Traveling with a Dog (II)

Two figures, one tall and one small, walked slowly through the forest at night. A bright moon and stars hung in the dark sky, spilling faint light between the trees and softening the darkness. A little river ran nearby, so clear beneath the moonlight that it seemed to glow.

Perhaps because neither of them was human, traveling at night posed no difficulty. Everything remained as clearly visible as it was by day: leaves trembling in the night breeze, an owl sitting motionless on a branch, pebbles kicked loose beneath their feet. The girl raised a hand to rub her eyes, covered her mouth for a small yawn, then patted her cheeks to wake herself up.

The tall figure ahead suddenly stopped.

"We'll continue tomorrow." His cool voice came from above.

"All right." Han nodded.

The Silver-Haired Monster leaned back against a large tree and sat casually on the grass.

Han looked at the ground with a troubled frown, sighed softly, and resigned herself to it. She decided to wash up at the river before returning to rest. After all, she had grown accustomed to living like a human.

Beyond the nearby trees lay the shallow, clear river. Its murmuring water sounded especially peaceful in the night. Han stood on the bank and listened to the forest for a while, a small, delighted smile appearing on her face. Nestlings chirped affectionately to their mothers, and little insects still called energetically. It was like a lovely forest tale.

She splashed water over her cheeks, washing away the dust of a day's travel, then lifted her long red hakama and soaked both feet in the cool stream. A satisfied sigh escaped her.

Suddenly, a jarring sound came from deep within the forest, like something soft-bodied sliding over the grass. It drew closer and closer, accompanied by a spine-chilling hiss...

Han sprang to her feet. Several enormous snakes suddenly appeared on the opposite bank, their oily green eyes gleaming coldly. Their faint demonic aura sent a chill down her spine. They opened their mouths wide, baring sharp fangs and hissing threats as they slithered around her.

These were no ordinary large snakes anymore. They had probably become demons.

Han sighed inwardly, but she fitted an arrow to her bowstring and sent it flying toward the snakes without hesitation. Wherever its light passed, the snakes were purified in an instant. They had indeed become demons. Only demons would be purified by a Purification Arrow; anything else would merely be injured. A Miko's arrows drew their strength from the spiritual power within them. In terms of sheer destructive force, they could not compare to those of a skilled archer, who possessed both accuracy and power.

Her lips pressed together, her gaze utterly focused. She dared not relax for even a moment.

Facing enormous snakes as tall as she was, some even taller, she felt uneasy, but her hands remained steady. Arrows flew from her fingertips, striking the cold-blooded creatures one after another.

Yet as time passed, the giant snakes seemed endless, surging toward her without pause, while her strength gradually ebbed...

The Silver-Haired Monster nearby finally rose. His silvery-white figure stood out sharply in the darkness. Han breathed a sigh of relief, an inexplicable sense of security filling her heart. His expression unchanged, the Silver-Haired Monster extended a long Light Whip from his fingertips. His movements were leisurely and natural. In his hands, the countless giant snakes were no different from ordinary ones, utterly helpless to fight back.

Naturally, Han felt reassured when Sesshomaru approached. Yet seeing the demons that had given her so much trouble fall so easily before him also left her faintly disheartened by the enormous gap between them.

The snakes gradually dwindled, but an ominous feeling stirred in Han's heart, as though some enormous monster was about to emerge. Sure enough, a gigantic black snake slithered before them moments later, its speed astonishing her. This one was clearly a powerful demon, with a human torso and a snake's tail. Its waist was at least as thick as a century-old tree. A casual flick of its tail snapped a tree so broad that several people together could barely encircle it...

The snake demon lowered his head, and Han finally saw his face clearly. It looked remarkably human, except for the unusually narrow eyes and tiny, needle-like vertical pupils, which radiated an indescribable malice. His nose was thin and flat against his face, leaving little visible beyond two narrow, bright-red nostrils. Fine scales covered his cheeks, arms, and the backs of his hands, the same color as his long, thick black tail. A single glance was enough to bring on a cold sweat. After he appeared, the other snakes gradually stopped attacking and adopted postures of submission, awaiting his orders.

Neither the girl nor the Silver-Haired Monster showed any fear, though both remained quietly on guard.

"Were you the ones who killed these adorable children?" The enormous snake demon surveyed the devastated battlefield and spoke casually.

"Nothing but vermin." The Silver-Haired Monster remained perfectly calm, not a flicker of emotion crossing his face. Han, who had been about to speak, shut her mouth and silently acknowledged her companion's talent for provoking others.

"What?! You dare call these adorable children vermin!" The Black Snake Demon erupted in rage. His scales almost gleamed, making his features look even more vicious.

