Jaken had once ruled the wilderness of Musashi Province, with countless servants at his command. But after Sesshomaru happened to save him while passing through, he had stubbornly followed Sesshomaru ever since. Jaken thought he was merely captivated by Sesshomaru's strength and beauty, but Sesshomaru could sense the faint crow tengu bloodline within him. It was so diluted that it would have been almost impossible to detect had Sesshomaru himself not belonged to the Dog Clan. That was why Jaken had felt such a powerful urge to submit to Sesshomaru from their first meeting. Gratitude for saving his life and admiration for strength alone would not have been enough to tame a minor chieftain like Jaken so easily.
The power of the crow tengu had almost entirely vanished from Jaken. He knew no swordsmanship, had no ability to travel through time and space, and lacked even the wings that allowed crow tengu to fly. Yet he still retained their instinctive longing for the sky, their short stature, and their pointed, crowlike beaks. That was why he so admired Sesshomaru, who possessed powerful swordsmanship and the ability to soar through the air. Even Jaken himself probably did not know the reason.
The stronger the monster, the rarer it was, and the Tengu Tribe was no exception. Thunder tengu, bearers of the noblest tengu bloodline, were few in number. In contrast, the crow tengu formed an enormous population. Scattered across every corner of the world, these numerous crow tengu exchanged all kinds of information within communities whose weakness only made them more united. When it came to gathering information, there were no more suitable subordinates than monsters with crow tengu blood.
Moreover, because crow tengu were so much weaker than other monsters, they often attached themselves to powerful tengu. They had always