Instinct

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Instinct: Recognition
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The ring of trees around the clearing blocked off the moon this late in the night. A couple hours more and the sun would rise. In the meantime, the stars alone illuminated the clearing, frosting the tall grass dimly and glinting faintly off the discarded swords at the treeline. They also gave Kouga’s tangled hair tiny highlights as he skidded to a halt in the grass.

His nose wrinkled with distaste as he panted and held a hand against the partially-healed wound on his side. The clearing still smelled of sex and blood, and he studiously ignored the crushed shape in the grass that reeked of his shame. He couldn’t help smelling it, though, and his cheeks flushed. His eyes wandered toward it, and he yanked them away to glance around the clearing. There was his sword, and there was…well, it looked like it might have been a deer at some point before a certain dog demon had mangled it. *Mmm, dinner. What a mess.* He sneered half-heartedly at it and turned to watch the trees he’d burst from seconds ago. The dog would only be minutes behind him, and now more than ever he was tempted to keep running. But that thought immediately brought a load of guilt and obligation along. *No. For Kagome, I gotta finish this. I owe her—hell, I owe the pack this at this point. Where the hell is he, anyway?* His eyes swept the trees again, watching the shadows. *He was right behind me a minute ago. He’s gonna want sex right away after chasing me around all night. Gods, I hope the pack didn’t smell him!* His flush became a full-blown, red-eared blush at that thought.

It died away as a vision of dead wolves popped into his mind’s eye. Whether or not they smelled Inuyasha was unimportant as long as they were safe. The dog demon’s bloodlust recognized him, not his pack. *And I led him right to them—gods, I can be stupid!* Hopefully he’d averted slaughter by taunting the pale demon into pursuing him, but he was well aware that the dog could have turned back at any time. He wouldn’t know for sure that his pack was safe until Inuyasha actually arrived. It was a good thing the dog’s bloodlust did recognize him, or Kouga would just be one more victim when he arrived. Taunting an out-of-control demon was an effective way to get his attention, yes, but it wasn’t exactly a healthy thing to do. The wisest thing to do would have been to keep running, but he’d already ruled that idea out.

He turned in place slowly, nose seeking the dog’s scent. The mutt would approach from downwind, but the rut-scent was all over the clearing. It would make it harder to smell the dog approaching. The smell was everywhere, no matter the direction.

--but not on him.

Kouga froze as the implications of that sank in. He’d desperately scrubbed the smell from his skin and clothing to rid himself of any clues about what had really happened between he and Inuyasha. He’d needed that lack when confronting his pack, and it had worked. Unfortunately, there was no trace of the dog’s claim on him anymore.

“Fuck!”

An enraged demon was about to face him, and he had no protection from that rage. He had his speed back, now, but he’d never get the chance to use it. He’d have a better chance just running away, but he might lead the dog straight back to kill his pack. Or the mutt might just give up and find Kagome instead. Indecision held him still, but he bounced slightly on his heels. *Run, hide, or stay and face the consequences. Some choices.* His ears perked, and he cursed fluently at what they told him. Someone was bearing down on the clearing, fast. Casting around frantically, he saw something--*I can’t believe I’m doing this!* --and ducked to roll in it.

He barely had time to make a face before a white-on-white blur shot through the trees and entered the clearing. Red eyes seared him, and he scrambled quickly to his feet. “Mutt…”

The pale demon’s nose twitched.

*Come on,* he coaxed mentally, *I’m covered in your dried seed. Gimme a damn break! I’m not a fuckin’ threat, okay?!*

Apparently he still seemed to be.

He had a split second to see the dog lunge forward, and his instincts shrieked fight or flee. He bolted. Claws ripped his right shoulder, scoring the skin shallowly, but he was already sprinting for the trees, wind splitting and spiraling up around him—

--and a hand seized his throat, throwing him into the nearest tree and pinning him with his feet not touching the ground. *How the hell did he get ahead of me?!* But he didn’t have time to worry about that because there was a very pissed dog demon about to rip his throat out.

Instinct whimpered.

Kouga tucked his tail between his legs and ky-yied like a pup.

