Unparalleled
It's been a week staying at this temple that I found myself being served like the previous priestess by the attendants here. Terrified of them at first seeing they were all foxes, but after a while they all kind of grew on me and I was able to slightly relax around them. On the other hand, when it came to my role I've been placed in I have defiantly refused to have any part of it and with that has come quite an argument between Toga and Sesshomaru. But I did supposedly train with Sesshomaru few days ago when I thought about running away. Guess he kinda helped me out…but I'm still not doing anything Toga wants of me and to make this foxfire.
"She needs to find the fire within to make it happen." Toga insisted as he has kept this argument up for the last few hours.
I for one have been numb to them both and the little fox servants have been taking care of all my needs while they've been at it. So far they made me a shrine maiden's garb that is more comfortable to wear than my sweats and sweatshirt. Though I could do without the strange underwear that's just cloth, I was actually glad I went to sleep in my own garments and just had to wash them daily.
"Like I said, father, she needs to command it of her own will like I do with my poison claws." Sesshomaru remarked loudly.
Both of them probably had validated inquiries on how this is supposed to work, but from what I can understand it's nothing of the sort. My hallucinations of the fox priestess come and go, but from what the hallucinations tell me it should just come naturally. I'm not saying a word of that to them though...they are already at their wits end why I can't use the foxfire again. [Pfft as if I even knew how from the start]
"She needs to be trained," Toga's voice boomed only a little and he withdrew himself to not do that again considering the little foxes around all shriveled back in fear. His stance was that of an aggravated father than a Lord, which made him more 'human' in a sense to me. "We should-"
"No father," Sesshomaru bravely interrupted him. "I will take Clara to the fox clan in the North. There they should be able to train her and she can rightfully be placed as the new priestess of a domain."
Both of them seemed so serious speaking about my training that when I thought about it I really didn't want to do any of it. I was brought here thinking they were maybe going to help me, and here I am being dragged into something I never even asked for. I wish I could use the foxfire or whatever and burn them for tricking my sense of security. Then again I am to blame for just willingly going with them in the first place and should have just ran off. Then again I probably would be dead for all I know…
-sigh-
My sigh caught both of their attention.
"Clara," hearing Sesshomaru and watching him approach, he seemed nicer to me than before and I held my gaze firm. "We are to depart for the Northern temple. Gather yourself and we shall leave immediately."
"...isn't your father coming along?" Trying to make out the atmosphere and seeing if there really was a choice here, Sesshomaru pursed his lip just ever so slightly.
He seemed not to think of the matter and watched me carefully while I stood up. "My father has proclaimed me an adult—a young Lord even, I do not need to follow him any longer."
"...so what are you a Lord to?" That was a mistake. The glare he gave me stopped my heart and I shut my mouth real quick.
His brow knitted, but soon relaxed back to the emotionless face to give me my answer. "I will find my land and rule it. But in order to do so I need the blessings of the fox priestess." He stared down at his sword and I wondered what I really had to do. Was that all he really needed was just a simple blessing? "Come, we head to the stable."
"There's horses here?" He smirked as I followed him and I didn't understand why at first until we reached the stables just outside the entrance. All of the stalls were filled with creatures I could never have fathomed.
A few had more than one head, some had feathers and others had scales with wings. Scared of each of them and hiding behind Sesshomaru, he scanned each one and found one he liked.
"We'll choose this one here," he pointed it out and I peeked from behind him a semi-horse looking creature. It was fairly large like a horse, but the look of it was like a reptilian deer with a horn on its head. The mane was long and a sea-foam green color that matched its scales and fur. "To answer your expression, this is a Kirin."
"Oh..." not what I was expecting comparing it to pictures I've seen from artist's, but it was kind of cool. "So we're to ride this Kirin to the Northern temple to train me?"
"Yes."
"Sounds simple enough..." being sarcastic without him knowing I was, he nodded and picked me up without asking and planted me on the Kirin's back! "Whoa there!"
"Enough," his words cutting through and his piercing eyes taking my breath away, he led the Kirin aside and grabbed a few essentials for traveling and turned back to me. "Do you get cold?" Asking such a 'human' question, I nodded that I do in fact get cold and he seemed to find that a challenge. "It will hinder our travels if you were to freeze." He mumbled to himself before going back inside the temple and probably ordering the attendants to gather some luggage for the road.
Waiting for maybe 20 minutes, he came back with three large bags and roped them to the back saddle of the Kirin and made sure it was tied tightly.
"So how long is the ride to this temple?" Watching him tie everything down, he seemed to think about the journey carefully before answering. But the more I seem to speak with him the more intrigued I am to know of him. He's so childish at times yet can act like his father in a matter of seconds. I can't place his attitude being serious or merely taking his father's example of what he should act like and mimicking him.
"Several months at best."
[Months!] My mind rattled. I was not prepared to hear that long term. "Um...how would I get home after all this? I can't stay here..."
