InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Darkangel ❯ The Witch's Jackels ( Chapter 11 )

AN: First of all, I know Kagome is a bit OOC. But after this whole desert sequence, Kagome has finally experienced the taste of freedom so now she's gonna be her old fiery defiant self. ^^

Also, the book this fic is based on, since so many people are asking, is called: The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce. For the 2nd and 3rd books, I'll say when I get to the 2nd and 3rd fic.

Eden: Okay, remember, the starhorse was dead for 12 years. So it died after like a couple of days, so that's like 10 or so days. What Kagome saw of the Starhorse was it Charter spirit, basically a spirit made up of Charter Marks. Also, since the Wardens are so closely connected to their domains, they can't live too long out of it except for special cases which I will explain later in the series.

Dark Dragon of the Seven Hells: Yeah, I love dogs, too. Actually, I have a one of my own. He's named Ki, well I called him Kiki and he only responds to that name so yeah...Well they're not gonna be dogs anymore but I don't know if what I made them now will make much of a difference...Also, I found "Sou" in a fanfic; it's not in the books.

"Exile killed him. He tried many times to return to the plains. Each time the vampyre drove him back at the border. He has not set hoof in Avaric for twelve years.

"Twelve years?" exclaimed Kagome. "But he couldn't be! We just..."

"Child, have you ever heard of phantoms that walk at noon?"

Kagome fell to her knees. Avarclon has been dead for twelve years? All of a sudden, Kagome felt empty and alone. She had failed. She failed the wraiths and Myouga. The desert wind blew gently against her skin and lifted her hair.

"Then it's hopeless," said Kagome. "It was hopeless from the beginning. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it doesn't matter," replied Pendarlon.

"Doesn't matter?" she cried. "Avarclon is dead. He can't come back with me. The vampyre can't be vanquished and I can't save his wives. All is lost. I failed." Like she failed everything. She failed to save Renko. She failed to avenge her. She failed everything.

The lyon nudged her gently with his muzzle. "No, all is not lost nor have you failed. Sing to me the rime again."

Kagome said it dully but the lyon stopped her in the middle. "There, say that part again."

Kagome repeated it, confused. "The hoof of the starhorse must hallow him."

"Don't you see it now?" asked the lyon. "The hoof is needed, not the starhorse himself. Your quest is done."

Kagome sat in confusion; his words didn't make much sense to her. Then she remembered Myouga's words to her before she left. "Seek after the starhorse - he of the strong hoof, undying. Bring back what you may of him, for it is by the hoof of the starhorse that the icarus will fall." Bring back what you may of him. The lyon started across the dune.

"Hurry, Kagome. We don't have much time left if we want to get you back before nightfall."

Kagome hesitated, but then gathered herself and approached the skeleton of the starhorse. All of the hooves were dull gray except for one, which was bright and gleamed in the sun. Kagome picked it up and put into her pouch. Taking up her staff into her hand, she turned to the lyon and mounted his back. He sprung across the dunes in smooth, even strides, never faltering.

It was hours after they had left the starhorse when Kagome spotted their pursuers. Kagome saw the pack was lead by two creatures. They were long-legged and spotted with a wavering nauseating smell that lingered with them.

The Pendarlon swore under his breath. "Damn, I was hoping to get you to the plains before they arrive."

Kagome squinted her eyes in effort to see their pursuers more clearly, but they were too far away for her to see clearly. "What are they, Pendarlon?"

She felt the lyon tense from under her and he sped faster over the sand. "Let me save my breath for running. If we can outrun them, then you won't have to know."

His answer frightened her, but she had no time to respond to it. The lyon launched into a faster pace and she tightened her grip on him to stay on. The creatures were gaining on them.

"Why are we running away?" she asked. "You said that all natural animals of this region are your allies.

"They are no natural creatures, Kagome. They are Free Magic creatures. They belong to the witch of the lake." said the lyon, panting.

"The lake?" said Kagome slowly. Her memory stirred as she remembered Chiyako's tale. "But what the witch want with you?"

"She want my land," replied the lyon. "She lives in that lake and can not be driven out. She's too powerful. Although she confines herself in that lake of hers, she sends her minions out to my desert to do her dirty work. I kill them when I can. But now, I rather outrun them than fight. I have you to look after."

Their pursuers were gaining on them. She could see them clearly now and recognized their Free Magic stench. They were the jackals from before, when lyon and she were going to meet the starhorse. They were pale, spotted, and long-legged. Their eyes were angry red carbuncles with no iris, pupil, or lid.

"Can't we go any faster?" whispered Kagome. "They're catching up."

"No. I'm afraid I can't go any faster without throwing you off board."

