Back To School

That first week back at school was a new experience for all of the young ones. They were excited to be back and meeting their new friends again, but it had been a long time at home and homesickness set in once again, just as it had been when they first came. However it subsided quicker this time and their tutor was an experienced tiger youkai who understood the cubs, pups and kits. Therefore the first week was more fun than serious lessons.

All had brought back tales of their times at home and all were encouraged to share their experiences. There were stories of first banquets and the introductions to new people now they were out of the nursery. Several of the youngsters had this experience, two had even attended the same ball and their story telling was animated and enjoyable. The recounting was taken over the first periods of the week, with lessons for the rest of the morning to ground them again.

Great care was also taken on finding out just how well the children had practiced their physical skills, and a mini tournament was also scheduled for the late mornings. By the end of the week, everything had settled down in the familiar patterns and Inuyasha's rabbit had a prominent position in his room. It was admired greatly, his was the only hunt that had happened during the holiday and there had been a lot of interest in his story.

Inuyasha was not vain and had told the story as it had happened and his audience was enthralled. The fight with the fox and the trip down the river were exciting and they all understood and felt the fear of youki that Inuyasha described, about when he was hidden in the otter hole. His story was the best of the week and for the following month he had to retell it most afternoons when the boys were out of formal lessons.

They had all held the rabbit and were envious of the fact that Inuyasha had it made into a model for posterity. Most of the class were predatory youkai and for the younger boys, Inuyasha was a hero and the tale of how he had fought the fox to keep hold of his prize was often the subject of play acting. Only one of them was not so interested in the rabbit and finally allowed his pride to get the better of him.

To Kouga's mind it was inconceivable that Inuyasha still did not recognise him as the natural leader of the small class pack. All his fellows were the younger sons of Princes or Lords; none of them was Alpha except for him, the Lord of the Wolf Tribe. It was his right to take charge and to receive the respect due him from those younger and without so much influence. Everyone except for Inuyasha seemed to naturally know all of these things, but the Inu was stubborn.

Inuyasha just acted his normal self, he was kind and friendly to his peers as ever and was never confrontational with Kouga, and it seemed that he treated Kouga no differently to any of the others. The longer time went by, and Kouga brooded, the more frustrated he became, until one day Inuyasha found the wolf cub in his room holding the rabbit. Inuyasha wasn't worried, he knew he had nothing to fear from Kouga, but he was surprised to see him in his room.

"Our cubs regularly bring in rats that are bigger than this baby rabbit; we throw them away as useless rubbish not worth the eating." Kouga sneered, but he felt guilty at not revealing the cubs were older than Inuyasha and the rest of the class. Inuyasha was hurt by the comment, but he hardened his face to look at Kouga.

"I know it's not much but I don't care, I was with Shu and he was teaching me to hunt, that's what was important."

"Let's see how good he was then." Kouga ran out of the room clutching the rabbit above his head and predictably Inuyasha shrieked and ran out after him. Kouga was faster than Inuyasha however and led him in circles just out of sight, taunting him all the time. Eventually after he made sure that the other boys could see that he had the upper hand over the hanyou, Kouga tossed the rabbit into a thorn thicket outside of their permitted boundary.

Inuyasha stared at the wolf in growing anger; Kouga was expecting tears from the younger boy, as the pup proved he was not as strong a youkai as the cub. But Kouga was disappointed; he watched along with the rest, as Inuyasha contained his anger and upset, breaking his bounds to swiftly run and retrieve the rabbit. In fact Kouga's plan backfired as the other boys saw the bravery of the hanyou confirmed, and spoke of his speed and audacity amongst themselves.

Kouga was furious and he didn't understand himself at the moment, he didn't want to hurt Inuyasha but he did want the boy's homage due to his position and the pup was still refusing him. He felt completely frustrated and that in turn made him incautious with his words. As he watched Inuyasha's ears swivel in annoyance at him, Kouga started to laugh harshly.

"Your precious brother didn't teach you to hunt properly Inuyasha, at least not like a youkai should hunt."

"Shut up Kouga; you weren't there, how could you know how he taught me?"

"You chased me as if you were a true dog, like the humans keep as pets. That's what you are to your brother isn't it...a pet? I bet he puts you on a leash and teaches you tricks with a ball. I bet you chase a stick for him and he probably strokes your hair and pets your stupid ears. That's how you learned to hunt...on a lead with your nose to the ground and your tail in the air. I bet if you had a real tail it would have been wagging too. You're not his brother, you're his pet."

