Author's Notes: Here is the second part to the story. It may or may not make sense, but the third part will wrap it all up nicely.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Predator
The child slides out of bed quietly, glancing around to make sure no one heard the rustle of her movements. When it appeared everyone was still asleep, the child continues to make her way towards the doorway, clutching her small dolly to her chest. As she squeezes outside, the child looks out in awe over the moonlit night. Images that usually are bright and golden now speak of mysterious silver.
The child tiptoes through the meager garden, tiny hands still holding the dolly. On the outskirts of what she calls home, the child looks back, a funny smile on her face. The moon ducks behind clouds and she is left scrambling to see in the black light that is the real night.
Impatient with waiting for the light to come back, the child bravely heads into the forest once her eyes had adjusted well enough. Her little heart pounding, she passes familiar trees before taking a turn she's only taken once before. After seemingly forever, she recognizes the trees circling up, and then there it is, the little hideaway she found earlier in the day.
Her first thought is disappointment, because the creature is not there any longer, but then she wonders since she can't see through the entire clearing. She stays paused on the outskirts of the tiny clearing, peering into the inky darkness, but then the clouds pull away and the moonlight blooms through.
She feels her breath catch in her throat for just a moment as she stares at the way the ethereal silver glow sets the clearing ablaze, and then she smiles, her joy unexplained. Like the child she is, she flings her arms out and dances though the clearing, dropping her dolly along the way. Almost to the other side of the clearing she realizes this, but it doesn't interrupt her dance. With a twirl, a hop and a little bow, she looks up and there in the moonlight is the most fantastic figure she's ever seen.
He looks as though he has appeared from the moon himself, with his pale skin and long silver hair, and his regal clothes lead her to believe in his importance. She stands still, more afraid to move lest he disappear than attack her. When he doesn't move either, she looks over him one more time, her childish mind deciding that he means her no harm. She looks at his face, but it is blank and reveals nothing. Her gaze travels down the long sheen of fur and rests on his hand where she sees her beloved dolly. Her little mouth forms an 'o' and she looks up at his face almost shyly.
He still doesn't move and she is suddenly reminded of her neighbor's dog. The dog always stared at her as she walked by before lunging at her, yelping as the chain bit back when it reached the end. This fantastical creature was regarding her just as intently, but he also had an intelligence around him that frightened her if she thought about it too much.
She swallows, hoping it is a good thing she can't see any animal rage in the creature's face. For the first time that night a wind blows through, and she shifts slightly as the chill reaches her. His eyes widen slightly, and she watches an unknown emotion pass across that face. He looks directly at her and she blinks.
He moves then, and she shrinks back, though his purposeful, slow stride does not indicate a cause for alarm. He still says nothing, but when he stands over her she looks up, and up and up at him. His height surprises her, he is so tall, taller than her own house it seems. Without warning he leans over and gathers her close to him, close to his chest.
She forcefully relaxes her body, believing that if she doesn't resist he won't hurt her because of her cooperation. He hands her the dolly, which surprises her, but as he wraps her underneath the fur on his shoulder she is even more surprised. Still, she basks in the warmth and suddenly realizes how late it is, and how tired she is, and how comfortable she is.
"Where?" growls out the creature, but she is not surprised at his voice and only points in the direction she came. Then she curls up, clutching her dolly with one hand and some of the fur with her other, breathing deeply. The moon is hidden again, but this creature seems to glow without it, a silvery spectacle that is carrying her out of the clearing and to her home.
With her nose against the silken cloth that covers him, she takes in the smell of him, of the forest, of the wild, of things she doesn't know. She smooths the surface of the fur she was holding with one hand and hears a sigh from the creature. She smiles and closes her eyes.
She opens them again as they approach her house. He stops at the edge of the forest, and she understands that he won't take her any farther. As he disentangles her from himself, she watches his face but it remains impassive. When he kneels to set her down on the ground she starts to leave but impulsively turns back around. She hugs him, an action that seems to surprise him. As he is still kneeling, she also stands on tiptoe and kisses his cheek, right across where the pretty red stripes are.
"Are you real?" she whispers and he looks surprised again, but nods. She smiles, satisfied, and dashes off after squeezing his hand. When she looks back, he is still sitting there, watching. The moon sheds its light again and he shines, a haunted figure, and she goes inside, to bed, curling up and shutting her eyes.
News of a demon in the area stopped all children from playing freely the next day, and the child sat, watching the forest. She refused to believe the creature she met last night was one of the bloodthirsty beasts from the horror stories told by villagers. She waited patiently, but he never appeared again.