To The Rescue
Flying through the air Ren was feeling a tad sick to his stomach but refusing to admit it so he concentrated on his breathing and not throwing up which would be something Mika would never let him get away with. Of course Mika was currently asleep and laying against him, Ren thought with a considering look as he looked down at the unconscious girl who'd finally given into exhaustion and was napping while they flew through the air on their way to his home. Looking over he saw that Hotaru had also fallen asleep and as a result her mate Linc had gone to his more human secondary form instead of remaining in bird form as was their current mode of transportation. The pretty boy was currently flying through the air with Hotaru in his arms while he someone how managed to keep up with them which Ren had to give him credit for since they were going extremely fast to his way of thinking. He and Mika we're on the other bird demon who was in its true form, something he'd dug in his feet about doing until Mika pointed out that people were dying and did he want to get home before that happened or not? As she'd reminded him that while Kiyoshi had a sword that could bring people back to life they had to die first which meant all those suffering and wounded were hard up for help unless Hotaru got there to help them. In other words he was putting aside his pride and riding on the back of a FEMALE bird demon with Mika while Mika's sister and brother in law flew beside them. Boy was his dad going to flip when he heard about this, Ren thought with a grimace. Then again his father was already likely ready to kill him that a little more reason was only going to be a small drop in the pot. Feeling Mika shift in her sleep Ren looked down in time to watch her lids draw up and sleepy gold eyes look up at him questioningly. Watching color come to her cheeks Ren just barely managed to move his face out of the way as she quickly sat up, nearly smashing her skull into his chin while she was at it. Watching her sit up straight like she'd shoved a steel pole up her ass Ren had to grin. "Morning." Ren said with a wolfish smile.
"Morning." Mika mumbled back, her cheeks red with the knowledge that not only had she fallen asleep but that she'd fallen asleep and somehow ended up cuddled against the wolf bastard Ren. God how much worse could it get.
"You're welcome for not letting you go flying over the side to your death." Ren said downright cheerfully, his stomach forgotten at the joy of wielding this new weapon she'd given him. He'd never seen her embarrassed ever and he was definitely going to milk it for all it was worth. He was going to get something out of this trip after all.
"Shut up. I'm not the only one that could go hurdling over the side." Mika growled as she looked at him over her shoulder, sending him her best I can and will kill you look before turning back to facing the front.
)
"Sleep well, Mika?" Came Linc's voice and Mika and Ren looked over to see Linc smiling at her having flown over to fly directly beside them. "I was all set to fly over to catch you when you finally fell asleep but Ren was good enough to save me the trouble and grab a hold of you. If you need us to stop we can." Linc added as he shifted his wings a little so that he could glide easier. They'd been flying for a while now and he would imagine that everyone could do with a break soon. Especially Mika and his mate who were both still drained from their encounter with Kimono blood. Hugging his mate tighter against him at the thought he reminded himself for the thousandth time that she was fine and would remain so. Still she wasn't getting out of his sight for a very long time.
"I'll be fine." Mika said with a smile then noticing his flying put two and two together. "You can go back to flying where you were, the current from Arwen's wings are throwing you off, aren't they?"
"Always observant." Linc said with a sweet smile then nodding his head acknowledged that since he was in his lesser form his sister's wings in her true form were making flying straight twice as hard. "Yell if you need anything." Linc added then dropping low came back up to where he was before, his flying visibly showing less strain on his wings.
)
"So is he any good in a fight?" Ren asked curiously having never been in contact with bird demons since they tended to live in secluded and hard to reach mountains, away from land bound demons. They were rarely spotted and Linc was the only one he'd ever met besides Arwen and she'd basically appeared to pick them up and hadn't said more then a few words to anyone. He didn't even know what she looked like in her second form. As for Linc well he got the impression of a nice guy who drew women to him like flies and who seemed to be a good guy. He'd have to be to be with Hotaru.
"He can hold his own but fighting isn't his thing. He wasn't raised to think of warrior as a role he needed to play." Mika explained then seeing his surprised look Mika expanded. "His culture, his people have very different ideas considering gender roles. His society is a matriarchal one as oppose to a patriarchal one like ours."
"You've lost me." Ren said, too curious to care about appearing ignorant. "What do those words mean?"
"Oh yeah, sorry. Forgot for a minute that you wouldn't be able to spell those words much less what they meant." Mika said with a sheepish look on her face. "Basically you and I live in a society which is patriarchal, meaning that men are the leaders and they generally are the hunters, providers and such. Linc's society however is a matriarchal, meaning that the women are the leaders and the providers. In their society the men are the ones who do roles considered women's work in our society like taking care of the children and gathering food. Understand?"
