The Coyote Child
Chapter Three
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The Coyote Child
By Terri
Disclaimer: I don’t own
Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko
Takashi. I’m poor so don’t sue.
Rating: R for later chapters.
Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome
Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome
are asked to adopt a coyote-hanyou baby from Arizona.
Email feedback to:
tci100@psu.edu
Webpage:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta
*******
Chapter Three
Yukio
stayed awake all night, staring out at the mountains and waiting for dawn to
come. He fed and changed the pup once more during the wee hours of the morning,
and was proud that he did it without waking his mother. Now that he beinbeing
properly fed, the pup was a very easy keeper and seemed to have a pleasant
disposition, but being that he was only eleven days old, it was hard to tell
what his temperament would really be like. Still, he didn’t seem to be the
cranky sort, and he was alert and responsive when he was awake. Some of his
siblings had driven his mother crazy when they were little pups.
been irritable and colicky for months, and he had cried for hours on end.
Nothing Kagome did seemed to help either and his poor
mother was often ragged from lack of sleep. He’d often wondered if
future fate.
Focusing
on the pup helped him get through the night without going into a complete
meltdown. He hadn’t felt the weight of Miakaspanspan> death
so heavily on his shoulders in almost thirty years, and it did not sit well
with him. He’d spent decades compartmentalizing the last forty years of his
marriage, trying to avoid the memories he had locked away.
Long ago
he had come to the realization that his marriage hadn’t been like the blissful
union his parents shared for quite some time. In fact, when he was brutally
honest with himself, he could admit that the ‘blissful union’ part had really
only lasted about thirty or forty years, and had really started to go downhill
once members of Miaka’s family had started to die
while she remained youthful because of the infusions of his blood. Rather than
turn to him in her grief as the one constant in her life, and leaning on their
love to sustain her, as his mother did when her friends died, Miaka had pulled
away from him. The steady distance between them grew until the final betrayal
in 1935 when he had dragged her out of Japan by force. She allowed him to give
her his blood only once more between 1935 and 1945 when the Bomb dropped on
Hiroshima. After that, she had refused every time he offered, and died
seventeen years later.
They’d
been married 234 years, but of those years, he could only call about half of
them happy. He’d been happy for nearly all of them, barring the last seventeen,
but Miaka… Miaka probably hadn’t been happy much since 1783 when her last
sister died. She’d tried, but he had felt her growing sadness. He’d tried to
give her everything she could ever want, but he couldn’t give her children or
bring back her loved ones from the dead or stop the world from changing while
they stayed the same. He had hoped that having Kagome to talk to would help
Miaka weather the decades, but mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had never been
very close. Miaka was almost afraid of Kagome in some ways. His mother had
risen to an almost mythological ideal in the eyes of the villagers, and some
people even believed her to be a tennyo and not a
normal human. His mother hated the awestruck reverence and did her best to
dispel the rumors, even going so far as to share in manual labor in the rice
fields and treat the Eta families living on the
outskirts of the village, but that had only served to make the villagers hold
her in even higher esteem.
Miaka had
often compared herself to Kagome and Yukio knew she felt that she would never
measure up. Kagome had tried to tell her that all she had to do to be worthy in
her mother-in-law’s eyes was love her son and do right by him, but Miaka always
seemed to feel that Kagome was criticizing her or judging her against a
standard no normal human could ever hope to aspire to. After the debacle of
1935 when he had forced her out of Japan on one of his family’s deep sea
fishing boats, the relationship between the two women had significantly soured.
‘I
should have known what would happen. I’d had enough warning. I just… kept
hoping that I’d be enough for her, that our love would be enough to sustain us
through the Hell of the War. But deep down inside I knew that it wouldn’t. I
guess… I guess I always knew. Miaka did love me. I know she did. She just… she
didn’t have what it took to live for centuries.’
He
watched dawn rise over the mountains and flood the Bow
Valley with sunlight. The endless forest of the mountains was a beautiful sight
to him and he loved his home with a fervent passion. Japan had cut down most of
its forests to make way for cities and housing for the burgeoning population,
but here in Canada the seas of green remained in all their glory.
‘I am
the Lorax and I speak for the trees,’ he mused,
remembering one of his favorite books by the famed author Dr. Seuss. ‘Someone
has to since humans have stopped listening to them.’
He knew,
of course, that trees talked if you knew how to listen. Goshinboku talked all
the time. Trees, like all living things, were sentient beings and they had
their opinions on things if anybody bothered to ask. They were surprisingly
self-sacrificing too. They didn’t really mind selective harvesting because it
made the forest stronger, but they especially didn’t like clear-cutting because
it destroyed the forest and made the soil blow away in the wind.
