Many greetings Readers!
I am thrilled with the amount of reviews I received from the last chapter. I am very grateful for any critiques and for the support that you all so willingly gave. I hope that the story continues to interest you that it can live up to your expectations😊
Please enjoy this new chapter, and don't forget to review if you can!
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters
Chapter 2: The Community
Inuyasha reveled in the feel of the wind rushing through his fur. He raced between the trees, expertly dodging every natural obstacle he came across. This forest was as familiar to him as the house he grew up in. He loved it both in his wolf form as he did as a human. Other than the small town that inhabited the middle of the forest and the one road that lead to the rest of civilization, it was nearly untouched by man.
That was just how the town residents wished to keep it. The forest was practically sacred to them and not just because it was it was a national park, but because it was a safe community for humans and werewolves to live in peace with one another. The community was mostly werewolf dominated, but there were some humans who had a family member that had been changed or born with a Lycan gene.
Inuyasha stopped dead in his path, his nose having picked up a strange scent. It was werewolf, that much he was certain, but it was unfamiliar. It did not belong to anyone in town and there had been no newcomers in town for the past few months. He back tracked and found the trail easily. Inuyasha followed it for quite a distance, until it came to an open road. It disappeared after that with the stench of methanol gas, indicating that the werewolf had been picked up by a vehicle.
Even though there was nothing he could do at the moment, he decided that his father, Inutashio, should know about it.
Inutashio was the pack leader, and appointed mayor of Cedar Trees. Everyone looked to him for guidance and there was very little that went on in the town that Inutashio Takahashi did not know about. Even though Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were his biological sons, he treated everyone in the community like his children, all that is except his wife and mate Izyaoi.
Right now, Inutashio was preparing for the arrival of a big city lawyer. He would never admit it, but he was nervous. Having outsiders come to spend more than a week in their town made him anxious. He wanted to keep the community as secluded as possible without arousing too much suspicion. Sure, it was fine when they had people come out to set or fix their town generator or install internet and other appliances. Hell, he was fine with delivery people who brought in all their products to sell to the stores. However, outsiders did not stay for more than a couple of days.
The Shikon Law Firm was going to represent a company who wanted to buy Cedar Trees forest to build a resort for the wealthy. The lawyer would be the go between of the town and the Tama Spa Company. Even though the lawyer was representing the other company, it was the town's duty to house accommodations. He didn't like it, but it was the right thing to do.
The lawyer would be arriving soon and there were still some things to do. Where was his youngest son? That boy was supposed to be fixing the front door and the back porch, especially with the lawyer on the way.
That pup was probably still in the forest. Sometimes Inutashio worried about how much time Inuyasha was spending in wolf form. For the last several months, Inuyasha had been spending less and less time as human. It was not normal for a werewolf to spend so much time in one form.
Inutashio's hearing picked up the sound of running paws outside. He peeked out the window and spotted the white of his youngest son's fur coat. He growled with annoyance. In the community it was fine to run around as a wolf, but with a newcomer on the way it was unacceptable. Inuyasha of all people should know that.
He went to the back door and opened it, allowing the canine to enter. As soon as Inuyasha was in the house, he shifted back into human form. Inutashio handed him a pair of sweats from the chest of drawers where all the extra clothes were kept. Everyone in the town kept extra clothes on hand for each other. Nudity was not considered a negative or private thing in a community of shape-shifters. However, it was not a common practice to go long without clothing.
"What was going through your head? We have someone from outside coming to spend a week here. I don't need you to run around like that" he bereded him, with narrowed golden eyes. It was hard enough for their specific family to blend in with normal human society. All the males of their family line had golden eyes and silver-white hair. If Inuyasha was to run around and be seen as a wolf, the connection would be easier to make.
"I was doing a patrol-"
"I don't need you to do a patrol, I'm still waiting on you to fix the door and the porch" growled Inutashio.
"Can you let me finish, old man" Inuyasha snapped, he had the same lack of patience as his father. Inutashio shot him a look which was ignored.
"Someone was trespassing. I caught his scent, but then lost it at the road" Inuyasha said with complete seriousness.
Inutashio straightened, forgetting his irritation with his youngest. An unknown were-wolf trespassing in a pack's marked territory was never something to be ignored. This was an issue that needed to be dealt with before it became a problem. The severity of the problem depended if the wolf was a loner or if it was a scout. Modern day were-wolves were unpredictable. Some conferred with human society, but many of them were still primitive in their ways. The idea of a community so far from civilization while still keeping modern conveniences was extremely tempting and had lured many packs in the past with the intent of taking it for themselves.
"Sesshomaru, Shippo, Koga, Ayame and I will go and patrol the area" he said, more to himself than Inuyasha, "If it is a scout, we'll have to remark the territorial line"
"What the hell? Why am I not part of the team? I found the trail" Inuyasaha exclaimed indigently.
"You are going to stay here, fix those things that I told you about for the last week and wait for the lawyer" Inutashio ordered with a voice that would not allow argument.
"Keh, whatever" Inuyasha scoffed, storming past his father and grabbing the toolbox.
"That pup's getting on my last nerve" he said under his breath.
"Oh, my darling" said his wife coming in from the back garden, "He's no worst than you were at his age".
Inutashio relaxed at Izyoai's reassuring laugh. He could never stay angry for long in her presence. He took in her waist long black hair tied back in a work braid. Even covered in sweat, dirt, and plant pieces, she was still as beautiful as a princess.
He reached out a hand to wipe a smear of light mud from her cheek. She caught his hand and placed a kiss on it.
"What is really bothering you? Besides the intruder and the repairs. You've been in a bad mood all day" she observed, always reading his emotions so easily.
"I'm worried about that lawyer coming here. We can't lose any part of this territory. It would send a bad message to the rest of the werewolf world if word got out" Inutashio said, eyes down. He pulled her close, not caring about the state of her dirty clothes and skin. Despite her small stature, she was a big comfort.
"It will be alright, my darling. We have the deed to the land and we long for nothing. This lawyer's only option would be to convince us to sell and we all know that you wouldn't do such a thing" she said, rubbing a hand on his back.
The couple stood there wrapped in each other's arms.
"Father" came a stoic voice from the doorway. Intashio unburied his nose from Izyoai's hair and looked to his oldest son Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's appearnace was almost exact to his father and brother, but his demeanor couldn't be more different. He was always calm and collected, rarely prone to outbursts. Many had compared him to a block of ice, cold and stiff. The only one who had melted his heart was his wife and mate, Rin. "Inuyasha is acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Between his constant swearing and hammer bashing, he said that you needed to see me"
"Yes, there is an intruder to be dealt with, now before the lawyer arrives"