Early that same day
"Lady Kaede!"
An older woman in red hakama pants and white robes - the tradition garments for a Shinto Priestess - was tending to an older gentleman who had come down with a nasty cough, giving him a herbal tea remedy when she heard her name being frantically yelled throughout the entire area. Immediately she was at attention when a couple came running to her, fear painted on their faces like a mask. The rest of the villagers slowly began to mill about outside the small hut where she was still tending to.
"Our youngest daughter, Tsubaki, is missing!" The woman with her husband explained to Lady Kaede, panting from fear and exhaustion. Lady Kaede's one good eye grew large from anxiety of the missing child. It was her responsibility as the priestess to keep everyone in her village safe.
"We've been looking everywhere for hours but she's nowhere to be found," the husband said as he tried to console the mother who had begun crying. The old priestess sprung into action and turned to her confidant and helper, Rikichi and to other people who came to their aide.
"Gather up all the able men and have a search party go to look for Tsubaki as soon as possible," she said urgently, "I'll meet the rest of ye on the outskirts of the village and- !"
"What's that?" Someone had shouted above the commotion brewing. Everyone's attention quickly turned away from Lady Kaede to a form running at full speed arriving into the village, with a child squealing with exhilaration and pure delight on its back. The form soon slowed down, and it shown to be an extremely tall woman who had stopped in the middle of the slow growing crowd. She smiled broadly as she dropped the happy child- who was the missing Tsubaki - onto the ground who immediately ran to her extremely relieved parents.
Lady Kaede turned towards the mysterious woman, now understanding where the strange aura she had felt the previous day was coming from. To her, this strange woman's aura did not feel evil or malevolent, nor did it feel like it was pure and good. The only thing that she was certain about was the sheer power Lady Kaede felt emanating from her; it was ancient and immense, and yet Lady Kaede did not feel threatened.
The old priestess cleared her throat, immediately quieting the crowd who had started murmuring among one another. All eyes were on the Lady, including the imposing woman whose piercing gaze unnerved her the slightest bit. Nevertheless, Lady Kaede regained her composure and turned back to the crowd and to the stranger.
"I suppose we don't need that search party anymore," she said under her breath to Rikichi and then continued to everyone else, "Good Stranger, I am the High Priestess of this village and on behalf of all of us, we give thanks from the bottom of hearts that ye brought the child back, alive and unharmed no less," the woman said, her voice proud and strong despite her old age. The tall woman looked around at the people surrounding herself, who bowed low in gratitude to her, and made an uneasy yet appreciative smile.
"Um, it was really no problem," She started as she awkwardly pushed some of her golden hair out of her face and behind her ear, "I mean, any decent person would, right?"
"Some yes but rare. We live in dangerous and selfish times my good... Woman," Kaede finished, unsure if this foreigner was was human or something else, again her aura throwing the priestess for a loop since it did not feel like any yokai energy she had ever known. She continued, "If it be no trouble, may we ask the name of our hero?"
The woman's appearance changed from slightly timid to someone who was used to be being in charge as she straightened her shoulders. Instantly her power shifted, as if the warrior released some as a show of dominance. Lady Kaede took note that this person was no one to be cross with.
"My name is Torunn. I am one of the All Father Odin's prized Ulfhedinn - a wolf berserk and I hail from Asgard," Torunn had stated proudly, her voice carrying an authority that rang through out the village. Everyone that swarmed Torunn began to whisper in hushed tones with one another, but her ears picked up every word.
"What's an Odin? Is that some sort other demon lord?"
"Asgard? I wonder what that is?"
All at once, the crowd was silenced by a rather large rumbling sound. The woman - Torunn - smiled guiltily. "And if isn't any trouble, could I possibly stay for dinner tonight? Of course I'll do my part." She finished, but Lady Kaede only chuckled.
"No need for ye to worry yourself. Room and board for the night is the least we do for little Tsubaki's savior. Rikichi help with preparing the dinner tonight, would ye?," the older woman said to the younger man near her. Lady Kaede beckoned Torunn to follow her, while the young man and the rest of the village began to slowly dispersed. Torunn turned to the Lady and bowed deep from the waist, trying to see if that was the proper way to pay respect.
"Thank you very much, good Lady," Torunn said. The older woman smiled warmly at her and her gesture.
"Think nothing of it," she replied as Torunn nodded, taking in the small little village. It reminded her of own tiny village growing up in the frozen north; families and friends working side by side to help everyone survive and thrive. She even saw some of the older children helping out with picking root vegetables from the field, while some of the younger children helped with putting away laundry that hanged drying on the lines.
"So Lady Torunn," the older woman, waking the tall woman out of her reverie, "If ye don't mind my prying, what brings ye to these parts? Judging from your strange clothing and never hearing even whispers of your Asgard, nor of your All Father, ye are not from anywhere even near here." Tsubaki and some other kids came running behind the two conversing women, laughing and giggling but then stopped and stared at the imposing Nordic warrior. Torunn had never been stared at so much in her entire life. Tsubaki waved grandly at her and ran off, the other children following in tow.