"Hmm," he questioned that and looked up at me before taking hold of the reins and leaping up to sit behind me. "Might be difficult to understand, but you are never leaving to return to where you come from. Your place is by my side from now on, priestess." Too close for comfort of the heart, he snapped the reign's and we took off at a blinding speed that made me fall into his chest and hold onto him. I barely heard an audible laugh from him, but my heart was sinking to the fact I would not be returning home anytime soon if there even is a way back.
Having been nearly a rough several days of traveling, Sesshomaru has taken into account of the training we were to do before reaching the Northern temple. I for one can barely feel my arms or legs due to the Kirin, then he makes me train from early morning till noon, back onto the Kirin once more, back to training before bed—I'VE HAD IT!
"No more!" Dropping down to the ground, arms up and flopping onto the ground, I could hear Sesshomaru deeply sigh and a hint of aggravation come through.
"You need—"
"Nope. Not doing anything more. I hurt, my arms feel like lead, and I can't feel my legs any longer." A solid statement on my part, I think I've endured enough hell.
"...stop being stubborn." Trying to keep his cool, not raising his voice, but his voice shook with anger. And though I knew better than to piss him off since what I did two days ago, I still act on my feelings.
"I'm. Done." Turning to my side and my back to him, my tail has become quite a little asset to me by keeping me warm and I snuggled into my tail affectionately.
"This is ridiculous," a sharp tone and hearing twigs snap, the motion was quick and alarming while being picked up and raised with only one hand. "You need to train! Do not be a mockery to the Kitsune name!" Baring his teeth, eyes glowing red, all of his tension out in the open made me shrink. "Well now, at least something of the Kitsune power was used." He scoffed. His eyes had stopped glowing, more of a stern expression remained on his face and I was lowered. "Though I prefer you'd have used foxfire." I was on the ground now and he crossed his arms with a heavy sigh.
"..." looking up at him, how did he get so tall? Why does everything look huge all of a sudden?
A wry grin, he leaned down and placed his hand on my head and started mocking me. "You've become so small, easier to carry."
"WHAT?!" I whacked his hand away and saw how small my hands were. "...whads dis?" My clothes were no longer on properly and I had shrunk down to the size of a 10 year old! "Change me back!"
"No." A flat response while hiding his amusement, I batted his knees repeatedly with utter frustration. "You can change back yourself—oh wait, you don't want to train." Obviously he's tricking me, but I was mortified!
"Grrr! FINE! Twain me to turn back!" My childish words making me more furious as his entire body was shaking from holding back his laughter, I really wanted to get back at him!
The amusement he got out of this was not funny in the slightest. He battered information onto me as though I should know demonology and kept going with things such as spiritual energy and the like to understand its depths. My head felt like it was going to explode if he kept going any further and I could actually feel my head spinning.
"...we're done for the day." An emotionless statement, he sighed and leaned against a tree to rest.
"I-I'm not back to normal! Change me back!" Throwing a tantrum, he only glanced at me and rolled his eyes. "Sesomoru!"
"Listen, Clara." His voice darkened, I stopped yelling and withdrew myself. "A fox can train another fox. I am only training you to become stronger and to understand what being a demon is."
"...I never asked for dis tho. Why was it me?" The hardest question of all, he seemed to know why but his expression held some confusion.
"From what my father told me, the soul you shared with the previous priestess resonated with his fangs. I sensed nothing of the sort. Watching the priestess take your soul and combine her essence into you was something I've never experienced seeing before."
"...so Toga knew what was going to hawpen to me?"
"Yes."
The air between us was silent, only the rustling of the leaves was heard around us and I felt shameful for yelling at him. "Sowy..."
"...Clara," he raised his arm and I slowly walked over to him to feel him pull me into his arms and sigh. "I'm sorry...like my father, my temper can become a little intimidating. You are not from here...you know nothing of our ways."
Again he is so cryptic in his manners. Is he a nice guy? Does he wish to follow his father's footsteps? I'm scared of what he will do to me when I get him angry yet all I do is keep pushing his temper.
"You are so confusing..." pushing back a little and looking at him, he seemed to question my statement. "You can be the coldest jerk with an icy glare one minute then turn around and be cawing the next. How do you live like that?" My childish talk still in the way though I'm trying to be serious, my point was at least made.
"...my father is a ruler. A prideful demon with an army at his beck and call. He reigns over the land with an iron fist and I want to be greater than him. To do so requires me to be both a ruler and a compassionate demon."
"Just how old are you?" Not meaning to be rude when I asked, he raised his eyebrow and thought nothing of it.
"Merely 210 lunar cycles...though in human years for your understanding, I'm roughly perhaps 17 in age."
"Heh...so I'm older than you in hooman years." Feeling silly getting flustered by him, he leaned up and caught me from falling back.
"You are older?" Questioning me, he seemed intrigued to know.
"Y-yeah...I'm 19."
"Hmm," he leaned down and sent a chill up my spine when he leaned into my neck and traced my spine with his claw. "You may be older in human years, but clearly not experienced."
"WHAT?!" My face burning and pushing him away, he was smug about his comment and I ran off towards another tree. "Stupid..." wrapping my tail around myself and hiding in the fluff, I settled into sleep and ignored him the rest of the evening.