Nobara the Wolf-Dragon

Part 1

Nobara stood and huffed in annoyance. Yet another one of Inuyasha's brotherly squabbles with Seshomaru had left her on edge with pent-up energy. Naturally, the half-demon had told them all to stay out of it.

"Cause it's a family matter," she muttered sarcastically, her red bracers catching the sunlight as she folded her arms across her chest.

The words hadn't slipped past Kagome's ears, and the modernly dressed girl turned her shoulders to look at the female wolf-dragon demon.

Her auburn hair was pulled up in a mid-height ponytail, her bangs hanging freely over her forehead. The fitted armor on her upper body was sleek black, though changed to a red stripe across her breasts that went all the way around her back. The gray shoulder pieces were held to her arms with a thin leather strap to prevent them from bouncing around in a fight. Her hands were partially covered with black fingerless gloves. On her legs she wore black leather rimmed with fur that matched the pelt hanging from her waist. Unlike most wolf demons, she also had a fully functioning tail that was the same color as the pelt.

At a glance, Nobara appeared to be an average wolf demon, but Kagome knew otherwise. Nobara had the power to shapeshift between three different forms as well as control fire at will. Combined with her combatant skills, she was a lethal warrior.

"What did you say?!" an irritated voice barked.

Nobara turned and glared at the dog half-demon Inuyasha. "Nothing," she spat, the lash of her tail meaning anything but.

Inuyasha growled, sparking a visible heat wave between the two of them.

"I don't understand how the rest of you can just sit on the sidelines like this," Nobara stated, directing the insult at the rest of the group as she started to stalk off. "I can't just stand here."

Shippo, the young fox demon, hopped up on Kirara's head and asked, "Where are you going, Nobara?"

The female smirked, her ponytail swishing to the side as she glanced behind her.

"Hunting."

There was one thing Nobara loved more than flying: running. It made her feel so alive. The wind whipped through her hair and tail, the trees rushed past in a blur. Her heart beat against her chest with every few strides she took. It was a perfect rhythm flowing with the sound of nature itself. The adrenaline heightened her senses beyond normal wolf acuteness.

I am Nobara. I am wild. I am wolf-dragon.

Over and over the mantra played through her head as she scouted the forest. It wasn't the kill she got off on; it was the hunt. Lowering herself to the ground on one knee, Nobara sniffed twice and caught the scent of a doe.

Perfect.

Her lips curled back in a snarl. Instinct took over as she followed the trail. A few miles away, she found her prey – a plump doe ripe for the taking. She licked her lips hungrily, already tasting the warm blood on her tongue.

The doe went down easily, but only moments into her meal, a scent came on the wind that made Nobara's stomach quench. It was the smell of human blood, and a lot of it.

A massacre...possibly something caused by Naraku.

Leaving the carcass for the crows, Nobara sped towards the scent, growing more nauseated the closer she came. When she was almost there, a series of howls broke through the air.

Wh-what?

She froze in her tracks. That was not the howl of a hunt.

Those wolves...they're calling for help!