Aqua pupils flared wide, then contracted, and Inuyasha hesitated. The scent was changed by the absence of his own, but recognition struggled from the sludge of his mind, cued by the heartbeat at his fingertips and the sight of bronze skin. Claws flexed enough to scrape the sensitive skin under them, and Kouga yelped, eyes squeezed shut and hands prying weakly at the grip on his throat. The yelps quickened back into panicked-puppy ky-ying again, and Inuyasha’s ears flattened to his skull. With a disgusted growl, the pale demon dropped the wolf and turned his back. He stalked to the middle of the clearing and sat down with a huff to watch the eastern sky as if waiting for dawn. Behind him, Kouga sank down to sit with his back against the tree, watching the white ears as he rubbed his bruised throat. They were laid back, and the mutt smelled sharply of annoyance under the heavy rut musk. It should have been anger. By all rights, Kouga’s throat should have been nothing but bloody lacerations, and he shook with tiny adrenaline tremors at the narrow escape. He didn’t know why he had reacted with a pup’s submission, but his instincts had picked the right thing to do once again. Oh, he had plenty of reasons to submit, but none of them had gone through his mind in that critical second. There had only been time for that lightening-fast order from his wolf subconscious.

If he’d thought about it beforehand, he would have known that the dog relied on his scent-claim to rein in the bloodlust. The bruises on his neck were his own fault. Therefore, it was his turn to approach the mutt. *Dammit…* He signed, pride fighting a tired, losing battle with his instincts and loyalty to Kagome. He knew what he should do, but he just didn’t want to do it.

Sighing again, he dropped his hand from his throat to clench in the grass. He stared down at the broken greenery poking out of his fist, then made himself let go. He started to climb to his feet, but a shiver went through him as his instincts kicked, and his tail tucked again. Similar circumstances, although not quite this extreme had occurred between him and his father. *Shit. It’s hard to remember all this stuff after so long.* Instead of getting up, he crawled forward through the grass, angling off a bit so he came at the paler demon from the side. He didn’t try to be quiet, and a flash of aqua-crimson let him know that the dog had seen him. Inuyasha determinedly look forward as he approached, however. When the distance between them felt right, Kouga stopped and sat back on his heels.

“Mu—ah, Inuyasha?” he said, correcting himself mid-word. It didn’t seem like the time to antagonize the dog with name-calling. Besides, under these circumstances it seemed too juvenile. He tried again, voice low and questioning, “Inuyasha?” An irritated bark answered him, ending any hope that the dog was coherent enough to talk this out. So Kouga crept closer, body close to the ground. The dog watched him narrowly without really acknowledging him.

It was a submissive gesture, something he was used to others doing to him, but at least he knew it worked. Whining softly, repenting, he leaned up to nose under the white dog’s chin. Inuyasha jerked back, eyes slitted with suspicion, but Kouga only responded with another whine and reached up again. Inuyasha allowed it, head held high and glaring down at the wolf. Kouga winced a little under that unforgiving crimson gaze, for a moment not seeing his rival but only his alpha, and his whine became an appealing whimper; sorry, sorry, sorry. His tongue flicked out to touch the dog’s chin in a puppy trick he hadn’t used since he’d been under his father’s rule. Inuyasha jerked again, this time in surprise, and the hard red eyes softened. Kouga licked his chin once more, the tip of his tail daring to untuck from between his legs and tic against the ground. A chuff of breath seemed to banish the last of the dog’s anger, and Inuyasha lifted his chin tolerantly.

The wolf came back to himself with the sudden realization: *I could rip his throat out.* His tail stilled, and his stomach lurched sickly. *No. No, I lost. If I turn on him now…* The thought was repulsive, his instincts sickened and even his rational mind turning away. There was something so terribly wrong with the idea of striking from a posture of submission. It would be a deception the wolf demon cringed at, although humans might have had no trouble with it. To him, it just wasn’t right, Inuyasha or not. *I’d rather go through with this and still be able to look Kagome in the eye than kill him like that.*

Kouga closed his eyes and nuzzled the white dog’s chin once more. This time it provoked a possessive rumble in Inuyasha’s bare chest, and the white head bent to lick gently at the wolf’s temple; forgiven. Something in the wolf demon relaxed, despite his tension.