"You can't possible be serious. Women as the heads of the family?" Ren said with his mouth hanging open, the very idea mind blowing to him. How on earth could a pack survive if women were in charge? "But I don't understand how that could work. Men are stronger, tougher and smar- more knowledgeable about certain things." Ren said, catching himself before he said smarter knowing Mika was liable to hurt him if he did. "Women have the children too so wouldn't that be the indication that they should be the ones looking after the children? Are you saying that basically they turn their men into weaklings!" Ren said, looking over at Linc with a mixture of horror and pity. The poor guy!
)
"That's not what I'm saying at all and for your information I do have problems with some of the ideas of a matriarchal system but I also have a lot of problems with the patriarchal system too." Mika said, understanding his reaction perfectly. All the males in her family had pretty much reacted the same way while she and all the females had been too busy drooling over him to care. A gorgeous hunk he was and given that he could easily pass for Legolas from Lord of the Rings only buffer it was no wonder. And she wasn't exaggerating. Same long pale gold hair, beautiful forest green eyes and even the pointy ears. If Hotaru hadn't snagged him she had to admit she herself would have been tempted to make a pass at the guy. Plus the guy had wings, I mean how hot was that? Okay so a bit hard to explain to others but they gave him the whole fallen angel look thing with the white wings with gold threaded through them. Who really cared what anyone else thought if you got a guy like that? But it wasn't his looks they were discussing so Mika forced herself back to the matter at hand reluctantly. "And really I admire Linc a lot for the person he is. Maybe he's not as strong or as bad ass as most males in this time but he's great with his kids, doesn't mind cooking and isn't too manly to show affectionate or roll around on the grass with his kids. He worships the ground my sister walks on and there isn't anything he wouldn't do for her or their children. You ask me he's a real prize even if he needs to be a bit meaner so we don't all have to keep saving him from girls trying to flirt with him. He knows what they're doing but he's just too damn nice to tell them to get lost." Mika said with a sigh as she rolled her eyes. "And Hotaru's too nice to tell them to get the hell away from her man. You can see the problem."
Feeling a stab of something uncomfortable close to jealousy at the admiration in Mika's voice Ren reined in the various unflattering comments that came to mind. Keeping quiet they continued to fly in quiet until a scent reached their noses that had them all snapping to attention. "Blood..and a lot of it." Ren muttered, inhaling the scent and recognizing some of it as being wolf's. "Damn it."
)
Meanwhile
Running through the woods at break neck speed Kouga only had two thoughts running through his mind. His children were missing and that a large band of Ferio's men were coming this way, possibly with his sons in the way. His heart on his throat Kouga forced himself to concentrate on moving as fast as he could, forcing himself to block out all the terrible images of what kind of situation his twins could have found themselves in. They were just six year old pups, they'd likely try to stop the band themselves without a thought ti their own safety, Kouga thought, fear jumping into his eyes. His boys were fearless and had yet to run in fear of anything no matter what that something was. Please let them be okay so that he could tan their hides for running off again. Looking over he glanced at his mate who was keeping time at his side, her face giving away nothing but then it wouldn't. She would never allow her weakness to show and he knew that later she'd curl up in his arms with relief as she had before that the little monsters were okay. This would be like all the other times, Kouga chanted in his head though there was a feeling in his gut that told him that wasn't so. Smelling blood in the air Kouga felt the air leave his lungs but there was no scent of his sons and that brought the air back into his gasping lungs. There was still time to get there.
"I smell Nomi's blood." Shippou called out, him and Kiyoshi right beside Kouga and Mina so that they were four none humans running nearly soundless through the forest, their goal to find Merry and Pippin.
"I know." Kiyoshi said quietly, his golden eyes hardening to hide the fear running through his veins. He'd seen Nomi a few hours ago, alive and well and on her way in this direction to monitor the area for signs of a continuation of attacks on the wolves. Now he smelled her blood and knew that he had failed her as he had once before when Manta and his wolves had come for her. He hadn't been there to protect her and he wasn't with her now.
)
"She's not spilling death blood. She's alive." Mina called out, her breath not even labored as she kept up with the demons without trouble. She too had smelt the blood and recognized it but had hoped that the others noses weren't strong enough to pick it up from the other blood already spilt. She should have known better. Her boys were with Nomi as well. She couldn't say how she knew, only a mother's instinct and the knowledge only made her go that much faster. If anyone had laid so much as a hand on one of her babies then she'd suck them dry of their blood while they were still alive and breathing. She'd do it slowly too.
"They're in the valley." Kiyoshi called out, using what water demon blood their was in his system along with his nose to help him pinpoint where abouts they needed to go. "We'll need to be careful about getting down."
