Another chapter since I was gone for two weeks.

There was screaming, masses of screaming that brought kagome out of the fog that was sleep. More screaming and something that sounded like screeching? She shot out of bed as the muffled screams became more clear, she felt her heart race, what on earth was going on? These were not excited screams, they made her blood run cold. Quickly she put on kouga's cloak, grabbed her bow and arrows and raced out. She felt her heart sink when he saw the scene in front of her. Large birds that resembled demon hawks were attacking the wolves and the people.

She looked across and saw kouga and others yelling as they ran trying to help "protect the old and children! Get them inside!" she felt something brush her leg and she almost let out a scream, it was an old woman, barely crawling, her leg was badly damaged, large cuts and scratches oozed blood, patches of skin gone.

Kagome grabbed the old woman and dragged her near the entrance, as quickly as she could. "Are you okay?" she asked, trying to think of how to get her help. The old woman whimpered and with a shaky hand pointed out of the cave, kagome squinted and saw two children nudged under a cave's bent wall. They were trying to make themselves small but a hawk had spotted them.

"Stay here. I'll be back." she whispered, and sprinted, putting herself in front of the children, they were barely toddlers.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked quietly, looking at them from her peripheral vision while trying to keep her eye on the hawk.

The little boy nodded, he wasn't hurt but he was crying, tears streamed down his face, he couldn't be more than four years old and the little girl also nodded mutely, it seemed that she was slightly older as she had put herself in front of him.

"I'm gonna try to get you guys inside, so just hold on okay?" the hawk had circled back and extended its talons, it was ready to grab them.

Kagome quickly sheltered the kids under her cloak and closed her eyes, concentrating on her energy, a quick release and WHOOSH, the hawk cried out in pain and fell, dead on the spot.

"Hurry go now." she urged, making sure it was clear, the toddlers ran towards the entrance holding hands and kagome sighed in relief.

She heard whining and saw some wolves being taken away, barely taking off "NO!" she screamed, and aimed her arrow, quickly all the wolves were let go, tumbling onto the snow. They rolled over and ran to her, forming a circle around her.

"It's okay," she soothed, "go inside." They looked at her curiously, then ran off inside. From a distance she saw someone running and calling her name.

"Kagome!" it was kouga running to her, he looked at her, "are you okay?" he asked, his voice panicked, he grabbed her arms looking her over frantically.

She placed her hand on his arm, trying to steady him "yes, yes I'm fine, what happened?"

"Some of the pups woke up early and others and were outside playing and the hawks thought that it would be an easy meal." his voice shook in anger, "what are you doing out here?"

"I heard screaming." she said.

"Go inside with the others, have you seen ayame?"

She shook her head and dread filled her, silently praying that ayame was safe somewhere "no I haven't since yesterday…I..I'm not going inside. I'll stay out here and try to shoot them down."

He nodded, 'just be careful please…" he grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it, like he had years ago whenever he was leaving, and suddenly a small throb came to Kagome's heart. Kagome nodded and turned her attention back onto the sky, there were more hawks coming, at least 20, she sighed and pointed her arrows and charged them, one hawk then two then five came spiraling down. Kagome had an advantage, her arrows were quickly putting down the hawks and the others would use that chance to kill them. Men and women surrounded the birds and quickly put them out, some of them were even tying them up.

A few more came down, there was one more but where was it? She huffed, her miko energy was starting to drain her, she grabbed her last arrow, clutching it, scanning the sky, there! She saw the final hawk, and it was headed straight for him, he was busy killing a fallen hawk, unaware about the predator.

"Kouga!" She screamed to warn him but it was too late, when he sensed the bird it was practically on top of him, clawing at his back trying to get a grip, he grunted trying to grapple with the creature. Trying to twist himself away from it felt tortuous. The more he struggled the more the creature's talons cut into him. He grunted in pain as blood seeped from his wounds. He somehow managed to slip out and stumbled onto the snow trying to get away, falling in the process.

"Get away from him!" he heard her scream, her cheeks were red and her eyes were blazing, she had practically thrown herself over him and purified the hawk when it came to grab her. Her hands shook in anger, at herself and with the stupid bird, and in fear. How could she have been so careless, it had grabbed kouga! It could have killed him! It had almost killed him!

She fell to her knees and looked at him, parts of his flesh were torn, and her eyes immediately watered, his blood staining the snow a deep scarlet "oh kouga i'm so sorry." she cried out hugging him close to her, trying not to grab him too tightly.

He hugged her back, wincing at the weird angle he was at "hey i'm okay, i'm fine it could have been worse." he said, stroking her back in an attempt to reassure her.

She sniffed, "let's get you inside so we can get you help."

The medicine people were busy helping the others, it would take at least a few hours until they got to kouga, even though he was a leader, the leaders were the last to be looked at, first came the elderly then came the children. A lot of them had gotten hurt, especially the elderly, people laid around the cave, groaning and some children crying from the pain, as the healers walked around, trying their best to get them aid.

He brushed it off, he didn't need medicine, it would heal up, maybe not within the day but soon. But she insisted that he needed help, so she had dragged him away, her lips pursed, her hand tugging at his arm, and he knew there was not much of an argument he could make, she was on a mission.

They were in her room. Just as he had suspected it was very small, probably the smallest, it took all he had to not march down to the chief and demand a bigger one for her, but he held his tongue, either way it didn't seem to worry kagome. In fact he suspected she liked the coziness to it, but he was relieved to see that they had given her extra blankets.

"I'm fine kagome really! It's barely there." he said for the millionth time but she was not having any of it .

