Footsteps pounded on the beaten path, sprinting towards oblivion with nothing but a frantic heartbeat to guide them.
At the head of the pack, Inuyasha Taisho ran with a kind of self assured grace- as if he knew what they would be facing. As if he had faced it himself, and survived.
Breaking through what seemed to be eons of foliage, the soldiers crashed into a small clearing, filled with wildflowers; a small hut sat on the far end, looking old but well cared for. A stream bubbled somewhere close by, and ripened fruits could be seen hanging from the trees.
"Here." Inuyasha murmured, his voice almost blending with the stillness.
Scattered noises began amongst the men as they collectively took a defensive stance. Whispers of tomfoolery flit from one another in quick succession; theories of a wild goose chase spread like wild fire. Here, he said? Here? She would be here?
Inuyasha smiled.
"I seek an audience with the Witch of the Woodlands," he called, sounding confident, yet respectful.
Silence held for a moment, filling the soldiers minds with a kind of unease that seated itself in the center of their judgement. Here? Is he sure? Is he mad? Do we run?
The straw mat in the hut doorway was pushed aside, and out stepped a small, black haired young woman. She walked upright, towards the middle of the clearing, looking happy, and even content, with each step.
The soldiers all froze, fight or flight response kicking in as they watched the angelic woman come their way.
She stopped in front of the Captain, looking up at him with a kind of softness in her eyes.
"Inuyasha," she said, sounding amused. "You know there is no Witch here."
"Forgive me," he sighed, clasping her hand in his. "It was all I could do to get them to follow me."
"And now?" She smiled.
"Now," he grinned, turning towards the soldiers, scarlet eyes filled with a bloodlust that chilled them to the bone, "We feast."