The land turned rockier and more steeply sloped as Sango and the others raced along Shippou's trail. Kirara slowed her ascent automatically as Inuyasha paused, ears twitching. He was listening for something, but Sango wasn't sure what—there had been no more wailing mushrooms for a good while now. He must have heard whatever it was he sought, because a moment later he sprang up the mountain even faster than before.
Following at a safe distance, Sango soon realized what Inuyasha had heard: there was a battle going on, somewhere up the mountain. Were the wolves and the birds fighting each other?
It soon became obvious that yes, they were. Worse, there were more of the humanoid youkai than just Kouga. This wolf pack was huge, and powerful. And as they drew nearer she could see that even the wolves were having trouble with the birds. Sango's heart pounded hard in fear: had the wolves embroiled Kagome in all this? Was she at risk somewhere?
She soon had her answer to that question, too. From somewhere deep in the thick of the fray came a flash of pink light.
"It appears Kagome is in there," Miroku said, so quietly that the wind almost tore the words away before Sango could hear them.
"Then let's go get her," Sango declared. Her confidence was not entirely feigned. With all three of them working together, plus the convenient distraction of the battle, she was pretty sure they could successfully retrieve Kagome. Even so, there were a lot of wolves and even more birds circling and swarming overhead. They could not afford to be reckless with enemies on all sides.
She guided Kirara carefully. No sudden changes in movement or altitude that might draw attention to them. The element of surprise would be crucial for a good first attack.
Slowly, she slipped the hiraikotsu from her shoulder and removed the carry strap. Now she needed only to find her opening.
And then all her preparations suddenly came to nothing.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.
He was racing for a spot where several of the birds were hovering very close to the ground, clustering around something. She could do little but watch from afar as he slashed effortlessly through the bird youkai with the Tessaiga and came face to face with Kagome. The girl threw herself into his arms, apparently weeping.
A touching reunion, Sango thought, but couldn't they wait until after there weren't killer birds and man-eating wolves trying to get them all?
Still, with everyone's attention firmly focused on Inuyasha and Kagome, Sango had a different opening than the one she'd originally been looking for. The hiraikotsu wreaked havoc, scattering feathers and crushing wings as it smashed through the swarming flock. Several of the birds floundered, only realizing they were under attack from behind as the hiraikotsu reversed direction to return to Sango.
Down below, Inuyasha charged ahead, using blades of blood to tear through any birds that got too close. She wasn't sure what his goal was, but leaving Kagome all alone in the middle of a battle seemed like a bad idea.
As Kirara dropped lower so Sango could retrieve her weapon, Sango called, "Kagome! Are you okay?"
She turned, her face lighting up when she saw them. "Sango! Miroku!"
Sango would have preferred to stay airborne, so she could take out the bird youkai before putting herself in range of the wolves, but it wouldn't do at all to leave Kagome undefended with so many wolves and their humanoid commanding youkai milling about.
Given the choice between two less than ideal options, she decided to see to Kagome first. She'd failed to protect the other girl once. She didn't intend to make the same mistake again.