InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Foundations of Neo Genesis ❯ Chapter 7

Foundations of Neo Genesis

Chapter 7

 

Miroku strode casually behind the female leader of his group. The young ex-military captain carried an empty backpack over one shoulder, intending to use it as a makeshift fruit basket. In her hand was a smaller version of Kagome's comp that displayed a hologram of the landscape.

 

Behind him, the small band kept close together. He had yet to introduce himself to each of them, but knew some of their names. To his right, Savannah, a petite lioness demon with short flaxen hair, warm brown eyes, and a tail ending in a tuft of brown fur, was chatting with a jaguar demon named Krishna. He had sleek black hair, matching tail, and slit-pupil green eyes.

 

On Miroku's left was a wolf demon by the name of Kouga. He had black hair pulled into a high ponytail and cobalt eyes that seemed to lack pupils. Kouga was pointedly ignoring the human boy next to him - a slip of a boy named Sean. Sean had dark hair and grey eyes, and seemed content to keep out of the wolf demon's way.

 

Bringing up the rear of the group, a stag demon and raven demon chatted animatedly. The deer was named Darby; he was fine-boned with fawn brown hair and limpid blue eyes. The raven, on the other hand, was a slip of a girl with curly-cue pitch-colored hair and wide violet eyes. Her name was Branwen.

 

“So where are we going, my lady?” Miroku asked, flicking his eyes back to the small group's leader. Sango looked over her shoulder at him.

 

“Kirara wanted us to cut her some of the long grass from the plains area, and we need to pick some more fruit. We'll get the grass first so we don't have to carry the fruit any longer than necessary,” she answered. The group made no protests to the plan, so Sango continued on her course.

 

The forest was calm around them, but Sango stayed alert. She tried to remember all the things Kagome had told her about animals and their possible behaviors. It had not put the ex-military agent's mind at ease to know how many types of predators might be stalking them at this moment. People she could deal with, people she could predict; but animals were a complete mystery to her.

 

Checking her mini comp again, she knew they would reach the tree line shortly and was grateful. Even with her training, the walk had been arduous. The grumbling around her was not helping much either.

 

Quite suddenly, the trees gave way to the plains and the group had to stop and let their eyes adjust to the sudden flood of light. The grass sea spread out before them, much more lively than it had been the day they landed. Herds of animals dotted the area as far as the eyes could see.

 

To their right was a small group of the creatures they had seen on their first day: Fringe Gazelle Kagome had named them. They grazed peacefully, but kept wary eyes trained on the group. Farther off towards the horizon, a large herd of mixed animals all grazed and mingled together. Sango had to squint, but she could make out at least four different body shapes. Another, smaller group of animals, was almost directly in front of them on the very edge of the horizon. They were tall, but beyond that it was hard to make out any features about them.

 

“Let's get this over with,” Krishna sighed as he crossed the few steps to the grass and grabbed a handful near the roots. The grass came up easily, roots and all. He gave it a shake to knock out the dirt, before going back for more. The others followed suit.

 

The work was hard. With the sun beating down and the constant bending and pulling, the group was quickly tiring. Miroku stood and wiped some sweat from his brow. He had always thought he was in decent shape, but this task was proving him wrong in short order. Looking out over the plains, he took note of the changes. The gazelle had moved back into the forest, and the large herd of mixed animals had worked its way more towards the right. The smaller group of tall creatures was closer now, and he could make out their brown coloring against the green grass. He shrugged and went back to work.

 

It was not long before the group had filled their arms with grass and Sango called a stop. They stood and stretched as best they could without dropping their burdens before turning to head back.

 

“What is that?” Miroku asked as he lifted a hand to shade his eyes. The rest of the group turned to see what he was looking at. The pack of creatures that had been off in the distance when they started had moved much closer. They could now easily make out a dozen individual animals.

 

The creatures walked upright on their hind legs and stood roughly eight feet tall. Each was covered in a fine coat of short hair-like feathers. Their heads and thick necks were dark chocolate, as well as the swooping stripes running down their sides, that faded into a lighter brown on their backs and a soft tan on their bellies. Powerful hooked beaks completed their bird-like appearance, despite their lack of wings. In the place of the missing appendages were powerful arms. The arms lacked feathers from the elbows down and instead were covered in smooth grey skin. Each arm was tipped with a three-fingered hand and talon-like claws. Their legs were long and powerful, also lacking the fur-feathers except at the tops of their thighs. Large red eyes flashed in the sunlight.