His
father was known for building houses out of standing deadfall. It was easy
enough to find it because so many road construction projects resulted in
drainage flooding that killed acres of trees alongside highways. It was
relatively simple to harvest these trees after they had cured for a couple of
years and recycle them into usable lumber. In doing so, they avoided killing
trees needlessly and preserved what little forest the planet had left.
To his
family, such a thing was common sense. Trees made oxygen and cleaned up carbon
dioxide. They provided food, shelter and protection for animals, plants and
soil. He also had a sneaking suspicion that trees made rain clouds but he
wisely kept that to himself in today’s ‘scientific age.’
‘Scientific?
If breaking everything down into tiny pieces so all you see is one thing
instead of the whole picture is being ‘scientific,’ I’ll keep on being a
backwater bumpkin thank you very much.’
He was
brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his father’s footsteps in the hall.
Looking at the clock in the room, he smiled. It was just past 8am.
‘10am
my ass. He dropped Ian off at school and rig right here.’
A passkey
being slipped into the lock told him that the front desk hadn’t given Inuyasha
any trouble about getting up to the room, and he stood, still holding the
sleeping pup, and went to meet his father at the bedroom door. Inuyasha frowned
immediately and it was obvious that his emotional turmoil was showing on his
face.
‘I
can’t tell him what’s happening to me. It’s not that he won’t understand
feeling. It’ll just bring back bad memories for him, and there’s really nothing
he can do about it so there’s no point in burdening him with it.’
demanded, then switched to Japanese. “What happened here last night? How is
your mother? Is something wrong with the pup?”
He
dropped his eyes and wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Okaa-san is fine. The pup
is fine. Nothing happened last night.”
“Bullshit.
They might be fine, but you’re not. Are you going to tell me or do I have to drag
it out of you?”
“I…”
“Inuyasha,”
his mother’s voice interrupted and he cast a glance at the bed to see her
rising.
‘She
must have been just dozing and heard Otou-san come in.’
His
parents shared a meaningful look, then his father
gazed at him shrewdly as if weighing his options.
ready.”
“It’s
nothing, Otou-san, I promise.” ‘Nothing you can fix anyway. You may be able
to do a lot of things Otou, but healing broken hearts isn’t one of them.’
His
father snorted but didn’t comment. Instead he looked at the pup.
“How was
he last night?”
“A little
colicky in the beginning, but he’s fine now. He’s very thin so Okaa-san upped
his feedings.”
Inuyasha
nodded then turned to Kagome. “Tetsu’s plane lands at
2. He’s going to pick Ian up from school and bring him home.”
“I’m
glad,” his mother answered, standing up. “I’m going to shower.”
“Okay.
When are the other two due back?”
“By
10am,” he replied.
“Okay. I
have the Jeep packed and ready to go.”
“I’ve got
the Grand Cherokee.”
“Ah,
okay.”
“Simon
and Frances are coming later today to pick up your bike and Kagome’s car.”
“Simon? I
brought the Ninja,” he answered. Simon was the gardener, and a small
earth-hanyou, too small to handle a racing bike.
why Frances is going to drive the bike and Simon is going to drive the Saturn.”
He
sputtered. “Frances?! Frances is going to ride my
Ninja!?” he squeaked, on the verge of panic. Frances was one of the
housekeepers they employed to keep their home in working order. She was a great
organizer but she didn’t know the first thing about motorcycles.
“She’ll
do fine. She only has to drive it 25km.”
“But…
but…”
“She said
she’s been itching to try a bike. I think she’ll have fun.”
“But…
but…” ‘Not my Ninja!’
He was
still in a state of shohen hen his father cracked a wicked grin and he knew
he’d been had.
picking up the bike after he gets in. I just told you Frances was going to do
it to irritate you.”
He
growled which only made Inuyasha grin wider. “You looked like you needed it.”
“
did. Thanks Otou.’
“That’s
my line.”
“Mr.
Fushikenwa,” Emma’s voice interrupted, and his heart sank into his stomach.
‘There
she is. How am I going to handle this? My heart is telling me one thing but my
head is telling me another. I could give her the cold shoulder but it’s not her
fault. She didn’t mean to hurt me. It’s just my screwed-up head. I shouldn’t
punish her for something that’s my fault. I’m not like my father. I don’t lash
out at people just because I’m afraid they’ll hurt me. My parents made sure I
never had to use that tactic to protect myself.’
His
father noticed his discomfort because he gave him a questioning look before
turning to face the Cree woman.
“Yeah,”
Inuyashawerewered.
“Good
morning. Is it 10am already?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Yukio
noted that she looked tired.
“No, it’s
only 8. I’m early.”
“Oh. I’m
glad. I thought I had overslept.”
“Are the
others up?”
“I’m not
sure. The bedroom door is still closed.”
His
father nodded. “We’ll all go to breakfast once the other two get here, then
we’ll get on the road. I want to reach Helena by nightfall.”
“Helena?”
he repeated, looking at Inuyasha.
