I'm making a real effort to get ITJOTW caught up with Miasma in my doc manager. But, boy, it's a little daunting seeing all those Naraku chapters done and so few Koga chapters. I'm really going to have to pull my finger out and work for it.

Next time I get a burst of energy, someone remind me to put it into painting rather than over-writing for a fic, please!

Boys, I spy plot creeping up!

In The Jaws Of The Wolf

Chapter Nine

Ginta and Hakkaku were sat together on one of the grassy knolls beside the waterfall. I'd been milling around waiting for Akari to get back from morning patrol. I'd spotted the two of them sat with their backs to me. Ginta was still probably the closest thing I had to a friend here besides Koga, so he was naturally the best choice for me to spend my time with when Koga was out doing whatever alpha stuff he had to.

"So who do you think, huh?" Ginta questioned his friend. "Koga or Akari?"

My brows arched. In what world were they comparing Koga and Akari? The two were totally different. Interested, I kept quiet for now.

"Did you hear them yesterday morning? She's totally gonna end up with Koga!"

She? Were they talking about me? There was no other woman around here that they could be talking about, and I was the only one that had gotten into a screaming-match-come-giggling-fit with the tribe leader yesterday morning.

"You think?" Ginta didn't sound half as convinced as Hakkaku. "But she gets on so well with Akari."

The opportunity presented itself so perfectly. I'd be rude not to take it and scare the shit out of them both. I didn't want anyone to think I was rude. "Yeah, Hakkaku. I get on so well with Akari," I supplied.

The screams the two of them gave were beautiful. Both men jumped a foot in the air. Ginta managed to save himself, but Hakkaku slid right off the grass and into the lake below.

Around us, the wolves laughed.

I dropped into a crouch in front of Ginta, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but right here.

"I think it's up to me to decide who I'm going to end up with. Though, if it's any consolation, I'm with you, Ginta. Koga and I are just friends. I definitely prefer Akari." Akari was the one I was swapping spit with, after all. "Okay?"

Gina nodded frantically, the little patch of dark hair at his forehead flopping about with the motion. "Uh-huh, got it, sis."

"Good. Now, I've got a big pile of pelts I need to fix up and you and your drowned friend down there are going to help me. Fish him out and I'll meet you in the den."

"Yes sir! Uh, ma'am. Dan," he squeaked. He scrambled over the edge of the knoll so he could grab Hakkakku out of the water.

Laughing, I headed back to the waterfall.

"You've got those boys wrapped around your finger," an older Wolf laughed. His cheek crinkled around a long scar that cut through it. "Boys that young can't hold themselves against a pretty young thing."

"Well," I looked back over my shoulder to the two men laid panting on the bank. "It certainly helps me out."

Hakkaku handed me a new pelt. "I don't get it. He really thinks it's your fault?"

I nodded, shaking out the pelt and taking a look at the rip in it. As far as the pelts I'd received went, this one was pretty well off. It wouldn't take long to fix it. "Yeah. Koga says he's stupid, but who knows? Maybe I am barren. I suppose we'll find out eventually."

"Yeah, when there are baby Koga's-" Hakkaku started.

"Akari's-" Ginta interrupted.

"We're not going there!" I yelled over the top of the two of them. I didn't want to think of any baby Koga's or Akari's or Dan's running around right now. I hadn't even been here long enough for most people to remember my name. It was so not the time to be putting down roots like children. Not yet. "Seriously, you two need to stop-"

A handful of Wolves burst through the waterfall, sprinting towards the back cave that the weapons were stored in.

"Hey, what's going on?" Hakkaku called out.

One of the Wolves, already running back to the waterfall with a spear in hand, slid to a stop. He looked antsy, ready to bolt again as soon as he was done speaking with us. "There are Birds in the pass."

"What?"

Birds of Paradise were close to the den. That could only be trouble for us.

The three of us jumped up together, moved by instinct. Ginta and Hakkaku followed the majority of the other wolves to the armoury, while I pelted for the alcove where my bow was still leaning against the wall with its quiver.

I was one of the first out of the waterfall thanks to the alcove's proximity, following the other Wolves around the lake to the thin path between two cliffs that separated the den from the rest of the mountain. That was what the Wolves called the pass. If the Birds got this close, we were in a lot of danger. At least there were a lot of us ready to fight so close to the den. Standing at the edge of the pass with my bow nocked, I could only count three of them in the sky.

One of my arrows hit the distended blue belly of one of Birds. Disoriented, it dropped into the range of the chains some of the Wolves were throwing. It gave an almighty screech.

Dead. One down.

The other two were wreaking havoc on our defences.

"What do we do?" one Wolf yelled out. "This is senseless."

A Bird swooped down, its talons snatching up one of us, and carrying him off, kicking and screaming.

"No!"

"Hige!"

"We've lost him."

He was mourned by his fellow wolves before he was even dead.

"No!" I hiked back the bowstring and focused, following its unsteady path in the sky. I would not let us lose anyone. I was not ready to mourn anyone when there was still a chance they could be saved.

With a steady breath, I loosed the arrow.

It lit up with a fierce pink glow, arcing through the air before meeting its target. It burned through the Bird's body, dissolving it in the air. What the fuck was that? How had my arrow done that?

