Chapter 16

The raptor curled his body under a tree between two roots. It was cold. He was cold. He was cold and injured. He hadn't been able to recover much from his encounter with that wench Adrianne.

Jarra held his hand to his heart. It hurt. That little beast was making itself warm and cozy inside of there. Stupid raptors. Stupid Shinigami decent!

Where was Kikyo when he needed her. That sorry piece of clay left him for dead! After all that he's done for her, she had left him to die! See if would ever lure a dragon spirit out for her ever again. Who knows what she was doing right now? Still after that blasted dog, none the less.

What is it will mixing races these days? It was so disgusting. Even mixing the different types in his race was vile enough! Then those stupid raptor women started to breed with those stupid apes on Earth!

He curled himself together closer. Then again, at least they still had someone. He was always alone. He had to always be hidden behind lies. He was the only son of his father's. He was the only child of his father, and yet he was never claimed. He was disguised as the nephew.

His mother? She spent too much time at the whore house to pay much mind to him. He would always be at "the base" watching his father. Watching him with that dreadful woman! And those two spoiled brats she always had.

His father....Cray....he always acted like he was those brats' father himself. Even though everyone surely knew that they weren't. If people could except that, then why couldn't they except the fact that he was the son of Cray?

"People are stupid."

Suddenly his ears twitched at the sound of something coming. He grew tense and ready to sprint to his feet in case it was a threat. He tensed for no reason though. It was just a woman.

The scent of two humans caught Koga's nose. Someone was coming. Not many humans ventured this far into demon territory. They were some brave ones, that they were. He got to his feet from his bed and went to the cave's entrance. He was careful not to wake up Val. She had gotten up twice in the night. Both times were the result of bad dreams

Koga stood at the ledge and peered to see who coming. He then recognized them both. Miroku, the monk, and Sango, the demon slayer. They were both companions of Kagome and Inu-Yasha.

"Konnichi-wa," Miroku greated. Sango gave a boy as well in greeting. She had a large sack in her arms.

Koga nodded. "What brings the two of you here?"

"Fresh bandages and clothing for Valdrianth," Sango replied. "Compliments of Kagome."

Koga smiled. "Be sure to thank her greatly for them for me."

"Has Lady Valdrianth woken up yet?" Miroku asked as Sango made her way into the cave with the sack of goods.

"She has," Koga replied. He looked away with saddened eyes.

"Has she said anything? Something that might indicate why she went into a purge?"

"She has," he replied again. He looked at the monk. "She stated that she saw Kagome and I together."

"But, that's impossible," Miroku replied. "Lady Kagome hadn't even come back from her own time yet."

"I'm aware of that," Koga stated. "However, I am more than sure that she did see two people that looked like us."

"Ah yes, hadn't Kikyo already tried to diguise herself as Kagome just recently?" Miroku stated.

"She had," Koga replied, recalling the disgusting event. "Did that sister of Valdrianth stated they were shape shifters?"

"Hai, she did," Miroku agreed. "And being that Jarra is the same breed as they are it would seem that shifting himself to look like you would not be a problem."

Koga snorted. "He wanted Val to purge. He knew that she would kill herself from it." He looked away. "I still don't know why he's so determined to kill her though. Frankly, I know Val doesn't know either."

"Ah, but I'm pretty sure that her kin do."

"There's no question about that." He looked up at the monk. "Next time either one of them show their faces, they better expect a hell a lot of questions from me."

Inside the cave Sango placed the stuff near Val's bed.

"Sango-chan?"

Sango gave a small gasp as she heard Val's voice. "I'm sorry, Val. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," she replied meekly. "Koga woke me up when he went outside." She looked at bag. "What's that?"

"Some medicines, clothing, and bandages," Sango replied. "Kagome sent them. She's been awfully worries about you."

Valdrianth strained herself to sit up. "Uh, are you sure it's okay to do that?"

"I'm just sitting up," Val replied. She looked at Sango. Her eyes were still grey in color. This shocked Sango. The raptor girl had always had such piercing blue eyes. "Sango, I want you to tell me what happened. Everything, because Koga doesn't want to. But I have the right to know it all, everything."

"Eh?" Sango blinked a few times and looked away. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I can handle it."

The men were still outside talking and discussing how to find Jarra when Sango walked back out of the cave. "Val's awake," she stated.

Miroku nodded. "Well then, I guess we better be on our way then."

"Send my thanks t Kagome, will ya?"

"We certainly will."

The two made their leave and Koga went into the cave again. He saw Valdrianth sitting up. She was staring at her hand with her grey eyes.

"Val? You okay?"

She looked up at him as he walked towards her. "I really did become a monster."

Koga stopped in his tracks. "You made Sango tell you?"

"Well, you certainly weren't," she snapped. It sounded like Val when she did that. "I killed people. With these hands I killed innocent lives. I became the monster that my village was afraid of."

"You're not a monster, Val."

"Well, right now I certainly don't look like one. I look as human as I'll ever be." She looked at him. "But just because I look like something doesn't me I am. I am far from being human. No human could do what I did. I don't even think you could kill at that extent."

"Val. . . ."

"My family," she looked up at him. "They came."

"Yea, they did."

She smiled. "Will they come back?"

"I don't know," he replied.

"It's okay if they don't," she stated. "I'm gonna be okay."

She laid back down in her furs. She closed her eyes but didn't fall asleep. She wasn't. Not with the crazy idea running through her head.

Jarra had awoken. He wasn't in the forest and bitter cold anymore. He was in a house with a fire near. He sat up and looked around. Someone had tended to his leg and the other wounds that had been inflicted on him.

That woman he saw. Could she of. . . .?

A rustling sound caught his ear to the left. He tensed up and hissed it's way.

"Oh, you're awake." I was the woman. She looked quite young. "Please keep it down. If the elders find out you are here they'd be sure to slaughter you."

She knelt beside him and handed him a dish with meat in it. "I didn't know how you wanted it. So it's medium done."

Jarra looked up at her then down at the meat. His eyes drifted away from her. "You shouldn't have done something so foolish such as aid me, girl. What if I would've killed you?"

"You didn't look to thrilled about killing anyone at the moment," she replied. "Besides it's not like me to leave anyone just lying there hurt and dying."

"I would've lived," he snorted. "Do you honestly think that my body is as fragile as yours that I couldn't get my would healed or withstand the cold."

"You didn't look like it," she replied. "The wounds were days old. Any demon I'd known would've healed it within hours."

"And how many demons do you know?" he questioned. \

"Well...none, actually."

He looked away again. He brought his hand to his heart. He still felt that pesky bird lying there. Just waiting for a thought of those raptor's deaths to come forth into his mind.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want it." She stood up. "I'm going back to the village. I think you can manage to keep the fire going, oh terrifying demon."

He shot a glare at her with his blood red eyes. She didn't seem to flinch. This girl really was not afraid of him. There was almost a twinkle of humor in her eyes. "Name. What is your name?"

"Sayo," she replied. "My name is Sayo."

She turned to leave him. "Well, aren't you going to ask me my name?!" he demanded.

Sayo turned around with a scolded look on her face. "I told you to keep your voice down." She wrinkled her nose and gave him a little. "Hmp."

He just sat there waiting.

The expression left her face. "Alright, what's your name?"

"Jarra," he replied, lying back down and grabbing the plate of meat then placing it on his stomach and shoveling the scraps in his mouth.

"Jarra. . . ." She turned again and walked out of the hut. "Father better not find out that I'm hiding a raptor demon."