Chapter 19
Wolf's War: Part 1
A pained yowl caused the other hunters to snarl as they froze in tense preparation. When nothing seemed to be happening, Koga quickly smacked the warrior's skull before ordering the others to keep working.
For most of the night, the group of warriors he'd been assigned to had been working as quickly and quietly as possible to clear the caved-in lower tunnels of the old den. It was back-breaking, monotonous work but it was where Koga had been placed in this grand scheme of theirs.
According to the hoshi's plan, this was to ensure Kagome's life and give the tribe an advantage in the coming battle. But, Koga still felt it rankle that he wasn't at the front lines with his other men.
He was their Alpha, damnit!
But, the human, Miroku, was right. Once the King Bird got the first glimpse of Koga, Kagome was done for. Therefore, they had to take a different approach and take the nest by surprise. Provided, they could make it in time.
Koga knew they were all on-edge; he was too. But, they couldn't afford any delays. Already, the faint glow of pre-dawn was starting to soften the thick darkness of the night.
"Koga," Rokurou called in a harsh whisper. "We got a problem."
Snapping glowing eyes towards the precarious wall of stacked stone, Koga hopped over to examine what his men were focused on. A quick perusal showed the shadowed shape of a bolder nearly twice the young alpha's size directly in the way of their progress.
"It's too big, Koga," Rokurou explained huffing. "Even if we could move it, it'll draw attention."
Barking off a curse, Koga released a pent-up punch towards the nearby rock wall. They'd been blocked-off! A whole night's progress, wasted!
"Do we try to dig around it?" asked a hunter to the left.
"Are we going to have to start over somewhere else?" another added.
"What do you want to do, Koga?" Rokurou asked, ignoring the others to focus on his leader.
Koga shook his head as his eyes darted about. What did he want?
He wanted to take back this evening of frustration. He wanted Kagome to have never left the den. He wanted to march himself into that nest, gut the King Bird, and drag his woman back to his cave where she belonged.
Unfortunately, what Koga wanted right then and there didn't matter to spit, at the moment.
He wanted his head to not feel like it was stuffed full of cotton. And, he wanted that damned whistling to stop!
Wait, whistling?
Jerking his head upward, Koga sharpened his ears to focus on the high-pitched whining that trilled above his head. It was soft and subtle, barely noticeable to detection till that moment. It reminded Koga of someone blowing into a reed fife…..or wind moving across a hole.
Leaping nimbly from stone to stone, Koga found the opening in the craggy mountainside a little ways above the blocked entrances. The hole was small, just big enough for one of theirs to slip through but that didn't mean it couldn't be widened. They weren't beat yet.
Grinning with satisfaction, Koga nodded as he quickly signaled the others to follow his up. The alpha then crouched down and started to pick at the brittle stone surrounding the opening.
They still had time. They'd make it. They had to!
SSS
Shipo scampered faster than he ever thought possible as he scrambled up over the last ridge surrounding the King Bird's nest. It had taken him all night but his traps were finally set. He just hoped they all were ready to be set off at the right time.
A few times, the jumpy kit had been terrified he'd been caught by the winged monsters but it had only been the wind moving through the trees. Shuddering against the growing cold, Shipo was quick to suck in another deep breath as he raced through the forest scruff towards the agreed meeting location.
He'd known saving that monk had been a good idea and now Shipo was more convinced than ever the hoshi was the key to saving Kagome.
The monk had heard the ookami tribe's troubles and developed a strategy that ensured the most lives saved….. he thought.
Truth be told, Shipo was still a little hazy on what Miroku planned to do with this battle. Shipo's input was to draw the Birds of Paradise out of their nest, and Koga was to find another way into the den to kill the King Bird. But, what was the monk supposed to do?
According to the hoshi, he would handle the flock with the rest of Koga's tribe but…..how was one human man going to do that?
Shaking his head to clear the confusion, Shipo focused on the task at hand. Whatever Miroku was planning, he had to know what he was doing. Shipo just had to be ready when the time came. And, by the approaching sun-rise, that wouldn't be long.
The muttered complaints of the ookami drifted through the wind, causing the kit to dive into the make-shift war camp of the Eastern tribe.
His erratic breathing caused some of the hunters to send him angry glares of warning before turning their attention back to the surrounding area. Shipo supposed he deserved that. However, the calm figure of the hoshi, apparently deep in meditation, grabbed the kit's attention as he scampered over to report.
"All done," Shipo chirped with a proud grin.
"You set all of them?" the hoshi asked, eyes still closed in calm concentration.
"Yep," Shipo replied confidently. "Just waiting for the signal."
"Good," Miroku answered before he rose in one swift motion. "This will be quick and needs to happen all at once."
"Don't worry," Shipo promised. "Once everything is ready, those Birds of Paradise won't know what to think."
Looking towards the horizon, the monk smiled into the gentle glow of sunlight.
"Then, we just need to wait on Koga," he replied calmly. "Shipo, I need you to do something else for me."
Shipo nodded eagerly. "Of course, hoshi. What do you need?"
"I need you to stay as far away from this as possible," Miroku responded. "Once you've done your part, stay out of sight and wait for lady Kagome or myself to find you."
Shipo's brow puckered in frustrated confusion. "But, I want to help."
"You are," the monk reassured, kneeling down before Shipo's tiny body. "But, once this begins, you need to keep yourself safe. No-matter what."
Shipo blinked wide eyes up at the human hoshi, trying to understand what he could mean.
"What are you going to do?" he asked in breathless worry.
However, the hoshi merely gave the kit a warm smile of comfort. "Whatever I have to."
Steady amethyst eyes jumped to the conquered den just as the sun broke through the mountain peaks. Standing to his feet, the hoshi had the calm look of a warrior about to enter battle.
"Alright, Shipo," he commanded softly. "On my word. Ready?"
Shipo leapt to his tiny feet, rubbing his hands together in preparation. It was time to save Kagome. Sensing the change in the air, the hunters all rose as well, ready for the battle to come.
"Let's do this," Shipo chirped.
"Now."
With a gleeful gleam, Shipo focused his foxfire in a bright blue flare between his palms, and with a mighty toss, set off the first of his traps.
Time to take Kagome back!
