As you all should very well know, I do not own InuYasha or any of its characters. Akai and Kin, however, are mine. :3

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A dark figure observed from the shadows of the forest as three figures stood in the distance. They were demons, that she was sure of, and killing such demons was her job. She had been watching them for days. She was no fool; she knew every demon had its strengths as well as its weaknesses.

This demon had already produced offspring. It had already mated. All the more reason to kill it as well as its children. She would be doing the world a favor. She would be doing her job. The other two demons accompanying him were smaller, his offspring no doubt. His downfall. His weakness.

She was positive that they were unaware of her presence, for even if they picked up her scent, they would smell nothing but the soil of a graveyard and blood. At least, that is what he had always said she wreaked of. But she had yet to be discovered by this demon and his kin, so she had no reason to fret.

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Her eyes snapped open and she shot upright, her breathing slightly heavy as she looked around frantically, her eyes darting from the ground to the branched in the trees. All was dark. All was silent.

"Damn…" she grunted, getting to her feet and sliding her bow over her shoulder, "how could I have fallen asleep…"

She gasped, her head snapping to her left at the sound of a rustling from the bushes. She slowly reached to her satchel on her back but grasped only air. Her arrows were gone. All of them. But where? Her eyes searched the ground where she had slept and the ground around her. Nothing.

She was now defenseless; panic slowly rose into her mind as her eyes darted around her surroundings but found nothing but shadows and darkness. Again, there came a rustle from the bushes, this time accompanied by the snapping of a twig or branch of some sort. No. She would not become the hunted. She would not allow it. Not there. Not then. Not ever.

She darted off in the opposite direction, pushing herself, running as fast as her legs could carry her. But she was not alone. Feet were patting against the ground, bushes moving, branches were breaking. Someone, something, was following her, chasing her through the forest and the brush.

In an attempt to catch even the slightest glimpse of her pursuer, she glanced back over her shoulder for a split second; but she saw nothing. It was a foolish move on her part. Before she could even see it, her foot caught on an uprooted part of a dead tree. She tripped and fell flat onto her stomach, hitting the ground hard.

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She groaned, lifting a hand to her head and gently massaging her temples. Her eyes cracked open and she looked around slowly, everything seeming so much brighter. Her head felt like it weighed a ton, as though it had been pelted with a rock. A sharp pain stung her ankle as she sat up. Looking down to it, she saw that it was wrapped tightly in a sash of fur.

"What in the hell…" she blinked, looking to one side as a figure stepped in through a curtain of light.

She blinked again, looking him over. He was tall and had a muscular frame. His hair was long and he wore it pulled up into a ponytail by a sash similar to the one which bound her ankle. His hair was black, just as black as hers. She knew his appearance well. Long ebony hair, pointed ears, tan skin, a brown tail, and dressed in nothing but fur and armor. This was the very demon she had been following for the past few days, waiting for the precise moment when she could catch him off guard. But how did he find her?

He walked towards her and dropped a pile of furs onto the stone ground beside her, "Good," he grunted with a deep, husky, voice, "you're finally awake. You've been out cold forever."

She crossed her arms and slightly narrowed her eyes at the demon, showing off her usual cold glare, "What does it matter to you? Why did you take me here? I-"

"Was unconscious for a day and a half. I found you knocked out on the forest floor." he broke in.

She only glared at him more, "I was being chased. I fell hard."

He chuckled and took a seat beside her on the ground, leaning his elbow against the pile of furs, "Yes, you were in fact being chased. By some nasty little beasts too. It was my pups." He grinned.

"Pups? You mean your children?"

"Yeah, my pups, Akai and Kin. They were practicing their hunting and tracking skills. Seemed pretty excited when they caught a priestess on their first try." He grinned.

"I am no one's prey. Especially not that of a filthy demon and his children." She spat bitterly, climbing to her feet.

She took a step forward and stumbled due to her injured ankle. She would have fallen, yet again, to the ground, if he had not caught her; her head rested against his shoulder as he caught her wrists tightly. She looked up at him, glaring again, looking straight into his deep blue eyes.

"Let me go." She demanded.

He only grinned to her again and released her wrists, gesturing his hand to the pile of furs he had placed on the ground, "Get dressed. We've got lunch outside. But you don't eat with us unless you're dressed like one of us. You're going to be here a while with your ankle all messed up like that. So you'd better get used to it." He stated firmly, turning and exiting the cave.

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A/N: Well there you have it. Chapter One of my new work is up. However, if you've read any of my previous stories, I apologize for not finishing them. I tend to start something, jump onto another project, then another, then I go back around to what I started with and continue on with them. So keep an eye out for any updates!

--Sagittarians' Bow