InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fang of the Father ❯ A Pup With No Name ( Chapter 22 )

LES: Here's my customary “Happy Birthday” to myself update! Today's my 19th birthday! Yea! Now here's an update to make you all happy!... (singing) “I've been through the desert on a horse with no name…”

Muse: Country music sucks.

LES: Hey! It doesn't suck! I'll have you know that I like a lot of country songs!

Muse: Do you know what you get when you mix country and rap? Crap!

LES: I agree with the rap part. (Hates rap) Ignore my muse; she gets like this when I forget to get her muse-nip.

Muse: (glare)

LES: I would also like to apologize for the wait. I've been having to deal with some family problems. Long story short: My aunt and uncle are divorcing, it's getting pretty bitter, and my uncle is a jackass. Now, for more doggie quotes!

 

“I am called a dog because I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp that those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals.” -Diogenes.

 

Chapter XXII: A Pup with No Name

 

Megumi was worried.

The young pup that she and Kenji had saved from getting beaten to death by his villagers had not come one step closer to recovery.

He remained with Kenji and herself, and was so quiet they often forgot that he was there. It was a universal weakness of hanyous that neither humans nor Yokai possessed. Yokai pups imprinted on their parents, but they were strong enough to survive the loss of their parents and fend for itself from an extremely young age. And humans do not imprint on their parents, but they develop an intense emotional connection to their care-givers. While the lost of a parent is hard, a human could recover. It was, however, this mixture of physical and emotional dependence gave hanyous the worst of both worlds. Hanyous imprinted and then became completely dependent upon their biological parents.

It was the second greatest killer of hanyous, and was fairly common knowledge. Kill the parents, kill the hanyou.

He was still dependent upon his parents… his dead parents. Nothing she did could comfort him. She wasn't old enough to breed by hanyou standards, so she possessed no motherly instincts to help comfort the pup.

And the pup was getting worse every day. He wasn't eating anymore, no matter how much food Inuyasha or Kenji brought back for him on their hunting trips. His ribs were starting to show through his sickly pale skin and he was constantly sick. A healthy hanyou physically couldn't get sick unless they caught something during their human time, but the pup's body no longer had the resources to fight off illness.

Even the kind old miko, Kaede, was helpless. She admitted that she knew little about hanyou bodies, and wouldn't be able to help him even if she knew how until he started eating again.

“The only way to help the young one now is for him to eat.” Kaede said, shaking her head hopelessly. “Building up his strength through nourishment is his only hope now.”

Megumi sighed heavily. She just didn't possess the knowledge of how to comfort a pup pinning for his parents.

That was how she found herself tracking Alpha-female Kagome to the house that the villagers had nearly completed. She and Kenji had been well aware of what was going on in the woods because they were living out in the forest since neither one was used to living near humans.

She came upon the large house, approaching cautiously. She would treat the house like an Alpha's den, which should always be carefully approached. The Alphas, usually the Alpha-male, is hard wired to defend their territory fiercely. And their din is the most intimate place that is defended even against members of the pack.

:Alpha.: She barked softly.

Instantly, Inuyasha jumped out from the surrounding forest. “What is it?”

“The pup is getting worse.” Megumi said. “I am incapable of helping him.”

Inuyasha sighed. “The pup is too young to be separated from his parents.” Megumi nodded. “I'll get Kagome, and we'll come out.”

Megumi bowed slightly, and then rushed back out into the forest.

Inuyasha sighed heavily a second time. The pup really was doing poorly. When his mother had died, he had barely grown old enough that he wasn't physically dependent on his mother, but he was still trapped within the deepest level of mourning for months. Even now, two hundred years later, he still mourned for her.

Inuyasha moved back into the house and quickly went back to where Kagome was still asleep. He paused in the doorway, simply staring at his beautiful mate.

He moved closer, and carefully crawled onto the futon with his sleeping mate. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, followed by a small affectionate lick.

Kagome moaned and shifted slightly, being roused from her sleep by her mate. She slowly opened her beautiful brown eyes, and smiled widely. “Inu…”

“Kagome…” Inuyasha breathed, kissing her on her lips. She gladly returned his kiss, wrapping her arm around his neck. After several more teasing kisses, Inuyasha pulled away slightly. “Get up, bitch. We gotta go check on the pup.”

“Our pup's just fine.” Kagome yawned. “Don't jump ahead of yourself.”

“Not our pup.” Inuyasha said. “The other pup.”

That woke Kagome up. She had been highly concerned about the failing health of the young Inu-hanyou pup. “Inuyasha? What is happening to him? You said that hanyous don't get sick under normal circumstances.”

“He misses his parents.” Inuyasha said. “Inu-hanyou imprint on their parents within minutes of birth. Inu-hanyou retains a physical dependence on their parents until they turn three in human years. Until they turn three and grow out of the helpless pup stage, they cannot be separated from their care-givers, or else they'll die.”

“Three? The pup is younger than three?” Kagome asked. “He looks closer to six!”

