A heavy thud resounded across the clearing.
Kagome leapt to her feet. The others were too tired to follow, but all heads snapped up instantly to locate the source of the sound.
Ginta and Hakkaku looked up proudly from the deer carcasses they'd each just deposited on the ground. "This should be enough for all of us, right?" asked Ginta with a grin.
"Huh?" Miroku frowned. "You guys just appeared out of nowhere, to feed us?"
Hakkaku raised a hand in greeting. "Hi, Kagome-sis! Actually, Koga decided we were gonna stop here for the night. He asked us to hunt up some dinner while he went to bug your dog. You mortals will want some of this cooked, right? Do you need more wood for your fire?"
"Um… I guess so," shrugged Kagome, confused.
Turning, Ginta yipped at one of the wolves who'd run in behind them. Ducking their heads in assent, three of the wolves loped easily off again. "They'll get some dead wood," he informed the surprised adventurers. "Will you take what you need?"
"Alright," nodded Sango, "And with thanks." She approached one of the carcasses and began stripping off large chunks of meat with her belt knife. "We have some fish, if you'd like. And soup." It seemed only polite to offer, though she didn't think they'd accept.
"Thanks," Ginta accepted. "We're on a pretty boring diet, so any different things are good." As Sango stepped back from the deer, he motioned to the wolves, who fell hungrily on the untouched body. He ducked in long enough to pull away a hind leg with a gruesome cracking and ripping noise, and tore off a large piece of muscle to hand to his packmate. The two wolf demons sat on their haunches to sink their fangs into the dripping flesh.
Miroku shrugged off his surprise, rising to spit venison pieces onto sturdy sticks, and arranging them to sear in the fire. "So… you're still hunting Naraku?" he ventured.
Hiding prudently behind one of Kirara's tails, Shippo kept wary eyes on the wolves. He wasn't quite prepared to trust their intentions. There was a strange smell lingering in the air that made him feel unsettled, although no one else seemed to notice it, or react to it. And after all, he was the one who'd be hardest put to defend himself if this turned out to be some kind of an ambush. And he wasn't going to eat any of the meat until he'd seen a wolf eat some from the same limb.
"Yeah," grunted Hakkaku around his meal, chin stained with wet blood. "Have been for a while now. Smell's getting hard to follow."
Ginta glanced sideways at the cautious fox cub. "What is it, pup?"
Hunching his head between his shoulders, Shippo sank further into pale fur, but refused to avert his eyes. Or speak.
"Don't trust us? Here." The full-grown demon approached the fox and cat, and held out the leg joint he'd taken a few bites from. "Take this bit, then."
Shippo's distrust warred visibly with his hunger for the fresh, juicy venison. He obviously wanted the food very badly, but didn't want to leave the protection of Kirara's tail long enough to take it.
Grinning, Ginta leaned over and dropped the meat straight into Shippo's hands.
Kirara made an exasperated noise, and turned about to nose after the cub, picking him up by the scruff of his neck. She carried the protesting demon over to Miroku and deposited him in the monk's lap, then strode over to claim a corner of the deer the wolves were feasting on.
One wolf lifted his head to protest – then sized up the cat demon, and moved over quietly.
…
A brown blur crossed the other side of the clearing.
A red blur followed instantly afterward, thumping into the ground halfway across and resolving into a furious Inuyasha who'd clearly just missed a swing at Koga.
The brown blur zipped back into the clearing just long enough to tap Inuyasha on the chest, knocking him onto his ass, and then disappear again.
Inuyasha roared in incoherent rage. Clambering to his feet, he looked about him, eyes narrowed in anger.
Koga appeared behind him to tug on his hair, pulling him over backward, before vanishing from sight.
…
"I think this piece is done, Kagome."
"Thanks, Sango."
…
The half-demon swore coarsely, and then tried to get up- to find Koga kneeling atop him, hands moving too fast to see as they seized his wrists and held them helpless above his head. The full-blood demon growled smugly at him, staring confidently down.
…
Shippo frowned. Was the weird smell… coming from Inuyasha?
…
Koga leaned closer, smirking wickedly. Then moved faster than Inuyasha could see, snaking his face into the hollow of the beaten youth's throat. "Submit," he growled, teeth grazing the tender skin there.
Eyes wide, Inuyasha froze. W… WHAT?
…
Ginta glanced curiously over. Just what was their pack leader doing to the dog? The dog who suddenly smelled… good. Very good.
Hakkaku half-rose into a crouch, eyes tracking every movement intently.
…
The wolf's teeth closed gently on the half-dog's windpipe. "Submit," he demanded again, his body leaning aggressively into the other's.
Inuyasha snarled defiance low in his throat.
Miroku's staff connected soundly with the side of Koga's face, lifting the startled demon up and throwing him away from his prey.
…
"What the hell is happening?" asked Kagome, utterly confused.
Sango stared in bewilderment. "I honestly don't know. It looks like they're… fighting… over Inuyasha."
"He smells weird," volunteered Shippo. "Different."
…
Miroku stood in front of the dazed half-demon, staff raised protectively. He didn't quite understand what he was doing, interfering in a battle between these two- but Koga's pose had triggered something fiercely possessive inside him. He really didn't want anyone else- anyone, dammit- to do that to Inuyasha.
Koga was also thinking none too clearly. He snarled at the human who'd had the temerity to interrupt him, and now dared to stand between him and the dog. He'd kill this one readily to get his mouth back on Inuyasha's neck. Leaping forward, he drew back his hand-
With the ease of long practice, the monk whipped the beads away from his right hand.