Times of Change

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters

For hours she walked the path, with only minimum signs of life. Now traveling in the grass alongside the path, she wondered when a village or settlement would finally pop up. Many

carts of supplies had passed her by not so long ago. So, she should be coming upon something soon.

'Ugh, it's soooooo hot! I can literally see the heat in the air, constricting and pulling. I think maybe I should take a moment to rest. Now, I just need to find a stream, or lake or

something of the sort with water, and I can continue on my way.' Saris thought to herself with a smile on her face. Lifting her head slightly towards the sky, she sniffed the air, hoping

to locate the direction of a stream.

'Ah ha! Found it!' Giggling to herself she headed towards the stream at a fast pace. Slowly though, the feeling of unease began to stir with in her.

'Something's wrong. It's just...something doesn't feel right. It's like there's a tug or pull like feeling on my soul.' Saris followed the feeling through the trees and came upon a clearing with

a stream. She gasped and ducked down into some bushes to avoid being seen. There were men, atleast eight, circling what looked to be two little boys on the ground. One of the boys looked

petrified while the other was enraged. Both boys looked to be the ages of between eight and ten.

Saris was horrified at the sight before her. The men were not only taunting the boys, but were actually brutally beating and kicking them as well! She could unbearably feel the humans pure

and raw, unjustified hatred towards these two boys, because they were different. Suddenly, her anger began to rise.

'How can they do this?! They are only children! It is not of one's choice to be born of what they are!'

The sound of a stomp on flesh was enough for her. Saris rose from the bushes, her aura swirling around her violently. In a flash of white light she stood over the two little ones with blood dripping

from her jaws. She was massive! Larger than what she was in her home camp. She stood eight feet tall, with all the same markings shinning bright in the sunlight. A scream startled the other men

out of their stupor. One of the men was on his ass on the ground, holding only half is left leg in the air. The same leg that he was using to stomp the older of the children. With her massive seven tails she wasted

no time for the humans to recuperate an attack. She stabbed the remainder seven men with the tip of her tails, ejecting an unknown poison into their nervous systems. Not one man noticed the attack, but

soon realized they could not move. As one, each man fell to the ground, blood and bile spilling from their lips.

With a snarl she slowly turned her attention to the man with half a leg, he was sniveling and reeked of fear. She spat his leg at him and flapped her massive wings, making him roll some feet back. Grabbing

the two children with her tails, she turned and jumped into the air, flying home to her sanctuary. The man layed there stunned and bleeding out, wondering what that creature was and what just happened.

A couple of hours later, a being came upon the dying man. In his final moments the being whispered sweet poison into his ear, convincing him to will his soul to the being. The being took the dark soul and remade

it into something other...something insidious.

Saris arrived home with the children in her tails within half the hour. Finding her home was not the hard part, no, the confusing part was when she approached the area, the forest was not there. But once she

crossed a certain border the forest had reappeared before her eyes. The forest seemed to be erecting its' own barrier. Not even wanting to consider how it had that kind of power, she rushed to her hut and placed

the unconcious pups on a bedding in the main room. With a strong blazing fire going, she checked each boy thoroughly, searching for fatal injuries. After finding none, she then placed two large bowls of water near

their bedding incase she wasn't present when they awoke and they may need a drink. With one last look at the two, she left the hut to hunt for food. She returned shortly after with three plump rabbits. Taking the

catch to the stream to gut and clean, she started to think about what she had witnessed that day.

'It just doesn't make any sense why those men would gang up and brutally beat children to the point of near death. I mean, even if the kids aren't human, what would be the benefit and cause to spill innocent blood.'

Gathering everything, she picked some leaves and branches from a tree, and went back into her hut. Placing the into the dirt around the fire, skewered some of the rabbits on the sticks to roast over the fire. With

the remaining innards of the rabbits, she decided to place those on the leaves she had plucked. She had saved the innards for the boys to eat since they were youkai, and youkai get most their nourishment from blood and

other organs of the body. She herself would the liver but decided against it, settling over roasted rabbit seemed more appealing to her. It didn't take long for the smell of the rabbits roasting to fill the entire hut. The

children finally started to stir she noticed. The oldest of the two, the ookami or wolf, was the first to open his eyes. He had a look of confusion and fear upon first waking. It stung her to her very soul.