 

Sango furrowed her brow and frowned. Kagome had been the one to dedicate herself to the sciences, but the knot in the pit of her stomach told Sango all she needed to know. Her mind raced, trying to dredge up all the tidbits of information she had heard. The creatures were slowly moving towards them, tilting and turning their heads inquisitively.

 

“Everyone back up.” Sango kept her voice as quiet as possible while emphasizing her command with a backwards hand motion. “Don't run and don't scream.” The small group began to slowly back its way into the forest. The giant birds continued to advance, almost cautiously.

 

“They're still coming…” Sean hissed out of the corner of his mouth. “What now?”

 

“Just try not to attract their attention,” Sango answered.

 

“Little late for that,” Kouga growled.

 

“This is not the time to argue,” Miroku interrupted, “Maybe they will lose interest after we get past the trees.” Sango looked over her shoulder. They were still a good 30 meters from the tree line. She cursed under her breath, wondering how they had moved so far out without noticing, and looked back at the birds. With their longer legs, they were advancing faster than the group could retreat.

 

“Oh shit.” Krishna spat. Several of the group members turned their heads in time to see another of the large birds emerging from the trees off to their right. This one was limping badly and had blood running from wounds on its hip and neck. It lifted its head and let out a short series of `barks.' The group of birds stopped and looked at the newcomer, before the leading bird `barked' back.

 

“They are going to kill us!” Darby's voice sliced through the tension before he bolted for the trees. The lead bird let out an ear-splitting scream, and the group scattered, all making for the trees as fast as their legs would carry them. The birds charged in response. They proved to be far faster then their size let on and quickly closed the small space.

 

The lead bird let out another scream as it came alongside Sean, who was not as fast as his companions. With a swing of its head, the bird sent the human flying. The boy tumbled through the air before landing roughly on his back with a painful `oomph.'

 

Miroku looked back involuntarily at the sound, just in time to see the great bird stop and bring its foot down on the boy. Sean let out a choked scream just before the bird snapped its head down. Miroku's eyes widened at the sound of bones cracking and flesh tearing. The bird stood to its full height, Sean's head clamped firmly in its beak. The bird threw it back and swallowed in a single gulp. The other birds gave up the chase to partake in the prey.

 

Miroku felt like his knees were going to give out beneath him, but his legs refused to stop moving. A low branch slapped him in the face as he ducked into the forest. Warm blood made its way down his cheek, his lungs constricted, his throat closed, and his heart felt like it would burst from his chest. Only when his legs, unused to such strain, gave out, did the priest stop.

 

Exhausted limbs screamed from exertion and his chest heaved as he gulped down air. The scattered remaining members of their group sat on the ground or leaned against trees as they tried to catch their breath. Sango was the only one still on her feet, but she too was holding on to a tree trunk for support. Their grass cargo was long gone, forgotten in the mad dash.

 

“Do you… think… we lost them?” Darby asked breathlessly. Sango looked over her shoulder.

 

“I think so.” She scanned the trees for signs of movement.

 

“I say we go back to the cave,” Kouga puffed. “Screw everything else.” He was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed as he did his best to breathe through his nose, his bangs matted to his face with sweat.

 

“I second,” Krishna added from his place flat on his back.

 

“Where's Sean?” Savannah asked as she propped herself up on her elbows. Miroku felt his stomach turn.

 

“He-he didn't make it,” Miroku answered. “The birds, those things, they...” He could not finish the sentence and swallowed hard to keep from retching. “May the Gods save his soul.” A deathly silence fell over the group.

 

“You mean…?” Savannah asked, her eyes widening. “But-but-but-but… that's-that's not…”

 

“We should leave,” Branwen said as she stood up. “Those things could be back any time.” There was a collective grunt of agreement as everyone pushed themselves to their feet and gathered together again. Sango took the small comp from the backpack and turned it on. She pushed a few buttons and the map of the area, complete with a compass, appeared.

 

“Let me see…” Sango mused. “Here are the plains to the south… and the cliff caves are to the east… so we should gooooo…” she turned on her heels, “this way.”

 

“Are you sure?” Krishna asked.

 

“Positive,” Sango answered and started off. Having no other choice but to trust her, the group moved off.

