"Now was it right... or left..."

Kagome sighed heavily as she now stood in front of the two separating tunnels. Tomoe had just shown her yesterday how to get to the infirmary section of the mountain and she had completely forgotten how to get there...

She was hoping to visit Taka whom she hadn't seen since the celebration three days ago.

Three days ago... has it been that long?

She chewed on her bottom lip deep in thought.

Everyone at the village was probably worried sick about her. She could just imagine Sango pacing throughout her little hut, while Miroku would be trying to comfort his wife. And poor Kaede, she'd be stuck caring for the entire village on her own...

But, with the diastorous weather what could she do? It was still pouring heavily outside and the thunder and lighting was never ending. It was almost like nature wanted to make up for withholding the rain from the earth all this time...

As soon the weather cleared and it was safe to travel once again, Koga promised to take her back to her little village.

A light blush crept upon her cheeks at the thought of wolf king practicing yesterday in the training grounds. How every muscle just seemed to be chiseled perfectly underneath smooth bronzed skin...

She shook her head trying to desperately shake away such impure thoughts of the wolf demon. What was wrong with her lately? Koga has been appearing more and more into her thoughts lately and she didn't understand why.

"Left!" She shouted outloud as she made her way down the left tunnel, desperately trying to distract herself from thinking about Koga and all these unknown thoughts and feelings she's been having recently towards him...

After a while of walking down her chosen path she was secretly hoping to run into someone so they could tell her if she was going the correct way or not to the infirmary...

But, no one came by.

Sighing heavily she thought to herself, who would have thought that there was so many pathways within this mountain.

If she wasnt completely lost she would have thought this whole system was rather amazing.

She kept walking for who knows how long, she lost count of how many torches she had walked past and how many turns she made.

Almost giving up hope to just sit and wait till somebody wondered by, she noticed just a few feet up ahead there was a large opening at the end of the tunnel.

She quickened her pace as she walked through the wide entrance, hazel eyes taking in everything around her.

The room was large, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling, water dripping from them to their tips. Small pools of water formed from the dripping water coming from those stoney icicles.
Endless amounts of lanterns and candlesticks were displayed throughout the room, the wax of the candlesticks wept down its structure to the floor creating pools of white wax.
Statues were carved out from the walls along with random statues placed about in the room. Offerings of sake, flowers, weapons, furs and dead animals were placed at the feet of the statues as offerings.
Her eyes landed on the largest statue of all of them that was placed in the center of the room, gifts littered around the feet of the statue.
Features of the statue were withering away due to the climate and moisture within the room. But, you could tell that it was of an woman whos hands were placed at her sides slightly lifted in the air. A disc was placed behind her head; a sign of great importance.

"She's our Moon Mother."

Kagome whipped around taking in the form from behind her, "K-koga?" She stuttered his name in surprise.

I didn't even feel his presence...

He looked back at her with raised eyebrows and arms crossed over his broad armored chest. His tail flicked aggravatively from behind.

"Kagome, I thought I told you not to go wondering off in the tunnels alone, it's dangerous if you don't know where you are going. You could have asked anyone to take you any where you wanted and they'd have gladly done it."

"I didn't want to be a bother to anyone..." she said softly, eyes casting down to her sandled feet.

"Trust me, you're not a bother." Koga said as he made his way towards her sulking form. He reached out a clawed hand, gently placing it under her chin, lifting her head slightly up to look at his face. "You'll never be a bother, Kagome." He said softly, "Never."

Surprised hazel eyes met azure ones.

She felt her heart start to race within her breasts and a light blush dusted her cheeks.

His eyes...

"Kagome... you're heart beat..." Koga said softly, a smirk appearing on his lips.

Kagomes eyes widened in embarrassment as she stepped away from Kogas hand. Her light blush turning into a dark shade of crimson.

Caught again staring? Kagome what has been going on with you? She thought, as her eyes quickly dashed away from Kogas curious ones.

"S-s-so this place," she stuttered, "what is it?" Her eyes once again glancing over all the statues and offerings placed before them desperately trying to change the subject.

Koga ran a nervous hand through his dark hair, as he sported his own rosey blush upon his handsome face. He could still hear her heart beat pounding away...