“It’s
about 7 hours away. I’ve made reservations at the Holiday Inn. Tomorrow we’ll
make Park City.”
He
nodded. It looked like his father wasn’t planning on drives longer than 9 hours
in a day which was fine by him. Long days cramped into a car were never
comfortable for any of them.
He saw
Inuyasha flick an ear towards the bathroom and turned his hearing in that
direction in time to hear the water turn off.
“Your
mother’s done in the shower.”
“I’ll
feed the pup then take one myself,” he said, indicating the now rousing bundle
in his arms. He knew he had about three minutes before the pup started bawling.
His
father grunted in assent. “I’ll bring you a bottle.”
It was a
clear directive for him to leave the bedroom, but he was reluctant. To do so
would mean being alone with Emma and the thought made butterflies flutter in
his stomach. Not obeying the silent command, however, would give credence to
his father’s earlier concerns that there was something wrong. Unhappily, he
stepped out of the bedroom while his father stepped in and closed the door
behind him.
He and
Emma stared at each other for long moments, then Emma
looked away.
“If
something I said last night hurt you, I’m truly sorry,” she whispered softly.
He
lowered his ears even though he knew she couldn’t see them and sighed. “It’s…
“No, I
really didn’t.”
“It’s
just… I’m just… I’m still sensitive about it. It’s not your fault.” ‘And I
’t w’t want to hurt you either, but…’
“I’m
still sorry. I’ll try to be more careful in the future.”
Her hurt
expression called to him and he hurried to comfort her before he even had a
chance to think about it.
“It’s
okay. You don’t have to.”
She
looked up at him with hope in her eyes and his heart did a flip-flop in his
chest. “But I want to. I don’t want you to be hurt because of something I did.”
‘Yukio,
you are a pathetic sap and it’s going to bring you nothing but pain. It does me
no good to be too nice to her. I’ll give her the wrong impression. Still,
there’s nothing wrong with being friendly, is there?’ “I know. I don’t hold
anything against you. I promise.”
She
smiled. “I’m glad. When you left so abruptly, I was worried.”
He looked
down at the squirming pup. “Well, he was fussing and he needed care. I wanted
to get to him before he started crying.”
“I never
heard him make a souo I o I guess you got to him in time.”
The
bedroom door opened and Inuyasha shoved a bottle of han-i-lac
at him. “Here.”
He took
the bottle and his father shut the door again without another word. Emma looked
at the closed door with amusement.
“Is he
always like that?”
Yukio
shrugged and brought the nipple up to the pup’s mouth. “Pretty much,” he
answered as the pup started feeding.
text-autospace:none'> Emma
snickered. “He reminds me of Grandfather. All rough around the edges but soft
inside.”
“
if he hears you.”
She gave
him another soft smile. “I’m glad you aren’t mad at me.”
He shook
his head. “I wasn’t angry.” ‘Just bleeding from the wounds
that got ripped open by your very presence.’
“That’s
good.” She looked away for a moment, then cast a furtive glance up at him
again, her eyes hooded.
He knew
that look very well. He also knew that it meant trouble. ‘She’s got her
sights set on you, Yukio. And there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s like
she knew who you were before she ever met you.’
“So,
we’re headed to Helena today?”
He
swallowed the lump in his throat. What was it about this woman?
It was one thing for a woman to be interested in him. It was another thing
entirely for her interest to affect him. “Uhh,
yeah. It’s in Montana. There’s a Holiday Inn there.”
your uncle owns Holiday Inn.”
“Okay, I
won’t tell you.” ‘When in doubt, go for humor.’
She
laughed. “I meant that as a joke.”
He feigned
innocence. “You did?”
“Yes. So
your uncle owns Holiday Inn.”
“Actually,
he and my father co-own it. Uncle only owns half of the Intercontinental hotel
chain. We own the other half.”
“Oh. So
you own hotels too?”
“We own
lots of businesses. We like the hotel business though. It gives us lots of
places to stay for free.”
“I can
imagine. Did you experience a lot of profit loss after September 11th?”
“Not
really. I think airlines were the hardest hit.”
“Do you
own any of those?”
“No.
We’ve got a couple of jets though. Uncle owns at least two airlines, however.” ‘And
both have top-notch safety records. I’d love to see some whacko try to get a
bomb on one of Uncle’s planes. Jerk would be in for a rude awakening. He’s got
the highest percentage of hanyou and youkai employees of any airline owner and
a good third of them can read minds.’
“Is there
anything your uncle doesn’t own?”
or any Islamic country.”
He saw
her frown. “He’s prejudiced against Muslims?” she asked carefully.
‘
like the other way around.”
“Huh?”
“In many
sects of the Islamic faith dogs are unclean. To own a dog or even touch one, is
to damn the soul,” he explained.
