A Forest on Fire (KuramaxOc)

Chapter 47: Departure

[A/N: I've decided to go ahead and post part one of the conclusion early as I'm so excited to finally complete book one!]

Two months had come and gone. Tsume had spent nearly every day either on assignment for the male who now held her leash, or standing proudly by his side to intimidate his clients. It seemed a wolf the size of a bear often did wonders for convincing human and demon alike to agree to his whims.

Should her presence and snarls alone not be enough, he would flick a wrist, she would howl, and Togoro would emerge from whichever door he hid behind. Between the cold-blooded human, the snarling wolf, and the massive demon in human form, it was a simple matter to bend any soul to Sakyo's will. Only once had a demon thought to refute him even then. Tsume could still taste the tiger demon's blood on her tongue, and feel her claws sinking into it's shoulders.

Their marks had all been weak, simple prey. So much so that after only a week of running "errands" for Mr Sakyo, she had asked Togoro to help her train, stating she wanted to be of use in the tournament. The truth was, she was looking forward to a good fight. She had no doubt her mate would make it to the finals, and even less doubt when it came to how far Togoro's team would go.

Their final promise in the glade still rang clear as Yoko's image swam into Tsume's mind. "We'll make it a fight for the ages." Her tail wagged at the thought, and her companion turned his head at the sudden noise.

"You seem to be in high spirits, wolf." Togoro commented, a faint smirk on his features. He never used her name, but that was fine with Tsume.

She had grown rather comfortable with their arrangement. Most days she stayed in her wolf form when not training. She walked at his side, head high and eyes burning with challenge to any who approached, especially the demon who once tormented her. He had been foolish enough to try and corner her a few weeks back. Though he had succeeded in savaging the wolf, she had fought back, leaving a myriad of claw and bite wounds along his flesh that had Ani grinning like a madman when he had come across them.

Ani still scared the wits out of her, but he obeyed his brother's command for the most part. Luckily for Tsume, he enjoyed tormenting Karasu more than her. She had only felt a slight pity for the sable-haired male as Ani told her to run along. Togoro had taken one look at the wolf when she returned to his chambers, bleeding and shaking horribly, before he rose to his feet, and set off down the hall without a word.

The next morning, she found a half-conscious gift waiting tied to a wall in their training room, a note nailed to his chest to "have fun". Since then, Karasu had given the wolf a wide berth, though his eyes still held a promise of violence should he ever escape his master's grasp.

She spent most evenings stretched out at the foot of Togoro's massive bed. There were some nights, ones where he would bring back one demon or another, that she would opt to leave the room, and sleep in Sakyo's study instead.

The first time she had entered the study uninvited, Togoro had brought home a rather loud, and giggling cat demon, who had shooed her out like nothing more than a dog. She had still been growling when she nosed open the door, just past one in the morning, only to stop in her tracks to find Sakyo still awake, and working at his desk.

"Did you need something, wolf?"

His voice had been charged, clearly annoyed at being interrupted, and the tone sent a shiver down her spine. She shifted, unable to speak to the human in her wolf form, and utterly unbothered by her lack of clothing.

"I was looking for a quiet place to sleep. I didn't mean to bother, I thought the study would be empty at this time, and..." Her eyes had drifted to the cozy rug near the fireplace.