“He is physically about six.” Inuyasha explained. “Just a few more months, and he would have lost his physical dependence. The pup's parents died at the worst possible time.”

Kagome got up and quickly dressed in her miko robes, and then turned towards her mate. “Okay, let's go.”

Inuyasha allowed her to climb on his back. “How long am I gonna let you ride my back like this, bitch?”

“As long as I say so.” Kagome answered back.

“Feh.” Inuyasha snorted, but didn't say anymore. He took off deeper into the woods towards Kenji and Megumi's den.

When Kagome first saw where they lived with the pup, she had been horrified. It was little more than a hole in the ground. But Inuyasha insisted that it was pretty decent for a hanyou, saying that he had lived in much worse places over the course of his long life.

“It'll be cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and dry all year around.” Inuyasha has said.

The `den' was deep in the forest, plenty of distance away from the human village, and Inuyasha understood why. Until he had become bonded to Kagome with the Subduing spell, he had never been allowed residence in a mortal village. Even with Kikyo, he lived out in the forest to maintain the illusion that he was nothing more than a hanyou tag-a-long and protector. As he had acted when they went to strange villages.

It was little more than an old abandoned animal den that Kenji had expanded on. The Alpha mates approached the front of the den, and Inuyasha followed her down into the earthy hole.

They heard Megumi cooing to the young pup in Inu, trying to comfort him, but nothing worked. The pup's cries and whines reminded Inuyasha forcibly of his own mother's death.

“Oh pup.” Kagome said softly, moving over to the malnourished hanyou pup. :Poor pup. Poor pup.:

“How is he?” Inuyasha asked Kenji.

“Not good at all.” Kenji said with a shake of his head. “If he were out in the wild, he'd be dead by now. He's too weak to fight off Yokai or humans. He is not even strong enough to hold up his own weight, his claws are brittle and they break easily, and his fangs have fallen out, and they're not re-growing well.”

“Damnit!” Inuyasha hissed. If the pup had lost his important first fangs, he would never be able to defend himself properly. His fangs would never be as strong as a normal hanyou's. Inuyasha himself was a very rare hanyou who possessed his own Yokai blade. Most hanyous had to make due with their claws and fangs, or even a human weapon.

:Poor pup. Poor pup.: Kagome repeated in Inu. She felt the pup's forehead. “He has a fever.”

Inuyasha sighed. “I don't know. It might be too late already. It might be better to just…” He trailed off.

“What?!? Put the pup down?” Kagome demanded, rounding on Inuyasha. “How could you even suggest that we kill a defenseless hanyou pup? After what you went through to survive?”

“Kagome…” Inuyasha began with regret in his voice. “Sometimes, these things can't be helped. Even if he does somehow pull through, he'll never be as strong as he could be. It's bad enough to be a hanyou, let alone a weak runty hanyou.”

“We can't kill him!” Kagome insisted. “If the Kami wants him, they will take him. But what if he is a hanyou with a human soul? What if he is capable of love?!? If someone had killed you…” Kagome trailed off. “We would have never met and I wouldn't have learned how amazing love could be.”

Inuyasha sighed again. She's treating the pup like me… a younger me. “Kagome…” Inuyasha repeated softly. “It can't be helped. He's just suffering like this.”

“Fine.” Kagome said. “But I won't let you kill the pup until we know for sure that he's not going to make it.” She turned her attention to the sick pup, who was whimpering deliriously for his parents. :Poor pup. Sick pup.:

Kenji moved Inuyasha out of the den. :Alpha-male right.: He whimpered softly in Inu, so that Kagome was left out of the conversation since she was missing the body language. :Pup won't live. Alpha-male higher than Alpha-female.:

Kenji was right, Inuyasha knew. He ranked higher than his mate, and could overturn her decision. :Bad idea.: Inuyasha barked softly. :Alpha-female treats pup as if pup were Alpha-male as a pup.:

Kenji reluctantly relented. To go against a decision set by both Alphas could mean banishment from the pack.