He wasn’t surprised when the long-haired demon’s scent drifted from the sharp-hot of annoyance and the heavy musk intensified. It had, after all, been a few hours since the rut had last been satiated. Hot breath moved to his ear, the tongue still laving his skin as if to taste him anew. His free ear flicked at the odd sensation, and his tail thumped nervously as the dog slid the fur kilt up his thighs. *I should just strip at this rate. Keep his scent to a minimum.* Clawed hands were urging him over, and he stiffly obeyed. *But not right now. I don’t think he’d give me the time.* He braced himself on hands and knees, then raised an eyebrow when a spitting sound came from behind him. *Huh. He remembered.*

The wolf tried to relax, knowing what was coming, but he started uneasily when the dog’s hands gripped his hips. The pain still made him hiss in a breath when hard, slick flesh was pushed past his tight ring of muscle. Inuyasha echoed his hiss, but it was of pleasure as he sank his length into hot, dry pressure.

Half-expecting the pleasure again, Kouga couldn’t understand his reaction when there was only discomfort and pain. His shoulders slumped slightly, though he couldn’t tell if it was from relief or disappointment. No matter; in the space of a second, the pain he’d expected made his shoulders tense again. Mostly-healed wounds split again as Inuyasha entered, forcing hard flesh into yielding, and a drip of red slowly ran down Kouga’s thigh. The dog drew in an exultant breath, savoring the rasp of scab tissue on his cock as he eased in. The wolf was a tight pressure around him, such a heated change from the cool night air that he paused as soon as he was seated inside. Leaning forward to cover his partner, he pressed bare chest to the wolf’s bare back. Some part of his mind approved of the lack of clothing between them. He withdrew just the tiniest amount before thrusting in hard. Tiny thrusts, almost jiggling in place so his pelvis seemed sealed to Kouga’s ass as his hands moved the wolf’s hips to guide him in quick movements. All his attention focused on the feeling of the sensitive head of his cock pushing into a moist tunnel that expanded, sliding up and over the mushroom tip before sliding back with gentle, damp suction. Gods, it was like a separate caress even as the rest of his pole was squeezed by Kouga’s heat!

The wolf had tensed into a statue under him, which made the tight tunnel ripple around Inuyasha’s length in stifled contractions. The injured ring of muscle spasmed, alternately clamping around the base of the dog’s cock and trying to relax as Kouga fought his own body’s reaction to having the thick rod pumping inside him. His animal instincts wanted to accept the heavy weight, but it hurt with each stab. He was impaled on the dog’s cock with nothing but instinct to comfort him. *I think I almost preferred—no!* His ears heated with embarrassment at the betrayal of his mind. He could deny it all he wanted, but pleasure was pleasure. Inuyasha’s hands moved the wolf’s hips, working him on his cock and creating shrill streaks of pain as they rocked together. The white demon’s breathed heavily, thrusting gradually toward his peak, but Kouga’s bangs were plastered with sweat to a grimacing face. He was a warrior and could take pain; that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. Like he had--*Ugh. I don’t want to enjoy this. I’m going to bear it, not like it!*

He scowled but didn’t resist as Inuyasha withdrew and pushed in again, slower and with longer strokes this time. Though the wolf didn’t consciously realize it, something in his mind had shifted. What he thought of as a disgusting thing—enjoying the sex—was a symptom of the greater change: he hadn’t growled or snapped at Inuyasha for using him. The wolf that had submitted to another’s dominance, the animal whose instincts permeated the demon’s mind, had accepted the role his alpha assigned him. This was his duty, rationalized by his conscious mind’s love for Kagome, and Kouga had accepted it. He didn’t know it, really, but…he knew it.

Well, he still wasn’t happy about it.

There wasn’t much to fight, though, so he curled his fists into the dirt and recited a litany of curses in his head as Inuyasha pounded into him. *Slit his goddamn throat and gut the bastard with a chopstick. No, wait, that “fork” thing of Kagome’s looks more painful. Yeah, that’d be good…* Grumbling and annoyed, Kouga relegated the paler demon to a painful irritation and concentrated more on his internal ranting than the hard flesh sliding in and out of him. And the less he pain attention to it, the less rigid his body became.

And with less resistance, Inuyasha thrust deeper. The dog demon threw his head back in bliss, glowing with sweat beneath the stars, and beneath him, Kouga gasped. *Oh. Oh, no. Not agaiah!* The wolf bit off a strangled yelp, his face a picture of alarmed pleasure.

Sheathed inside him, Inuyasha’s cock had bumped something slightly mushy, and it was an unusual feeling. The rest of the white dog’s length was clamped in tight heat, but mashing against his tip was something moist and spongy. He thrust again, crimson eyes drifting shut and a moan coming from his lips. Those lips turned down briefly when the next thrust missed the odd, giving spot inside his partner, but he noted absently that the wolf had jerked a bit to the side. His fingers left bruises as he corrected the move.

