"Youkai!"

"Get him!"

Alerted, angry voices echoed throughout the forest behind him as the young wolf dashed as fast as his bare feet would allow him to escape.

He thought he could redeem his name amongst his tribe by slaying the slayers. His intentions were clearly proven void as he dodged through trees and heavily flourished terrain, frightened and lost.

This was the lowest thing he had ever done.

Here he was! The future leader of the Youkai-wolf tribe, strong and mighty─ running from mere humans.

Pathetic.

With his long, thick, black mane flowing behind him now loose of its usual kept high ponytail, he continued to run. It was the only thing he could think of doing besides turning back to fight in which case he was greatly outnumbered.

"He went this way! Quickly!"

"Get back here you vile beast!"

Kouga could feel the the harsh bite of their words gnaw and nip at his heels like an angry pack of outsiders. He knew he was running out of time and because of which he panicked. His panic took a toll on his better judgement which lead him directly into a dead end.

No.

A cliff.

Below that very cliff was the expanse of his tribe's territory. Kouga braced himself as he sped up. He held his arms out to his side as he began his dive.

A decision made a little too late.

A chain came from behind and bound his ankle, causing him to land flat on his face just short of the cliff's edge.

"I got you, Vile creature!"

A slayer spoke in a narcissistic tone as he stood in the distance. He knew a demon, even a young one such as this, was still a threat even when bound.

"Secure him."

Another slayer spoke as he approached their newly won game.

Kouga growled instinctively as the taijiyas approached him from each side carefully. At this point, Kouga knew his last movements had to be accurate if he wanted to survive. His ice blue eyes darted from side to side at each taijiya to another as he thought of his next move.

"Now!"

The head taijiya spoke again and with that Kouga was enclosed by slayers, grabbing and bounding his wrists and ankles in chains and this thick rubber material that caused the young wolf to cringe at the thought of what these strange bounds were made of. Youkai flesh, no doubt. Taijiya's were famous for their recreations and use of the bones and flesh of their prey. Kouga growled as he realized this is what could become of him next.

With the youkai tightly bound and secured the head taijiya approached with a look that could only be described as disgust and hatred in his dark brown eyes.

"You disgust me...you slimy little shit."

The slayer's words were simple, but packed a punch so hard it made even Kouga sink back a little.

Yet through his slight taste of fear, Kouga return the slayer's disgusted scowl. He hated humans for all that they were worth and intensely hated taijiya's. Kouga remembered the stories his father use to tell him about these humans who deemed themselves strong enough to stand up to youkai, including ookami like himself, and win. He never believed it. He didn't think it was even the slightest bit possible. Until now, that was.

The scowl of the slayer who stood before him intensified and with one swift movement he had the young wolf by his raven black hair, entangled and pulling tightly, causing the young youkai surprisingly extreme pain.

Kouga groaned from the sharp, sudden pain. However, managed to kept his idle composure. He didn't have the slightest clue why, but the taijiya's enragement with him caused him to be slightly amused. The young wolf's lips began to curve into a devilish smirk. But, that very smirk began to fade as he felt something being held to throat. The object seemed to be blunt and definitely sharp enough to penetrate his flesh. His eyes darted downward to see just what it was that threatened him, however the moment he saw what it was is when his hell like smirk returned once more.

A knife?

How pathetic.

"I'll ask you this once you uneducated little twit!"

The emphasis on the slayer's words followed by its cold, bitter bite caused Kouga's amusement to fade and was replace by provoked anger.

"Why were you so close to our village? Surely your sorry excuse for parents explained to you the very dangers that rest there for disgusting adolescence such as yourself..."

The slayer tugged harder on the young youkai's hair causing an reactive growl to erupt from Kouga's throat. His skin reddened from the strain as he resisted the slayer's assault.

"My 'sorry excuse for parents' did in fact explain to me about your kind..." Speaking through his discomfort, Kouga looked the slayer dead in his eyes. "...The reasons I sought you out was for nothing but the kill you sorry clowns!"

Kouga's words came out as a distinct spat as he began to struggle for his freedom, only in return putting more strain on his neck.

"You little pathetic brat! How dare you speak in such a bad position as this!? Do you not value your life?"

A more muscular slayer shot back as he delivered a blow to the young youkai's stomach. Kouga yelped as a bitter, metallic taste arose from the back of his throat and rolled down his tongue leaving behind a bitter trail. It seeped from his mouth as the form of crimson red.

