Isabo lay on the
grass with her eyes closed, just feeling the sun and the gentle breeze. She
smiled as the sound of her children’s laughter reached her. She had slipped
away without them noticing and laid a twisting maze of a trail for them to
track her down with.
It’s a game she started with her oldest son, Sesshomaru,
now a grownup sixteen year old traveling the lands with his father. She
remembered the first time. Sesshie was so angry with her for leaving him
while he was sleeping. She was only at their neighbors showing off her
latest newborn, the sixth. She was not even out of hearing range because she
had put her children down for their nap and she was listening for them to
awake. Sesshie woke earlier than he should have and didn’t even call for
her. Instead he spent an hour tracking her down, causing Isabo some frantic
minutes when she discovered her son was missing. An hour was much too long
for a dog demon to track their prey in her opinion, even if he was only 5.
After that, making sure the younger children’s care were
in good hands, she started slipping away from him on purpose, an easy task
for a Unicorn. It turned into a game. The better he got, the harder she made
the game. Sesshomaru even started to enjoy their hunts, especially when he
competed with his siblings. In no time at all, he became the best at
tracking her down. He always found her well before everyone else. Sesshie
won’t find me first this time so I wonder who will. She thought.
Sesshie… She smiled
thinking about her first born. He hated her nickname for him. Isabo knew he
took things way too seriously, so she called him by that name all the time,
despite his protests. He protested long and hard too. Still she refused to
call him by his given name except for formal occasions. He finally gave up
but he only let her and one of his siblings enjoy the pleasure without
repercussions.
She sighed and
stretched. Out here, away from the dog clan, Isabo could let her guard down.
Her demon markings faded, her hair became straighter and lighter, and her
fangs disappeared. Sesshie was quite shocked when he first saw her like
this. He had snuck up on her during a hunt and caught her unawares. She had
to make him promise not to tell his father. Still that was not as shocking
to him as the day he saw her in her Unicorn form. He was about 10 years old.
He was appalled, not with her but with the thought that he might be impure.
That night she had a long conversation with him alone. She
explained her theory that the dog clan was developed from a mix of wolf
demon blood and Unicorn blood. She pointed out the white hair that seemed to
dominate in dog demon bloodlines with only the occasional dark hair or red
hair appearing, just like the Unicorns. They both had elegant looks and all
the lines of the clans had forehead markings just like the Unicorns, at
least the firstborns did.
Dog demons are far superior to other canine demons in
grace and abilities and they are also the strongest and smartest. Isabo
pointed out that all these qualities were even stronger in her children,
especially in Sesshomaru and she reminded him of how proud his father was of
him.
Back then, Sesshie looked at her with doubt, which
prompted her to reach out and hug him. “I’m proud of you too,” she said that day. She
remembered how he squirmed in her embrace but she held on to him until he
relented before she released him.
Sesshomaru still doesn’t like being held, or at least
that’s the image he wants to project. He tries to imitate what he sees
of his father’s public image. Isabo sighed; Sesshie was the one son that
needed his father around him more than any of the others. Sadly, every time
Inutaishou came home and talked to his eldest son, it was always about the
responsibility of their lands and how it would fall to him someday. There
was never any casual conversation nor was much affection passed between them
since he was five. Isabo tried to talk to Inutaishou about her son’s needs,
but he just commented that his time was limited and he had to pass on as
much knowledge as he could while he was home. Sesshomaru missed out on
understanding Inutaishou’s heart and she was afraid it was turning him cold.
She was hoping the time Sesshie as spending with his father will help the
two of them reconnect with each other.
She heard more sounds, which indicated the children were
collaborating together and getting closer but with her unicorn hearing she
knew it would still be a little time yet. She smiled. Remembering the
conversation with her son made her think of what all her children had in
common. Every single one had a forehead marking of some kind. The Dog Demon
Clans were still abuzz about it. Although it is common for the first born to
have the marking, to have more than one, like Inutaishou and his brother
InuHaru were rare and a sign of great potency and vitality. To have two
brought great honor to Inutaishou’s father. Now, thanks to Isabo’s blood,
Inutaishou had ten! That feat raised Inutaishou standings in his clan to
almost godlike status, a source of irritation to Inutaishou but of great
amusement to Isabo. She told him that the marking ran strong in her family
and it was a rarity that a child of her clan did not have the forehead mark.
It was the truth, if not the whole truth. She often wondered why she didn’t
tell Inutaishou the real truth. Something always held her back. She was so
happy that it made her afraid to make any changes. If it weren’t for a
recurring nightmare everything would be perfect.
She shook her head, irritated that her mind brought that
thought up right now. Isabo immediately changed the subject. She would much
rather think about her children. They were growing up so fast!
Akira was fifteen years old. Her second born was tall like
Sesshie, proud and strong. She was never afraid of anything. She was
accomplished at swordplay and could hold her own in a fight. She kept her
hair short, against tradition because it got in her way when she practiced.
She has already chosen a mate, a young handsome dog demon by the name of
Ryo. They wanted to consummate their mating upon its announcement, but
Isabo requested that they put off the official ritual until Akira’s father
and brother returned.
Akira’s shadow, at
least up ‘til the time Ryo entered her life, was her sister Ayame, now 13.
