Anika
Chapter 11
"Father how did the meeting go?" Sesshomaru asked his father.
"It went well and Anika is able to stay." Touga ruffled his son's hair earning him a scowl of annoyance. Anika gave a playful chirp as she leaped at her brother trying to knock him down.
"Hey there Anika, good job on your first meeting." Sesshomaru praised the pup in his arms.
"Though I must say that I was not expecting trouble from Rizo of the East." Touga felt angry all over again at Rizo's comment.
"Sesshomaru can you take Anika to the gardens to play while I get lunch ready?" Touga was glad that his oldest pup followed orders very well. After ten minutes Touga called his pups in for lunch. Anika seemed to have lost her appetite and only drank half of her milk. Getting concerned Touga tried to offer Anika the rest of her milk but she refused turning her head to the side yelping in annoyance. Sighing in defeat Touga put the bowl down and picked Anika up and placed her back in his lap facing him.
"What's the matter little one?" Touga's voice betrayed his calm features. Anika was still shaken up by Rizo though she tried to hide it. Anika had never felt such strong hate emanating out of a being and it felt as though her skin was scalded by the intensity of the demon's hate. Snuggling into her father's lap Anika sought out comfort from her father.
"The East had never given us trouble in the past so why now?" Touga spoke softly to himself as he ran his hand down the pups back. Touga was surprised when his sleeve snagged on one of Anika's wings. Looking closer Touga found that Anika sported venomous spurs on each of her wings where a dragon's thumb nail often would be. Touga was very grateful that Anika had not used them on Rizo this morning. Touga was sure that he had not read anything on dragolf's possessing venomous spurs in his father's book but he had read that the females were the warriors of the species unlike Inu demons where the male was the warrior of the species. That night Anika kept wakening from bad dreams. Sesshomaru didn't know what to do so he brought the pup to his father. Touga could smell the fear that rolled off of Anika in waves. Sesshomaru said goodnight to his father and went back to his room.
"Anika you've got to sleep tonight pup or you will go back to your old sleeping patterns." Touga rubbed his eyes trying to wake up enough to figure out how to get Anika to go to sleep. Anika however curled up under the sheets next to her father and fell asleep with her father's comforting aura lulling her to sleep. Touga hugged his pup closer to his body as he fell asleep again. Touga was relieved that Anika was able to settle down again and that she no longer smelt of fear. In the morning Anika was more herself and ate all of her breakfast with gusto. Anika playfully snarled at Sesshomaru who was still eating his breakfast.
"Not now pup, I'm still eating." Sesshomaru shook his head at his sister. Anika whined in puzzlement before she snatched up a piece of meat off of her brother's plate and flew down the hall.
"Oh come on Anika! I'm not in the mood!" Sesshomaru was already out of his chair chasing his sister. Touga was chuckling as he watched his pups try to gain the upper hand on each other. Anika wasn't watching where she was going and turned a corner and flew into a very angry demoness. Whining apologetically Anika slowly backed away to her brother who came to a halt as he rounded the corner.
"Mother!" Sesshomaru looked up nervously at the former Lady of the West.