The Observer
It happened again. He was sitting on a fence, watching mesmerized how they moved around, unaware of the danger he posed. He was just watching them, but... He wanted to pounce, to grab, to tear, smear fresh blood all over his face and hands. Yet he remained still, only his tail moving, showing how excited and eager to leap he was.
It wasn't like he was starving - since meeting Kagome and Inuyasha he had never went hungry. But he was craving to jump from the fence and engage those he was watching.
It was one of his habits when the gang was in the village - he would come to this fence, sit on a fence post and just watch the inhabitants of the chicken coop. He was aware that harming the chickens would put him in real danger (and out of Kagome's good graces) The villagers could turn a blind eye on his tricks and pranks, but killing their livestock... Inuyasha had warned him about it the first time he had seen him watching the chickens. And before him his father had been warning him about this every time while lecturing him about surviving near human dwellings.
A big chicken suddenly straightened its neck and waved its wings to settle its feathers down. Shippou didn't even realize what he was doing before he found himself suspended in the air, mid-leap.
He looked back to see what was holding his tail, feeling a block of ice in his belly. Fear and anxiety mixed with shame filled his mouth with a sour taste he hated the most in the world. Whoever caught him would now surely give him a real scolding or a beating.
...Oh gods, it was Inuyasha.
The hanyou was squatting on the horizontal bar of the fence, holding the nearest post for balance and gripping his tail in iron grip. And from the expression on his face he wasn't likely to be fooled by some lie. He knew exactly why Shippou jumped at the sudden move of the chicken.
A predator knew how a predator would react.
"Inu... Inuyasha... I..." he started as the hanyou moved him closer to himself.
"I know," the dog hanyou growled, confirming Shippou's worries. He didn't sound pleased. It wasn't his mock angry 'I'll chase you and pretend to swipe at you' tone, it was his 'I warned you not to do this' tone.
"I'm sorry," the little kitsune dared to apologize softly, his eyes downcast. They could play pranks and tease each other, but they were pack. And despite Inuyasha being a half youkai, due to his strength and cunning he held a higher rank within the pack than Shippou. They could bicker over small things, but there were times when Shippou knew that it wasn't wise to antagonize the leader. "It startled me and..."
"I know," Inuyasha leaped off of the fence and dashed across the fields, headed towards the forest that bore his name. He still held Shippou tightly, not giving him even a shadow of a chance to escape. The calmness of his voice and purposeful retreat to the wildness didn't fool Shippou, he could sense Inuyasha's agitation and displeasure, he had seen the sharp glint of his eyes.
He bit his bottom lip, hoping that Kagome could save him, knowing she couldn't because she was in her time. And even if she wasn't, Inuyasha wasn't likely to go near her before finishing his business with Shippou.
Which meant that the dog was going to chew the fox, probably literally.
Finally Inuyasha stopped, deep in the forest. He sat down cross-legged and put the kitsune on the ground beside him. Shippou waited anxiously for a minute or two for him to talk.
"You acted on instinct," the hanyou stated. "That means the kitsune inside you is ready to hunt, that, despite all other signs, you're maturing."
"Hey!" Shippou protested weakly to the implication he was childish. A heavy hand landed on his head, but not in a mock punch that could prompt him to run to Kagome and pretend he was mortally hit. It was one of the rough shows of affection mixed with scolding. It could be translated to 'Shut up'.
"The villagers like you and tolerate your antics because they more or less harmless and they aren't willing to offend Inari, especially with the rice harvest approaching," Inuyasha glanced down at the boy looking up at him from behind his bangs. "But if you go after their animals or their young they're going to grab pitchforks."
"I know. I... I don't know what came over me," the boy looked to the side. "One minute I was just watching, the other I was in the air."
"Watching? You were stalking," Inuyasha growled. "And that means you're big enough to start hunting for the groups. It will help you keep your furry ass out of the coop if you spend a few hours running around the forest."
"Dad didn't teach me much..." Shippou didn't argue with Inuyasha. Actually, being tasked with hunting for them all, providing for them, was an important duty, a sign that he was a valuable part of the pack.
"And that's why I brought you here, brat, I'll teach you. You're going to regret ever coming close to the chickens," Inuyasha smirked wickedly and Shippou swallowed.
A/N: I know, I know, there are many fics where Inu teaches Shippou how to hunt, I wrote at least one of those already too, but I got inspired by a documentary on foxes, so yeah.