The Silver-Haired Monster said nothing more, apparently unwilling to waste words. Yet the Light Whip moving idly at his fingertips betrayed his caution and vigilance. His composure only stoked the snake demon's fury.

"Damn you!" The black snake demon roared and lunged down, as though determined to bite the silver-haired demon to pieces.

The Silver-Haired Monster did not even shift his stance. A sweep of his arm sent the long Light Whip lashing across the snake demon's face. Furious, the snake demon swiftly pulled back and summoned his weapon, a pitch-black halberd, before attacking again.

The silver-haired demon leaped from the ground, almost hanging in the air. His long whip wound around the snake demon's halberd, cleanly halting the attack.

The snake demon tried to retrieve his halberd but could not overcome his opponent's strength. Finally, with a furious roar, he abandoned the weapon and reverted completely to his true form-a gigantic Black Python that blotted out the sky and moon!

Once in his true form, the Black Python moved even faster, striking and withdrawing in the blink of an eye.

The silver-haired demon stopped using his Light Whip, searching instead for openings between the Black Python's attacks.

When the Black Python opened his enormous, blood-red maw and lunged again, the Silver-Haired Monster dodged, swiftly turned back, and curled both hands into claws. His innate Poisonous Claws plunged straight into the python's neck.

The Black Python writhed in pain, his movements turning erratic. His enormous tail slammed into the ground, causing what felt like a small earthquake.

With his hands still buried in the Black Python's flesh, the Silver-Haired Monster was struck by the tail. Pain shot through him. His eyes turned blood-red, and he too swiftly assumed his true form-

An enormous, ferocious white dog!

This was Han's first time seeing Sesshomaru's true form. She had never expected him to be a white Dog Demon.

On reflection, it was unexpected, yet perfectly reasonable.

After her initial amazement, Han watched their battle even more closely, seeking a way to inflict a severe wound on the snake demon without hurting Sesshomaru. Both demons moved astonishingly fast. Though her eyes could follow them, she could not guarantee that an arrow aimed at the snake demon would not accidentally hit Sesshomaru, so she could only continue observing carefully.

In fact, as soon as Sesshomaru and the Black Python began fighting, Han had swiftly hidden herself to wait for an opportunity.

Some snake demons that had failed to react in time became collateral casualties of the two powerful demons' attacks.

Now the giant dog Sesshomaru had become and the Black Python exchanged probing attacks. It was a struggle of pure animal ferocity, with all outside assistance cast aside. Suddenly, the giant dog seized an opening and bit into the Black Python's vulnerable neck. His feral instincts delivered the most effective attack. The Black Python recoiled in pain, but seized the chance to coil around the giant dog's entire body and steadily tighten his grip.

Suddenly, two streaks of arrow light cut through the night, aimed straight at the Black Python's eyes. Locked in combat with the giant dog, the Black Python noticed the deadly arrows only at the last instant and could not dodge.

With arrows piercing both eyes, the Black Python nearly went mad, his entire body rolling across the ground. The giant dog took the opportunity to escape his coils and attacked again from the side.

Han let out a long breath of relief. When the snake demon had coiled around Sesshomaru, his enormous body had almost completely swallowed the dog from view, leaving her desperately worried. Yet that had also given her an opening.

Now that Sesshomaru was free, she could finally relax. She aimed at the enormous Black Python again, especially his already wounded neck. This would be her final strike, using almost all her spiritual power, so it had to...

But as the Black Python rolled, his tail happened to brush against the great tree where Han was hiding. Focused entirely on her target, she had no chance to react. The tree and the snake demon were about to crush her together, leaving her dead or gravely injured.

Han struggled to change her position in midair, but could not control her fall. She could only grit her teeth and brace for the impact.

At that moment, the giant dog suddenly abandoned his attack on the Black Python and turned toward her hiding place, as though sensing something.

He immediately flew toward her. He had intended to catch her in his mouth, but fearing that his poisonous saliva might dissolve her, he flew beneath her instead and caught her in time.

Feeling soft fur beneath her, Han was startled, then grateful that the demon had saved her once again.

When the giant dog landed, she deftly swung herself off his back.

Once on the ground, she hesitated briefly, then gently touched the marks his coils had left on the giant dog's body and softly thanked him.

Sesshomaru normally hated being close to humans, yet the girl's awkward comfort and gratitude did not repel him.

He attributed it to the fact that she was not truly human.

After saving the girl, Sesshomaru returned to his battlefield.

Although the Black Python had escaped death because Han's shot had gone astray, the arrow carrying all her spiritual power had still inflicted considerable damage as it grazed him, nearly purifying him.