 

&&&

 

“We should head back,” Kagome said as she sat up in the grass, “It's not a good idea for us to be away from the group longer than necessary.” Inuyasha sat up, but made no other move to rise.

 

“What's the fucking point?” he grumbled. “All they're doing right now is complaining about how this wasn't what they expected.” He turned his head to look at her, “Unless you're in a big hurry to get back to ol' Rickety.” Kagome rolled her eyes.

 

“Do you have to insult someone every chance you get? Sure, Ricky is kind of a pain, but he was picked to come for a reason, just like everyone else.”

 

“And what reason was that?” Inuyasha quipped as he moved back to the water's edge and crouched down.

 

Kagome shrugged. “I don't know. I was picked for my science background, Sango for her ability to lead and organize people; everyone has some skill they can contribute.” She paused and looked up at the trees. “Why are you here? I mean, I know you were a street kid, but why did you want to come?” When Inuyasha did not answer, she looked back over at him.

 

Inuyasha was crouched low over the water, the light reflecting off the liquid surface dancing across his face. His ears were forward, and his face turned away from her. Kagome frowned. She could not see his face, but something in the way he sat told her he was not happy.

 

“Inuyasha…?”

 

“It's none of your fucking business, bitch!” He whirled on her and Kagome cringed away at the look on his face. His golden eyes burned with something she could not begin to decipher, and his lips were pulled away from bared fangs. Kagome let out a small frightened squeak despite her best efforts to keep it down. Inuyasha snorted in satisfaction and turned back to the water.

 

Kagome brought her hand up to cover her heart, trying to stop the erratic hammering inside her chest. For a moment, she really thought he was going to hurt her. There was no doubt in her mind that he could if he wanted to. She let her eyes flicker over to him. He still seemed tense. Kagome bit her lip. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. Inuyasha did not answer.

 

For a long time neither said anything, one out of fear and the other too lost in thought.

 

“What are you looking at?” Kagome asked softly, not sure if he was going to talk to her anymore or not. She sighed when he did not respond. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on top. Resigning herself, she prepared to wait. It was a bad idea to leave the half-demon and try to go back on her own after all.

 

A sudden splash caused Kagome to look up. Inuyasha let out an annoyed curse and shook water from his arm. Kagome lifted an eyebrow in silent question. As she watched, the half-demon clawed at the water several more times, and cursed each time.

 

“Inuyasha, what are you doing?” she finally asked. Inuyasha only grumbled and returned to glaring down at the water. Curiosity overcoming fear, Kagome got up and moved to stand next to him.

 

Below the water's surface swam a bunch of bronze creatures. They reminded Kagome of the fish that had lived on Earth with their streamlined bodies. Each `fish' had a flat head and wide mouth that they held open as they faced against the current. Large, unblinking eyes, stared blankly at their self-assigned task. They were about two feet long and had anchored themselves to the river bottom with a clawed `hands' on each side. Their tails were split in two, with a delicate-looking fin on each side. The fins swayed in perfect sync with each other, helping the animals stay in place as they fed. The scales of each creature were large, round plates that looked like armor.

 

“They're fish… sort of.” Kagome said, leaning down for a closer look. “Some sort of filter feeder I think…” Inuyasha slapped at the water again, splashing Kagome, and cursed again. Kagome wiped the water from her eyes and growled softly, “What was that for?”

 

Inuyasha looked up and seemed surprised to see her standing there and wet. “Isn't that obvious, wench. I'm trying to catch one.” He made another grab at the fish, and missed.

 

“Number one, there is no guarantee they aren't poisonous or something,” Kagome said as she wiped the water from her face again. “Second, you're not going to catch one by just grabbing at what you see.”

 

“And why is that?” Inuyasha snapped crossly. He glared at her briefly, before looking back at his quarry. But one of his ears remained trained on her, giving away his interest.

 

“Unlike synthesized water, organic water refracts light,” Kagome answered.

 

“What?” The irritation was rising in his voice, and Kagome reminded herself he was not a student interested in how things worked.

 

“Basically, the fish is not where you see it,” Kagome clarified. Inuyasha frowned. “Here, look.” Kagome put her hand into the water, showing how the refraction of the light made it appear to bend sharply upward. Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly with understanding. The fish continued to ignore them.

