyasha grunted. He tore into a group of the wolves with his blades of blood, wreaking havoc among them, even as Sango hurled her hiraikotsu with devastating effect. The wolves might have the advantage of numbers, but they were hopelessly outmatched when it came to sheer force.
With eerie intelligence, as if they realized the odds had turned against them, the wolves began to flee.
That's it? Miroku thought. They're running already?
But it seemed he had misjudged. As quickly as they had turn to run, the wolves ceased their flight. Clumped together in a fearsome horde atop the highest point in town, they raised their voices to howl in an eerie chorus. The strange sound echoed ominously through the village. They were calling for something… reinforcements, perhaps?
If that was the case, these were no ordinary wolves they were dealing with. He glanced toward Sango, wondering if she had any idea what might be going on here, but her back was to him. And with the wolves behaving so strangely, he decided it would be better to ask later.
Kagome gasped. "The jewel shard! It's coming closer, and fast!"
No sooner had she announced it than a whirlwind came rushing into town, dissipating abruptly to reveal a strange man dressed in fur pelts and armor. His running speed must have been responsible for the dust plume that had followed him into town. The wolves ran to him, clustering at his feet, sniffing at him and making mournful sounds as if they were communicating with him.
When he had heard enough from the wolves, the strange man straightened to his full height and strode forward, heading straight to where Miroku and the others were still clustered. His eerie blue eyes were fierce and his face was set in an expression of hardened rage as he regarded them. There could be little doubt that this man was both the leader of these wolves and the bearer of the jewel shard Kagome had sensed.
He stopped, clenching hands into angry fists, and demanded, "Just what the hell have you done to my wolves?"