Realization
filled her eyes and her cheeks flushed. “Oh. I see and you are half dogs…”
“My uncle
is a full-blooded inu-youkai. He and my father are
half-brothers. But you see my point. We are dogs. And my uncle…”
“Has
difficulty doing business with people who think he’s unclean,” she finished for
him.
He
nodded. “Especially when he believes himself to be superior to
you puny, weak humans.” ‘When in doubt, go for redirection…’
She let
out a choked laugh. “Puny, weak humans. He’s not
arrogant at all, is he.”
“You have
no idea. And he married a human too.”
“Oh, her
life must be just wonderful.”
“Actually
it is. He treats her like gold even when he treats everyone else like shit. He
has three pups with her as well. All hanyous like me. Plus
two full-blooded sons from an arranged marriage.”
“Arranged
marriage?”
‘Oops.’
“Ummm, yeah. That was a long
time ago and it was dissolved after the pups were born. Long
story.”
“Ah.”
The pup
was finished eating so he set the empty botdowndown on the end table next to the
sofa and put the pup up to his shoulder to burp him. Emma watched him do this
and he saw her shake her head.
“What?”
“You’re
so paterna/p>
/p>
“You have
a lot of brothers and sisters?”
“Your
mother must like having babies.”
“All of
us except Ian are adopted.”
“Oh.”
Just then
Lori appeared in the room, coming through the open door. Her presence made him
relax somewhat because he was no longer alone with the object of his confusion.
“Good
morning,” the Navajo woman greeted.
“Good
morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“I am
well rested, yes.”
“Good. My
father is here and said we’ll go down to breakfast once David and Billy get
back. Then we’ll head out. He wants to reach Helena, Montana by tonight.”
drove up from Pocatello on our second day of travel.”
“How long
did that take you?”
“About
twelve hours.”
The door
to the bedroom opened and his father came out. “That’s too long to be in the
car,” he said, proving that he could hear perfectly through the closed door.
Kagome
followed him, her hair still wet from the shower. “Bathroom is open,
sweetheart,” she said, offering to take the pup.
He handed
the pup over. “He needs changed.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve
already mapped our route. We will drive to Helena today and Park City, Utah
tomorrow. On Saturday we’ll head to Kayenta, Arizona.
Once we’re there, we’ll stay overnight and then leave for your village in the
morning,” Inuyasha stated with authority.
“Why take
three days when we can cross the distance in two?” Michael asked, joining them
in the suite.
“Because
you don’t know what he’s like after spending 12 hours stuck in a car,” he heard
his mother answer as he headed to take his shower.
makes your butt hurt when you sit still for that long!”
Yukio
giggled and shook his head, going into the bedroom and closing the door behind
him. If his father had still sported the subduing spell on his prayer beads, he
had no doubt that his mother would have ‘sat’ him until he ended up in the
lobby. ‘Oton yon you are soooooo lucky.’
The water
felt good sluicing over his shoulders. Unlike his father, he shared his
mother’s love of hot baths and showers. The hotter the
better. Temperatures that would send his father howling barely
registered on his heat-o-meter, and he was famous for using all the hot water.
He scrubbed his hair and body, then jacked up the heat and stood under the
spray for a good ten minutes, letting the hot water relax his tense muscles and
soothe his addled mind. Popping his head out to make sure the bedroom door was
still closed, he wrapped a towel around his waist and
left the bathroom in a billow of steam. He wasn’t so much concerned about
people seeing him half-naked as he was getting caught without his concealment
ring. The humans might seem okay, but he wasn’t ready to reveal his true form
to them.
clad in only the towel, he stood in front of the window and looked out at the
valley while he combed his fingers through his long hair. Then he rummaged in
his pack and dug out a clean set of underwear and a T-shirt. He’d wear the
pa
pair of jeans; they were still clean. He found his ‘I base my fashion sense on
what doesn’t itch’ shirt and pulled it over his head before
putting on the underwear and jeans.
yet?!” his father bellowed, banging on the bedroom door.
Slipping
on his signet ring he threw open the door and sauntered out. Everyone was standing
in the parlor of the suite, including David and Billy who must have arrived
while he was in the shower.
“What?”
“Everyone
is here an’re ’re waiting on you,” Inuyasha complained.
“Your
father hasn’t eaten breakfast yet,” Kagome explained.
“Well,
room. Did we settle on the route?”
“
without hesitation.
It was
obvious from their faces that the Navajos weren’t overjoyed with the plan, but
whatever had occurred while he was showering must have convinced them to go
along with it. He only hoped that his father wasn’t too belligerent in pressing
his point. He knew money was a definite issue and that gave him an idea.
“Or
better yet, let’s pack up, check out and go to Phil’s Pancake House.
ten times as much for the same breakfast and the prices on the menu would
probably be enough to make them dizzy.’
His
mother, observant and quick-witted as always, picked up on his idea right away.