Kouga yipped, the high-pitched sound emerging from behind gritted teeth as he shuddered beneath the mutt. He barely felt the pain of claws nicking the skin of his waist, because the thrusts were speeding up, pounding one right after another into the place that sent shivering chills of white-hot pleasure to his joints and groin. *Holy son of a--!* A searing spear thumped stiffly against his lower belly, an instant erection. Thoughts fell apart as quickly as he could assemble them, and his wide eyes shut tight as even the dim starlight became too much. His elbows gave out first, dropping his chest nearly to the ground. His neck couldn’t seem to support his head, either, and his forehead hit the dirt. Inuyasha thrust right then, down, angled up, his hips shifting to accommodate the wolf’s sudden change in position and driving directly into--

Whatever word Kouga attempted to shout, it came out incoherent and more like a breathless howl. His head tossed straight up, missing hitting the white dog’s face by pure luck, and blood dripped down his chin from where he’d bitten through his bottom lip. Small snarls and moans came from behind his locked fangs, sounding more like whimpers as Inuyasha’s hands let go of his hips and pinned his wrists to the ground on each side, hemming him in, covering him chest to back. The wolf’s muscles were rigid, but it seemed like jelly had filled his hip and knee joints. His legs oozed further apart until they came up against the white dog’s, holding him up and in place, and their rocking became more violent. Inuyasha’s pelvis slapped against bronze skin audibly, and Kouga moved to meet him without any real thought of it. They moved to an instinct more primal than their demon heritage, that pumped through their loins with burning speed and made the beast with two backs howl.

The crown of white hair pressed against Kouga’s shoulder, and the pale dog panted harshly as he rode the wolf so fiercely his toe claws scarred the ground. He was rising, falling, and rising again, so close, so very, very close…

*Oh, gods, don’t stop, don’t stop!* Harder, faster, and the pained grimace of minutes ago had become one of straining effort. Somewhere in the back of all the moaning and grunting was the pain and blood, and the rational, loyal part of Kouga that struggled against his own erection. *I can’t, not with—ah! Again, do that aga—no! Kagomea! But she’s not here, and he is, and he’s—and I’m--* He gasped in air and forgot to breath it out again as a spray of something hot hit him right in the prostate, Inuyasha arched back, and a triumphant baying rang throughout the clearing.

Heavy weight sagged forward again to rest on his back. Kouga forced his eyes open and stared blearily at the ground before his eyes as the dog panted against the back of his neck. Grass was torn up by his hands and spotted by what was probably his blood, but what caught his gaze were the pale, clawed hands around his wrists. There were no marks under their loose grip for all that they’d held him down, held him in place. The wolf flinched at the sight. His body ached with what he could only wish was the pain of bruising, but only if this bruise was one throbbing rod that stabbed dull need through him in time to his racing pulse. Swallowing to clear his mouth of his own blood, he slowly turned his head, looking under his body.

*I’d like to wake up now,* he thought distantly, blinking at what he’d expected to see and finally just resting his forehead on the crushed grass. *Failing that, I’d like Kagome.* He waited a moment as if giving time for the universe to grant his wish, realizing on the very edge of his mind that he was slightly hysterical with conflicting needs. His mind and body wanted completely different things, but at this moment they seemed disconnected. His mind was eerily calm, racing around in multiple trains of thought that went nowhere. His body seethed with ultra-sensitive nerves, all of them concentrating on his erect cock. The muscles of his inner thighs were practically vibrating with tiny thrusts, and his chest and upper arms were so tense he was shaking. He’d never been this aroused in his life.

He was beginning to understand why a demon in rut would tear through anything to get a mate…

Kouga heaved in air, then coughed it out in surprise as his lungs protested being overfull. *Breathing. Yes, very important, that.* He wheezed a laugh that he smothered a second after it escaped. The coughing seemed to have alerted Inuyasha to his plight, however, and he felt the grip on his wrists tighten. *Aw, shit. C’mon, just let me go, don’t…* He wasn’t exactly sure what he didn’t want the dog to do, but just the feel of hands tightening around his wrists was enough. “Lemme go, dogcrap,” he muttered.