Ayame was smart and quick witted. She was also good with fighting but chose
energy whips and her poison claws instead of swords. She was not as tall as
her sister but she was still growing. Even though she was young for it,
Ayame had also found love with a fifteen-year-old boy by the name of
Hoshi. Isabo smiled as she remembered the talk she and Inutaishou had with
the boy once their relationship appeared to be getting serious. They
threatened Hoshi with a radical sex change if he mated with their daughter
before she reached 14. Of course she didn’t mean it, but Isabo was not too
sure about Inutaishou. She admired the boy even more when he agreed to the
terms and then stood up for Ayame and himself, refusing to give up their
relationship.
Botan was her second son, now 14.
He was the first child to have his mother’s blue eyes. He was a passionate
young man, a singer and an artist. He also showed great skill with the
sword. Swordplay for him was like a dance. There was many a time that all
other practice stopped when he was going through his moves. He wrote
beautiful poetry and songs, and he was a genius at it.
Botan’s song writing
ability became quite evident when he set his heart on mating the beautiful
daughter of their neighbors, Mai. They grew up together and had many things
in common. His problem was that, once he knew she was the one he wanted, she
still only saw him as a childhood friend. He started writing songs for her
and leaving the lyrics where she would find it. He started with just
expressing his affection for her but he found that it wasn’t enough. She
would just comment that it was very good. Finally, in desperation, he wrote
a song of great passion and wrote a note “This song expresses my feelings
for you” so there was no mistaking it’s meaning.
Mia was so surprised and confused by the song that she had to
talk to somebody. The song was too embarrassing to show to her parents so
she showed it to Isabo. Unlike her first son, her second son definitely had
no problem expressing his feelings, at least on paper. Isabo convinced Mai
that Botan was writing from his heart. She asked Mai how she felt. Her
response was to snatch the song back and run off in search of Botan. A
minute later, she could hear Botan singing his song for her. Isabo smiled at
the memory of that song, very glad that Inutaishou was due home today. The
next day Botan was asking his neighbors for permission to mate their
daughter, which they immediately agreed to. Now the two of them only waited
for Botan’s father to return.
The next child of theirs was
Ringo, 12 years old. His eyes were the gray blue of a hazy day. He was a shy
and reserve child who could relate better with animals than with other
humanoids. When they came to his call and did his bidding, it became
apparent that he was a beastmaster.
He was teased at
first about talking to animals but when those who did the teasing
started being attacked by birds and mice, the teasing stopped. Ringo
could also make plants grow and heal anything that was injured. Although
possessing no skill with a sword, he was a catalyst that could share his
power with others and magnify their abilities or strength many times over.
Still, he was a gentle child that preferred taking the peaceful path.
Then came her little rebels, son
Fujita – 11 and daughter Chika – 10. They’re the true middle children that
are not only inseparable from each other, but also choose to stand out from
the crowd by dressing and acting differently.
Chika developed a woman’s figure early and uses it to
tease any male in her path. This careless disregard for her own safety is
done only because she knows that Fujita would jump to her aid if anything
got out of hand.
They were “street fighters” and even at their young age,
could take down almost any opponent when they fought together.
Inutaishou often
expressed concern about them but Isabo always reassured him that it’s a faze
that they will probably out grow as long as they are supported and loved.
She knew that they would not likely come to harm as long as they have each
other.
Michi came next, her little
tomboy of 9 years. She prefers acting like a boy and it’s with them that one
will find her. She fights and plays with them and they treat her as one of
their own. She always tells everyone that no one will ever see her in a
woman’s dress or kimono. To this day no one has.
Isabo’s youngest son is Ronan, 8
years old. He was a hot head from the day he was born. He’s quick to lash
out and does not tolerate teasing well. He is also the third child to have
blue eyes instead of gold. His skill is barriers, which he displayed at a
young age. His sister, Chika who was only two at the time, dropped him.
Ronan manage to erect a barrier around himself and was thus saved from a
painful landing.
Last, but far from least is their final child Akina. She’s
just 6 years old, turning 7 in a few days. She’s very different from the
other children. Akina is the light of everyone’s life. She’s always happy,
always thoughtful and giving. In Isabo’s opinion she was the most
spiritually like her father of all his children. Everyone else thought that
Akina was most like her mother. She certainly looks most like her, from her
sky blue eyes right down to her mother’s star. What she doesn’t have are
natural demon markings, the only one of her children. It was the cause of
much surprise until InuHaru reminded everyone that wolf demons have no
markings so it was likely she was just a throw-back. Isabo knew better but
after all these years of displaying demon markings, she could not very
easily abandon them.
Akina’s powers are special too.
Every year some new skill appeared. Isabo was not alone in thinking her
youngest is destined to be the greatest of all the siblings. Little Akina
was the best part of both of them, their final glory.
“Momma?”
Isabo snapped open her eyes to see her youngest daughter
standing in front of her. Akina beamed and held out a bouquet of flowers to
her mother. Looking around, Isabo didn’t see any of the other children,
although she could hear them. She took the flowers offered to her and
breathed in their scent.
“They’re beautiful! Thank you.” Isabo patted the ground
next to her and Akina obediently sat beside her mother. Isabo started
weaving the flowers into her daughter’s hair.
Clever girl. Only
six years old and she found me way before the others. Obviously, Sesshie has
taught her a few tricks. She smiled. Akina is his favorite sister,
she thought.
Isabo finished braiding the last flower into her
daughter’s hair and hugged the young girl.
Akina turned to her mother and touched one of her cheeks
where the demon marks usually were. “Someone’s coming,” she said.