Hige fell. We watched with bated breath as he dropped, and cheered when he landed in the river further down and popped up, waving back at us.

He was safe!

Hoots and hollers filled the air as bodies packed around me. Hugging, yelling praises and thanks, pulling my hair and nudging me.

"Wait," I cried over the crowd. "What happened to the other one?"

I'd counted three Birds.

"We got him. Good and dead." An older wolf crowed, pumping his arms in triumph.

"Good." Good, we were safe. For now we'd be okay. As long as they'd ventured this close to the den accidentally, we'd be okay. I couldn't imagine the potential chaos if the Birds knew where our den was. We'd be fucked.

I breathed a sigh of relief that echoed through the crowd and, as a unit, the tribe turned back to the den, ready to rest off what had to be the most intense ten minutes of my life. That was my first battle. It was terrifying and exhilarating, and I in equal parts never wanted to fight again and wanted to pick up my bow again right now.

We settled in the den, cuddled up together for comfort. Ginta sat on one side of me and Hakkaku the other, both cuddled up pretty close.

"So what was that arrow?" one face asked, leaning forwards, his dark eyes right on me.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. It just... That's never happened before." I had been training with a bow since I was a child. I'd never shot an arrow like that before.

"It was a spiritual arrow," one of the older tribesmen supplied. "You must have incredible spiritual power locked away if you can produce an arrow like that. It must have been the result of the battle."

"A spiritual arrow?" I queried, looking down at my hands. "Like a priestess? But I've never-" How would I even get that power? I was just a seamstress from a little village in the mountains. How could I be a priestess?

"Whatever it was, it was incredible." Hige threw his arm up. "Look! It singed all my fur off. It was so powerful!"

Singing all his fur off was not a good sign.

If that really was a spiritual arrow, then it could have purified him along with that Bird. I needed to be careful. I needed to figure out how I did it the first time so I never did it again.

It wasn't long before more Wolves started to filter in from their patrols.

The crowd was quick to start hollering their versions of the events to the newcomers.

Akari found me in all the chaos, crouching down in front of me with his brows furrowed. "I leave for ten minutes and something amazing happens to you? A priestess? Are you kidding?"

"Don't get excited." I reached up to tug on the little curl that stuck to his forehead. It was a little curl that I'd noticed always hung out. Akari couldn't get it to behave. "I have no idea where I got the powers, or how to use them." I couldn't tell you the first thing about spiritual powers. That had to be a fluke. I doubted I could do it again even if I tried.

"That sounds about right. Hey, Ginta, scoot up." Akari almost sat on Ginta, the poor Wolf didn't move fast enough for Akari's liking, but soon enough he was settled between us and I was leaning on him comfortably. "So what else did I miss? Grant any magical wishes while I was gone?"

"Har har. You're hilarious." I nuzzled closer to him.

The others were more than happy to give him a blow by blow of the whole adventure, though. Hige was the loudest and the most eager to give his accounts, which at this point seemed blown wildly out of proportion.

I let him have his fun, though. laughing and inputting only when things were blown so out of proportion that they were pretty much fantasy. According to Hige, the bird had managed to take a bite out of him before I'd saved him. It didn't quite go down like that, I can assure you. I'd been far too focused and determined to keep him alive to allow the Bird to even take a nibble.

"Koga's back!"

"Hey Koga! You'll never guess what!"

"Koga, your human's wild!"

The explosion of greetings as the alpha skulked through the cave towards his alcove was almost deafening. How some of these wolves didn't have hearing damage, I'll never know.

He waved the other Wolves off as he dropped down onto the furs and made himself comfortable.

"So, how was patrol?" I asked Akari, shifting to look up at him. "Anything exciting happen?"

"Nothing as exciting as you. We saw Yuto on the way back." He gave a half shrug. "Don't often see him outside the den."

"Yuto?" I didn't recognise the name.

Hakkaku, unsurprisingly, did. "Yeah, you were talking to him earlier, sis. The one with the scar? You were talking to him by the waterfall."

Oh. The one with a gruesome scar that puckered the skin of his cheek. I knew who he was now.

"Where is it?!"

Review Corner!

buzzk97 - I couldn't help but add it in. It's in my Italian nature to adore slapstick, I think! Overprotective Koga is the best. He'll get far more overbearing in time. It'll be brilliant. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too. See you soon with the next one.

Another chapter done.

I think a chapter every now and again without Koga or Akari will do us some good. Neither man defines Dan so I wanted her to have some time to shine herself. And what better time to shine than in a battle? I've hinted at Dan's spiritual powers quite a few times before. Did anyone pick up on that, or was it a big surprise to you all?

Her powers will grow in time. She's just scared. Fear of the unknown is a dangerous thing for anyone.

Next time we'll have actual plot. Actual words spoken in actual episodes. Exciting, right?

Until then, y'know like two days time when I update next, I'll be posting over in Miasma, who's own plot is getting hot hot hot. So if Naraku tickles your fancy, head on over there and check Miasma out.

Thank you for reading! If you liked what you read, I'd really appreciate you taking the time to tell me in a review if you have the time.