"Please, Torunn is just fine. We don't have formalities where I come, at least not for my kind," she said as she followed Lady Kaede, "And truth be told, I'm looking for someone." Lady Kaede stopped in front of a modest house that was on raised four legs above the ground. She turned around to Torunn, curiosity dancing in her eyes.
"Oh?" She said, and then ushered Torunn in who had to duck when she walked through the threshold, "Who is it that ye be looking for?" Lady Kaede milled about her small home, preparing her hearth to make something as Torunn tried to make herself as small and out of the way of the woman's space as she could, which proved to be no easy feat. Torunn noticed that the older woman in her strange, red and white flowy outfit had taken her strange foot wear off and was walking around barefoot in her home. Torunn thought for a moment, guessing that it was customary to do that in this Japan. She started to clumsily unlace her own boots. The last thing she wanted to do was offend the Priestess and not get any information from her.
"I'm not entirely sure, but what I do know from what little information Odin gave me, and what I have been able to gather is that he's a demon sword smith that goes by the name of Totosai," Torunn said, finally getting the last boot off and chucking them outside door . Lady Kaede's ears perked up at the name as she continued to make tea for the two of them.
"Totosai? Really? And ye know that's his name for certain?" Torunn nodded her, her bright blue eyes earnest, "Well, I'm not sure where he lives but I do know two beings that know him very well and know where he resides. Tea?" Lady Kaede handed the slightly cramped woman a small porcelain cup full of the piping hot liquid. Torunn sniffed at the cup hesitantly; it was earthy, slightly herbal and light. She blew on it to cool it down.
"You do?" She asked as she took her first sip. Again the old woman nodded.
"Indeed. Ye could possibly seek out Inuyasha - his own weapon was forged by Totosai," the good lady said, "And I bet with your skills, ye could find him in a matter of days. He's probably close by, knowing them."
"Is this Inuyasha powerful? Or is the other one you mentioned the stronger of the two?" Kaede's face went from jovial to grave faster than lightning when Torunn asked that question.
"Oh I wouldn't want to go looking for trouble if I was ye," the high priestess said, "The other one is Inuyasha's older half-brother, Sesshomaru, the Demon Lord of the Western Lands. While Inuyasha is indeed a strong half-demon, Sesshomaru is even more powerful. Known as the 'Killing Perfection' among the yokai around these parts." Torunn's face began to break out into a shit-eating grin.
Finally she was getting somewhere, and it looked like she was about to kill two birds with one stone; find Lord Sesshomaru so she could find Totosai, get her weapon fixed and then fight whoever this Killing Perfection is. She had been itching for a real battle since her first two encounters were such disappointments. She made up her mind: Torunn would seek out Lord Sesshomaru. She was almost bouncing with giddiness where she sat in the wise woman's house.
"But what if I was looking for trouble, hmm? Where could find this demon Lord?" Torunn asked, saying the title almost dismissively. Lady Kaede took her seat and drank from her cup, shaking her head.
"Now it's my turn to be honest with ye because truly, I haven't the fainest clue. He is as elusive as the winds themselves. He never shows up where humans are, for he thinks that we are too far beneath his status and power." Torunn gave a short laugh in response to what the priestess had said.
"Sounds like he needs to be brought down a peg or two," she said, cracking her neck. She then turned to look out of the window, flashing her predatory grin to the green hills, while the good lady just sighed and smile. Just what we need; another hot head.
A few hours later, dinner was served. It was all very simple, yet very strange to Torunn but it sure did taste good. They had prepared fire roasted fish, with a side of a strange soup - miso it was called with a rich, cloudy broth - with some white grain called rice and weird pickled vegetables. The pickling wasn't the strange part but she wasn't used to the root vegetables but it didn't matter to Torunn; she enjoyed it all. Her and Lady Kaede ate their dinners on the raised porch, talking about the area surrounding the village, and about some of the different kind of yokai that inhabited these strange lands.
Torunn enjoyed how easy it was to talk to this woman, and would make a point to come back and visit her when she done with quest. She also appreciated Lady Kaede's words of wisdom. In turn, Torunn told the older woman stories of her home, of Asgard, and Valhalla. How she would battle every day in the fields for Odin, her leader. During some of her stories, Lady Kaede was joined by Tsubaki and some of her friends who were entranced with Torunn's tales about Thor - the God of the Thunder - and of the trickster God, Loki's adventure.
At one point, Rikichi came by and offered Torunn something strange to drink. He called it sake, and while it was not the same mead or ale that she was used to in Valhalla, she drank the floral wine with gusto, enjoying the biting taste, and clean finish of the rice wine. She took another swig and offered it to Lady Kaede who did not partake. Torunn shrugged and took another gulp, with Rikichi's eyes wide with surprise.
