All characters, unless stated as original creations or additions, belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Media and Shogakukan. Blame them. I'm just taking their characters' concepts to a different place. Also, feedback would be appreciated.

"Didja hear? Ayame-nee is sick this morning." A wolf demon with a mohawk said to his friend with upright hair.

"Seriously? I hope she's alright. It's a bad winter this year," the other replied, huddling up to the small fire they had lit at the entrance of the cave. Wolves from their clan gathered around the meager flame, trying to keep warm. Both of the demons wore thick bearskin fur coats to keep the cold out.

"Say, Ginta, do you smell something?" Hakkaku asked, getting to his feet. The wolves around them did likewise, sniffing the air.

Ginta rose, sniffing the frosty air blown in by the icy winds. He recognized the scents and his hairs stood on edge.

"Oi, Ginta! What's wrong? You cold?" Hakkaku asked, forgetting the strange scent and turning to face his friend, who had turned pale. "You sick?"

Ginta's pallor and stiffness had nothing to do with the cold nor sickness. It had everything to do with fear as the worst nightmares he could imagine silhouetted themselves against the cave entrance.

"I hope that boy of mine is diplomatic. Those wolves are pretty dense and stupid. That's why I warned him to be careful!" the Inu no Kimi commented as she watched her son's entrance.

Lady Tsukiyo, no matter how experienced she was, never could get used to her mistress' self-deception. But she was trained enough not to raise an eyebrow. The Lady Mother had said no such thing to her son before he and the Panther demoness had departed earlier. In fact, she had scolded him for making such a late start and commented how her dearly departed beloved mate would have already sent a herald to announce his coming.

Sesshōmaru-sama had waved away the idea that he needed a herald with the same disdain he waved a fly from his face. The Panther demoness had just strutted around, showing passing interest in the decorations around the castle. Her nonchalance and the attention which she received from Sesshōmaru-sama annoyed Tsukiyo more than she cared to admit.

"Sesshōmaru-sama knows how to handle them," observed the young human child seated beside the Lady Mother. Then there were the other guests, Tsukiyo sighed. Rin, the young human child, was amicable and pleasant enough for a human. And the small favors lavished upon her by the Lady Mother marked Rin as a special guest, unlike the bastard son and his mate, who were trailed by guards in the few areas of the castle they were allowed. Right now, Inuyasha and his woman were seated, more like confined Tsukiyo smiled, to the castle's inner courtyard. And right now, one company of the clan's warriors were using the ground to train.

"G-G-Ginta!"

"H-H-Hakkaku!"

"W-What do we do?" they asked each, backing up in abject terror.

"You could let us in," the Panther demoness said politely.

Sesshōmaru kept walking while the wolves kept retreating. "I have business with your leader. Move aside," he growled, his left hand dropping to Tenseiga's hilt. The familiar grip welcomed him but Sesshōmaru felt a slight uneasiness from the sword, a reproaching tingle that it was being used for such a vulgar intimidation.

Bakusaiga had never acted on its own the way Tenseiga did. That sword was an extension of himself so its sword-spirit agreed with him. But Tenseiga seemed to always have an elevated view of itself as a sword of healing. In Sesshōmaru's view, a sword was a weapon made to kill. Even Tenseiga could be deadly to the right opponents. In all other aspects, however, Tenseiga was the perfect sword to cut his way through a group of demons without killing them. And the sword had accepted that over the years. But it still chastised Sesshōmaru on occasion.

The wolves kept growling even as they retreated. "Y-You can't enter without the Boss' permission!" Ginta declared, planting his feet and taking a stand. With more bravado than bravery, he took an aggressive pose. "I am Ginta from Hell!"

"Slayer Hakkaku! None shall pass!" his friend stood by his side with the same empty bravado.

"Oi, Sesshōmaru. Now that we know their names, can I kill them? I vaguely recall that some wolves also interfered with us at our last encounter. They're standing in our way so they must want to die," Tōran whispered, slinking playfully along behind Sesshōmaru. Even as she spoke, Tōran looked at the two wolves with a malicious smirk. Her voice was loud enough for them to hear and all the wolves shrank back farther.

"Escort us now or make way," Sesshōmaru growled, not bothering to disguise his impatience.

"N-No. Y-You will w-wait here. I-I will g-go and see if the Boss will see you. H-Hakkaku, keep a-an eye on the-them." The obvious terror in Ginta's voice bored Sesshōmaru while his continued defiance tried his patience. He wanted to simply force his way in and confront this Boss. Such a course, however, was hardly diplomatic and possibly counter-productive. So he stayed silent and frowned expectantly at the wolf, who took that as an acceptance and ran off.

