Chapter 2

Who's Afraid?

He couldn't see a thing!

That, Koga could deal with. But, he also couldn't smell anything either with the thick smoke wrapping around the clearing. The panicked yelling of his hunters rang through the air, telling him they were nearby. But, he couldn't hear Kagome.

He had to get rid of this crap. Gritting his teeth, Koga lunged into a quick run about the circumference of the area. It had been a long day of traveling and he wasn't in the mood to deal with whatever had decided to mess with them. Racing with all his might, he felt the pull of the wind down his back and legs as the smoke started to shift and swirl off the ground.

Koga ignored the burning in his eyes and nose as he forced himself to push through, legs pumping faster. The growing wind whipped about with a fierce veracity before Koga suddenly leapt upward, sending the moving air and smoke up and away through the night sky.

Upon landing, Koga took inventory of his pack. Both Ginta and Hakkaku were accounted for. But, the human was gone.

"Where is she?" he snarled, growling in displeasure at the stunned expressions on his men's faces.

Ginta snapped wide eyes one way or the other and Hakkaku looked like he wanted to say something but had nothing.

"I don't understand, Koga," Ginta whimpered. "How….how…."

"What was that?" Hakkaku added. "Do you think it was the Birds of Paradise?"

It wasn't them. They weren't clever enough to use these kinds of attacks. No, this reeked of something else and Koga didn't like it.

Now, that the smoke was gone, the young alpha caught the lingering scent that clung to the perimeter of the area. Kitsune! Somehow, one of those annoying little tricksters had snuck into their territory and stole from right under their noses.

Quickly scenting the air, Koga couldn't detect any movement on the ground. Which meant, they had to have flown.

This was bad! Not only had they lost the human, but she was in the hands of something that couldn't protect her. Even this far from the forefront, this still counted as hunting grounds for the Birds of Paradise. And, they loved to hunt at night.

A chill ran down Koga's spine as he considered the possibilities but he just shook his head to clear his thoughts. He didn't have time to panic. He needed to find Kagome and fast, before something else found her first.

"Come on," he ordered. "We need to find where she went."

However, before the Ookami could make it past the tree-line, something huge lunged towards them. Instincts screaming in his head, Koga immediately changed the direction, leaping to the side.

"What was that?" Ginta yelped, freezing to the side of his alpha.

Koga waited, eyes narrowing. He wasn't being taken by surprise again. The large form shifted slightly in the forest' shadows before finally throwing up a dis-jointed green head up through the canopy. A sharp shift of the large head showed a painted face with bright colors, a comical and childish expression displayed for the warriors to see.

It was only a moment before the alpha was ready to attack that he froze, staring up with confused bewilderment.

"What the….." Hakkaku breathed in his gravely tone.

"Is that…..a toy?" Ginta asked with cautious amusement.

Koga only growled as he dug his heels into the cool earth. "Toy or not, it's in our way. Let's go."

The three immediately lunged towards the trees.

SSS

The big thing carrying Kagome zagged through the air at a quick but wobbly pace, as if carrying her was just a little too heavy for it. However, there was a determination in its movements that had the priestess remaining still on top of it.

"Don't worry," it reassured through a strained voice. "Just a little further."

"Where are you taking me?" Kagome asked, hoping whatever had her was as sweet as it sounded.

"Someplace safe," the pink puff replied. "They won't find you there."

Kagome wasn't sure she was pleased with the response but there was such conviction in the tiny voice she almost hated to disappoint it. Did it believe it was helping her?

"Who are you?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"My name is Shipo," it answered in a stiff tone. "Could you wait to talk? It's getting a little hard to concentra—"

A piercing shriek rent the air, causing Kagome to snap her gaze behind them. Three giant shadows loomed in the night air, coming up quick behind them. Kagome sucked in a sharp breath between clenched teeth. Were those Birds of Paradise? They were huge!

The large thing, Shipo, shivered under her bent knees. "What was that?" it wailed in a pitiful cry.

Kagome found she couldn't deny stroking the soft warm head in comfort as she swallowed low in fright.

"That's trouble, Shipo," she replied. "Can you go any faster?"