Inuyasha ignored his words in favor of nuzzling against the side of his neck, inhaling deeply. Tangled black hair and sweat stuck to his nose, but the dog didn’t mind. His mate smelled of arousal and…misery. He sniffed further down Kouga’s neck and across his scratched shoulder, trying to understand why.

Incidentally, the rest of his body moved. Not much, but enough for the one trapped beneath him. *Oh. Oh, that is not helping any!* The fur of his kilt scrunched and tickled in all the wrong places, and pale skin silkier than any wolf demon he’d ever known stroked overheated, quivering—“Get offa me!” Kouga gasped, and his words squeaked at the end. His wrists twisted uncontrollably. While part of him wanted to snarl at the hands holding him down, the rest of his mind was grateful that he couldn’t do what he wanted right that moment.

*I am not going to jerk off in front of the mutt!* But his wrists kept twisting, and the sable-haired wolf bit down on his bottom lip once more. New beads of sweat popped up on his forehead, sticking dirt to hair already plastered there. *Dammit, what’s happening?! I can’t seem to stop it, and if he keeps moving like that I’m gonna--* He did, and Kouga groaned, arms abruptly pulling against the Inuyasha’s hands as the wolf tried frantically to ease the throbbing ache in his loins. *I don’t want this, I can’t want this…it’s not fair.* His head rose from the ground, and he opened his mouth to pant in cool air as if it would calm him.

“Inu…Inuyasha..?” His face already red with strain, Kouga still managed to flush at the pleading whine he couldn’t help. He didn’t want the dog, but he needed, needed so badly, and the damn mongrel wouldn’t let him go!

The white dog tried to think through his satiated weariness. His partner was distressed and becoming more anxious by the second, smelling of desire, panic, and building anger. The scent brought back a similar memory, and the sluggish thought processes eventually dredged up why it was familiar. The wolf was restless and refused to settle down. With a reassuring rumble deep in his chest that vibrated straight into Kouga’s back, Inuyasha nosed his shoulder again and pulled him close using the grip he had on tanned wrists. The darker demon’s eyes rolled back in their sockets to stare at him, mouth drooping open to show bloodstained fangs as they champed at nothing. Inuyasha met his demanding gaze with his own confident stare, however, and the glazed blue eyes dropped first. The sable-haired head followed suit a second later, and Kouga rested his forehead against the ground once more. An appealing whimper came from deep in the wolf’s throat, but he ceased fighting Inuyasha’s hold on him.

Growling softly, the white dog let his hands relax, letting go and sitting back on his heels. His cock slipped easily from the wolf, limp at last and stained with drying blood, and he fingered it absently as he tilted his head curiously at his companion. Kouga trembled with tension where he stayed, reluctant but obedient to the dominant male’s order. It was obvious what he wanted, but Inuyasha simply couldn’t understand why the wolf’s hunger was mixed with such panic and anger. It alarmed him, and his demon blood burned with suspicion.

Inuyasha huffed a sigh, remembering. Perhaps it was just how his mate was. He had wanted to try calming him with food last time, but when he’d returned with a deer, the wolf demon had fled. Maybe this time it would work. He snorted and shook his head, then climbed to his feet and headed toward the old bloodscent that hovered over the abandoned carcass. At this hour of the night, that was the most reliable way to find it. The moon had fallen below the horizon, and it was the darkest part of the night, the time when even in summer the air became cold. This was the time humans feared, because evil prowled in the deepest dark before dawn. Inuyasha was comfortable in the bitter dark, aqua pupils catching and using the dim light of the stars, but he gave the wolf a considering look as he stood over his kill and sliced off a haunch. One white ear lay back, listening to an internal knowledge that murmured sleepily about what Kagome *Stay away, protect her, stay away* would be doing at this hour. Kagome, and those around her, so it was a fair bet that his wolf would want much the same thing.

The wolf in question had retreated to the edge of the meadow, and sharp crimson eyes watched him narrowly, ready to spring after him if he dared run again. But Kouga merely knelt out of sight behind a tree, and Inuyasha turned his attention to more important things. For tonight, he would tolerate the small rebellion. He wasn’t happy that his companion wanted distance between them, but at the moment he was more concerned with making a den. The rut was content for the night, and even the strength of his transformation had worn under all the activity of the day. Food and shelter, and then maybe in the morning he could rouse himself to figure out what was wrong.

