As the sun took its rightful position, high in the sky, Sesshomaru led everybody through the forest. Rin and Nazoki took to gathering various flowers, and seeing how many could fit in the girl's hair. After achieving tens of different shades, there seemed to be no more space to work with. Giggling, Rin shook her hair out.
"Let's start over!" She suggested, and Nazoki laughed as the dead leaves beneath them was covered in splashes of color. Light and shadow dance across their skin, as all walked through the sea of trees. Everything came to a sudden halt when Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks.
"Lord Sesshomaru?"Jaken asked, and al stared at the man.
A dark smirk had curled his lips, and his eyes were narrowed. Barely a second passed before the man turned and dashed to his right. As he leaped through the trees, Jaken quickly floundered behind him, trying to move the two headed staff fast enough to keep up.
"Milord! Lord Sesshomaru! Where are you going?!" The toad called, obviously not about to receive a response. Nazoki and Rin had simply stopped. They each still held a bundle of flowers, and gazed after the lord slightly surprised. He was far gone, nowhere in sight. Jaken remained in place, murmuring about being left again. Rin sighed, obviously immediately disappointed.
Seeing the extent of her grief, Nazoki pushed a flower into the girl's hair. She gazed up at the vixen, still not smiling.
"Come on..." Tossing the flowers over her shoulder Nazoki walked in front of A-Un, and grabbed the Reins. As she pulled the dragon along, Jaken and Rin followed, still down. Jaken suggested not moving until the lord returned, to which Nazoki replied, "We've no idea how long it would take. While the forest may be comfortable now, night may not be so pleasant." Reluctantly agreeing, the group set off to find safer grounds to wait.
With evening quickly approaching, Jaken insisted that they settle in a clearing of the forest. Lush grass covered the ground, in a deep shade of green. The air was damp, and pockets of light danced over the area as a wind rustled the abundance of leaves overhead. A small pond was nearby, and the trees surrounded in a circular shape, only lapsing for the pond. A large, gnarled tree was the main focal point of the clearing. It's trunk was wider then a regular hut in a village, and there was a large hollow at the base of it. A root, protruded from the ground, and jutted into the air, high enough to sit on, and sturdy enough as well.
"I don't really think this is a good spot..." Though it was not a frequent habit, Nazoki protested lightly before being silenced by Jaken.
"Don't undermine my authority! If Lord Sesshomaru was here he would have chosen a spot such as this himself!"
Sighing, Nazoki crossed her arms, and draped her hand in front of her mouth.
"I'd be more comfortable if he was, but obviously, he's not. That's why we're here in the first place... He'd be a lot more trustworthy then you..." She murmured lowering her voice with each word, and allowing all form of expression to fall from her face.
"I heard that!" The toad exclaimed.
Shaking her head, Nazoki walked to the pond.
"And this water is rancid... No baths or drinking water..." The vixen observed. As she spoke, Rin placed a small hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Rin's container is full."
Peering at the girl Nazoki offered a slow, reluctant nod.
Upon scouting the surrounding forest, the vixen found that there were next to no edible plants nearby. Everything was poisonous. She had to leave the forest entirely, and move to an area miles away to gather only herbs. Of course, that was less than satisfactory, but with night quickly settling over the lands, Nazoki was forced to return with next to nothing.
Rin was still appreciative to receive mint, parsley and lemon balm, but Nazoki could not help but feel slightly at fault for not finding more. Jaken remained on his imaginary high horse, remarking that Sesshomaru would have been able to find more, and he did not even gather food for Rin. Shooting the toad an evil glare, Nazoki huffed in frustration.
"Yes, well the lord would have chosen more suitable grounds for resting as well..."
Sighing, Jaken ignored the vixen. It was not common, for the two to bicker, yet this particular day seemed to be demanding such. Rin did not mind the two, simply sang her song.
In the dead of night, when all were asleep, an eerie tune filled the air. Though it was heard by all, and each stirred, it seemed to lull them into a deeper slumber then what they had previously experienced. The music was from some form of flute, and while it was unnerving, it had its own dark, intricate beauty. Fighting the urge to close her eyes, Nazoki barely managed to lift her upper body. From where she laid on her stomach, Jaken and Rin were only a meter away, yet she could not turn to check if they were okay. She gazed through the darkness to the best of her ability, searching for the source of the noise. After a while of studying their surroundings, Nazoki caught sight of a woman.
Her skin was impossibly fair, contrasting the darkness. She was seated on the large root, protruding from the ground. And as expected, she was indeed playing the flute. From what the vixen could make out, the woman was clothed in some light form of rags. The pace of the song increased, and Nazoki could do nothing but sink back to the ground, wishing to sleep. Internally pushing herself to do something other than allow her heavy lids to close, Nazoki struggled to open her eyes again. When she achieved a view of her surroundings, she found the strange woman standing over her. Her feet were in Nazoki's face, and though the vixen wanted nothing more than to strike her, she could not move.
