Catriona sat on the edge of the riverbank, looking at the reflection of the unusually bright sliver of a moon in the river's clear water, wondering if Sesshomaru was busy fighting, or if he was looking up at this same bright moon. Scoffing lightly, she shook her head. -He doesn't enjoy the same things I do. Why would I even think he would be looking at this moon?- She thought.
She looked up at the moon, & its surrounding stars, & wondered if her son was safe with the Gods in the God Lands, or if his soul was lost somehow. She closed her eyes a cold, bone-chilling breeze blew against her, tossing her hair about until it dyed down. She looked in the direction the breeze had come from, as if she expected to see Death standing next to her, but she was still alone.
-I guess that was a winter wind,- she thought, tears welling up in her eyes. -Isamu won't even get to see Christmas; he loved it so much.- She brought her knees up to her chest & resting her forehead on her knees as she let her tears flow freely. -Why did he have to die?- She thought, making more tears flow, as soft sobs began wracking her body.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On top of his watch spot, Ginta, along with Koga, looked down on Catriona, watching her so she would be safe from attack since their guard spot was hardly noticed by youkai tracking prey. "Koga," Ginta whispered, "do you think she will be okay?"
Koga shook his head slightly. "It's hard to tell Ginta. I haven't known her long enough to make that type of decision. But I do know that when anyone loses a pup, it is best if they are around their mates so their grief can be shared & they can comfort each other."
"But Lord Sesshomaru is still having a battle, Koga. He hasn't sent any word for us to bring her back to him."
"I know this Ginta..." Koga brought his hand up, stroking his chin in thought. "But right now she needs her mate or she could become depressed enough to take her own life."
Ginta shuddered from not only that thought, but also the second harsh wind that blew against them. "Koga, we need to get her inside before these winds get worse."
"I know Ginta," Koga spoke, his voice showing a bit of irritation towards his pack members babbling while he was trying to think of a way to help the woman he watched.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Catriona shivered from the harsh wind that blew against her, & she sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes, before a small yawn escaped her. She heard the footsteps when they were close by her, making her turn in their direction, to see Koga walking towards her. She turned her head back & looked at the river's water. "Why are you here Koga?" She asked. She held no hate towards him because he had tried to stop her son, but she was angry enough at the fact that he had filled his mind with thoughts of a hunt.
"I am here to escort you back to the caves, Catriona," he spoke softly, his eyes showing a concern that made her tense up. "What's wrong?" He asked, his senses informing him of the tension she had just put between them.
"Why do you look concerned?" She asked, wiping away a few tears that had escaped.
�Because I am, Catriona. I know what grief can do to someone," he answered, moving closer to her. "I don't want you to kill yourself with your grief. And although I don't blame you for grieving, you can't live the rest of your life in grief. Catriona you son told you not to cry over him forever, so don�t do just what he asked you not to, he wouldn�t want that.�
Catriona looked at Koga, unsure if this was the same ookami youkai that had been treating her pup so rudely, but then she realized that Koga must feel upset that he had brought the pup with him; he blamed himself somewhat for the pup's death. She moved closer to him, closing the gap between them before she threw her arms around his neck & buried her face in his shoulder, crying softly.
Koga was taken by surprise by her actions, but he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her to him, knowing this was what she needed. He meant nothing by this embrace, only comfort, as he rubbed her back softly as she cried into his shoulder.
"I feel so empty Koga," she whimpered. "I lost a big part of my life yesterday; he died in my arms. I hurt so badly internally; my loss is greater than I could ever show. He was the only thing I have of Sesshomaru's, should anything ever happen to him."
"When Sesshomaru & you are reunited, you can produce another pup with him Catriona," Koga whispered, rubbing her back still. "I know your loss is great, & I could never claim to know how you felt unless I lost my own pup, but you have to try & move on. It is what Isamu would want. You know that.�
"I know Koga, but it just hurts so much. My baby boy, my Isamu, he's dead. He never had a full chance to heal from the pains of his past & now he'll never have one."
Koga lowered his head slightly, his eyes closed as he thought about that day. How he shouldn't have brought the pup with him, but he wanted to have a chance to bond with him for his stay at the den. He only wanted to help Isamu expand his hunting skills so he could impress his father when Sesshomaru saw him & his mother again.
"Catriona, we have to get you back in the caves," he spoke softly as a harsh wind began blowing against them, making both youkai & ningen shiver. "These are just the warning winds of what is to come; they'll get much worse within a few days & soon snow will fall."
She looked up at him, sniffling softly, before she nodded. "Let's go..."
Koga let go of Catriona, & she did the same, before they walked back to the caves, walking slowly since the wind was still blowing against them. He knew if they walked too fast into it, it would make them colder, & also make it harder for them to warm up once inside.
He looked up to see Ginta looking down at him with questioning eyes & a completely confused expression. 'Later,' he mouthed before looking ahead, leading Catriona into a side cave where he had built a fire earlier that night, when the sun first set. He had kept it going before going up to check on Ginta & of course by now it had blown out, but there was still a bit of warmth there, greeting their cold bodies when they entered.
Catriona shivered before she found a place to sit down after Koga motioned for her to. "Why are we in here?" She asked.
He looked up at her from his spot by the fire spot, trying to restart the fire. "This small cave is connected to the others, but I needed to talk to you in here first." He watched her nod before he went back to restarting the fire that was still dead. When he finally had it going again, she moved closer to him, being closer to the warmth of the fire. "Is that any better yet?"
She nodded. "It feels much better already," she answered, holding hr hands close to the flames to warm them up before rubbing them on her arms in an attempt to warm herself quicker; so far it was working. "What did you need to talk to me about?"
"I wanted to talk about you... Catriona, as I told you out there, I have seen what grief can do to someone. So I have come to the decision that to avoid the same fate happening to you as I have seen happen to others, I am going to send word for Inu Yasha to come here. But this is only if you do want him to come here. Would you like that Catriona?"
Catriona nodded. "I could use his company Koga, thank you very much."
Koga shrugged. "I don't like the mutt-face much, but I am willing to put aside our differences for the sake of my mate's friend."