XLIV

Sine Metu

In complete silence, wrapping himself in thoughts of utter stealth, Miroku moves deeper and deeper into the wolves' den, praying as he does so that he's on his way out into the forest. He meets no one, hears not a sound, and dares barely even to breathe when he sees the faint, dim glow of daylight ahead of him and quickens his footsteps just a little.

He takes four steps into a great, open cavern, and sees that he's made a terrible, terrible mistake – because this is not the exit, it is a chamber into which the daylight filters faintly from high in the ceiling...and it is a dead end.

He hears his heartbeat pound suddenly loud in his ears. Senses attuned to deadly powers warn him too late that he has come upon the terrible wolf that captured him – the leader, greater than all the others. This is exactly the opposite of what he'd wanted. He'd wanted time to regroup, to get his bearings, to make some strategy and catch this cocky wolf on his own terms -

Instead he'd gone straight to the heart of the den. Already, he sees blue eyes staring at him from across the room, hears a low growl and listens to it grow into throbbing thunder. A doze other pairs of eyes light up in the dimness at the sound, and Miroku hears an indrawn breath, a low female voice that surprises him because it sounds human.

"What's – going on? What's going on -"

But there are only growls in answer, no words, and with a pulse of light and power the humanoid shadow of the wolf-leader leaps toward Miroku, becoming wolf-shaped as it moves toward him. There isn't much space for him to move in, but Miroku darts to the side and manages to avoid the wolf's first charge. Something nips at his heels, and he sees a wolf, a little pup, and then stumbles over another. He moves to kick them out of the way, one eye on the great wolf's snarling muzzle, but a shout stops him – the woman.

"No – don't hurt them!"

Miroku watches a flash of woman move from a fur covered- ledge in front of him to the floor beside him; his impressions are limited by the danger of these moments but what he sees pleases him greatly – pale skin faintly tanned by time in the sun, dark hair in luxuriant, unbound tresses...blue eyes, snapping with fire.

She cradles the pups in her hands and pushes them behind her body, looks across at the wolf and speaks to him.

"Is this the interesting stranger you found, Kouga?"

Kouga. Miroku contemplates the name but it means nothing to him. He files it away for later. He hears a growling terror of a voice come raging out of the wolf, and swallows.

"I thought he was interesting. I should have let the pups eat him."

The great red tongue lolls out of the wolf's mouth. The woman takes on a stern expression, shakes her head, but Miroku's eyes dart down to the panting pups, red gleam in their eyes now, tiny fangs exposed, all snarl and the desire to be dangerous. He hears a low growling laugh and looks up and sees that the wolf's eyes are on him. Miroku knows that this Kouga knows what he was thinking -

Then the wolf steps forward, laving his jaws with that red tongue, and Miroku feels panic approaching. He fumbles in his sleeve after a shocked moment of stillness and finds what he is looking for; he steps back and throws forward at the same moment, and the ofuda he has thrown bursts into fire as it travels and strikes Kouga on the shoulder. The wolf snarls at the burning, but the ofuda sticks, becomes darker – its' a precious bit of a paper, one that cost Miroku a pretty penny, but he's been saving it for just such an emergency as this. With one hand, Miroku reaches out for the woman's arm and jerks her upright, pulls her against his body. With the other, he grips his staff, and then he turns and tries to run.

Tries, because the woman pulls against him with all her strength, twists and beats at him and then reaches for the wolf.

"Let me go – let me go, whoever you are! Kouga – Kouga!"

Pink energy leaks from her skin in her distress, a wash of sweet-scented power that Miroku recognizes immediately. Miko! And a powerful one, too -

The woman's clenched fist collides with the side of his head, and Miroku is momentarily senseless. His grip on her other wrist loosens, and the women flies from him to the wolf, howling now with pain. The flame Miroku has infected him with is a flame that will burn using Kouga's own youki as fuel.

Fearless, Kagome reaches through the fire and strips the ofuda from Kouga's fur. She flings at back at Miroku, and it falls to the ground and burns out, leaves only black ash behind. The wolf stalks forward, and Miroku clenches his right hand – does he have any other choice? Can he do it, can he unleash his most desperate weapon in this little space? And the woman – the miko – what about her?

He is in the second moment of his thoughts when the choice is taken from him. The wolf leaps forward and grabs Miroku in his teeth. Miroku feels agony, the enormous fangs squeezing around his middle, breaking into the skin, digging deeper -

"Kouga! Kouga, put him down! What are you doing, Kouga, stop it, come on! Stop – it – you – Kouga!"

In a haze of pain, the white flash of death suspended before him, Miroku sees the woman in blinks as she approaches the wolf that has bitten him and presses her hands against the enormous muzzle, presses her whole body against the head of the wolf and tugs at the fur below one great eye.

The pain grows less, and Miroku falls out of Kouga's mouth and lands on the fur-covered floor, bloody and wet with wolf-saliva and shuddering with the nearness of his own death.

Out of one half open eye he sees the woman pushing back the wolf from his body, her hands on the great muzzle, careless of the gleaming fangs so near her delicate fingers.

Fearless.

What a woman – what a strange, beautiful, fearless prize of a woman!

The shape of the wolf becomes more human, a shape Miroku remembers. The eyes give away the nature of the beast; in the shadow they glow like coals of ice.

The wolf's face is bloody.

He bends and kisses the woman.

She doesn't turn away.

Blackness rushes over Miroku, a dark, unconscious wave.

A/N: And there we are! Another chapter, as promised! Today's chapter title "Sine Metu" translates to "without fear". Much thanks to ye readers and reviewers – more soon, as in tomorrow (or later today, depending on where you are!) Also, Miroku is not dead; just slightly...chewed. Don't worry, he'll stay in one piece...as long as his hand stays under control. No, not the Kazaana hand. The groping one. :snickers:

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