Immediate panic set over Nazoki, and she tried to grasp the woman's ankle. Her limbs were too heavy to even lift a single finger. How was it possible for the creepy woman to be over her after simply closing her eyes? With nothing else to do, and no other way to defend herself or the group, Nazoki combusted. Apparently her foxfire was not inhibited by whatever was happening. The moment her flames spread over her and the woman's foot, the flute dropped. When the tune stopped, Nazoki could move, and she did just that.
A hollow shriek filled the air, and Rin and Jaken immediately sat up, only to find their word "censored". They were seated in a field of flowers, despite the sounds of a struggle, which they were positive was ensuing. Multiple growls and cries of pain filled the air. Groggily gazing at one another, the two tried to make sense of the seemingly random event. All they could recall was music, and now this.
Standing in front of the barrier she had created around Jaken and Rin, Nazoki growled. The woman seemed to hover, and her dark hair billowed in the breeze. As she moved to the right, Nazoki slashed towards her, making sure to shoot flames at the woman. The dirty rags she used as clothes easily caught, and while the woman let out a long, high-pitched scream, Nazoki jammed her claws into her stomach. Normally this would have an adverse effect; in this case, it seemed to have none. The woman quickly swiped a pair of sharp nails across Nazoki's chest, only to try to stab her.
Maneuvering the fight to the side of her illusion, Nazoki grasped the withered hand, which pushed towards her. A low hiss filled the air, and from the light of her flames, Nazoki saw the woman's face twist in ways that had previously been deemed impossible. A sickening snap filled the air as her jaw opened wide enough to bite Nazoki's torso in two. Rows of needle like teeth were exposed with the motion, and the woman's eyes turned jet black. The thing grasped her the vixen's arm, and started to pull her near. Obviously Nazoki snatched away, despite the claws which had pierced her skin.
Horrified, Nazoki released a short shriek as the woman's jaws snapped towards her. Without a second thought, the vixen shoved her back with a burst of flames and energy. Opting not to get close to what ever the hell it was, Nazoki continued to push it away, hoping the flames would catch again, and burn it. The woman ducked to the side, and Nazoki froze when claws pierce the side of her neck. All motion came to a halt and the vixen peered at whatever she was fighting from the corners of her eyes. Without moving, Nazoki shot flames over the woman's arm from her wound. Apparently, the thing did not know it was not wise to simply stand there after what it expected to be a fatal wound. It moved backwards, obviously startled by the unexpected attack. Turning to face it, Nazoki proceeded to shove it away with her energy. The best course of action crossed her, as the pond came into sight. With one final shove, Nazoki got the thing to fall back into the putrid water.
A second passed, and the surface of the pond stirred. Turning back towards her illusion, Nazoki found Rin and Jaken standing beside it, watching her wide eyed. Obviously if the vixen went through the trouble of setting it up, they should have waited for her to comeback. If Sesshomaru had placed that illusion, they would have stayed. Time was too valuable to waste contemplating things such as that though. In the future, Nazoki would have to explain that the illusion does not only block what they see, but prevents others from seeing them. For now...
"Jaken, get Rin on A-Un!" Barking the commands, Nazoki turned back to the water of the pond, which was starting to slowly reveal the thing she had hoped would melt or die. In response, Nazoki received a panicked "Okay". After doing as instructed, Jaken also mounted the dragon, and both watched as the vixen pivoted out of the way of an attack, only to be yanked into the water. She managed to shout that she would catch up to them, and to go on ahead. Of course, Rin did not want to leave, but with Jaken as the voice of reason, she had no choice. A-Un lifted to the sky, and weaved through the canopy of leaves and branches, leaving Nazoki to fulfill her duty.
To use fire while surrounded by water is a horrible decision. One which will cause great pain, and woe. With no other choice, Nazoki struggled with the impersonation of a woman, only narrowly avoiding the deathly snaps of its jaws, and slashes to various areas of her body. Water splashed around the two, as Nazoki grasped the things hair and shoved it back underwater. It clearly did not like that. She turned it around to avoid the sickening snaps of its jaws. Claws sank into her sides, yet she firmly held the struggling thing down. Its arms started to thrash about, and soon, it grasped Nazoki's hands impaling her with its nails. Having had enough of the struggle, the vixen pulled the thing against her lower body. With one swift movement, she managed to tear into its neck. Unsure of whether it would be enough, she did not stop until its head was entirely severed. Apparently, even something that doesn't seem to be affected by physical damage still can't survive having its head ripped off.
The thick silence that immediately followed her actions was unnerving. For a thing such as peace to settle over the eerie area of forest seemed to be impossible. At the sight of her own actions, bile immediately rose within Nazoki. Not a physical fighter in the slightest. Forcing herself to look away, she climbed from the torso deep water, leaving the head she had been holding behind.
Though she wanted to immediately follow after Rin and Jaken, she needed to wash herself first. The sight of blood would only further Rin's panic.