Wings of Prophecy

Chapter 2: The Prophecy

Inuyasha froze completely when he realized he'd been discovered. He couldn't break his gaze away from hers and his mind fumbled for a way out. Sighing, he knew there was no other way out of this without hurting her feelings. He jumped down from the tree he'd been perched in and revealed himself entirely to the girl with his wings tightly folded. She gasped at the sight of him, and his ears flattened against his skull, preparing for the screaming that was sure to come. However, whatever screaming he had been expecting never came.

"Whoa..." The girl stared in awe at his appearance.

He didn't say a word, standing still for a moment longer before readjusting his wings as he took a few cautious steps forward. "You said you needed help?" He asked, hoping she wasn't just in a state of shock.

"I- uhm- I did," She answered timidly, still wide eyed and dazed.

"Well, there's a village nearby that I can take you to. The villagers there will help you get to where you need to go," He explained, hoping to get her help as soon as possible so he could go back home.

"Uh I'm not sure they could hel-"

"Follow me," Inuyasha didn't care to hear her excuses as to why the villagers couldn't help her. If she didn't follow, that was on her.

He made his way down the forest trail that led to the village, he heard her quick footsteps which told him she had decided to follow. He let a sly smirk slip onto his face before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. The girl was quiet the entirety of the walk, she only began speaking when they actually came to the boarder of the village.

"So uh... what's with the dog ears... and wings...?" She asked hesitantly, sounded as if she regretted asking the question already.

"I was born with them..." Inuyasha replied slowly. It was only half of the truth but he had his reasons for not telling her where his wings truly came from.

"Oh..." She didn't say anything more. The awkward tension in the air was so thick that Inuyasha swore he could cut through it with a knife.

Nothing else was said as they approached the village and Inuyasha was quick to notice the odd looks being sent their way. He glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye and noticed she was looking rather uncomfortable; keeping her gaze locked on the ground in front of them. Inuyasha sighed and spread his left wing to curl around her and to hopefully offer some shelter from the prying eyes around them. He quickened his pace, forcing the girl to his left to speed her pace up as well. Kaede's hut rested at the bottom of the hill where her sister's remains had been buried. Inuyasha approached the hut quickly, leaving no room for questions as he ushered the girl in. He cast a quick threatening glance behind him to ward off any villagers attempting to eavesdrop before neatly folding his wings and entering the hut himself.

"Ah, Inuyasha. So ye have decided to visit! Oh?" The old priestess promptly dropped the cheery greeting and replaced her expression with an inquisitive look.

"This girl got herself lost in the forest. I'm just dropping her off here so you guys can help her get to where ever she's going," Inuyasha explained.

"Actually... where I am from... these people won't be able to get me there. I don't even know how I got here myself. I was in my family's well house looking for our cat and the next thing I know, I'm climbing out of a well in the middle of the forest!" The girl exclaimed, sounding a little panicked.

"Wait. A well in the forest? You mean the Bone Eater's well?" Kaede questioned, sounding concerned.

"Uh... if that's what its called then yeah..." The girl answered timidly.

"Oh my..." Kaede trailed off, sounding rather dazed.

Silence filled the hut once more. Inuyasha was beginning to feel restless and eager to leave. He felt he should at least say something to indicate he was leaving so he didn't leave the old hag hanging. Just as he moved to speak, Kaede spoke up, "What be your name child?"