:But Alpha won't let pup suffer.: Inuyasha whined quieter than before. :If hopeless, kill the pup.:

~~~~~~~~~~

The days passed, and the young pup did not improve in the slightest. Kagome started to visit the den every day, bringing a supply of ramen noodles. It turned out that cheap noodles was not only Inuyasha's addiction. Both Kenji and Megumi had tried it after watching Inuyasha inhale three cups, and had instantly raved about how great it was.

Kagome now chalked it up to a dog's sense of taste, which was the only sense where humans were better than dogs. Which explained how dogs could actually like crap like dog food.

But the pup could not become addicted until he tried it. She pissed off the three adult ramen-addicted hanyous by saying that the ramen was for the pup.

“What a waste of ramen.” Inuyasha growled. “The pup doesn't even eat it!”

Kagome tweaked Inuyasha's ears pretty hard in punishment. “When something happens, one way or another, you can have the ramen back.” She kept trying to feed the pup, who was flat on his stomach and refusing to eat.

Inuyasha moved forward, sniffing the pup and examining the pup's muscles. They had become underdeveloped and the pup whined at the contact. “Kagome, this pup has the physical strength of a newly-whelped pup.” Inuyasha said. “He's not going to last much longer.”

Kagome leaned forward, her face in her hands as she cried. “How could someone do this to you, Inuyasha…?”

“Huh? Me?” Inuyasha gasped, surprised. “I'm fine! It's the pup who's…”

“You were only a little older than this pup when your mother died.” Kagome cried.

“I didn't nearly mourn myself to death!” Inuyasha tried to reason with his pregnant mate; which any experienced male could tell him was not a good idea.

“But it could have been you!” Kagome yelled, tears flowing freely. “A few months could have made all the difference in the world. If you mother had died a few months sooner, this could have happened to you!”

Inuyasha suffered a rather vivid flashback to the days immediately after his mother's death.

He had locked himself in the darkness of his mother's room and howled with loss. He could hear his cousin's taunts about how the stupid mutt probably didn't even understand what was happening and complaints about the noise he was making. Then his human grandfather had stormed in, tore him away from his mother's lingering scent which was his only comfort, and ordered the room to be converted to a storage room.

Kagome watched the brief, but unmistakable look of sorrow cross his face. “You just needed someone to love you.” She turned her attention to the pup. :Pup. Pup listen.: The pup whimpered and Kagome choose to think that it was a sign that he was listening. :Alpha-female loves pup. Doesn't want pup to die.:

The pup whined again, but this time it was a coherent phrase, even if it was in Inu. :Not mother.:

Kagome grinned at Inuyasha, who stared, shocked. The pup had been in Kaede's village for over two months and hadn't said a single meaningful thing, either in Inu or Japanese.

Kagome gently ran her fingers through the pup's silky hair, which was even softer than Inuyasha's. :Not mother.: Kagome agreed. :Pup in pain because of lost mother and father.:

:Hurts.: The pup whined. :Mother and Father dead. No more. Hurts.:

:No more what?: Kagome asked.

:No love.: The pup cried. :Father says Yokai hate hanyous. Mother says humans hate hanyous.:

Kagome sighed. “Well, I guess we've found the heart of the problem. Hanyou pups aren't dependent on their parents. They are dependent on the love that their parents, and only their parents, give them.” She sat on the small futon next to the pup and gently pulled him into her arms. :Pup loved. Pup safe. Hanyou love hanyou.:

The pup cried harder, clutching onto Kagome's top like a safety line. :Pup hurts! Pup hurts!:

“Inuyasha, can you get me some of the ramen?” Kagome asked.

Inuyasha growled softly, and reluctantly gave up some of his precious ramen. Kagome took it and offered the pup a bite of the ramen.

:Hurts.: The pup barked.

“I know it hurts.” Kagome said, switching back to Japanese. “But only a little bit. You need to get your strength back.”

:Hurts.:

:Pup eat.: Kagome cooed.

Inuyasha watched in amazement as Kagome coaxed the pup into eating three small bites of ramen before he refused to eat anymore.

Kagome didn't encourage him to eat any more, knowing that after going so long without food, it would not be good for the pup too eat much right away; at least until he got used to having food in his stomach.

She simply smiled and petted the Inu-hanyou pup between his soft ears, and left with Inuyasha following.

“How did you do that?” Inuyasha asked.

“The same way I healed you… with love.” Kagome said. “Every creature needs to feel loved, either by their parents or the one they choose to spend their lives with. Hanyous are often denied both, which is why they don't survive. The pup just needed someone to love him.”

“Kagome… how many other women would comfort a young hanyou pup pinning for his parents?” Inuyasha asked in wonder.

“A woman who is a hanyou, loves a hanyou, and will soon give birth to a hanyou pup of her own.” Kagome answered instantly.

They met up with Kenji and Megumi. “How is the pup?” Megumi asked.

“It's hard to say.” Inuyasha said. “He's speaking in Inu now and ate a few bites of ramen, but it could still be too late.”

“Kenji, go get the pup some food. Feed him every time he is hungry, but only small meals. If there is any more trouble, call me. Oh, and love him.”

“Love?” Kenji asked.

“Yes. His sickness is nothing more than being deprived of a care-giver's love. Speak to him with love and he'll respond. Food and love is his only chance now.” Kagome said. “If we do that, he might not die.”

“The pup still hasn't revealed his name, and won't until he starts speaking Japanese again.” Inuyasha said. “The Inu language doesn't have names as humans would think of them.”

“The pup will reveal his name to us when he is ready.” Kagome said confidently. “All we have to do is wait and see.”

 

LES: LOL! I still haven't come up with a name for the pup. And I blame it all only my muse. Bad muse! Bad muse! No muse-treats for you!

Muse: Tch. It's not my fault that I don't speak Japanese. Get yourself a muse that can, dorkface.

LES: (holds sign “Free Muse to good home.”)

Muse: I am so unappreciated.