With Spring slowly transitioning to Summer, and the heat of the day becoming warmer than the one before, Sesshomaru couldn't handle the scent that seemed to permeate the air around any human village. The very humans who didn't bathe often enough or even at all for that matter.
He silently wondered how humans could live so disgracefully. They who reek of their foul body odor, but always fighting for the best things. It always seemed as nothing was enough for them. Possibly greed, maybe the utter braggadocio of these so called human 'men' is what drove them to reach for more than any of them really needed or could actually obtain.
Sesshomaru cast a lingering glance at Rin, as she innocently wove a flower crown on Ah-Un's back. Looking at the child made him wonder what has happened to the rest of the humans that reached adulthood to become so vile. Or was it that Rin grew naive to what she knew not under his care?
Rin only saw the demon courts of the Western Shiro, even having a set time where she could listen in on what was being said. During that allotted time, the tabled discussion was usually about plans of betterment for the villages under his protection. Sesshomaru thought it would be a good way to ease her into what the real world was like, but it seemed that the courtiers knew not to push any subject that would upset the child.
He silently mused over possible ideas to further Rin's education. Knowing that most humans didn't know how to write, let alone read and it was usually the head 'man' of villages that knew how.
Their terminology over gender were lost on him. Wasn't a 'man' male and inthus the their 'headman' actually an alpha of the human pack?
He supposed they possibly didn't know that they were all related in that filthy, albeit decently sized, village and so doesn't understand that they are a pack. Before he could fully fall down the rabbit hole, Jaken's annoyingly grating voice caught his attention.
Jaken came scuttling closer to his person than he liked, "Lord Sesshomaru, this lowly Jaken has come to remind you about the court-"
Only to be hit with a rock that came out of seemingly thin air.
"Be Silent Jaken."
Jaken wisely followed his Lord's order and dropped back in stride with Ah-Un after picking himself up out of the dirt. Rin, all the while, was lightly giggling to his chagrin. He could only half heartedly glare at her.
With flowers tucked into any place she could make them stay and a giddy smile on her face, it was hard to actually be harsh or downright cruel to the child. Not to mention that Jaken didn't want to be hit by another phantom rock anytime soon.
To be perfectly honest, Rin was barely a child anymore. Having grown quite a bit in these last few years with him taking her in as his ward. According to human customs, she would be almost the age for when she would look for a mate. Not that he would allow that anytime soon.
Sesshomaru, noting the placement of the setting sun, altered their course slightly and took his admittedly small pack off the dusty beaten path and further into the dense foliage of the forest they were making their way through. He only stopped when they stepped into a clearing he deemed fit enough to rest in.
With a spring through the bushes to south and it being hugged up against a cliff face on the west facing side, it was easily defendable. He could sence some animals nearby towards the northeast, he released his aura and scent to mark this place as his. Having his ki around the clearing made it safe to leave the pack there because the residual energy made it feel like an echo of himself was still there.
A quick glance out of the corner of his eye showed that Rin was already setting up camp with little help from Jaken. She already having stashed her flower crown in one of Ah-Un's saddle pockets. Jaken, all the while, squawking and ranting about how she couldn't do anything right the first time.
Slightly annoyed, but never showing it, Sesshomaru wondered why he even puts up with the slimey toad around his person or his ward.
That was a lie, he knew Rin would be distressed if Jaken 'mysteriously' wound up dead while she wasn't around. It wasn't as though she had many friends to spare considering the prejudice at his Shiro. There wasn't many children as it was, and most had already been taught that humans were below them.
Such practices they picked up from the older demons milling around probably. If bot them, then the few human haters that still lingered in his court, those he couldn't get rid of yet. Courtesans were nothing if not grasping tactful fools vying for his power, thinking that the little human held no sway to his decisions.
As he turned to leave, he caught sight of Rin starting to assemble a fire in a fresh pit she had dug out in the middle of the clearing with a tiny shovel that stayed in the saddle bag.
"Rin, stay put."
"Haiii."
"Answer our Lord properly! You stupid-"
A surprised squawk could be heard through the entire clearing. The little girl giggled happily at her Lord's thinning patience with Jaken.
"Be Silent Jaken."
Sesshomaru incredulously wondered how the two-headed dragon could be so well behaved around the child while an adult, that's supposed to be his trusted retainer, seemingly couldn't.
He strode into the quickly approaching twilight lit forest, silently contemplating future plans and what he should do about Rin. She was coming of age soon, he could smell the shift in her scent. Maybe it was time to seek out the Miko that fascinated him for his ward.
Being male and not apart of their species, he thought it would come across better from her than any bitch back at home.
It was not a conversation that he never thought to have and one he didn't want to discuss with just anyone.
Sesshomaru's eyes thinned minutely, she didn't have a choice and she will soon learn that nothing got in his way while taking care of his pack.
This is actually fun way for a brain exercise, don't know if anyone caught on, but I'm having fun lol
~Ja Ne~