Sensing the giant dog's return, the Black Python hurriedly begged for mercy.

For Sesshomaru, the purpose of battle was not slaughter, nor did he enjoy killing. His goal was simply to surpass his father, the Dog General. Battles between demons, however, usually ended with one side's death.

Thus, whether he killed the Black Python made little difference to him. When the Black Python conceded defeat, he did not pursue the matter and simply turned away.

The Black Python breathed a sigh of relief. For demons, almost no wound was beyond healing. Some merely required time, while others needed the right opportunity. Those requiring time were usually easier to heal, while those requiring an opportunity were more difficult. Some demons lived their entire lives with unhealed injuries simply because that opportunity never came.

Having reasoned this out, the Black Python stopped dwelling on it and slowly slithered away with the few remaining snake demons.

Once all the snake demons had left, Han went to the river and briefly washed her wounds.

Although Sesshomaru had saved her earlier, other branches had still struck her, leaving a few minor scrapes.

After tending to herself, Han searched nearby for herbs with healing and detoxifying properties. Her own wounds were slight, but Sesshomaru had suffered quite a few.

When Han returned to their original resting place, Sesshomaru was still leaning against the tree with his eyes closed. She hesitated, unsure whether to disturb him. Yet leaving his wounds untreated did not seem right, and he had saved her twice. She truly wanted to help him, even if only a little.

Hearing the rustle of her returning footsteps, Sesshomaru opened his eyes.

The Black Python had not been an easy opponent, and he had prepared himself for a difficult fight. The girl's precise archery and considerable power, however, had genuinely surprised him a little.

That Black Python was no ordinary demon. As heir to the Western Lands, Sesshomaru could discern the faint bloodline of Yamata no Orochi within him. Though thin, it had been enough to make the Black Python king of these mountains.

An ordinary Miko would have struggled to injure a Black Python with such an ancient bloodline. Even though the girl's arrows had targeted vulnerable places like his eyes, the damage they had caused was probably not due solely to a Miko's spiritual power. Yet she seemed unaware of this. Humans would likely find it difficult to guide her in that regard, too.

"Um, should we do something about your wounds?" Han asked immediately when she saw him open his eyes.

"No need." Seeing that the girl had returned safely, Sesshomaru said nothing more and closed his eyes.

"..." After a while, Sesshomaru could still feel an intense gaze fixed on him. With a touch of resignation, he opened his eyes and found her looking at him worriedly.

His wounds were neither truly severe nor particularly light. Though the Black Python had not bitten him directly during their battle, his teeth and scales had scraped him in several places. Especially after being trapped in those coils, he had scarcely a patch of uninjured skin.

Such wounds should normally have healed quickly, but perhaps because of the Black Python's bloodline, they were healing unusually slowly. Ordinary herbs, however, could do nothing to improve that.

With a silent sigh, Sesshomaru sat up and removed the upper half of his white robe with its hexagonal red plum-blossom designs, revealing his wounded back and chest. The girl looked at him in delighted surprise. He nodded, and she gave him the biggest smile he had seen since they met. Unlike her usual gentle or quiet smiles, this one was bright and pure. The Dog Demon suddenly felt less resigned.

The girl carefully crushed the herbs that would stop bleeding, promote healing, and neutralize poison. One had a particularly tough, pliant root that was difficult to crush with a stone alone, without a proper mortar and pestle. After obtaining the demon's nod of permission, she simply chewed it up and mixed it with the other herbs. Most medicinal herbs tasted unpleasant, and her entire face scrunched up as she diligently chewed. Yet she looked unexpectedly rather endearing.

As she carefully applied the herbs to his injured back, he could almost smell the faint, fresh fragrance of her body. He had not noticed it before, despite possessing a nose far keener than those of most demons. If his guess was correct, she carried a Talisman that concealed her scent. Perhaps that was why he had initially been able to detect something different about her only through the scent of her blood.

Once the herbs were applied, the Silver-Haired Monster felt the poison in his wounds being rapidly neutralized. This was not his own doing, and he was certain those ordinary herbs were not responsible either. Then... the only possibility was that the girl had altered them by chewing them.

What race could this girl belong to, to possess such powerful healing abilities? He wanted to know more and more.

The night deepened. After traveling all day and fighting an intense battle, both of them were rather tired.

Although Sesshomaru disliked closeness with others, he tacitly allowed the girl to lean against the same tree beside him. Of course, there was still some distance between them. That was the limit of what he could tolerate.

As the night grew darker, the girl gradually fell fast asleep, lightly holding a small corner of his robe...