“That sounds like a fantastic idea, sweetheart.”
His
father blinked at him, then at his mother, then shrugged. “
packed. You’ve got ten minutes. Get your stuff together and let’s go.”
“I’m on
it. I hear Phil’s chocolate chip and strawberry pancakes calling me!” he
enthused as he headed back into the bedroom to get his bag.
Twenty
minutes later they were checked-out of the hotel and on their way to breakfast
with the Natives following in their minivan. Phil’s was
a bit of a landmark in Banff and had slightly elevated prices because of its
location, but as far as restaurants in Banff went, it was still considered
inexpensive. Emma sidled up to him in the parking lot and gave him a sly look.
“I know
what you’re doing,” she said softly.
“Who me?”
he replied, all wide-eyed innocence. ‘When in doubt, play dumb.’
She gave
him a sweet smile. “Thank you.”
He looked
ahead of him at the Navajos who were entering the restaurant with some
reluctance. “I just don’t want them to feel as if we are giving them hand-outs.
We aren’t, but at the same time we need to eat. Especially
you puny humans.”
Now it
was her turn to give him a wide-eyed look. “You who ate three times as much
pizza as any of us last night say that to me?”
He
smirked, but didn’t answer.
“But
still, I appreciate your efforts to make them feel more comfortable,” she went
on quietly. “My people are faring slightly better since the casino opened on
our reserve. The money brought in by the gambling has built better housing,
provided jobs and funded all kinds of social programs. The apartment building I
live in was built with funds from the casino. Our tribe is prospering even as
we struggle to hold on to our traditions.
“The
Navajo Nation however… it still struggles with basic survival. From what David
tells me, many of them don’t have heat or running water in their homes. But
they are a proud and deeply spiritual people, and they don’t feel comfortable
with charity. I can’t explain the desperation it took for them to bring the
child here, the agony and heart-wrenching decisions they had to make, or the
sacrifices. Coyote is not a fortuitous trickster for the Navajo as he is for
some tribes, and he is not looked upon with kindness by them. There are many in
the village, Michael’s father included, who believe Coyote has cursed them and
will bring terrible misfortune. Michael had to defy a number of his people, and
they aren’t happy with him or Lori and Billy who sided with him. Doing this is
extremely difficult for them and they are very unsettled by this whole
situation. I thank you for your efforts to make them feel better about this.”
He
nodded, swallowing hard. ‘I should tell Otou-san to let them win one just to
make them feel more at ease. I know he can be such a bull in a china shop
sometimes, but he doesn’t like to walk all over people either.’ “You’ll
tell them that we’re not paying anything for the hotel rooms? That should make
them feel a little better.”
“I
already have. It made some difference, but your father’s… insistence that
things be done his way…”
“My
father is pack leader. He is the alpha male,” he explained. “The safety and
well-being of the pack are his responsibility. That is why he comes off as
being stubborn and uncompromising. He has led us for more years than you can
possibly imagine and his choices have kept us alive. He does what he thinks is
best for all of us and he has his reasons, just as you have yours and they have
theirs. If they had presented a reasonable case for changing the route we took
down to Arizona, he would have listened to it because he isn’t as rigid as you
think he is. But I agree with him on this one. Twelve to fourteen hours in the
car in a day is too much, especially for the pup. Don’t forget that his mind is
foremost on that pup because he is helpless and has no voice. I understand
their urgency, but not at the expense of the pup’s safety and health. You have
no idea what you are dealing with when you have a hanyou pup. He needs to be
protected in ways you wouldn’t even consider. Believe me, if my mother and I
disagree with his choices, we call him on it and we can usually make him listen
to us. But you have to trust him on this one because he knows what he’s doing.”
She
regarded him seriously then nodded. “I’ll tell them. I’ll try to make them
understand that he isn’t trying to be bossy.”
He
smiled. “Oh, he’s being bossy, but that’s just because he knows he’s the boss.”
you jgoingoing to stare at each other in the parking lot?!” Inuyasha yelled
from the restaurant door.
“My
father bellows,” he said with a shrug.
“I
heard.”
“We
should go. I’m hungry.”
“I can’t
imagine why. You only ate six slices of pizza last night.”
“Seven,”
he corrected. “And an order of breadsticks.”
Emma just
rolled her eyes and followed him into the restaurant.
After
breakfast, he managed to get his father alone in the men’s room for a minute
and explain to him that his in-your-face attitude was not going over well.
Inuyasha brushed it off in his usual way but he was fairly confident that he’d
gotten his point across. He noted that his father spoke a little more
patiently, and explained things a little more clearly when he detailed the plan
again just before they got into their vehicles and started off. Inuyasha gave
the Natives one of the roving walkie-talkies with a 3km range so they could
stay in contact with each other on the road and relay messages.
