XLVII

Terras Irradient

Sunset comes, and the fires are lit on the ledges outside the den, and the stars begin to come out one by one around the brilliant luminance of the moon. Kouga sends some of the higher ranked females of the pack to Kagome, their arms laden with gifts that are promises. Though she is surprised, Kagome lets them do what they want; she trusts Kouga, and that means trusting his pack, too.

One has ornaments and jewelry and combs; another lays down an armful of gleaming black fur; three more carry a great tub full of hot water. Kagome sinks into it gratefully, surprised that they have such a thing; she's seen wolves bathing in the river many times. The hot water is a welcome respite from the cold current, and she recognizes Shiori and greets her with a smile.

"Shiori! How's Sho, I haven't seen him today -"

"He's well, Kagome-san. Please, lean back and I'll wash your hair."

"Ah – oh. All right then..."

Hesitant at first, Kagome relaxes into the pampering treatment after only a few moments. Shiori's claws massage her scalp gently despite how deadly Kagome knows such claws can be, and when she is through Kagome rinses her hair and then lays back for a few minutes until the hot water begins to cool and her fingers wrinkle.

Two of the females who brought the bath wrap her in warm fur and rub her skin dry; it tickles, and Kagome restrains her laughter. When she's dry they leave her wrapped in the fur and the three who brought the bath take it out again. Kagome sits on the furs that are spread across the floor of Kouga's chamber and submits to Shiori combing out her hair and one of the other females trimming and...sharpening her nails. She blinks at that but says nothing, and in a very few minutes she is alone with Shiori.

"Please stand, Kagome-san. I'll help dress and ready you and then we must be going; the sun is almost set completely."

Kagome looked up and saw that Shiori was right. The red lines of light that had painted the wall are gone now, and the room is dim with purple twilight. Shiori stands and shakes out the gleaming dark fur that she brought in with her. One piece at a time, she dresses Kagome in it; a bandeau like the one she usually wears but with long long trailing ends that hang down in the back, weighted with gold. The skirt is long and heavy and sits low on Kagome's hips; she feels cool air on the small of her back and realizes that if she had a tail it would be right in that bare space. The hem of the skirt is heavy with with gold and amber, and Kagome stands still while Shiori binds up her hair and pins it. Kagome thinks at first that the pins are ivory, but her eyes widen after a moment looking at them. The shape – they are the fangs of a wolf, the fangs of a youkai!

Something cold and wet on the back of her neck startles her, but Shiori's left hand is on her shoulder and holds her still.

"Don't move, Kagome-san. You'll spoil it -"

Kagome feels more tickling wetness move across her shoulders, on the middle of her back – on her upper arms, and then Shiori moves in front of her and she sees that the wolf female has been painting her with gleaming gold. She doesn't know what's on her back, but Shiori paints five stylized wolf claws on her chest, the claws reaching up for her throat; something on her forehead that she can't see, and then a line of characters Kagome doesn't know in a spiral that winds around her wrists to her elbows. The gold paint is cold and feels heavy when Shiori paints it on her fingernails, but Shiori doesn't only paint the nails, she paints the nails and the tips of Kagome's fingers, then turns her hands and paints a shape like a starburst in the center of each palm.

"Almost done, Kagome-san. Sit back, please."

Kagome does as she's told, and Shiori kneels before her and paints her toenails, and then lifts Kagome's feet one at a time and paints the bottoms. Where the top of her feet meet her ankles, Shiori places another unrecognizable character, and Kagome sighs and sits very still, afraid that if she moves she'll ruin Shiori's careful work.

"Sit still for a minute or two, Kagome-san. The paint dries quickly and won't come off without the solvent; you have no need to worry once it's dry."

"Oh good, I was afraid I was going to leave gold footprints all the way outside."

Shiori smiles and shakes her head.

"No, of course not. Does the paint still feel cold?"

"On the bottoms of my feet, but nowhere else."

After another minute has passed the cool sensation fades, and Shiori stands and pulls Kagome to her feet with strength Kagome finds surprising. She takes a step toward the passage, but Shiori stops her with a hand on her arm.

"Not quite yet, Kagome-san. Kouga sent these for you; your first courtship gifts, Kagome-san!"

By the tone of her voice Kagome knows she should be excited, and when she unwraps the unassuming fur package that Shiori hands to her the things she finds inside astonish her. A necklace of wolf claws, each one decorated with gilding and separated with golden beads. Gold and jade jewelry, some of it so ancient in style that she's almost afraid to touch ithem - a handful of sparkling gems, loose and rattling against each other. A gleaming fortune lies before her, and Shiori smiles at her expression and steps forward to take some of the things from the fur laying open in her hands.

"Our prince shares with you some of his wealth, Kagome-san. Some of these things have been passed through many generations, and some of them are new."

Carefully, Shiori takes the necklace of gleaming claws and fastens it around Kagome's throat. Then she steps back and examines the work she has done.

"Beautiful, Kagome-san. Now, come – we don't you to be late."

It is only then that Kagome realizes she has been made ready for a reason – of course there would be a reason – and only hopes that she doesn't make too much of a fool of herself.

She steadies herself with the memory of Kouga's proclamation, how firm he is about his desire – about wanting her forever. She remembers what he told her before she ever knew he had such serious intentions toward her – that he'll take one mate, and one mate only.

She takes a deep breath, and smiles at Shiori's questioning look, and then steps out into the passage and makes her way outside.

Kouga stands on a flat stone in the center of the river, high enough that all the pack can gather below him and look up to see the announcement he is about to make. He knows it's unnecessary, in the strictest sense; Kagome isn't a wolf, and his intentions are well known to any who care to interest themselves, but he doesn't care. He wants to claim her; wants the formal courtship announcement to soothe the restless pacing of the wolf that is his soul. Having her so close to him, wanting her so much – it's a torment like nothing he's ever known, and no part of him will be satisfied until he makes his final claim on her and takes her for his own forever.

This first step – it is not enough, but it is the right direction. He doesn't think he'll ever be able to get Kagome's voice out of his head again, repeating the words that he has been waiting for.

"I'm the wolf's woman."

When she comes out of the entrance to the den, Shiori close behind her, the pack sets up a howl of welcome but Kouga barely hears it. His eyes are on Kagome – the gleaming black fur that is his mother's own pelt, the gold of his gifts at her throat, and the painted promise of her self shining on her skin in the rising light of the moon.

A/N: Eep! One day behind! I burned my hand while I was cooking yesterday, so I ended up not able to type much; tis better now though, so here's yesterday's chapter and today's shall appear very shortly, I'm working on it even now! This chapter's title, "Terras Irradient", translates to "let them illuminate the land". More very soon, possibly within the hour depending on if Kouga cooperates. He should; he's getting what he wants, after all.

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