"I….I don't think I can…. hold this….. Oh, no."

Before Kagome had a chance to ask what he meant, a puff of smoke made the big pink ball pop like a bubble. Air rushed around her as they sharply dropped down. Somewhere behind her, Kagome could hear a high-pitched yell, crying out with fright, but she couldn't turn herself enough to see what was falling with her. The sting of wind on her face caused Kagome to clench her eyes in preparation at the approaching ground. This was going to hurt.

However, the clawing cushion of branches caught and spun her sharply, causing her to blink in stunned confusion as she hung precariously by her legs. Once she realized she was in one piece, Kagome started to shift experimentally one way then the other. She had to get free to see what was happening.

What had happened to Shipo? Was he alright?

Unfortunately, the priestess found the more she struggled the more restrictive the branches became. She was making this worse.

Glancing up into the shadowed canopy, Kagome strained to make out the tangled mess that trapped her hakamas in place. There had to be a way to free herself that wouldn't include abandoning one of the last pieces of clothing she possessed.

A violent jolt shook the tree, causing Kagome to gasp as she whipped her head about. Powerful pumping thundered above her head, as a large winged body hovered barely out of her line of vision. A Bird of Paradise! A monster of a Bird of Paradise.

Another hard strike against her unwanted perch caused the priestess to swallow low, her thoughts scrambling as she gripped the trunk with shaking fingers. It knew she was in there and was trying to shake her out; like a fruit in a tree.

Given the circumstances, Kagome wasn't sure if she was frustrated or grateful that she was stuck. Either way, she couldn't stay here. And, blood was starting to rush to her head.

"You alright?"

The trembling voice from a nearby shadow had Kagome snapping her wide eyes to find a tiny, huddled form in the crook of a branch, a large tuft of fluffy fur shaking in obvious fright. Kagome blinked in near amusement. This was the thing that stole her?

It was a kid. A yokai but a young one. No-wonder he didn't seem to really know what he was doing.

"Shipo?" she asked experimentally, causing the little body to tuck into itself when the tree rattled with another attack. Kagome quickly swallowed her own terror. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm sorry," he squeaked with a teary tone. "I didn't know this would happen. I just wanted to save you."

Another jolt caused the little guy to stiffen as he bit back another cry.

"I know," Kagome soothed somewhat hurriedly. "I know you just wanted to help. But, right now, I need you to help me again."

"What do you mean?" Shipo asked, fluffy tail stilling.

"I'm stuck," Kagome replied, eyes widening when she spotted another big form swooping over the thick branches to join the other. "I need you to free me so we can get down."

"I wanna stay here," he whined softly.

"I know it's scary," Kagome answered. "But, we can't stay here. See those up there? They're looking for food. If we stay, they'll eat us."

"I can hide," Shipo argued.

"But, I can't," the priestess responded, her tone starting to panic. She needed this little guy to understand. If he could just push past his fear long enough to help her….

"Shipo, you wanted to help me. Help me now. I need you to untangle my legs so I can drop down. If I'm upright, I can defend myself and you. Please, I know you're afraid but—"

"I'm not afraid," the little guy quipped back, suddenly indignant.

A little head of bright auburn hair and big green eyes popped up from behind a tail shaking with agitation.

"I'm too big to be afraid of those…..things," he replied with a slightly imperious tone.

Another sudden strike had both bracing themselves against the trunk.

"That's right," Kagome breathed as she decided to switch tactics. "You're too big to hide in the dark. I need you to be brave and get me down."

A jolt from the opposite side of the tree and the scraping of claws on wood had brown eyes locking with green in panicky terror.

"Fast, if possible," she added, her throat tightening with worry.

"Hang on, I'll get you down," Shipo promised as he scampered upward.

A long hard tug above them caused the tree to groan and lean with the force, inspiring Kagome to cling to the bark with whitened knuckles. She really hoped this wasn't a mistake.

'Hurry, Shipo. Please, hurry!'

They weren't too far for Koga to catch up with them, right? Surely, they hadn't gone that far. Either way, Kagome hoped she could buy enough time for him to get there.