They
drove for about 4 hours and stopped for lunch at a rest stop along Highway 15,
Helena. Lori rode with them in the Grand Cherokee because they had more room,
and she wanted to help keep an eye on the pup, so he rode shotgun while his
mother and the Navajo woman sat in the back with the pup in Ian’s car seat. The
pup was surprisingly quiet the whole trip and half the time he almost forgot
the little guy was there.
The
Holiday Inn in Helena, MT was actually a Holiday Inn Express with no pool but that
wasn’t such a bad thing. It just meant no whirlpool for his mother to sit in.
His father promised her a hotel with a spa for the next night and made a
reservation at the Grand Summit in Park City. It caused a small bone of
contention between them and the Natives because Park City did have a Holiday
Inn that advertised an indoor pool and spa. Kagome had suggested that the party
split up for the night since the Navajos didn’t want to spend the night in a
place so expensive, but Inuyasha nixed the idea and repeated that both hotels
were free anyway because Uncle owned the Grand Summit too and they should just
shut up because they weren’t going to separate. So there.
When it
looked like there was going to be a snit about it, he pulled Emma aside and
spoke with her. The Cree woman might send his heart into somersaults every time
she was near him, but she knew the Navajos better than he did, and she was able
to diffuse a potentially ugly situation. He explained how it was important for
the pack to stay together as a whole rather than split up. He also explained
that the Grand Summit was in The Canyons ski resort while the Holiday Inn was
in downtown Park City, several kilometers away. Downtown would be more crowded
and busy while the ski resort would be experiencing a lull in activity because
the official ski season hadn’t started yet. As a hanyou, loud noise and strong
smells would bother the pup, so the less populated hotel was the better choice.
Besides, Park City, with its lax morality laws, was known as Utah’s party town,
where even good little Mormons went to let their hair down. If Lori was
concerned about Michael and Billy drinking, then the Grand Summit was it
because it didn’t have as many watering holes as Downtown.
In the
end, Emma was able to convince the others that Inuyasha’s plan was best for a
number of reasons, and the argument was settled. They checked into their three
adjoining rooms, simple doubles with nothing special to commend thxcepxcept two
clean beds and a working bathroom, and headed out to dinner. As a gesture of
peace, his father let the Natives choose where they would eat and the Navajos
settled on a local restaurant that advertised good food for low prices. It
turned out to be a small Italian pizzeria that served the best
good, he ordered a second to take out for a late night snack.
“I have
never seen anyone eat as much as you or your father do,”
Emma commented as he consumed another garlic roll.
The food
euphoria was making him feel pleasantly full and he spared her a genuine smile.
“We can also go days without it. We don’t have to eat every day.
We like to eat every day. If food is available, we’ll eat it, but
if it’s not, it takes a lot for us to starve,” he replied, licking the
flavorful oily garlic grease from his fingers.
“I
imagine your physiology is a lot like a wolf’s: able to adapt to seasonal
feasts and famines,” David theorized.
Inuyasha
growled low and ripped a garlic roll in two. “Do not mention
wolves to me,”grumgrumbled, eating the bread with angry bites.
Eyebrows
went up, then Lori smiled softly. “There are Wolf
demons then. Like Dog and Coyote.”
youkai races,” his mother answered, holding the pup and feeding him his bottle.
The pup sucked noisily, completely oblivious to the adults
around him.
“One too
many,” his father complained sullenly.
Yukio
snickered. “One of Okaa-san’s potential suitors was a
wolf-youkai,” he explained.
a chance with her!” his father insisted.
“Oh now
you say that. Before you went all dominant dog on me
every time Kouga-kun came around,” Kagome sniffed.
him Kouga-kun,” Inuyasha snapped back
jealously.
“
so I wish you would just stop getting jealous.” She wiggled her left hand in
his face, flashing her wedding ring and diamond. “Is it his ring I’m wearing?”
As always
when his father looked at the wedding ring on his mother’s hand, his eyes fell
to the one on his own hand and he softened.
“No,”
Inuyasha replied with a gentle smile.
“Then
it’s settled then, isn’t it.”
“Good.”
Yukio
looked down at his own naked ring finger and his happy mood drained out of him.
His mother, noticing his sudden silence, frowned at him and put her hand over
his in comfort.
loves pup.:
He gave
her a sad smile. :Pup loves Mother-female.:
“What was
that?’ Emma asked curiously.
“
“All
them. “And all canine language is similar. This little coyote-hanyou
understands us when we speak to him in inu-youkai
even if he isn’t able to answer yet.”
“So the
barks have meaning,” Michael commented.
“Of
course they have meaning. What? You think we just bark and howl at the moon for
no reason?” his father snorted.
