Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
I had them shaking in fear last time…
It took several hours for InuYasha, Miroku, Sango and Kirara to recover from the earlier battle but, after their respite, they joined the village guard in making preparations for the next attack. The field over which the two previous attacks had taken place was now lined with tar. Archers with flaming arrows were positioned along the northern wall. If the tree spirits tried to cross the field, they would be surrounded by the one thing they were weak against: fire.
While Sango and Kirara scouted the perimeter of the wood, InuYasha and Miroku met with the Guard Captain and the Village Elder with a strategy that would make the defensive plan even deadlier.
“Each attack was merely a hit-and-run. But the second wave was much larger than the first. I think they fled because they didn’t expect to encounter all of you,” the Village Elder counseled the warriors.
While Sango and Kirara scouted the perimeter of the wood, InuYasha and Miroku met with the Guard Captain and the Village Elder with a strategy that would make the defensive plan even deadlier.
“Each attack was merely a hit-and-run. But the second wave was much larger than the first. I think they fled because they didn’t expect to encounter all of you,” the Village Elder counseled the warriors.
“And that’s the one flaw in these preparations,” Miroku observed, “Given the change they will flee before the fire does any damage. But we noticed something before - when I activated my Wind Tunnel: they took root and remained in place. If we waited until they were in the middle of the field to light the fires, I could activate the Wind Tunnel. They would either take root and be consumed in the flame, or try to flee and be sucked in.”
“I saw you on the field before,” started the Guard Captain. “Won’t that send flaming tar hurtling towards the village?”
“If I’m up on rampart, the tar on the ground shouldn’t be affected. And even if it is, whatever doesn’t end up getting stuck to the trees will get sucked into the void as well. I wouldn’t advocate any plan that would risk harming the village.”
“Yeah *sniff* and then I can jump in with Tessaiga and finish them off! I had them shaking in fear last time…”
But InuYasha was interrupted by the elder’s laughter. “Heh-heh… you thought they were shaking in fear? Foolish boy.” InuYasha bristled at that remark. “They weren’t raising their hands in surrender…heh-heh… they were attacking!”
“*sniff* Wha...? How…?”
“What happened when you tried to activate your demonic powers?” The Elder asked, seemingly amused.
InuYasha couldn’t even look the old man in the eye as he muttered his response. “I sneezed and the attack got all fouled up.”
“And do you think that happened by coincidence? By raising their limbs, they caught the wind in their leaves. This increased the amount of pollen released in the area, and that was what disabled your attack. You’ll need to take that into account if you plan to attack them again. *sigh* I just don’t know… I’m concerned that it has come to this… What will happen I wonder…?”
“Elder!” The Captain snapped. “We are prepared this time! With this trap and our new found allies we are sure to be victorious!” It was clear from their posture that InuYasha and Miroku concurred.
“*sniff* And then you gotta help us rescue Kagome!” InuYasha looked at the Captain, who nodded in reply.
“Hmmmm… The impetuousness of youth. I am sure that we can win the battle. It is not even impossible that we could destroy every tree spirit in the forest! But what would that accomplish?”
“We would be safe!” The Captain declared.
“Would we? And who would defend us against the demons from over the mountains without the sacred wood acting as a buffer zone? The Shinrinyahsa have been our shield against them for generations. Before the Treaty of the Trees we fought with the demons constantly. Plus… they manage and keep healthy the very timber that we make our living off of. They even maintain the river to prevent it from flooding. You take for granted all they have done for us… and are ignorant of how tenuous our livelihood will be without them. Victory on the field may be irrelevant in the long run.”
Miroku considered this in silence, but he saw no better options. InuYasha and the Captain were unmoved however and were about to launch a counter-argument when Sango burst in.
“Would we? And who would defend us against the demons from over the mountains without the sacred wood acting as a buffer zone? The Shinrinyahsa have been our shield against them for generations. Before the Treaty of the Trees we fought with the demons constantly. Plus… they manage and keep healthy the very timber that we make our living off of. They even maintain the river to prevent it from flooding. You take for granted all they have done for us… and are ignorant of how tenuous our livelihood will be without them. Victory on the field may be irrelevant in the long run.”
Miroku considered this in silence, but he saw no better options. InuYasha and the Captain were unmoved however and were about to launch a counter-argument when Sango burst in.
“They’re here! Ready the militia!”
TO BE CONTINUED
TO BE CONTINUED
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