"You boys can take the long way. I'm going straight down." Mina called out as they broke out of the wooded area and onto the sheer cliffs above the valley below. Ignoring her mate's command to stop Mina ran straight forward and off the cliff, head first like a diver with her hands pointed forward to make her go faster. When she was twenty meters away from impact Mina flipped around so that she was feet first, landing on her feet like a cat with nearly every bone breaking in her legs on impact. Falling forward with her hands there to catch her Mina grinched her teeth as she waited the precious thirty seconds for them to heal completely then took off running again, pulling her samurai blade from the sheath strapped on to her back as she ran straight towards her target. Her long waist length hair blowing in the breeze in a high ponytail she looked younger then her several centuries with her clothing very twentieth century as she was dressed in a tight black T-shirt, black slacks and an ankle length black leather jacket. Just because she'd ended up living in the Feudal Era didn't man she had to dress like one and she wouldn't be caught dead wearing animal pelts. In other words wolf demon fashion was definitely out. Taking in the scene quickly Mina identified the three areas of importance. Her twins were safely up in the air in Nomi's feather with no injuries that were causing blood loss anyway. Two that Nomi was on the ground trying to keep the demons from getting past her and to the boys. Lastly that there were several fire demons who's blood was wonderfully spicy. Getting closer Mina say that Nomi was holding on by threads and was barely keeping things contained. Hearing howling from behind Mina turned to see her husband, Kiyoshi and Shippou all in their true forms coming up quickly with snarls and furious looks. Turning back to the demons Mina saw that they were backing up and looking just a little afraid. Well when she was done with them they wouldn't be feeling anything at all.
)
Minutes later the ground was littered with the dead and Mina stood with a son clinging to either of her leg as their father and Shippou finished off those demons that were left. Kiyoshi was only a few steps away with Nomi in his lap, the girl's eyes closed and unconscious but alive. The wounds were already beginning to heal but Mina didn't think she could convince her nephew of that any time soon. Looking down at her boys Mika forced herself to narrow her eyes. She'd already hugged and kissed them several times so now it was time for them to get what was coming to them. "And what do you two have to say for yourselves?"
"Uhmm, we're very sorry and we love you lots and lots, Mommy?" Pippin answered with his most angelic look that died quickly at the look in his mother's eyes. Boy were they ever in trouble. "And uhm that we'll never do it again?"
"Now where have I heard that one before?" Mina said as she fought to keep a tough face when all she wanted to do was cuddle them close. "Now hear this and hear it well. When Ginta gets here you are going to get on your hands and knees and you are going to beg his forgiveness for running off on him again. Next when your father gets here you are going to hug him for all you're worth and you are going to stay by his side as much as possible when he's not away from the house because you scared at least twenty years off his life and his life span isn't that much to begin with. Then you're going to both have to do all your siblings chores for the next two week and when you go to grandma's house this week I'm going to tell her that you don't have nintendo or tv privileges. Any whining will result in harsher punishment so don't even think about pushing it. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am." The twins said as they both gave her their best traumatized and sorry looks to no avail. No surprise since in general dad was the only one who fell for it after the first time. "But we are okay, Mommy." Merry pointed out as he tugged on her jacket. "We didn't even get a scratch!"
"Because Nomi got the scratches for you." Mina pointed out and both of the twins looked over at one of their favorite adults and bowed their heads in shame. Nomi had been in the area anyway but she hadn't gone up into the feather with them because she needed to be able to hold them off until help came. She'd been hurt too badly to make the feather fly, only hover.
"She's going to be okay though...right?" Pippin asked hesitantly, his big brown eyes filling up with tears, as were his twin's. "Kiyoshi can make her all better and if not Hotaru or Uncle Sessy can right?"
"Right but that's beside the point." Mina said seeing that they weren't quite getting it.
)
"That's why we weren't worried, Mommy." Merry chipped in, brightening as he hit on the perfect point to make that would make his mommy see things from their point of view and let them have TV and nintendo privileges back at least. "Cause even if we did die Kiyoshi could bring us back or Uncle Sessy if he couldn't."
"Yes but as you little geniuses will recall Kiyoshi and Sesshoumaru need your body in order to bring you back to life. If they had killed you and taken your bodies or burned them there would have been nothing we could have done and you'd be dead." Mina pointed out as she gave them a hard look. "And then you'd never be able to play nintendo again and you would have made your father cry."
"We never thought of that." Pippin said as he and Merry looked appropriately shook for the first time since their mother had got a hold of them.
"Well that's obvious." Was their mother's dry reply.
"MERRY! PIPPIN!"
"DADDY!" The twins yelled and letting go of their mother they both ran over to their father and threw themselves into his waiting arms to be crushed against him in a tight hug, their father cuddling them close as he alternated between yelling at them and telling them he loved them. Smiling at the scene Mina decided to leave them to it before she started crying and totally ruined her reputation. Heading towards the carnage she decided to have a late lunch.