"Are we really going to just stand here?" Tōran's question was a whisper into Sesshōmaru's ear. Her warm breath tickled his cold-bitten ear though he tried not to show it. The demoness was being a trifle too intimate. But he would not allow her to see his chagrin. Instead, he gave a short snort in reply and took a step forwards. Tōran chuckled to herself and padded along gaily behind him.

"Hey!" Hakkaku protested as the two demons strode past him as though he and the wolves didn't exist. In fact, the half-growling, half-whining wolves continued to back off from the two daiyōkai. They were trying to bar their path but were too afraid to actually challenge them.

Sesshōmaru gave a glance towards Hakkaku, silently challenging him to try to stop him. The wolf demon took a step back and both daiyōkai continued past him. They simply followed Ginta's scent of dirt-covered fur through the cave tunnel. If all the Wolf Tribe was as pathetic as this, they would only be useful as sacrificial pawns. Tōran's panthers would be a better choice to protect his army's flanks than these wolves. And that assumed the matter could be settled in one battle. The trolls' numbers meant that they could lose several battles and still present a dire challenge. Sesshōmaru, on the other hand, had no guarantee that he could assemble a scratch force that could wage an effective campaign involving multiple pitched battles.

Tōran was being awfully quiet now that Sesshōmaru considered it. That suited him just fine. If things turned out the way she was planning, there would be plenty of future occasions when he would be forced to listen and talk to the incessantly annoying demoness. Sesshōmaru conceded that as far as power and skill went, she was the only demoness worthy of being his equal. While her personality was somewhat grating, it was wiser to have her as a … partner than as a rival. The thought of being related to Tōran's siblings was slightly distasteful. Each was weak and had obvious weaknesses. Together, all four Panther Devas were formidable as each complemented the others while Tōran coordinated their actions with masterful precision. Individually, Sesshōmaru knew he could best any of them save for Tōran. Their weakness being related to him, even by marriage, was what galled him. Not, however, as bad as that thrice-damned human girl, Kagome Higurashi, who insisted on speaking to him in such an informal tone. Grudgingly, it also had to be conceded that his wretched hanyō brother was stronger despite the pup's ignorance and over-reliance on Tessaiga.

"Say, do you think your brother and his mate can survive your mother? I have a feeling he's probably going to end up in a lot of trouble due to his ignorance." Tōran's question lacked any concern so Sesshōmaru assumed she was asking out of curiosity.

"If he dies, it just proves how weak he is. My mother does not suffer fools lightly. If he was more like Father…" Sesshōmaru stopped what he was saying. In temperament, he, Sesshōmaru, was nothing like his father. Father was sentimental, like Inuyasha. Both of them wanted to help the weak. All that he, Sesshōmaru, shared with his father was the desire to conquer. Beyond that, they had nothing in common. "He wouldn't rely on Father's Tessaiga." A pedantic argument. Sesshōmaru acknowledged the reason that was exactly why Tessaiga had been given to Inuyasha – to make up for the pup's own shortcomings as a demon. Yet it also emphasized Inuyasha's difference to him and other demons.

"Exactly! If you cannot take care of yourself, you're a pretty pathetic demon. Even a hanyō like him would have to be pretty stupid to use his sword against your mother. It was hilarious how obedient the sword was to her touch!" That was true as well. Tessaiga was forged from Father's fang. It would never bare itself at Mother.

As Tōran finished her statement with a slight chuckle at Inuyasha's expense, the pair came to the end of the tunnel and onto a rocky ledge. A rough-hewn rock stairway led down to the vast inner cave. Many wooden thatched huts and burning communal fires were established below as wolf demons and regular wolves went about their daily morning routine. In the distance, a large waterfall provided fresh running water.

Sesshōmaru now understood why they had chosen this place as a home. The entrance tunnel was relatively easy to defend and barricade while the waterfall gave them an ample supply of fresh water. He also spied the wolf, Ginta, run into one of the larger huts by the waterfall.

"Not very well off, are they? Wearing furs, walking around barefoot. I don't see many armed warriors around either. Barely any armor on them too. Some knives and daggers, not many swords. No spears." Tōran looked at Sesshōmaru as they took flight towards the hut. By doing so, they dropped all pretense of stealth, propriety and diplomacy. The demons below rushed out to see what the two flying creatures, pointing and murmuring loudly. Fear. That was the first thing both daiyōkai smelled in the air.

Her gaze questioned him, asking if he understood the point of her observations. "So they are individual fighters and not trained to fight cohesively," Sesshōmaru told her.

"Not just that," she chided him, "They don't make many weapons. They are unused to large pitched battles or coordinated leadership. You could make an impression that way. Alpha male and all that nonsense you dogs have. But are you sure that you want these mutts?"

