Chapter 20
Wolf's War: part 2
The sudden rumble caused Koga to snap his gaze towards the shadowed ceiling of the cave, all senses on high alert. The battle was starting.
Nodding sharply to the other hunters with them, they quickly rushed through the pitch black tunnels, the stench of death and filth heavy in the air. The chilling squawking of the Birds of Paradise accompanied the roar of rushing wind as they took to the skies, undoubtedly emptying the nest.
Koga had to hand it to the hoshi. His plan appeared to be working. However, they wouldn't have forever. They needed to find Kagome and fast.
Sniffing tensely through the foul air, the alpha struggled not to grimace at the scents that assailed him. However, the light scent of his woman cut through the putrid haze. She'd made it that far.
The alpha smirked with pride as he guided his hunters through the maze, following the trail his woman had left for them, intentionally or otherwise. She was a fighter; that was for sure. Hopefully it was enough to keep her alive.
Thunderous flapping filled Koga's ears, causing him and the others to press themselves to the filthy walls. This was the other reason why Koga hated these monsters. The ookami weren't the cleanest of yokai but even they didn't just wallow in their own filth like these bastards did. The scent alone was enough to make lesser males gag.
But, Koga wasn't a lesser male. He was the Alpha, the leader of his tribe. He'd push through this to the highest roost if it killed his nose. A part of him almost wished it would. Better to deaden it offended appendage than suffer this agony. But, that was neither here nor there.
The dark bulbous shadow of a Bird of Paradise rushed by the ookami, not even giving them notice in its hurry. However, the moment it passed by the waiting alpha, a deadly swipe of claws sent it scrambling to the ground, gushing blood as it took a final shuddering breath.
Koga's bright eyes glowed with the thrill of the hunt as he leapt swiftly over the fallen enemy.
"Let's go!" he snarled, his voice roughening to more beast than man as he rushed full tilt further into the nest.
The call had been sent and it was time for blood!
SSS
Ayumu stared in petrifying horror as the steady stream of Birds of Paradise continued to rise into the air from the top of the mountain before the small army of ookami he was positioned with.
He'd expected there would be a lot of those winged nightmares. But, to see the dark cloud that rose and twisted in the air with a menacing terror. Ayumu couldn't help the jolt of fear that gripped his chest like a fist.
This was suicide!
The little kitsune's tricks and traps had gone off in a continuous line of small explosions all around the King Bird's nest, startling the others in the roost to take flight and empty the mountain with an intensity that caused the young hunter to shudder.
He didn't want to be there. He wanted to still be safe in the dark confines of the den.
But, this is where Koga had told Ayumu to be. He was to stay close to the hoshi and keep an eye on the human. Apparently, their alpha was willing to go with his cockamamie plan but didn't trust the human to make a move against them neither in the end.
"Here they come!" Hakkaku bellowed as the others prepared for the fight of their lives.
A fight that Ayumu was convinced they'd all die from. The human had to be insane. There was no way they—
Silent as the grave, and twice as calm, the hoshi slowly made his way towards the front of the army, the rings of his shakujo jingling with every step. With one strong motion, the human planted his staff firmly into the ground, his hand going to the nenju beads wrapped about the thick tekko armor about his forearms.
"If you value your lives, stay out of the way!" the hoshi called to the others as he focused solely on the flock rushing towards them.
It was official. The human was crazy, absolutely bat-shit insane!
But, right when the first of the Birds of Paradise came in range of their arrows, the human ripped the nenju off his arm, a sudden howling like rushing wind filling the clearing as he aimed his palm to the skies.
"KAZAANA!"
Ayumu didn't know it was a shout of warning or a call of victory but he stared in stupefied shock with the rest of the tribe as the human started to suck the flock into a terrible vortex of black, consuming wind.
Air whipped and snapped about the hunters, barely able to believe what they were seeing. The human was devouring the Birds of Paradise…..of sorts. The vortex was fierce and unrelenting, causing the hoshi to grunt with effort as the last remnants of the King Bird's flock disappeared in a chilling shriek of outraged terror.
Immediately, the hoshi wrapped the nenju beads tightly about his tekko, breath growing slightly labored with the exertion.
"That….was unbelievable…." Hakkaku breathed. "How did he…."
Ayumu had no idea. But, one thing was for sure. There was no way they were under-estimating the human again.
SSS
"NOOOO!"
The terrifying shriek of the King Bird rang painfully in Kagome's ears, causing her to cling to the rock right at the opening of the nest. Even from way up there, they could see the flock disappearing before their very eyes, the sounds chilling her to the bone.
"Impossible!" the left head shrieked in outrage.
"How is this possible?" the right head demanded, accusing eyes zeroing in on Kagome.
Kagome lifted her chin in defiance, keeping her arms folded carefully into her sleeves. It wasn't time yet.
"I warned you not to under-estimate the wolf tribe," she replied tensely. "Koga knows what he's doing."
She hoped. Kami knew, Kagome had no idea what that was.
"The alpha may have taken out our flock…." the left head snided with a hiss.
"But, he hasn't won yet," the right head cackled.
"Forget killing you in front of him…" the left head snapped.
"We'll kill you in one bite and throw him your carcass!"
Without warning, the huge body of the King Bird lunged towards Kagome, jaws open wide to take its pound of flesh from her.
Kagome wished she was prepared but her attack wasn't ready. She might be able to wound him, maybe even kill him but, there was no way she could accomplish what she'd planned.
Still, Kagome wasn't going down without a fight.
Right when she was about to put her glowing palms in front of her, a feral roar filled the cave. One moment the drilling fanged mouth of the Bird King was about to snap into her, the next a figure suddenly rammed into the bulbous side of the body, pitching the King Bird over the side of the roost' opening.
Barely a second later, Kagome felt the warm hard bar of an arm wrap around her waist and haul her against the cold metal of armor.
"Are you alright?"
The voice was rough and raw, barely discernable through the ragged breathing in her ear. But, Kagome couldn't remember the last time she'd heard anything better in that moment.
All the terror, all the tension, and previous bravado suddenly rushed out of Kagome in a huff as she let herself lean into Koga's sturdy frame. He'd come for her.
The tightening of Koga's grip had Kagome quickly nodding against his chest-plate. A shuddering breath that sounded too much like a sigh to Kagome's ears, rushed from the young alpha's nose as he loosened his hold.
"Thank the Kami," he muttered low before suddenly jerking Kagome behind him.
The looming shadow of the King Bird dove into the cave opening, causing the rocky outcroppings and ceiling to crack and crumble about them.
Coughing the rising dust from her parched throat, Kagome struggled to take a breath at the heavy weight on top of her. Had a rock landed on her?
However, when the weight over her moved, Kagome's eyes snapped open to see Koga slowly crouching over her, rocks and rubble tumbling down his back as he turned to glare at the cackling King Bird blocking their only chance of escape.
"Be prepared to die alpha…." the right head taunted.
"You will never leave this nest again!" the left added, a gleeful gleam in its dead black eyes.