He knew
his father hadn’t meant to crack a joke. Quite the opposite, Inuyasha had been
expressing irritation, but as usual his choice of words was more amusing than
anything else. Yukio found himself half-choking on his
beer and desperately tried not to spew it all over the table. His efforts only
made the situation funnier, as did his father’s annoyed glares and soon they
were laughing. The laughter felt good, sparkling through his veins like good
quality sake or an expensive scotch, and the clouds that had fallen on him
burned away.
His
father paid the bill and they headed back to the Holiday Inn. Anticipating that
his parents would want some time alone after spending the previous night apart,
he took the keys to the Jeep and chatted up the front desk clerk to find out if
there were any good places to kill a few hours nearby. He hit the jackpot when
the little co-ed told him the Indy coffee shop two miles away offered live
entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. He supposed it helped
that the girl was dating the guitarist who was performing, and the fact that
the place was non-smoking was a real plus. He hated cigarette smoke, it always
made his eyes water and his nose itch.
“Is
everything okay?” Emma’s voice asked behind him.
Jumping a
little because he hadn’t known she was there, he turned around to face the Cree
woman.
couple of hours.”
She gave
him a quizzical look.
“My
parents spent last night apart. They wanted some time alone to… reconnect.”
Her eyes
widened as she caught the meaning of his words. “Oh…”
He rolled
his eyes. “It’s not what you think. At least I don’t think so. Let’s just say
I’m pretty sure the walls are too thin in this place for even my parents’
comfort. Besides the pup’s with them.” ‘Not that
that’s ever stopped them…’
She
blushed and looked away with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t…”
He rushed
to assuage her discomfort. “It’s okay. I just felt it was better if I occupied
myself for a little while.”
“I
understand. Did you find anything worth occupying your time?”
He was
wondering how he should answer when the cute little co-ed opened her big mouth.
“I told
him about Fireside Coffee. Tommy Simko is playing
there tonight,” she piped up happily. “It’s non-smoking.”
‘Shit.
She’s probably just trying to pad the audience, but damn her timing sucks.’
“That
sounds like something fun,” Emma commented, looking at him expectantly.
He
gulped, then was struck by a stroke of genius.
you guys if you wanted to go.” ‘All of us together. Not like a date or
anything like that.’
left in the car,” she said, indicating the blue coat she had draped over her
arm.
back up and find out if the others want to come too?”
He
thought she would be put off by his intimation that he didn’t want to be alone
with her, but her smile widened instead.
“I think
David will want to come,” she replied.
“Great.
Let’s go ask him.”
He let
her lead the way back to the elevator, kicking himself, and his bad luck,
silently. ‘I really hope David likes coffee and folk music.’
As it
turned out both David and Michael wanted to come along, but Lori and Billy chose
to stay behind. There was a marked difference between the college student and
his Navajo packmates. Of the three of them, Michael
was the most outspoken and outgoing. He knew that Michael had more exposure to
the “outside world” off the reservation through his enrollment at the
University of New Mexico in Gallup. David was a classmate of his, on
scholarship from his home state of Idaho. The two were good friends and he
could see that Michael had embraced at least some aspects of Western culture
when he ordered a double latte.
“Why
didn’t Lori and Billy want to come?” he asked, taking a sip from his
“Lori
didn’t want to leave the… pup unprotected,” Michael replied carefully, using
the word ‘pup’ deliberately.
“Unprotected?”
Michael
dropped his eyes and fidgeted uncomfortably. “We… believe that the pup is… in
danger.”
“Nothing
is getting past my father,” he assured him.
“It’s not
something physical that we are afraid will attack him. Skinwalkers
don’t need to touch their victims to harm them. My sister was very careful to
properly destroy her nail clippings and discarded hair, but something may have
been overlooked. There was so much blood when Sara gave birth, and I know
Grandmother burned the sheets, but a Skinwalker can
use the smallest of things to make a curse.”
“You
think that someone may try to harm the pup spiritually,” he offered.
anything can happen. We can’t be too careful. Lori knows how to counteract a
He
nodded. “I understand. Have you spoken to my mother about this?”
Michael
shook his head. “No. We haven’t. It has been our experience that our… beliefs
aren’t taken seriously.”
He
snorted. “You travel almost 2100 km to bring a hanyou pup to a family of
complete strangers, strangers that a college buddy told you weren’t human,
to ask that family to adopt the pup, and you think
we’ll have difficulty with your beliefs?”
“I admit
it does sound far-fetched but we aren’t used to people believing us,” the
Navajo admitted with a shrug.
“My
mother is a miko. She has great spiritual powers. If you’re worried about the
pup being attacked by a black miko, she can help you protect him. You should
tell her everything you know and then she will know what to look for.”
Michael
looked uncomfortable. “We… we don’t like to speak of… black mikos.
Talk like that could get us cursed. Especially where coyote
is involved. Coyote is… not to be trusted.”