Blood.

"You die now!"

The slayer who held him spat in a disgruntled tone as he held his weapon high. His intentions rested on decapitating the poor, foolish creature that he was bred to loath so dearly.

"Father!" A small shrill erupted from behind the slayer who held Kouga.

"My dear? What are you doing here?" The slayer responded hesitantly, keeping his back turned so he could block the view of the blooded young youkai from his daughter. He didn't want her to witness. If the demon had been older, perhaps. But Kouga was roughly the same age as her. It would surely scar her at such a tender age, despite what she was bred to become.

"I saw this funny looking boy...he looked my age so I followed him here...but he seemed to have just vanished into thin air." The girl responded innocently.

"U-Uh, what did this child look like, Darling?"

"He had fiery, spiked, red hair and it matched his crimson eyes...he wore this funny looking garment unlike one I have ever seen before..."

At first, Kouga listened to the conversation between father and daughter with boredom. It somehow caused him to wish his death would come sooner. However, after listening closely to what the girl had to say, the young wolf's eyes gleamed with sudden hope.

Katsuo!

But why? Had he followed him here? Had he seen what had just transpired between him and the human slayers?

After evaluating it over in his mind, Kouga hoped to Ama that Katsuo had gone home. He would rather his father know about his intentions rather than his abrupt defeat that surely followed when the human child was dismissed.

"Let him go you disgusting human!"

Kouga internally sighed as his prayers obviously went unanswered. The Gods must frown upon his kind, no doubt.

What transpired after was all just a blur.

Katsuo charging toward the slayer which held onto his pack member and was quickly slain by the others.

Seeing what happened to his pack member, Kouga finally found the strength to break the bonds which held him and twisted free of the slayer's grasp, rushing to the side of his slain comrade.

The human girl screaming as even more ookami youkai and taijiya flooded into the scene as the area was engulfed in intense warfare

Kouga remembered how it was the very same taijiya who held him that ruthlessly slayed his parents right before his very eyes. That he would never forget and would forever seek his revenge.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx

Kouga stood in the very spot he remembered the war transpiring. The soil beneath his feet witnessed the deaths of hundreds of wolf demons and taijiya alike. It wasn't surprising that the young wolf prince developed an even more intense despise for the foolish humans who dared to rise against his kind. They were foolish for thinking they could hold more power than youkai, let alone rid the world of them. It came as no surprise to Kouga as he caught news of the taijiya village's downfall and overall messy defeat. The perpetrator went unknown, although rumor arose that it was a silver-haired hanyou that hauled a youkai sword and a lot of attitude to back. Kouga sneered at the idea that a half breed could do so much damage. The very idea of it made him laugh. Other rumors had it that a powerful youkai, one that Kouga had never heard of before, was responsible. Whatever the case, Kouga was happy it was done. Although, he still sought some sort of revenge for the demise of his parents.

It was the day Kouga got news of the sole survivor of the attack, a young girl and the offspring of the very taijiya who murdered his parents at that. Such news had Kouga spewing with thoughts of malice. He would hunt down this girl and murder her as her father did his parents. He would rip her to shreds for every bit of pain her father had caused him and his tribe.

The thought of the girl screaming as blood seeped from her battered, mangled flesh made Kouga smirk with a darkness. He wanted that feeling, he wanted to feel his claws glide through her flesh like a hot knife would glide through butter. His claws ached at the very thought and yearned for her.

He would have no problem identifying the girl because he knew her scent. He also remembered her appearance when he caught a glimpse of her years ago. She had long, thick dark-brown hair that trailed down her back and light, hazel eyes that she wore a rich coloring over. She was young then, so her features might have changed slightly. But Kouga knew exactly what to look for.

"It's sickening...It seems like only yesterday this happened." A now grown Ginta spoke as he approached his pondering leader.

"Yeah...I'm happy those humans are dead, though. Let them burn in the hottest pits of hell!" Hakkaku exclaimed as he balled his fists.

Kouga closed his eyes. His mind was made. He didn't bother to look at his grey and spikey haired friends. Instead he took a few steps forward.

"Where are you going Kouga?" Ginta questioned as he fixed his eyes on his wandering leader.

Kouga's reply was simple, yet assertive.

"To gut a human bitch."