Kagome's body started to ache from resisting the wind.

"I was hoping to get you to Avaric sooner," the lyon said at last. "But I'm afraid we have to face them now." Kagome felt herself blanched. "Hold on tight."

The Pendarlon sprung with sudden speed, almost throwing off Kagome if she had not tightened her grip. With a wild yell, the jackals sprang in pursuit.

The lyon stopped smoothly and told Kagome. "Kagome, get off and get ready to fight."

Kagome slid off the lyon unsteadily, and fell to her feet. She gripped her walking stick and took a ready stance. All the lessons of self-defense that Oboro had taught her filled her mind.

"Remember," rumbled the lyon as he stood beside her. "Stay close to me. Don't let them separate us."

Kagome nodded. She concentrated on controlling her shaky breath and pushed away her growing fear as the pack approached. She studied the approaching leaders. The one nearest to the Pendarlon was a slim female and her mate, the one closer to Kagome, was a brawny male.

Kagome gripped her staff nervously as they slowed their pace.

The heavy shouldered male spoke to the Pendarlon with his thick voice. "Give us the girl, lyon. Our mistress wants her."

Kagome started. The witch wanted her? At first, she thought the jackals were pursuing the lyon. What would the witch want with her? She heard the lyon answer.

"I do not obey your commands." The lyon growled. "You know how capable I am of killing you."

The jackal smirked, unfazed by the lyon's threat. "Only when we come in pairs. But now we come as a pack. Do you think you can still stand against us?" He stretched lazily. "But it's not you we want. We want the girl. Hand her over."

The lyon snarled harshly. "Forget it."

"Why resist us?" the female finally speaking. Her voice was silky and slippery. "Just hand over your wench and you will have our lady's gratitude. Why resist us when you can join us?" Her voice grew soft. "Join us and our lady will grant anything that you desire..."

The Pendarlon laughed; but it was hard, cold laugh full of sarcasm. "The only thing I wish to see, is your lady dead!"

All of the jackals fell back, snarling, revealing sharp pointy teeth.

"Fool," hissed the female, loosing the silkiness and slipperiness in her voice. "You're an idiot to defy us."

Then, the jackals sprung; half of them went for the Pendarlon while the other half went for Kagome. Without thinking, Kagome jumped back and swung her staff in forceful arc in front of her. The jackals dodged and jumped away, only to spring at her again.

The familiar reek of Free Magic fill her lungs, making her feel queasy and sick. She coughed, trying to force the smell out of her nose. The jackals seized the opportunity and jumped. Kagome yelped in surprise and sprung backwards. But her jump was unsteadied and she stumbled onto her rear. She immediately scrambled up to her feet and swung her staff again to keep the jackals at a distance.

She heard the lyon beside her, growling, snarling, and trying to fend off his attackers with the swipes of his great paws. Kagome kept her eyes on her attackers. She watched them as they snarled, weaved around, and stared at her with their red carbuncle eyes. She then noticed how they grouped themselves.

The slim and slender females darted and danced around the lyon, attempting to snap and bite at him. Streaks of dark blood ran down his golden coat. The slower, but more powerful jackals attacked Kagome.

She watched the pack intently, gripping her stick tightly. They pranced around her, confusing her with the dark and light colors on their coats, when one of them jumped. Kagome was unprepared and swung her staff carelessly and wildly. The jackal dodged her attack easily and closed his jaws around her wrist. Kagome screamed.

Yet instead of feeling excruciating pain, she felt nothing. The jackal's teeth passed through her arm like air. She thrust her staff at his body and it passed through him like air, meeting no resistance. He fell back, grinning and growling at her.

"Pendarlon," she stammered, staring at her uninjured wrist. "What just happened?" The jackals stalked around her, yipping and yapping at her in malevolent glee. "It went right through my wrist and my staff passed right through. What are they?"

The lyon looked at, surprised, but only for a moment. The braches did not paused in their taunts and attacks. He struggled to keep them at bay with powerful snaps of his jaws and violent strikes of his paws.

"Specters!" cried the lyon. "I should have saw it before..."

"Specters," Kagome murmured. She remembered hearing them from one of Kaede's tales. Free Magic creatures, she assumed, that could be seen and heard but cannot be touched or felt. She looked at the shining blood on the lyon's golden coat. "But you're bleeding. How can they hurt you?"

"Desert jackals travel only in pairs," said the Pendarlon, panting. "I get it now. The witch can only control so many at a distance." Kagome saw the lyon's paw pass through a brache that stood too close. "Only two of these are real. The rest are illusions meant to confuse us," muttered the lyon.