Kouga was so full of himself that he hadn't noticed the angry aura change around Inuyasha until he was swiped on the arm by long claws that cut to the bone. Then alarm set in as he was old enough to realise that Inuyasha had allowed his youkai to emerge, the pup's red eyes and longer fangs were frightening. There were gasps of horror from the rest of the children as they smelled Kouga's blood, but Kouga immediately took charge and told them to stay still.

Kouga knew he had pushed Inuyasha too far and made him break the rules, and it was now his responsibility to make sure no one else got hurt. Therefore Kouga went on the defensive, if he attacked Inuyasha, things would have got worse and his own youkai would have been in danger of taking him over too and the fight would have taken a more serious turn. But Inuyasha still got in a few more swipes before a blanket of powerful youki dampened his and everyone else's.

The Tiger strolled up to his students assessing the situation immediately; all the children stood still, unable to move beneath the dominating aura. Kouga too was immobilised and The Tiger didn't raise his control until Inuyasha's youkai submitted to his tutor's authority and receded, leaving the hanyou to regain his senses. The boy was suitably horrified when he smelt Kouga's blood in the air and on his claws and without prompting he apologised profusely for losing control and hurting the wolf.

Inuyasha was so wrapped up in remorse for what he had done, remembering when he had hurt his foster father in a similar manner, that he nearly missed Kouga's apologetic reply too. The wolf accepted responsibility for pushing Inuyasha to the brink of losing his control and their tutor was obviously pleased with them both.

"It is a good thing you both feel this way; it shows you can both make amends to each other in an adult fashion. It bodes well for your people if you remember always, that it usually takes two to argue and both to repair the damage equally. I assume you each take responsibility for your own actions?" The Tiger looked firmly at both boys and was pleased each immediately nodded in the affirmative.

The tutor called all of the children into the schoolroom and after hearing all the circumstances surrounding the dispute he though hard but not for long. It was clear that several clear and firm rules had been broken; the most serious by Inuyasha and being provoked didn't excuse him from being punished. The Tiger was kind, but serious when he reiterated the dangers of going outside of the school boundaries, but the most dangerous thing the hanyou had done was to lose control.

To allow their youkai free range was not permitted by any child; they were not fully trained and their control was far from complete. Fighting could lead to a bloodbath and they all knew what steps to take individually so they could avoid getting into such a precarious position. The Tiger sighed and his large amber eyes looked at both boys deeply, then he pronounced judgement.

"Kouga, you were initially in the wrong with your actions, but you also knew not to join in with Inuyasha's fight and calmed the others. You have apologised sincerely and I have no doubt such a thing will not happen again. You are older than Inuyasha and your teasing bordered on torment; not an admirable quality for an Alpha and future Lord Prince nor a way to gain the respect you want so much.

"You will accompany Inuyasha and support him when he is summoned to Inu no Taishou to answer for his conduct. You may then inform His Lordship about your contribution to the quarrel you two children have had." The Tiger watched as shame passed over Kouga's face at the scolding he'd received, knowing that his words had sunk home to the proud wolf cub. Then he turned his attention to Inuyasha.

"Do you know what you should have done when your rabbit was outside the boundary Inuyasha?"

"I should have asked someone grown up to get it for me."

"Yes, it is dangerous in the forest and you set a bad example for the others. Rules are for your own protection and are to be enforced. What about your temper, how did you let yourself down in such a bad way?"

"I was just angry...I didn't mean to hurt Kouga like that..."

"That's as maybe, but it proves why we do not allow any child to fight. You know you can make a challenge in the dojo where you are supervised, but never must you brawl. You do see the dangers all of you, do you not?" A chorus of 'Yes' was heard including Inuyasha's, but The Tiger had to be certain.

"Inuyasha, do you understand that although you were being provoked, you solved the problem in the wrong way?" He waited and Inuyasha hung his head and nodded, he hated being told off and made the centre of attention this way, but he did understand the rules and the reasons for them. He was not happy that his father would be talking to him about it either.

But that was not all, he had to publicly suffer four strokes of the switch to his hands and four to his backside and thighs before being made to sit and work for the rest of the afternoon with the rest of the class. Inuyasha was silent as The Tiger said that the physical pain would not last long, but he would always remember, if he was wise, that he must set a better example to his fellows.

Kouga felt terrible, it was his fault that Inuyasha had been punished; an Alpha should never cause a Beta to take the brunt of his wrongdoing. He had let them all down and although he had not the physical cause for tears as Inuyasha did, they flowed anyway. The Tiger was well aware of the two upset boys but took no undue notice; they had both learned the lessons he had been enforced to teach, and would not repeat the mistakes.

IYQ Community; November 2009 Week #2: The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway. -Henry Boye