They followed the river, the trail of youki leading them past the lake to the base of a mountain, each day proving more perilous than the last.
And yet Kagome kept going, nerves constantly on edge. Her dreams had only worsened since leaving the sanctuary of their cottage, filled with nothing but grey webs and a lingering terror that gnawed at her even while she was awake.
They started sleeping in shifts, even within the confines of her barrier, never settling more than a few feet inside any cave they came across. The trees began to thin, the rocky terrain cutting into their feet as they were forced along the thinning cliffside.
"You owe me after this," Kagura said, reaching for Kagome's hand and pulling her up to a more stable spot.
"You volunteered to come," Kagome countered.
Kagura looked at her sister, then motioned in front of her, the path only wide enough for one person at a time. "Only because I knew you'd get into trouble. And why are we not flying again?"
Sighing, Kagome tapped the rose at her ear. "I can't sense his youki from up there. I don't want to miss something."
"If this end up being a wild goose chase, and he's taking a nap somewhere, I'm going to—"
A squawk sounded from above, too high-pitched to be human, and they both jumped, scrambling for purchase as bits of rock and dirt displaced around their feet.