Kagome cuffed her stick at one of the jackals only to have it pass through empty air. But how could she know which one of them were real? They all looked exactly the same. She heard the lyon snarled and turned to see the real female jackal sink her teeth into the lyon's hind legs. She jumped out of reach before the lyon could strike back at her.

Kagome felt something moved by her side and she realized that she had let her guard down. She felt something hot and burning slash her arm. She whirled around and reflexively brought the knobbed end of her staff down on her attacker with a cry. The jackal yipped in pain and surprise and backed away.

He's the one, she thought.

Ignoring the burning pain on her arm, Kagome tried to keep her eye on the real jackal, but as he backed into the shifting shimmer of the specters, she lost him. Afraid to go any farther from the lyon, Kagome stood her ground, struggling to find her lost jackal.

From the side of her, she heard a sharp yip of pain. She turned to see the real brache fall away from the lyon's large paw. The rest of the braches shimmered away as she struggled to her feet, her forepaw crumpled.

The illusions reappeared and lunged attacks at the lyon but it was ineffective. The lyon had the real one in his sight and she was too injured to hide among her dancing fellows. Kagome watched the Pendarlon move forward, his movements fluid-like; his blood shone in the sun.

Blood. That was it. Only the real jackal could've attacked her. Only the real one must had her blood on its teeth. She searched the moving pack of broken spots and red carbuncle eyes. Then she spotted him. One of the jackals had a smear of red on his white snout.

Kagome then realized how he stood out from the others. She hadn't realized it before but he was the only one who cast a shadow on the orange tan sand. Tightening her grip on her staff, she sprung forward and landed three quick hard shots on his crown, neck, and back. He yelped angrily and back away. Kagome followed, ignoring the specters' vain attacks. Kagome raised her staff high in the air for another blow once she reached the real one.

"Stop," said the jackal; his voice crackled with Free Magic. He lowered himself in a crouch, his shoulders hunched. The growling of his fellows stopped and they vanished themselves. The images of the brache disappeared as well. "Alright," snarled the jackal, still crouched. "You've recognized me as the real one. But even without my specters, I can still kill you. Do you really think that measly stick of yours can stop me?"

Feeling more dangerous and confident, Kagome retorted, "The Pendarlon is almost finished with your mate. Do you think you can stand against him?"

"I said, enough!" growled the jackal. "I have no intention in fighting him. I only wanted to kill you and run. Enough with this game and save yourself from death. Hand over the starhorse's hoof."

Kagome stared at him, clearly startled. They truly wanted the hoof and not her? She blinked once to clear her thoughts. She began searching her mind for clever remarks to buy the lyon time. "And...and if I give this thing you're asking for," she said, trying to sound confident to hide her exhaustion. "What will you do with it?"

"There is no 'if'," he barked. "We've seen the lyon bring you to the starhorse. It's obvious that you went for his hoof. My servants and I have been searching for it for many years now."

"Why?" asked Kagome, stalling, desperately stalling. Where was the Pendarlon? Why hasn't he come yet?

"Because my lady wants it, that's why." The jackal bared his teeth, showing his impatience. "Now stop asking stupid questions! Give me the hoof."

Kagome shook her head. Her muscles tensed and she tightened her grip on her staff - but she kept her face and voice expressionless. "I don't have it," she said. "And I don't have any pockets." She raised her arms, showing her pocketless robe. The jackal eyed her suspiciously, cocking his head. Kagome dropped her arms. "I didn't bring anything back from the starhorse. He was dead."

"Liar," hissed the jackal. "I know you have it. That pouch..."

Kagome silently prayed for the lyon to come as she lifted the pouch that hung from a thong from her obi. She held the limp bag in her hand. "There's nothing in it." Behind her, she heard the brache cry out and felt her die in the lyon's jaws.

"Liar," spat the jackal, his haunches bunching and his red eyes upon the pouch; oblivious to his mate's death. "More likely enchanted...charmed..."

Suddenly, he sprang, knocking Kagome back. He snatched the bag away from her hand with his teeth and dodged the staff that she had swung at him in an attempt to ward him off. She felt the thong break away as she hit the hard sand, winded. Kagome looked up and saw that the jackal was upon her. His angry carbuncle eyes glared at her and his foul breath reek of Free Magic, making her stomach heaved. Then she heard the lyon roar, filled with Charter spells, and the jackal was knocked away by an unseen force.

Kagome scrambled to her feet and saw the jackal springing away. She turned to the lyon and saw him crouched over the dead brache. He had a long cut down his shoulder and leg and was still bleeding freely. The jackal fled with the pouch in his teeth.

"Pendarlon, stop him! He has the pouch!" But then she realized that even if the lyon heard her, he would never be able to catch him with the wounds he had.

End of Chapter 11