"Shhh little one, it is ok. I would never harm you, you are safe,'"she said to the young and scared ookami, obtaining his immediate attention in the action. His expression went from fear to wonder and curiosity. His

voice had startled her slightly.

"Where are we?'"He asked. His voice was weak still from the gruesome beating he and his companion received earlier. 'I remeber being hit in the head and face with a boot, but after that everything goes dark.' he

thought to himself.

"We are in my enchanted forest and home."Saris replied. She didn't want to give too much startling information incase he had amnesia. Having a petrified ookami youkai was not a good situation.

"What happened?" he asked, trully not remembering anything after the beating.

With a sad look she said,"When I came upon you at the stream...I stopped the humans and carried you and your companion to my home." He didn't look scared, he actually started to look relieved. Hearing his

stomach growl, she smiled and stood to walk away. Coming back she handed him a stick with roasted rabbit on it. She giggled when his mouth started to literally drool. "Would you like to eat? I'm sure you guys are

hungry, " she asked smiling wide. "I figured we could eat then get to know each other...er...if you want that is. You don't have to, if you don't want. It's just...well, I haven't been here very long and...ah! Listen

to me just rambling on when your'e obviously hungry! Go on! Dig in sweety, eat your fill!" she encouraged with a smile that reached her eyes.

"O..ok. Thank you," he replied with a smile just as wide as hers. He couldn't help it, her smile was infectious, not to mention the feeling of her aura brushing onto his. He doubted she even knew she was doing it from

the looks of it. It was odd, he vaguely remembers feeling such power as hers approaching the site they were at. Her aura felt so frighteningly deadly that he had fallen unconscious from the weight of it. Now though,

her aura felt warm, sacred, like he was cherished to her. He also felt a tingling senstation run through his body when ever they made eye contact. It wasn't a bad tingling, not bad at all if he thought about it. It was

one of the best feelings in the world. Starting to eat his roasted rabbit, he watched her walk away and wondered what exactly she was.

Toga had searched the flooded area for days, and still no sign nor scent could be found of the girl. Deciding that perhaps she had met her end, he bagan to walk along the border. He was inbetween his Western lands

and the Eastern lands when he caught an ancient scent. It was a familiarly malevolent scent, but what halted his gears was the scent of otherworldly flowers and raw power. HE recognized this scent immediatly and

sprinted to the destination it was coming from. As he was getting closer the main source, he started to smell blood as well. Picking up a boost of speed he arrived in a clearing; a clearing in which it smelled absolutely repulsive.

Standing in the center of the clearing, he noticed seven piles of carcasses on the ground circling himself. Upon further inspection of the ground, he saw the imprints of what looked to be two young children. From the scent,

hair, and blood on the ground, he deduced these were youkai children, one fox and one wolf. Looking a little further up he noticed four large paw prints on the ground, which encased the little ones, and outside the large prints

looked to be windblown debree. He looked up and forward seeing a blood trail some feet away. He walked over to the spot of stained ground and hitched his breath. This was the malevolent scent he had detected earlier,

there was a hint of human, but it was almost non-existent. Toga was startled out of his musings when he felt his pups aura heading his way. Within two seconds, Sesshoumaru was there standing beside Toga, examining the

entire area.

"Father." Sesshoumaru said, turning his attention to his sire.

"Sesshoumaru." Toga replied, wondering if his son had figured out what had happened there. After a few moments waiting for Sesshoumaru to say something, Toga decided to speak. " Sesshoumaru, do you recognize any of

these scents?"

"I recognize only one father, how ever impossible it may seem." He replied, glaring his eye at his father he then asked, " I am sure of what scent I speak of father; the scent of power and flowers not of this world. The

evil scent seems old, ancient almost. I have not encountered this scent before."

Toga nodded his head in agreement with his son. "You are correct, Sesshoumaru, on both your analysis. The malevolent scent is from a youkai of darkness, imprisoned in that mountain towards the north centuries ago by my hijiji.

I believe the combined force and power the girl used released him from his imprisonment. From the looks of this clearing, she is very much alive...and lethal. It seems that change is upon us son, I am not sure if it will end

as we all hope we will. Come, we must return to the shiro for research and preparation."

