InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrificed ❯ Sacrificed 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Sacrificed

 

Chapter 2

 

Large calloused hands gripped the stone window ledge. People rarely ventured this far into his forest, only those desperate for food or those young enough to try and impress their peers. This was different. He hadn't seen such a mob of villagers since he was a child. They didn't appear ready to attack, the mood was too solemn for that, but something had to bring them out on such a bitter night.

 

Then he saw her. Behind the lead rider sat a young girl in white. He could tell from the way she sat on the horse she was bound. With a growl, he turned away, running his fingers through his waist length white hair. So, this was why they were coming here in the middle of the night. Believing the Beast of the Moors had something to do with their bad luck; they hoped to offer him a woman to make amends. What would he do with a woman?

 

True, his company was sorely lacking, but he couldn't risk the girl ever escaping and revealing his secrets. His uniqueness. He'd been born with hair the color of moonbeams and eyes like rich honey. But those weren't the only things separating him from `normal' men. His sense of smell was keen, his eyesight as sharp as that of a hawk, and his size…he was well over 6 feet and broad of shoulder and chest. What it took three men to move, he achieved alone. But he'd been branded a demon long before all of that.

 

A shout of rage followed by a shrot cry came to his ears as he headed down the lantern lit stairway. He threw aside the heavy chain keeping the drawbridge closed and peered through the crack. He watched the man raise a sword to the girl who was now lying in the snow. Bellowing, he slammed his fists against the wood to move the door faster. He'd be damned if he allowed an innocent to be slaughtered on his land. Flashing a feral smile, he relished in the frightened cries of the crowd. Yelling again, he leapt out into the night.

 

Most of the crowd had fled, but he could make out a small shadow peeking out from behind one of the trees. It was too small to be a full grown man, so he ignored it. The girl lay sprawled in the snow and muck at the side of the road. He could see her black hair, tied up with ribbons, and that her dress had the quality of a bridal gown. Her feet were bare and her hands were still tied. The flesh he could see was bright red from the cold. He reached out and set a warm hand on her foot.

 

She flinched and whimpered.

 

“Look, girl, it's cold and wet and I don't relish the idea of staying out here much longer than I have to. You can come inside where you'll be warm or you can stay out here and freeze to death. The choice is yours.”

 

When she didn't answer he was about to walk away, but something made him cast one last look over his shoulder. The girl, really little more than a child, was trembling so badly she looked as though she were having some sort of fit. Shaking his head at his own weakness, he lifted the girl into his arms, ignoring her feeble protest, and started for the open door.

 

“Welcome to Red Moor Castle, girl. This will be your new home.”