InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake ❯ Noises in the night ( Chapter 1 )

Thalia: Hi I'm Thalia. Erin's new co-host since Tallee moved away.

Erin: Yeah well I'm basing this story sort of close to my favorite PC game called Nancy Drew: The Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake. I highly recommend it though I do recommend the whole series of games.

Thalia: For people who are afraid of everything and take everything so seriously and can't figure out problems real fast this game would be real challenging and scary. Take it from someone with experience.

Erin: It was funny to see her jump every time something made a sudden movement in the dead of night.

Thalia: **Grins sheepishly** Anyway I hope you like this one.

Chapter One

Noises in the night.

I stood at the park ranger's desk waiting for him to give me the keys to my new home.

He came back from the back where I heard barking. When he sat down at the front desk I had started looking around. The room was a wooden octagon with a little cubby off to the side that held artifacts and a computer. There was a giant piece of wood on one wall telling how to tell how old a tree was and then opposite that was a wall covering that had a few of the wildlife and a map of where I was staying.

"Hello?" He asked and I turned to face him then put on a sunny smile. "Hi I'm Kagome Higurashi and I was hoping that you could assist me." I said. "That's what I'm here for. Oh by the way I'm Ranger Akers." He said smiling back.

I kept the smile on her face and said, "I'm suppose to move into the old Irazi place on the North side." Ranger Akers's eyes shot up and his smile fell. "It's been ten years since anybody's lived there and in almost fifty years we've had millions of people move in and out in a matter of days. The longest we've ever had here on Moon Lake is three days. I wish you well." Ranger Akers lifted a key off the small board behind him.

"I wish I could escort you there but I am a very busy man. Well here are the instructions to your new house. Just go up along the coast and you'll see a little dock sticking out you can use on of our boats. Just tell me if there are any problems." Ranger Akers said pointing the way without leaving his desk then got up and walked back through the door.

I went outside wondering how people could leave so much from a small, secluded piece of paradise like Moon Lake. I saw the little motor boat. I couldn't see where the dock was but I followed the direction he had pointed for about fifteen minutes then saw a little dock and hope it was the one he was talking about.

Sure enough when I docked there up a path there was my new home that was a sort of historical landmark. As I walked up the path I took in the sights and saw it was getting dark it had taken me about a half an hour to get up here, wow! Before I went up the steps I saw a light shining up in the air to my left and decided to check it out.

As I walked something made me jump sky high, it was a "Whhhhhhhhoooooooooo Whhhhhhhoooooooooo." I started to shake but I was not one to be scared that easily. As I got closer to the light the Whoing got louder.

When I reached the light I saw it came from a raised platform with wood planks nailed to it to make a ladder I called "Hello?" The Whoing stopped immediately and a harsh "Shush!" Came from above her head.

A man in dark purple clothing to make himself blend in with the approaching night struggled down the makeshift ladder. "Great you just scared away that Strix Veria I was calling!" I looked at him "A Strix what. Who are you?" I asked. "A Strix Veria is a bird and I'm Miroku Houshi THE bird watcher around here. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Miroku asked.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi and I just bought the house over there." I said pointing towards the house. Miroku's gaze softened then got anxious when hee saw night was almost here. "Well Miss Higurashi I should go but if you need me I live with my wife Sango on the eastside. Her shop is there and I hope you last longer than the rest. Oh and a word of advice right now go inside and lock your doors and sit tight till morning the ghosts around here are very vicious." And with that a howling came from behind the woods near my new home I turned to look at it then when I turned around again Miroku was gone.

The howling was getting closer so I took Miroku's advise and went inside then locked the doors and that was when it happened. I had just locked the front door since there were only two doors in the house.

Snarls, growls, barks started coming from around my house. Large amounts of weight were thrown at the door and things kept scratching it, I screamed since it sounded like the door would come off its hinges. I went to look out the window figures went by the window and for an instant I thought I saw a flash of white then what looked like a dog, a really BIG dog run by my window.

I was about to shut the curtain and run up the stairs when the lights suddenly went out I screamed even louder than before. A big head appeared at my window with glowing yellow eyes barking at me. I stumbled back and hit my head against the old-fashioned metal stove behind me.

I blacked out but not before seeing the head disappear from my window.

When I woke up the sun was shining through my still open window. I rubbed my head and tried to think all of what had happened last night was just a dream. When I went onto the porch I knew it wasn't a dream. There on the door was the evidence there were huge scratches on the door where it had been attacked. I checked around the house and found other things like paw prints near my window where the glowing eyes had been. Near those were larger prints of what looked like a barefooted human.

Just like a detective I followed them towards the entrance to the forest but hesitated when they kept going in farther. I though Was it a good idea to go in there when they were so horrible last night. No I'll go and talk to Miroku but which way was east?

I turned and spotted a cellar with a slab in front of it. The slab had prints on it too but I could see that it told the directions. I looked to my left that was east. I went down to the little motor boat and started it up and went in what I hoped was the right direction/

When I docked at SSC (Sango's shopping center) I saw it was pink and very odd.

When I went in I went inside I saw the inside was even odder than the outside. A friendly looking young woman sat at a little counter infront of the fish bait, I was betting she was Sango. I walked up to her and she asked, "How can I help you?" I asked "Can you tell me where I might find a man by the name of Miroku?"