Sesshoumaru nodded, formed himself into his orb form and disappeared into the horizon. Toga lingered for little longer, thinking of the girl with the rainbow eyes, then he too was gone into the horizon.

Just as Koga was completing his roasted rabbit, the little kitsune was waking from his slumber. He stretched and looked around, noticing Saris he looked to Koga with a questioning look in his gave the little

fox a small smile and nod, reassuring the child that he was safe. Shippo turned to Saris with a wide smile and said, Um...thank you...for saving us. I thought we'd be goners for sure. My name is Shippo, I'm a fox demon."

Saris smiled wide and said, "You're very welcome Shippo, I'm so glad I there in time. My name is Saris. There's food roasting by the fire if your'e hungry. There's also the juicy parts, like the organs and what nots that'll

help nourish you, by the bowl of water if you want them. Um, I figured once we're all full maybe we could sit and talk. Get to know each other?" She asked with a hopeful smile. Both boys nodded vigorously and ran to get more

food. Bringing Saris some food back as well, they sat facing one another and ate their meals in happy silence. Once they were finished, Saris began the questioning, wondering where these boys, came from, where there parents were,

and most importantly, did they have a place to call home? The boys were actually open to answer her questions. Their lives, from what they told her, was something that she would wish upon no one. Shippos' parents, murdered

before his very young eyes, by youkai hating humans. Koga, apparently, was a prince of a proud ookami tribe, that once ruled the northern lands. Their leader, Kogas' father, was murdered by the Ryo clan, dragons. These

are not your honorable and well known dragon youkai. For now, they had a new leader, and after murdering Kogas' father and half of his tribe, the dragons took over the north only half a year ago.

Heart broken, Saris began to explain to them her plans if they were willing to stay, that is. "I am so, terribly sorry for both of your loses, pain, and heart aches. I promise the both of you that justice will be served in due time. For

now, I think that it is best if we stay together. I know this hut seems small and stuffy, but if you two would follow me, I'd like to show you something that may help. Also, if you don't mind me asking, um...how old are you two

exactly?"

Koga grinned, showing off his pearly white fang, making Saris giggle. " Well, Lady Saris, I'm 180 summers old, which is, I think, 13 summers old for humans. And Shippo here is 80 summers old which is 10 in human

summers." He replied, Shippo nodding his head behind Koga in agreement.

Saris smiled and replied, "Wow! You guys are definitely tall and very strong for your ages! Guys, just call me Saris, ok? No fromalitys, if we're going to be staying together, we should think of each other as family, or pack,

alright?"

Getting a huge boost in self-esteem from this gorgeous being, both boys nodded their heads. When she stood to leave, they followed her, heading to the back of the cave. Once there, both looked at each other in confusion. They were

wondering how she planned to get past all the thorns, spikes, and sharp tree branches. With a wave of her hand, everything parted before their eyes, revealing what looked to be paradise. The forest was formed in a circle, while a

high peaked mountain lay to the right of the clearing. Below the mountain was a waterfall, falling into a lake, which created a crystal clear stream. This area was large enough to build a shiro of massive proportions, with several hot

springs able to be included as well as a garden and more. Both of their mouths fell open at the beauty while Saris just laghed at their expressions.

"You see? There's so much more to this place than what meets the eye. I want to start anew, those like you to have a home to go to and be safe as well. If we found others, and the right materials, I'm sure we could build the

perfect paradise. What do you say guys, would you be my pack, family, and loved ones for all time?"

Koga was the first to regain his sense of speech. "Of course Saris, we owe you our lives and in debt we shall serve you until you release us," he replied, Shippo nodding again. Saris was appalled and quickly put them in their places.

"Don't you ever tell me what you have just spoken. I would never ask for anything of you for your lives, there is no price on life. For it is so very precious, something that most to all take for granted until it is taken from them. No,

I want you two to choose to be here with me, because that is what you want and would be happy, not because you feel obligated. Do you understand?" She asked them desperately, looking into both of their eyes for confirmation. When

she received what she was looking for, she smiled and held out her arms. They quickly found comfort in her embrace, and their auras began to mix and blend with one another, familiarizing their selves with each other.