Hi again :) Finally, the chapter when the other main character of this fic gets here! Yay!
I'm sorry it's been a while getting here, but as I move to the more serious stuff, it seems to take a lot longer to write. Bear with me, ne? I'm trying to keep it still a little bit funny while I get deeper into an actual storyline.
And thanks to everyone who's reviewed :3 it's one of the only things that makes it worthwhile to put so much time and effort into writing a long story, and the only way to know that people are enjoying it!
Disclaimer: God, I wish. Oh god, how I wish. It is, however, in vain. I still don't own these boys.
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He loved the feeling of running.
It was impossible to explain it to most people. Of course, all his pack knew- wolves and wolf demons had always been fleet of foot, always adored the rush from running at speed- but most others would never understand just how intoxicating it could be to move so fast. And he was by far the fastest runner he knew. Being able to move himself so swiftly that the air ripped and formed a tornado behind him was the most incredible sensation he knew.
After all, who else could see a place and be there a breath later?
Which was why, even though he knew he shouldn't, Koga tended to outrun his followers. It felt wrong to leave them behind, but it felt far more wrong to slow down.
… besides, it was good training for them. Ginta and Hakkaku had become much faster since they'd set off to hunt down Naraku.
He paused on a hilltop to scent the air deeply. It wasn't just the faint reek of Naraku floating on the wind this afternoon, but also a familiar jumble of scents- Inuyasha and his own small pack. A smirk twisted his mouth. Excellent. Another chance to try to impress his mate-to-be, showing Kagome just how suave and handsome he could be. And an opportunity to annoy the crap out of Dog-boy. He really did enjoy that.
Raising his head, Koga sniffed again, getting a better nose on dog-smell. To the east of his current course…
Trees blurred faster than the human eye could have followed. He was circling around behind his targets now, making sure he approached them from downwind. It wouldn't do to have the mutt pick up on Koga's manly musk and possibly avoid whatever humiliation Koga chose to dish out to him, and although he hated to admit it, Inuyasha's sense of smell did rival his own. He even dropped his speed a little so that his whirlwind didn't rise above the trees and give him away.
Nearing the group now, and he dropped his speed to a nearly human pace in favor of quiet movement. Hmm, they didn't seem to be moving. Could they be camped for the night already? There was still at least an hour of daylight left! He rolled his eyes at human weaknesses, needing things like beds and campfires and cooked food. For his pack these things were all luxuries, not daily necessities.
He paused at a strategic distance, watching the humans go about making their camp. It seemed the location they'd chosen was close to a large hot spring. Briefly, he entertained the thought of gathering his followers and joining the dog's pack to share the hot spring for the night. That was one of the treats that his wolves really, truly enjoyed. They had been running hard and without much rest the last ten days or so… maybe it was a good idea, after all.
After he'd located the mutt and embarrassed him, of course.
Leaning against the nearest tree, Koga studied the group intently. Kagome was building a fire and setting something to cook over it. The monk was nursing a long, shallow wound on his left arm, and the demon-hunter- who still made him slightly nervous, even though he wouldn't admit it under terrible, terrible torture… it must be an instinctive response- was tending to her cat-demon, who seemed to have taken a nasty claw-swipe along her ribs and side. Even the young fox-demon was favoring one leg while he fetched things for Kagome.
He winced. On closer inspection, they all seemed a little beaten up. It probably wasn't such a sign of laziness that they'd camped early, more that they needed to recover from whatever battle they'd just fought. After all, they were only mortal, and if he was taking one for a mate he needed to remember that such creatures took a long time to heal.
Koga shook his head to remind himself of his purpose. The mutt.
A little further upwind, by the smell of him.
… in a moment. His own pack was nearly here. He retreated a short distance, and picked idly at his claws while he waited.
It was only a minute later that Ginta and Hakkaku ran up, eight wolves following mutely on their heels. His subordinates were panting hard, the sweat rolling from their faces; the wolves, not having the option of sweating, merely flopped to the ground and panted twice as hard.
He smiled a greeting. "We're gonna make camp with the dog-pack tonight. They don't know it yet, though. Can you guys stay downwind and hunt up a deer or something? I'm gonna go bug the mutt."
"… but Koga…"
He was already gone.
…
He skirted carefully around the clearing the small pack had settled in, watching them as he moved across the wind. The others were oblivious, but Shippo frowned, and Kirara's nose twitched. She obviously knew he was there, but chose not to give him away. The trusting attitude was surprisingly gratifying.
…
He'd found Inuyasha in a small clearing to the north-east. The half-demon was currently leaning slightly into a bush at the edge of the clearing, nose wrinkling, obviously trying to follow a scent trail, and completely unaware of Koga's approach. He'd not exactly been hard to find… had the baggy red gi not been visible enough, his mass of glossy white hair was like a brilliant flag through the forest.
What to do?
He could just take a run-up and leave foot-prints all the way from Inuyasha's legs to the top of his head again, but that was, to his own surprise, beginning to feel a little over-done.
But the way the youth was bending over, just a little, brought a more embarrassing idea to mind. He'd see how high he could make the mutt jump.
Koga crept up on stealthy feet until he was standing almost directly behind his preoccupied rival… and slapped his hand onto the red-clad ass.
Inuyasha's reaction was not what he expected.
Straightening with a yelp, then an outraged roar as he whirled upon the offender?
No such thing.
"Not now, you lech monk. I swear I can smell that mangy wolf around."
…
Not now?
…
…
…