She huffed and crossed her arms, "it is not fine you need to get treatment now! Take off your armour." she asked. No. She demanded.

He eyed her mischievously, "well I mean if you insist so much" he teased and took off his armour, "if you wanted to see my mu-ouch!" swiftly she put a rag on his back and it stung.

"Lay on your stomach while I clean you up a bit" she said sweetly trying to hold back a laugh, while blushing furiously at his remark. Here she was trying to help him and he was…flirting? No no, he was being a goofball.

"Okay okay" he grumbled laying down on her bed, the sharp sting brought him back again. He hissed as she wiped his back, trying to remove the dried blood.

"I'm sorry," she said, "okay, I'm going to apply a blend of some healing herbs so just stay there for a bit." She worked quickly, spreading out her mix and rubbed his back to try to subdue any pain, "I'm glad ayame's okay, where did she say she was again?"

"Hmm?" he was beginning to relax, "I think she was with ezume, they were grabbing some of the kids from getting eaten."

"Ah, makes sense." she hadn't seen ayame around, but it was probably because she had been helping others. Ayame, much like Kouga, was also very quick on her feet, so she had probably blurred past her.

"Yea, I think she's helping tend to ezume's wounds, hawk got him." he yawned, "you know I think he has a thing for her." he grinned into the blanket, he didn't think, he knew for a fact ezume was head over heels for ayame.

She paused, "oh? And…are you… okay?" she wasn't quite sure what to say, she knew what was going to happen, kouga had never really discussed their 'relationship' to her, but ayame had confided in her. She wanted to ask, but felt that it was not in her place to say, she wasn't sure if kouga would be horrified at how much she knew about their relationship.

"Of course I am, ezume's a good man, besides hating humans, I know he'll take care of her, and her heart." he added quietly. It still shamed him how he was unable to provide that for her, there was nothing wrong with ayame, she was great, she was brave, fierce and kind, every sign of a great leader, and woman but she was not his mate.

She nodded, "well I hope it works out for them." Was that an appropriate thing to say, I hope your current mate finds peace with someone else?

He mumbled a reply, his eyes growing heavy, her hands were soft and warm against him, and her gentle voice was making him tired, he folded his arms in front of him and rested his head getting comfortable into the crook of his arm.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to the bird fast," she exhaled, "I didn't know it was coming after you." her lip quivered, trying not to replay the scene of him fighting with the bird, she blinked back tears, kouga had never let her get in harm's way, always whisking her away from danger, and being protective towards her, he would have never let that happen.

"It's okay,"he murmured, trying to reassure her, trying to stay awake but failing miserably, her scent was all over the room and it was comforting, helping lull him to sleep.

"It's not, I know you wouldn't have let anything happen to me or to ayame, ginta or hakkaku, good thing they only got a few scratches." she sighed, she was glad that they had somehow managed to stay safe, but they had been in the fight for a little bit, usually taking down a hawk together.

Kouga did not respond, "kouga?"

He had moved his face slightly to the side so he could breathe, and he was fast asleep. She felt her breath still, and studied him. His long lashes brushed his high cheekbones, his face was peaceful and she was glad. Her eyes drifted to his back, even though she had been gone for a few years he hadn't really changed much, except for his body, he was bulkier now but still lean. His muscles were bigger and veins protruded from his arms. Her eyes picked on a scatter of scars from times she wasn't there, and she frowned, how many times did he brush off his wounds by himself?

She looked back at his face, he was handsome no doubt, defined cheekbones and a sharp nose and his lips were… she blushed and shook her head, and covered him with a thin blanket feeling shame at gawking at him while he was asleep. She bit her lip and took another quick glance at him, then her fatigue finally hit her. All the adrenaline from the morning had worn off and her miko energy had drained her. She laid down on what resembled the edge and closed her eyes, she just needed to rest her eyes for a bit.

Just for a few minutes

His neck was starting to feel uncomfortable in the position he had been in, he groaned and got up slowly, aware that some of the herbs were falling off, he felt guilty and hoped kagome wouldn't mind. He moved his neck from side to side to shake off the ache.

"kagome?"

Where is she ? He scanned the room, and saw she was nowhere in sight, interesting, her scent was still fairly new, she had been there recently, there was food near the opening, he grinned, he knew it had been her. He ate quickly, and proceeded to throw his armour back on, trying to think of a place she might have gone to. He hoped she hadn't ventured too far off, he knew she was still apprehensive about where she went, as she wasn't exactly the most welcome. He caught a trace of her scent and followed it back to the healer's part of the cave.

He spotted her immediately, she was on her knees bandaging an old woman's leg talking to her quietly, the old woman grimaced but nodded.

"Thank you." she murmured, looking at her leg, kagome patted her arm and moved on to a man with a wound on his chest. He pointed at a spot on chest and she began working, applying a paste she had been given. She was asking him questions to make sure he wasn't in too much pain.

The man was quiet at first, not saying much, but then blurted out, "you're very pretty."

Kouga gritted his teeth, trying and barely containing a growl, Kagome blushed at the comment and smiled awkwardly, "thank you." she said politely, attempting to finish quickly.

"Are you single?" he asked.

"I uh-"

"Kagome! There you are, are you almost done?" kouga had decided to swoop in, he glared at Jiro who was oblivious to it, still awaiting an answer.

"Oh yes, there you go." she patted the man's shoulder and stood up, silently thanking kouga for the interruption and joined him.

"Have you eaten?" he asked, she looked so tired.

"I- no I haven't I left and came to help out here." she admitted.

He frowned, "come on, let's get you some food and you need to rest now, I know you're exhausted."

She nodded.

"And I need to talk to you."