Not long after Sesshomaru and Han left Inuyasha and the others, a gently warm mountain breeze swept past, carrying the fragrance of wild lilies and hyacinths. A giant brown dog flew down from the sky, landed, and transformed into a black-haired young monster clad in armor and bearing weapons. He knelt respectfully before Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru, your mother requests your return."
"Hm. What did Mother say?" Sesshomaru was not particularly eager to face his capricious, willful mother. Whenever his father said, "Ah, Sesshomaru, don't you think Rinyō is delightful like this?" Sesshomaru wanted to have a serious talk with him about life. Suddenly, he realized that he had never truly understood his father's thoughts. Or his mother's, for that matter...
"..." The young monster fell silent. The first part of her exact words had been, "That utterly unadorable son of mine still hasn't come home. He's broken the heart of a mother who longs for her darling boy." (Note: there had been no trace of sorrow on her face.) He was far too embarrassed to repeat any of that, so he decided to relay only the meaningful second half. "Your mother said that the Demon Fox Tribe in the Southern Lands has begun gathering for unknown reasons and has allied with other smaller tribes, apparently including some humans. They seem to be preparing a major offensive. The Wolf Demon Tribe in the North and our neighbors, the Leopard Cat Tribe, have both requested that we unite against the enemy. Your mother has agreed and is now gathering our people, so she asks that you return to make the necessary preparations as well."
"Have things already reached the brink of war?" His mother would never send someone to summon him unless it was necessary. She had always believed in following one's