InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I Came to Read, I Stayed to Write ❯ Skittish ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this humble little drabble… especially for the little lady who's lost her way in the fog.

 

Originally posted to Live Journal's iyissekiwa community on January 10, 2007.

 

 

oOo

 

Skittish

 

Kagome shivered against the base of a tree, nervously pulling her legs up to her chest. Do they realize I'm missing yet? Are they looking for me? The swirling mists gave her the eerie sensation of being both isolated and surrounded. Sounds were muffled, but strangely amplified. A scuffing sound off to her left could have been footfall, or a small animal, or something far more dangerous. A rustle overhead could have been a rescuer, or a tree-borne stalker, or just the wind. She had no way of knowing, blinded by the fog. Kagome resisted the urge to call out for help, wary of drawing the wrong kind of attention. The weaponless young woman cringed, feeling hidden, yet completely exposed. Making herself as small as possible, she huddled miserably—waiting to be found, hoping it would be by friends.

 

Time lost all point of reference. Disembodied noises made her jump and shrink alternately. Escalating apprehension spiked at the sound of snuffling in the underbrush. Someone, something was coming closer. Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach, and Kagome pulled herself shakily to her feet. The sharp crack of a twig brought her heart into her throat, and she tensed to flee. Then, she heard it, distant at first but coming steadily nearer—a blessedly familiar, rhythmical, musical jingling of metal against metal. They found me. Kagome sagged against her tree in relief, then called out in a voice that only trembled a little. “I'm here! Here I am.”

 

oOo

 

End Note: Skittish was first written for Live Journal's iyissekiwa's drabble contest themed “Fog.”