 

Kagome stepped back, clearing the splash zone, and dried her hand on her pants. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and focused on one of the fish, taking aim just below the image he saw on the surface. In a flash, he struck. His aim was true and bronze scales flashed in the sunlight and water flew through the air. Inuyasha had caught a fish… almost.

 

The frightened creature thrashed violently in his grasp and, with the aid of the water, slipped from his hand, landing with a splash back in the river. Inuyasha growled in frustration and leaned back over the water.

 

His next attempt was more successful. This time he grabbed onto his struggling prey with both hands. The fish continued to thrash desperately, flopping back and forth and slapping its captor with its twin tails. Inuyasha grinned, holding his prey firmly until it stopped fighting back. When he was sure it was dead, he let it drop to the grassy bank, a proud grin on his face.

 

“That was pretty good,” Kagome complimented as she knelt down to get a closer look at the creature. “Do you think you can catch some more?”

 

“Keh. Of course I can.”

 

&&&

 

Kirara looked up as Inuyasha and Kagome came out of the woods. Kagome had the canteens over her right shoulder, while Inuyasha carried a number of large fish-like creatures. They were not speaking to each other, but they did not look like they had been fighting either. The cat demon raised her hand in greeting, a gesture only Kagome returned. Other members of the group noticed and looked up.

 

“Hey, water's here,” Gawain said, raising his yellow eyes. Everyone else followed suit. Kagome let out a surprised squeak as she was swarmed by their thirsty companions. Inuyasha growled, showing his fangs, and the group stopped. Kagome dumped the canteens she was carrying onto the ground with a loud clatter, and moved out of the way. The abandoned water containers were quickly snatched up by the waiting group.

 

Inuyasha snorted and walked around the group, Kagome following in his wake, and took his catch to the cave entrance. Someone had gotten a fire started in their absence, and Inuyasha sat down next to it. With Kagome looking on, he retrieved the dagger from his bag and went to work. Practiced ease guided his hands as he removed the head, skins, and guts from the creatures. He found that the plate-like scales were actually quite hard, and he had to wedge his knife between them before he could cut at the flesh.

 

“How do you know how to do that?” Kagome asked, somewhere between fascination and revulsion. Inuyasha looked up at her, noting he had amassed a small audience, and smirked.

 

“Have you ever been hungry enough to eat a rat?” His voice was mild, but the reaction was not. Several people made gagging noises and Kagome reared up and looked sick.

 

“No, and I hope I never am,” she balked.

 

“Keh!” Inuyasha huffed as he cut a small piece out of the first fish. He stabbed it with the tip of his dagger and extended the flesh towards her. “Here's a piece to test for poisons, or whatever it is you do. I don't want to cut up the rest of these if we can't eat them.” Kagome accepted the piece gingerly, holding it between two fingers like it might bite her.

 

Digging her comp out of her bag, she moved to sit down next to Kirara, who was nursing a canteen. “Have Sango and the others come back yet?” she asked, placing the flesh sample into a small test tube and inserting it into a round slot in the upper right corner of the machine. With a few strokes of the keys, the comp began its analysis.

 

“Not yet,” Kirara answered.

 

“How long until they get back?”

 

“Well,” Kirara wiped the excess water from her mouth with the back of her hand. “They haven't been gone long. And they are making a stop at the plains area to cut some grass, as well as gather fruit.”

 

“Why?” Kagome asked, furrowing her brow as she watched her comp.

 

“Emer said she learned some basket weaving from her grandmother and thought we could weave the grass together to make mats. If nothing else, they will keep us from lying on the cold ground.” Kirara answered as she directed Kagome's attention to a girl with fiery red hair and sparkling emerald eyes. The girl blushed shyly.

 

The comp beeped at her and Kagome looked down. Her eyes scanned the summary that was given, then nodded in Inuyasha's direction. He took the hint and began cleaning the rest of his catch. Kagome frowned slightly. After they divided the fish up, there really would not be enough to fill everyone. She groaned, knowing they would be having soup again. The only consolation was the fact that Sango's group would soon return with fruit.

 

Kagome watched in mild interest as Inuyasha cleaned and gutted the rest of the fish, then skewered them on some sticks he broke from a nearby tree. He anchored the base of the sticks into the ground so they leaned towards the fire. Some of them fell over, but with persistence he managed to make them work. When he was done, he sat by the catch and watched them cook.