As the sun began to dip towards the western skies, Torunn's ear perked up. There were wolves howling off in the distance that were fast approaching the village She also was picking up their scents. She wasn't sure why, but the sound made Torunn feel.. Unsettled. She didn't like the feeling of being of unsettled, and especially not because of wolves. They were her brethren, for Frigg's sake, but then she caught a different scent and an energy which made her brows knit in irritation. It was similar to the same power she felt when Torunn first arrived on Midgard, but this time the energy she felt was much weaker.
"Do you have wolves around here?" Torunn asked, her eyes blues becoming hard as ice.
"Not necessarily around here but up north we do. Why do ye ask?" Lady Kaede said, watching Torunn moving from her spot in a somewhat hurried fashion.
She wasn't sure why, but Torunn felt a need to protect this village. They had been nothing but kind to her and she didn't like this energy that came rushing to them like a gale storm. Torunn couldn't explain it, but there was something false about this power, like whoever it was had something boosting their what little power they had. She growled, and grabbed for her wolf pelt and started to head out the door, not even bothering to put her boots back on- it would waste too much time.
Soon Lady Kaede's face also bore the resemblance of Torunn was feeling. She sensed something demonic enclosing onto the village and fast. She went to her arrows and her bow but Torunn stopped her, putting her hand on the the Priestess' forearm. Lady Kaede was astonished by how gentle and soft they were, given the size of Torunn's hands compared to hers. Her good eye met the wolf-warrior's stern but caring gaze.
"Let me take care of this," Torunn said, "Judging by what I feel, they're still a ways from the village but coming in fast. I'd rather stop who or whatever this thing is before it reaches the village, and no offense but I think I'm a little faster than you. If I'm not back by the morning, then I thank you for everything you've done for me. And please, tell Tsubaki goodbye for me." The old Priestess nodded as Torunn gathered her pack and shield and headed outside into the twilight. She followed after the warrior.
"Torunn," Lady Kaede said, the warrior stopping in her tracks to turn around, "Thank you, too. For everything ye done. We shan't forget someone like you anytime soon." Torunn smiled, waved and then took off, leaving the older woman smiling from her house, hoping to her again but having a feeling that she would not see the Wolf-Warrior anytime soon. She sighed as she watched the sun begin to set as the near full moon rose to take its place.
The moon was just beginning to overtake the sky when Sesshomaru was struck by two different scents, one more familiar than the other and both smelling of wolf. He seethed internally for the first one he recognized was Koga, the Leader of the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe, and someone who annoyed him almost as his younger half-brother. But the question that irked the great Demon Lord was why was Koga in this area? He never came this far west.
He must be tracking whomever this woman is that's giving off that aura, Lord Sesshomaru mused, which brought him to the second scent he was only vaguely familiar, but recognized nonetheless. And it was heading towards him, but slightly to the north of where Sesshomaru was. He looked down from his perch in the tree above Rin, who still lied sleeping on top of A-Un. Jaken continued to snore loudly nearby.
Lord Sesshomaru felt as though he safely could leave three of them to go after the woman by himself. It was his hunt, after all, his fun to be had. No need to involve anyone in his party since Sesshomaru knew that it would not last very long. No matter how powerful this aura was, he would dispatch of it swiftly.
Realizing that Koga was approaching even closer now, he needed to leave right and there in order to beat him to her. There was no way that Lord Sesshomaru was going to let that impudent mongrel get to his fight first.
With silent grace Sesshomaru descended from the tree next to the imp vassal, his face impassive as usual when he looked upon Jaken. After a moment of listening to his snoring, the demon Lord kicked the imp with his boot.
Jaken immediately awoke with a start, grabbing for his two headed staff.
"You have crossed with the wrong demon, for I am the vassal of the Great and Powerful Lord Sesshomaru! Fear the might of my two headed-!"
"Jaken, quiet. You'll wake up Rin." Sesshomaru's sharp tone cut through the sleep deprived imp's rambling, stopping him immediately in his tracks. He cautiously craned his neck upward to look in to the cool, amber eyes his Lordship. If Jaken was capable of blushing, Jaken's cheeks would be pink with embarrassment.
"Yes m 'lord," Jaken said in a barely audible whisper. Sesshomaru's drifted upward as he began to walk away.
"Watch over Rin while I'm away," he said, "I will be back by morning, if not sooner." And with that, Lord Sesshomaru jumped and took to the sky, Jaken trying to look proudly on.
As soon as Lord Sesshomaru was out of sight, Jaken dropped his shoulders in disappointment. He had a feeling that this would happen, that he would be stuck looking after the human child. Jaken sighed in disgust but then gathered himself. He was willing to do anything for his Lord, even if it meant babysitting. He settled himself against A-Un, and tried to keep one eye and ear open, although unsuccessfully. Within minutes, Jaken sat snoring against the two headed dragon, dreaming of Lord Sesshomaru's triumphant return.