Once out of sight, Kouga collapsed to his knees and immediately hiked up his furs. A few quick strokes with his hand around his cock brought release, the climax rocking him forward onto his free hand as white liquid spurted onto the ground and he sank his fangs into his abused lip to muffle a cry. *Oh, gods…*

His breathing slowed after a long minute of short pants, and he wiped his soiled hand on the closest tree trunk in distaste. He used a handful of grass to cleanse himself and tossed it away into the night, sitting back on his heels as he did. “Ow!” He hissed out a startled breath and shifted to sit on one butt cheek…carefully. Funny, but he hadn’t felt the pain until right then.

*Never again. I don’t care what it feels like while he’s doing it; I’m not going through that again! I’ll kill the fucking mutt if that’s what it takes, dammit.* But as degraded as he felt, he knew he wouldn’t. Inuyasha was strong enough to kill him if he tried, and Kouga wasn’t so angry he couldn’t see that his anger and shame sprung from helplessness. He couldn’t fight the dog, it seemed, and he couldn’t seem stop himself from turning into a bitch in heat under him, either. *Well, I can fucking try. What the hell’s wrong with me? I don’t want him. I want Kagome.* A familiar pull in his lower belly at the thought of her eased something off his shoulders; at least that hadn’t changed. The sweet little human with her weird ways, weirder clothes, and bright smile was still the one he wanted as his mate. And he was pretty sure that Inuyasha still wanted her, too. *So what the heck are we doing? Neither of us wants the other, but we’re both here to prevent Kagome from being hurt. I don’t know if that makes us loyal or nuts.* His mouth quirked up, amused despite himself, and Kouga scrubbed a hand across his forehead as drying sweat and dirt began to itch.

He found, somewhat to his surprise, that he was cold without his armor, especially as sweat chilled his exposed back and stomach. It gave him a well-needed distraction. Along with the post-orgasm lethargy, it distanced his mind and allowed him to actually think things through instead of just snarling at it. *It’s gotta be just physical. I’m not used to—to—sex, I guess. It might happen all the time.* He’d never paid attention to the times a beta wolf had been used in the past. For all he knew, a rutting male’s partner always became aroused. *It’s not like he’s trying to do this to me, anyway. Why the fuck would the mutt want me hot and bothered? I’ll just, uh, get away to do this if it happens again. No way am I doing it in front of him!* His face heated with embarrassment at the thought of jerking off again afterward, but he couldn’t deny the pleasure he’d found in the simple act. Inuyasha may not have tried, but whatever it was inside him that reacted to being mounted was powerful. *I’ll live with it. It’s not like it’ll kill me.*

And the demon reasoned out what instinct had accepted at the beginning of the night. Ungracious and unhappy, Kouga submitted consciously.

With that acceptance, not even nerves could keep his weary body alert. He’d run all over the countryside and also fought, had sex with, and been chased by a bloodthirsty, rutting demon. He was tired. Staring up at the sky, he judged it to be far past the time he curled up with a few wolf kin in his nest of furs. The meadow wasn’t the most ideal spot for sleeping, but then again, the mutt was probably psychotic enough to have killed anything nearby that moved, much less presented a threat. Instinct stirred and assured him that the alpha would take care of him. It was one of the privileges he had forgotten since his father’s death; to be the one who slept instead of the one who kept watch over the sleeping. Right then, Kouga could only feel grateful for that protection. It felt like lead weights have been attached to his eyelids suddenly, adrenaline running out of his muscles faster than he could object. He yawned with all the abandon of his nondemon brethren, tongue curling. *Oi. When’s the last time I slept?* It seemed like weeks ago to the tired wolf.

He started to lean against the nearest tree only to have his nose twitch. His own semen he’d expected, but that wasn’t his scent. *What the..?* Sniffing, he followed the scent around the tree on his hands and knees and almost ran into a sword jammed into the tree next to it. He gaped at it, then at the pile of red fire rat cloth right underneath it. A laugh got out before he could stop it. *Of all the trees I had to pick, I hide behind this one...* Shaking his head, he levered himself to his feet using the tree as a support. It wasn’t like he could possibly smell any worse at this point, right? Besides, he needed something to hold onto as he winced his way upright. *Ouch.* Spit was obviously not helping as much as he wanted.