 

Kagome retrieved one of the large scales where Inuyasha had left it on the cave floor. She was surprised to find it was several centimeters thick and hard. On closer examination it was like a plate of bone. Each of the scales was flat and almost the size of her hand. Deciding that they could prove useful in the future, Kagome gathered them up off the floor and tucked them away into her bag.

 

“Hey, Kagome,” Kirara elbowed her, “Sango's back.” Kagome looked up to see her friend coming through the tree line with her small group. She raised her hand in welcome, but noticed that the gesture was not returned and the majority of the group looked pale.

 

“Sango?” Kagome asked, scrambling to her feet and approaching her friend. Sango looked at her as if for the first time, before shaking her head.

 

“Where's Sean?” A girl with wheat-blond hair asked. Her name was Ivy, and Sango clearly remembered her hanging around with Sean before they had left. “He went with you, didn't he?”

 

“He… Sean,” Sango swallowed and steeled herself as she had been taught. “Sean is dead.” A gasp rose from the group in a single great breath. “We ran across these… bird things. They approached us, we bolted, and they attacked.”

 

A panicked murmur rose from the group as people discussed the possible implications of this news. Kagome tried to gather her thoughts over the rising din. She had been prepped for this, casualties were expected in the program and people were expected to panic. Still, she was not prepared for it to happen this soon, or in this manner.

 

Truth be told, when they had explained all the risks she would be facing, it had all seemed surreal and abstract. The concept had been simple enough, but it was one of those things that was easier said than done. Even now, she could feel the desperation rising in her own chest.

 

Forcefully, she stamped the feelings down and turned to the group. The ones who had gone with Sango seemed oddly silent, while everyone else was huddling together. Kagome felt a pair of eyes on her and turned. Inuyasha was still seated by the fire, but his eyes were turned towards her, a single eyebrow raised in question.

 

“Everyone, calm down,” Kagome said, her voice wavering slightly. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. The rest of the group did not seem to hear her. Licking her lips, Kagome tried again, “Everyone, please!” This time her voice was stronger, but it still went unnoticed. “EVERYBODY SHUT UP!” Kagome screamed. The entire group turned to stare at her. Inuyasha looked very amused.

 

“Kagome…” Sango's voice betrayed her surprise.

 

“Ok, now that everyone is with me,” Kagome pressed on, ignoring the look from her friend. “First of all, we cannot panic. We all knew the risks when we signed up. Sango, tell us, what happened exactly? We can learn from this information when we run into these creatures again.”

 

“What do you mean `when'?” Ricky squeaked.

 

“We are now sharing their home,” Kagome answered. “It only stands to reason that we will cross paths with them again.”

 

“Can't we do something?” Muriel, a wild-looking girl with blue hair and green eyes, pleaded. “Sango's military. Didn't she bring weapons, some way for us to defend ourselves?”

 

Kagome sighed, knowing this would not go well. “No, we have no weapons except those we make ourselves.”

 

“So we have nothing…” Kouga said slowly.

 

“We don't have `nothing,'” Kagome snapped before anyone could start panicking again. “Everyone here has a skill they can contribute. I've studied biology and ecology, Sango has military training, Miroku can provide spiritual guidance, and the list goes on. We can get through this; we just have to work together.”

 

“But what about the birds?” Ricky asked in a tiny voice. “They've tasted human flesh, now they'll come after us and eat us one by one.” Kagome fixed the large boy with a dry look.

 

“What do you think this is, a cheap horror movie?” With a shake of her head, she turned back to the rest of the group. “I can't promise you we won't cross paths with them, and I can't promise they won't kill anyone else. But they're animals, not monsters. They aren't going to show up in the middle of the night and slaughter us in our sleep for the fun of it.”

 

“But they killed Sean,” Ivy protested. “He didn't do anything.” A murmur of agreement ran through the group.

 

“As Sango said,” Kagome explained patiently, “everyone ran. This probably triggered an instinctive chase/kill response. I briefed you on this before the mission.”

 

“But…” Muriel started.

 

“Look people,” Sango cut in. She had drawn herself up and squared her shoulders, but her voice shook ever so slightly. “You all knew what you were getting into when you signed up. You knew the risks and you came any way. This is our chance for a better life, but if we want it, we have to fight for it. Nothing worth having was ever easy.”