Chronicles of the West

Chapter Nineteen

Three weeks. They'd been following the road to the left of the mountain into unknown lands. They hadn't found anything remotely resembling any of the clues and Ippiku often muttered that they'd misinterpreted the last one. Ryu flicked him through the air for that more than once.

Toga felt his youki rise time and again. There was something up ahead, something dark and dangerous and unknown to his senses completely. The others felt it as well, but after several days of tense readiness, nothing happened. Toga was miserable, he found himself thinking of Aislin more often now. Wondering if she was well. Of course she was, but the fact was he was not with her and it left him feeling cold and empty. The way he'd felt before she came into his life.

The journey was taking slightly longer than Ryu had anticipated and he'd said as much to Kurama. The older fox merely laughed, "We are unraveling a very old mystery. Of course it will take a while". Ryu grumbled something unintelligible and kept walking.

Days passed overhead, the chill of the coming winter creeping over them. The moon grew round and full before waning to darkness at night. Time held little meaning for them, the passage of it meaningless without the clue. It was frustrating at best.

Kurama spoke softly over the crackle of the fire one night. "We are getting closer to the nameless threat and that should be first on your mind. Have you not noticed that we have encountered no one on this journey since we passed the mountain?"

The others of course had noticed it, however this area was rather isolated and the paths rough. It was unlikely that anyone used them regularly. The lack of others, human or demon was not the only unsettling thing. All around them was the scent of ozone and the air seemed to crackle from time to time with what felt like electricity. As though thunderstorms were near when there were no clouds present. Odd indeed.

It was perhaps a day later when Toga paused in his movements. "Hidden in plain sight, but yet never found" he muttered. Ryu glanced over at him, "What about it?" he asked. Toga peered up at the sky and over his shoulder, "What if this is the next clue?" he asked. Kurama looked around, "Hmmm, that might be. This place isn’t exactly normal".

Ippiku fluttered to his shoulder, "What do you mean?". Kurama bent and placed a seed in the earth. To everyone's surprise, it did not grow. "The earth here is living but not alive" he whispered. His confused companions eyed him warily. "It's like the natural cycle of life has not occurred here. Like the trees at the mountain. Alive but not grown. Created."
Ryu looked down at his mentor, "That would mean that they were artificially made". Kurama nodded, "Like this whole place. There are legends about places like this. Old ones, unknown peoples creating such places. I've never seen one before and truthfully I doubted their existence".

Silvana pondered this information carefully. She knew a little of these tales Kurama spoke of. Whispered rumors little else. "The rope led into a portal" she whispered, pieces falling into place. The scents, the strange power surges. This was a new place.

They didn't have long to ponder this revelation. The earth began to shake and roll beneath him. Silvana fell against Toga who held her upright and fought to keep his footing. "Earthquake?" Shippo shouted over the rumbling sound. Kurama growled viciously and shook his head.

The ground split apart and shifted, and before their eyes, crackling blue bolts of energy swirled and sizzled against the air. Large leathery black wings appeared and a creature of massive proportions rose up before them. Ryu stared up at the monstrosity and uttered words that would echo through history all many fitting occasions. "What the fuck?"

A huge paw crashed to the ground beside them, causing them to leap backwards out of danger. Toga snarled at the large animal. It was covered with silky black fur shot with iridescent black green scales. It's head was like a lion, silvery plumes of fur surrounding it's neck in a majestic ruff.

It's eyes were red and glowing even in the sunlight. This was not a known creature in any of the worlds. Kurama was certain of that. The creature stared down at them, reptilian tail twitching in agitation. "Trespassers" it snarled down at them. Ryu glared up at it, "So what the hell are you supposed to be?" he barked.

A massive paw swiped at him, but he dodged it. Not so fast on the second offensive, when that thick tail swiped from the opposite direction. The sound of cracking ribs echoed over the group as Ryu hit the ground hard. The resulting cloud of dust rose from the long gauge in the earth carved by his body. Silvana rushed over to him to ascertain the extent of his injuries.

He panted and growled but rose to his feet. "Pretty good shot. Lets see you do it again" he rasped, his blade drawn against the threat the beast so obviously posed. His ears flickered at the heavy snorts coming from that large muzzle.

Toga pressed forward, his hair snapping wildly. "Pass me" the creature challenged. Toga's eyes grew wide and red and his form began to shift. Toga rarely took true form, but this situation apparently called for it. The creature was nearly as tall as he was in his natural guise.

Ryu clutched his battered ribs as his brother's massive form rose over them. "Get back" he said to the others and they withdrew allowing the inu to have full movement. The beast stared at the inu form a moment, "Pretty form, nearly perfect" it mused. Toga snarled and leapt, might jaws snapping as he hit the creature with his weight.

The others stood watching as they dodged and slashed, fangs and claws slashing, tufts of furs flying into the air. The ground beneath them showed the viciousness of the battle, blood spattered in widening puddles at their feet, deep scars were torn into the giving earth.

Toga rolled, coming up as the beast pounced over him. His jaws locking on the thick fur of his ruff. He bit deeply hoping for flesh but to no avail. With a snap of his head he tossed the animal away from him, and across the torn field. The beast rose to it's feet, shaking it's head. The deep gouges on it's side mending in crackles of blue.

"This has to stop, the beast is regenerating far too quickly. Even Toga can't heal that fast" Ryu panted. Kurama agreed, at this rate the dog would fight to his last exhausted breath against an enemy that bore no pain. "We need to work together". Shippo nodded, feeling that unfurling of power within himself.

The creature lunged and a tiring Toga leapt to the side, not swiftly enough. Large , lethal claws slashed his hind quarters, ripping fur and flesh horrifically. It would heal, he told himself as he braced himself on his three good legs. Ryu shot forward, blade drawn, his leap taking him high in to the air.

His blade swung downward and slashed deeply across one glowing eye. The beast snarled in pain and flung the hanyou to the ground once more. It's head following and as Ryu attempted to escape it, the jaws caught him round the middle. Thick fangs punched through skin and muscles and Ryu cried out at the pain. His strong arm, clawing at the powerful jaws.

"Ryu!" his companions shouted rushing forward. Kurama flicked his fingers, "Rose whip!". The barbed length of the whip cracking out around the massive neck, twisting and shredding fur as it sought flesh. Shippo threw his top upon it's broad back the force the painful illusion causing it to drop the wounded hanyou.

Ippiku fluttered up, shooting an icy blast at the remaining eye. The bright orb iced over and the creature yowled in pain before forcing it's large lid down and shattering the ice. It blinked several times giving Silvana the opportunity to focus her energies into a spear of air.

She forced it from her body and through the shoulder of the beast. It should have brought it down for the kill, however it didn't. Wounded and bleeding as it was from the furious attack it swept it's head toward her. That eye taking on far too intelligent a gleam.

It sprang over her companions and pinned her to the ground. She tried to focus her strength to take her own smaller true form but her reserves were exhausted in the use of her inherited elemental powers. She would have to rely on the others to see her safe in these next precious minutes.

They tried quite valiantly, but the beast was far too strong and healed much too quickly. "S-Silvana!" Ryu shouted, blood trickling over his chin. The beast snapped the vixen up in it's jaws and took to the air on massive wings, it's heavy tail slashing her companions into forced sleep as it connected with them. Toga sprang after it only to fall heavily to the ground, weak from his fight and loss of blood.