Cold and hurting, Kouga looked around the clearing for the dog, half out of beta instinct and half because it was common sense to locate threats. He didn’t see Inuyasha at first, but then a pale form straightened out of the tall grass midway around the meadow, just within the treeline. Crimson eyes looked right at him, and the white demon barked a preemptory summons. Not because he didn’t know the words to use, but because it was just easier to call the wolf that way. It wasn’t like Kouga didn’t understand him. Blue eyes flicked up to not-quite meet his gaze before Inuyasha dropped below the level of the grass again, confident that the rustling he heard was the wolf approaching. A small frown cross his face, and his ears perked up; was that a limp?

It was indeed a limp, one that Kouga didn’t bother to hide. Limping made him mad all over again, and he seethed his way toward Inuyasha in a foul mood. Weariness took the edge off his temper, but he’d been pushed into doing too many strange things today. *All I need to finish off the night is the mutt yapping at me because he’s stiff again. Shit, I know he’s in rut, but this is getting ridicu..lous…*

He stopped. He stared.

His mouth opened and shut in silent disbelief, and one white brow raised at him in question, an interrogative whine coming from the dog at his gaping. When the wolf didn’t move, Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed slightly and he barked a question. What was wrong? The pale demon looked from his dark mate to the den he’d made, wondering what had caused the stunned expression. A massive tree had torn up its root system as it fell, taking several of its neighbors with it and creating a secure maze of tangled branches on every side except the one facing the meadow. In fact, the tree’s fall was what had caused the clearing in the first place. Inuyasha had just mounded dirt on one side of the hollow left by the missing roots, building a deep, sheltered hole with only one approach to the entrance. It was as secure as any place he could have picked for a den, if a trifle crude and flimsy. Tomorrow would be time enough to look for a better place, or make this less temporary. For now…

Kouga watched the white dog drag a deer haunch into the den and forced his rounded eyes to blink. When he opened his eyes again, the den was still there, and now Inuyasha was looking at him expectantly from the entrance. “You gotta be kidding me. No. I’m not going in there, mutt,” he said with conviction his own mind was undermining the second it was out of his mouth. *It’s protected, and it’s gotta be warmer than it is out here. I’m not used to sleeping out in the open; even without furs it’ll feel more like home than sleeping in the grass. And as long as he’s not in there with me...*

There was a demanding growl, and Kouga bared his teeth automatically. A moment later he regretted his ingrained reflexes as Inuyasha came out of the den at him with clawed hands flexing. *Whoops. Alright, alright, I’ll be good. Sheesh.* He ducked his head apologetically, and the white dog relaxed. After giving a wary look around the rest of the clearing, Inuyasha nipped at his shoulder. “Hey!” Kouga took a step out of reach and glowered at the red mark on his skin. “What was tha—ow!” Another nip, another step forward, and bit by bit the dog chivvied the wolf toward the hole in the ground. Kouga grumbled and complained, but he didn’t balk until he was at the entrance to the den. Then he turned and took a snap of his own. It wasn’t aggressive—he’d learned that lesson—but it was distinctly territorial. Inuyasha took a step back, crimson eyes wide and at something of a loss.

*Surprise, mutt. It’s my den now!* Growling low in his throat, Kouga stooped and edged down the short tunnel to the den proper. A white-haired form blocked the entrance, and he snarled outright. It retreated somewhat meekly.

Inuyasha sniffed around the outside of the den, listening to the scrabbling sounds of the wolf settling down for sleep inside. He wasn’t quite sure how to deal with basically getting thrown out of his own den. While the dominant male was exactly that, the mate of the alpha could get away with some things normally not permitted, and the rut told him this was one of those things. He could force his way in, but it didn’t seem worth it. He wasn’t quite ready to sleep yet, anyway. He was hungry, thirsty, and the price of being the dominant male was the need to insure that the one who submitted to him was safe. More importantly, the blood under his claws was long dried. There was bound to be something to kill along the way, and, nose to the wind, the demon went off to find it.


* * * * *
End Part 9
* * * * *


There were so many good cut-off points in this chapter, but I had to write it out to Kouga trumping Inuyasha over sleeping space. Apparently his den is “No Dogs Allowed.” *snickers* Yay for grumpy Kouga. There shalt be angst, but that won’t stop Kouga. Inuyasha, I think, is a bit bewildered by this turn of events.

Heh heh heh.

Remember, feedback helps me remember to work on this thing! Geez, it’s a slagging monster…when did I write so many pages?