Her eyebrows shot up and she asked, "Why do you need my husband?" "I wanted to ask him about the ghosts he talked about." Sango put her head in her hands. "You're the girl Miroku told me was moving into the haunted house. I hope they didn't hurt you." "Nope but they did some damage to my door." I said sheepishly. "What can you tell me about them?"

Sango fished under the counter and brought up a rather old looking book. "This book is seventy years old. It will tell you all you need to know just return it to me once you're done with it." Sango said handing it to me. "Are you sure you don't want me to pay you for this since I am taking it? How do you know I will return it?" I asked. "I can just have my husband come and get it since he likes calling for birds there. Oh and if he makes too much noise just tell him I will kill him when he gets home." I looked up from the book "Oh and do you think I could buy a cheap bow set from you?" I asked. " I have a set over there and you can have it as long as you need. Though I was half expecting you to ask for a gun." Sango said waving at me while I went outside with my little packets.

As I got in my little boat I decided to visit Ranger Akin but not tell him about the ghosts that attacked my home and see if all my clothes came in. I wish this place had a real post office.

As I docked (I had been getting real good at remembering which place was where) I saw a little white car parked there and wondered why it was there.

When I came in Ranger Akin was talking to some really old and rather pudgy man who didn't seem too happy. Ranger Akin looked at me as I came up to the desk and said, "Oh Miss Kagome. There's a couple of boxes here for you but I doubt they will fit in your little motor boat so I'm having Myoga here drive it over since he knows a little path that will bring him real close to your house." Ranger Akin said while I got ready to leave but the man called Myoga grabbed my arm.

"Did you see him?" He said forcefully. I tried to struggle out of his grasp "Who?" Ranger Akin grabbed Myoga's hand away but he said again "Did you see him?!" I was rubbing my arm and didn't answer so he screamed "Did you see Inuyasha!?" I looked up with disgust showing on my face. "Who is Inuyasha?"

"He leads the Ghost Dogs that attack the…" Myoga never got to finish since Ranger Akin pulled him to the back and closed the door but you could still hear him shouting since the dogs in back stopped the incessant barking. "Sorry about that. If you want I could get someone else to get the directions from the directions from him and drive down?" Ranger Akin asked looking sincerely sorry.

I shook my head "No it's okay, so when do I need to meet him and where?" I asked looking at the boxes then I saw a little orange flash pass by and come up to my legs. Ranger Akin was about to start talking when I looked down and saw a little child, I held up my index finger and said, "I really need to tie my shoe." The little kid looked scared and kept on making signs like he wanted me to keep quiet and he kept looking at the door.

I got the feeling he wanted to leave and so since he was so small I thought I could pass him off as a plush doll in my purse. I dropped my bag and he jumped in. I came back up and said, "Go on."

Ranger Akin gave me a weird look then went on, "He's gonna bring them down to the cemetery belonging to Mr. Irazi that's located at the back of the woods at seven o'clock. Uh, I have a little map here that can lead you to the cemetery. I would have rather liked it if he walked it down to your place since it's gonna be dark soon since usually the woods get dark at seven and even though there's a path they all lead different ways like a maze." Ranger Akin said.

"I'll be fine if anything attacks me I can shoot them since I'm pretty good at a bow and arrow." I heard Ranger Akin mutter "I've already tried to kill the Ghost Dogs and their leader but it never worked." I decided to not say anything to that so I just took the map said goodbye and backed away hiding the bag away from him.

"So I guess they are real." I murmured more to myself than the kid in my bag. "Of course they're real." He said I and I remembered that he was there, I looked down at him. "Okay kid why were you trying to get away from Ranger Akin and who are you?" I asked and the kid looked a little sheepish. "I'm Shippo and I didn't like it there since all those kennel dogs didn't like me so when Mr. Myoga was pushed inside I slipped out and hid near your boxes then I saw you and thought you might help me." Shippo said like a lost innocent puppy.

"Well then do you have a home?" I asked getting in the boat and letting him jump out and sit next to me. He shook his head then I remembered what he had said. "So how do you know about the ghost dogs?" Shippo looked at me.

"Back in the kennel Ranger Akin had four pictures of dogs on the front of each dog's run. He's been trying to teach them to attack the ghost dogs so that when he goes to hunt them once a month the dogs he's trained can get rid of them." I looked Shippo while turning on the engine. "But why does he want to exterminate the dogs? Did they kill someone? I do agree that they are truly terrible creatures considering how badly they scared me last night." Shippo shook his head.

"No he wants them gone so he can bring tourists here. I like it the way it is and anyway the dogs aren't to mean they're just protecting a memory. A really old memory." Shippo pouted smiled. I smiled at him and looked at my watch. "When we get back to my house it'll be `round five o'clock when I get home then I have two hours to find my way there… Wait what did you just say about the dogs?"

Shippo looked down at his paw like hands "About three years ago I met one and talked to him. He said that he was helping his master keep an old memory going, then he disappeared like a mist. I know they aren't mean since they didn't hurt me."

"Well then do you think you could accompany me into the woods to get my stuff since I bet you heard all Ranger Akin said." Shippo shook his head yes.

When we got back I was right that it was gonna be five o'clock. I brought Shippo inside and I made a quick dinner with some food I had brought in my backpack. Shippo ate it hungrily and then said, "This is way better than dog food." I laughed "Tomorrow we'll go to Sango's and stock up the cupboards." I looked at the doggy clock as I struck six thirty.

"We should go. I don't want to miss Mr. Myoga even though he freaks me out." I shivered and Shippo jumped on my shoulder as the lights started to dwindle.