(A/N) This chapter is dedicated to Hiroakki. She is the one who gave me the courage I needed to finally share my story with everyone and allowed me to bring this next chapter into being.
Also, I am still learning how to use the chapter editing function. Please be patient while I attempt to make heads or tails of this system.
The she-demon licked the berry juice from the small cub's face. He had enjoyed smashing the berries she found for him a bit too much. Then again, didn't cubs enjoy smashing things and playing with the ruined bits? She couldn't remember her days as a cub very well; It had been a few centuries since she was considered a cub, by anyone's standard.
His belly full, for the moment, the cub yawned and quickly fell asleep in the grass. This left the she-demon with a problem; She needed to find shelter for the cub so that she could hunt for more food without worrying about his safety. She scanned the trees nearby and shook her head. The cub could fall from the branches too easily and hurt himself. She tested the ground with her paws and decided that a den would take too long, not that she had the energy to dig one anyway.
About to give up on finding shelter for her charge, a small bush, no bigger then the cub next to her, caught the she-demon's eye. If she could accelerate the growth of the plant, perhaps it would be enough to hide the cub inside. Padding over to the young bush, she nosed it gently and directed her energy towards it.
In her weakened state, it had taken several hours before the she-demon was satisfied with the size of her newly grown den. It was easily big enough for not only the cub, but herself as well. She was able to stretch out fully and still have room to move around.
The cub was now resting in a bed of leaves and petals, having been moved shortly after the den was finished. She looked at him fondly for several minutes before going in search of more food for them both.
Kurama and Hiei had gone out into the city shortly after leaving Koenma's office. Neither one was happy about this latest mission, both for different reasons. Hiei felt it was a waste of his time and energy as well as an insult to his abilities. Kurama was concerned about the demon sighting but even more so about the child it had taken. They knew next to nothing about this demon, and that would make this mission rather tricky.
A surge of energy near where the child disappeared caught their attention and so they followed it to the wooded park. To Hiei's mind, it was foolish of a demon to stay near the scene of their crime and risk being caught that much sooner. Kurama, however, saw a different meaning behind these actions. He felt no malice or aggression in the flow of energy. (This is where the case became more interesting to him if he was honest with himself.) The energy, it almost felt like a mother protecting her child.
The she-demon knew she had company almost immediately. The demon and halfblood had made no attempt to hide their presence as they neared what she had claimed as her territory. She continued to gather food into a bag made of vines, leaves, and bark. Already she had gathered half a dozen apples and oranges, several dozen berries of various kinds, as well as a few herbs that she recognized from her days browsing the market stalls for plants from the Human World.
Now finished with gathering food for her cub, she looked over towards where she knew the demons were waiting just outside her trees and growled defensively. Having given her warning, she trotted off to the den and her cub.
Having witnessed a scene that neither demon had seen before in what was supposed to be a child stealing monster left the two rather confused. Hiei's eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice nearly a growl at the response to their presence, or lack thereof. "The demon is a fool to let us so near without even attempting to guard itself. It is begging to be killed by my blade." The redhead looked at his friend and sighed patiently. "It would appear that the demon is guarding something, perhaps the child. Food gathering would indicate that it has already found shelter and established a territory. We need to proceed with caution, Hiei. If the child is indeed still alive, then we need to find it. Rushing in and attacking may very well get the child killed."
Hiei glared at his comrade for a moment before searching the wooded area with his jagan eye. He quickly found the child in a large bush that was obviously not natural. He was just turning to tell Kurama of his discovery when he noticed a few humans entering the trees opposite them. They wore the uniforms of a group of humans that called themselves Police and another called Animal Control. 'What could those fools hope to accomplish against a tiger demon? They will only get themselves killed.'
Kurama noticed his friend's sudden change in attitude and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Hiei noticed this and smirked faintly before replying, "It seems we are not the only ones here to rescue the child. A group of humans just crossed into its territory on the other side." He waited a few moments before adding another comment. "As if guns will do the fools any good against an angry demon." Kurama looked back to the trees, his brow knitted together in worry for the child and humans going to his rescue. "We may need to intervene if the demon attacks them." He sighed softly and glanced at Hiei from the corner of his eye. 'Hopefully it won't come to that.'
(A/N) Here ends the second chapter of Stranger in a Strange Land.
The police and animal control have just entered the she-demon's territory. What do you think will happen to them? To the child? Will Hiei and Kurama have to stop the demon from killing the humans or will the humans capture her instead?
Tell me what you think will happen by reviewing below. Until next time.