"Its our shrine to our gods," he said, "these were created thousands of years ago by our ancestors. That old hag Yuriko will tell you that she was here when they were created... their that fucking old."

Kagome giggled.

Koga looked up the stone moon goddess that they stood in front of. "She is our Moon Mother, the creator and protector of us all. When we die and leave our earth bodies, our souls will join her on the moon with the rest of our ancestors."

Kagome raised her eyes in surprise. "What about the rest of these statues?"

"Their also gods... children created by our Moon Mother. Most of them had chosen to stay on Earth instead of returning to her on the moon."

Kagomes eyes furrowed, "That's kind of sad..."

"What is?"

"That they left her... their Mother."

"I suppose." Koga said softly. "Her first and favorite child, Takeshi, was the first to chose to leave his mother and packmates because he fell in love with a wolf on Earth."

"A wolf?" Kagome raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes," Koga said as he took ahold of Kagomes hand within his and lead her over to two statues placed behind the Moon Mother.
Both statues were withering away just like the statue of the Moon Mother. But, you could pick up subtle features of both identifying who they actually were.
One was a large statue of a man wearing what looked like to be armor. In one hand he held a spear, but unfortunately the blade of the spear cracked off.
Standing next to the broad statue was one of a female with a crown of flowers on top of her head. She had her hands clasped together in front of her breasts in a prayer like stance.

"It is said that when the god of war and valor, Takeshi came down to Earth he immediately fell in love with Hina and her beauty. Choosing not to return to the Moon with his packmates during the time of the lunar bridge, he mated her; giving apart of himself to her, blessing her with equal power as him. He gifted immortality along with the ability to shift between her true form and her humanoid body. She became the goddess of spring and light."

"Did he ever return back to the Moon?"

"No, he never did. He chose to stay with Hina on Earth for all eternity."

"So he gave up everything to be with her? His mother, brothers and sisters... his life on the moon..."

"Yes, he did."

Kagomes glanced up at the large statue of Takeshi with saddened eyes.
She too had given up her life from another world to be with someone...

"Kagome don't be sad," Koga rubbed his thumb over her knuckles for comfort as soon as he noticed her saddeneded face. "Because of their union, the union between the earth and moon, wolf demons were created."

"Wolf demons came from them?"

"Some did, yes..." Kogas eyes squinted as his nose twitched picking up another scent that entered the prayer room. Unleashing his hand from hers he turned around to face the entrance of the large room with a frown upon his lips, "Yuriko..."

Kagomes eyes widened as she turned around to face the hunched over shaman. With a warm smile on her face she said, "Lady Yuriko! I was on my way to the infirmary area to visit you and Taka, but I seemed to have gotten lost haha."

Through thin lips she replied, "So I see... and it seems you have distracted the King from his duties as well."

"Oh! I'm sor-"

"Don't be." Koga interrupted Kagome sending a glare towards Yuriko as he continued, "I came to a say prayers to the gods before I left the mountain to go on patrol with my men. She just happened to be here."

"I see."

Noticing tension between the two wolf demons, Kagome said hurriedly "Oh! Koga was just telling me about the love story between the god Takeshi and his mate Hina." She beamed at Yuriko.

Yuriko snorted, "Love story? I'm assuming he left out all hardships those two had to endure to be together."

Kagome raised her eyebrows in confusion as Koga groaned next to her.

"Come priestess, let me take you to see the pup, so the King can go attend to his duties." Yuriko said, as she turned away from the two and started walking into the tunnel, her staff clanking against the stoney floor loudly.

With a smile and a quick good bye to the wolf king, Kagome quickly made her way to the old woman.

"So the King was telling you about the love between Takeshi and Hina hmmm?" Yuriko asked as they both made their way down the tunnel leaving behind the irritated king.

"Yes."

"Well let me tell you about, Chiruka, the goddess of death, disease and tragedy."

"Chiruka?"

"Yes, she was originally betrothed to Takeshi, and when he left the Moon and mated Hina on Earth..."

"She was upset.." Kagome said softly.

"Yes, she was. And when she came down to Earth, she felt so betrayed and heartbroken that she wrecked havoc on everything that crossed her path... "

Kagome didn't know why, but she had a feeling that there was some sort of deeper meaning behind the story that Lady Yuriko was trying to hint at...