"I do not need them to fight. If they cannot do that, then all I need is for them to die in place of demons who can fight," Sesshōmaru replied coldly, glaring at the gawping wolf demons below. They were an insult to all canines. Particularly the familiar, lean and black-haired wolf demon who exited the hut. He would make an excellent example of Sesshōmaru's superiority.

"Oh very good!" Tōran teased before turning deadly serious, "You're learning." What Sesshōmaru was learning, he was not clear. However, he was not going to make the same mistakes of his past military exploits.

"Oi! You bastards!" the wolf demon shouted at them, waving a fist. Behind him, Ginta and a wolf demoness had come out. A vague recollection of their previous encounter came to Sesshōmaru but he made no reply to the insult.

"How unladylike!" Tōran scoffed, looking at Kōga, Chief of the Wolf Tribe. She had evidently confused him for a very flat-chested demoness due to his long hair and lean body. Sesshōmaru could see how she had made the mistake though he had not expected her to make it.

"Who you calling a lady, you ugly hag?" Kōga rebutted angrily, advancing towards the Panther demoness with a fist drawn back to punch her. Sesshōmaru stepped between them and caught Kōga's right fist in his left hand. The force was not worthy of being called a punch. In fact, Sesshōmaru had half a mind to simply throw the wolf demon chief into the water. But he decided against it. "You son of a…" Kōga said, looking up into Sesshōmaru's face and recognizing it. "Hey! You're that bastard's brother. Whatcha doing here, scaring my men?" Had the wolf finished his first outburst, Sesshōmaru would have gutted him there and then.

Before he replied, Sesshōmaru looked at the wolf demon's fist, still trying to force its way past his own. So he wanted to engage in a petty contest of strength. Good. At least this wolf wasn't backing away in abject terror like his subordinates. "How chivalrous, Sesshōmaru. Now beat him up for insulting me, your future mate." Tōran spoke loudly from behind him, trying to provoke both of them into a fight. Felines… he sighed inwardly. Her words , however, managed to goad Kōga, who sprang back.

"You wanna fight? You got it, ya stinkin' mutt!" he shouted as a clawed weapon appeared on his right hand.

"You know you're also a smelly dog, right?" Tōran said as if she was trying to be helpful, pointing towards Kōga. "If you beat him now, you can take over this whole bunch and teach them how to fight." This last comment she whispered to Sesshōmaru. Swiftly, he calculated the advantages and disadvantages of the options before him. Establish dominance in a simplistic but undeniable single combat. Or attempt to begin negotiations now when tempers were erupting. Decision made. His right hand dropped to Tenseiga and drew it. This time, the sword made no protest and accepted the task before it.

"Enough!" A gust of wind blew between the two canines.

"Ayame, stay back!" Kōga shouted, turning around to his wife. Sesshōmaru took the opening for what it was. An opportunity to strike. Tenseiga flashed and struck Koga on the back of his head. The chief of the wolf tribe collapsed, unconscious and with a large swelling building on the back of his head.

"I said …" the smaller wolf demoness seemed to be gathering for a deadlier strike when Tōran interrupted with a more powerful gust that froze the rock around Ayame.

"Ayame-nee, y-you don't w-wanna mess with t-them! And y-you're…" Ginta said, trying to get her to stop. Icicles hung from Ginta's body as he had failed to anticipate or evade Tōran's sudden icy gust.

"Pregnant, yes we know. Now that he's," Tōran pointed at Sesshōmaru, "vented his anger and I've proven that my own little gust is a bit more powerful than what you were trying to do, can we talk?" Tōran asked, smiling sweetly.

"You hit him before the fight started!" Ayame protested angrily.

"I have no time for games. Do you want me to kill him?" Sesshōmaru sheathed Tenseiga and drew Bakusaiga, which immediately flowed with green demonic energy.

"Say 'No' and 'Please.' I was wrong. He's still angry," Tōran advised Ayame, obviously trying hard not to giggle at the Demon Dog Lord's own macabre showmanship.

Author's Notes:

1. Apologies for not sticking to the 1 per month. I had the draft written out but I did not have much time to copy it onto MS Word for finalization.

2. RJS & Cassidy - Both correct on Koga, good guess on Ayame. The other two were Ginta and Hakkaku. If you leave another review, please give me a syllable and I will incorporate your suggestion into the final name.

3. It is my belief that, without the Shikon jewels, Koga is nowhere close to being a match for His Nibs, Sesshōmaru. Goraishi would certainly be a powerful weapon... if it was able to come into play. In this case, it didn't.

4. Next chapter will be exploring the Demon Dog clan in a bit more detail and where I will be taking far more liberties with the original source material. After all, Sesshōmaru's mother + Inuyasha + Kagome = Hilarity.

5. If I've made any blunders about the interactions between characters, please point them out and I will edit those passages. As of this posting, I haven't begun writing down the chapter, though I have a good mental outline of its progression.