“I can
tell you that the pup’s father is not a Skinwalker. I
don’t know much about coyote-youkai but if they are anything like us, the
father knew your sister was fertile and chose to
make her pregnant. That pup was no accident. Now if someone is unhappy enough
about your sister mating with a youkai to curse her or her pup, that is a
different story,” he said.
are very unhappy. They will be even more unhappy when
they learn we have brought the pup back. I think the only thing that spared my
sister and the pup was the promise that we were taking it away. When we arrive
back in the village with the pup…”
“I
promise you. If your sister is in danger and we can’t find the pup’s father and
find out what is going on, we will take her and the pup with us. I speak for my
father in this. We will not allow the pup or his mother to be harmed. I give
you my word.”
Michael’s
eyes flashed with anger. “There have been many times when a man has given my
people his word only to break it when it is no longer convenient.”
“I am not
one of those people. I am a man of honor. My word is my bond. I don’t break my
promises and neither does my father,” he answered firmly.
“It’s
true, Michael,” Emma defended. “My grandfather spoke very hi of of his family.
When the Whites lied and tried to steal from us, his family was always honest
and fair. It’s why we knew they could be trusted with your sister’s baby, and
why we went to them for help.”
Michael
looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just…”
“It’s
just that I haven’t given you any reason to trust me. I understand,” he
finished for him. “For what it’s worth, I know how you feel. When I was born,
hanyous like me and my father were killed as a matter of course. Thousands of
them were slaughtered as they took their first breath or hunted down like
common pests to be exterminated.
“My
biological father was murdered by humans. My biological mother died protecting
me. She carried me for four days with three arrows sticking out of her back,
keeping herself alive long enough to bring me to safety. I have no memory of
her, but she loved me enough to give her life for me. My life growing up was
full of those who hated me for being born, and many times the only safe place I
had was with my family. My father did his best to give me the life he never had
because his parents were killed when he was very
young, but unlike me, he had no one to love him and make him feel safe. My
father grew up hated, hunted and alone.
“Until he
met my mother, he really didn’t trust anyone, and he still isn’t the trusting
type as I’m sure you’ve already figured out. But I will tell you this. You can
trust us. We will not betray you and we will do everything we can to make sure
that your sister and her pup are safe.”
Michael
regarded him with respect and Emma looked at him with sympathetic eyes and a
gentle smile.
‘I
didn’t tell you that so you’d feel sorry for me. Don’t look at me like that.
I’ve been very blessed.’
“Thank
you,” the Navajo said.
He nodded
and took another sip of his mochaccino as the night’s
live entertainment took the small stage: a single guitarist with an acoustic
guitar. Inwardly he smiled because he loved acoustic guitar and hoped that the
player was an accomplished musician. The other members of his party did the
same, relaxing back into their wooden chairs and turning to face the singer as
he began his first set.
Ninety
enjoyable minutes and two mochaccinos later, they
left the coffee shop and headed back to the Holiday Inn.
“That was
really great,” Emma said as they got off the elevator and walked down the
hallway towards their rooms.
“Yeah,”
he agreed. It had been a very pleasant evening and he was glad that he had
gone. ‘Even being close to her wasn’t so bad. The music and the other two
were enough of a distraction.’
“You
know, The Sugar Bowl in Edmonton has live music on Friday and Sunday nights.
Maybe someday we could go together,” she suggested.
‘And
how do I answer that without actually stomping on her?’ “
to be now that Ian’s back in school.” ‘When in doubt, hedge.’
The door
to the room he shared with his parents flew open before they were even halfway
down the corridor and his father, barefoot and shirtless, stood there glaring.
“Where
have you been?” Inuyasha demanded.
“Eh?
turned my cell phone off so it wouldn’t ring during the performance.’
“Emma, David, Michael and I went out for coffee.”
“For two
hours?”
“There
was a folk singer there. We stayed to hear him play. I turned off my cell so it
wouldn’t ring during the show. I’m sorry if I worried you.”
“Your
mother has been worried sick. The other two knew you’d gone out but no one knew
where.”
He
flattened his ears against his head. He hated causing his mother any distress.
“I’m
sorry, Otou-san.”
“It’s my
fault,” Emma interrupted. “He meant to call you before we went into the shop
but I distracted him and he forgot. I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry with him.”
1'> His
father gave her a raised eyebrow, then looked at him
for a moment of silence.
don’t do it again. Things are stressful enough without you haring off
with a female.”
came too! Just ask them!”
still alive and unharmed.”
Behind
him, Emma snickered and he cast her a pleading glance.
David and Michael were watching with amusement as well.
“Good
night, Yukio. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good
night. Good night guys. Sleep well.”
“Night,”
Michael replied.
“We’re
leaving bright and early in the morning, and I don’t want to hear any of you
complain about how you’re too tired,” Inuyasha scolded.
“Don’t
worry, we’ll be up on time,” David assured him.
Yukio
gave them a final wave as Inuyasha gave him a shove and slammed the door
closed.